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cherry-valentine · 3 years

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How Black Clover Gets Lady Characters Right

*Spoilers for most of the Black Clover anime (mostly character related stuff, not much in the way of major plot stuff)*

Black Clover is right up there with Gintama in terms of shows that reward viewers for sticking with them through some mediocre early episodes and arcs. When Black Clover began airing, I was excited. Manga readers had been hyping the series up, and it sounded like the next big shounen fighting anime that would take anime fandom by storm. Then I started watching it, and I was immensely disappointed. I found Asta’s constant screaming almost unbearable (to the point that I started muting the tv when it looked like he was about to open his mouth). The early episodes were totally predictable and cliche. The animation was, at times, embarrassingly bad. But I stuck with it because there were a few elements that kept me interested. One was the absolute bangers of opening and ending themes (at one point the thought crossed my mind that they were entirely too good for this show). Another was Yuno, whom I liked from the start. Then there’s the fact that Asta’s magic, or lack of magic, was the one element I didn’t predict a mile away. I honestly expected him to awaken to some super powerful magic early on. Almost 200 episodes later, he is still magic-free. I really did not see that coming. Still yet, I came close to dropping the series several times during those first thirteen episodes or so.

Somewhere around the time they went to the undersea village (I don’t remember the name of the arc), I began to notice that I was actually looking forward to each new episode. It was a gradual change from being at the bottom of my watch list to being near the top. So gradual it took me a while to realize it. The show still had some problems, sure, but it stopped being predictable. Asta talked more and screamed less. More interesting characters were introduced. The fight scenes were exciting. By the time this arc was over, Black Clover had become a favorite. So, if you tried the series and found it boring and annoying, consider giving it another shot. Like I said, it rewards you for sticking with it.

One of the best things about Black Clover, for me, is how it treats its female characters, especially when compared to other popular shounen fighting anime. It is by no means perfect, and I’ll talk about the show’s minor failings in regards to its ladies a little further down. But overall, it does a phenomenal job.

The first thing that struck me about Black Clover’s women is just how varied they are. There’s a surprising range in their appearances, personalities, and skills. And there are lots of them. Far more than a lot of other shounen fighting anime allow. There are five women in the main squad, the Black Bulls, alone. And we see that each squad has several women as well. Then there’s the all-women squad the Blue Roses. This extends to the villains, as well as the non-combatant supporting cast as well.

Speaking of skills, the women of Black Clover are unusually powerful. The two male leads, Asta and Yuno, eventually get “power-ups”, some kind of new form or transformation or whatever. This is super common in shounen fighting anime. What’s not so common, however, is the female lead getting her own cool power-up/transformation. This is what happens for Noelle, and it was such a great surprise. A little side note here: I’ve been watching the series on a streaming site that allows comments, and I was so amazed by the comments on the episode in which Noelle gets her power-up. The (mostly male, judging by their names) commenters were genuinely happy for her! They were proud of her for getting stronger and cheering her on! I didn’t spot a single comment about her looks or how great of a waifu she is (at the time anyway).

But it wasn’t just Noelle that got stronger. Another Black Bulls member, Vanessa, got an interesting power-up of her own, in the form a cat familiar that basically makes her and her teammates completely impervious to harm for as long as her mana holds out (which has saved their lives countless times). Another lady, Grey, has recently (in the anime) demonstrated some shockingly powerful magic that none of her teammates, or even she herself, realized she was capable of. Then there’s Charmy, who was already quite powerful but gained her own powered up transformation that made her strong enough to defeat an elf-possessed Magic Knight captain. If anything, the ladies have received MORE power-ups than the men.

And while we’re talking about powerful women, I have to talk about Mereoleona. If you’ve watched the show, you know exactly what I mean. If you haven’t, just imagine a character who can curb-stomp a powerful villain who is on a higher level than villains that the main characters were struggling to team up against just a few episodes before, who can then take on a whole group of these powered up villains and remain standing, even after losing consciousness, because they’re just that badass. Now imagine that character is a woman. And she’s so terrifying that one of the elf-possessed enemies (her comrades who had their bodies taken over by elves) remarks that his body froze up because, even though he’s controlling it, the BODY ITSELF was afraid of her. Mereoleona is an absolute beast, the kind of character that is almost always male in these types of shows. And the best part? The icing on this badass cake? The only person who was stronger than her, who could defeat her one-on-one, was ANOTHER WOMAN. Noelle’s mother. And a huge part of Noelle’s motivation as a character is becoming strong like her mother.

On the subject of Noelle’s motivation, I really appreciate that it has nothing to do with her crush on Asta. Sure, she likes him, but it’s not a motivating factor in her life and it’s not even really that important to her story arc. Her arc has always been about HER, about becoming stronger, living up to her powerful family’s expectations, discovering the truth about her mother’s death and then about avenging her, about becoming more empathetic to the common people despite being royalty. Noelle’s story is ABOUT HER. And it’s really sad that this is something remarkable, but we’ve all seen the “heroines” with no real arcs of their own, or worse, their arcs revolve almost entirely around their love for a male character (Sakura from Naruto is the most obvious example here but anyone who watches a lot of shounen can no doubt name many more). And Noelle isn’t an exception in Black Clover. Almost all of the women have interesting back stories and character arcs that have little to do with men (or if men are involved, they’re in supporting roles to these stories and very rarely the main subject).

An exception to this is possibly Charlotte, who is in love with Yami and this plays a big role in her story. However, even this is framed in a way that puts the emphasis on her own growth. It’s really about her learning to be honest with her feelings and getting over her own awkwardness around Yami. A big moment for her is when she admits to her squad that she’s in love with Yami, and they’re all eager and excited to help and support her, like the wonderful ladies they are.

Now, as I said before, Black Clover’s depictions of women are not perfect. There are a few issues I consider minor that I need to address. The first is the tendency the show has of making almost all the ladies be in love with someone. A large portion of the women are sporting crushes, though some of them are quite subtle or mainly used for comic relief, it’s still a little annoying that so many of them are in love. Of course, many of the male characters are in love with someone too (including the protagonist, Asta) and there are several female characters who are totally disinterested in romance, so I can overlook this. Another small issue is that, even though there’s more variety than usual in the body types (one female character is fat and another, Charmy, often gets quite pudgy for extended periods of time, plus a few ladies have more muscular builds), a significant portion of them have very large breasts, including two teenage characters (Noelle and Mimosa). It feels a little unnecessary, to be honest. Though to be fair, it’s rare that any of these characters are used for fan service and the camera never really seems to linger on their bodies. Most of them dress fairly modestly and among those who don’t, the more sexy clothes fit their characters and make sense for their personalities.

The last minor issue I have is that we often get the “designated girl fights”. If there’s a female villain, it’s likely that a female hero will be the one to fight her. This isn’t a rule set in stone, because there are plenty of male/female battles, but it happens enough to be very noticeable. Of course, these lady villains are demonstrated to be just as powerful and dangerous as the villainous men, but it’s still mildly irritating.

Those little nitpicks aside, Black Clover is still a shining example of a shounen fighting anime getting its ladies right. The women in the series are well-written, interesting characters with compelling stories. They’re powerful, have wildly varying personalities and motivations, and never feel like window dressing. They’re not just there to be pretty romantic interests. The show does all this very well, and I think it deserves a lot of praise and credit for it.

#Black Clover #Female characters #noelle silva #mereoleona vermillion #text #long post

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goldenlaquer · 2 years

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Listen buddy, it's a dangerous game you are playing here, asking such a difficult question. You know how when you love a thing so much trying to pinpoint why exactly you love it in the first place feels kinda wrong? Idk, but your writings are so all around well-written, dissecting them feels like a blasphemy. But you asked for this and your wish is my command, so I'm here to indulge you. Therefore I'll try my best.

One of the first things I've noticed is that your writings are never dry simple stating of facts. Not sure how to describe it but I like the way you'd set a scene and pull a whole show to it. Giving me the feeling that the character has a real life happening to him and I just got a glimpse of a single moment.

Your sense of humor. I don't know what to say about it, it's just *chef's kiss*. The amount of times snorted out an uncivilized laugh, while reading this blog in public. Could I wait to get home to read it? No. No, I could not. The waiting could have killed me, because you make my entireday better, it's like a friend is next to me, telling me stories and jokes, ok.

That's going to be a weird one. You use a very... flowery language. Not only it makes your texts interesting to read but also, you see, I'm not a native speaker, so I learned quite a bit of fancy words, I have yet to encounter in my studybooks, from you. (That's not a joke, my English teacher said my vocabulary had grown a lot and is very rich now. Was so impressed that I use words like "mien". She asked me what I read in a free time to learn words. I didn't have a heart to tell her, though. She's a 68 years old nice old-school lady, it may give her a heart attack.)

Your writing style is very Gintama-ish. There's no other way to describe it, because Gintama itself is impossible to describe. But it just feels like what are you writing is a part of a canon, you know?... This also makes your OCs is ridiculously believable as a part of show. I re-watched 7th division arc recently and was like "Where the fuck is Yan?". Laugh all you want but Imma going to learn Japanese, go to Japan, find Gorilla-sensei, take him hostage, if needed, but convince him to make you his co-author and remake Gintama with your OCs. Then it's over for us, simps. Also one of the first things of yours I've read was "who has a daddy kink in Gintama" and immediately fell in love, right on my head as you can tell. The way you've written this little quarrel between you, the author, and Gin? Amazing. And, oh, how chivalrous of you to protect that individual's privacy. Who is that mysterious Hiji****? We may never know...

Ok, the last one, I swear. As I mentioned earlier the characters you write about feel like real Gintama characters. But not only that, they feel like real people, somehow? Told you, it's hard to analyze things you love. They are just so deep and well-written, it's so easy to empathize with them. It's kinda hard to read your writings in one sitting because I need regular breaks to squeal into my pillow, pace a room a bit, fan my face or straight up cry. Bansai plucking his shamisen ain't got nothing on you plucking the strings of my soul and playing with my emotions like nobody's business. Sougo and Gin may brag about being sadists and their playing-with-people-feelings-skill to all their little black hearts content, they are so below you they cannot jump high enough to kiss the soles of your feet.

Wow, it turned out to be quite the essay, lol. Was it a tiny bit helpful? Idk. Was writing it worth it? Absolutely. Anyway, it's your problem now. You asked, I delivered. So here's me wrapping this message in all my love for you and throwing it right into you lovely, adorable face. Bye 😘

Holy. Shit. W O W.

A-OK, this is so above and beyond that I don't even know where to begin. Woah. Yeah, you delivered. You fucking delivered. Oh my god. I... was not expecting this Alpha level of a reply. At all. Did I read this and sit in total silence for a good minute, gawping in shock? Yes. Can't even pick whether to feel surprised, intimidated, or aroused— I'm all three at once.

But shiiiiiiiit, hot damn. Okayokayokay, first of all, your English is nothing less than PHENOMENAL, could've fooled me, it's as if you are a native speaker because this reads so natural to me. You're amazing.

(and omfg, you used bulletpoints and I think that's super fuckin cute of you because you organized this out, sososo cute you are so cute everything about you is so cute)

I can't thank you enough for this. I love Gintama so much and the fact that you think my writing and ocs are good enough for canon, good enough to threaten Sorachi-god over LMFAOO, is a compliment that I can take to my grave happy.

I'm also over the moon about that part where you think it's easy to empathize with my characterizations of them because YES. YES, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH ALL I WANTED. Sorachi did all the work and created all of them so multi-layered and complex and so painfully human— that's what makes them so relatable and lovable, and the notion that you can empathize with my interpretations is *sob* really fucking cool and awesome, I'm on the right track of things it looks like.

Seriously, I am so touched that you took the time and effort to construct such an amazing feedback. I am so honored that you thought I was worth it. It's only right of me to make sure my writings will continue to bring your praises justice. I hope you have an excellent day, please stay warm!

#cryING #this is ultimate comfort #THANK YOU

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liya4kar · 3 years

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Liyada’s Fics Masterpost

It was time I wrote a Fic Masterpost.

So for everyone who is interested by my fics, firstly I invit you on my AO3 where you can litteraly find everythng, especially since I don’t post the fics directly on Tumblr.

And if you want the details, here we go!

Also here the plan, because the post is really long lmao-

I/ Pokespe

1. Multi-chap fics

a) Three Years

b) The Magical Dexholders

2. AUs

a) Yorozuya no Lack-chan

b) Legendary Dexholders

c) Blonde Family

d) Yokai AU

3. Stand-alone OS and Drabbles

a) OS

b) Drabbles

II/ Other fandoms

a) Champion (Marvel)

I/ Pokespe

1. Multi-Chap Fics

a) Three Years

This one is my baby, the one I had been working on for 2 years and a half, the one I progressed the more in, and also the one I haven’t updated in a year even if I have 6 chapters ready to post, cause I’m lazy af. Also the ones where you can very easily see how much my writing progressed since I started writing for Pokéspe.

Warning: Graphic Description of Violence, Major Character Death (though this one is complicate and don’t fully apply)

Genre: Angst, Adventure.

Words Count: 69,567

Statut: In Progress

Characters: The whole Spe cast up to SM.

