i think really hard about this picture from ura banana

I think. It’s a little bit funny that due to localization lag, the anime I watched as a youth gives me a nostalgia for an era of Japan that was over when I was a child.

Gyaru and Yankii fashion is some of my favourite fashion and subcultures that I have seen represented in Japanese media, and the Delinquent Trope usually includes my favourite characters. These tropes are products of the 80s and 90s and definitely represent something that was different in reality but I am a Canadian with no ability to time travel so I will always not have the concept that people actually living in those subcultures would have.

Similarly I think Yakuza stories can be very capital R Romantic, similar to Mafia and Gang stories, but I understand that the reality is not a story and that changing times and laws have left a lot of Yakuza power in a state of flux. And also if I do find myself in a position where I can go to Japan I’ll have some trouble due to the influence Yakuza has on what Japanese people associate tattoos with and I probably won’t be able to go into most public bath houses or hot springs. That’s fair, I know they have alternative rules for foreigners. It’s something I know to respect and check ahead about currently and will know to look for if I get to be in a position where I can be lucky enough to be a tourist.

But honestly sometimes I imagine myself trying to explain to a Japanese artist all the anachronisms and it’s like “well we didn’t that show in Canada until like 2010, and it kinda mixed with a local concept, and I didn’t learn until later what it actually meant in association with Japanese culture. So when I watched Yu Yu Hakusho, I didn’t understand the delinquency culture in Japan and fully just felt Yusuke and Kuwabara were always lower class victims of the system who put forth an image of aggression and violence to stay safe because they weren’t the right status to be protected by the system. Like I was.” Which I don’t think was *untrue* but I do think maybe it was… less obvious? Idk. (God YYH was good. That was a fucking classic.)

Kagome & Towa: Heroines of Complementary Feminism

Two Sides of the Same Coin

Read the full article here: “Kagome & Towa: Heroines of Complementary Feminism” by bakasaiga

Introduction: Character Design

Judging from each heroine's apparel alone, any spectator can tell that Towa's design can be largely inspired by the progressive themes of 2020. Compared to Kagome's iconic sailor uniform, short skirt, and luscious black hair, Towa sports a clean white boys' school uniform with fitting trousers, an assertive belt, and a thin red ribbon. Towa's pale short hair contrasts Kagome's dark locks. Their skin tones even differ as Kagome's emits a tanned warmth while Towa's elicits an iciness inherited from her father.

Though the two young women seemingly embody contradicting features, their attitudes, personalities, and incentives argue far from that. It's not as if Kagome has never worn pants, nor that Towa is allergic to skirts. Yashahime establishes that Towa primarily wears men's clothing because of its convenience in combat. Likewise, we've seen Towa in "girlier" attire before too.

Towa wears her hair short, insists on fashioning sleek trousers, and gets into fights, but this doesn't make her any less feminine than Kagome. Towa's warmth mirrors that of her mother, an inherently feminine trait. She wears her heart on her sleeves, similar to Kagome and Rin but in a slightly different way. Similarly, despite Kagome's delicate demeanour, she's far from fragile. In the first episode of the original InuYasha series, she's established to be quiet hot-headed, outspoken, and strong-minded — qualities that would seemingly contradict a dainty sailor uniformed gal.

The point here is that Towa's androgynous features don't automatically equate her to be butch, nor does Kagome's inherent docility translate to softness. The irony is that Towa is the one who's considered soft throughout the commentary of Moroha and Setsuna in Yashahime and Kagome is characterized as stubborn and commanding in InuYasha.

The reason why Towa's depiction of gender is so striking is because it's not particularly linear or black and white: it is truly all-encompassing, and to some degree, intersectional. She may appear to be a stereotypical "tomboy" (author's note: this term is outdated, but I'll use it to convey the sentiment for convenience sake), but her warm, idol-crazed, pink bracelet-wearing self can speak otherwise. Likewise, Kagome's countless fashionable short skirts, high ponytails, and praised femininity don't revoke her ability to assume dominance, dictate decision-making, or oppose those who get in her way. These Higurashi daughters challenge one-dimensional approaches to feminism and gender, while simultaneously strengthening their cause.

Unbridled Sexualization

When the audience is formally introduced to our 14-year old heroine in Yashahime episode 2, Sunrise isn't shy to uphold that same raw sexuality they did for Kagome, a 15-year old at the beginning of the original series. There are enough debates on the morals and ethics of fictional depictions when it comes to sexualizing teenage girls, but it's also important not to ignore this aspect of female adolescence. Of course, their bodies are developing (some, quicker than others) and Sunrise's choice to make their newest protagonist equally as sexually appealing as their last one remains a consistent expressive choice, upholding the author's intent and style.

Sure, on the surface, Towa's considered the classic "tomboy," but that doesn't disqualify her from developing cleavage or wearing a bra. Kagome's raw sexuality is consistently played up in the original series, with characters commenting on her short skirt, countless hot springs episodes, and form-fitting outfits to top it all off. The best part of this is that this doesn't devalue either of these female icons. Sexuality isn't unnatural and the "fanservice" depicted in these times of provocation are some of the most tasteful executions in shonen anime. They're not at inappropriate times and they are intricately woven into the plot.

Modesty empowers some, nudity empowers others.

There's no right or wrong in these approaches. What's most meaningful about this is that the author is also a woman who recognizes the sophistication between the lines of these portrayals. Rumiko Takahashi subversively bolsters this message that women don't need to be afraid or shameful of their bodies through the delivery of two very different, yet similar heroines. She brings to life a story for both boys and girls.

Modern & Forward-thinking

Released in 2020, Yashahime isn't shy to explicitly express its messaging behind gender and feminism. Towa consistently makes references to the norms of the modern era and observes how innately backwards they are. In episode 12, her passionate line, "No matter what era you live in, what girls feel will never change," indiscreetly stands out from the rest of the episode's narrative.

During the original series, the easter eggs of feminism weren't nearly as explicit, but they certainly painted and complemented core aspects of the story. The notion of Kagome's choice and agency throughout InuYasha is hinted at consistently. Kagome, a woman of the modern era, remarks on some temporal differences with feudal Japan. In episode 41, when Miroku is re-acquainted with Koharu, someone he had proposed to at a young age, Kagome monologues internally, "Girls of the feudal era are amazing," as their foreign relationship structure unfolds in front of her.

Though some may view Kagome's response to Koharu's "unhealthy" and "brainwashed" or "conditioned" love for Miroku as poor writing, or blame it on Kagome's adolescent ignorance, I find that hard to believe. The compelling aspects of Kagome's feminism aren't that she'd outright denounce the sexist mechanisms of the feudal era or explain to everyone why what Miroku did was wrong (applying a modern approach, though it's evident that the entire gang looked down on Miroku for his age-inappropriate lechery anyway). Kagome's feminist approach is her belief in the agency and free will of the woman, Koharu. She never berates Koharu for these feelings, belittles her wishful thinking, or tries to force some type of moral superiority over her. Kagome never invalidates Koharu. And this is the critical point of her complementary feminism to Towa. Towa verbalizes the feelings of girls never change regardless of the time period. When I heard this line, I painted an instant connection with an homage to the original series' depictions of a "first love" and the ongoing conflicting feelings of the women in the InuYasha franchise. The concept of a "first love" transcends through time and Kagome's validation for Koharu complements Towa's statement and vice versa. Kagome and Towa aren't the only ones who demonstrate conflicting internal feelings — Sango, Kikyo, Kagura, Rin, Kagome's mother... they all have their moments of internal conflict about their own life choices...

Read the full article here: “Kagome & Towa: Heroines of Complementary Feminism” by bakasaiga

Twitter @bakasaiga PIXIV @bakasaiga​ Vocal.Media @bakasaiga Instagram: @SesshomaRin

Avec Moi (With Me): Tamaki x Renge

Welp, thought too hard about my favorite French pair and now I've got a new OTP. Please enjoy this fluffy one shot about them T_T

- There is French in this one shot! a translation will be provided at the end. -

Tamaki Suoh x Renge Houshakuji Genre: Fluff, Mafia AU What to expect: Fluff, first kiss, whump/caretaker, protective!Renge, injured!Tamaki Warnings: Mentions of guns, shootings, mafia violence

-

“Not too tight, Hikaru! You'll cut off his circulation!"

“Wouldn’t be any less useful than he is anyways.”

“If it’s too tight, maybe he’ll wake up and tell us.”

“He’ll wake up when his body allows.”

The words were muffled, buried through layers of cotton in Tamaki’s ears. Brief soundwaves rolled through his head, disappearing as soon as they were uttered. In between seconds-long spells of consciousness before falling under again, his brain rushed to decipher his predicament. He remembered being out on a mission. He remembered the cool steel of the pistol against his palm. He remembered spotting the sleek black car of his target--then he remembered a shout, a burning sensation in his thigh, Mori tackling him to the ground. There was darkness, Kyoya’s voice floating in and out, the squeal of tires on asphalt. Then, and ever since, more darkness.

But he couldn’t remember, for the life of him, how he ended up back at Headquarters.

Tamaki stirred at the feeling of something tightening around his leg. The pain triggered him, allowing him to open one eye. Dim light slithered through his lashes. The stirring pulsing of his blood rushed to his head, giving him the strength to sit up.

When he did, he was immediately pressed back into the arm of the couch, rough hands digging into his shoulders and pressure points. He tried to squeal, but his throat rubbed dry.

“Nuh uh, we aren’t letting you off that easy,” said a familiar voice. “After all the trouble you went through of messing up the mission and getting shot? Don’t think you’re getting out scot-free, boss. I’m not letting you pass out again.”

As energy rushed him, darkening the edges of his vision, Tamaki allowed the hands to push him down. The last thing he needed was to stand up too quickly and get a concussion on his way down. He struggled to even out his breathing until the hands let him go, until only one lay curled on his chest.

It was small and warm, long nails scratching through his shirt. He felt them crossing over his collarbone, scoping out the valley where this throat met his chest, lightly tracing his bicep and coming to rest over his heart. The touch kept him anchored, focused on staying awake to follow the gentle trail they left across his chest.

And when he opened his eyes, he saw those fingers belonged to Renge.

His heart rose in his throat. The perfectionist, the screamer, the one who consistently demanded 110 percent had her hand near his throat, and though he didn’t remember much of the mission, the excruciating pain in his lower thigh signaled something had gone wrong. He wasn’t ready to hear her yell at him---Kyoya may be the founder of this gang, but Renge ran the show.

His tongue felt too heavy to lift, leaving him speechless as he gazed into her caramel brown eyes. She looked displeased, but not at him; instead, directing that rage towards Hikaru and yelling something he couldn’t quite understand. But when she looked back at him, running her index finger down his cheek, there was something in her eyes that saved him from darkness.

“Bon garçon,” she praised as he held eye contact. She smiled, leaning forward to kiss his forehead, brushing her lips against the hot skin. He was burning up from his injuries and the alcohol poured down his throat. Her heart had clenched to see him pinned down and forced to swallow the bitter drink, but his only hope of surviving the surgery was if he were knocked out during it--which, as he laid there, looking up at her with big, sleepy doe eyes, had been an attested success.

The offending bullet laid on the coffee table behind her.

Renge continued to caress his forehead, unable to believe he was safe, lying in front of her, residual worry and relief bubbling in her chest. Hikaru sighed obnoxiously loud.

“Oui? Can we help you?” she snapped, curling her arm around Tamaki protectively, sheltering him from the abuse she knew was coming now that he was awake.

Hikaru rolled his eyes and knotted the bandage. His fingers ached--drawing the short end of the stick meant he was stuck on bandage duty all day while the others plotted strategy and revenge. Watching the two French lovebirds make eyes at each other wasn’t helping his attitude.

“Yeah, can you stop sucking face long enough to keep him awake?” he grumbled. “It’s bad enough we lost the target because he’s not smart enough to look both ways before firing. We don’t need to lose our second chance because you’re too busy telling him fairytales.”

Renge’s eyes flashed in anger, and if Tamaki weren’t there, he was sure she would have backhanded him to Timbuktu. In fact, Tamaki was so drugged up he probably didn’t know what planet he was on. Probably thought he was in France.

“Quit talking to him like that, too,” he added. “You’ll just confuse him.”

“No, confusion would be bombarding him with Japanese as soon as he wakes up!” she retorted. “I need a few minutes every morning to adjust from one language to another. Give him a break, especially since he’s just been shot!”

Shot?

Tamaki bucked against the pressure on his legs and swung his whole body up, hand flying to his side in search of his gun. His heart raced as it came up empty, eyes falling to his empty holster atop the coffee table. Right next to a bloody bullet.

Renge bolted and grabbed his shoulders again, hiding his face in the crook of her neck. It allowed Hikaru a chance to grab his legs, cursing when he saw the newly-bloodied bandage.

“See? Look,” he seethed. “I just changed this. Just leave before you make him have a seizure.”

His stomach grumbled, full of empty promises of a break, and he had his own injuries to tend to from the failed mission today. It didn’t help that Renge completely ignored him.

“Tu es en sécurité, mon chère," she whispered, dragging her hand along his back. She dipped her hand below his shirt traced shapes into his skin, all over the scars and old wounds that never quite healed right over the years. And yet, he was a masterpiece. “Je promets.”

Tamaki didn’t even notice Hikaru throwing up his hands and stomping away. Within the curtain of Renge’s hair he dove into the warmth of her skin, the smell of her jasmine and lily perfume, the way she cradled his broken body with soft hands, whispering familiar words in his native tongue--

He didn’t understand the words she spoke at first, while sleep and fear curdled inside his head; he just knew they sounded like home. Like fresh lavender growing outside his lattice window. Like lamb stew on a cold winter day. Like sunshine beating on his back as he swings from a tree. Despite the pain, he hadn’t felt that safe since coming to Japan.

“J'étais si inquiet,” she whispered into his hair, tears choking her voice. “Je pensais---mon Dieu.”

His arm came up to desperately grip hers, pushing himself further into her embrace like a thirsty man finding a spring. He wanted to swim in it, lap up all the comfort she exuded, breathe in that energy that reminded him of home.

Even as a yakuza member, with power and riches and enemies crushed beneath his feet, all he wanted was her, and the safety she provided.

“Je suis en sécurité?” he asked, hope clenching his heart. He pulled away from her shoulder to meet her gaze, tears sparkling in his eyes.

No failed mission, no rival gang, no pain, no missing target could take away from the peace he found in her lips as they pressed against his, his cheeks, his forehead, back down again to his mouth, tangled in each others’ arms.

The love was flush between as she pulled away with a gentle, promising smile.

“Oui,” Renge said, “avec moi.”

********

Translations:

Bon garçon: good boy Tu es en sécurité, mon chère: You are safe, my dear Je promets: I promise J'étais si inquiet: I was so worried Je pensais---mon Dieu: I thought--oh my God. Je suis en sécurité: I am safe? Oui, avec moi: Yes, with me

-

Examine the ways in which films deal with social, political, cultural, and economic issues, both in direct and indirect ways. What is the political impact of cinema on audiences around the world and how do we see it? Should filmmakers directly engage with these kinds of issues or do so subtly? Discuss any of the films we have watched so far from this perspective, and draw upon other examples if necessary.

