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beastranpo · 9 months

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please stop calling dazai/ranpo ‘souheki’

I posted this originally on twitter, but it unfortunately didn’t get a lot of traction, so I figured I’d post it on here as well in hopes it would get a little bit more traction and I apologize in advance for the fact I will be ‘clogging tags’ so to speak to get the word out.

I generally don't like to flood tags but people who tag Dazai/Ranpo (also known as Daran/Ranzai) as ‘souheki’, please don't. Yes, it is their team name in the japanese version of 55 minutes, but it not unique to BSD the same way ‘soukoku’ is for Dazai and Chuuya.

'Souheki’ in japanese is commonly used to describe an unbeatable pair or duo/matchless people, alternatively referred to as 'two treasures' or the lit translation 'double jade' as the japanese for heki is the chinese for jade.

This being said: MANY OTHER SERIES' USE THIS NAME FOR CHARA DUOS!! If you look up souheki, especially in Japanese, you will find everything from the Lan Brothers and Lan Juniors fom MDZS, Ferdibert from FE3H, Haikaveh from Genshin Impact, and even Fukumori FROM BSD. It does not belong exclusively to Dazai and Ranpo, so you are making the search all the more difficult for everyone involved, and you are burying and missing out on amazing, pre-existing content of them that has been around for almost ten years now.

I’ve been a big shipper of Dazai and Ranpo for that same amount of time, and the ship name has always only ever been Daran/Ranzai. The JP fans have never changed it, because ship names and team names are not equal or interchangeable. (Similarly, content intended to be shippy for them is tagged as Dachuu/Chuuda, never SKK.)

Additionally, soukoku was introduced the second Dazai and Chuuya were announced as a duo in bsd. The term souheki towards Dazai and Ranpo was not mentioned at all throughout the series until 55 minutes, which wasn’t written until 4 years after bsd was created and Dazai/Ranpo already had a ship name. (I’ve been here since 2013, trust me it has only ever been this.)

Once a ship name is created, it is not changed, especially in the japanese fandom where we borrow the ship names. (dachuu, kunizai, akuatsu as examples)

The JP fans never even brought much attention to the souheki concept aside from how it catered to the ship itself. The ship name(s) has not changed for ten years.

For further comparison, this is how the google search looks when you search soukoku / double black:

And this is what happens when you search souheki / ‘double jade’ ‘twin jade’:

This has reached so far that even Japanese fans are seeing this and being confused because, again, ‘souheki’ is not unique to just Dazai and Ranpo!! And it has been used for other ships!

If you are posting content for them, please please PLEASE tag it as daran/randaza/ranzai/etc. Please stop using souheki and muddying the waters to find content of these two.

if you want to find content for them, these are their tags in jp:

乱太 / らんだざ / randaza or ranzai (top ranpo content ONLY)

太乱 / だざらん / dazaran or daran (top dazai content ONLY)

太乱太 (content that can be translated either way / switch)

Please keep in mind that ships are tagged accordingly for who tops/bottoms or is the one who may have the more confident or dominant personality in jp fandom to filter content and those who dislike one dynamic will not be exposed to it. This is not an argument over top/bottom discourse. Jp fans do not have that problem. When you write/read a fic with top A, their actions/thoughts/etc will differ greatly from reading bottom A content 9/10 times. Some people have a preferred character interpretation like everyone else and are much more consistent with filtering.

While I am certainly happy daran/ranzai are finally canonically confirmed to be the agency's 'unbeatable duo/two precious treasures' (souheki), it is misleading and quite frankly incorrect to claim this is their ship name and to please keep tagging them as daran/ranzai so older content doesn't get brushed under the rug and completely ignored/missed altogether in this attempt to give them a 'special name'. They dont need to combat skk. They are unique and special as they are!

Please give attention to the content made by fans of Dazai/Ranpo fans that have existed for a long time now! We promise there is actually a TON of content, it is not lacking whatsoever. You’re just looking under the wrong name!

As a really big fan of Dazai and Ranpo for a very long time, who is friends with a majority of the Dazai/Ranpo fanartists in Japan and has spent a concerningly scary amount of money for content of them over the years, I hope you will consider this advice. I really want fans of Dazai/Ranpo to come together, enjoy content old and new, and make more in the future together. (〃＞＿＜;〃)

Please share this around if you could!

#Dazai Osamu #Edogawa Ranpo #bungou stray dogs #souheki #daran #ranzai #it pains me to tag it as souheki but i really want people to know about this cuz this misinformation is spreading way too far these days ;;

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pegging-satan · 10 months

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Omg I just realised this panel. Omg. Kunikida is giving oldest child energy. Ranpo is the youngest and yosano is giving middle child energy hdhdhddjnd

Fukuzawa is giving single father trying his best to raise problem children, exhausted to the bone. It’s giving affluent European family in the early 20th century. This panel makes it look like their mother died some many years ago giving birth to Ranpo, and Kunikida had to step up to take care of his younger siblings while their father was constantly busy working, though he tried his best to make time for them. It looks like they were rich enough to afford several maids and nannies as well, but they wanted more of the familial bond. Kunikida would grow up to inherit his father’s empire, and run it efficiently. Ranpo would leave the country and be like an author or like some big name producer in Hollywood. Yosano would start a school and orphanage or something along those lines, and also be Kunikida’s top advisor.

Picture this: an affluent European family in the 20th century. The year is 1932. It has been over a decade since the war now. Fukuzawa was conscripted right towards the end of the war and so avoided a good chunk of it. He has one kid with his beloved wife, and he is currently two years old. They are happy, and four years later, they have another kid, this time a girl. Their lives are nothing out of the ordinary, they’re happy with what they have. Until, three years later, when their lives would turn upside down. She finds that she’s going to have a third kid, but wisps of war are showing on the horizon. And right before he has to go to war, their third kid is born. It’s bittersweet, because she died at childbirth. The kid is the most precious thing he has ever laid his eyes upon, and he does not want to leave them. Unfortunately, he was conscripted and had to go. The kids were to stay with their mother’s family till he returned, and Kunikida, the oldest, 9, did his best to obey his father when he told him to “take good care of your siblings and yourself”. Six years later, their father would return for good. The war was over, he was home now. He could barely recognise his kids, and they him. It was a bittersweet reunion, his oldest two welcoming him back, the youngest a bit indifferent; so far he had grown up without a father or mother. He only knew his siblings and his aunts. However, the cruel circumstances of fate did not seem to touch him and he was a gleeful little boy. As far as he was concerned, he just had one more person to play with.

They grew up, slowly; their father started a business and it started to flourish. Ever the obedient lad, Kunikida stuck by his father’s side, learning how to run the business he was the future heir of.

In the meanwhile yosano would teach the young Ranpo quite a number of things, and most importantly introduce him to the art of storytelling. He would read books fervently, and was a big fan of theatre. He’d go to the local theatre, watch plays, go to the cinema watch movies. He never missed a new release.

In the meanwhile, yosano would study the sciences with an ardent passion, and she would go out in search of new plants; she was a genius and would go on to excel in the fields of botany, zoology and etymology. She was as sharp as they could get.