Relationship: Background Frantic, Entourage, Agency and Laverree, a lot of other friendships.

Summary: Some secrets should never be revealed. Or should they?

After a strange explosion, X and Y fear the apparition if a new threat for Kalos, and decide to get themselves implicate. But things are not as simple as they look, and nothing will go the way they want. And as those attacks take bigger scales and start to involve a large number of people, they would have no choice but to find the motive behind them to stop them; even if it means getting back on some bitter memories from three years ago they all would have preferred to forget...

List of chapters: Part I: Kalos

1. The Explosion

2. The Lumiose Badlands

3. Shalour City

4. The Attack

5. Next Action

6. Lumiose City

7. Blackout

8. Chase in Lumiose City

9. The Next Day

10. Couriway Town

11. Sunrise

12. Tic Tac

13. Terminus

Part II: Unova

14. A Day in Driftveil City I

14.5. A Day in Driftveil City II

15. Welcome to Unova I

15.5. Welcome to Unova II

16. The Twist Mountain I

16.5. The Twist Mountain II

b) The Magical Dexholders

This one is purely self-indulgent fic, where I basically write the dumbest thing that get in my mind. Aka some Dexholders become Magical Girls or Boys, but they’re dumb, but it’s okay because the bad guys, their friends and their world in general is dumb.

Warning: No Warning applies

Genre: Parody, Humor, Friendship

Words Count; 27,944

Statut: In progress

Characters: The whole Spe cast up to SM, and some OCs

Relationship: Diamond & Silver, Blue & Yellow & Gold & Platinum, Green & Crystal & Pearl

Summary:

It’s an emergency! The Darkness Power Of The Terrible Evil has invading the Pokespe world and take over the region of Kanto! Some magical fluffy creatures needs help in order to stop the Darkness Power Of The Terrible Evil!

The day Dia met a strange professor fan of Magical Boy and a strange pink creature, he knew his life would never be the same...

In the meantime, Blue and Yellow have to face a terrible threat to get back their home, but get new abilities in exchange.

List of chapters:

1. A story is not interesting if nothing go wrong in it

2. If you are a Magical Boy, don't forget to take an insurance for building destruction!

3. If the authorities say that a radioactive cloud did magically stop at the border, you can totally trust them!

4. You can’t be a protagonist if you don’t have an ultimate move, a dark past or a secret identity!

5. No matter how good it looks on TV, sh*t stay sh*t!

6. An homage to a work becomes a fanfiction when it becomes an important part of the plot, you moron!

7. If you update on the 1st April everyone's gonna believe it's a joke, even if it isn't, so update on the 31st March!

2. AUs

Those fics are not multi-chap fics, but more like OS and drabbles that are related between each others.

a) Yorozuya no Lack-chan

Heavily inspired by Gintama, AU where Lack did not get back in Interpol and started doing odd jobs instead. Serie of Drabbles.

Warning: No Warning applies

Genre: Parody, Humor, Friendship

Characters: Lack-Two, Whi-Two, X, Sun

Relationship: Lack-Two & Whi-Two, Lack-Two & X, Lack-Two & Sun

Summary:

When Whi-Two bumped into Lack-Two after months, she was not expecting him to went from Interpol officer to dog walker. And neither that he’d get her, and this guy from Kalos, to join he’s odd jobs agency.

List of chapters:

Dogwalker Lack-Two in action!

The Blazing Begining of Odd Jobs Yorozuya no Lack-Chan!

b) Legendary Dexholders

In a world where being a legendary Pokémons can be boring, the legendary Pokémons decides to have a little bit of funs. Shenanigans ensue.

Aka the legendary Pokémons decides to become humans, and of course they happen to be our favorite DHs.

Warning: No Warning applies

Genre: Friendship, Family, Supposed to be comic at first but also goes on the character study sometimes

Characters: Silver, Giratina, others for next OS.

Relationship: Implied Preciousmetal, Blue & Silver

Summary:

List of chapters: Giratina

c) Blonde Family

In which Yellow, Pearl, Bianca and Y are all cousins. Shenanigans enssue.

Warning: No Warning applies

Genre: Family, Comedy, Crime

Characters: Yellow, Pearl, Bianca, Y

Relationship: Yellow & Pearl & Bianca & Y

Summary:

Family reunions are rarely all peace and calm. But when, out of four cousins, you have three Dexholders and a clumsy professor assistant, things are bond to be messy.

List of chapters: To be a cousin, Don't listen others confessions or you'll end as responsible as them

d) Yokai AU

What if yokai existed in the Spe universe?

Warning: No Warning applies

Genre: Supernatural, Friendship, Adventures

Characters: Pearl, Schilly

Relationship: Pearl & Schilly

Summary:

Pearl had first seen them when he was four years old. And he had learned to live with this world only he could see, to maintain his balance of a normal life.

He had just not expected one of his junior to also see them.

List of chapters: Chilling Party

3. Stand alone OS and drabbles

a) OS

Here you can find the 1K+ words stand-alone OS. Links are in the tittles!

A Good Christmas Movie is Made of Hot Chocolate and a Fire-Breathing Cat

Warning: No Warning applies

Genre: Horror, Parody, Christmas, Hallmark Movie, Specord Winter Writing Event 2020

Words count: 4093

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Y, Sun

Relationship: Implied Laverree and Delivery shipping, Y & Sun

Summary:

Everything is perfect in Y's life. Too perfect, like in a Christmas Hallmark movie. Now, with a fire-breathing cat name Sun, it's up to her to find a way out of this Christmas hell.

One-shot wrote for the Winter Writing Event on the Specord, with the prompt X & Sun, Horror and Parody, My Life is a Hallmark Movie and PMD, and Chuck E Cheese's Ball Pit.

Celebi-rities in Distress

Warning: No Warning applies

Genre: Parody, Friendship, TV Show

Words Count: 5017

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Sapphire, Lisia, Ruby, Emerald.

Relation Ship: Background Franticshipping, Sapphire & Lisia, Ruby & Emerald

Summary:

Sometimes, it only takes a silly TV show, weird games and arrogant prissy boys to make a new friends.

Or how Sapphire became friend with Lisia to teach Ruby and Emerald a good lesson.

Bonding on the Grand Line

Warning: No Warning applies

Genre: One Piece AU, Pirate

Words Count: 2948

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Pearl, Cheren, Sinnoh and Unova Gym Leaders

Relation Ship: Pearl & Cheren, Mentionned Commoner Shipping, Past Pearl & Diamond & Platinum, Mentionned Cheren & Black

Summary:

In a world where Gold Roger is still an unknow name, Pearl and his crew left North Blue for the Grand Line. But are they ready for everything waiting them?

Of Swords & Of a Gun

Warning: No Warning applies

Genre: AU, Angst,

Words count: 4209

Statut: Two-Shot, in progress

Characters: Pearl, Cheren, Sinnoh and Unova Gym Leaders

Relation Ship: Soudo & Bede, Bede & Rose, Soudo & Schilly, Schilly/Hop, Bede & Schilly & Hop

Summary:

In a world where everyone has a Sword, Bede is an abnormality who has a Gun.

In a world where the Tsurugi family is the best blacksmith clan of Galar, Soudo fails to meet people's expectations.

In a world where they have to fight and find their places, will the two of them discover why they exist? Maybe the answer had been in front of their eyes since the beginning.

Pallet Association

Warning: Graphic Description of Violence, Major Character Death <3

Genre: Cyberpunk AU, Pokespe Amino Festival 2020: Kanto Week, Angst, Dystopia, May be a bit OOC for certain characters

Words count: 3637

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Green, Blue, Red, Yellow, Prof. Chen

Relation Ship: Green & Blue, Green & Blue & Red & Yellow, Green & Prof. Chen

Summary:

In Pallet City, one of the biggest megalopolis in the world, the Pallet Association controls everything. Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green decide that it needs to change.

But Green may have forgotten to mention a few details to them.

(This OS have two alternative endings because I couldn’t picke one)

Storytelling

Warning: No Warning Applies

Genre: Fluff, Domestic, Comedy, Pokespe Amino Festival 2020: Johto Week

Words count: 2843

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Silver, Gold, Crystal

Relation Ship: Silver & Crstal & Gold

Summary:

Silver has apparently never heard a fairytale of his whole life, so Gold and Crystal decide to give him an express fairytale class. Turned out that it was a really bad idea.

Festival War

Warning: No Warning Applies

Genre: Comedy, Pokespe Amino Festival 2020: Hoenn Week

Words count: 2843

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Emerald, Latias, Ruby, Sapphire

Relation Ship: Franticshipping, Emerald & Latias, Emerald & Ruby & Sapphire

Summary:

It's the summer, it's time for festivals, but with the Hoenntrio and their love for bets and contests, it could only go wrong.

Family Business

Warning: Craphic Description of Violence, Minor Character Deaths <3

Genre: Angst, Villain AU, tw: Drugs, Weapons, Pokespe Amino Festival 2020: Sinnoh Week

Words count: 3596

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Platinum, Diamond, Pearl

Relation Ship: Implied Entourage

Summary:

Because she was the heir of the Berlitz family, she will continue to develop their wealth and their power, no matter what it takes. No matter if the path she’ll take was full of blood and corpses and crimes.

Parent-Teacher Reunion

Warning: No Warning Applies

Genre: Comedy, School life (but it’s still in the canon universe), Pokespe Amino Festival 2020: Unova Week 1

Words count: 2638

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Cheren, Black, White, Bianca, Iris

Relation Ship: Agency Shipping, Cheren & Black & White & Bianca & Iris

Summary:

Did you ever wonder how was Black's school life? Well, welcome in this parent-teacher reunion where Cheren have some things to say about his childhood friend...

Crimes Movies are Sad Except When Everyone is Dumb

Warning: No Warning Applies

Genre: Crime, Comedy, Pokespe Amino Festival 2020: Unova Week 2

Words count: 5565

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Whi-Two, Lack-Two, Hugh

Relation Ship: Whi-Two & Lack-Two & Whi-Two

Summary:

It was a normal day for Whi-Two. A casting, a murder, two former classmates coming from nowhere... ... Wait, what?

Strength

Warning: No Warning Applies

Genre: Character Study, Pokespe Amino Festival 2020: Kalos Week

Words count: 2198

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: (Malva’s) Delphox, Trevor, Furfrou, Floette

Relation Ship: Delphox & Trevor, Delphox & Furfrou & Floette

Summary:

Delphox was strong. Malva was strong, too, but Malva's had lost, so Malva was weak.

Delphox had lost too, but she could not admit she was weak too.

No, she was strong.

It was the boy who was weak.

Treasure

Warning: No Warning Applies

Genre: Negative Spe AU, Adventure, Friendship, Pokespe Amino Festival 2020: Alola Week

Words count: 1649

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Sun, Moon

Relation Ship: Sun & Moon

Summary:

Sun always liked helping at the soup kitchen, seeing the smile and laughs of everybody around him, but the lunch breaks were always the best moment.

Too bad that this girl decided to ruin this one.

The Child of the Outdoor

Warning: No Warning Applies

Genre: Character study, pre-canon, Pokespe Amino Festival 2020: Galar Week

Words count: 1317

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Schilly, her Pokémons

Relation Ship: Schilly & her Pokémons

Summary:

Schilly always loved outdoors. It was joy, fun and great memories. It was her Pokémons, too.

Professor Santa

Collab with @coppertrapinch for the Specord Secret Santa Event! (Check her work she’s amazing!)

Warning: No Warning Applies

Genre: Comedy, Christmas, Specord Secret Santa Event 2021

Words count: 3623

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Prof. Oak, Prof. Birch, Prof. Samson Oak, Prof. Rowan, Prof. Juniper, Crystal, Gold, Sapphire, Trevor, Soudo, Schilly, Prof. Magnolia

Relation Ship: Prof. Oak & his need for a break

Summary:

Something was bound to go wrong with Gold organizing a party... but a Secret Santa on top of that? Poor Crystal was just too stressed at work... it was time for Professor Oak to step up to the plate. Can the renowned Professor save Christmas in time without gaining another wrinkle?

...No. No he cannot.

The Christmasly Idiotic Adventures of Pearl and Lack-Two, or the time when two idiots stopped an evil organization while being on a gift hunt

Warning: No Warning Applies

Genre: Comedy, Christmas, Specord Secret Santa Event 2021, Crime (??), Adventure

Words count: 5326

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Pearl, Lack-Two

Relation Ship: Pearl & Lack-Two

Summary:

Pearl liked Christmas. Really. Well, except when some (false) "Gift Fashion Specialist Journalist" disturbs all his plans and ruins his gift hunt. Why do he has to get a present for such a brat anyway?

Screw up Secret Santa! This year, we're gonna kick some ass for Christmas!

b) Drabbles

Ok no big presentation here cause it’s only very short drabbles (>1K words)

Valentine Day 2020: Laveree Shipping

Valentine Day 2020: Entourage Shipping

X teachs incorrect French words to Gold

Crystal is scary and very powerful

Soudo and Chilly don’t like they English localized name, and Marvin is too young for this

II/ Other fandoms

a) Champions (comics)

Heat-Haze Days

Warning: Graphic Description of Violence, Major Character Death <3

Genre: Angst, inspired by the Kagepro song “Kagerou Days”, Time loop

Words count: 4213

Statut: OS, Complete

Characters: Miles Morales/Spiderman, Kamala Khan/Miss Marvel, Sam Alexander/Nova

Summary:

It was a normal summer day, everything was fine... But the heat of haze had decided otherwise, and it was up to Miles to try to find a way out.

