Oh, you thought Yase's direction in the first episode was SHAFT-like? Well, episode two has rolled around and appears with a storyboarder with no previous credits (almost certainly a penname) that builds upon Yase and UU's style and adds a healthy helping of classic David Pro into the mix.
Seriously, let's go through the points.
Intense shading/lighting? Well, that's more a series thing, but it's still comfortably apparent in this episode.
What about the closeups on eyes? Yup, that's here in full force too.
But then, there's more. The favorites styles of shaft, with things like the sharp and fast cuts appear in this episode as well. In fact, the two images of Fuuko's eyes here get stringed together for form a similar cut.
The icing on the cake though has to be the SHAFT neck tilt. They even style Fuuko's hair like Araragi's. It's a visual feast paying homage to shaft, and I love it.
Of course, the David Pro side of this marriage is represented here, as we get a healthy dose of things like the ultra-bass boosted sound design, and the lovely explosions we've come to expect from the studio.
I think most impressive in this episode though is the choreography (and animation). Three dimensional movement can be a real pain to work with sometimes, but the team behind this episode nailed it perfectly with this indoor sequence following Andy.
Similarly, the hand to hand combat looks really great. It's not super fast or anything, but the quality in the movements and how deliberate they feel is really great.
Truthfully, if it weren't for the sexual humor that was in incredibly poor taste, I'd be all over this anime. I still really, really like it, but it's just one of those things where I get all excited, and then one of the sexual moments comes along and kills the vibe for me. Still, easily 90% of this anime is doing wonders in my eyes, so I'm very very happy. Looking forward to seeing what comes next!
Sasaki and Miyano Official Comic Anthology has its moments but is mainly for fans of the series
Sasaki and Miyano Official Comic Anthology has its moments but is mainly for fans of the series #comics #comicbooks #manga #graphicnovel
Cat encounters, arcade trips, book-shopping sprees― sweet moments galore! It’s the simple little things that remind me most of that one BL I just read…
Cover: Shou HarusonoIllustrations: Shaou Harusono, Kudan Naduka, Sawa KanzumeComics: Shou Harusono, Fujiazuki, Kou Toriya, Mika, Tsugumi Toya, Kyo Hinata, Itokichi, Shichimiya, Ichiko Tanno, Hinaru Shimosegawa, Paru Konno, Yutoto, Aoko Sasaki,…
Here’s the (long time coming) update on the Future Diary Radio CDs! I’m sorry it took so long to finish this project, as always, school has me on a chokehold, but I’m glad to say the translations are finally done! In case you missed the original post, the Future Diary Radio CDs are an obscure piece of media from Future Diary that include commentary from some of the show’s voice actors, regarding their experiences voicing the characters and opinions about the series. You can now find the three tracks with the translated subtitles on my Youtube channel (daisynilla) or on the links down below. Special thanks to @iwanpepsu, @syrpai and @the-chosen-blood-teller for helping me gather the tracks from the radio CDs.
youtube
youtube
youtube
And on a semi-related note, I also wanted to use this post to comment on a couple of things that came up while doing research for this project.
1. In all of the three Radio CDs, the voice actors mention something about a live concert that happened at Shibuya AX on July 29th. I'm not sure how well-known this concert and the music featured in it are among the fandom, but given how much it is talked about in the radio CDs (and how much information I gathered on it incidentally), I figure I should make a separate post dedicated to that. Especially because of… this:
2. On one of the Radio CDs, there was a mention of the DVD cast commentaries done by the Japanese voice actors. I don't own the DVD, but I was accidentally sent the audio for these Japanese cast commentaries in response to my last post about the Radio CDs. For my sanity’s sake, I’m not translating this, (I feel like the radio CDs are a good enough stand-in for the cast commentaries) but given its mention, I wanted to provide some of the context surrounding it. Like your regular cast commentaries on any DVD’s bonus features, the voice actors share their comments of the show as they watch the episodes. The order of the voice actors featured in each episode goes as follows:
Episodes 1-2: feature commentary from Misuzu Togashi (Yukki’s VA) and Tomosa Murata (Yuno’s VA).
Episodes 3-5: Aizawa Mai (Minene’s VA, ps her voice is so high it caught me off guard), Kawahara Yoshihisa (12th’s VA) and Sendai Eri (Tsubaki’s VA).