Eventually, their father got too old to run the business, and the kids were old enough. Ranpo had left for America some time ago. And from his letters, seemed to be doing very well for himself, and had no plans of coming back anytime soon. Still, he divided his assets equally among them and left his oldest in charge of the business, and his sister was his right hand, a top executive and an advisor. She herself would oversee her younger brother’s share and on her own would build a school.

#I love this #just single father trying his best to raise problem children #this has been in my drafts for the longest time #I don’t Even know why lol #bsd #.txt

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spacexseven · 2 years

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promotion

i have an issue i cannot even THINK of ranpo without swooning i am in love♡ uhm idk if the agency has interns but idc this is now a thing >:)

cw: blackmail, abuse of authority, threats

- maybe you're just too good of an employee -

you would be lying if you said you weren't excited to be interning with the armed detective agency. after all, the agency was a highly respected organization in yokohama, and you were personally a big fan ever since you first witnessed one of the detectives solve a case a few years ago.

it was an unexplainable scenario - an extremely large sum of money, more than you ever thought you'd see in your life, had disappeared from the bank. it didn't help that once the staff were alerted about the robbery (much after the crime had actually occurred) they had imposed a lockdown on the entire building. unfortunately, you were caught up in the mess as well. after an hour of being trapped inside, the doors finally opened to let someone in - an edogawa ranpo - accompanied by another person, but at that moment, you had only seen him. he was a detective from the armed detective agency - the best detective in the entire world! - as he claimed, and after seeing him work, you had no doubts about it. there was no way anyone could come even close to him in terms of intellect. he quickly deduced how the crime had taken place, who did it, and the motive without even having to interrogate anyone, in fact, he solved the case within minutes.

even as you were being escorted out with the rest, you couldn't tear your eyes away from his inconspicuous figure. apart from his strange get-up, ranpo looked like any other person in yokohoma - however, now that you were aware of his phenomenal ability, you knew he was far from ordinary. the moment when he stood proudly, declaring to have solved the case, with his eyes gleaming undauntedly would forever be imprinted in your mind. it was impossible not to revere his confident poise.

now that you were officially an intern with the agency, you were surprised by the friendly atmosphere in the room. almost everyone seemed to be pretty casual and laidback despite the type of cases they dealt with. even though you were only helping the administration team, it was still the closest look you'd ever have to the detectives and most importantly, edogawa ranpo.

it was shocking to witness how ranpo seemed to behave - you were expecting him to be solving case after case, with no time to spare for the non-detective members of the agency - but to your bewilderment, he was pretty...childish. sometimes, you even saw the other members desperately attempt to convince him to work on a case. you hadn't expected him to be so erratic, but then again, you couldn't have deduced his entire personality from one glance years ago. regardless, you still viewed him as an admirable person. you knew he could be serious (or at least, the other staff were intent on letting you know so) when the situation called for it. nevertheless, the most startling thing you learned was that ranpo's ability - his unconquerable, superior ability - was actually not an ability at all! ranpo was...like you, without an ability, but unlike you, he had a natural talent and an unyielding mind. in the end, the revelation only succeeded in increasing your respect to him.

"[name]! can you help me?" you swivel around in your chair to come face to face with ranpo, "the chocolates in the fridge are missing."

"oh," you blink, still processing his request, "um, were they yours? i thought someone else brought it in..."

"is that so? i thought they were for me," he sighs, before he perks up "well, i still wanted to ask you something! why did you want to intern with the agency, [name]?"

"actually, it was because of you, ranpo," you admit, slightly bashful, "i'm not sure if you remember but a few years ago, there was this incident where money had been stolen from a bank, and they called in you to help. that was the first time i saw anyone from the agency and to be honest, until then i didn't really think much of the agency. i was so impressed by you and your quick deduction back then and it stuck with me after all this time too. i really look up to you, you know? i'm sure you hear this a lot but-"

you're interrupted by ranpo, "i remember that! did you work in that bank?" he appeared to have leaned in closer to you, almost too close, but you disregard it as just him being enthusiastic.

"no, i was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, i suppose"

"oh...well, am i what you expected? i mean, now that we're somewhat familiar with each other."

"you're a lot more approachable than i used to think. we're not in the same level in terms of importance, you know, but you're really nice! since the time i saw you at the bank, i've been a big fan of you! i'm glad i have the opportunity to talk to you like this."

"big fan?" he grins, "that makes me happy to hear, [name]! i won't let you down!" you laugh along at his cheery exclamations, being reminded of why everyone in the agency liked him so much.

"[name]! do you want to share this?"

since your last conversation together, ranpo had taken to clinging on to you, in some sort of way. it was normal for him to be humored by your colleagues but he seemed to expect you to constantly play along and coddle him. he had even started to share his precious snacks with you, despite never having done so with anyone else before. at the end of the day, you left stuffed full of the snacks and sweets that ranpo insist you have as well. you took the gesture to be ranpo's way of showing gratitude for your support. however, it was almost too much at this point. he demanded your attention to be on him and was constantly around you to the point where you found it overbearing, not that you'd ever tell him so. you were sure he didn't have any malicious intent behind his actions, he probably didn't even realize how pushy he was being.

"no thank you," you reply, stepping past him. today, you were oddly feeling exhausted since you woke up and didn't have the energy to cater to him.

he frowns, and asks you again, "why not?"

"ranpo," haruno says, "maybe you should leave [name] alone for a while. she doesn't seem to be feeling well."

"if she's not feeling well, i can help," he insists, "why should i leave?"

you groan and sink into your seat, laying your head on the table, "sorry, ranpo, but i don't think i should be having sweets right now."

"are you sick?"

"i feel tired," you mutter, "that's all."

ranpo glances at your worn-out state and takes a seat by you. "today," he announces, "i won't be taking any cases! i need to watch over my dear [name]."

you instantly shoot up, staring at him with a dumbfounded expression, "ranpo, please! you don't have to! i'll be fine!"

naomi pipes up as well, "i'll be here to take care of [name] if anything happens, don't worry ranpo!"

the words only seemed to upset him, and he scowls, "so you don't want me taking care of you?"

"no, it's just that...you probably have more important things to get to. and besides, i'm just tired because i stayed up late," you lie in an attempt to placate him, "i'll be okay."

"stayed up late? were you talking to someone else? [name], you know i'm the best, right? there's nobody else more important than me! you should be honored i'm talking to you."

you're taken aback by his sudden proclamation, but you know better than to deny his statements, lest you upset him, "right! i really appreciate your concern, ranpo, but i'll really be alright. you don't have to neglect your duties for me..."

he chuckles, "if it weren't for me, the city would be in chaos! everyone else is too incompetent. i guess you have a point - everyone does depend on me, after all. then, i'll see you later, [name]! i'll make sure to bring you something to make you feel better!"

you beam at him, genuinely touched, "thank you, ranpo."

today was the day. your time at the agency had finally come to an end. while you were disheartened to leave behind the comfortable routine you developed here, you knew there were so many other opportunities waiting for you, and you didn't know if staying in the agency was the right choice - or if there was even a permanent position for you, in the first place. you had shared teary goodbyes to all the office staff and detectives, and handed over to everyone some little trinket that you thought they might like as a parting gift. now, you only had to talk to the president and ranpo, who was out on a case.

for some reason, the thought of breaking the news to ranpo felt daunting. you were aware he already knew that you would be leaving eventually, but something just didn't sit right with you. you definitely noticed that he had become extremely clingy to you, especially during the last few weeks, to the point where he demanded you feed him his snacks. you were uncomfortable with the proximity of such an action, but you weren't sure how to refuse, especially when he would begin to throw a huge tantrum. it was concerning how he could whine and yell and pout without feeling even a twinge of embarrassment, but it was apparently a normal occurrence, considering how nobody else batted an eyelid at his outright mortifying behavior. in fact, haruno suggested just going along with his demands.

you were so lost in thought that you hadn't noticed a familiar figure walk in. ranpo made a beeline to you, a self-satisfied grin on his face and a box in his hands.