Social commentary exists in many forms. We read it in books and hear it in music of every genre. It does not discriminate, covering every issue from politics to economics. As film grew into its own medium, it became a new platform for artists to utilize in portraying their visions of the world. Whether they be whimsical and over the top, or down to earth and stunningly realistic, movies grew to become one of the largest entertainment industries. Directors and screenwriters, whether inspired by or displeased with their surroundings, came to use film as a method of sharing their thoughts and emotions. Be it through direct or indirect means, they would criticize politicians and governments to historic and current world events. Certain countries were more limited than others in controlling the content of films, pushing creators to become even more crafty and thoughtful when conveying their opinions on screen.

With the Motion Picture Production Code in full effect in the US, film makers who wanted to touch upon political issues in American society had to do so in a very subtle way. Take Force of Evil, for instance. On the outside, it reads like a classic gangster movie that was commonly seen in the 1940’s. However, it is deeply critical of the money and power-hungry American underbelly of society, digging into the Capitalism that has overtaken the country even in these earlier years. Irony is found in the two main characters, a pair of brothers. Joe is a lawyer who runs dirty deals with gang members, using his education and career to further their unsavory deeds. His brother Leo believes that his own line of work is earnest and respectable, when in reality it is not. Leo runs a ‘bank’ for the small number rackets that exist in New York City, mainly centered around bets that are placed on horse races. Leo strongly feels that he is not as morally corrupted as his brother, despite being in charge of an illegal business.

The mise-an-scene of the film is what really drives home the underlying critique of money and its corrupting force. Joe takes Leo’s former secretary Doris for a walk on Wall Street, taking her through a church cemetery. The church building is completely dwarfed by the towering buildings of Wall Street’s capitalist businesses. The implied message here is that money is the new God, that the hold it has over people is nearly as strong as religion.

For Polonsky, who was put on the blacklist by HUACC for his leftist ideals, this message is as true to him as it gets. In Polonsky’s eyes, people no longer feared God as much as they did losing money in capitalist America. Considering what the entire world had just lost three years prior in World War Two, it is almost insulting to showcase people like Joe and his associates on screen. Money grubbing is not what America wanted its people to think they had fought and died for, just the opposite. Justice and morality is what America wants people to think it stands for, not capitalism and the desire to supersede the people in their lives. Force of Evil is astoundingly subtle and simultaneously gritty, holding true to the film noir standard of the times.

At the end of the film, when Leo is killed by Joe’s nefarious associates, Joe goes to retrieve his brother’s body. Stairwells are used as a metaphor for an internal moral struggle. In a voiceover, Joe laments ‘I just kept going down and down. It felt like I was going to the bottom of the world.’ The decrepit area beneath the bridge is the exact opposite of the organized, shining city above. Finding his brother’s body is Joe’s moral rock bottom, both literally and metaphorically. It is a slap in the face for Joe, stripping away all of the justifications he has held for his less than moral behavior and actions.

Polonsky cuts to Doris as Joe says, ‘He is dead,’ juxtaposing the image of a living woman with the realization that his brother Leo is gone. It is jarring, but it also suggests a dual motivation rising within Joe. Inspired by Doris’ love and Leo’s death, Joe turns to make his way back up the enormous staircase. This finale leaves the viewers with some hope that Joe can possibly redeem himself after his selfish actions, but will it be as quickly as he ran down the stairs towards his brother’s corpse?

One wouldn’t think that in 1950’s America, a bold film would tackle such a hot social issue: equal rights for African Americans. Especially with the Motion Picture Production Code still in full effect. Typically, when reflecting on movies from that decade, our minds are filled with images of romantic melodramas, as well as musicals and other bright, cheery content. The Defiant Ones not only tackled the issue of racism in America, but it also set the standard for the ‘buddy’ films that are commonplace today. Two escaped convicts are chained together at the wrist, one white and one African American. The film goes back and forth between Johnny and Cullen’s escapades whilst on the run, and the officers who have been assigned to track them down and take them back to prison. The tone of the film is established in the first few minutes, when one of the officers refers to Cullen as the n-word. Later on in the movie, when Johnny and Cullen are apprehended by a group of townspeople after attempting to rob their general store, they start stringing up two nooses. Johnny is mortified, looking around at the townsfolk with terror in his eyes. ‘You can’t lynch me, I’m a white man!’ he pleads. The message is clear: lynching is something white people do to black people.

Not only does the movie look at the harsh reality of life for African Americans at the time, but the relationship that develops between Johnny and Cullen is in itself socially and politically charged. Over the course of the movie, the two convicts go from being at odds with one another to developing a close friendship. Not even Johnny’s mistake to trust the woman they holed up with can break their bond. Johnny leaves the woman behind to rescue Cullen from the dangerous swamps. At the film’s end, Cullen is cradling Johnny, who is wounded from a gunshot to the chest. They are collapsed on the grass together, sharing a cigarette while Cullen sings and the police detective approaches to apprehend them.

Not only has Johnny moved past his racist ideals, but one could also say that their positioning at the end of the film is borderline sexual. The way Cullen holds Johnny is almost as if it is in a lover’s embrace. Cullen’s portrayal in the film is especially bold, since he was portrayed to be well-spoken, intelligent and overall good. A far cry from films like Birth of a Nation where African Americans are put in the most negative light possible, portrayed as thieves and rapists while the Ku Klux Klan members are seen as heroic and noble. The Defiant Ones, supported by Sidney Poitier’s phenomenal acting, gave rise to a much more positive role for African American actors to portray on screen. Though the ‘righteous Black man’ did end up becoming a trope in Hollywood for many years, it was still a positive step in the right direction for civil rights.

Outside of the US, films were not constricted by strict standards of morality and content. They were much freer to openly criticize the societal norms and political atmospheres that were in place at the time of their creation. Hiroshima Mon Amour is a French made film that touches on the devastation of the nuclear bomb drops in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the movie itself seems to be mainly centered around a couple who cannot be together due to extenuating circumstances and their own inner demons, it is also direct commentary on how Japan remembered the bombings, and how different it is from the perspective of the rest of the world.

The first ten minutes of the film are composed of an almost poetry-like sequence of shots of Hiroshima before and after the bombs paired together with the two main character’s voice overs. The characters, a French woman, and a Japanese man, are in bed together in a loving embrace. The opening shot features ash falling onto their naked bodies, which we can infer mimics the death ash that fell onto Hiroshima after the atomic bomb’s detonation. This frame cross fades into nearly the same image of the naked couple, but the ash is gone from their bedroom.

The woman is stating that she knows all about what happened in Hiroshima, from having seen the newsreels that aired after the bombs had been dropped. The man argues that she has no idea what really happened. She states that in the newsreels she viewed, bugs were already crawling up through the debris and dirt on the second day and that flowers were growing all over Hiroshima just a few days after the bomb had been dropped. This voiceover is paired with the footage of a young boy being treated for burns and lesions on his skin, the exact opposite of new life springing forth from the ashes. The obvious pain that the boy is enduring is starkly contrasted to how the French woman describes all the different kinds of flowers that began blooming after the bombs had been dropped.

The Hiroshima that exists in the French woman’s mind is completely different from the Japanese man’s. This speaks to the overall theme of the movie, that collective and individual memories, as well as one’s identity can be corrupted. That the human brain is not a perfect organ and at times, it can even be our worst enemy. The French woman protests that she has seen Hiroshima. She had been to its museums, she knew how it had been over ten-thousand degrees in Peace Square at the time of detonation, and she had seen the films that had been made about the devastation. Her partner states over and over during this intro sequence that, ‘You saw nothing in Hiroshima. Nothing.’ Her experience of the disaster when compared to his is hollow, a clever way of illustrating how two people can think of the same event so differently.

Even if the trend of filmmaking has changed, shifting from film noir and melodrama to the blockbuster and action movies, social commentary still persists throughout the media. As the world around us changes and moves forward (be it for better or worse), so does the real-life content that directors and screenwriters are inspired by. Seeing politically and socially charged movies, whether they are extremely subtle or right up in your face, helps us both cope with world events and immortalize what occurred. As if to say, ‘We were here. We saw what took place. This is how we remember it.’

A Log, Carved for Two (Fic, TOZ, Sorey/Mikleo)

Title: A Log, Carved for Two Series: Tales of Zestiria Pairing: Sorey/Mikleo

Summary:

Sorey and Mikleo (and the gang) visit an old inn, with a legendary log. In the process, they learn about life, love, and a certain appreciation for their luck in both.

--

Part of the Sormik Advent Calendar 2020's Secret Santa challenge! I got @applegelstore's prompt:

"I'm terrible with prompts so how about hot springs but it's a 1000 year old log serving as bathtub (if that irritates you please watch Abroad in Japan, Escape to Mt. Fuji)"

(...well, you'll get what you ask for...)

@sormikadventcalendar / sormikadvent (Twitter)

--

Link: AO3

Read on Tumblr!

It had, of course, always been Sorey’s dream to see a world where seraphim and humans could live side by side. And it was a dream that he had achieved, through sacrifice and pain and determination. Humans and seraphim now lived in one world, laughing together, arguing together…

…but, well, Sorey seemed to have slept through the beginning years of this glorious new world. Consequently, he didn’t get to see the wonder, experience the discovery, attend any of the cool parties, et cetera. He awoke in a world where it was just a Thing. It was the norm. Seraphim? Of course, there’s one that runs the bakery down the street, and one that lives in the pond out back; perfectly good neighbor, he is, he never makes a ruckus and keeps the mosquito population down in the summers.

(“Mosquitos Steve,” Mikleo managed to comment, through his discomfort, as he and Sorey walked to the bakery as the man they were speaking to had given them directions. “Yes. We all know about Mosquitos Steve.”)

Still, it was more than Sorey could’ve ever dreamed of. This sense of normalcy was a hit of comfort and nostalgia for his days in Elysia, in a time when the rest of the world had marched on so far without him. And, moreover, it was really interesting reading all the literature on the intervening period, and then grilling seraphim who’d lived through those periods to check for accuracies and contrasting viewpoints. And, moreover, it was a pleasure beyond words doing it with Mikleo by his side, with all of eternity stretching out in front of them.

This merging of worlds is what led to the subject of the day’s outing: a cozy little inn near the town (now city) of Lastonbell, tucked away from the city’s lights and avant-garde art installations, and tucked away from the Shepherdsmas bustle and the cold winter winds. Known for its history, and its hot springs, it was owned and managed by a merged human-seraphim family. That would’ve been enough to pique Sorey’s interest, but add in the prospect of great food and a soak in the hot springs with a hot babe…

“…And as for the hot springs,” Mikleo continued to explain to the group as they walked up the lengthy stone steps to the inn’s entrance. “You could, of course, just go to the back and soak in the ordinary springs.”

“Which I will,” Edna quipped. She’d grown weary of climbing steps and was forcing Zaveid to carry her on his back; she was bound to him with vines, seated in a comfortable chair of flowers, while Zaveid huffed and puffed.

“But did you know that there’s a thousand-year-old log that the resident seraphim have enchanted to serve as a private spring?” Mikleo tried to steer the conversation back.

“Wow,” Edna said drily. “An old log.”

“Wow…” Sorey breathed, voice breathless with awe. “An old log…”

“A thousand-year-old log!” Mikleo reiterated, voice brimming with excitement. “Do you know what that means?”

“It means that we’ll get to enjoy the hot springs without having to watch you two canoodle,” Edna said, and gave Zaveid a whack with a vine before he could make any sort of lewd followup. “Giddyap.”

“I’m afraid I’ll also have to take a rain check on the, ah, alternate bathing arrangement,” Lailah said. “I’ll leave you two boys to it, but please fetch me from the sauna when everyone’s finished up, woodn’t you?”

Everyone fell into a pained and eerie silence. Lailah’s eyes darted around, and she cleared her throat.

“Fetch me from the sauna, woodn’t you? When you boys are done with your log?”

As the silence stretched ever onward, Zaveid sighed tragically.

“Guys, I’m gonna have to save my own skin on this one. Have fun with the log and don’t get splinters where the sun don’t shine.”

With that, he summoned the power of the wind and dashed up the remaining steps in the blink of an eye, trailing swirling snowflakes and flowers from Edna’s perch as he went.

Lailah stared at Mikleo and Sorey, expectantly.

“…haha,” Sorey offered a weak laugh. “A-anyway, with the log being that old, it means that this inn predated us by a long shot. And could mean that the seraphim and humans running this place could’ve been doing the same thing back then, too…”

“With much less tourist traffic, but yes,” Mikleo agreed. “It’s something I’d love to ask the owners, after we’re done with dinner and our bath.”

Sorey’s ears perked up, hopefully. Mikleo gave a knowing smile.

“The private suite that has the log isn’t easy to get,” Mikleo said, his tone brimming with pride. “But of course, I pulled some strings.”

Great food, and a soak in a really old log with a hot babe. Sorey was the luckiest man alive.

 --

 Sorey’s jaw was slack with awe as he saw it. As he saw The Log.

“Wow…” Sorey marveled.

He and Mikleo both crept up to it as if it was a rare animal, as beautiful as it was dangerous, as if it was ready to roll away and into the winter’s night if spooked. It was exquisitely-carved and preserved, and the growth rings exposed at each end coyly insinuated at it being even older than anticipated. There were no plumbing elements installed to spoil its perfection; it was simply pure wood, pure Log. Truly a marvel worth the long trip, the long stair climb, and the painful sting of Lailah’s puns.

“Would our guests care to have their bath, or should this one leave them to admire it for a while longer?”

Mikleo and Sorey were startled out of their reverie by a low, serene voice. It was one of the inn staff, standing so still and so quiet in the corner of the elegant bathing room that they hadn’t even noticed them in the presence of the magnificent log specimen. Dressed in a modest but striking blue-and-black kimono and wooden sandals, the staffperson slowly glided over to the tub-side, regarding Mikleo and Sorey with an unknowable expression. With a wave of their hand, they summoned hot water to fill the tub.

“Well, at least we’ve found someone to chat with about the inn’s history,” Sorey thought.

The fragrance of an ancient forest filled the cool winter air, and the stream from the bath wafted to the open-air balcony to join the dancing snowflakes outside. The staffperson lowered a hand to touch the surface of the water; ostensibly testing the temperature for their guests. The effortless way they’d woven their artes made Sorey suspect that the gesture was more for guests’ ease of mind, rather than any uncertainty on the staffperson’s part.

“Our guests shall find towels and refreshments laid out for them,” the staffperson said. “Please do not hesitate to summon me as needed.”

With that, they bowed, and turned to fold themselves back into the shadows (or the staff corridors) from whence they came. Sorey managed to shake himself free of the enchanting log in time to call out.

“Wait! Can we ask you a few questions about this place?”

The staffperson slanted a look over their shoulder. Their white-blue hair was tied up into a severe bun that was quite at odds with their youthful features, and their ice-blue eyes showed an ancient weariness.

Sorey scratched at his head, mussing its newly-long (and blond) length even further.

“First, um, I’m Sorey, and this is Mikleo…”

“Yes,” the staffperson said, simply. “Of course, this one knows the names of such famous guests. We hope that you find our inn to your liking thus far.”

“It’s great!” Sorey assured. “We just really wanted to know more about its history. Is it okay if we ask you some stuff? I mean, if you have the time. We’ll share our snacks with you? What’s your name?”

The staffperson paused for a long moment.