Episodes 6-8: Sanada Asami (Reisuke’s VA) and Mizuhara Kaoru (Rea’s VA).
Episodes 18-20: Yukana (Mao’s VA) and Shiraishi Minoru (Kousaka’s VA).
Episodes 21-23: Inada Tetsu (Ryuji’s VA, aka 11th’s secretary) and Konno Hiromi (8th’s VA).
Episodes 24-26: Domon Jin (3rd’s VA) and Honda Manami (MurMur’s VA).
(Also, I'm pretty sure the English version of the DVD includes cast commentaries too, but I don't know if those are the Japanese cast commentaries with translated subtitles or if it's commentary from the American cast… probably the latter, but I guess I’ll have to look a little deeper into that.)
2-disc DVD volume set was released December 2, 2014
Taken off crunchy roll March 31, 2022
Current available streaming platforms unknown
CONTENT
2 Seasons/24 episodes
Diabolik Lovers (ディアボリックラヴァーズ, Hepburn: Diaborikku Ravāzu) is a Japanese visual novel franchise by Rejet.
An anime adaptation was first announced at a 2013 event called the "Rejet Fes 2013 Viva La Revolution". During the "Otomate Party 2013" event later that year, it was announced that the adaptation would be directed by Atsushi Matsumoto and produced by the Zexcs studio.
Diabolik Lovers (ディアボリックラヴァーズ Diaborikku Ravāzu), abbreviated as DiaLover, is a Japanese anime television series directed by Shinobu Tagashira and produced by the animation studio Zexcs.
Diabolik Lovers More,Blood (ディアボリックラヴァーズ モア、ブラッド Diaborikku Ravāzu Moa,Buraddo) is the second season of the DiaLover anime series which takes its title from the second otome game of the same name, Diabolik Lovers MORE,BLOOD.
However, the second season is not a direct sequel to the first season, but a spin-off based on the second game of the franchise.
Plot
First season
Yui is a kind and gentle seventeen-year-old second year high school student who lived a normal and peaceful life, until her father moved overseas for work.
“Not wanting her to be alone” , he sends her to live with an old friend and his six sons. When she arrives at their mansion, she discovers that they are vampires.
Only to be informed that there is a different, much darker reason she was sent to them. While she optimistically accepts her situation, she unravels mysteries of the Sakamakis' past and her own.
Second Season
After living with the Sakamaki's for a month, Yui begins to have strange dreams and apparitions regarding a mysterious purple haired woman. Her fate takes a turn after she gets involved in an unexplainable fiery car accident with the Sakamaki's.
This incident heralds four new vampire brothers who suddenly appear and abduct Yui for their own purposes.
Main Characters
Yui Komori (CV: Rie Suegara )
Ririe (Shuu) Sakamaki (CV: Kōsuke Toriumi)
Reiji Sakamaki (CV: Katsuyuki Konishi)
Ayato Sakamaki (CV: Hikaru Midorikawa)
Kanato Sakamaki (CV: Yūki Kaji)
Laito Sakamaki (CV: Daisuke Hirakawa)
Subaru Sakamaki (CV: Takashi Kondō)
Ruki Mukami (CV: Takahiro Sakurai)
Emilio (Kou) Mukami (CV: Ryōhei Kimura)
Edgar (Yuma) Mukami (CV: Tatsuhisa Suzuki)
Azusa Mukami (CV: Daisuke Kishio)
Carla Tsukinami (CV: Toshiyuki Morikawa)
Shin Tsukinami (CV: Showtaro Morikubo)
Side Characters
Karlheinz Sakamaki (CV: Ryōta Takeuchi)
Richter Sakamaki (CV: Jun Konno)
Cordelia (CV: Akane Tomonaga)
Christa (CV: Yuki Tashiro)
Beatrix (CV: Mana Hirata)
Music
First Opening Theme
Song - Mr.SADISTIC NIGHT
Artist: Ayato Sakamaki (CV:Hikaru Midorikawa) & Shu Sakamaki (CV:Kōsuke Toriumi)
Information regarding the first IJIGEN FES 2023 live has been revealed! The live will occur in the TOKYO DOME on the 9th and 10th of December 2023. This first fes will feature three branches of IDOLM@STER performing with four branches of Love Live!