"[name]!" he calls out, "look! i got us some super yummy mochi! these are supposed to be reallyyy good and -" he suddenly stops, a frown beginning to form over his previously excited expression, "why are you holding all those boxes? your desk..." he glances over to see the empty table, "wait, you're leaving?!"

"i was waiting for you so i can say goodbye," you explain softly, "thank you so much for everything you've done for me, ranpo. i really appreciated having you as a friend and getting such a great oppurtunity to work with you. i've learnt a lot from you and i hope i never bothered you too much during my time here."

"no, no, wait!" he cries out, grabbing onto your arm, "you can't leave! i won't allow it!"

"but-"

"no! this agency would be nothing without me - NOTHING! if i want you to stay, you will. i won't let you leave. if...if you leave...i will too. i'll come with you and let this wretched place behind! without me, they can't continue to be an agency-" you notice some concerned glances from the other staff and you can't help but feel utterly embarrassed. what had gotten into him? you were expecting some negative reaction, but not this kind of outburst. he was seriously outraged and it almost scared you to see him so infuriated.

"ranpo, please calm down," you mumble, trying not to draw any more attention to the two of you, "can we talk about this?"

"i'm the only person you'll ever need - you said it yourself right? that you looked up to me," he seethes, still holding on to you with a death grip, "you can't leave me. you love me!"

"i didn't mean to hurt you, it's just - my internship is over, ranpo" you continue your pathetic attempts at placating him, and ignored his strange rambling, "i can't stay."

"you can - of course you can! i'll talk to the president - you've been a great help around here and we can always fire someone else if it means you can stay!" at the last line, a couple of the office staff turn to look at ranpo finally showing some sort of expression.

"i don't know..."

"don't tell me...you don't want to stay?"

"it's not that!" you immediately begin explaining yourself, "there's just so many things i'd like to try before choosing a job and-"

"but didn't you want to work in the agency? you said i'm really nice, you like being here, don't you? you like being with me!"

"i really do admire you, ranpo, and everyone here has been so nice to me, but i don't know if this is the job for me-" you gasp when he makes an unidentifiable, anguished noise, feeling your heart race and your head spin.

ranpo exhales, and stares at you unnervingly, "why don't you get it? you know, as a member of the agency, i have access to a lot of things. if i wanted to, i could ruin your life. one word from me and you'll be a wanted criminal-" you couldn't tell if he was lying but his intense gaze terrified you so much, you couldn't even try to form a response, "if you just stay with me, things won't have to end badly. you can have a nice job at the agency and you can even stay with me! it'll be so much fun, don't you think?"

you force yourself to smile, despite the tears running down your face. you were frightened out of your wits but you were more scared of what his reaction would be if you didn't agree. your tears don't even seem to bother him. he only smiles back and wipes your eyes.

"come on, let's talk to the president about your promotion! ooh, is that box for me? can i open it now? please?"

his sudden change in mood was alarming, but you decided an excited ranpo was better than a mad ranpo. as he delightedly tore apart the wrapping paper to reveal what you had gotten him, you find yourself wishing you never encountered the detective at all.

i think all the bsd characters would make for interesting yanderes i wanna write for pretty much 90% of them :(

#yandere ranpo #yandere edogawa ranpo #yandere bsd #yandere bungou stray dogs #yandere ranpo x reader #yandere ranpo edogawa #yandere x reader #yandere ff #i love ranpo i wanna write more for him :( like i have soooo many thoughts abt fics for him #send yandere ranpo thoughts i would love to discuss #ranpo 🐟#fic 🐟#bsd 🐟#os 🐟

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bungou-stray-controversy · 5 years

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As someone who is a fan of Chuuya but not a fan of skk this fandom is really frustrating, like i want to read fanfic about my favorite character but I have to scroll through of skk fics even with filters on just to find one non skk fic about chuuya. Like seriously this fandom has a problem with tagging fics properly on ao3 so people can filter stuff out. And then all the fic recommendation lists I can find are also usually skk so they're no help

We're really sorry to hear that! We actually went ahead and tried to filter it out and we found you're absolutely correct! Sometimes it's almost like people think the readers are dumb and won't see it just because they don't fuck or kiss but them pouring endless amounts of pining and ship-baits is completely ok. We get a lot of big anime companies do this but here's the tea:

Fanfic writers are not big anime companies. No matter how much we'd love to have that kind of power, we don't. And we can't afford to do the same things and expect the exact same reactions.

Nobody likes ship-baiting anyway (ok, there are very few exceptions). Most people see it as annoying and a completely terrible practise. We mostly agree. Ship-teasing and ship-baiting for no reason other than fanservice screams lazy writing and unfortunately, BONES is doing exactly that for both SKK and SSKK and Asagiri pushes this onto RanPoe. It's not a good thing to do and it can ruin the whole experience.

We hope you'll be able to find some more work on him soon. Chuuya derves to be loved on his own as well!

#bungou stray controversy #no content for you #better lock that thought up #skk controversial #chuuya controversial #chuuya met the same fate as poe #sadly #theyre just ship accessories #they dont deserve a personality on their own #or characterization for that matter #this fandom sure is a sad place

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scarlet-nin · 5 years

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DazaixHappiness week Day 1: Flowers

„Are you comfortable down there?”

Not bothering to open his eye, he hums. With the sun intent on caressing him in a heated embrace due to the blackness of his clothes he doesn’t find the wind bothersome. Like ripples across the river, the breeze brushes the heat away.

It’s the shadow falling over him, casting a shield from the dangers of the sun to the tender skin on his face, which makes his eye open. The sight greeting him is far brighter than the rays of the sun.

“Careful not to get sunburnt in this weather.”

Eyes bluer than the sky, clear without white clouds hiding the view, seem to crinkle in the drowning warmth of a gaze he’s all too familiar with. It’s hard not to grin back into the face looming above his, so he doesn’t try to hide the smile tugging his lips upwards.

“Dying of a heat stroke isn’t on my agenda today, Odasaku. That’s too plain. Also, it infers with my ability to think, so that’s also a big no.”

Dazai pets the grass, soft and easy to sink into with a hand. Oda sinks down next to him, not laying down but sitting with his legs crossed. He doesn’t bother to ask how his friend found him, finding the detail unnecessary in favor of savoring the company of a man brighter than the color of the spring surrounding them.

It’s too bad, he thinks, only having one eye free of coverage. Otherwise he’d get to sort out all the different shades of red shining through russet locks easier, naming a few that come to mind. Beige coat too light for the tanned skin visible, a pleasant contrast to look at.

“That’s good.”

Oda says it like he means it, Dazai knows he does just like every other word but it never fails to amaze him. An honesty unlike any other free of judgement. He reaches up to unbutton his jacket, loosening the tie in the process. Breathing feels easier this way even though wearing his ties reminded him more of a noose than a piece of fashion.