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dropintomanga · 3 years

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On Kodansha US’s New Tagline

One of the North American manga publishers recently got a new revamp as Kodansha Comics became consolidated into a more centralized Kodansha with a new logo and also a new tagline.

That new tagline is “Inspire Impossible Stories.” I know for most fans, taglines are taglines. But I’m somehow emotionally drawn to it due to my own relationship with Kodansha-published manga series for more than a decade.

Where do I start with this? I think the 1st Kodansha series I ever truly read was Chobits when Tokyopop released it back in the day. But the first actual Kodansha-published series that really drew my interest was Great Teacher Onizuka. After watching all of the anime in the early 2000s’, I jumped in on the Tokyopop volumes. I still consider GTO to be one of the best “high school teacher” anime/manga series of all-time. Now that I think about it, GTO did something very notable and maybe impossible compared to a typical Shonen Jump story. It was a story about a former young adult gangster who decided to be a teacher in a high school class full of troublemakers. GTO went deep into real-life issues plaguing youth in high school. It made caring about the mental health of youth a thing before it really became a thing this past decade.

Also, I just remembered that Initial D (which is another Kodansha title) was a series I loved when I was a young adult. This is starting to sound like a Tokyopop appreciation post, but I know who the real MVP is here.

I remember a famous line in Gintama about Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine. There’s a code in the Shinsengumi that states all members should read Magazine instead of Jump.

“Shinsengumi Regulation #17: No manga other than (Weekly Shonen) Magazine are allowed to be read within the confines of the station.'”

While it’s a joke poking fun at Magazine for publishing stories about delinquents and appealing more to older youth/young adults, it felt like Jump was for babies.

I browsed issues of Shonen Magazine in the past at a Japanese comfort food restaurant many years ago and it was full of series that I didn’t recognize or couldn’t get into. I did recognize a few titles like Fairy Tail and Air Gear, but the fact that it also had pin-up girls on their covers from time-to-time made me realize that Magazine was different from Jump. I remember one issue had a large fan poll on which AKB48 girl was the best.

A few years ago, Kodansha interviewed Hiroya Oku of GANTZ fame, who drew Inuyashiki for Kodansha’s Evening (a seinen manga magazine). When asked about how he came up with the idea of having a robotic alien superhero in the form of an old man, Oku mentions his former publisher, Shueisha, while describing his initial thought process. He says,

“When I was working on GANTZ on Shueisha’s Young Jump Magazine, I was more concerned about the popularity and sales figures of my manga. In that magazine’s culture, there’s an unspoken rule to make the main characters visually attractive. When I started work for Kodansha’s Evening (the magazine Inuyashiki is published in), there was more freedom. So I suggested going with the not-so-good-looking teenager as a main character. They green-lit the idea, so I started drawing the character in the manga.”

Let me put this out before we go a bit further - I love Shueisha manga series. I grew up on Shonen Jump. Their material always seems to captivate me somehow. They kept me interested in shonen for a long time. But because the fact shonen is the mainstream genre, I might get sick of it when the time comes. It’s why I also started following Young Jump series since they sounded more appealing. However, I do notice that with series like Tokyo Ghoul, Kingdom and Golden Kamuy, to name a few, the magazine is filled with stylish-looking characters that have greater appeal to a younger audience despite whatever mature tones they have.

But when it comes to Kodansha, their manga series are mature from the start and I don’t mean in a fanservice kind of way. Can you see series like A Silent Voice or Your Lie in April published in Shonen Jump or one of Shueisha’s other notable magazines? I'm not sure I can. It’s also noted that Hajime Isayama, creator of Attack on Titan, tried to get his series into Shonen Jump. Shueisha thought the series was a bit too dark for their tastes, and Isayama decided to try out for Kodansha instead and that’s where he’s been ever since as the series is published in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine.

So why appeal to that older shonen demographic? Probably because life isn’t some battle manga with friends that are there for you every step of the way. Hard work doesn’t always get rewarded. The idea of victory can also get very gray. You see more delinquents than overpowered ninjas/pirates in life. While Fairy Tail and The Seven Deadly Sins are two of Kodansha’s popular “battle manga” series ever, both series seem to subvert some of shonen’s popular tropes and/or have a certain edge to them. What’s funny is that both series involve a bar/pub/restaurant location where all the heroes meet up. Many older teens start to hang out in places like restaurants as their after-school hangouts.

There’s a lot of Kodansha series that I feel seemed impossible to tell for other publishers. I can think of titles like Tokyo Revengers, Blue Period, Land of the Lustrous, Witch Hat Atelier, Cells at Work!, Knights of Sidonia, etc. The lineup of shojo and josei titles is also incredible as well (Princess Jellyfish, Wotakoi and Chihayafuru are the best examples I can give here) Hell, Akira is a Kodansha title that’s still groundbreaking and evergreen as ever. Their tagline, “Inspire Impossible Stories,” makes sense as while it applies to their U.S. operations, a lot of job hunting students in Japan really want to work for Kodansha Japan.

While Shueisha does have a good share of its own “impossible” stories (Chainsaw Man was a title that impressed me), Shonen Jump is mainstream-friendly and safe to a certain degree. The stories I discovered through Kodansha made me realize how big the world of manga really was and what kind of stories were possible. While they may not have the biggest fandoms compared to Shonen Jump series, I can feel a certain vibe when I read Kodansha-published manga in that any mangaka working under them has their vision unleashed in a way that pleases both readers and the mangaka themselves. There might be a certain bias though as I’ve gotten to see editors from Kodansha Japan in person when they showed up for manga-related events in my area.

Kodansha showed me that there’s more to the manga world than just Jump. That’s why I love their new tag line of inspiring impossible stories. I think we need more exposure to new kinds of stories that speak to all kinds of people. I know people don’t like different stuff outside of what they usually like, but I believe those differences are beneficial in learning how to appreciate nuances in life when one gets older. Being challenged isn’t as frightening as it sounds. Those differences are trying to tell us something about ourselves. For me, it was “I really want something that isn’t about fighting super-powered villains and rivalries all the time.”

I have ambivalent feelings about my life during my 20s’, but Kodansha-published stories helped me appreciate possibility at the time when I didn’t feel there was anything to keep me going. So go on, Kodansha. Keep putting out impossible stories that are thoughtful and inspiring future generations of manga readers. Tell the world that impossible is nothing.

#Kodansha #manga #psychology #stories #youth #mental health

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jackrrabbit · 4 years

Text

ask answering/updates

first of all, thank you 💘 second of all...

ok ok ok don’t get too excited, but I finally got the juice to start working on the next part of Fanatic 🖤 most of you guys will be like ‘who cares’ but i know some of you have been waiting for this for a while! it’s been what, 2 months?? hope I’m not jinxing myself by saying this *knocks on wood* also not to hype myself too much but it’s kinda bomb 😳 maybe this is just my sick bias but I’ve really been wanting to write about...aftermath iykwim haha. reader all scared & shy & trying to avoid him but yk he’s not going to leave her alone :P

I also figured out the ending to it will come back!! it wouldn’t be shiggy if it didn’t get dangerous 😈 also gonna be nice to write some eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head fuckery so our favorite handsy creep can finally get his dick wet with his beloved little nursey <3

here are some other vague ideas, some based on requests, some not. as always no promises!!

BNHA—pillage & plunder with fantasy AU warlord Bakugo (and his gang of ruffians?? hmm...)

BNHA—Overhaul makes you work off your daddy’s gambling debts the extra hard way uwu...also I have SO many ideas for Overhaul 😷 after I finish iwcb my next multi-part fic will probably be with him

BNHA—various things with reader as an aspiring villain set in the same universe as Caught in the Act: reader getting quarantined with shiggy & dabi...dabi getting mad at you after you keep fucking up...incel shiggy jacking it to his adorable protégée without her knowledge (a galaxy brain request from a very good buddy!!!!)

BNHA—ABO with alpha Hawks and omega reader in an elevator...and uh-oh, it’s stuck! and you’re going into heat! oh no, whatever will you do??

Haikyuu—you get stuck in a hole in a wall, good thing your dutiful boyfriend Kuroo is there to help you out ;)

Haikyuu—gangbang with Tsukki, Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo...a challenge bc I’ve never written a gangbang before!! will have to do some research 🧐

Haikyuu—your bf Atsumu does mean things when he’s jealous, like putting his hands up your skirt in public

KNY—Kokushibou decides to keep a shrine maiden as his cute little human pet 💜 actually already wrote pt. 1 but I’ll wait to post til I’m done with Fanatic

AxK—just some no good very bad yandere content with Dr. Midori...neglect play stuff...sensory deprivation stuff...icky icky

Gintama—something with Kamui. does this count as monsterfucking? very very rough...idk what exactly? some form of dastardly acts

thanks for the concern friends 💕💕 I’ve been preoccupied by things happening irl for the past few weeks, trying to educate myself, going to protests, etc.

also in case anyone else is confused, my stance is and always has been that Black lives matter and all cops are bastards. I’m not sure my porn blog is the right place to talk about this at length but if you’re a bootlicker, please smash that unfollow button and don’t let the door hit you on the way out. if you don’t already have a decently functioning moral compass you should not get anywhere near my writing...fr

learn more and get involved

omg thank you & yes yes a million times yes!!! hope you don’t mind commitment issues and student loan debt 💝👯‍♀️

the line between not hawksfucker and hawksfucker is very thin and very blurry, beware.....lol and thank you!!

the video you recommended...like damn!!! that’s exactly the vibe I feel like fratty Hawks x reader from be a little bad would be like if they had a happy ending eventually (start at 1:39)!!!!! “I didn’t make you do this” “I’m not accusing you of anything” it’s that exact dynamic. imo Hawks might be a little less willing to make things official and reader would prob have a hard time being straightforward enough to ask tho...hmmm

I did get several requests for a part 2! I’m thinking it over atm. I will say tho that most of my reqs have very slow turnaround so if I write it, it might be a while

ooh I love getting recommendations! here’s what I like:

fanfic: I read stuff like what I write (smut, kink, yandere, villains). at some point I’m going to make a long post of fic recs of my own! I also read fluff and character x character ship fic so interests are pretty broad

TV: humor, crime shows like Bones, Criminal Minds, Psych, that kind of thing. nothing too dark or complicated, nothing that requires too much investment. same goes for anime

movies: pretty much everything! lately I’m really into Howl’s Moving Castle and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

books: literary fiction. can I say I’m into dark academia if the only dark academia I’ve read is The Secret History? favorite books I’ve read semi-recently are TSH, All the Light We Cannot See, The Poisonwood Bible, and Discipline & Punish. currently reading Foucault’s History of Sexuality

music: idk man...all kinds of stuff. I listen based on vibe more than genre. all my spotify playlists are named things like “sunday” and “the power” and “[sparkle emoji]”. my artists on repeat are Hozier, The Weeknd, Kendrick, M.I.A., The Neighborhood (F I’m a basic bitch) but I’ll try anything once

jfc these two asks have given me so much hope 🥰😭💗 you know what? sooner or later I’m going to post Kamui x reader smut and it’s going to get 3 notes from the three of us liking it and that’s okay because I’ve thirsted over this man too long and too hard to go my entire life without reading over-indulgent reader-insert porn of him. yes the villain kink jumped out but DAMN!!! the man has ‘h*rny scumbag who lets his instincts rule him’ baked into both his DNA and his psyche, and I’m so here for it 😌

if you don’t know who Kamui is, do me a favor and watch gintama. yes there are like 400 episodes but it’s worth it. I will convert more bitches to the gintama thirst train if it costs me my life. Kamui was made to star in disrespectful breeding kink smut and this is a hill I will die on.

??? sure, if you can point me toward part 2 ????? lmao

I’m guessing you meant to ask for a pt 2 instead of pt 3? in which case, thanks for asking!! but tbh...for some reason I have a really hard time imagining what a pt 2 would look like, maybe because I wrote it 100% from Overhaul’s POV so it’s hard for me to define the reader’s feelings. I’m not saying it’ll never happen but 🤷‍♀️

HOWEVER if it’s Overhaul content in general you’re craving, you’re in luck!!! he’s a favorite of mine. legit he ticks so many of my boxes—villain kink? check. medical/scientist kink? check. yakuza kink? honey I’m weak. I’ll definitely be writing more for him in the future!

oh no! I checked it on my computer & on mobile and all of the links are working for me? are the links still broken for you guys?

anyway, here are the rules, here’s the short version of the request rules, and here is part 1 and part 2 of it will come back.

thank you to everyone who has sent kind words, everyone who replies to my writing, and everyone who posts thirst in the tags!!! I read that shit!!!! and it makes me fucking cry, I love you all

one more thing: several people have requested continuations to Sleepless, Sidekick, and Fanatic. on one hand, I’m so flattered that you guys want more!!! on the other hand, I actually already answered asks about pt. 2′s for those particular fics. before you request a continuation of anything, it’s probably a good idea to look up the name of the fic as a tag on my blog so you can check and see if anyone else had the same question 💖💖💖

#bunny talks #bnha #haikyuu #kny #gintama #AxK #about me #personal #recommendations #updates #yubitsume #bealittlebad #caughtintheact #itwillcomeback

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medea10 · 3 years

Text

My Review of O Maidens in Your Savage Season

How did I get into this anime? This time, I didn’t rely on the randomizer to pick out a random anime licensed by Sentai Filmworks. I wanted to choose a small-sized anime with not that many episodes to its name. Probably because I spent a good year and a half on Rinne that all of these Sentai picks have been short series! So I went with one that came out not too long ago.