The voice providers participating in this stop are as follows:
Overseas travelers' ticket sales for Kaji Fes. 2023
Overseas travelers' tickets for the 30th Anniversary Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#19 -Kaji Fes.2023- will go on sale starting at noon on June 15th (JST). If you haven’t been able to secure a ticket yet, here’s your chance!
[Title] “30th Anniversary Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#19 -Kaji Fes.2023-“
[Schedule]
December 8th, 2023 (Friday) Open 5 PM / Start 6 PM
December 9th, 2023 (Saturday) Open 3 PM / Start 4 PM
[Venue] Nippon Budokan https://www.nipponbudokan.or.jp/
[Performers]
Yuki Kajiura/FictionJunction (Piano/Chorus)
Vocals: KAORI, KEIKO, YURIKO KAIDA, Joelle, rito, and LINO LEIA
Musicians: FRONT BAND MEMBERS (Koichi Korenaga on guitar, Kyoichi Sato on drums, Tomoharu “Jr.” Takahashi on bass, Konno Strings, Rie Akagi on flute, Obawo Nakajima on percussions, Yoshiaki Sato on accordion, Naoki Nakahara on uilleann pipes, and Yoshio Ohira on manipulator)
[Guest Performers]
Day 1:
Aimer, Yuri Kasahara, Revo, and Remi
Day 2:
ASCA, Eri Ito, KOKIA, Hanae Tomaru, JUNNA, Hikaru, and Aira Yuuki
[Pricing]
All tickets issued with assigned seating: JPY 10,890 (incl tax/service fee)
[Sales Period] June 15th ~ June 25th
[Link] https://ib.eplus.jp/kajifes2023
*Children under the age of five are not permitted to enter
*You can purchase tickets once per performance date
*You can buy up to four tickets per performance
*Tickets are sold on a first-come-first-served basis
*Tickets purchased need to be picked up on the day of the performance at the venue’s box offices
KOKIA Announced as Guest Vocalist for Day 2
KOKIA will be joining the guest vocalist lineup for DAY 2 of Kaji Fes. 2023! Please look forward to it!
For the longest time I had the idea to do a short introduction to all the different bl games I played, as a way for people to figure out if certain games are for them or not, and this day finally came. So, starting from today I will do short introductions, with a general rating of the story, characters and so on of every game.
(I try to give a more neutral opinion, but some things are still based on my perception of the game)
In addition I will add some extra comments on every game, so people know what to expect.
This is NOT a recommendation list, just an introduction, you decide yourself if you want to play it.
The rating goes from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong).
Higher story rating means the it's more unique and captivating.
The higher the romance is the more developed and focused it is.
Sadness level is obvious, the higher the ranting, the more tissues you need.
Level of disturbing includes content that can make you feel unwell as well as the amount of rape (we know bl game writers love them) so the higher the rating the higher the the amount of it in the game.
CAGE -OPEN- (R18+)
Description:
Konno Teppei suddenly loses consciousness on his way home from work in the evening. He wakes up surrounded by ruins and old buildings. He, along with several other men, are in an abandoned amusement park.
An announcement suddenly informs them that the game is about to begin. The rules are very simple. For 8 days, the participants will continue their normal lives during the daytime. But once night falls, they will be forced into the old amusement park as the setting for their struggle to obtain a coin that will win them fifty million yen.
Genre: Action, Gore, Psychological, Violence
Story 3/5
Characters 4/5
Romance 2/5
Artwork 3/5
Sadness level 1/5
Level of disturbing 4/5
Language: Japanese, English (partly translated with Viusal Novel Reader)
Comments: It’s not voiced, the games has some really disturbing bad ends with themes like mutilation so be careful with that, the romance part is not very strong, MC is the “I don’t like guys”-type, also a good amount of rape and dub-con moments, the music of the games is really good, the game has several sequels and remake will be released soon
Gakuen Heaven 2 ~Double Scramble!~ (R15+)
Description:
Bell Liberty School, known as BL School. A near-legendary boarding school attended by elite students chosen from all over the country.
By some stroke of luck, I, Yuki Asahina, am among those chosen to attend this school. But on my first day, I was suddenly given a mysterious armband. Of all things, this armband is apparently the symbol of the ace of the school, the Student Body President.
Wait--does that mean I'm now the Student Body President?!
But there's no time to celebrate. Because the Student Body President has been reduced into nothing but a powerless servant....