“I did come here to try out another suicide method! But it doesn’t appear to be working.”

Dazai pouts as he lunges forward with his upper body to mirror Oda’s seating style. Their knees brush neither pointing out how close they sit.

“How unfortunate for you. To have to endure this kind of weather all on your own after such a disappointment, it’s a good thing I found my way here to keep you company.”

“Now you’re just making fun of me,” Puffing out his cheeks, Dazai huffs as he glances around the colorful ray of flowers. “You’re mean, Odasaku. After I showed you my coffin too!”

“Coffin?”

“Yeah!”

At the slow blink of his friend Dazai grins as he gestures to where he had been laying before.

“Death by breathing in poisonous flowers! That way, the sweet aroma would have put me to sleep and I’d never would have woken up again. Nobody would have to leave flowers on my grave too, since they’re already here.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but none of the flowers here are in any way poisonous.”

Dazai sighs, nodding. He’s known after twenty minutes of dozing off like this. Putting his head on his hand he glares at the flowers. Maybe if he stares long enough, they might combust and turn into poisonous gas.

Five minutes later, no such luck then.

“Here.”

“What?”

“You said the flowers are here, but since you didn’t die, I’ll give you one to take with you instead.”

Oda smiles, slipping the flower behind his ear. It’s a shade of violet and blue, dark purple veins spreading across the petals shaped like a bell.

Dazai is glad he took of his tie. Otherwise he might have suffocated now.

“Well, that’s no fair! If I get a flower from Odasaku, then he has to get one from me! Or better a whole crown. I couldn’t choose a single flower here, so you’ll have to put up with lots of them.”

He’s already picking out flowers, careful not to jostle the one behind his ear as he chooses different shades. Oda nods, helping to pick out a bunch as Dazai starts to work on binding them together. It’s harder than he thought. But he’s good with his fingers and he’s got enough pieces of small wires on him for lock-picking so he manages to make one.

“There! Not my best work, but it’ll have to do until I can make a better one someday.”

Despite the way it looks, some petals falling off from harsh tugging, no real pattern to the different shades of white, red and yellow, Oda wears it without protest. He looks ridiculous, crown too small and unruly. It doesn’t match the calmness of his face.

Dazai snorts as Oda inclines his head, careful not to jostle the fragile mess of flowers of his head as his lips form a smile.

“It’s perfect. Thank you.”

“Only you would think so,” Dazai laughs, tempted to take a photo knowing his friend wouldn’t mind. “Say, how do you feel about—"

“Dazai!”

“What?!”

Whining as he raises a hand to shield his eyes from the sun or the fiery scowl sent his way as he squints up to get his eyes to focus, he resists the urge to yawn. Shades of red fade into a sunny blonde just like the sky fades into a steely grey. Kunikida’s upside down face glaring down at him.

“We’ve been trying to wake you up for the last five minutes and you didn’t even twitch! Get out of your vest before you die of a heat stroke and eat something.”

Before he can do so much as open his mouth there’s a tuna sandwich thrown at his face which he manages to catch in time. Pushing himself up to unwarp it, he takes a large bite out of it to appease Yosano’s scrutiny.

Right. Today was a day off for all of them. One to relax while having fun and doing something normal for once. The very reason why Kunikida insisted on sleeping on his couch and dragged him into the car with a warning that if he should try to disappear, they’d declare it a fair hunting game for all of the Agency with a prize on his head.

Not wanting to spent his day running as much fun as it might be to grate on Kunikida’s nerves he’d been obedient so far. Taking the time to lay down in the shade as soon as they came to the spot Fukuzawa had chosen to do their picknick.

A large field of flowers with enough space for Kenji to go run about, or Atsushi should he desire to do so. There’s the gentle trickling of a river near them, one he had been forbidden from jumping into much to his dismay and the soft buzz of bees having seduced him to rest his eyes for a few minutes. Thankful for the large tree giving them coverage from the heat of the unforgiving sun, he yawns. He truly must have been tired then. To sleep like this in the mist of their chattering.

“You’ll finish that later.”

Yosano’s voice is firm as she takes the half-eaten sandwich back into the basket by her side. Dazai nods, knowing it’s a losing battle to try to argue his way out. He finds he doesn’t really want to with the edge of sleep hovering over his mind like a cloud above his head.

“You three, don’t wander too far. Also, be careful of your surroundings. If you manage to spill our tea with your game, you’ll be on paperwork duty for the next week.”

“Listen to the mother-hen,” Dazai grins only to wince when Kunikida elbows him into the side. He wheezes. “Now off you go before he decides to give you the talk about talking to strangers too!”

Kyouka, Kenji and Atsushi scurry off, Naomi and Tanizaki on their heels as they engage in a sporty game of tag.

“It’s way too hot for this kind of thing.”

“How aren’t you melting?”

Ranpo narrows his eyes as he keeps fanning himself with the fan Kunikida made him. Dazai shrugs, not bothering to answer as he finally tugs off his vest. Ranpo huffs, turning back to his game of chess with Fukuzawa as Yosano and Kunikida share a cup of sake.

Dazai lets his gaze wander from the game to overlook the field. A habit fit to his former occupation. He doesn’t let his gaze focus on anything for too long. He sees Atsushi trip into the river as Tanizaki vanishes into green snow. It’s enough to let a smile flash across his face as he hears the boy spluttering and hissing like a wet cat as he yells about the topic of cheating before he’s aware of the way his fingers drum on the top of his knees.

He’s restless. Startled into sudden awareness might do that to a Mafia Executive but he can’t blame Kunikida for his temper any more than he could have blamed Chuuya back in their days. If anything, it’s his own fault for falling asleep so quickly and so deeply.

He doesn’t pay attention to the game he knows Fukuzawa will lose in five turns, he glances at Kunikida, who narrows his eyes at him in suspicion before he turns back to Yosano.

Dazai snorts at the wariness his silence has caused before his fingers start picking out flowers. He’s careful in his choice, collecting them in his lap before his fingers start to work as his mind wanders.

His work is neater this time around. Bigger too. His choice of colors is different, softer in their pastel shades than the vibrant ones he’d used before. He’s braiding and tying stems together. Adding a flower when he deems fit only to twist the stem of the additional one over the other so they end up over the left and middle one.

“Woah, that’s so pretty Mister Dazai!”

“It is, isn’t it?”

Not aware that the game of tag has been cut short, he waves the finished product of his nimble work around like a bouquet. Kyouka and Atsushi come to sit beside him, their eyes stuck on the arrangement of flowers he’s bound together.

“I’d say it’s a crown for the Queen of the Agency, but Kunikida-kun is such a grump! So, he’ll need this over anyone else to make him prettier.”

Dazai puts the crown on Kunikida’s head whose protests are drowned out by Dazai clapping his hands like a child after seeing a good theater play made of dolls.

Hands empty, he finds it easier to look at the crown on Kunikida’s head, who growls and crosses his arms but leaves it be than having it in his hands.

“I want one too! But with other flowers. You better make it just as good if not greater than your first one.”

Ranpo demands, looking sullen as he leans against the base of the tree. Knowing better than to reject any wish of the man Dazai rises to his feet to collect new flowers. Kyouka, Atsushi and Kenji are more than willing to help him pick them out.

