Could you rank the covers please?
haiiiiiiii, wakaru 👏 ikimashou
let's start with least favorites and work our way up, how 'bout.
starting with... this.
i could not care less-!!! it's kinda funny. nothing about the pose or colors or anything makes me feel much. i think mitsuba's school mystery outfit is busted lol, he feels like he has a bunch of stuff glued onto him. a bit too busy and silly for me to take seriously. his bones... his, eyeballs and little mirrors. feathers kinda like, bits n pieces stuck in his hair. i know you didn't choose to look like this mitsuba but it doesn't change the fact that i'm not into it... sorry.
it probably doesn't help that every time i'm reading PP i'm like god. get these clowns out of here-!! they're interrupting the DRAMA... feel like i'm asleep for their parts of this arc. so for them to get a cover is like sigh, whatever. it ruins the flow of all the amane focused ones lol... i wish i lived in the world where every PP volume had amane and nene on it. [thinks...] i would even sooner let shijima-san take one cover tho, if it had to be interrupted. just not this. -_-
next up...
i don't like kou. kinda repulsed by his pelvis zone here. big ugly guy huge forearms. i think i look cool in this image and the bg being black / there being a lot of gold present makes it more visually appealing than the previous cover. but only by so much.
i think it's kinda funny i have fangies and crazy swirly eyes. does it have to do with what vol 4 is... about? [pause...] hm... whose to say lol. it's funny, regardless.
this is.... neutral territory. i don't feel much about it. i'd say toilet trio illusts in general are very, snzz, i sleep. they can only be so interesting... it's sorta like seeing 'stock art' of a series, the things that go on t-shirts and cut-outs. Here are the characters. yep... nothing wrong with that, but nothing to be felt, past a point. esp when everyone is just big smiles or something, facing the audience. this doesn't really convey who they are as individuals, or their dynamic, even.
a part of me almost wishes someday there wouldn't be a need for depictions like this. i'd prefer seeing these 3 in a more grounded scene, if anything. [shitty amane voice] anyways.
now here's a few that are like. nothing felt. but i don't hate them. but it's like Lol.... there's genuinely nothing to be said. hearts nene is the cutest one here? let's go with that.
*amused huff* an image like this, i get the impression that i'm not the target demographic (genuine fujoshi...) so it's pretty logical it doesn't make me feel much. not the drawing's fault, really.
also, when akane is all bishie'd out in clock keeper mode, i can't feel anything about that. but he's not as ugly as kou to me. just wearing a funny outfit ig. meanwhile, hanako looks like a crazy whore. to a degree where it's funny? this is my mental image for what it's like when i suck off my brother. in this way, it has value.
the actual composition, colors used etc. is fine. neutral.
i kinda have a funny relationship with vol 1's cover. in 2020, when the anime released, people were posting gifs etc. of the OP (you know what part of the OP.) the only other thing i saw from the series, aside from that gif, was vol 1's cover. organically, my response to seeing these things in concert, was: "uhh, no thanks lol…" dismissing the series as, perhaps, a bit too shota-yaoi-gnarsty for someone like me… i look at too much porn on pixiv also, so i'm sort of... literate. when it comes to... shotacons. and this is the sort of image pings... a certain flavor... makes me go... "hmm… no… i don't need toilet-fuck-prisoner-skank-ghost-shota, thank you..." (not a value judgment. i'm just more of an oneeshota guy. normal heterosexuality swag.)
anyways, it's purely incidental that this was all i had seen. along with tons of your run of the mill "tsukasa tormenting amane" fanarts... it gave me such a particular impression of the series.
that being said, i never found this cover bad looking or anything. in fact, the style was pretty appealing-? (the style doesn't have to be bad for you to go, that's not my genre of porno ww) now that i've actually read it and love the series, i can say that vol 1 almost has this classic stink to it. it's just so effective. it's not wrong to look at this and think: shotacon bait manga. it absolutely is, lol. & i suppose my first instincts still weren't wrong. again, i'm not the target demographic.
now this is. a bit closer to being For Me. i am now within the target demographic. but it also kinda makes me angry 💔... like i'm being bullied, a bit. you know some images are a bit too gormlessly horny... like, even for me. oooh. nene-chan's being fed this cake. mmm, open up... frosting all over us.. her ankles bound, her pussy barely not visible. and this, mysterious inexplicable knife stabbing a mini heart. it's all like. [stoically] Ok...
you hand this to a 13 yo bird though, i think he'd be spellbound. ohhhhh. what is this...? so colorful... and if he opened the volume and saw that little alice in wonderland illust of nene between the twins + nene's teaparty outfit... he'd be like mrghhh.... *sucks up gravy*
same goes for vol 2's cover.
you hand this to teen bird, it's pure catnip. though i prefer it to the last one, due to the more... noncon lean. and ofc, just being hananene...~
the way nene is posed, the rope, the frills of her uniform, her crying. hanako looking like some scary vampire captor, about to whisk her away. flanked by the knife and scissors... ohhh. what's going to happen to her...? ⬅ i'm already checking this out of the library before this thought can fully crystalize.