Genre: School life, Comedy, Slice of life
Story 2/5
Characters 4/5
Romance 3/5
Artwork 4/5
Sadness level 1/5
Level of disturbing 1/5
Languages: Japanese, English (patch)
Comments: A light school life bl game, no heavy themes, MC is really fun, romance can be good or bad depending on the route, no graphic sexual content, not for people who prefer games with strong plot
Luckydog 1 (R18+)
Description:
It all starts with the slam of a prison door. Four captains from the same Mafia family, the CR:5, are taken out in one fell swoop and left to rot behind bars.
Lucky for them, our hero’s already there.
Gian’s just a run-of-the-mill wiseguy, passing his time doing petty jobs for the family when he’s on the outside and living the lazy life when he’s in the slammer. But those easy days come to an end when he gets word from the boss: if he can break the captains out, Gian will earn a spot at the top of the hierarchy.
Can he pull off a job this big, or is it more than even Gian’s fabled good luck can manage?
making good headway in reading (or rereading) everything for propaganda collection & rec writing, but @whysapphics suggested posting the list of titles for season 3 in case anyone wants to read things beforehand
still subject to change if i end up quibbling over what to include, but here's the current roster (under the cut)
dark forest, white road <- yoshida chiyu (high school drama including a blind girl)
ayaka is in love with hiroko <- sal jiang (silly office romcom)
the moon on a rainy night <- kuzushiro (high school drama including a deaf girl)
serendipity <- mimiyori (webcomic about an overworked magical girl)
handsome girl and sheltered girl <- majoccoid & mocha au lait (silly miscommunication romcom)
aoi hana <- takako shimura (classic schoolgirl yuri)
composing spring in this room where cherry blossoms bloom <- tokuwotsumu (angst. ough.)
makoto no momoka <- sumiko arai (oneshot)
i decided to fake a marriage with my junior to shut my parents up <- kodama naoko (exactly what it says on the tin)
i'm not cut out to be a princess, so i'll elope with the villainess <- yamagata atsuka (isekai oneshot)
netsu wo obiru veil <- sakura togane (oneshot about unrequited love)
muted <- miranda mundt (fantasy webcomic)
the girl that can't get a girlfriend <- mieri hiranishi (autobiographical lesbian dramady)
a lady's table <- hwemi (girl dinner <3)
because you are a red rose <- mokuzuko (oneshot about unrequited love... again. im not having issues i prommy)
that time i was blackmailed by the class's green tea bitch <- xian jun (silly high school romcom)
2dk gpen aftertime <- yayoi ohsama (anthology including an epilogue to 2dk gpen alarm clock)
kanojo ni naritai kimi to boku <- takase umi (kind of a stretch to call it yuri (for spoiler reasons) but about a girls crush on her childhood friend who recently came out as trans)
indigo blue <- yamaji ebine (down to earth josei drama about a writer cheating on her bf with a woman)
destroy it all and love me in hell <- kuwabara tamotsu (so THIS is the toxic yuri ive heard so much about)
mahou josei chimaka <- kaiju (webcomic turned real comic about an ex-magical girl who needs to save the world again; no longer available online which unfortunately means i wont be able to read this one at the moment... hmu if anyone knows of an ebook sale for it ToT EDIT: oh im dumbbb i looked at the submission to double check for content warnings and its on IA)
savior <- junqi & jo9 (vampire yuri)
to die in june <- kuragenanami (alternate history where young girls were recruited to the jp army in ww2)
soulmate <- wenzhi lizi & ke ran bing (woman gets bodyswapped with her 17 year old self)
yuki and the authoress <- nagori yu (historical romance)
blooming sequence <- lee eul (college student romance)
you are my angela <- murasakino (short romance about an angel)
Undead Unluck Episode 1: Immortality and Misfortune
It's David Production, it's Yuki Yase, it's an action series where the character can fly based on propulsion generated from their legs. Need I say more? I will though. I'm not a fan of the manga, it's not that I hate it but that I just don't enjoy it. I can read it if I want but there's things I'd rather read first. I'm hoping David Production changes my mindset, and with this first episode they seem pretty hellbent on making a start on that, and in a lot of ways.
Firstly, they somehow knew that Taiki Konno was the easiest way to my heart, as they had them cold open the series as the romance manga Fuuko was reading.