“Can you teach me?”

“Me too, please!”

“Can you do other stuff with flowers too?”

“Of course! But I don’t have any more pieces of wire to make more. If only my ability couldn’t cancel yours, Kunikida-kun.”

Kunikida rolls his eyes but takes his pen and notebook out. Soon enough, he’s showing the rest of the Agency with exception of Fukuzawa, Yosano and Ranpo, who preens with his chest puffed out and head held high about his new choice of hat wear how to make crowns, necklaces and other things with the flowers they pick out.

At this rate there might not be any left.

“No, no Kunikida-kun. You’re tying this wrong.”

“What? What am I doing wrong? I tied it just the way you said!”

“Look, brother, now we have a matching set!”

“Not so close, Naomi.” Tanizaki flushes as she snuggles up his arms, nearly sitting on his lap.

“You need to tie it this way around—”

Dazai makes a motion with his hand, gently pulling the stem the other way around before holding it out for Kunikida to take.

“—see? This way it later won’t be all that visible underneath the wire and it won’t fall apart.”

Atsushi fumbles with his crown as Kyouka puts her necklace around his neck before she reaches out to help him adjust his flowers in a braid pattern.

“Who taught you to make those?”

“There are some things in this world which don’t need to be taught. Or perhaps, I’m just a natural with my hands?”

Dazai winks as Kunikida hits him over the head, giving him a warning glance as his eyes stray over to where Kenji was sitting, drinking a glass of cold kept milk.

“Kunikida, don’t aim for the head, he needs that. Everything else is fair game.”

Ranpo chides, stuffing his face with sweet bread they’ve brought on their way here. Dazai gasps, all dramatic antics as he puts a hand on his chest and makes himself comfortable against the branch of their tree.

“How rude! What would the good Doctor say about you injuring me?”

“She’d say to keep that up if you want to go to the hospital.”

Yosano says, voice dry but amusement making her face look softer as she tugs a piece of hair behind her ear. She holds out a water bottle towards him. The cold water washes down his throat as refreshing as a jump into the river would have been.

“This should be a more regular occurrence.”

Fukuzawa’s voice is soothing. Not the sickening sweet tenor Dazai knows from Mori. Both powerful men in their own rights, but he finds the sentimental values of the Director far more pleasant than the logical reasonings to Mori’s purposes.

The President’s face is harsh and he’s nowhere near soft but he’s kind.

A difference Dazai’s willing to fight for.

“That could be arranged if it wasn’t for the nutcases running around our city and someone in this group that seems it fit to disappear whenever he likes it.”

At Ranpo’s pointed glance his way, Dazai crosses his arms and starts to whistle. He fools no one, but they let the topic slide in favor of Kenji pointing out the different shapes of the clouds in the sky, starting to appear.

He chimes in when he finds it necessary. The slight dampness of his bandages is gross, but nothing he hasn’t endured before. It’s odd. Spending a day like this.

“I’ll go and see if I can catch some fish in the river!”

“No—wait, Kenji don’t.”

Kunikida trips, steading himself just in time as he runs after the boy. Knowing they’d have to gut the fish if they wanted to eat them and it’d be just a mess. Dazai grins, rising to his feet only to sneak up on his partner to push him into the river.

“Dazai!”

The water is shallow, but Kunikida’s soaked through. He’s almost jealous. Jumping in with only the layers he’s got on his person would mean the bandages would unravel, so he dances out of the way of Kunikida’s attempt to tackle him into the water in his fury as he crackles.

“Someone needs to get this on video! Kunikida-kun looks like a drowned kitten! All hissing and spitting. All I did was give you a way to refresh yourself. You should learn to relax a little.”

“I’ll drown you, get back here, waste of bandages!”

“No way~.”

They stop their violent game of tag when Kunikida’s face gets red enough to rival the shade of Tanizaki’s hair. Dazai grins at him when they drive back a few hours later before asking to be set off quite a long walk away from the dorms.

“Ah, no tries at another suicide attempt, I know. I just remembered I had to do something today. A lady to take out, that kind of stuff Kunikida-kun knows nothing about. See you guys tomorrow!”

He shuts the car door to their curious faces and Kunikida’s cry of outrage before he could try to lunge out of the car to strangle him and waves as they drive off.

Colors of orange, red and yellow melting into a shower of molten gold. The light filtering through the trees casts a glow of light onto the grey tomb. He settles down against it like he always does. Back leaning against the stone, face set to stare off into the distant sunset as he places a single crown of flowers onto the grave.

“This one looks much nicer than the others, don’t you think?”

There’s no answer. He doesn’t need one for he already knows it.

“It’s perfect. Thank you.”

_________________________________________________________

@dazaixhappinessweek2k19

#DazaixHappinessweek2k19 #I know I'm late #dazai osamu #bsd dazai #armed detective agency #oda sakunosuke #fanfic #bsd fanfic

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k-sarago · 5 years

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rant

ok so I stopped reading gintama because I didn’t think I could keep up with its pace and wow mr. sorachi I thought I had had enough with these puns of yours so I was wondering if I can leave this fandom for a while until you decide to give us a serious arc

then I started reading boku no hero academia. ok very smooth artwork but honestly I could not keep up with the fandom I’m sorry nope I mean, the story was good, I also loved the art, but unfortunately I am not a fan of heroes...? idk see ya around

then I started reading yakusoku no neverland. everything was splendid but I thought that I need to take a rest from all these angsty angsty so see ya around

then I started reading bungou stray dogs. it was good and fine until mr. fukuzawa screwed up, uh, I mean, decided to take that mission. ok then I thought that I could go somewhere else while waiting for ranpo showing up again. anyway I’m so happy knowing the fact that ango is a good boy too ha I’ve known it since the beginning but they kept calling him a traitor

so I came back to gintama

and really

really

the shogun died? the shinsegumi disbanded? the big dog is not the usual big dog anymore? kondou-san got married? takasugi stopped being a straight man? tatsuma went bankrupt?? donald zurump???

seriously I wasn’t expecting this

#sorry for the rant #gintama #bungoustraydogs

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bungou-stray-dogs-indulgences · 7 years

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May I have a few headcanons for highschool Atsushi, Dazai and Naomi?? A few with a s/o and a few just in general please

Nakajima Atsushi

If you’re out sick for a few days and need review materials, Atsushi’s your go-to guy. His notes are absolutely impeccable. Once you decipher his slightly messy handwriting (he rarely dots his ‘i’s and sometimes his ‘m’s look like they’ve got one too many humps), his notes are practically a student’s holy grail. Not only are the sheets color coded, they’re practically word-for-word copies of the teachers’ lectures. Atsushi even triple-underlines what’s going to be included on future tests.

How he got roped into Dazai’s squad, Atsushi can’t quite figure out. He’s not totally dull, but he’s nowhere near Dazai’s caliber. All Atsushi knows is that one day, Dazai unexpectedly defended him from the school’s resident assholes and now he’s squashed between Ranpo and Kenji at the lunch table, nervously trying to mediate the Dazai and Kunikida’s daily spats.

Atsushi’s universally known as the school’s nice guy, a fact that eternally befuddles him. So what if he carries your books if you’ve got full arms, or always cleans up his groups’ lab station after Biology, or brings in donuts sometimes on Fridays? It’s not like he’s going that far out of his way! Atsushi’s convinced that he doesn’t deserve the title.