Kazusa Onodera belongs to the literature club at her school. Seems decent enough, right? These girls read heavily, sexualized books. And as high schoolers, the word sex is taboo and intriguing all at the same time. Each of the girls in the literature club have their own view on the subject, mostly border-lining on wanting to know more and experiencing it soon. Aside from that, Kazusa is noticing that her childhood friend, Izumi Norimoto has changed since they were kids and other girls are noticing him. This, putting Kazusa in an awkward position of avoiding him when he’s around other girls! Half of it is because jealous bitches glare at her if she gets too close to Izumi. The other half is due to the fact that Kazusa is starting to notice her friend as maybe something more.

One day, the girls in the club get word of one of their favorite authors writing a new book. This one about someone writing a bucket list due to dying! One of the girls (Niina Sugawara) suggests sex. Ever since then, all of the other girls are noticing so many new things in their world. Certain words sound dirty, certain objects can be considered phallic, and boys are starting to look fuckable. And our girl Kazusa gets a heavy dose of reality when she gives her neighbor Izumi some dinner.

She walks upstairs to find Izumi jerking off to some hardcore porn on his computer.

So yeah, coming of age story up in here!

But it isn’t just Kazusa learning about the trials of love and sex. Momoko deals with her own troubles involving sexuality. Sugawara is torn between a past love and a new love. Rika is discovering love for the first time in her life. And Hongo wants to learn more about sex in order to become a great author. All five of these girls deal with that difficult time of adolescence with first love and the curiosity of “ess eee ex”.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: This is licensed by Sentai Filmworks. As of this date and time, an English cast has been announced, but by the looks of things, nothing has been dubbed yet. I am a little excited to hear several new voices in the cast and a few familiar ones including Brittney Karbowski and Natalie Rial. Many of the Japanese voice actors have been around for a while and I’m kinda familiar with. It’s just that I haven’t spent a great deal hearing them in my day-to-day rotations. But I can’t complain with the cast! Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Kazusa is played by Hiyori Kouno (known for Phil on The Promised Neverland)

*Momoko is played by Momo Asakura (known for Ayumi on Charlotte, Iroha on Magia Record, Sumi on Sakura Trick, Manako on Monster Musume, Nagisa on Kaguya-sama, and Lamy on Fairy Tail)

*Rika is played by Sumire Uesaka (known for Dekomori on Chuunibyo, Nanase on In/Spectre, and Anastasia on Idolm@ster: Cinderella Girls)

*Hongo is played by Tomoyo Kurosawa (known for Miria on Idolm@ster: Cinderella Girls)

*Sugawara is played by Chika Anzai (known for Mina on Attack on Titan, Nana on My Roommate is a Cat, Maki on Sakura Quest, and Young Kamui on Gintama)

ENGLISH CAST: *Kazusa is played by Brittney Karbowski (known for Selim/Pride on FMA: Brotherhood, Misaka on Railgun/Index, Black Star on Soul Eater, Wendy on Fairy Tail, Dekomori on Chuunibyo, and Hisako on Food Wars)

*Momoko is played by Juliet Simmons (known for Yukika on My Love Story and Mayumi on Food Wars)

*Rika is played by Avery Smithhart

*Hongo is played by Elissa Cuellar

*Sugawara is played by Natalie Rial (known for Rui on Domestic Girlfriend)

THIS NEEDS TO PLAY ON REPEAT: Can we watch Creepy McPedofuck get socked in the face on loop?

Yes!

It goes without saying that I hated this fucker. I heavily enjoyed him getting knocked the fuck out. And I will go in further detail with the shipping category.

SHIPPING: As this is a coming of age anime with girls in high school just discovering love, lust, sex, and all that good shit, we’ve got some stuff to cover in this category.

*Kazusa x Izumi: The childhood friend scenario! Yeah, these two were quite inseparable as children, but as they grew older, Izumi started to grow somewhat of a popularity streak with the girls at school and as a result, Kazusa found herself inferior compared to these catty bitches. That and these girls are jealous if they see Kazusa even speaking to Izumi.

Throughout the series, Kazusa had to deal with jealous bitches telling her to back off and Kazusa’s friend Sugawara having growing feelings for Izumi every time she’s with him. It seemed like not a big deal in the earlier episodes. But once we see what Sugawara is getting back at, it gets downright love-triangle-ish. It got so crazy that both girls proclaimed their love for Izumi in an open setting during a school festival at the same time. I know Izumi wasn’t going to reciprocate Sugawara’s feelings, but when he started saying things that are friend-zone material, I got worried. I mean, Kazusa and Izumi were childhood friends and there’s been a strain in that due to hormonal changes. I don’t want to bring out the tired old excuse of Izumi being a boy and he’s a dumbass, but I kinda have to. Yes dude likes Kazusa, but he also likes Sugawara and both for different reasons. And when it comes to Sugawara, it’s a sexual attraction. Boy, you are not going to get your cake and pie here.

Now I’ve been in Kazusa’s position before of wanting to be in a relationship with a best friend. A lot of the time, it does not go well and can strain the friendship you once had making it hard to go back if there’s a crap-up. By the looks of things at the end of the anime, these two seem to be on a sure-footing in their relationship.

*Rika x Shun: Rika has always been seen as an outsider to many of the main cliques of school. But it wasn’t until Shun’s kind words in class one day that changed something inside of Rika. But it doesn’t stop there with this boy! He writes fifty pages of “I Love Yous”, he insists on wanting to be with Rika in any class activity, and goes out of his way to ask her out (which she eventually accepts). And Rika with these new feelings doesn’t really know how to handle it as this is the first time she’s experienced these feelings outside of reading them in a novel. But I gotta say, their confession in front of the school was just downright too cute for words. It definitely deserves a round of applause.

*Hongo x Milo-sensei: Oh dear God, not this again! I don’t know whether to think Hongo is just using this guy for her novel or if she’s really developing something for her teacher. Milo-sensei seems to have a thing for his teaching colleague. But does this fool have a side-thing for one of his students as well? I’m getting Marmalade Boy and Domestic Girlfriend vibes here. These two go beyond a lot of boundaries throughout the series including panty flashes and a spontaneous trip to a motel. This ship I’m not fully on board with! But this is still leaps and bound ahead of what I’m about to discuss next.

*Sugawara x Saegusa: Oh for fuck’s sake! Everything about this sounds so wrong, Domestic Girlfriend is demanding an apology for all the bad things said about that. Even Izumi finds this guy pedophilish. An old acting coach has a thing for little girls and finds Sugawara pure when she’s at a young age and Sugawara eventually grows to like him. It’s just that when she figured it out, she’s a young teenager in high school and according to Saegusa, she’s too old.

Too old?! Fool! You are clearly in your late 40s at the earliest. And Sugawara is at least 14 and SHE’S TOO OLD?! I’m about to slap the glasses off your dumbass-face and call Chris Hansen because this is too much. Sugawara, please for the love of all that’s cream pie, stop going after this creep and making him jealous with trying to get with Izumi! You CAN do better! And also, you’re really fucking with the Izumi x Kazusa ship. But more importantly, you CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS CREEPY FUCK!

…

And now it’s time to talk about Momoko. I thought that this anime was going to be all about these girls falling in love with different boys. At first, it looked like that with a boy named Satoshi coming in the picture saying he remembers Momoko when they were kids. But then, we get a surprise from Momoko when she finds girls more attractive (particularly Sugawara). Okay, I didn’t see that coming. And frankly, I’d prefer that or just about anything else to that old-ass actor with a little girl complex. But with Momoko, I feel like she’s going to be the one character that doesn’t get to be with someone in the end. Kazusa gets Izumi, Rika gets Shun, and Hongo gets Milo-sensei. Momoko does come out to Sugawara, but I’m unsure if this is one-sided or if Sugawara ends up together with her.

ENDING: All five girls are learning that love and sex come with a mixed bag of everything. Sometimes everything works out, sometimes things fall apart, sometimes actions have consequences, and sometimes a dick comes in and ruins everything.

Because of the blooming relationship of Kazusa and Izumi, Sugawara got jealous and did some risqué things on a train with Izumi. Hongo takes things to another level when she goes to a cheap hotel with Milo-sensei and she was ready to take the bull by the horns. Yeah, she was doing most of this for her novel, but this escalated into full-blown infatuation of her teacher. And Rika was feeling pretty good around school now that she has a boyfriend and is on speaking terms with one of the popular girls. Too bad Rika’s friend is never coming back to school because she’s knocked up! See, consequences!

The high school administration was upset by some recent incidents including a student getting pregnant. But what set them over the edge were reports of Rika and Shun outside of a love hotel. But as we all know, they did no act of sex. They were spying on Hongo and Milo-sensei. But you can’t tell these prudes that. They made an example of Rika and Shun by expelling them and putting out an updated P.D.A. rule at school. Not even Milo-sensei confessing to being at the love hotel could calm this storm with the heads of the school. So the girls of the literature club decide to take drastic measures.

They shut the school down, hold Milo-sensei hostage, and demand that Rika and Shun are reinstated at school. I wasn’t expecting this anime to go down the route of The Simpson’s classic episode Grade School Confidential, but here we are.

Yeah, the principal and vice principal had a Groundskeeper Willie attitude to their fight and left them to cool down for the night. This night in the school things kinda went a little crazy, particularly when Shun and Izumi came inside. Especially when you have Izumi admit that he likes Kazusa, but is sexually attracted to Sugawara. Then, you have Momoko irritated that all Sugawara is interested in is Izumi and she’s got this huge crush on her. Add to the thick layer we got already, Shun opens is dumbass mouth to mention he has kissed girls before Rika. Oh, dude. Shut up! But the girls found a way to fix things…sorta! A few episodes back, the girls had a pillow fight to let out their frustration. So, they’re going to play a simple game where there seems to be a happy conclusion for all involved. Rika and Shun share a cute forehead kiss and Shun admits his love for Rika once more. Momoko and Sugawara share a moment. As for Izumi and Kazusa, they both admitted to feeling anxious and uncomfortable jumping from friends to boyfriend/girlfriend. So it looks like they’re going to stay together. Sure looks like it in the epilogue. But we’ll get there soon enough.

After a full night of revelations, the principal and vice principal return to school the following morning to the entire building covered in protest paper to reinstate Rika and Shun and to get rid of the P.D.A. ban. I guess things worked out since a lot of students saw this and the principal is about as useless as a Band-Aid on a toothache.

At the end of the episode, we see the cast from what looks to be one year later as Rika and Shun are in college now. Rika’s friend and former classmate had her baby. Milo-sensei and Hongo are holding down the literature club with a few new members. It also looks as though they’re still in a relationship (possibly getting married later). I am unsure if Momoko and Sugawara ended up together or not. But at least they’re still friends. And it seems as though Izumi and Kazusa made it through that awkward time of adolescence and they seemed to have stayed together.

This was a fun romp! I think we all remember a time in high school where we were young and naïve about the concept of love and even sex. I can’t say there was one particular character I connected to in this series. I think I’ve been in all of the girl’s positions at one point or another. I’ve been friend-zoned like Kazusa. There was a boy I wasn’t into that wouldn’t leave me alone like Momoko. I was curious to a point where it did affect my own writing like Hongo. I had jealous fits over a friend’s boyfriend much like Sugawara. And once I got in a relationship, I felt as awkward as Rika. See, I’ve been all five at one point.

It’s a confusing time being an adolescent. Along with the changes in your body, there’s that gnawing pressure of noticing blossoming feelings for some person. And you’re not sure if you should talk to them, kiss them, or rip off their clothes in the heat of passion. Not sure if everything from the manga was covered. I’d like to assume it was due to the fact that both the anime series and manga were short. And I think all viewers can agree that…Can we see that gross dude get punched again?

Oh yeah, that’s so delicious.

So if you’re ready to re-watch possible flashbacks of your awkward high school moments again, check out this anime.

If you would like to watch O Maidens in Your Savage Season, all 12 episodes are available to watch on HI-DIVE.

Okay, what’s my next Sentai Filmworks anime?

*gasps*

In association with Pony Canyon & TBS!

What the…?! THEY ALL LOOK LIKE THEY’RE FROM K-ON!

#anime review #o maidens in your savage season #kazusa onodera #rika sonezaki #niina sugawara #araburu kisetsu no otomedomo yo #momoko sudou #hitoha hongo

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the-mic-drop · 4 years

Audio

Shonen Jump Rap Cypher by Rustage

Lyrics below the cut

If anyone wants to break down some lines that you think not everyone will get, please feel free!