it's not quite as lush or impressive as some of aida-sensei's other illusts though. i think her earliest art is most charming in the manga panels themselves. illusts like this, the bodies feel a little too evened out, to me. not so strong colors. mind you, still nice looking. and again with nene's pussy so nearly visible. Well thanks.
vol 3 is always like... *smiles weakly* mmmm. aida-sensei... i accept who you are. i do... i know you kinda can't help it, in some ways. but it's a shame this isn't more... IC... on tsuchigomori's end. i think this image skews a lot of the perception of tsuchigomori's rship with amane, which i dislike, because their rship in canon is... amusing. and tsuchigomori is a weak loser. but i understand what people typically want out of teacher/student. i leave the humble fujo be.
that aside, i'm a fan of everything else. dusky colors, moody expressions. tsukasa's hands reaching out and cupping amane's face. yes... lovely. it was a fun era, when alluding to tsukasa was best done through hands reaching out. something from the past, coming to haunt. i like amane's hat being off... the glass triangles used to show memories, the ropes, the tsubaki. we love imagery, guys.
these next few are like, "i love my wife" (ignores other person.)
i like tsukasa here. a girlie that goes, nyarrrr! fun and minxy, ever the delight to see. all the pinks and reds, the rosy color of the 'seal' kanji... hi sweetie. *blows a kiss* good luck doing your job.
i really like nene in this outfit. i suppose it finally makes you go "oh" about how she has pale hair and red eyes / and how this suits the typical miko white/reds. i'm actually glad we got to see it in a cover. she's all decked out... ornate... frills, draping fabric, big bow. flanked by flowrse and bells. fancy girlie.
i'm more aligned to shoujo manga and such, actually, so an image like kinda lights up the same part of my brain. a feeling like, "i know it well"... girls posed like dolls, together. classic.
you know me, idgaf about kou. but this girl is distinctly gorgeous. i love greyyyy as a background, and how she's composed of pallid colors. her tights feel so stark black. and then the soft yellow and orange in the flowers... ooh. she's really incredible. if it was a nene-only cover, this would be probably one of my absolute favorites. for severance, too, the vibes are flawless. dreary, drained.. enervated feeling girl. she's delicate. love love love.
we're entering a notable jump in favoritism. ⬆ all these prior covers had things like, details i was indifferent towards, or entire characters i wished weren't there/found neutral. ⬇ these next ones are closer to, 'i wouldn't change this, i like who is here'
auhhh... hakusumi... we're so lucky to have a cover dedicated to them. one of my favorite volumes, too, in terms of literal events. i like this pose and the contrast of their expressions... sumire's eyes always feel like they're purposefully kinda, intense and creepy. i think hakubo is appropriately passive... below... but pawing up at her. i really love sumire's hand splayed on his chest too~ kya. vivid purbles... touches of greem... quite nice.
I like these all about the same amount. I look cool in them. Which is nice, because this arc is mostly about me.
i'm simple... i enjoy the duality of amane and hanako. i think PP does a good job at playing with this divide in living self / current ghost self, what it means to have been this. what is the authentic self? what does he really feel? it's even more convoluted when you have hanako functionally RP'ing as his past self.
i like how hanako has more of a severity to him, in these side-by-sides. amane is supposed to be the one who is just a normal boy, 'before tragedy', so he's all smiles. but isn't it funny, with how nene sees past amane as miserable and current hanako as cheery, smiley smiley...? he's a complicated guy, isn't he.
i'm a fan of the colors of vol 9. excitable telescope boy. then, the kinda, paint-splotch feeling details at the ends of his legs, fun allusion to the painting-in-progress world. for vol 11's original cover, i like the stark white bg for hanako. his expression... it's one of those expressions that makes me think aida-sensei is a wizard. how is she doing that...? he looks crazy... but it's so subtle. he also kinda feels like he's about to bite his lip? this + the fingers threaded over rope... a lot. his companion amane meanwhile just feels crazy in a different way, as a result.
handsome coolness abound. ty sensei.
hehehe. 20 is just so ffffffffun! tsukasa giving major "the puppet master that cursed your dick" energy. dark eyes and lidded gaze... seeing the ropes threading around his fingertips is just so fun. they're often off-screen, or blooming from within characters, so i like to see them so decidedly coming from tsukasa. he's orchestrating so much, it's so appropriate, isn't it-!? we owe a lot to him.
i was looking forward to sakura finally getting a feature on a cover. her listless expression and limp body works well with this all. contrast with tsukasa seated somewhat to the side, flanking her. it's cute that these are the colors that mean "spring!" in japan. and aida-sensei has put out so many spring-themed illusts featuring pinks and greens this year. so festive.
it all comes to roost then, in this cover. touches of green in tsukasa's spooky corpse fingertips. the pink all around is giving Femininity, as much as it's giving... sickness... feverishness... i like how sakura's uniform and tsukasa's hakama are a similar shade. pleats and frills... yes yes. i suppose this cover is doing more for me, in the "two pretty girls posed together like dolls" department. it's more on the unhinged side. love love.