Despite the fact that he gets quite a few sideways glances, Atsushi always brings in adorable bento boxes for his lunch. Rice balls end up decorated with kitten faces, sporting seaweed whiskers and cubed ham eyeballs. Fruit’s always arranged in a bright rainbow, sprinkled with sugar and perfectly arranged. Any dish from bits of grilled pork to noodles looks straight from the pages of a cooking magazine.

Romantic

The mere thought of giving you affection in front of classmates sends Atsushi in panic mode, cold sweat breaking out and stomach churning. He wants to show everyone you’re together (especially since none of the girls that ask him out—there’s a surprisingly long list—actually believe he’s in a relationship when he denies them), but even summoning the courage to grab your hand is beyond him. Getting Atsushi to show love in front of classmates is probably an impossible task; you’ll simply have to initiate and enjoy it while you can before he passes out from embarrassment.

Atsushi often plans study dates, but they rarely turn out as anticipated. When he’s around you, his mind just starts shooting in all different directions like a rabbit on steroids. Textbooks can’t catch his attention like the shape of your lips, or your eyelashes, or the smoothness of your skin. Eventually he just ends up suffering as he stares at you, trying to force his eyes back on his notes and dramatically failing. Only when you snap your book shut, suggesting that the two of you take a break, does he get any relief.

When your back is turned, Atsushi stashes tiny messages inside your textbooks. Nothing elaborate’s written on these notes— just a few sweet words, like ‘You can make it through the day!’ or ‘Atsushi adores you more than anything!’. Hiding these sticky notes for you is his way of holding your hand, guiding you through your toughest classes even when he’s ten rooms farther down the hall.

Dazai Osamu

All of the teachers are downright shocked Dazai hasn’t dropped out yet. He swings average grades, sure, but the boy just seems horrendously unmotivated. After his best friends left—Odasaku dropped out to care for his younger siblings, and Ango transferred—the staff thought for sure Dazai would only be sticking around for another week, at most. Why he still shows up to class puzzles them completely, though they’ve all agreed it’s probably got something to do with you and that oddball crew he’s been hanging around.

Showing up on time for class is not Dazai’s strong point. First hour usually sees him casually sauntering through the door, coffee thermos in hand and clad in sweatpants, half an hour late. The teachers have tried cracking down on his less-than-punctual habits, but detention never seems to shake him. At this point, they’re tired of dealing with him, so they leave the classroom door unlocked and settle for giving Dazai the evil-eye as he settles in his desk.

Nobody’s neutral on Dazai; either you love him, or you hate him. Judging by the flood of love letters that spill out of his locker every morning, most students—the hormonal females, at least—adore him. Really, the only people in the ‘we hate Dazai’ camp are the brothers of Dazai’s ex-playthings, pissed off that he fooled around with their sisters.

More often than not, Dazai’s high in class. While he doesn’t pop pills like he used too, the boy’s still fond of a blunt or two when he rolls out of bed in the morning, and his first-to-third hour bloodshot eyes clearly show it. He’s built up his tolerance enough so that he’s barely affected by starting the day with drugs, but when he shows up to school floating on the edge of a high it’s still relatively noticeable (especially when he gets the giggles in Logic II. We all know binary’s not that funny, Dazai, cool it before you get expelled.)

Romantic

Getting away with getting frisky in class is child’s play for Dazai. He rarely even warns you before his fingers subtly slide into your pants in the middle of Biology. ‘Can I make ________ moan in class without getting in trouble’ quickly morphs into Dazai’s favorite game, and soon he’s springing his nimble hands on you almost twice a day.

Unfortunately for the custodian, Dazai often tugs you into the janitor’s closet for a bit of break-time fun. It’s cramped, sure; being crowded by brooms and shelves of bleach doesn’t do much to set the mood. It’s private and it locks from the inside, though, and that’s all Dazai is really after. As long as he can slide your pants off for a bit of dessert after lunch break is over, he’s satisfied.

Although in the past he’s fooled around quite a bit, Dazai makes it perfectly clear that he intends to take his relationship with you seriously. Every flirtatious look or lingering touch is immediately shut down with a cold glare and an eerily cheerful ‘You seem to have forgotten about _______; that’s alright, though, because I certainly haven’t.’ Dazai’s a reformed flirt now, and his mind’s only on you, no matter how short the cheerleaders’ skirts get.

Tanizaki Naomi

While Naomi’s not a big fan of classes in general, Culinary Arts manages to get her excited for one time slot, at least. Cooking’s a piece of cake—especially when convincing her brother to do it all for her is simple as batting her eyelashes and handing him a whisk. Mainly, Naomi samples the dishes and that’s about it; if she’s feeling ambitious, she might frost a cake or chop some vegetables, but that’s where her efforts stop.

Naomi never shows up to first hour without her trusty Starbucks in hand. It’s the same drink swirling around in that cup every morning, too; a chocolate chip frappe with extra whip and chocolate drizzle.

Naomi’s caused a bit of a civil war in the staff; half of the teachers hail her as an angel, and half regard her as a goddamn problem. Naturally, Naomi’s a sweetheart; until she’s angry, that is. Too many teachers have learned the hard way that giving Naomi a lunch hour for whispering to Haruno during a lecture is not worth it. Once she’s holding a grudge against a teacher her personal mission becomes giving them hell. Every word out of a teacher’s mouth is met with some sassy comment, and if Naomi despises them enough, she’ll resort to just plain, malicious insults. Naomi made a substitute cry once all on her own, and since then the teachers generally try to stay far away from the girl’s bad side.

All of Naomi’s school supplies are absolutely adorable. Animal motifs remain her favorite; most of her notebooks and binders are emblazoned with cute foxes, kittens, or some other equally-huggable mammal. If illustrations don’t cross the cover when she buys a book, she’ll sketch them in herself (after all, what else is she going to do during Geometry?).

Romantic

Enrolling in all of the classes that you’re in is Naomi’s number-one priority. Even one hour away from you is enough to send her into a pouty mood. ‘Clingy’ is practically Naomi’s middle name, and while she can handle time apart from you, she just doesn’t want to.

Hopefully you’re not flustered by PDA, because Naomi sure isn’t. Rarely do you make it two steps down the hallway before Naomi’s twining her fingers through yours, pecking a tiny kiss on your cheek in greeting. If her desk ends up behind yours, Naomi’s constantly burying her fingers in your hair, massaging your scalp and working her way down until she’s chasing the knots and aches from your shoulders (as long as you return the favor when you’re sitting behind her!). The lunchroom, however, is her favorite spot to shower affection. Naomi spends the entire break perched on your lap, demanding you feed her yourself. Every successful bite is rewarded with a sweet kiss.

Naomi’s locker is practically a scrapbook of your relationship. Pictures smother every surface, all of your favorite memories lined in washi tape and propped on the metal. If anyone criticizes her mini-shrine, Naomi’s instantly pouting; what’s wrong with having pictures of the two of you, she wonders. Not often does she hold grudges, but if someone insults her collage, Naomi’s complaining to you about them for the next three weeks.