Monkey D. Luffy- One Piece (Performed by Rustage)

Starting with the number one, hey

How’d a pirate get this long, hey

‘Cause I eat the gum-gum, see them run run

when I hit that gun, hey

Sailin’ I’m taking no breaks when my crew’s on the move as we pillage the grand line

Looting the treasure we can find

I’m blowing up like a landmine

Going gear second, I reckon that I’m a weapon

I’m wrecking up those who threaten in messing with my own brethren

Stay reppin’ look where I’m headin’

No question the Yonkos sweatin’

I’m bettin’ in words I’m yellin’

I’m the king and there’s no forgettin’, UH

Gon Freecss- Hunter x Hunter (Performed by Fabvl)

I’ll jump the competition, really there’s no contest

Channeled future Nen and most of y’all ain’t even bomb yet

It’s nonsense

Pro exams completed as a child

Hisoka, I think these clowns are living in denial

So don’t make me power up, I’ll call the thunder at my right hand

If you want the strongest Shonen, then you called the right man

They might stan

Treat you all like Pitou, it won’t take long

Name is Gon and this time, I’mma make sure that you stay gone

Naruto Uzumaki- Naruto (Performed by None Like Joshua)

Oh, better believe it’s Naruto

Who’s the best hero? All of you know

My legacy is happening, I got a type of running named after me

while you’re slow

Can’t keep up with my chakra flow

Except Hinata, I’m her Ho

Kage

All I did was call her and I told her to come over ‘cause my parents are not home

Out of these ninjas, you can watch my dub

Even all my filler is so far above

When it comes to Boruto, why y’all givin’ up

like I did with simpin’ on Sakura?

Killer B’s rapping, but I get the encore

With the power that I bring, I don’t really want yours

‘Cause I came from the swing, everybody shunned more

Now you’re looking at the king of this Jump Force

Yami Yugi- Yu-Gi-Oh! (Performed by Connor Quest!)

I’mma master, you be

practice newbies

That’s a doozy

for Yami Yugi

Puzzle did something like a hadron tunnel

‘cause now I got Atem through me

Champ of the match see fans fawn, no matter what hand’s drawn

I’m kicking up dust, metal tanks in land form

When we d-d-d-d-duel there’s sandstorms

Cards are flippin’ I need an answer quick

and I might find my Dark Magician

If I wish, and believe hard enough in the heart that’s in ‘em

(Heart of the cards)

I see Seto’s fear

Pull the fifth part of Exodia

Guess it’s all came to a head, so clear

that your deck’s gonna get X’d, oh dear!

Asta- Black Clover (Performed by Eddie Rath)

Welcome to the magic

It’s a tale that’s tragic

Filled with a pain that’s harder than plastic

especially when you discover you don’t have it

When I started I was less than amazing

But now that I’ve been chosen by the Grimoir, I’m rising to the occasion in a blazing flame of

Magic

Ain’t no Hocus Pocus and Abracadabra

Not a wizard you joke with

This is not Gandalf the Grey, but you shall not pass hopeless

Better be ferocious

Was the poorest orphan living in darkness

but now that I’m focused, I be thanking all my hardships

Ichigo Kurosaki- Bleach (Performed by IBDL)

Uh, hittin’ back with that Bankai

Got that power like I came out of the Dangai

Pops passed the torch; now I’m the fam’s Don guy

Think you Aizen, but you lookin’ like that Don guy

Y’all like Soifon, your raps barely sting

My bars are Getsuga Tensho, got that masterful swing

They say, it ain’t over til the fat lady sings

But you’ll know it’s really over when that black lady sings

Koro-sensei- Assassination Classrom (Performed by CDawgVA)

Mach speed

Blow up the moon and now I’m making these children write essays

Comin with tentacles teach you a lesson in why you don’t mess with the sensei

I amaze

Used to be the Reaper, now I run this class

I can turn a loser to assassin, do it real fast

Light Yagami- Death Note (Performed by Zach Boucher)

I think I’ve been out of my head

Gift was given, made some poor decisions, that I wish I didn’t, but I’d do it again

Feeling different, I was on a mission to achieve my vision with a page and a pen

Sit and listen to the words I’ve written

I ain’t even finished ‘til I see that they’re dead

Don’t even try to pretend

There’s no malicious intent

Stay in my thoughts, stick to the morals I’ve got,

and kill everyone who is not

Just never get caught, ‘til every criminal rots

They’ll consider me as a god

At whatever cost, that’s how I excel

Cannot be stopped, even if I fell

I’m taking them off if you couldn’t tell

I gave up a lot to give you this L

Shoyo Hinata- Haikyuu!! (Performed by Shwabadi)

Yah, here comes Hinata

When I’m on the court the enemy has got their guard up

Never gonna fall off, bet I’m gonna pop off

Way short, but I’m packing punches like a sawnoff

Hot like a sauna, this ball of fire don’t know nada

but I’m gonna chase desire to go farther

every jump will take me higher

They put walls up, so I had to learn to fly

Putting up points, spiking it, or clearing the way

Best decoy, got a little something to say

to anyone that doubts that I’m here to stay

Only got one goal, that’s to play the game

Underestimated, I’m the ace, you just wait

when I spike it past the net, you might take it to the face

Izuku “Deku” Midoriya- My Hero Academia (Performed by Divide Music)

Coming in with 100% of me

I got you all trembling

Oh just with a flick of a finger

put you back where you’re supposed to be

I’m not, holding back

I got you so calculated. I’m

one step ahead, One for All gon’ be demonstrated

Get it? Got it? Good.

Nothing better and you should know

Started at the bottom

but I made it to the top so

Step aside, I’m climbing to great heights

with All-Might by my side

Reppin’ U.A. with pride, oh

Yusuke Urameshi- Yu Yu Hakusho (Performed by GameBoyJones)

Giving you the finger, Spirit Gun

Send you off with Botan, then you done

Hit you with the stick, and I didn’t need a grip when I’m pulling from the hip, then click!

Because I’m, locked loaded, the clip is ready to go

Got a, shotgun in my hand that’s ‘bout to blow

Cause I’m hittin’ you quick fast

givin’ you whiplash

wearing these Spirit Cuffs

You could be human or demon, cause honestly, I just don’t give a fuck

If you’re looking for the best, just know there’s no other

‘cause I’m flexing out here like I’m the youngest Toguro brother

Gintoki Sakata- Gintama (Perfomed by Shao Dao)

They call me, Gintoki, slim not stocky

Lemme Shonen Jump on your leg and your body

Odd Job Gin, don’t mess with my possee

If you touch my hair, then you will be sorry

Ne, boge (Hey, bloke)

Nanikore, uruseena (what is this? Not good.)

Cause you’re way too sloppy

Got a silver soul, Shiroyasha

Swing my sword and Amanto scatter

Gintama, not Kintama

Tell Shinpachi we need money

If Kagura or Katsura bring more trouble, we keep running

Pay rent? That’s a waste of time

That weather girl, I will make her mine

You can beat me up and that’s fair and fine

But if you hurt my friends, then prepare to die

Tanjiro Kamado- Demon Slayer (Performed by DizzyEight)

Look, slayin’ demons that’s what we do

If you filled with evil, then my blade is highly lethal

If you comin’ at my people, pray to god I never meet you

Ever mess with Nez, you KO’d when I see you

I’ve grown stronger from that fateful day they found me

I trained hard to hone the skill, the progression so astounding

My style like breathing water, that mean you can never drown me

Whirlpool, that mean I’m slicin’ everything around me

Emma- The Promised Neverland (Performed by FrivolousShara)

E-M-M-A 63194

Listen to what I’ve gotta say

The others walked, seems now we’ve gotta run away

Don’t you talk, adults are the enemy

You can break every bone in my body, I won’t falter

and if the plan fails, the idea simply alters

Ah, these demons scheming, but they ain’t the only monsters

Our combined IQ breaks the safe, strength in numbers

Now we’ve woken from the slumber

Never ending perfect Summers

Across the farm, you can’t help but wonder

Soma Yukihira- Food Wars! (Performed by DiggzDaProphecy)

See I’m the anime Raekwon

The chef baby, stay calm

You can’t stand the heat

Stay out the kitchen, get a day job

Word, and the finale’s superb

I take a sec, put on my band, an’ I’ll be happy to serve, uh

So ma, tell me what you like and I can hook it up

Ya boy’s got them recipes the best couldn’t cook it up

And she gon’ bust from the taste of my meat

Chef, boy are these boys always cookin’ up heat

Jotaro Kujo- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (Performed by Dreaded Yasuke)

It’s my go, they call me Jotaro

Don’t get me mad, I’mma go fat only with jabs you go through silos

Got that drip from Cairo, girls will simp my silhouette

I know think it’s a typo fighting with a platinum psycho

None of y’all is a threat

What you gotta say in your breath

Better speak with a bigger chest

Now you lyin’ down with my pet,

while Iggy piss on your neck

All types of disrespect, what you expect?

Go against a vet, better get your techs

wanna get swept through the complex,

now who is next?

Bobobo- Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (Performed by BassedOlaf w/ ThighHighSenpai)

Bobobo making the foes stare

Call me the master of nose hair

Look at the hair on the heads of these anime characters,

brother, it’s no fair

But I’m better than these guys, don’t you understand?

I came second place at screaming face-to-face with desk fans

Afro is full of surprises, look at my power’s immense

Leaving beauty screaming-

(Bobobo, that makes no sense!)

Hunting hair hunters, Saitama, I’m coming for you

Don Patch a better Super Saiyan God than Goku

Son Goku- Dragon Ball (Performed by DaddyPhatSnaps)

Oh they went and called Kakarot

had to be danger

Leave em flat-footed like they in the gravity chamber

I’m just looking for a challenge, can you battle me stranger?

Shonen legend in the saddle and the power is major

Level up on the track, flow Ultra Instinct

Bye bye bye fusion dance is always in sync

Wink

And they wonder why I’m last on the song

‘Cause when all of y’all were talking

I just formed a Spirit Bomb

14 notes · View notes

vannahfanfics · 4 years

Text

The Purest Form of Love

Category: Romantic Fluff, Hurt and Comfort

Fandom: Gintama

Characters: Tae Shimura, Gintoki Sakata

Requested By: Anonymous User (FanFiction)

“You know what I was just thinking, Big Sis? I don’t think any of us have seen Gin-san ever smile for real.”

Tae blinked and lowered her chopsticks from her mouth as she regarded her little brother with slightly wide eyes. The bespectacled boy rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he crossed his other arm across his chest, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling. His frown deepened when the ceiling tiles apparently refused to provide him elucidation as to why. “We’ve known him for so long, but I just can’t ever picture a time when he was genuinely happy… It’s just strange. Surely he has something to smile about.”

“Gin-san is a complicated man,” Tae shrugged as she resumed eating her own rice and egg. Kagura had taken up cooking seriously and invited Tae over to try her “signature creation,” which was just a fried egg draped over a scoop of rice, but Tae wanted to encourage Kagura’s budding talent. She never admitted it, but Tae knew her cooking skills were hopeless; someone in their friend group needed to learn to cook properly. It wasn’t healthy for them to live off store-bought bento boxes forever, after all. Shinpachi hummed contemplatively under his breath as he rocked himself back and forth slightly, arms still crossed firmly at his chest.

“Gin-san is about as complicated as a paper hat,” Kagura snickered with a devious glance into the living room where Gintoki was sprawled out in front of the small television, enraptured by the daily weather program’s afternoon update. He was, unsurprisingly, ignoring them completely, giving the young alien girl leave to insult him all she wished with no fear of reprimand. "But... I suppose it is strange that we have never seen him smile," she considered, her face falling into a thoughtful frown.

“There has to be something,” Shinpachi repeated insistently. Tae had no idea why he chose this moment above all others to be so invested in Gintoki smiling, but she had to admit she was a wee bit curious. Thinking back, she couldn’t recall a situation in which he genuinely smiled either. She snuck a languorous glimpse at him out of the corners of her eyes. Surely, even Gintoki had something that made him elated beyond measure? She wasn’t truly sure. One wouldn’t think it by looking at him, but Gintoki was a haunted man. Warriors always were. Their belief system was a double-edged sword; no true human being could be completely immune to the horrifying shock of taking another’s life with their own two hands. Behind that apathetic expression was a man plagued with blood-soaked nightmares. Tae knew.

Tae knew because Gintoki took to wandering when they got too bad, and he had ended up at her place many a time. The first had been a few times after he had taken Shinpachi under his wing; she had awoken in the dead of night to light rapping on her door. She had bustled to the front of her house, tying the loose flaps of her kimono closed and peeking through the door to find a very gloomy and half-awake Gintoki Sakata. She didn’t know quite what to make of it, really. She could just tell by the hollow look in his eyes that something was deeply wrong. She had invited him in for tea. For once, he wasn’t snarky or smirky, just eerily… quiet, like his mind was someplace else entirely while his body operated on autopilot in the physical plane. He kept apologizing for imposing, and Tae kept insisting that it was all right and he could tell her what was troubling him, but he never did. He never did, even after several years of random nighttime callings and cups of tea and assurances that it was all right. He would just drink his tea, sit there in silence until the sun began creeping over the horizon, apologize again and then vanish like a ghost. A flitting spirit that haunted Tae on occasion, trying to communicate but never knowing how.