“Lithia,” they stated, finally. “Please, ask this one anything you care to know.”

 --

 Lithia was not only a font of knowledge, answering any question Sorey or Mikleo threw at them – they were also, as a matter of fact, one of the original founders of the inn.

(“No,” they had to clarify, at Sorey and Mikleo’s insistent questions, they were not the ones to chop down the log.)

It was through Lithia that the inn’s history was told, in full.

One thousand and twenty years ago, a seraph and a human fell in love, but they lived in a world that was not meant for them.

One thousand and twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen years ago, the seraph became weaker and weaker, more and more ill, suffering under the malevolence of the townsfolk and their cruelty towards their beloved human. It was different, back then. Humans fear what they don’t understand. Seraphim, also. Surely, our esteemed guests understand this too well.

One thousand and fifteen years ago, the human left human civilization behind, carrying the seraphim on his back, questing to find a place for the seraphim to recover in peace, a place to call their own.

There was, of course, no such place. Living as hermits in the woods would have to do instead.

They lived quite happily, the two of them. They enjoyed the beauty of nature, and the pleasure of each other’s company, for many years. The human eventually felled a tree and carved it into a lovely bath. The seraph used their artes to make it into a log hot spring. How whimsical, how unique; in another time, the two of them could have opened a lovely inn, and become known across the continent for their hospitality.

But of course, the human eventually aged and died, as humans do.

The seraph was left with the home they’d built together, and their silly little log bath.

The seraph was left like this for many, many years.

Eventually, humans began to see seraphim again. They began to live side-by-side. The seraph watched this from their forest house, with their silly log bath that they’d kept preserved all these years. The seraph was bitter for a while; angry, even. How dare they sort things out now, centuries too late?

The seraph was angry for years, with their house and their log bath. The seraph remembered their human so well, even after all this time. They remembered his voice, his face, his laughter. There was no one else to do so. There was no one left to remember him.

The human had always wanted to have an inn of his own, to host guests (which they could never have, without endangering the seraph) and hear stories from across the globe (which they could never explore, without endangering the seraph). The human had died without seeing this dream fulfilled. Even through the seraph’s anger, they remembered this, too well.

It was not a quick process. Lithia was known as being standoffish, even among the few other seraphim that had settled around their forest territory. It took years, and many meetings and partings. The young human attacked by forest beasts, who left offerings for Lithia for the rest of his life after they – in a sudden fit that even they could not explain – saved him, healed his wounds, and sent him on his way after his recovery. The travelling earth seraph with their team of human workers, who fixed up Lithia’s home after an earthquake finally brought down one of the ancient walls that could no longer be patched. The fire seraph, wandering through the woods, with the light in their eyes extinguished after losing their human family to disease.

It was not a quick process. But by and by, Lithia’s anger subsided, and eventually, they opened this inn.

“The two of you enjoy a rare gift,” Lithia stated. “It is not common for the love between a human and a seraph to end happily. I ask only that you treasure the opportunity you have been given.”

Mikleo’s hand had already found Sorey’s. Sorey’s hand squeezed back.

“Of course,” Sorey said quietly.

“And,” Lithia added. “Please refrain from having relations in the log.”

Mikleo and Sorey simply stared, wordless. Lithia tilted their head.

“Um,” Sorey said eventually. “I don’t think. That’ll. Be a problem.”

Lithia made a small noise. “Oh. I was not aware that the former Shepherd suffered such an affliction. I can brew a medicinal tea, should he wish to have the urge fall upon him.”

“We’re good! We’re good!” Sorey hastily clarified. “Um, it’s no problem, we promise. Thank you so much for opening your home to us, and letting us use something so dear to you…”

Lithia gave a small nod. “I only allow guests in this suite that I have personally approved. Ones that I personally judge worthy of it. The rest…”

Through the night air, there came the distinct sound of a vine whip against bare ass skin, and then Zaveid’s pained howling.

“The rest can bathe outside,” Lithia finished curtly. “Please, guests, enjoy your stay. I must take my leave to ensure no blood has entered the waters, lest I add the cleaning tab to your companion’s bill.”

“I think you should probably do it regardless,” Mikleo mumbled wearily. “Lords only know where Zaveid’s been.”

Gender in G1

Hey gang!  This article will be the first in a series going through the history of female transformers. We’ll be talking about character designs, relevance to the plot, and toys to analyze the role of female characters and figures in our beloved franchise. We will first observe traits, and then conduct analysis. I’m going to start with Generation One and work our way through the history of the brand. 

    There’s been a trend, starting in the 2001 Botcon fiction with the Beast Wars basic figure Sonar, of retconning toy only characters that were not explicitly established to be men as women, especially through Ask Vector Prime and more obscure fiction like the comics.(Crockalley) While this reflects an admirable desire to increase representation, it says more about our values today than it does about the history of the brand and the development of female characters, while still being an important part of that story. As we shall see, the existence of the conventions and exclusive toys complicates things a great deal. For example, technically, the first female decepticon is Nightracer, a Botcon 1994 exclusive go-bot, but most people never had the opportunity to purchase that toy, or have even heard of the character.(Elita2)   This does create, retrospectively, some ambiguity about who exactly gets to claim the title of first female transformer to have a toy, and other things of that nature. I started writing this essay with the intention of examining prominent female transformers, with the idea that, while people do indeed read the old 3H comics and scour Ask Vector Prime, the bulk of exposure most people, and operatively most children, have is to the primary fiction, and to the characters thrust into the spotlight by the good folks at Hasbro. 

So, without further ado, let’s jump right in with Generation 1! 

    While Arcee is the character who most immediately springs to mind when we examine female transformers in the Generation 1 fiction, there are in fact several others of note, and interestingly, several who appear first. The very first female transformers we meet are in the episode the Search for Alpha Trion.(ChrisMcFeely) We’re introduced to five whole female characters. The first one on screen, making her the first female transformer to appear anywhere, is Chromia.(Derik, Chromia) One of the first things we hear about them is that Shockwave thought they were extinct, and… There’s a lot to unpack there, and instead of doing that, I’m going to say “80’s cartoon sensitivity to issues of gender” and leave it at that.(ChrisMcFeely) These characters form a guerrilla unit of soldiers who have been harassing Shockwave as he tries to run Cybertron.(ChrisMcFeely) The character models are reasonably homogenous. The color palette used for them consists of traditionally female colors, such as pink, light blue, and lime green.(ChrisMcFeely) Rather than the blocky build exhibited by most of the G1 cast, they are slim and curvy.(ChrisMcFeely) Also unlike the rest of the cast, they wear lipstick and have sizible busts.(ChrisMcFeely) This really sets the tone for the majority of female characters going forwards. While the men exhibit a variety of body types and different degrees of blockiness, the women are almost invariably voluptuous and slender, and frequently rather busty.

 As far as the plot goes, there’s a bevy of pluses and minuses. In the opening scenes of the episode, the female autobots are shown operating independently.(ChrisMcFeely) However, Elita-1 is quickly captured and Optimus Prime races to her rescue. Later on, she saves him, but at the cost of her own well being, which forces Optimus to once again rescue her.(ChisMcFeely) Every named female autobot (Chromia, Moonracer and Elita-1) is romantically involved with a male autobot.(ChrisMcFeely)  A couple of the female autobots, Greenlight and Lancer, didn’t actually receive names for 25 years.(ItsWalky, Greenlight; Lancer) In the larger context of the G1 cartoon, these characters have essentially no impact. This is the only episode most of them appear in, with the sole exception of Elita-1, who would go on to appear in the episode War Dawn.(Omnisvalidus)

As far as toys go, Chromia didn’t receive a general retail toy until 2014.(Derik, Chromia) Elita 1 and Moonracer didn’t get general retail toys until 2018, although all of them did get a convention or Timelines toy in 2005-6 or so.(Vanguard; Derik, Moonracer) The most revealing thing about these paragraphs is that is more or less literally all there is to say. Elita-1 got a model kit in the 90s, but only in Japan, Chromia shows up in some BotCon comics… And that’s all.(Vanguard; Derik, Chromia)

    Then, in 1986, the transformers movie came out, and we got Arcee, the first really prominent female transformer.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) She’s pink, she wears lipstick, and she’s got curves and a chest, planting her squarely in the traditional female aesthetic. Like Elita-1, she got a couple of model kits in the 90’s, but her history of receiving toys is famously abysmal. There were no fewer than 3 separate G1 toys of her that were canceled.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) She finally got a toy in 2006, a convention exclusive redeco of Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia, but she only got a toy that actually turned into a car in 2008, again as a retool and only in Japan.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) She only received a toy based on her character model in 2014, almost 30 years after her introduction.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47)

 We encounter here for the first time a pattern that will haunt us for the rest of our survey. Female transformers characters tend to not receive toys. In my personal collection, I have exactly 3, two of which are minicons. In my collection of approximately 200 figures, 3 of them are women, and only 1 is a deluxe. 

Arcee’s record of fictional appearances is not much stronger. In the ‘86 movie, Arcee basically hangs out and does vague crush things on Hot Rod or Springer, depending on who wrote the scene.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) She also takes care of Daniel, and that’s pretty much it, not only for the movie but for the rest of her cartoon appearances.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47) I’m not sure she ever got an episode focusing on her, if she ever once drove the plot, or did anything much really other than hang out with Daniel, god rest her soul. 

    That’s actually not the bottom of the barrel yet. There are two other female characters of note in G1, both from the Japanese Super God Masterforce cartoon. The Masterforce characters were not actually transformers themselves, by and large, but human pilots of Transtectors, giant robot bodies that allowed Takara to sell headmasters and powermasters, figures where the head formed a separate little robot, represented in fiction by the human.(Singularity) Accordingly, the characters discussed here might not exactly count as Autobots or Decepticons, but, since they were main characters in a main show, they still form an important part of the history of women in transformers.  Minerva is part of the core cast of Autobots, and serves as a medic.(Derik, Minerva) The other is one of the primary antagonists, Mega, the… owner? Pilot? Of one half of Overlord. (Derik, Mega) 

Minerva is actually the first female character to receive a toy, in 1988, four years after the launch of the franchise.(Derik, Minerva) Minerva’s toy shares a mold with Nightbeat, and unfortunately we don’t have any information about who the mold was designed for “first”, as it were, so we’re going to have to wait a while for the first toy designed from the beginning to be a female character. Minerva’s toy is remarkable because it lacks many of the hallmarks of female toys released even today. It’s as blocky as any other Autobot car, doesn’t have high heels or a sculpted busom, etc.(Derik, Minerva) The proportions are also rather generic, rather than featuring the slender and voluptuous build that will haunt our survey. Minerva turns into an ambulance (Nightbeat’s Porsche mode with a lightbar), befitting her status as a medic. 

Mega’s toy is also very interesting. She controls one half of the rather generically proportioned Overlord transtector , which turns into a jet and a tank, two decidedly male coded vehicles. (Derik, Mega) Overlord is also absolutely bristling with guns, which is also not a traditional quality of female characters.(Derki, Mega) Indeed, Mega actually presents an intriguing dichotomy. While she herself is robustly and obviously female, Overlord is simply a robot, and in every subsequent depiction is male. 

In terms of character model, Minerva is quite interesting. One would expect that the model would be very similar to that of Nightbeat, and indeed to some extent it is. (Nightbeat never actually appears in the G1 cartoon, so he only has a character model for the comics and some commercial appearances.)(ItsWalky, Nightbeat) It features the same helmet, and hallmarks such as the chest and general kibble. However, some important liberties have been taken. Her color palette is not Nightbeat’s blues and yellows, but rather, white, pink and red, a decidedly more feminine set of colors.(Derik, Minerva) While not nearly as curvy as the original female Autobots, her proportions have been altered so that she fits a more traditionally feminine body shape.(Derik, Minvera)  Rather than the idealized Dorito of masculinity, Minerva's robot mode had relatively slender shoulders and waist, and relatively broad hips and large thighs, all hallmarks of traditional female body imagery.(Derik, Minerva) Minerva actually doesn't have breast analogues, largely because of the Nightbeat mold's aggressively flat chest.(Derik, Minerva)  

Minerva walks a fascinating line of being female while still clearly being a giant robot, and not a person covered in metal as with earlier G1 women. This represents a really interesting way of presenting female characters visually. They can have traditionally feminine characteristics without being consumed by them. Unfortunately, that's not something we really see too much more of in the brand, at least not for quite some time. In terms of her human character model, Minerva's got a suit, and her proportions aren't too disgusting, particularly for anime.(Derik, Minerva) It looks like she gets sexualized some of the time, but who doesn’t in anime (which is a can of worms quite outside of the scope of this article.) 

Mega is also an intriguing blend of different ideas. Her human character model wears a skin tight witch princess outfit, and is very traditionally feminine in terms of proportions, accessories etc.(Derik, Mega) The robot that she shares control of is a massive, male robot with guns poking out of every possible surface.(Derik, Mega)  Without consciously trying to make a statement about women and gender, the Masterforce team created a blend of signals of masculinity and femininity that, while not necessarily forward thinking, is at the very least a departure from the homogeneity of traditional portrayals. 

Minerva's character is quite a bit more disappointing, with the caveat that I have not personally seen Masterforce. All of the male characters run around trying to gain her favor, which she bestows occasionally etc etc.(Derik, Minerva) She is a pacifist, and this keeps her confined to the sidelines of battle, treating the injured. Her pacifism appears to be presented largely as her not having the stomach to do what needs to be done because of her womanliness and desire to protect everyone.(Derik, Minerva) Apparently she has also been given a very “traditional” upbringing, learning all sorts of feminine skills like dancing, music, and cooking.(Derik, Minerva) 

Mega, in addition to being eeeeeevil, also appears to feel very maternal towards the younger Decepticon cast, to the point that it hampers her fighting. (Derik, Mega) The evil aspect of Mega’s personality is actually really remarkable. There is a surprising dearth of female Decepticons, much less ones who serve in important leadership positions. Indeed, Mega is one of three or so evil aligned females to have a position of command, the other two being RID 2015 Glowstrike and Beast Machines Strika, and one of a bare handful of female Decepticons more broadly.(Abates; ItsWalky, Strika) 

    The character models, absence of toys, and almost non-existence in terms of plot weight all conspire to sideline the very earliest female transformers. For the first two seasons of the cartoon, female transformers appear in two episodes. After the movie, there is a single female character who, while frequently present, doesn’t really contribute anything. Moreover, she is placed in the traditionally female roles of maternal style care of a child and being a love interest to several male characters over the course of her appearances. Being female is the personality of these characters. They do not have any other defining trait or motivations. While eventually other female characters become present, and do have motivations and characters outside of being women, there are only two of them, and they exist only in Japan. Mega and Minerva do have intriguing character models and toys, but in terms of their fictional portrayals, they still are largely confined to the traditional role of women, either the sidelines of battle or care based roles. 

 The fact that not a single one of these characters received a general retail toy until 2014 also serves to minimize their presence. People remember characters in no small part based on the toys they had in childhood. The absence of toys eliminates the opportunity for this to occur for any female character, creating the possibility that people won’t even remember that they existed. Fortunately, the Masterforce does break this trend for the first time, giving us toys of not one but two female characters. Unfortunately, Minerva has yet to receive another full sized toy, and Overlord has since become a separate character, sharply limiting the influence of Minerva and Mega in the brand at large. 