#Bungou Stray Dogs #Dazai #Dazai Osamu #Atsushi #Nakajima Atsushi #Naomi #Tanizaki Naomi #Bungou Stray Dogs Headcanons #BSD Headcanons

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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Bookshelf Briefs 9/10/20

BL Metamorphosis, Vol. 2 | By Kaori Tsurutani | Seven Seas – The balance in this series is nearly perfect. You’d expect, given the premise, that there would be more focus on Ichinoi, and we do get a lot about her current life, her classes she teaches, meeting her daughter, etc. But Urara’s side of the equation is just as strong—she’s not simply there to introduce her elderly friend to the world of BL, as this isn’t that kind of series. The two enjoy discussing their passion for the work, but also find out more about each other, come see each other for other reasons, etc. Urara’s teenage friendships also permeate the volume, and the best exchange in it may be Eri hearing Urara call herself “nobody” and taking it personally, as she knows who her boyfriend really likes. Fantastic stuff. – Sean Gaffney

Bloom Into You, Vol. 8 | By Nakatani Nio | Seven Seas – With the emotional climax of the series coming at the end of the last volume, it’s tempting to simply call this an epilogue, but that isn’t quite right, as Touko and Yuu still have to negotiate the boundaries of their new relationship. To some (Sayaka), they’re really obvious, but not everyone knows about it. Moreover, how physical do the two of them want to get? (Turns out, they do want to get physical.) We then get a flash forward seeing them relatively happy, as well as the fate of some others. (Sayaka has a girlfriend, as you will find out if you read the third novel about her life.) Overall, this did not go quite in the directions I was expecting, but it improved with each volume, and I greatly enjoyed it by the end. – Sean Gaffney

I Love You So Much, I Hate You | By Yuni | Yen Press – As always, very happy to see a yuri manga that’s not about girls in high school with their touching first romance. Fujimura is an up-and-coming office worker. Asano is her hard-working, driven boss. They are secretly having an affair—Asano is married—and trying to keep things as “just a casual thing.” Unfortunately, events conspire against them, both externally (another office couple is caught and one of them resigns) and internal (their growing love for each other). The tension between the two leads is the main reason to read the book, and it feels quite real—though there’s not quite as much of the ‘I’m dating my boss’ power issues as I’d expected. If you’re looking for a solid portrayal of an adult couple, this is a good choice. – Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 8 | By Tomohito Oda | Viz Media – This volume has the school trip, something Komi hasn’t done before (last time her class did it she didn’t go due to communication issues). Fortunately, she has Tadano with her this time. UNfortunately, the groups for the trip are segregated by sex, so she’s going to have to be on her own most of the trip, with two of the lesser-known cast members alongside her. We get to know those two, and their awkwardness but try-hard attitude around Komi, and as you’d expect the results are mostly heartwarming—a good time is had by all. She even gets a quiet moment with Tadano towards the end. This is a manga that knows exactly the mood it wants to set, a balance between funny and touching. – Sean Gaffney

The Man on the Other Side | By Poteto Ueno | Futekiya (digital only) – Takuma Sano is a rather boring salaryman who has trouble connecting with people. The only friend he has is “S,” a Twitter follower whom he hasn’t met in five years of chatting. Finally, S proposes a meetup and turns out to be Sayaka Narumi, a popular and handsome actor. They both want to become friends, but their relationship is hampered by Sano’s profound social awkwardness—I love how Ueno doesn’t depict him as shy or withdrawn, just oblivious to social cues—and Narumi’s paranoia, after having recently been in the tabloids, that Sano is going to blab. This is a very chaste title with only a couple of smooches, and the big payoff comes when they can both finally clearly communicate their feelings. I enjoyed it, and was particularly amused that a photograph of (presumably) roasted chicken served as a sort of bat signal for the couple. Recommended. – Michelle Smith

Our Wonderful Days, Vol. 3 | By Kei Hamuro | Seven Seas – I think I forgot to brief the second volume of this, and now it’s come to an end with the third. The series does a good job of showing us exactly what a series like K-On! or Lucky Star would be if it had genuine yuri in it instead of tease. Mafuyu and Koharu grow closer as a couple, thanks mostly to some nicely surreal dream imagery, but the series seems to be more dedicated to everyday life with friends than budding romances. Which is fine, as the friendships here are great, particularly the beta couple Nana and Minori—though the gag at the end shows off that those two aren’t actually a couple after all. (Honestly, given Nana’s brain, they may just not be aware of it.) This won’t be in a top-ten list, but it’s cute. – Sean Gaffney

Primitive Boyfriend, Vol. 2 | By Yoshineko Kitafuku | Seven Seas – After the first volume returned our heroine to the present, I wasn’t expecting to go back to the caveman era quite so soon. But most of this second volume has Mito once again bopping around the jungles and plains, sent back there to find Garhi. She runs into another primitive man, and manages to befriend him in much the same way, while also getting herself into peril, etc. Naturally, it turns out that she’s way in the future, and that this man may be Garhi’s descendant. She ends up back in the present at the end, and the implication is that she has to find Garhi’s soul in someone in modern times. Will it be one of her many potential boyfriends? We’ll know soon; this ends with the third book. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 10 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – Well, we couldn’t go too far without another kidnapping, and that’s what we get here, with our favorite sacrificial heroine allowing herself to become a hostage to save the rest of the boat. That’s not something that can stand, and while the king is (for now) restrained, several are coming to her rescue, including the former villainous chancellor. There’s a lot in this series about vows of loyalty overriding most other reasons, and I really liked Sariphi showing her mettle against her captor, indicating that gifts and luxuries are nothing without the feeling behind it. This feels like it’s going to be wrapping up soon, but this is a typically strong volume, and an underrated series. – Sean Gaffney

Venus in the Blind Spot | By Junji Ito | Viz Media – I’m always glad for a new volume of Ito’s manga to be released, so it shouldn’t be surprising that I was looking forward to Venus in the Blind Spot, a “best of best” collection. The anthology brings together ten of Ito’s short manga as well as a small selection of illustrations, a few but not all of which have previously been released in English translation. It’s an interesting mix of stories ranging from original tales of horror to adaptations of work by other authors, including two which are based on stories by Edogawa Ranpo (“The Human Chair” and “An Unearthly Love”). As a fan of Ranpo, I was particularly excited to read these, but I was also especially delighted to discover the inclusion of one of Ito’s autobiographical pieces (“Master Umezz and Me”). Ito’s short masterpiece “The Enigma of Amigara Fault” is here, too, adding to an already great collection. – Ash Brown

Waiting for Spring, Vol. 13 | By Anashin | Kodansha Comics – Mitsuki and Asakura-kun officially became a couple in the previous volume, so now it’s time for Ryuji and Nanase to sort out their status. Although Waiting for Spring doesn’t do anything unexpected with its plotting, I do like how it focuses on communication issues for these couples, with Mitsuki somewhat troubled by Asakura’s perpetually calm exterior and Nanase worried about the age difference and the things that will be new for Ryuji that aren’t new for her. You never feel like either pairing is in actual jeopardy, but there will be things that they will have to talk through together. We also see Mitsuki successfully deliver a heartfelt speech to the incoming first-year students. The main story ends here, but there will be one more volume, featuring bonus stories and an epilogue. Anashin hasn’t started a new series yet, but I look forward to reading more by her someday. – Michelle Smith