No, Tae wasn’t sure if Gintoki had any room in his scarred heart for true happiness anymore. He had known pain, so much pain, that it was hard to think about happiness without the tiny seed of doubt sprouting in the back of his mind. Tae wasn’t sure, but she hoped so, for his sake.

“I would like to see Gin-san truly smile, just once,” she whispered suddenly. She realized that she had spoken aloud when Shinpachi and Kagura looked at her incredulously. A faint blush rose to her cheeks and she fiddled nervously with her chopsticks. “What? Now I’m curious too!” It was a lie, a lame lie. Tae’s primary motivation was not mere curiosity. Tae wanted Gintoki to be happy, because, well… She kind of loved him.

She wasn’t sure when it started. Somehow, through it all, the misadventures and saving the world and melancholy midnight rendezvous, he just became such a constant presence in her life that she almost couldn’t help but love him. Tae really didn’t understand love all that well; no amount of shoujo mangas and romantic dramas could explain it entirely. Surely, though, the way she felt around him, the rapt attention he demanded from her by simply being in the same room, the fine details she committed to memory that only someone in love would bother to note… That was love, no? Her mind began to spiral down a rabbit’s den as she once more snuck his lounging form a lingering glance. Surely, wishing someone true happiness, that was the purest form of love there was…

“All right, then!” Kagura clapped her hands together gleefully, making the two Shimura siblings jump. “We shall quest to discover that which makes Gin-san smile!” Tae guessed that she was only mildly curious and most of her motivation came from having nothing better to do that day. It was no bother; any help was welcome because Tae knew discovering what made Gintoki happy was not going to be an easy task.

No, not an easy task at all.

They tried everything. Everything, everything they could think of. They surprised him with the newest weekly Jump issue and only got a small crack of a smile. They took him to the pachinko parlor and Tae even gave him a stack of cash to waste and the delight never reached his eyes. They took him to get that ungodly sweet red bean abomination he always ordered at the one food stall, and though they watched him with obsessed rapture every second he shoveled that grossness into his mouth, his lips never even curled. Tae managed to weasel Ketsuno Ana into dropping by, and even though Gintoki damn near fell on his knees to kiss her feet, the happiness was forced, every single time. By the end of the day, Tae was beginning to fear that the former samurai really had been robbed of every molecule of dopamine in his body.

“This is hopeless,” Shinpachi groused as they dragged their feet back to the Yorozuya. Gintoki, having been treated like a king all day, was strolling on ahead with his hands resting behind his head. The high-pitched tune he was whistling floated back on the gentle breeze to fill their ears with tinny notes. “We’ve tried everything that is so inherently Gin-san, and nothing. It’s hopeless.”

“Perhaps Gin-san cannot feel true happiness anymore,” Kagura moped, chewing on a beef jerky stick Tae bought for her at the local convenience store. Tae knitted her eyebrows worriedly before peeking at Gintoki out of the corners of her eyes. If he heard Kagura’s lamentation, he made no show of it; no tensed posture, no glances back, no self-pitying laughs. Just that repetitive tune, floating back on the wind like his apparently dreary soul.

“Kagura-chan, don’t say such things,” Tae chastised her quietly, despite the nagging possibility that she was unfortunately right. After all their efforts, how had they not managed to see any flicker of happiness within Gintoki’s silver eyes? It was like they were bottomless pools, deep and dark and abysmal. Tae watched his broad back as he shuffled along in front of them, seemingly oblivious to their avid discussion. Gin-san… Are you purposefully preventing yourself from feeling happiness? Do you not feel worthy? She wondered.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was late in the evening by the time they returned to the Yorozuya. Kagura made them dinner, a simple beef stew, and though she meant to leave a dozen times, Tae ended up passing out beside the kotatsu table right alongside the two youngsters while Gintoki lazily flipped through the television channels. The persistent drone of conversation and recorded television laughter kept Tae trapped in a state of hazy half-sleep. She lay on her belly with half her body cocooned in the dull, pulsing heat from the table, head resting on her arms as she blearily watched Gintoki in the living room. Her eyes kept slowly drifting shut before fluttering open as if she were making sure he was still there. Caught on the border between consciousness and sleep, Tae’s mind wandered frivolously.

Gin-san… What makes you happy? Did all those things make you happy, but you denied yourself the feeling as punishment? What are you punishing yourself for? Are your sins truly that burdening? I wish you would talk to me. I would never forsake you, Gin-san, no matter what you did. I love you, Gin-san…

“I love you,” she breathed as her lashes fluttered again and her unfocused eyes fixed on his lounging form in front of the television. She didn’t even realize that she had uttered it aloud. Lips slightly parted in a dumb haze, her brown eyes sluggishly followed him as he flipped off the television and sauntered over to the kotatsu table. Her body was long past the point of being numb, so she couldn’t move if she tried. He clicked his tongue disdainfully as he scratched the back of his head and looked at his two protégés curled up beneath the kotatsu table.

“Tch. Didn’t your mothers ever teach you not to fall asleep at a kotatsu table?” The words were harsh, but the tone was nothing if not loving. Tae’s eyes slowly trailed over his body until they arrived at his face, which was perfectly illuminated by the moonlight. That’s when she saw it… A smile, a true one, the most beautiful thing that had ever graced Tae’s vision. His eyes were lidded as he gazed down at Shinpachi and Kagura with intense brotherly affection. “Dumb kids…” So beautiful… So this is Gin-san’s true smile… Perhaps it was her half-sleep delirium, or perhaps it was the fact that their day full of toil had been rewarded— either way, a tear slipped from Tae’s eye to roll down her cheek. Something about the smile adorning his face moved her in such a way. She wished Shinpachi and Kagura could see it, but she also secretly relished the fact that she alone saw it. It was a secret for her alone to treasure.

She lamented the loss of the image as Gintoki walked down the hall. He came back a minute later carrying a trio of thick blankets. It was autumn; the small abode grew cold at night. Grunting as he squatted down, he draped the first blanket over Kagura and the second of Shinpachi. The young girl murmured something about “you won’t get away with this” before rolling on her other side, smacking her lips as she snuggled up into the folds of the blanket. Tae was overjoyed to see that smile appear on his face as he gently stroked her pinkish-red hair with a big palm. “Tough little Kagura… Don’t let them get away with it, ya hear?” Shinpachi snored softly beside her. Gintoki carefully eased his glasses off the boy’s face before folding them up and setting them on the kotatsu table. Tae’s heart stopped in her chest as he suddenly got up and strolled around to the other side of the kotatsu table to where she lay. If she had been in an intelligent state of mind, she would’ve pretended to be asleep. Instead, she just stared up at him with one wet eye as he came around. It took him a second to notice, but when he kneeled down to lay a blanket over her, his silvery eyebrows shot up his forehead.

“Tae? You’re crying,” he frowned, looking uncomfortable with the information. “Did you… Have a bad dream?”

“No. I’m just glad. I’m glad that I finally know what makes Gin-san truly happy,” she admitted with a contented breath. She really was happy; her entire body was humming with the bubbly emotion like she was filled to the brim with soap suds. Gintoki stared down at her with a puzzled expression before he smirked.

“So that’s what all that was about today?”

“Mhmm.” She found that she could move again, and so she shifted her body a little as the cold air began to creep in through the thin fabric of her kimono. Another tear leaked from her eyes when that familiar smirk melted into that gorgeous smile that was imprinted into her memory forever. “Such a beautiful smile… I was afraid I wouldn’t see it. I was afraid that Gin-san refused to let himself be happy.” It fell from his face as he again looked at her in surprise. Desperate to see it on his face again, she pushed herself up with her hands to grab clumsily onto the front of his clothes, hauling herself up his body to drape her thin arms around his neck. One hand cupped his face as she brought her face close, much too close for societal norms but her sleep-fogged mind couldn’t process that. “Please be happy, Gin-san. You deserve it just the much as the rest of us.” Tears sparkled on her lashes as they beaded like dew from her runny eyes. She felt the muscles of his chest tense impossibly tight as he drew in a hissing breath.

“You should be careful, saying these things and touching a man this way.” His voice was a rumble like thunder in the distance, vibrating like a cat’s purr against Tae’s chest. That smirk was back, curling and almost inflammatory as he stared at her. Those pools of his eyes were beginning to boil with a heat that sent liquid fire through Tae’s veins, making her skin grow unbearably hot all of a sudden. His hand rose to take a tight grip of her wrist. Tight, like he was strung between the decision of pulling her hand away or holding it there so he could turn his face and kiss her palm. “You should consider the consequences of your actions, Tae.” His tone was both a warning and an invite.

“I am well aware of the consequences. Perhaps I even welcome them.” Tae had never been such a combination of lucid and senseless. His eyebrows twitched a little at her response. Of course, Tae welcomed them. She knew damn well the insinuations of what she was doing right then. Her face took on a pained look as she resisted pressing herself into him because she wanted Gintoki to welcome her as much as she welcomed him. His eyes widened and her heart wailed in agony as fear flooded his eyes, and he withdrew his face a few centimeters from hers. He knew she wasn’t joking.

The line of his jaw was sharper than any sword as the tendon jumped from how tight his teeth were clenching. Afraid he would leave her clueless like every other time before, she clung insistently to him, face jumping forward as she all but yelled in his face, “I want to make you happy, Gin-san! Please, talk to me.” Her voice cracked with impossibly high emotion. “I hate seeing such a sad look on your face; please talk to me, tell me what haunts you. It’s all right. It’s all right.” She practically begged him as tears streamed down her cheeks, repeating the words he had told him so, so many times. “You don’t have to love me. You don’t have to love me. I just want you to be happy, Gin-san, I want you to be happy,” she sobbed quietly as she hung her head, her forehead landing on his shoulder.

Was she being selfish right now? Her head was just such a mess of confusion and half-finished thoughts and shadows of proper etiquette. Everything she had been holding in had just come boiling over. She couldn’t stand it any longer. After seeing that tender, loving, truly happy smile on Gintoki’s face, she just couldn’t stand the idea of him purposely refusing himself that basic human right on account of some stupid masculine preconceptions. Not even aware that words were spilling from her mouth, she kept repeating her blubbering pleas like a prayer to God. He stiffly held her as she cried out her manic emotions until finally, she felt his arm enclose around her, snugly securing itself around her waist to hug her close. The fingers of her free hand twisted into the fabric of his clothes; her other hand was still being held up to his face.

“Tae.” He said her name, but she was still sobbing too hard to respond. “Tae, look at me.” Somehow, she lifted her head to look tearily up at him. She couldn’t read his expression; he tilted his head as he regarded her, silver eyes traveling the tear tracks on her flushed cheeks, her quivering lips, her swimming eyes. Her chest heaved in the aftershocks of her sobbing gasps. The hand that was still clutching her wrist, now in a white-knuckled grip, slowly twitched to life. His thumb slowly began stroking rhythmic arc across the skin of the top of her hand, and then Tae stopped breathing because his face melted into the most beautiful smile yet.

“Thank you.” She could do nothing but stare, spellbound, starstruck, utterly and completed awed by the way he was looking at her. A fresh wave of tears spilled from her eyes at the mesmerizing sight. It was so bright it could be the moon, the sun, and the stars all in one; its light cascaded over Tae to fill her to the brim with its brilliance, but her body could not hold it so it leaked out in the form of her glittering tears of amazement. Her thumb jerked before dipping down to stroke over the corner of his mouth, and she gasped as his lips curled higher into a deeper smile. The edge of his lips was such a pleasant contour that she just mindlessly caressed it, all while Gintoki gazed at her like she was the most precious thing in the universe.

“Are you happy, Gin-san?”

He grunted in agreement, his mouth closing as his eyes flickered down to look at her hand. She sucked in a breath as he finally made his decision, turning his face in her hand to press a lingering kiss right in the center of her palm. A guttural groan bubbled out of her as he began blazing a fiery trail up her arm, silver eyes burning into hers all the while as he pushed up the sleeve of her kimono to mark his path of brief, open-mouthed kisses. When he could no longer roll up the fabric, he grabbed the neckline of her kimono and pulled to loosen it, scanning her face for any kind of discomfort all the while. As the garment fell loose around her shoulders, her skin baring for him, Tae was far from discomfited. Her breath jumped into her throat with unsteady gulps as she watched him start tracking up her shoulder. Her neck craned to the side of its own volition as his burning lips approached, and she shuddered as they met her pulse-point. His hands found her hips in a bruising grip as he worked up her neck, arriving at the peak with a hot kiss to her jaw before he suddenly pulled back to stare intensely into her eyes.

“Do I look happy to you, Tae?” She swallowed at the huskiness of his voice, the way it was laced with desire. As thick and hungering as his voice was, however, his silver eyes remained impossibly soft as they bored into hers. Those deep pools didn’t seem so dark and haunted anymore; they glittered like a radiant galaxy, magnificently endless and encompassing countless stars of happiness. Happiness, just for her.