The character models also directly contribute to this marginalization. They evoke some of the purest signals of womanhood, such as lipstick and breasts. Minerva and Mega buck this trend in some respects, but in others, especially in their human forms, they contribute to it. The models are also remarkably slight, which contrasts sharply with the warlike bulk of characters like Optimus Prime and Megatron. This contrast creates the impression that the female autobots are less capable than their male counterparts, even though they are depicted in combat situations. Their bodies are drawn to be aesthetically pleasing, whereas those of characters such as Grimlock are unequivocally designed for function. 

 Of course, these narratives of comparative weakness and strength tap into larger societal narratives. The G1 cartoon would not be able to communicate these things so readily if slight and curvaceous builds were not already associated in the larger culture with femininity and a lack of capability. Indeed, what the Generation 1 cartoon does with respect to women is to evoke the most essentialized and distilled version of womanhood -buxom, romantic partner, mother- and then unquestioningly transmit it and it alone, not out of malignant sexism (for example, the writers were not seeking to communicate that a woman’s place was in the kitchen as part of an ideological agenda) but because it simply was not the focus of the work, being targeted to young boys as it was. They needed female characters without exerting a huge amount of effort, and pulling the societal narrative from the ether was the simplest solution. 

    This is the core dynamic of gender in Transformers. We live in a world where there are gendered toys and concepts. It makes sense for Hasbro, Takara Tomy, and the supporting fiction to cater to those invested interests. People don’t buy things for their children that challenge their values. Interestingly, it is not that people actively seek to buy things that serve their values. Rather, they buy things that they can understand, things which make sense to them. Hasbro selling toys that are vehicles, robots, and war related, all things that are strongly male coded, makes intuitive sense to purchasers on a level below conscious understanding. It plays well with the societal narratives in which they live, and to a large extent have constructed their identities upon. Young boys will want car toys and robot toys, legitimately and from their own desires, because they have absorbed what society tells them it means to be men into themselves. For all of these reasons, Hasbro will always default to conservatism to turn a profit, and that means not trying to sell female coded things to boys, (creating a dearth of female characters), or trying to sell male coded things to girls, (creating a lack of representation that would appeal to a potential female audience.) 

However, all is not doom and gloom. As we will see in further installments of this series, Hasbro has been making an active effort to increase representation in recent years, especially since 2014. Moreover, since G1 is the source material from which much subsequent fiction draws, when people in more obscure settings, such as convention exclusive comics, do reach for female characters, they tend to reach for one of the female autobots established in The Search for Alpha Trion. Accordingly, in subsequent years, many versions of Chromia, Moonracer, Elita-1 and Arcee have appeared in various media. Arcee and Chromia in particular have had many incarnations. The Michael Bay films, Transformers Animated, Transformers Prime, and the IDW comics all feature their own iterations of Arcee, and the comics and the films feature Chromia. So, in some senses, the presence of female autobots in G1 gave writers a framework to build on in the future, even if the characters were not impactful at the moment of their inception. 

    The presence of female transformers in G1 is more or less exactly what you would expect from an 80’s cartoon. The women are voluptuous, irrelevant, and confined to romantic and maternal roles. Although there are some characters who do occupy an interesting space in terms of gender, namely Mega, and there are some that are not as overtly female in terms of design, namely Minerva, the overall impression is one of homogeneity of build and personality, as well as insignificance. Fortunately, these characters continue to appear almost 35 years later, and are increasingly receiving the attention and toys they once lacked. Many of these characters will be our near continuous companions in our examination of female characters throughout the history of the brand. That being said, in terms of an analysis strictly confined to G1 on its own, we find almost a complete absence of female characters and effectively no female characters of significance within the plot. Generation 1 is a boy’s club. Thank goodness it’s not the 80’s anymore. 

Works Cited

Abates et al. “Glowstrike” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Glowstrike Accessed 5/11/2020

Crockalley et al. “Sonar (BW)” TFwikihttps://tfwiki.net/wiki/Sonar_(BW) Accessed 5/11/2020

Chris McFeely et al. “The Search for Alpha Trion” TFwiki.https://tfwiki.net/wiki/The_Search_for_Alpha_Trion Accessed 5/11/2020

Derik et al. “Chromia (G1)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Chromia_(G1) Accessed 5/11/2020

Derik et al. “Mega” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Mega Accessed 5/11/2020

Derik et al. “Minerva” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Minerva Accessed 5/11/2020

Derik et al. “Moonracer (G1)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Moonracer_(G1) Accessed 5/11/2020

Elita2 et al. “Nightracer (G2)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Nightracer Accessed 5/11/2020

ItsWalky et al. “Greenlight” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Greenlight Accessed 5/11/2020

ItsWalky et al. “Nightbeat (G1)”, TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Nightbeat_(G1) Accessed 5/11/2020 

ItsWalky et al. “Lancer” TFwiki.  https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Lancer Accessed 5/11/2020

ItsWalky et al. “Strika (BM)” TFwiki.  https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Strika_(BM)#Toys Accessed 5/4/2020

Omnisvalidus et al. “War Dawn” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/War_Dawn Accessed 5/11/2020

S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Arcee_(G1)/Generation_1_cartoon_continuity Accessed 5/11/2020

S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Arcee (G1)/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Arcee_(G1)/toys Accessed 5/11/2020

Singularity et al. “Transformers: Super-god Masterforce (cartoon)” TFwiki.  https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Super-God_Masterforce_(cartoon) Accessed 5/11/2020

Vanguard et al. “Elita one (G1)” TFwiki.  https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Elita_One_(G1) Accessed 5/11/2020 

Everyone, please welcome Sarah Kuhn to Rich in Color! Sarah’s first YA novel, I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI, is out today, and we’re thrilled to have Sarah here to talk about it. If you’re looking to add a cute contemporary romance to your summer TBR list, start here!

Kimi Nakamura loves a good fashion statement. She’s obsessed with transforming everyday ephemera into Kimi Originals: bold outfits that make her and her friends feel brave, fabulous, and like the Ultimate versions of themselves. But her mother sees this as a distraction from working on her portfolio paintings for the prestigious fine art academy where she’s been accepted for college. So when a surprise letter comes in the mail from Kimi’s estranged grandparents, inviting her to Kyoto for spring break, she seizes the opportunity to get away from the disaster of her life.

When she arrives in Japan, she loses herself in Kyoto’s outdoor markets, art installations, and cherry blossom festival–and meets Akira, a cute med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot. What begins as a trip to escape her problems quickly becomes a way for Kimi to learn more about the mother she left behind, and to figure out where her own heart lies.

I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI is your first YA novel. What were you most excited about writing for teens?

I love writing characters experiencing firsts, those amazing moments that give you that tingly sense of possibility, that feeling of your whole world opening up — first kisses, first trips to another country, first time facing a total existential crisis about your life. To be fair, a lot of my adult characters experience many firsts as well (as do I as an actual supposedly adult person)! But Kimi in particular gets to have maybe the most firsts of any character I’ve ever written — she’s someone who’s initially kind of scared of big new experiences, so writing her having all of those experiences and realizing that so much excitement and wonder can come out of them was a total joy. And maybe a good lesson/reminder for my adult self.

Kimi sounds like fun! Tell us more about her fashionista ways and her friends.

She is fun! In my totally unbiased opinion. It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with clothes and fashion — I love bright colors and patterns and experimenting with putting different outfit combinations together. Basically, I still worship at the shrine of my original idol, Claudia Kishi from The Baby-Sitters Club. But I’m really bad at sewing, mending, or anything that requires patience, so I thought it would be fun to create a character who shares my love of fashion but is also really excellent at sewing and makes all her own outfits. She’s kind of like a fantasy version of myself, with an added sewing superpower. And then of course she has her own Girl Gang, because all my books have Girl Gangs — her best friends are Atsuko, who writes a dating advice column (even though Atsuko is actually very cynical about love in all its forms), and Bex, who is dreamy and idealistic and wears cute dresses with mermaids on them. They’re a fun trio.

It sounds like Kimi and her (extended) family are having some difficulties in I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI. Can you tell us more about Kimi and her relationships with her mom and grandparents?

Kimi is extremely close with her mom, who came to the States from Japan for college and ended up staying there when she fell in love with Kimi’s dad, who is fourth generation Japanese American. Her relationship with her mom mirrors the one I had with mine — her mom knows her better than anyone and they kind of love each other more than anyone…but that also means they have the potential to hurt each other more than anyone. The grandparents in the book are Kimi’s mom’s parents — Kimi’s never met them because they disapproved of Mom’s choice to stay in the States. But they invite Kimi to visit them in Kyoto over Spring Break and after a huge fight with Mom, Kimi accepts. And as she gets to know her grandparents, she realizes there’s a lot more to her mother’s story than she realized. I really loved writing about three generations of powerful Japanese/Japanese American women. I wanted their relationships with each other to be prickly and not always perfect, but with so much love underneath.

I went to Kyoto a few years ago and loved it. Why did you decide to set I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI there?

Kyoto contains so many beautiful sights I wanted to write about: Fushimi Inari Taisha, the amazing shrine with those bright red-orange torii gates; the Arashiyama bamboo grove; Maruyama Park with all those glorious cherry blossoms. All of these were things I thought would inspire Kimi as an artist and budding fashion designer. I’d also read somewhere that Kyoto is a place for people who are passionate about making things, and that seemed perfect for Kimi and her grandmother, who also loves sewing and creating clothes. I loved including more obscure locations that got to the heart of that “making things” idea, like Misuyabari, this tiny, family-run needle shop that’s like 400 years old and sells these incredible handmade needles and sewing supplies. Oh, and finally, Kyoto has a pug cafe — which ended up being a very necessary location.

Can you introduce us to Akira and tell us a little bit about what draws Kimi to him?

Akira is an aspiring med student who moonlights as a costumed mochi mascot at his uncle’s mochi stand. Kimi meets him because he’s doing this ridiculous dance, trying to attract customers, and she laughs too loud and he gets distracted and falls over. It’s probably the cutest meet-cute I’ve written. At first, let’s be honest, she’s drawn to him because he’s hot. But he also has this interesting quality about him that’s very attractive to her — he’s a weird combination of seriousness and goofiness, like he never gives anything less than 100 percent, but he also has a tendency toward dorky jokes that surprise her and make her laugh. Also, he takes her to Japanese McDonald’s, which is very romantic.

What 2019 YA books by or about people of color or people from First/Native Nations are you looking forward to reading?

So many! At the moment, I’m super stoked for OUR WAYWARD FATE by Gloria Chao — AMERICAN PANDA made me die both laughing and crying, so I can’t wait to read her new one. And WICKED FOX by Kat Cho — I’m always hungry for contemporary fantasy/romance starring women of color and this sounds absolutely perfect.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI?

I already mentioned the pug cafe, right? I mean, there are a lot of cute animals and delicious food. Be prepared for that going in!

Thank you for stopping by, Sarah! We’re looking forward to your book.

Sarah Kuhn is the author of the popular Heroine Complex novels—a series starring Asian American superheroines. The first book is a Locus bestseller, an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award nominee, and one of the Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog’s Best Books of 2016. Her YA debut, the Japan-set romantic comedy I Love You So Mochi, comes out in June 2019. Additionally, she is currently working on a graphic novel about Batgirl Cassandra Cain for DC Comics. Sarah also wrote “The Ruby Equation” for the Eisner-nominated comics anthology Fresh Romance and the novella One Con Glory, which is in development as a feature film. Other projects include a comic book continuation of the cult classic movie Clueless, a series of Barbie comics, and a story in the recent Jem and the Holograms anthology series Dimensions. Additionally, Sarah is a finalist for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Her non-fiction has appeared in The Toast, The Mary Sue, Uncanny Magazine, AngryAsianMan.com, IGN.com, The Hollywood Reporter, StarTrek.com, and the Hugo-nominated anthology Chicks Dig Comics.