With a Dog AND a Cat, Every Day Is Fun, Vol. 1 | By Hidekichi Matsumoto | Vertical Comics – This manga is mostly presented as a series of two-page strips. On the first page, Inu-kun, Matsumoto-sensei’s dog, will be full of innocence and energy on a given topic, and on the second page, Neko-sama, the cat, will be… a cat. Topics include things like laptime jealousy, bathroom visitors, the pets trying to cheer up Matsumoto-sensei, etc. I definitely snickered at a few different things, but wasn’t prepared to end up sniffling, too. The story about Matsumoto’s previous dog and how a friend’s comment revived happy memories that had long been obscured by sad ones really got to me, as did the part about lingering regrets affecting how a person interacts with pets who yet live. I know exactly how that feels. So, yes, it was the sad bits that really won me over in the end, but the cuteness is undeniably beguiling, as well. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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popcultureliterary · 7 years

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Eight Literary Allusions in Cartoons: Celebrating National Book Lover's Day

It's National Book Lover's Day, an official-unofficial holiday celebrating literacy and books. People often mistakenly believe that real readers only read novels, especially the literary classics such as The Scarlet Letter or Oliver Twist. That's not strictly true. Whether you read comics or novels, literary classics or fantasy, you are a reader. Books have been opening doors and inspiring people for ages, with broader audiences in the decades since the invention of the printing press in 1440.

In celebration of literacy, here are 8 (because it's August!) cartoons with allusions to some great books! I included a few anime, but unfortunately, my knowledge of Japanese novels and literary works is fairly limited at present. As a result, each of the included anime reference works that I am more familiar with, missing the boat on Japanese works entirely. I didn't find out about National Book Lover's Day until three days ago, otherwise there would be a wider variety of literary works from other cultures.

The Fairly Oddparents

Arguably one of the best episodes of Butch Hartman's ongoing series The Fairly Oddparents is "Shelf Life". I might be a little biased in this opinion, as the episode revolves entirely around books. With summer coming to a close, Timmy realizes with a shock that he forgot to complete his book report for Mr. Crocker's class. He dashes to the library and, to Wanda's perpetual irritation, tries to take the easy way out by wishing the book characters to life.

His misadventures lead to allusions from Sherlock Holmes, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Moby Dick, Frankenstein, Tarzan: Lord of the Drapes Apes, and other well known titles. Fortunately for Timmy, Hartman selected titles that many of his audience members would recognize, so he too was familiar with them.

Detective Conan

After the publication of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet in 1887, the popularity of mystery stories exploded. His works inspired decades of subsequent stories, including the anime series Detective Conan (名探偵コナン Meitantei Konan, with the dub title being Case Closed). This long-running mystery series follows high school detective and mystery enthusiast Shinichi Kudo as he works hard to build his reputation as a detective. Throughout the series, he makes many references to Sherlock Holmes, the famed fictional detective who inspires his work.

In the first episode of the anime, Shinichi gets in over his head following a criminal organization he knows nothing about. When they catch him, they use an experimental poison on him and run away. Instead of killing him, the poison shrinks him into a little kid. Later, he crafts a fake identity for himself under the name Conan Edogawa. He draws the first name from Doyle, and the last name comes from the pseudonym of an accomplished Japanese mystery novelist named Edogawa Ranpo.

Bonus: Kogoro Mouri, the bumbling detective who inadvertently takes Conan in and gains notoriety through Conan's crime solving, gets his name from the detective in Edogawa's novels, Kogoro Akechi.

Steven Universe

Rebecca Sugar packed her groundbreaking series full of subtle, sneaky book references. Many of these are visual, appearing without a word. The season one opening contains one book reference that is easy to miss. When the van zips past Connie by the Big Donut, she's holding a book in her hands. If you take a close look, the cover resembles one of the cover designs for Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. In season two's opening, she's hauling around a different book. Can you recognize it?

Keep an eye on the backgrounds throughout the show, or you'll miss other great literary allusions. In the episode "Maximum Capacity," fans get a look at Greg's literary tastes (or maybe Rose's?). His repertoire includes The Lord of the Flies, among other titles. Another background book reference comes in at the end of "House Guest," where keen-eyed viewers might spot a volume of the Sailor Moon manga on Steven's nightstand.

Read or Die (R.O.D.)

In every iteration of the story, R.O.D. follows operatives working for the Special Operations Division of the British Library who use their paper-based powers to fight the world's evils. Because of the nature of their work, the characters often find themselves interacting with novels. Notable works that appear in the series include Anne of Green Gables, Fahrenheit 451, and The Diary of Anne Frank.

Bob's Burgers

The incomplete book report trope comes in again in Bob's Burgers. Like Timmy Turner, Tina Belcher would rather have fun now and worry about her book report at the last second. In the episode "L'il Hard Dad," Tina's mother helps her fake a book report on Jack London's Call of the Wild. You don't have to be familiar with the novel to enjoy the episode, but anyone who has read it will enjoy how hilariously inaccurate their makeshift story is.

Honorable mention goes to "The Frond Files" in which Gene livens up a few literary works with farts. In his telling of the Frond story, Tina, Louise, and Gene can be seen holding three books: Are You There, God? It's Me, Fart; Huckleberryfart; and Fahrenheit Fart51 .

Family Guy

Considering that the Griffin family's dog Brian considers himself a connoisseur of literature, it should come as no surprise that the series contains ample literary allusions. What is surprising is that not every allusion comes from Brian himself. Seth MacFarlane manages to sprinkle literary works throughout the series in a wide range of situations. A few episodes even parody popular novels, including the episode "High School English." Peter finds himself locked in a family's home library waiting for the police to arrive after crashing his car into their home. In the meantime, he entertains himself (and the audience) by reading three literary classics often studied in high school English classes. He works his way through The Great Gatsby, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Of Mice and Men. The man reads astoundingly fast for someone who's infinitely short attention span regularly endangers his family.

Looney Tunes

Older cartoons also get in on the action of scripting scenes and entire episodes around literary works. In "Rabbitson Crusoe," Yosemite Sam finds himself marooned on an island with the antagonistic Bugs Bunny. Several references appear throughout the episode, including a nod to Moby Dick with the appearance of a fierce whale named Dopey Dick.

Another allusion appears in the episode "A Street Cat Named Sylvester." The title itself is the allusion, though the episode bares no resemblance to the play from which it gets its name.

Black Butler

Fans of German literature might recognize the parallels between Black Butler (黒執事 Kuroshitsuji) and the legend of Faust. In the legend, a dissatisfied scholar named Faust makes a deal with the devil. He exchanges unlimited knowledge for his soul. In the moment, he is more concerned with gaining the power of knowledge than with the inevitable future that awaits him. Several versions of the story exist in the literary archives, with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's perhaps being one of the more widely known version today.

In Black Butler, a boy named Ciel Phantomhive exchanges his soul for the unfaltering services of a demon while he works to claim vengeance for violent crimes committed against him (and his family). To cement the allusion, a demon named Claude Faustus appears later in the series.

Those are all of the literary allusions that I have for you today. Do you have a favorite that didn't make the list? Share it in the comments! You can also connect on Twitter at @Popliterature, or send a message.

And as always, if you have a literary device you want to know more about, or a game, comic, show, or movie that you want to see make an appearance on the blog, leave a shout-out in the comments!

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