“Yes, Gin-san,” she answered in a feeble whisper. In the face of so much overwhelming, crushing passion, Tae felt like glass in his sturdy hands, delicate, threading with cracks as his fingers dug into her hips. It wasn’t scary; it was exhilarating. The impending shatter made her nerves prickle and buzz. She felt like a star ready to collapse into itself, preparing to explode in sheer brilliance at the pin drop. He smiled again, making her lungs balloon in her chest and hold.

“Good. Remember this moment, Tae,” he told her, gently. For a lifetime, she promised eagerly, but all thoughts ceased once his face began to drift into her orbit, on an inevitable collision course with her waiting lips. Her eyes fluttered shut.

Then the pin dropped, and Tae was a supernova.

His lips smoothed over hers in an intensely zealous kiss. Tae didn’t think her lungs had any more room for air, but as soon as their mouths met, she inhaled sharply through her nose because it just felt so good. His hands pushed around to the small of her back to tug her against him. He had been kneeling on the floor the entire time, and he corralled Tae between his open legs, ensuring that every square centimeter of her body was flush against his broad chest. Tae’s hand roamed the contours of his front, making a roadmap of the lines of his pectorals and abdominals, while her other hand flew to the back of his head, greedy fingers digging into those gorgeous silver threads. She moaned quietly as he kissed her with increasing fervor, his tongue soon darting over her bottom lip pleading entry. She complied and their lip-locking rose to searing levels. As his tongue dove into her mouth to tangle adamantly with hers, she collapsed into him with near-faint, like he was stealing all her vitality with the ardent kiss. Suddenly she was tipping backward, and her back landed on the cold wooden floor with Gintoki climbing on top of her, their lips not separating for an instant.

The fire died gradually into flickering embers. Their chests heaved as they gazed into each other’s eyes, the edges of their noses occasionally bumping as they eased down from their highs. Breathlessly, he gave her that smile again, that smile that made Tae’s soul alight with joy and brought tears to her eyes, and he said: “I’m very happy, Tae.”

“Good. I’m glad, Gin-san. I’m glad.”

Tae’s blood ran cold when Kagura suddenly laughed triumphantly and vaulted herself over onto her other side, her legs kicking out a few times before she mumbled something like “take that, asshole” and fell silent. Shinpachi groaned loudly and sleepily muttered for her to shut up before mumbling incoherently and also falling silent. Tae and Gintoki stared in terror at the underside of the kotatsu table, realizing that they had just had a hot-and-heavy make-out session in the direct vicinity of two teenagers. After it was evident that neither of them was awake, she and Gintoki side-eyed each other before giggling under their breaths.

“I suppose I should be grateful for once that they’re both such heavy sleepers.”

“Yes indeed. Shinpachi wouldn’t be pleased to find Gin-san making out with his sister…” He gave her a wolfish smirk, bringing his face teasingly close and nipping at her jaw, making her squeal delightedly.

“You think I’m afraid of what that little four-eyed brat is gonna say?”

“No, but you love him, don’t you?” That caught Gintoki by surprise, and he gawked at her before his face ultimately softened. He sat up some to look back across the kotatsu table at their two sleeping, snoring forms. “Both of them.”

“Yeah. Guess I do,” he huffed slightly. After such an emotional ordeal, Tae’s body was practically screaming for sleep now. Her movements were languid and unfocused as she abstractly traced patterns into his upper chest before her strength finally failed her and her hand flopped down uselessly to her chest. Her eyelids drooped before they scrunched tight, a sudden yawn splitting her face. Her eyes fluttered open again to see Gintoki had grabbed the discarded blanket and was unfolding it to drape it over her. She wriggled around to put the rest of her body back underneath the cozy warmth of the kotatsu table.

“You won’t act like this never happened, will you, Gin-san?” she asked quietly, catching the hem of his kimono as he rose. He smirked down at her, putting his hands on his hips like the answer was obvious.

“’Course not. I’ll catch you for tea sometime, Tae,” he said. Her face flushed red at the very unspoken insinuations behind his statement. As she stared wide-eyed up at him, she caught it, that smile that marked a Gintoki that she and she alone knew. “G’night, Tae,” he said before whirling on his heel and striding off to go find his own bed. The fabric of his clothes slipped from her fingers as he retreated, the nerves of her fingertips bristling at the loss of sensation before falling quiet. She smiled widely as small tears prickled at the corners of her eyes again.

“Goodnight…”

Wishing someone true happiness was the purest form of love; Tae knew this now. Because nothing could be purer than the way he gazed at her just then, or the persistent thumping of her overjoyed heart in her chest as she drifted finally into the realm of dreams, or the memory of that brilliant moonlight smile of his as he allowed himself, for once, to feel true happiness.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork @theqrianana

#gintae #gintokixtae #gintoki x tae #tae x gintoki #taexgintoki #shimura tae #tae shimura #gintoki sakata #sakata gintoki #gintama #gintama fanfiction #gintama fanfic

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sakayoro · 4 years

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it’s long so read more under post :)!

this scene in the early chapters of the manga depicts very well what gintoki carries through out the entire series . gintama takes place ten years after the joui war . the joui war occurred between the amanto (aliens) and the human race , where the amanto came to take over japan . the ailens won.

gintoki fought in the war , along with three others (katsura, takasugi, sakamoto) and feels HEAVY REGRET with how things ended . he blames himself for the four of them splitting up the way they did . he blames himself for failing to keep his promise with shouyo sensei , the man who basically adopted him and became a father to him . he blames himself for failing to protect shouyo . he blames himself for failing to protect the soldiers that followed his command as one of the heavenly kings: shiroyasha.

a major theme about gintoki is his desire to protect those around . sometimes , to the point of losing himself , or distancing himself from others , because if that’s what’s best for him then he’s going to do it . prior to the events of the show he was willing to DIE . he had no purpose , no goal , nothing to tether him until he stumbled upon otose (the owner of the bar and the landlord for where he lives) and found a new path to walk .

this right here REALLY stuck to me . because this is after he loses agaisnt an amanto who had kidnapped shinpachi and kagura , the two kids who joined his odd jobs and had started to become like family to him . it’s the SAME scenario . ahving something precious only to have them takena way . and feeling powerless to stop it.

over and over we see gintoki working with this guilt , this burden , of always shouldering the world on his shoulders but acting like he couldnt’ give a damn - when really , he cares so much . he cares so DEEPLY .

he is always , always wililng to fight for his family and friends even if it leaves him bloody and raw and bruised .

moreover , in the story , he learns that he doesn’t haev to bear anything a lone. gintoki RARELY talks about his past . you wouldn’t know he’s haboring guilt from the war, from the past , at all with the way he carries himself . but when you se him fight , when youw atch the serious arcs of the show and see glimpses of the immense sadness he carries on him , it’s so . . . crushing . he’s really , really , a tragic hero but also a beautiful hero .

because even with this guilt , he’s still trying to just be the best person he can . he’s no hero . he’s no big guy tyring to save the world. no he just wants to fight to protect his home , and the people he has considered his home . that’s always been enough for him.

tldr: gintoki makes me cry

#headcanon.#hehehehe #long post.

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yangxiaoshorter · 5 years

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Why Utsuro was the perfect Gintama villain.

(Taken from reddit, with permission from the poster. Posting it here because more Gintama fans need to see it).

Warning: This won't have any manga spoilers, but inevitably, a lot of anime spoilers.

So while most things in Gintama are universally loved by the fans, by comparison, Utsuro seems to be slightly more contraversial. He isn’t hated by any means and most Gintama fans still like him, but there are a few who think he is just a generic overpowered final boss that the show didn’t need. I want to explain why Utsuro is not only great, but the perfect villain for this show. For this I will have to talk about two characters: Utsuro himself of course, and the main character, Sakata Gintoki. Brace yourselves, because we are going to go deep here.

Before I start though let’s just quickly summarize what Utsuro is on the surface though. He is the most powerful being in Gintama. He is the biggest threat that the show had so far. He is an immortal being who is so hard to kill that even he himself has trouble killing himself. On that regard you could compare him to characters like Madara Uchiha from Naruto, or Aizen from Bleach. But that is far from everything that there is to Utsuro as a character. And most of it is because of what Gintoki is as a character.

Sakata Gintoki is one of the strongest main characters you can find. I’m not talking about “blowing up planets” or “cutting through dimensions”. I’m talking about the fact that Gintoki has such a strong personality, beliefs and conviction that almost nothing can shake him. This is partly because of his personality, because of all the suffering he went through (more than anyone else) and of course, Shoyo’s teachings. In a normal Shounen, “Death” is the biggest threat a character can face. But like it was pointed out in Rakuyo arc “Death and Breakfast are equally close to Gintoki”. Gintoki doesn’t fear death. For him it isn’t just “I would sacrifice my life” type of thing like most others. He literally doesn’t fear death. After seeing so much of it death is just another part of life for him. For a man like him, it doesn’t matter how strong a foe is. The worst they can do is kill him, which doesn’t scare him. The only thing that shakes Gintoki is when people around him get hurt, but even then, after overcoming everything in his life, Gintoki now believes that he can protect them no matter what. Even during the few times Gin loses control (like with Jirocho or Oboro) he recovers quiet quickly.

There is something Kamui says to Gintoki in Rakuyo: “You don’t see me when you fight. With Housen and with Shinsuke too. You aren’t fighting the one in front of you. Who is it that you are fighting?” This is the main point of where I’m coming from. No villain, not even his closest friend can shake Gintoki, because when he fights, he fights himself and his own weaknesses, not the opponent in front of him. There can be a lot more that can be said about it but I’m sure most of you know this part so I’m going to keep it brief. So why is Gintoki’s character so strong? Because the “foundation” of his beliefs are so strong that no attack on them can even shake them. So the only way to even shake Gintoki would be to attack that “foundation” itself.

There is a saying that a hero is only as good as their villain. Which is true in most cases, but there is also the opposite: A villain can only be strong if he confronts a strong hero. Otherwise, your audience might start finding the hero they were supposed to root for annoying and start agreeing with the villain, which is the last thing you would want as a storyteller. Now as we established, Gintoki is really strong as a character. He can emphatize with everyones suffering, because he suffered more than any of them. He knows people can come out as a better person after all sufferings because he himself managed it after far worse. That is where Utsuro comes in.

Every aspect of Utsuro’s character is specifically created to challenge Gintoki. His very existence, ideas, his past, his actions… everything about Utsuro is an antithesis for Gintoki. Let me explain what I mean by that because there are a few reasons. First being of course, that he is Yoshida Freaking Shoyo. The man who made Gintoki who he is. Everything Gin is started with this man. While what happened to Shoyo was one of biggest regrets in Gintoki’s life, he still overcame that and mostly made peace with it. He finally accepted (not over night btw. You can literally see it happen throughout the show) that he could forgive himself. That he did his best. That Shoyo would be proud of what he did and does. That was because he knew who Shoyo was. Thanks to his teachings, Gintoki learned to forgive people, people like Takasugi, or himself. But then Utsuro appeared. An embodiment of all of Gintoki’s fears and regrets. For Gintoki, Utsuro was created by one of the biggest regrets in his life. He was literally a walking talking version of everything Gin tried to overcame. Not only that, but Utsuro’s existence also shook one of Gintoki’s core beliefs as a person. That you don’t have to be empty. That you can overcome any pain. Gintoki was baseing those beliefs on his own experience and Shoyo, and throughout the show, he always challenged people who run from pain (like Jiraia, or Takasugi). But now Utsuro’s existence on its own meant that he could be wrong. That the only reason he wasn’t empty was because he didn’t suffer enough. Because even the person he trusted the most could be broken and become empty with enough pain. That is what Utsuro’s existence meant. Everything that gave strength to Gintoki was suddenly shaken by Utsuro’s very existence. It also meant that Gin himself still wasn’t safe. He suddenly started fearing that with enough suffering, he too can become empty again. Become like Utsuro.

If you think that I’m overanalyzing this I want to remind you of the first things Utsuro does when he appears: Literally, before he even appears on screen, the first thing he does is throw a sword at Kagura. Something that would have at least fatally wounded her if Nobume hadn’t pushed her out of the way. Later, he almost stabs Shinpachi on the forehead, who was saved by Sougo at the last second. Then in Silver Soul arc, he almost kills Sadaharu. This is not a coincidence. Who are Kagura, Shinpachi and Sadaharu to Gintoki? They are the Yorozuya. As in, they are the embodiment of everything Gintoki build since he started overcoming his weaknesses. Symbolically and physically, Utsuro was trying to destroy Gintoki from the very beginning.

I also want to give you a few examples on that. First, remember what Sougo says to Gintoki in Silver Soul: “When you confront that man, you lose control and see nothing but that guy. You don’t act like yourself”. Indeed, throughout the show, especially in Silver Soul arc, Utsuro is constantly making Gintoki lose control. There are 3 instances in the show where Gintoki almost “gives up”. First being when he loses his memories, which obviously doesn’t count. Second being in 4 Devas, which was just an act to keep the kids out of trouble. So the only time Gintoki falls into despair and almost gives up is in Silver Soul, when he thinks about how he didn’t make progress even now, right before the Shinsengumi shows up. Again, all these is just shows how much Utsuro gets to him. More than anyone else in the show ever could.