NSFW #12: Oil and Water

On paper, Hardcore Revolution had been a success. NSFW had walked in as Tag Team champions and even after the challengers fought with everything they had, NSFW had walked out as Tag Team champions. Mike and Bishop shared stoic, defiant expressions as they backed up the entrance ramp - making a hasty exit from the public eye. They retreated to the recesses of the Rupp Arena, witnessed wordlessly the chaos of the following match, dressed into their street clothes, and departed. Ace Heart and an accompanying cameraman caught them for a website exclusive before their departure midshow. Church had just slung both of their bags into Alundra’s trunk as Mike sat in the driver’s seat with the powerful engine idling. The experienced interviewer tried his luck - hoping that months of radio silence between them had mended previously bad exchanges. “NSFW.” Church closed the trunk and looked up blankly at him - then strode over to the passenger’s side. “A word about your successful title defense.” He opened the door. “What’s next?” The big man dipped down under the frame of the door as he stepped into the car. He slammed the car door shut emphatically. Ace moved to the driver’s side and tapped on the glass. “Lots of speculation on your change of behavior as of late. Any comment?” The window came down. Not a lot. Just a little bit. Ace was met with an emerald death glare that he was probably incredibly familiar with by now. “It’d be obvious to anybody who didn’t eat fucking paint chips as a child. If I ran you over right now, you’d probably be pretty goddamn leery around cars for a while after, wouldn’t you? … Nevermind, fucking metaphorical shit is probably lost on you. As for tonight? We told them. We told them not to goof off. We told them to take us seriously and they didn’t fucking do it. Excuse us for being a tad insulted.” John interjected. “Not to say that our opponents didn’t put on a valiant effort. I commend them. And maybe...” He paused. “This is an ugly business.” His gaze was direct at this man. A fellow employee who he could never get on the same page with despite being amicable with most everyone else. “And maybe beyond all of this...” Another pause. “Mike. Let’s just go.” “Before you go. There are some that say that you two have changed for the worse since winning those titles. Anything to say to that?” Mike’s return glare somehow grew icier, harsher. Her voice sounded not only annoyed, but exhausted. “Heart. I don’t know if you’ve been watching the fucking news, but there’s more important things going on than continuing to lose fucking brain cells talking to you. Church’s right. We’re going home.” The window was rolled back up, and Ace Heart gave a startled jump backwards as Alundra sped off without any further warning. Their community had been grievously wounded that weekend. That with the rampant speculation about the two’s temperament had waned interest in the business and everything that encompassed it. They drove back home and that Tuesday morning - they stood with their neighbors in a vigil to mourn the losses of eleven innocent souls. But after that, there was Japan. Sixteen hours - cross country and then across the Pacific ocean. International travel had not been uncommon for them but with what was slated for them in Tokyo the following Monday, there was a trepidation for just what they were walking into. They would be visiting the island country for two weeks and there was plenty to do, and Mike had amassed quite a list of extracurriculars- cute and sugary and fun things, but also, and perhaps a little out of character for them, quiet and spiritual sorts of things as well. To that end, they decided when looking over places to stay to choose a beautiful ryokan, or hot spring inn, about an hour and a half outside of the city of Tokyo proper. The ryokan was just as stunning as advertised- their room was a very appealing blend of modern and traditional Japanese decorating, and there was a private balcony with a table, two chairs, and their own private onsen- a traditional open air hot spring bath that steamed invitingly in the cool evening air. Beyond the balcony was a view of Mt. Fuji that they both found absolutely breathtaking. Their trusty camera clicked on to the sight of two of them standing out on that balcony, leaning with their backs against the wooden railing, the awe-inspiring mountain clearly visible behind them. They appeared well rested, having slept off any jet lag, and perhaps a bit more at ease than in past weeks. Their title belts rested comfortably in their rightful places over their shoulders. “Context.” John stepped aside - allowing the camera to take in more of the long dormant volcano. “In World War II, this mountain was used as a symbol to evoke nationalism for the Japanese war effort. Meanwhile, the United States used the very same mountain to demoralize those very same soldiers via propaganda. The mountain never changed. It has always stood just behind us. A symbol of this country’s spiritualism. Mike and I. We are that mountain. People will use and twist who we are into whatever they wish. Always ignoring the context. Never asking why. Forgetting that we've never changed.” “Some of the old folklore around here even paints the mountain as a god. Are we gods? Nah. Not far’s I know anyway. We ain’t gods or devils or any other extreme fuckin’ stereotype. What we are is something way more… nuanced?” She glanced up at her partner, who gave her a smile and a nod. Mike held back the urge to give herself a congratulatory small fistpump. “Nuanced. Or in another word, human. I said what feels like a billion fuckin’ years ago, we don’t fit into anybody’s boxes. So if people think we should be acting one way, and we act another, is the problem ours? Or theirs?” John shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to us. Let’s pick up an old thread. We successfully defended our tag team championships against two people that we do consider to be our friends. However. We’ve considered a lot of people to be our friends lately. Including one of our upcoming opponents. Mike and I spoke a lot about it. I think there are some misunderstandings. And maybe we read into things that just weren’t there. But we saw what we saw. And even with that, we fought with honor. And so did they. One day, those two will come back and be ready for another try and maybe they’ll think back to all of this as a learning experience.” “I hope so. They could really be something awesome if they just took some shit seriously. But that was Monday. And now we get to fight a great foe and a rotten fucking friend. Now, we’re not gonna spend a lot of time crying over the obvious. Everybody who wasn’t hiding under a goddamn rock knows what Sanders did. Shouldn't take a Psych major to guess how we feel about it. As for Garcia, this isn’t the first time we’ve gone around the rosey with him.” Mike leaned forward, one brow raising in what could almost be some minute degree of concern. “Hey Cherrypie, you sure you wanna trust this guy? I’d advise against it if I were you, because shit, even you are a better fucking caliber of person than he is. I mean he’s flopping in the raw sewage with the likes of the blonde walking fungus, you sure you want that splattered all over your nice fucking suit? You’ll never get the stench out.” “Why bother?” He looked at Mike and shook his head. “Why bother to rationalize with someone who has closed their eyes to the world? Incapable of grasping any sense of reality. These are the sort of people that Dominic Sanders surrounds himself with. Because except for that shining accomplishment in New York, Dominic’s time here has been wrought with …” John steadied his hand in front of him and tipped it back and forth as if it balanced on a fulcrum. “Inconsistencies. For every accomplishment, there were two pitfalls. For every defining victory over long time rivals or championship boons, there were stunning defeats. Falling to Griffin Hawkins shouldn’t have been the catalyst to orchestrate some charade to manipulate his way into his greatest opportunity. And instead of embracing that chance as a way to finally shine, he shows his true face. Callous. Apathetic towards the people who have supported him through his farce. Surrounding himself with like individuals. However - Dominic should ask himself what it means when he and five other people can’t defeat one, albeit very strong, man.” Mike tisked a bit. “Six guys against one biker. Now, I’ve seen some weird shit circling around Happy lately, and I have to come to the conclusion that either Happy is a magical biker- which would be DC Comics level of badass- or your little makeshift militia really fucking sucks. Or maybe it’s a little from column A and a lot from column B. I mean granted one of those guys was Jeff Noon, but still. Come on. If you were trying to make a meaningful impact it went over like a wet fart.” John raised an eyebrow at that statement but continued nonetheless. “But if you really think about it - it makes complete sense. Dominic Sanders surrounds himself with people that share his ideology. The Limit. A tag team that professes that they do not care about winning. Skirting around the fact that their only victories come from cheapshots against opponents who win less than they do. A team that since trying to use NSFW as a statement - has been violently mediocre until they decided to go to the well once more. Didn’t work the first time - so why try again?” Rhetorical. “Draco Lazarus - a wrestling prodigy so consumed with himself that his proclamations of greatness would be funny if he wasn’t dead serious. Used to be a leader of his own gang of misfits until even they had enough and moved on. Now he’s a follower. And despite these new alliances, he failed to live up to his namesake once again.” He looked to Mike. “And what about Rob Garcia?” “What to say about sweet Cherrypie that we haven’t already said? I know. He somehow stumbled into the tag team championships while being the worst tag partner in the whole wide world. I mean, he was kind of the low man in the entire ReVenant outfit, and once they all skipped town without him he wasn’t able to keep a consistent tag partner after everyone realized what a spoiled, stupid goober he was.” “To be fair, Morgan Darkwater wasn’t the paragon of virtue that we all thought he was.” “Disappointing. But what do you expect from a fucking… pirate? Mercenary? Eh, I think you call that a privateer. Either way, it don’t matter, cuz he’s fucking gone-zo. Sailed off into the sunset, left Garcia all alone yet again, without any titles, real or imagined, to keep his poor sad self company.” “Dominic has assembled this motley crew with designs of molding this company into his image. And in their first cumulative outing - they fail. Typical. And now he, mere weeks away from what he hopes to be the greatest night of his career, looks to use us as an example of his mettle. With Rob Garcia as his charge. What could go wrong?” “Dumbinic Sanders…” John stifled a chuckle. “Dominic, you mean.” “Not if this is his fuckin’ plan I don’t. This is like one of those movies that opens in a shocking manner and gets you all on edge and then just drizzles a promising plot down its own leg like baby diarrhea. Still… even though he’s proven really fucking incompetent as a squad leader and is coming at us with a dude who not only has never pinned us but has all the mental sharpness of cream cheese left out on the counter overnight, we’re not going to make the mistake of underestimating you two. After all, one of you is a Rumble winner and the other is actually really decent if and when he gets a fire under his rich-boy ass.” John affirmed that with a slight nod. “But you two are facing the standard bearer of this company’s tag team division. And that doesn’t mean we are infallible. It means that we faced adversity head on and learned from our shortcomings. After NSFW was defeated by two world class competitors representing the Trinity, what did we do? We came back and captured a victory against the tag team champions at the time. Putting the world on notice. And by the way, where is the Trinity now to forsake our claim?” Mike gave a very exaggerated sorrowful look, wiping away an imaginary tear. “Looks like poor Xavier’s become a doorstop baby.” “And when Mucho Grande went through us to claim a shot at these titles, what did we do? We fought through every team we could until we rectified that wrong. And where is Mucho Grande to dispute our credibility?” The redhead stood up ramrod straight, crossing her arms across her chest like a coffin-bound corpse. “Mucho Muerte.” “That’s right. Despite all of that grandstanding, when push came to shove, they didn’t have the fortitude to backup all of that machismo. NSFW is the constant and Dominic Sanders and Rob Garcia are oil and water. Their only commonality is that they neither of them can get it done as a tag team. Rob Garcia’s last venture went belly up after never winning a match. Dominic Sanders idea of partnership is throwing a fit and attacking Kendrick Kross. After losing to Rob Garcia ironically.” “...what a weiner. What did we ever see in that guy?” John stared at Mike blankly. The cog wheels were turning to find one, single, solitary reason. “Gil.” Mike grinned fondly in spite of herself. “Yeah, yeah you’re probably right.” “But it was always there. Just under the surface. That charming smile a mask concealing his sinister motives. My first exposure to Dominic Sanders was him slamming a steel chair into my back repeatedly. Much like our meeting with Rob Garcia. So understand that Mike and I have not forgotten that.” “Everything you’ve done is gonna boomerang right back in your stupid smug face. You’ve hurt a lot of people in a lot of different ways, Dom. The bill’s coming due and it’s payable in blood, bruises, and busted teeth. Now, we aren’t stupid. We know this won’t be a fair fight- the moment things start getting hairy, you’re gonna call in the gilded turd and your rabid animals. And maybe Jeff Noon for some reason. Maybe we’ll have backup if that happens. Maybe…” Mike let a puff of a sigh out. “...maybe we won’t, and if we don’t, I guess that’s alright.” “We’ll deal with what comes. Together. They’ll bring ugliness and hatred. They’ll try to tear us down and Mike? They’ll fail. Afterwards, Rob Garcia can go back to his clueless world of luxury. Dominic Sanders after the realization that he isn’t as good as he thinks he is can go lapse back into his grizzly misogyny - demeaning a woman who has achieved more than he could ever hope to do. Tired tropes. Little girl. Whore.” His eyes narrowed. And for the only time in this video, he addressed Sanders directly. “I only see one of those. You. A man who has debased himself in utter desperation. Relevance fleeting, you turned to cruelty and malice to get what you want. And on that night. That very special night, you’ll fall short. Re-evaluate your expectations. Monday will be a preview of that very outcome.” “You’re not gonna win, cuz we ain’t like the others. We ain’t going away. No Skipping, Faltering, or Washing out. I hope you realize the fucking hornet’s nest you just kicked. Till Monday. Sayonara, chumps.” They both gave a brief wave. Stepping forward, Mike turned the camera off.

Police Corruption in Japan

I was chatting with a friend who is a BLM supporter and in short they pretty much said “police corruption just doesn’t exist in Japan”. It didn’t occur to me that people may think this so I think it would be something to share.

Crime in Japan is low but a lot of that has to do with respect towards police, authority, and sense of community. lesser crimes are referred to as offences and even those just aren’t really committed in Japan. In America, most people I know have smoked weed, stole something small, and liters freely. This stuff just generally isn’t done in Japan, and not so openly. This means police interaction with citizens committing offences is lesser and the general public frowns upon the offense committed. This means the general reaction towards police and criminals or even just those accused is very different.

speaking of those accused, this is a large controversy. Japan has like a 98% conviction rate, this means if you are accused of a crime you will likely serve time. Part of this is because the police wait till there is a strong amount of evidence before making an accusation. However another part of this is one of the more tragic ways in which Japanese court works. You can be held up to 23 days in detention based on a accusation of crime. During this time police have been known to deny food, water, restroom, or to see family in hopes of getting a confession. There have also been many accusations that Attorneys and the judge have already meant and made a choice before your day in court. The power of money in the court is also well known. Arrest, even if innocent, can be expensive.  Drug crimes and stealing are far more likely to face prison time, fines, or in more extreme cases deportation, but part of this is because the crime rate it so much lower than that of America. Petty offenses like drugs or stealing often go less reported and less punished in America because they happen far more often than in Japan. 

The likelihood of being found innocent is extremely rare. confession under duress still counts as a confession and most convictions are done this way. However, if accused, the general public will view you as guilty and this often influences a trial. Arrest time and Bail costs are extremely high as well, much higher than average American bail or jail time. 

Race plays a part too. South American people are 20 times more likely to be arrested than American or European in Japan when accounting for population (residential and visiting). African nationals are 35 times more likely compared to European or American. Although this is by nationality and not ethnicity Japan is well known for often conflating the two. 

Another issue to consider is Japan’s glorification of police. In America, or most other locations I would assume, openly voicing how you dislike police conduct or how the court systems work is fairly mundane. In Japan this is not the case. Since police are local and often have connections to the individual place where the occurrence is happening, many locals will openly oppose you for not listening to cops or criticizing them. Like many issues in Japan this is changing with time, but the expectation of respectful compliance to any cop no matter what is still very much there.  

Lastly, there is the well known blind eye given to organized crime. This has drastically decreased in the last decade or so as national defenses attempt to better suppress these gangs. On a local level the blind eye is far larger. In many areas Yakuza openly own and operate their facilities from gambling parlors or hot springs that involve prostitution. Drug usage is also very common in these facilities. With increased tourism to lesser known cities these facilities are moving more under cover out of their own wish not to draw attention and often local police allow these groups to simply fade behind the scenes. 

Although the corruption and brutality is different from that of America, there are similarities and the issues do exist. Obviously, like everything, the Japanese way of policing have has it’s pros and cons but it is important to understand the cons as much as the pros. 

FEATURE: Anime vs. Real Life — Escape the Monotony of Life With Laid-Back Camp Season 2

  I just can’t thank Laid-Back Camp enough for providing me with a weekly dose of eye-cleansing, soul-soothing escape during these times. Like many, I’ve been more or less confined to my same four walls for what feels like half an eternity by now, so getting to admire the sunrise from atop Mt. Minobu, watching the waves at Cape Omaezaki, or just enjoying the sunset over Lake Hamana, has been a more than welcome diversion from the current monotony of life. Of course, there’s nothing I’d rather do than go and visit all of these locations in person again like for the first season, but that’ll have to wait. But even while I was only sifting through these places on Google Street View in preparation for this article, I often found myself wandering off for hours on end, just taking in some of these gorgeous locales I’ve never seen before. So in the hope that they provide you with the same feeling of diversion I got from them, let’s take a look at over 60 real-life locations from the first three episodes of the second season of Laid-Back Camp! 

  *Author's own images are marked as such, all other images were taken with GOOGLE STREET VIEW

    The show’s opening shot paints a familiar picture, as we once again get to experience the serene and beautiful Japanese countryside by following Rin and Nadeshiko on their little camping adventures. The main setting of the show is once again Yamanashi Prefecture, specifically the area along the Fuji River and around Minobu, which is only about two hours away from Tokyo. 

      And just like in the first season, it’s so easy to get swept away by the show’s beautiful and accurate portrayal of the great outdoors. 

      At the end of the first episode, Rin sets off from around Furuseki in Minobu and passes this little train crossing near Tokiwa on her way to Nambu.

    While there are some truly magnificent views along the roads that follow the Tokiwa and Fuji River, it’s also fun to just virtually wander off into some of the smaller villages and valleys around the area, as there are some really cool little shrines and scenic spots to discover. 

      On her way to her next camping destination, Rin passes through the small town of Nambu, which is also where Nadehshiko lives. And as it so happens, the two run across each other after Nadeshiko grabbed herself a small breakfast at the Daily Yamazaki convenience store (pictured below) before her shift. 

      From there she sets off to Cape Omaezaki in Shizuoka Prefecture, but more on that a bit further down in this article. 

        While Rin is off on her solo adventure, it’s back to work for Nadeshiko, who delivers the mail for the Minobu Post Office as part of her part-time job.

      Luckily for her, Ena also works at the Minobu Post Office, so the two friends get to enjoy their lunch break together along the nearby shore of the Hagii River.

          Rin is cycling across Hagii Bridge here, which crosses the small Hagii River in Minobu. 

      Wilhelm Donko

  Wilhelm Donko

  Not too far from the Minobu Post Office is the 1,153-meter tall Mt. Minobu, which is easily accessible via ropeway. Chiaki and Aoi decide to visit their first shrine and watch the first sunrise of the new year here together. 

  Wilhelm Donko

  Called hatsumode — hatsu literally means first and mode means shrine visit — it’s an annual tradition in Japan to visit a shrine (or temple) within the first few days of a new year to make a couple of wishes and do a few prayers. Chiaki and Aoi do that at the Okunoin Shishinkaku Temple atop the mountain, which is part of the larger Kuonji Temple at the base of the mountain. 