these two... they make me stunned by aida-sensei's ability to make an image is simply so... beautiful? fills me with such yearning. i wish i could make something half this good, ahaha. i must drink in these images...
they showcase some softer feeling amanes. crazy boys in prev volumes are fun, but they're not really playing off of the right energy, to me. (not at their full potential yet...?) meanwhile, covers like these, i think the execution is perfect. here's the boy... your title boy. i'm forced to understand why my wife finds me to be handsome, ig.
the illust for the pilot release feels so sweet. like aidairo themselves are fond of their initial pitch still. to include aspects of his old design (like, no thick trim on the gakuran) within aida's more modern style is very cool. translucent... ghostie boy. you know him well. all the flowers frame him nicely.
for the far shore/severance situation, it's quite fascinating to see amane like this. amidst all the madness... i think it's a good follow up to the red house also. this... is the guy we're trying to get back to. the paper lantern he's holding is such a simple yet wonderful detail also. idk... he's really a japanese ghost. he really on "the other side"... in a procession, with the other spirits. and i love the abstract bits of buildings and vehicles floating about, representing the far shore. the sunset orange clouds and bright blue sky... sugoi.
this one makes me feel so simple. sometimes, you just have wife emotions. (i have 4 yo tsu as my bg on tumblr & my pc...💞) i love you BAY-BEEE!!! you're so special to me!! kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss.
this to me is almost like, the blessed version of "this reeks of a shotacon" lolll... cuz now we're at an age range/size that i'm like YEAH!! OOUEHH!!! FUN!!!!!!! BOLD! INTERESTING!! SHOW ME MORE!? i love to see TOYS and DOLLIES, yeahhh! a toy piano!! a robot!! lil cars!! bouncy ball!!! rocky horse! YES!! IT'S ALL THE THINGS!!
center stage, we have tsukasa preciously holding his teddybear. the ripped seams and overflowing stuffing... his lil suspenders and shorts. the thick, vibrant red socks! weewoo. i would say it's a perfectly executed piece. straightforward. welcome to the toy room! it's bright and colorful and a little ominous... don't you want to know more about this lil guy-!? don't you just wanna scoop him into your arms. yes, of course you do!! come on in...
this is probably my absolute favorite volume also... it's so concentrated... i just love this arc sf much. 9.9 the volume sleeve illusts + contents page are perfect. this random illust of hanako that the volume opens up with is very sick & twisted, he scares me. but i also love it very much. and then the first pages are tsukasa asking to play. 10/10... love the whole package. this cover is like a ribbon on top of it all.
[scuffs shoe... gets small.] [hides under my hat.]
... 💦 ... .. .. .... ..... 💦💦 ... ... ............... ..
girlfriend. emotions. (these are somehow different than wife emotions.) she's... resplendent... i don't deserve her... idk, it's hard. to talk about this one, gomen, if this comes out awkwardly.
but it's... just. really pretty. after the whole PP, hurts to look at. the biiiig moon in the sky. dreamy lil stars. the red of her eyes... and for nene to be threading both her hands over his, while red rope binds them together... wonderful. i like how the ropes perfectly kiss with 'red string of fate'... also this all gives me OT3 feels. (tsukasa often symbolized by the moon...) overall, does a great job at conveying the climax of this many-volume arc.
it's a lovely image. and the odd angle to amane's face is inspiring for me, also. i wanna be able to properly represent the huuuge eyes and lil muzzles that the characters in JSHK have. they feel like my little ponies... i must learn how to capture this...
[getting even smaller. ragged.] [sighhhhing forlornly, leaning out a window.] it's my favorite cover. but also, it's my favorite inner sleeve illust... so i must include it. hopefully, you'll understand me, as you see them side-by-side.
the cover, though... it's got it all, i guess. intimacy. atmosphere. expressions are loaded. the hand to yashiro's face... her nape visible. the stars, the lights, the summer night vibe, due to tanabta. yashiro decorated in tsubaki, in her beautiful yukata. the big fanciful bow obi. the air feels thick, humid. gorgeous... wouldn't change a thing.
i love all that tanabta encapsulates. ooh. it's the peak of it all... we're star-crossed lovers, aren't we. reaching through streams of time to meet one another. the indulgence of the age gap... nene onee-san... choosing to meet her again, over dreaming of the future. that's how it always works, right...? love always supersedes any vague wishing of a, career, or w/e... flimsy, in comparison. [i use my severe tone and lots of eye contact to convey that this alludes to the choice to die with tsukasa vs grow up and be an astronaut.]
in the chapter itself, we see that hanako vaguely has some... feeling... memory... of nene's forehead kiss. and i think that's conveyed in the cover, too~ it feels like he can't resist a pull. memories... a long-existing crush, incubating...~ how long has this girl been haunting you...
woof, the romance that oozes from it all... it makes me feel so soooo simple. i like that aidairo can be so... earnest? about it all? we're tying key romantic events with our main couple, to THE romantic festival.. yayaya... yes.... thank you...
all this. all this! and knowing the yugi are running around, eating cotton candy, playing with sparklers, late into the night... we really can have it all, can't we?
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