Because Utsuro is not only Shoyo, not only is he everything Gintoki fought to overcome before, but he is a product of the humanity Gintoki always wanted to believe in. He is the monster Gintoki was scared of becoming. Noone can deny the fact that Utsuro has one of the worst pasts in the show. He was tortured again and again. People killed him again and again and no matter how much he wished for it, they didn’t manage to kill him. Which made them fear him even more, which made them hurt him even more. For decades, he was killed, tortured, went through pain that would easily kill anyone else, but he wasn’t even granted the escape that was death. He was stuck in a prison that was the world that didn’t want him. That he didn’t want to be in. Yet he couldn’t escape. The monster that was Utsuro was created by humans. He became Utsuro (Hollow) because of them. And Gintoki understood that. That is why he couldn’t ignore his stance like the other two. For Katsura, Shoyo was dead and he made peace with it, and Utsuro was just a villain threatening his new life. For Takasugi, Utsuro was the one who killed Shoyo. He hated him, but he was just another target for his revenge. But Gintoki understood what Shoyo and Utsuro were more than anyone, and that is why he was affected more than anyone else.

So what does all this have to do with Utsuro? Well as I said, a great villain, especially a final villain, should be able to challenge the hero on every aspect, not just at swinging swords. And Utsuro stood against everything Gintoki stood for. I’m not going to give manga spoilers here, so just going to say that Gintoki has to overcome all his weaknesses, fears and traumas if he wants to truly defeat Utsuro. And Gintoki’s beliefs are important because they make up the core of Gintama’s ideology. Every villain in some way challenges that ideology: Even the likes of Takasugi and Isaburo. However, none of them go against it as clearly as Utsuro does.

So where does Utsuro himself stand in all this: Some people don’t understand his motivation. Saying that it is weird that he would say that he wants to die but then fight people who want to kill him, but while this isn’t the point of the post I’m going to briefly explain that first to avoid misunderstandings:

Utsuro isn’t just an immortal being who wants to die. He also wants to get revenge on everyone. Not just because for the sake of it, but because he wants to proof himself right. He more than anyone knows how deep humanity can go. So if Gintoki fights to proof that humanity is worth saving, Utsuro fights for the opposite. He wants to proof that despair can overcome anyone. That humanity will abondan everything, their believes, their loves, their ideals when they are confronted with a fear that they can’t overcome. Utsuro doesn’t just want to die. He wants to end the humanity that he sees as a curse on everything.

So in the final battle of the war, when he is about to cut Nobume but hesitates, that was the main conflict coming back at him. It wasn’t Shoyo literally coming back as a seperate entity to hold him back. That was symbolizm. He hesitated because everything those people who he was fighting did at that moment, was going against all his core beliefs. They didn’t despair. They didn’t give up. They didn’t leave each other. Even when everything was hopeless, they kept getting back up. If Utsuro was an antithesis for Gin, then Gintoki himself was the same for Utsuro. Utsuro believed that enough suffering could make anyone “hollow”. Yet no matter how much suffering that boy (Gintoki) when through, he didn’t break. He didn’t become hollow. While the story isn’t done yet, this was the main confrontation of Gin and Utsuro’s ideals and this was the first time since FS where Gintoki cleared his mind and truly fought like he always does, fighting for himself instead of fighting to escape, while Utsuro for the first time, lost that secure belief he always had. This was the true triumph for Gintoki over Utsuro. However, after that Utsuro decided to jump into the Altana, because he refused to accept what Gin said. He denied what he was seeing. He still defended that the humanity would destroy himself. That’s why he jumped. He wanted to win that final argument. He wanted to show that with him out of the picture, the humanity would still destroy themselves on their own. And he wasn’t completely wrong either. As in the next two years, people tried to revive him, gain his power and overall almost started another war. It comes down to Gintoki and the others to win that final gamble Utsuro made.

So yeah, I could probably write more but this is way too long already. Basically, Utsuro is not only a powerful, charismatic villain with an amazing voice, but he is the perfect villain to represent the opposite of everything Gintama stands for. He has such a strong backstory, that you can’t help but understand even the worst of his actions. And most importantly, unlike most final villains in other Shounens, he is connected to the main character more than anyone else. He isn’t just a random powerful guy. He is the only person who was closer to Gintoki than Takasugi was. He was the only villain the show could possibly get after Takasugi. That personal connection to Gin and the others is what makes it so compelling too.

I hope this will give some light on what Utsuro represent as a character. This might have been a bit of a mess, and I apologize for that, it was tougher than I expected. Thanks for reading.

#Gintama #Sakata Gintoki #Kagura #shinpachi shimura #Utsuro #Anime

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tokumusume · 4 years

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tokumusume’s list of best and worst movies and dramas watched in 2019:

There’s a new category this year. Inspired by kpopalypse, welcome the Honorable Mentions! Movies that weren’t exactly bad but also weren’t good. Movies and dramas are qualified to enter if I watched them for the first time this year, not that they were released this year. Click on ‘keep reading’~~

Best Movies:

1. Parasite

Another masterpiece from the director of Snowpiercer (let’s pretend Okja never existed). A poor family con their way to a rich household. Choi Woo-Shik from The Witch (see below) is the eldest son and mastermind, fabulous as always. Definitely the best movie of this year. For me, movie of the decade.

2. The Witch Part 1 The Subversion

This movie is amazing, hard to describe without spoilers. A perfect mix of Stranger Things and Hanna. Choi Woo-Shik can come to my house and kick my ass anytime. I can’t wait for part two.

3. Death Trance

Visually stunning, kinda like Amemiya Keita’s style in early Garo or Mad Max. I wish the movie was longer and the characters were better fleshed out, Ryuen the monk and the little girl had so much potential... The most interesting thing about this movie is how sexualized the main male character is compared to the female ones, and apparently, the swords were designed to look like veiny penises (can’t find a source for this info), and yes, they do look like veiny penises. The final showdown is heavy with sexual energy. Have I already said that Ryuen deserved better? #RyuenRights

4. Gintama 2: Rules are made to be broken

The barber shop scene is a fucking cinematic masterpiece. I never laughed so much like I did with this movie. The way it doesn’t take itself seriously, the meta jokes, everything is perfect. Even better than the first one.

5. Kingdom

While I think that some fight scenes were way too long (like the bamboo forest one), the dynamics between Shin and Hyou/Eisei were highly entertaining, at least in my shipper eyes. I like that (SPOILER) the King of the Mountain People is a woman and not once they try to call her Queen. She is a King. Hashimoto Kanna is adorable as a Ten, Kanata Hongo does a great job as Eisei’s psycho brother, Sakaguchi Tak waves his sword around, the usual stuff but with added layers of dirt and sweat.

6. Bravestorm

A movie I lovingly call “Japanese Pacific Rim”. Full of Kamen Rider stars (Hino Eiji! Misuzawa Haruka! That girl from Heisei Generations, the one with a sword! She has a sword in this as well!) and giant robots (god, I love giant robots!), I waited so much for this movie and it exceeded my expectations. I just wish I could’ve watched in theaters, it had a limited showing in my country.

7. Twelve Suicidal Children

What begins as a murder mystery ends with a twist you won’t see coming. All of the actors are amazing, but special mention to Sugisaki Hana and that guy from that one boy group I forgot the name but can’t be bothered to Google.

8. Gakkou Gurashi

Four girls and their teacher try to survive the zombie apocalypse trapped inside the school. This one destroyed me for days.

9. Forest of Love

I’ve watched some Sono Sion movies but nothing prepared me for this. Be aware of extremely gory sequences and sensitive topics. Hinami Kyoko is so amazing as blue-haired, punk girl crush Taeko that I totally didn’t notice she was AkibaBlue in Akibaranger.

10. The Host

After watching Parasite I decided to go on a Bong Joon Ho binge and watched this horror movie. Not as good as Snowpiercer and Parasite in my opinion but heart-wrenching nevertheless. The little girl is the star of the movie.

11. The Hungry Lion

A story about the dangers of social media and slut-shaming. I want to punch Mizuishi Atom in the face.

12. Cromartie High

A little absurd comedy about yakuza-style high school boys (played by middle-aged men lol) forming a club to battle aliens summoned by themselves just because. It made me laugh like a child. A hidden gem.

Honorable Mentions:

1. River’s Edge

Depressing as fuck. Warning: the cats die. It’s not graphic but it’s traumatizing. Yoshizawa Ryo is a gay boy who sleeps with old men for money. There’s a graphic sex scene (not Yoshizawa, sadly) where my only thought was “That thing is gonna get stuck in there! Use a condom!” Can’t remember much from it except for these three scenes.

2. The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Yamazaki Kento has the acting chops of a dead fish but it comes handy for playing a teen with psychic abilities and zero social skills. Hashimoto Kanna is one of the prettiest girls in Japan. Yoshizawa Ryo with white and blueish hair looks more like Sakata Gintoki than Oguri Shun in the Gintama live action. The end is a huge let down but the fun ride is worth it.

3. Ano ko no, Toriko

Congratulations to Yoshizawa Ryo, he has FIVE movies in my list of favorite movies this year! This is to make up for crowning GIVER as the biggest waste of time of 2018, this list is totally not biased, lol. “Ano ko” could be just another romance movie but the (very) little insight into how the entertainment industry works and not focusing on school life made me love it. Poor Sugino Yosuke being left behind again, when will this boy get the main girl?

4. Monstrum

It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it’s pleasant enough to fill a rainy afternoon with a lot of blood and spilled guts. Hyeri of Girl’s Day is the heroine and Choi Woo Shik is the commander she falls in love with.

5. Weirdo Go

I confess I watched this one just to see Ji Li (aka my snake son Nie Huaisang) dressed as a woman but it was enjoyable and not that problematic.

6. Real - Kanzen Naru Kubinagaryu no Hi

Directed by the same guy that did “Creepy” and “Before we vanish”, there are lots of twists you won’t see coming. And a dinosaur. A fucking dinosaur.

7. Tomodachi Game: The Final

The movie loses its focus halfway through then picks up again minutes before ending. Yoshizawa Ryo delivers again as the sadistic Yuuichi, much like his role in Gintama. The plot twists are the star of the movie.

8. The Living Dead

Sorry Wen Ning. I saw the plot twist coming in the first 30 minutes of the movie, not very smart of the writer. His personality did a 180° turn for worse and I’ll demote the movie to an honorable mention for it. Gao Han is cute though, I would like to see him as a better character.

9. Backstreet Girls

Some recycled scenes from the drama to situate the viewers, a completely new story for the movie, it is certainly funny and enjoyable, if you can get past the forced gender reassignment surgery background and transphobic jokes (you shouldn’t get past it btw). I like the soundtrack.

Best Dramas:

1. The Untamed

Do I need to say more?

2. The Tale of Nokdu

This Korean romance had everything to be a mess but it wasn’t!!! *claps* I don’t hate the main female character and the whole palace politics actually kept me interested until the end. The complete shift of atmosphere mid-season was strange at first but ultimately very welcomed.

3. The Naked Director

Netflix original Japanese content is amazing. This one is a look at the life of a legendary porn director in the late 80s, I learned a lot about the history of Japanese porn and censorship (yay pixels!) and went looking for his, erm, works. Very graphic, 69/10 don’t recommend watching with people in the house.

4. Channel wa Sonomama!

I don’t remember it well but it’s about a news station and what is like to be a journalist and it was very interesting and funny.

5. SCAMS

Forgettable. Sugino Yosuke with black hair cons old people via phone calls.

Worst Movies and Dramas:

1. The cat in their arms

The cats spend 90% of the movie in human forms, and halfway through it they simply abandon the cats’ plot to show a fucking long montage of a weird guy painting a picture of a nude girl. It’s also super creepy to see a grown-up man acting like a cat, getting belly rubs and eating cat food from a bowl. Yoshizawa needs to choose his roles more wisely.

2. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

A waste of Suda Masaki’s talent. Can Japan stop casting Tsuchiya Tao already?

3. Samurai Marathon

Almost two hours of dirty men running through a forest. Maybe Japanese History experts will enjoy it, because I certainly didn’t.

4. Lady Vengeance

While there are legit great moments, I didn’t find this “classic” to be anything special. The animal cruelty was too much for me.

5. Hot Gimmick

This movie makes Bohemian Rhapsody’s editing look like a work of art. There are more flashing cuts than a T-ARA music video. I have no idea who likes who, who’s banging who, what even are they saying. Too much poetic shit for my like. I wanted to see Shimizu Hiroya naked. I was bamboozled.

6. The Divine Fury

While some parts were interesting, at the end I still don’t know if the protagonist is possessed by a demon (if yes, then why would he help a priest destroy his friends?) or if he was blessed by God when his father died and talked to him (the glowing hand thing, why and how??). The exorcism parts are really, really scary, or maybe I’m just a chicken, but I had to avert my eyes. The best (only) part is that the protagonists are hot. Hello Woo Do-Hwan, you can sacrifice me to Satan any time…

#tokumusume awards #2019 #Parasite #Gintama #The Untamed #The Tale of Nokdu #Yoshizawa Ryo #long post #jdrama #kdrama #jmovie #kmovie #cdrama #cmovie

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