  Wilhelm Donko

  Watching the first sunrise of the year is another popular custom in Japan, which kind of sets the tone for the whole year to come. Mt. Minobu is definitely a good place to do just that, as it also offers a glimpse of the magical Mt. Fuji. I got to visit Mt. Minobu back in 2019 when I was in the area taking photos of the locations from the first season, but, just like Chiaki who wanted to see the Diamond Fuji phenomenon, I also got a bit unlucky with the weather up top. 

  Wilhelm Donko

  Wilhelm Donko

  But that wasn’t too much of a problem for me, as I treated myself to some sweet, sweet dango skewers in return. The grilled rice dumplings were served with a slightly sweet and sticky walnut sauce, and yes, they tasted just as good as they looked.

  Wilhelm Donko

  Situated a bit further down the mountain is the impressive Kuonji Temple, which was founded in 1281 by Nichiren. The tucked-away temple features a spectacular five-story pagoda and a highly picturesque 287-step staircase, called the “steps of enlightenment.” 

      The gang didn’t get to see the so-called Diamond Fuji on top of Mt. Minobu, which occurs when the rising or setting sun aligns just perfectly with the peak of Mt. Fuji, so they tried their luck elsewhere by checking out the viewpoint from this parking lot in Takaori. However, they were just a tad too late again. 

    Meanwhile, Rin decided to spend the beginning of the new year in Shizuoka Prefecture, making a quick stop at the Omaezaki Lighthouse, which is situated at the southernmost point of the Prefecture. I’ve always been a big fan of the most extreme geographical points of an area, so Cape Omaezaki definitely made it on my future travel list. 

      But that’s not all the place has going for it, the view from up top is also pretty amazing. 

      We know the drill by now — empty roads as far as the eye can see, beautiful landscapes left and right, and Rin riding her scooter, heading for the Ryuyokaiyo Koen Auto Camping Ground this time around.

      Along the way, she decides to take a quick break for tea at the Kimikura Café and later pays the Mitsuke Tenjin Shrine a short visit. 

      Rin spends the night at the Ryuyokaiyo Koen Auto Camping Ground near Hamamatsu City, but unfortunately, I was not able to get any good pictures of the place. From there it was on to the next camping ground for her. 

      You can spot the Shinkansen Bullet Train in the background.   

    This little bridge close to the Nagisaen Camping Ground was featured a couple of times already during the first season (although from the other direction) since this was close to where Nadeshiko lived before she moved to Yamanashi. 

    Rin uses the day in Hamamatsu by visiting some of the local sights, such as the 632-meter long Hamana Bridge, which spans across the canal that connects Lake Hamana to the Pacific Ocean.

    And since this is Rin we’re talking about, she also treats herself to a quick hot spring visit at the Kaishunro Onsen Hotel, which has a nice view of Lake Hamana and its famous floating torii gate. 

    The 18-meter tall torii gate was only built in 1973, but it has soon become one of the symbols of the area, and is at its prettiest when the sun sets just right into the gate. 

    On her way to the next destination, Rin crosses Hamanako Bridge, which leads her to Kanzanji Onsen. 

      If you haven’t already noticed in the anime, the Kanzanji Onsen resort area, which is located on an inlet on the eastern shore of Lake Hamana, is famous for one thing, and one thing in particular: eel!

    Lake Hamana is the birthplace of eel farming in Japan and is known for the finest and priciest eel (called unagi in Japanese) the country has to offer. This is also why just about every restaurant in the area is specialized in eel.

        You’ll find the word eel written here just about everywhere you look … oh, the eel pressure.

    However, since eel is fairly pricey (especially the famous Hamana eel) Rin opts to just visit the Shizuhana sweets shop instead. 

    Fujitaya is another sweets shop close to Kiga Station.

  After getting a call from Nadeshiko that she’s also in the area, Rin heads to the nearby Hamanako-Sakume Station to meet up with her.

  And just like in the anime, the tracks of the station are often filled with seagulls in real life as well.

  Even though Rin was a bit strapped for cash, it just wouldn’t be a trip to Hamamatsu without even trying some of its famous eel, so Nadeshiko treats her to the Unagi Sakume Restaurant close to Hamanako-Sakume Station.

    It’s only a short walk from the station to Nadeshiko’s grandmother’s house. 

      However, the location used for her house in the anime is currently just an empty lot, which marks a good end for the first rundown of all of the locations of the second season of Laid-Back Camp.

  In case you virtually want to check out any of these places yourself, check out my newly updated map below:

      What's a place from Laid-Back Camp that you'd like to check out some day? Sound off in the comments below!

      Wilhelm is an anime tourist, who loves to search for and uncover the real-world spots he sees in anime. You can talk with him on Twitter @Surwill or on Instagram wilhelm_donko.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features! 

By: Wilhelm Donko

52 things I learned in 2019

Each year humanity produces 1,000 times more transistors than grains of rice and wheat combined. [Mark P Mills]

The maths of queuing are absolutely brutal and counter-intuitive. [John D Cook]

Emojis are starting to appear in evidence in court cases, and lawyers are worried: “When emoji symbols are strung together, we don’t have a reliable way of interpreting their meaning.” (In 2017, an Israeli judge had to decide if one emoji-filled message constituted a verbal contract) [Eric Goldman]

Harbinger customers are customers who buy products that tend to fail. They group together, forming harbinger zip codes. If households in those zip codes buy a product, it is likely to fail. If they back a political candidate, they are likely to lose the election. [Simester, Tucker & Yang]

Baijiu is the world’s most popular spirit, with 10bn litres sold each year, almost entirely in China. The second most popular spirit in the world is vodka, with just 5bn litres sold. [Feyi Fawehinmi]

A Python script, an Instagram account and quite a bit of free time can get you free meals in New York City. [Chris Buetti]

At least three private companies have fallen victim to ‘deep fake’ audio fraud. In each case, a computerised voice clone of the company CEO “called a senior financial officer to request an urgent money transfer.” [Kaveh Waddell, Jennifer A. Kingson]

Drunk shopping could be a $45bn /year industry, and only 6% of people regret their drunk purchases. [Zachary Crockett]

Placebos are so effective that placebo placebos work: A pain cream with no active ingredients worked even when not used by the patient. Just owning the cream was enough to reduce pain. [Victoria Wai-lanYeung]

Since the 1960s, British motorways have been deliberately designed by computer as series of long curves, rather than straight lines. This is done for both safety (less hypnotic) and aesthetic (“sculpture on an exciting, grand scale”) reasons. [Joe Moran]

Between 1880 and 1916, Ireland had its own timezone, which was 25m 21s behind Greenwich Mean Time. After the Easter Rising, the House of Commons in London introduced GMT in Ireland and abolished Dublin Mean Time [Elena Goukassian]

Drug names are changing: X and Z names (Prozac, Seroxat) are giving way to names ending in O or A (Natesto, Qsymia) which are more appealing to speakers of Romance languages in Europe and South America. [Pascaline Faure]

The UK male suicide rate is the lowest since accurate records began in 1981. [Office for National Statistics]

The goal of walking 10,000 steps per day may have originated when a Japanese pedometer manufacturer noticed that the 万 symbol (which means 10,000) looks a little like someone walking. The actual health merits of that number ‘have never been validated by research.’ [Amanda Mull]

People hate asking sensitive questions. However, it turns out that people don’t hate being asked sensitive questions. So talking around difficult questions in research interviews is a waste of time and money. [Hart, VanEpps, Schweitzer]

The Korean Police force includes five labradors who are clones of ‘Quinn’, a bomb-sniffing dog who found fame after finding a missing girl’s body in a 2007 kidnapping. [Kim Tong-hyung]

As mobile phones became mainstream in the US in the early 1990s, the murder rate fell sharply. Street drug dealing became less popular, so gang-related turf wars were less common. (Other factors were also involved, obviously.) [Alexis C. Madrigal]

Mechanical devices to cheat your phone pedometer (for health insurance fraud or vanity) are now all over AliExpress. [Matthew Brennan]

In 2017 Google and Facebook lost $100 million between them to one scammer who sent them fake invoices. [Jeff John Roberts] [found by TomBot*]

Teenagers with acne get higher marks, are more likely to complete college and, if female, eventually get paid more than people without teenage acne. [Hugo M. Mialon & Erik T. Nesson]

72% of classical musicians have taken beta blockers for performance anxiety. [Composed]

Black women in the United States die in childbirth at roughly the same rate as women in Mongolia. [Annie Lowrey]

Sometime in the 1990s, it seems the US forgot how to make a critical component of some nuclear warheads. [Nick Baumann]

“Mushrooms and truffles are fungi, more closely related to humans than they are to plants.” [Lynne Peskoe-Yang]

In the US Northwest, rain can damage the fruit on cherry trees. So helicopter pilots are paid to fly over the orchards, using their downdraft to dry the fruit as it ripens. For the pilots, it’s a risky but potentially profitable job. [Maria Langer]

Gravitricity is a Scottish startup planning to store energy by lifting huge weights up a disused mine shaft when electricity is cheap, dropping them down to generate power when it is expensive. Using a 12,000 tonne weight (roughly the weight of the Eiffel tower), it should be half as expensive as equivalent lithium ion battery. [Jillian Ambrose]

Spotify pays by the song. Two three minute songs are twice as profitable as one six minute song. So songs are getting shorter. [Dan Kopf]

Fashion++ is a Facebook-funded computer vision project that looks at a photo of your outfit and suggests ‘minimal edits for outfit improvement’ like tucking in a shirt or removing an accessory. [Wei-Lin Hsiao & co] (In 2019, Fluxx helped launch Vogue Business.)

Three million students at US schools don’t have the internet at home. [Michael Melia & co]

No babies born in Britain in 2016 were named Nigel. [Jonathan Ore] (Correction: Robert Colvile, who broke the original story, points out that there could have been one or two Nigels in 2016 — the ONS only reports names with three or more examples)

Using machine learning, researchers can now predict how likely an individual is to be involve in a car accident by looking at the image of their home address on Google Street View. [Kinga Kita-Wojciechowska]

In 2018, the Nigerian government spent more on subsidies for petrol than on health, education, or defence. [Andrew S Nevin]

According to WaterAid research, women spend 97 billion hours a year looking for a safe place to go to the loo. That equals 46 million working years, which is the same workforce as Germany, the fourth largest economy in the world. [Caroline Criado Perez via Tanya Gold]

28% of people like the smell of (their own) urine after eating asparagus.[Rolf Degen]

AliBaba is investing $15m to research Chinese dialects, hoping to improve the performance of their voice recognition systems. [Emma Lee]

At least half of the effort of most AI projects goes on data labelling, and that’s often done in rural Indian villages. [Anand Murali]

Worldwide, growth in the fragrance industry is lagging behind cosmetics and skincare products. Why? ‘You can’t smell a selfie’. [Andrea Felsted and Sarah Halzack]

CD sales still make up 78% of music revenue in Japan (compared with less than 30% in the UK). Japanese pop fans have been encouraged to buy multiple copies of their favourite releases to win rewards (buy 2,000 copies, win a night at a hot spring with your favourite star). One 32 year-old fan was charged with illegally dumping 585 copies of a CD on the side of a mountain. [Mark Mulligan] [found by TomBot*]

Two disgruntled game developers wrote a script to generate and release identical but differently-named slot machine apps (sample names: Deer Antler Spray Slots, 3D Ravioli Slots). Eventually, the slot machine apps earned them $50,000. [Alex Schwartz & Ziba Scott]

80% of prisoners released late 2018 in a presidential pardon have opted to return to Kinshasa’s infamous Makala jail due to lack of means to live. [Olivier Kalume]

Disco, a Japanese high tech manufacturing company, has introduced an internal billing and payment system, where every cost is charged back to workers. Renting a conference room costs $100. “People really cut back on useless meetings,” says one staffer. [Yuji Nakamura & Yuki Furukawa]

A man who bought the personalised number plate NULL has received over $12,000 of parking fines, because the system records ‘NULL’ when no numberplate has been recorded. [Jack Morse]

The islands of Orkney generate 120% of their energy needs using wind and solar. However, 57% of homes in Orkney are in fuel poverty, where a household spends more than 10% of income on fuel. [Chris Silver] (This year I worked briefly with Community Energy Scotland on a project with Energy Systems Catapult)

Some blind people can understand speech that is almost three times faster than the fastest speech sighted people can understand. They can use speech synthesisers set at at 800 words per minute (conversational speech is 120–150 wpm). Research suggests that a section of the brain that normally responds to light is re-mapped in blind people to process sound. [Austin Hicks & R Douglas Fields]

SpottedRisk is a disgrace insurance company built on data: “Firstborns are at slightly higher risk of disgrace, as are those… who’ve suffered recent breakups — until the passage of time sends the bereft partner back down the ‘risk-decay curve.’” [Boris Kachka]

SDAM (Severely Deficient Autobiographical Memory) is a rare syndrome where otherwise healthy, high-functioning people are unable to remember events from their own life. There is also an exhausting syndrome called Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, where people can remember precise details about every single day of their life. [Palumbo & Alain]

“Polling by phone has become very expensive, as the number of Americans willing to respond to unexpected or unknown callers has dropped. In the mid-to-late-20th century response rates were as high as 70%… [falling to] a mere 6% of the people it tried to survey in 2018.” [The Economist]

In 2012, only one sports team (Manchester United) was worth more than $2bn. Today, there are 52 sports teams worth more than $2bn. [Kurt Badenhausen]

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were invented by a cleaner at a Frito-Lay factory. He’s now VP of multicultural sales for PepsiCo America. [Zachary Crockett]

Six reluctant Chinese hitmen who hired each other to carry out a murder went to jail when their outsourcing scheme collapsed. [Eric Cheung]

Fast fashion is hitting the wiping rags businesses, because some clothing is just too badly made to be sold as rags. [Adam Minter] (In January, Fluxx worked with Fibretrace to develop new ways to make the circular economy work in fashion.)

Asking ‘What questions do you have for me?’ can be dramatically more effective than ‘Any questions?’ at the end of a talk. (Many more good tips in this thread. [Jacqueline Antonovich]

So if a human had piercings and tattoos before being turned, how do you think the volturi would react to it when meeting them for the first time? (I feel like Aro would ask a 101 questions)

Although Aro (and other members of the Coven and Guard) may be curious if there was any reason the human had gotten certain symbols/animals/whatevers tattooed or a certain area pierced, I don’t think anyone would be particularly surprised. Tattoos and piercings have been pretty common throughout history, as seen on mummified bodies and throughout artwork. It seems like tattoos and piercing became more taboo “recently.” Although, I’m not completely sure on the history of tattoos in Japan (it seems like it’s been especially taboo there because they are linked to gangs- I am not sure if that’s a recent development or not though), but I know when I went there last year I wasn’t allowed in the public hot springs because of mine. 

Either way, I think their questions would be pretty benign in nature and probably less offensive than questions you get from people nowadays. Plenty of people ask what significant a tattoo carries or why you decided to get it. People also have a tendency to say things like “what if you hate it in 10 years?” or “I would NEVER get a tattoo; it’s so unprofessional?!?” or other …unpleasant things no one needs to hear. I don’t think the Volturi would ask those types of questions. 

S01E01: Turtle Tracks

So just for shits and giggles, I’ve decided to review and analyze every single episode of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Because I want to. There’s literally no deeper reason than that.

And of course, I’m starting at the very beginning, which I’m told is a very good place to start. 

So this episode... was really good. Pilots tend to suck, in my experience, because the series hasn’t yet figured out what’s going to work and what people are going to like. But this episode pretty much collects together a lot of the things people know about this series: April pursuing criminals at the expense of personal safety and always getting kidnapped, the Turtles kicking mook ass with censored abandon, pizzas that combine things you love in ways that nauseate you...

(Seriously, how do you have a sashimi pizza? Do you just make a pizza and then sprinkle raw fish on it once it’s finished cooking?) 

It’s also a very full episode. A LOT happens in this. You would think that introducing the Turtles, their personalities, their backstory and the main villain would take up most of the 20-minute plot, but there’s this whole arc of them investigating scientific robberies after being sorta-blackmailed into it by April, and ending up in a building that explodes from the water pressure.

The Plot

So our secondary character April O’Neil is a TV reporter talking about a crime wave of technobabbly equipment, which was apparently stolen by people using katanas. Why? Because they used katanas in a way you’re not supposed to use any sword, namely to hack a door open.

Seriously, that’s a job for a machete if it’s for anything. I’m just going to headcanon that this professor is just a big ninja fan and wants to attribute everything to them. Of course, April seems to think that there’s some overlap between being a reporter and being a cop, because investigative journalism doesn’t usually involve staking out dangerous places and trying to intercept criminals in the act.

But April’s reports rub someone the wrong way, and instead of sending a clan of ancient assassins to decapitate her at her apartment, they send some street thugs to confront her in the middle of a street. 

So she does what anyone would do: slips down a storm drain. I’m not even sure how she did that, because those things are pretty fucking narrow. April must have the bone structure of a cat.

Who needs clavicles anyway?

Or being alive, anyway, because her take on this is “This is great! I must really be onto something hot if they’re trying to kill me!” There’s such a thing as being too dedicated to your job, April. She manages to knock herself against a wall by not looking where she’s going, and the mooks are about to kill her when some inexplicably shadowed figures appear!

I can clearly see what they are, you know. Not to mention that the suspense is completely shot when we see this.

You don’t need to maintain the mystery anymore, okay? We can clearly see that whoever it is has green skin and only two toes. And has orange kneebands.

April’s saviors reveal themselves to be four enormous walking, talking humanoid turtles, and she promptly passes out from all the I-can’tness. Michelangelo’s hilarious response? “Awww, she’s no fun. She fainted!” I kinda love how in both this and the 2003 version, the first response to April freaking out is not giving a shit.

After waking, April then spends awhile freaking out over the fact that she’s in a sewer being waited on by Splinter, a giant rat, and that she was rescued by four turtles brandishing ninja weapons. Lots of screaming and fainting. The Turtles really don’t seem very invested in her thus far, because they’re pretty quick to switch over to “what’s for lunch?” ASAP, and when she finally speaks to them, Donatello and Raphael just snark at her.

One thing that really sticks out when you watch this from the beginning is that it’s actually pretty serious. Sure, there’s silliness in places, but the characters are a lot less goofy than they often became later in the series. Even Michelangelo handles all this in a pretty reasonable, adult manner.

Splinter decides to unload their backstory by way of introduction: Hamato Yoshi, the leader of the Foot ninja clan in Japan, whose entire life seems to be one big crapstorm. One of his students, Oroko Saki, decided to frame him for attempted assassination by pinning his clothes to the wall so he couldn’t bow to a venerable sensei. And when Yoshi pulled out the knife so he could move, they assumed that the guy who was clearly pinned to the wall before, and is now staring in confusion at the knife, must be trying to kill the old coot. Apparently the Foot has a high idiot quotient.

So Yoshi did what any normal person would do: he moved across the world, lived in a sewer, and made friends with all the rats. What? It’s what I’d do.

He also ended up with four pet turtles after some kid tripped and spilled them down a drain, and apparently didn’t bother calling up to see if the owner was still there. Eh, the guy’s entire life is a craphole, so I’ll allow it.

We’re also informed that in Japan, Oroku Saki turned the Foot into a criminal organization. We’re TOLD this, but will never be shown it, because I don’t think we see a single other Foot ninja after this in the entire series, and certainly none working for him. Where did they go?

So anyway, Yoshi continues living in the sewers until one day life decides to take one last dump on him: a mysterious glowy stuff is leaked into his home, getting all over him and the Turtles. 

Is there a reason Michelangelo is spinning his chucks right behind her head? Is that some kinda low-level intimidation technique? Because I don’t think it’s working.

The Turtles become more humanlike in intelligence and body, and Yoshi became a mutant rat, aka Splinter.

Wait, so they mutated right into their teen bodies? Does that mean that they’re teenagers biologically but not in terms of chronological age?

April figures out that Splinter is actually Hamato Yoshi, ratified and having lost his pants. Seriously, they just kind of shrink up into his kimono when he mutates. I don’t know where they went, because logically they should have been down around his toes.

And since we’ve established that Splinter is a person of weird impulses, he decided to name the Turtles after his favorite Renaissance painters (what was he calling them before?), and teach them ninjutsu fighting techniques. Because if anyone knows how much other people suck, it’s Splinter. And that was when he was human! Imagine how much worse they would suck when you’re half-animal.

So we have:

-Donatello, the purple-masked one, whose weapon is a large stick he hits people with.

-Raphael, the red-masked one, who has a pair of sai. I should probably mention that those are defensive rather than offensive weapons, but whatever.

-Leonardo, the blue-masked one, who fights with two katanas.

-Michelangelo, the orange-masked one, who has nunchaku... for the moment.

I kinda love Splinter’s open title-drop, especially since I’m not sure whether he planned to change it. Like, if another five or so years, is he going to call them the Twentysomething Mutant Ninja Turtles? 

April does the smartest thing she can possibly do by accusing four guys who effortlessly mopped the floor with a street gang of having stolen all that tech, declares her intention of exposing them as “news,” and makes a run for it. Yes, you just watched a guy polishing his literal sword in front of you, which you have seen him use, and another guy was whirling a nunchuck behind your head. By all means, call them thieves and threaten to do the one thing they can’t possibly allow.

Oh, and we get a fun prelude of things to come: Donatello springs in front of her... and talks with Raphael’s voice for several seconds. No, I don’t know how it happened.

TO BE CONTINUED

fanfic: paths that lead home

Title: paths that lead home Fandom: Gakuen Alice Length: 3.3k Summary: When Natsume’s friends make him go on a road trip, he thinks they’ve collectively lost their minds. Crossing Japan in 24 hours with the Alice Academy hot on their heels? Only crazy people could come up with that. As it turns out, Natsume Hyuuga is friends with a lot of crazy people. Set before Ch. 179, for day 1 of ga-party’s May challenge.

{ao3}

Natsume isn’t into the idea the first time his friends tell him about it. Actually, Natsume isn’t into the idea the second, third or fourth time it’s brought up either, but then he has felt lethargic ever since he woke up after essentially dying to find out the girl he loves is gone. But his friends are suddenly adventurous and excited and more than a little bit stubborn and they just won’t let him boycott the whole thing. 

It’s a compromise, Luca says, diplomatic and relentless at once. They get to go on their insane, more than a little bit dangerous and frankly, illegal, road trip and Natsume gets to come along to keep them out of trouble. The problem is of course that Natsume doesn’t want to come along and can’t exactly provide protection in his current condition, but somehow he still gets overruled, because apparently the gang is a democracy now. His position as de facto leader of Class 2B has vanished along with large parts of his Alice, he thinks. There’s also the fact that Luca pulls him to the side and tells him about Yuu’s little sibling and how their friend hasn’t gotten to see him in months and really, why fight for a more open school if Yuu, the definition of a good student, doesn’t feel the benefits?

Natsume does wonder why Yuu Tobita is suddenly so keen on breaking Academy rules but then the world has changed during the time he was unconscious, in ways both good and bad. The sting of losing Mikan hasn’t quite subsided yet and some days that sting makes it difficult to notice anything else that is happening around him but he knows, God, he knows she would not want him to be morose and broody. If what Luca says is right then her best friend, the girl no one remembers, risked everything to give him another shot. Perhaps really living again starts here and now, with this damn road trip and his friends. (”You don’t have to go”, Luca tells him, “if you don’t want to. But maybe this will be good for all of us.”) Maybe, yes maybe - and he never was good at saying no to his best friend.

Luca’s borrowed barrier Alice and Natsume’s well honed ninja skills are still functioning well enough to sneak six of them out of the school in the middle of the night. Koko insists on wearing a ridiculous dark hoodie - “Guys, I’m blending in” - and Sumire can’t stop laughing at him. Yuu’s white as a sheet and gnawing on his bottom lip but deeply determined, too, determined enough to crawl through the small hole they made in the Academy’s barrier before all the others. Tsubasa’s coming along because, well, Natsume doesn’t really know why. Mostly because Tsubasa has gotten really protective as of late and is also a little bit into the whole road trip idea, as most maniacs apparently are. Luca keeps giggling nervously, a little bit like he did all that time ago when he got accidentally drunk in the woods. “Oh Gods,” he says as they’re half-running, half-sneaking towards Tokyo’s central train station. “Oh Gods. This is it.”

“If by ‘it’ you mean our impending doom, sure,” Natsume mutters. Koko begins singing “Breaking Free” from High School Musical under his breath, because of course he does.

They manage to sneak onto a train, hiding in a compartment that is transporting potato chips, which naturally leads to way too many eaten potato chips on their part. At some point someone throws up but it’s better than starving to death. The train’s going west, looks about a hundred years old and makes so much noise that their conversations are reduced to hand signals. Natsume is silently relieved because that just means he no longer has to listen to communal singing, which is another habit his friends apparently picked up. They go through Queen’s entire discography as though Narumi made them memorize the lyrics for a test.

The whole thing is...strangely serene. The constant noise reminds Natsume of the days he spent running from the school, forever on the road. Strange, how something so tumultuous can seem so peaceful now. He has his family back now, his father and his sister, but the innocence he had then is forever out of his reach. Natsume wonders whether this was the true reason he agreed to this road trip: The youthful exuberance in his friends’ eyes. Their desire to do a crazy thing, to take a risk, to not care about adulthood or consequence, even though all of them have experienced both.

They’re all a bit more bent and broken than they were. He can see it in Sumire’s face whenever she flinches because the train’s loud noises remind her of getting knocked out during the Uprising. He sees it in the way Tsubasa’s eyes scan the train compartment, as though some unnamed danger will, at any moment, leap out from behind the chips. He sees it in his best friend, who doesn’t smile quite as easily as he used too, who doesn’t quite want to leave his side out of fear that death will part them again, as it has before. But somewhere, in between all that Natsume still manages to fall asleep with his head on Luca’s shoulder while Yuu describes his little sister to their friends. Outside of the train, city buildings give way to meadows, street lights give way to stars. He dreams of Mikan Sakura smiling at him and feels warmth, despite the biting cold of the wind whipping past the moving train.

When they get ready to leave, sometime before dawn because the train pulls into a station Yuu recognizes, Luca leaves a few rabbits behind to replace the stolen chips. It’s not technically currency anyone outside the school can use but hey, they’re also not technically meant to be there so no one cares enough to say something. (Natsume does snicker about the whole thing, none too subtly, but Luca gives him his patented “I haven’t slept and I‘m going to feed you to an animal” look, so he shuts up). It’s still dark outside when the train stops and they tumble out, all ruffled hair and chips stained faces.

Koko uses the magical gift of mind-reading to find them a bus and Tsubasa uses the magical gift of Tono’s credit card (”Did you steal a credit card?!” -”Relax, guys, I borrowed it.”) to buy them tickets. The other passengers are far older them then, retirees going on a trip to the other side of the country over the weekend. They give them weird looks but let them stay, maybe because Tsubasa does his best “responsible adult” impression and talks up some old woman as though he’s known her all his life.

Natsume thinks the bus is a significantly more comfortable mode of transportation but then again, they didn’t really have a choice before. Boarding a train legally would have meant train station cameras and camera footage would have led the Academy straight to them. This way at least they have approximately 24 hours until they’re unceremoniously hauled back.

Koko spends their time on the bus playing cards with Sumire. She beats him almost every time. Natsume briefly wonders whether Koko ever feels the urge to cheat throughout the hours they play, but the class clown doesn’t seem to want to. Perhaps playing with Sumire is entertaining enough or perhaps there is something far better than winning hidden away in the corners of the smile she wears whenever her cards beat his.

At some point, the bus is stopped at a red light, Natsume walks over to where Yuu’s sitting. His friend is staring at the little drops of spring rain that are splattering against the window. Without his Academy uniform he looks different, both less and more himself. Natsume nudges him with his elbow. “Hey,” he says.

Yuu glances at him. “You know,” he says. “You really didn’t have to come.”

“I’ve heard that one before,” Natsume comments.

“But you came anyway,” Yuu notes. He turns around to face Natsume. “Why? You’re smart enough to know this idea makes no sense.”

Natsume shrugs. He doesn’t quite know how to put into words that reason has started to mean less and less to him over the past few months. He was dead and then he wasn’t, he loved someone and that person still left. They freed a school and still have to run from it to see their families. “I wanted to see whether your little sister is as much of a know-it-all as you are,” he says eventually. It’s a lie, but Yuu knows him well enough now not to push. They sit there in silence and watch the weather outside.  

Hail and lightning join the rain and the bus driver announces that they have to camp out until the storm passes. It’s afternoon and Natsume can practically see what’s going to happen next. They’re going to file into some small-town restaurant to wait out the rain and the Academy is going to find them and drag their rebellious asses back to the school. Their adventure, as fun as it was, will have been for nothing all because a bunch of old people and their driver are scared of lightning. He almost suggests stealing the bus but since none of them can drive that plan will hardly work.

As the rest of the bus’ passengers make their way into a small the restaurant to have their afternoon biscuits (or whatever old people eat, Natsume hardly knows any) he walks up to the front desk and puts on his most imposing face. Luca grabs his arm before he gets one word out. “Please don’t tell me you want to threaten someone into driving us somewhere,” he hisses.

“No,” Natsume says. “I want to ask them nicely while looking angry.”

“Natsume!,” his best friend exclaims, before lowering his voice again. “You have to use charm here. If we pretend to be adorable children they have to help us out!” Tsubasa, nods, as though the whole thing makes perfect sense. “Luca's right. The adorable children card is more effective than your demon impression.” Natsume almost uses the last shred of his Alice to burn him for that comment.

‘Pretending to be adorable children’ apparently means telling the waiter some sad and entirely made-up story about how all six of them are looking for their long-lost mother who lives in a town two hours over. They need to get there today because “bad people” are after them and it’s all quite urgent, really. Or something, Natsume doesn’t spend the entire time listening though he does certainly appreciate his best friend’s acting. Sumire helps out, too, and the two of them put on quite the show. There’s tears, lengthy explanations and apparently enough theatrics to cover up the fact that the six of them hardly look alike enough to be siblings. But playing Snow White and Sleeping Beauty in the Alice Academy prepares you for just about anything, so the waiter, wide-eyed and visibly touched, agrees to drive them “home”. He also gets his friend, a young woman currently writing her thesis and probably just looking for an excuse to stop, to help him drive the six of them over. Luca, Natsume and Tsubasa end up in one car, Koko, Sumire and Yuu take the other. This time it’s Luca who falls asleep on Natsume’s shoulder. The two hour ride consists of a lot of awkward questions (”So....you six are all siblings? Did you have different fathers?”) and the waiter telling them his life story. Natsume mostly zones out.

The waiter and his friend drop them off two hours later but insist on waiting in their cars, perhaps to see their reunion with their “mother”. In Yuu’s case, that reunion is a real one and he leads them to the front of his family’s house. It’s a small place, traditionally Japanese place with a tiny garden and a cherry tree right in front of it. The blossoms weren’t in bloom the day before, when they left the school, but now they are. They dance in the wind like tiny pieces of cotton candy. Yuu doesn’t seem to notice them.

He knocks and they all stand back to wait in silence. It doesn’t take long until the door is flung open and a woman greets them, her hair brown and her eyes wide and blue. She hugs her son without saying a word, crying and laughing at the same time and not long after a man appears behind her and falls to his knees to do the same thing.

In the end they are fed cookies and tea and get to meet Yuu Tobita’s young sister, who is inquisitive and annoying and reminds Natsume of Aoi in a way that makes him smile. It doesn’t take more than two hours before the Academy sends Narumi to pick them up but their former teacher doesn’t have the heart to berate them in front of Yuu’s happy parents. He just sends them a look that is equal parts exasperation and fondness and sips tea. Before leaving, they all huddle together and make their teacher take a picture using Sumire’s phone. Natsume tries to get out of the whole thing, but Luca just grabs him and that ends the discussion before it begins.

“I knew you wouldn’t be mad at us, Narumi-sensei,” Koko says with a bright grin, as they’re walking towards the car the Academy has sent. Yuu is behind them, saying goodbye to his family alone.

“If you think I’m not mad Koko, then you’re not as good a mind-reader as you think.” Narumi opens the door of the car and gestures for them to climb inside. It’s a strange moment of Deja Vu, Natsume thinks. He remembers getting in a car more than five years ago, blinking back tears only to find his best friend waiting for him inside. He climbs in now and scoots over to make room for Luca. Somehow, nothing has changed but everything is different.

Sumire sits down next to him. “It was a good trip,” she says softly.

“Did it live up to the one time you went after Natsume’s kidnappers when we were ten?,” Luca asks her.

Her green curls bounce up and down as she tilts her head to ponder the question. Eventually, Sumire smiles. “Don’t get me wrong, seeing Natsume all heroic was great and I loved the extra dose of nightmares I’ll carry with me until I die but...This trip was better.”

Koko, sitting one row behind them, snickers at that. “Just admit it’s because I let you win when we played cards.” Sumire tries to whack him with a clawed hand and Tsubasa leans neatly out of the way just as Yuu raises his hands to placate the two. There’s an aching familiarity to the scene that startles Natsume enough to make him avert his eyes. How strange that he has come to know these people, even though he told himself to never get close to anyone. How strange that their mannerisms are the same, even after they fought for their lives and faced a common enemy and lost so very much.

The trip back is uneventful. They don’t awkwardly tumble out of a train and they don’t lie to a kind waiter to catch a ride. They don’t talk much either, mostly because whenever they do Narumi reminds them of the trouble they’re in, as if any of them are scared of the Academy’s tactics at this point. As it turns out, the car can make the journey from Yuu’s parents to the school in just 10 hours. Unlike the train they took before, it doesn’t have to stop to unload potato chips so they get back to the school early on Sunday morning, the next day. Their classmates greet them at the front gate, cheering as the car passes them even though Jinno, who’s with them, looks about as icy as a human being can without freezing over. They’re slapped with detentions - Yuu’s very first, they’re told - a couple of months worth of cleaning duty and a stern talking to. But kind of saving the whole school does come with advantages and so they soon huddle up in Natsume’s room to share their story with their friends. Pictures get passed around, Koko makes the whole thing seem thrice as exciting as it was and Sumire gushes about Yuu’s little sister. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Natsume finds his feet carrying him outside, to the small balcony attached to his room.

The cherry trees are still in bloom, even here at a place that usually seems so far removed from the rest of the world.

“Should we go see Aoi next?,” a voice asks from behind him. Natsume doesn’t bother turning around.

“You’re pretending that Aoi and my dad haven’t practically moved to Tokyo at this point,” he says. “I think they’re scared that I’ll turn to dust if they leave”.

Luca leans against the railing next to him. “It’s a valid concern,” he says softly, before shaking his head. “Anyway...It was fun, wasn’t it? To for once go on an adventure that wasn’t about saving the lives of dozens of people and freeing our friends?”

“It was stupid,” Natsume corrects, before adding, after a few seconds of silence: “And...fun. I guess. If you call hanging out with a few crazy people all night and all day ‘fun’. Though I don’t think I want any potato chips anytime soon.”

Luca laughs. “Yeah, I can do without those, too.” Then, he frowns. “Though speaking of fun, I did notice you never sang along with us.”

Natsume snorts. “Damn right I didn’t. What are we, the Alice Opera troupe or something?”

“But Natsumeee,” Luca half-whines, half-complains. “We do singing now. It’s a thing, it makes people happy, it affirms our friendship and stuff. It’s like karaoke, except everyone wins.”

“Except whoever’s listening,” Natsume mumbles under his breath. Luca shakes his head at him and links their arms together to lead him back inside.

“One day,” he says, “I will get you to sing with us on a road trip.”

“If there’s one thing I can promise you,” Natsume declares, letting his best friend drag him back into the warmth of his room, from which the laughter of his friends is echoing still, “Then it’s that I will never again go on a road trip. Never. Planes exist for a reason.”

Luca rolls his eyes and Sumire, seeing the two of them, gets up and pushes her phone in front of their faces.

“Look, look,” she says. “The pictures came out great.”

There’s Yuu holding his sister with a proud smile, Tsubasa looking like an exhausted older brother, Koko sticking out his tongue and Sumire doing her best model pose. Natsume finds himself off to the side a bit, standing next to his beaming best friend with a gloomy expression on his face. It’s a ridiculous picture of ridiculous people. It makes him remember something else he once promised, a long time ago, much like he promised to never go on road trips again just a few seconds ago. He promised not to make friends, because one day, having friends would mean losing people. And he’d been right, too - he had lost people. Except that isn’t quite right, is it? He gained a small role in a stage production, a few pieces of badly made Valentine’s Day chocolate, an impromptu birthday party and more, much more than he ever expected to have.

So yes, he’s promising himself to never go on a road trip again. But judging from past experiences, that promise is going to be broken one day and then, well then - Then, Natsume Hyuuga will go on another adventure, as ridiculous as this one, with the people he is thankful to call friends.

Scouring for the remote: Cabo Raso, Patagonia’s coastal ghost municipality

Holidays dont get more getaway than at Cabo Raso, Argentina, an abandoned coastal village reborn as an eco-friendly withdraw. Plus, five most remote excursions to try

I am in the backseat of a station wagon that is driving down the Atlantic coast of Patagonia. The dry, grassy terrain of Argentinas Chubut province doesnt seem to change, except for the occasional herds of sheep and prowling gangs of wild mares, guanacos and pumas.

See the valley we are approaching, pronounces your best friend Martin. He has taken the same 150 km roadway from the city of Trelew to Cabo Raso more than 100 ages. Formerly we reach it, we will lose mobile phone signal for the next few days.

As we veer off the smooth motorway on to the gravel Route 1, I scramble to set up an out-of-office content via my phone: Hola! Im lost somewhere in Patagonia, away from civilisation, stuffing my face with flesh and without access to internet. Ill be back to the real world on Thursday.

Buses on the lawn at Cabo Raso

Cabo Raso is a coastal hamlet that has become a refuge for angler, algae collectors, drifters, and travellers looking to flee the town and connect with nature. The water, renowned for its integrity, is the source of a better quality sea salt, Sal de Aqui, and the strong ripples attract surfers from around the world.

Abandoned for many years, Cabo Raso was rebuilt in 2007 by Eduardo Gonzalez, who is known as El Gitano( the Gypsy ), and his partner Eliane Fernandez. I heard about this mysterious specter city from neighbourhoods during Morfilandia, a food festival in the nearby city of Rawson and a few hours later, they convinced me to take the detour to go and see it.

This is where we come to relax, Martin pronounces as we approach El Cabo, a arrangement decorated with a hand-painted delineate of the coastline make use of adobe, stones, and metal scraps. It is the only occupied township within 100 km; I consider blue sky and a lot of lonesome, empty space. This is the retreat I necessary, to altogether disconnect, escape the stress of chaotic Buenos Aires and know calmnes. On a lawn lie two rusting decades-old buses, two smaller stone residences, and one sway, all less than 20 metres from the beach. We are greeted by barking hounds, a briny ocean breeze, and Eliane and El Gitano in the main houses kitchen with yerba copulate tea and a homemade return crumble fresh from the stove.

A kitchen in one of Cabo Rasos private lives.

In the mid-2 0th century, Cabo Raso was home to more than 300 parties those who are relatives of anglers, farmers and woolen traders. It had a boarding school, a united states post office, a convenience store, a cemetery, and a inn and was a summer holiday destination. But Argentina modernised and the town diminished: occupants moved away, and constructs began to crumble.

In 1987, Mercedes Finat, the last tenant, croaked and the hamlet lay deserted until Eliane and El Gitano arrived 20 year later. The duet restored the natural wonderland and brought the population up to two. They had decided to swap metropolitan life for the countryside, and reached across the vacant 120 -hectare oceanside hamlet. Over the next year, they cleared rubbish, planted trees, pruned the farmland, and reconstructed the ruins into eco-friendly lodgings.

Before I can even empty my purses from the truck, Eliane gives me a tour of the city. A mas of the members of this house were spoilt, without a ceiling, exactly disintegrate, she suggests. We honour the town. We dont build anything new; we only refurbish what is already here.

They use liquid from a shaft, and generate ability from the sunshine and gust. We live simply and sustainably. She takes me into a common region with two long counters and a deep brick fireplace, This is where we eat our meals together and barbecue all the meat.

A seal by the beach

The dirts are dotted with lodging alternatives: within the main house are various dormitories( private and shared) with a communal bathroom, while outside are two more dormitories inside those weathered buses. The private mansions have one doubled and four single beds, a kitchen, shower with hot water, a wood-burner, and energy. Most of the surfers and fisherman return sleeping bags for a more rustic( and affordable) stay inside the ranch. The camping site, about a kilometre away, uses an ex-military bunker as its basi camp.

There is always something to do, El Gitano remarks as he takes us on a tour of the land. He returns us to a inlet with dozens of elephant closes and ocean wolves savor in the sunshine on top of red-hot stones. This is a prime blot for surfing, but today the curves are tame. While there are numerous acts at El Cabo, such as kayaking, angling, biking and trekking, I decide to explore the cities, which takes about 45 minutes on foot. A non-functional lighthouse, shipwrecked fishing boat, and the bunker( a locate been established to test-launch missiles during the Cold Wars Operation Condor ), are the main landmark attractions.

I return just before dark. About 20 beings Eliane and El Gitanos juveniles, friends, clients and workers gather around the wooden table in the front room. We are strangers, yet there is a strong appreciation of community. Wine is bountiful and I am mesmerised by the massive pork leg ribbing in the fireplace. An intense activity of truco ( cards) is taking place, and in the next area there is a spirited metegol ( table football) tournament. Then there is calm; I can just listen the wind, the curves, and a lot of laugh. The only light outside comes from the moon and stars.

We have a peaceful home: the ocean, delicious nutrient, and nothing else, Eliane speaks with a smile. A burning ardor and good companionship thats all we need now.

El Cabo is on Route 1( at KM294 in Chubut ). It is only accessible by vehicle. Transportation can be arranged with El Cabo, from Puerto Madryn , for about PS172 return. Adaptation expenditures from PS7 a night for basic accommodations and PS96 a night for private rooms, +54 280 15 4 70 9080, caboraso.com.ar

MORE REMOTE GETAWAYS TO EXPLORE

Accursed Mountains, Albania

Near Gjelaj, on the path from Thethi to the Valbona Pass. Photo: Alamy

They may be known to neighbourhoods as accursed but the Albanian Alps are an untouched corner of Europe, made up of pine forests, limestone ravines and small-minded mountain villages. The mountains can be reached by spanning Lake Koman by ferry an adventure in its own claim. From there go to Valbona( there are a handful of guesthouses to stay in ), which is the perfect base for hiking in the smothering hills. journeytovalbona.com

Iya Valley, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan

View of Iya Valley in autumn. Photograph: Alamy

In contrast to the towering, illuminated skyscrapers and hi-tech infrastructure of Japans major metropolis, the Iya Valley may be one of the most isolated various regions of the country. On the countries of the south island of Shikoku( the smallest and least-visited of the primary four ), the hollow is fastened with vine bridges and flecked with small villages and hot springs. Its so remote that it has a history as a hideout for defeated warriors during the 12 th century. A reach of budget accommodation and campsites around the valley, such as the basic, vegetarian eco-guesthouse Ku Nel Asob or Iyakei Camp Village, make a good base to explore the mountain trails. jnto.go.jp

Supai, Arizona, US

Hikers come up the footpath from Havasu Falls in Supai. Photograph: Alamy

It may be the capital of the Havasupai Indian Reservation but the remote desert hamlet of Supai has a population of only 208. You understand fairly how disconnected it is when you learn that Supai is no other region in the US where mail is still were provided by mule train. And mule obligates up one of the three practices you can reach it: the other two being via an eight-mile hike from the very near street, or by helicopter. From here you are able to explore the stunning wild west geographical the specific characteristics of Havasu Creek, which is speck with spectacular cascades. Tourism supports an important means of income for the Havasupai tribe, which owns and organizes the 24 -room Havasupai Lodge – the only lodging for 75 miles and caters guidebooks and mule jam-pack services. havasupai-nsn.gov

Lofoten Islands, Norway

Arctic surfing at Unstad Arctic Surf School. Image: Alamy

The capital of Norways Nordland region, Bodo feels moderately remote as it is. From here, the Lofoten Islands a jagged archipelago within the Arctic Circle appear as a faint rutted line on the horizon. From Reine, the central village, you can hike up to epic attitude Reinebringen, or take shuttles to explore other, smaller islands. To tune into the overcome of the wavings, pay a visit to Unstad Arctic Surf School the worlds most northerly surf institution. lofoten.info

Kalap, Uttarakhand, India

Beatles George Harrison, privilege, and John Lennon sit on rocks by a flow in Rishikesh, India, in 1968. Photograph: AP

Uttarakhand is a tranquil state in northern India and lies in the foothills of the countries of the western Himalayas. Its a far cry from the raucous urban areas most people arrive to and is home to the yoga capital, Rishikesh, as well as countless ashrams. For those attempting farther emptines, a journey to Kalap, dubbed the more remote hamlet in India is in order. The nearest qualify terminal is Dehradun; from there its a 10 -hour bus ride to the town of Netwar, then a six-hour trek through pine forests to reach the village. Kalap is a spiritual plaza for the smaller parish that lives there, but tourism is being managed responsibly via the Kalap Trust, a non-profit that has been working with the people of village. kalap.in

Read more: www.theguardian.com

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