You might not know Konno by name, but I'm sure everybody knows about the Magical Destroyers ending, which they did themselves.
I absolutely adore the feel of Konno's style. The way it feels so hopeless and drowning in yearning and desire that can't be felt. I'd kill for them to have a series of their own one day.
Anyways, Yase opens things up following Konno, and it's just right out of the gates a Yase series. The sharp contrast and dark shading that's associated with their style is front and center in eye-popping fashion.
That gets followed right up with sharp and creative closeups that largely focus on the eyes of the characters. Within a minute, it's undeniably Yase's series.
Even if this wasn't Yase's style, I feel like it's a really important piece to selling the overall direction of the episode. Undead Unluck's humor is harsh, crass, and crude. It's got energy, and lots of it, so we get a lot of sharp jump cuts and pauses in between. Yase's penchant for getting up close and personal really helps with that as it allows that sharp and fast style to be applied to the non-comedic aspects of the episode as well, allowing it to have a better flow.
Here's a few examples of the humor. I like how they leave it rather lacking in animation. Cheap and easy way to save on time, but it also provides its own sort of humorous effect.
Of course it's not all silly shenanigans and whatnot, but this episode is by and large setup, so we're not getting a sakuga feast 24/7..... but Yase still provides for viewers in some really great ways.
Overall, I have my complaints with how Fuuko and Andy's relationship is handled and how it's used for comic relief, but past that I enjoyed a lot of what David Pro's put out here in this episode. Plenty of opportunity for humor, great action direction, and all the makings of Yase's style. I hope we'll see some more creative work from other boarders and episode directors in terms of non-action, but that's basically a given. Undead Unluck is already Yase's story thanks to their performance on this first episode, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what they can do with a whole 24 episodes.
KOKIA news: Kaji Fes.2023 at Budokan guest performance
Via KOKIA.com/news
“Hello, this is KOKIA. Today, I’m letting you know that I will get to perform at Kaji Fes. 2023, the live performance to commemorate Yuki Kajiura’s 30th anniversary. After I got to work together with her about 25 years ago, I’ve been looking forward to join up again for a long time, and that hope is coming true now in a wonderful way.”
【Live】30th Anniversary Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#19 -Kaji Fes.2023- guest appearance on day 2, December 9 (Saturday)!
This year’s performance will be a compilation of Yuki Kajiura for her 30th anniversary since her debut. It’s the second time Kaji Fes. will be held since it was done for the 20th anniversary. Appropriate for a 30th anniversary, it’ll be a festival that many splendid guests will participate in. Make sure not to miss out on this chance!
“30th Anniversary Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#19 -Kaji Fes.2023-”
(T/N: The following information is also taken from the Notice for overseas travelers’ ticket sales on the official website, which is the same as on KOKIA’s news page, except including notes on ticket sales for overseas travelers.)
[Schedule]
December 8, 2023 (Friday) 17:00 open/18:00 start
December 9, 2023 (Saturday) 15:00 open/16:00 start
[Venue]
Nippon Budokan
2-3 Kitanomaru Koen, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo, Japan 102-8321
https://www.nipponbudokan.or.jp/
Vocals: KAORI, KEIKO, YURIKO KAIDA, Joelle, rito, and LINO LEIA
Musicians: FRONT BAND MEMBERS
(Kouichi Korenaga on guitar, Kyouichi Sato on drums, Tomoharu “Jr.” Takahashi on bass, Konno Strings [Hitoshi Konno and Masahiko Fujidou on violin, Kazuhiro Kobayashi on viola, Takayoshi Okuizumi on cello], Rie Akagi on flute, Obawo Nakajima on percussions, Yoshiaki Satou on accordion, Naoki Nakahara on uilleann pipes, and Yoshio Ohira as the manipulator)
【Guest】
Day 1:
Aimer, Yuri Kasahara, Revo (Sound Horizon/Linked Horizon), and Remi
Day 2:
ASCA, Eri Itou, KOKIA, Hanae Tomaru, JUNNA, Hikaru, and Aira Yuuki
【Prices】
All tickets assigned seating: ¥ 9,900 (tax included)
※ No entrance for pre-school children (under the age of five)
※ The program performed on the 2 days will be different from each other.
【Tickets】
Ticket agency pre-sale start: June 15 (Thursday), 12:00~
Regular sales: October 21, 2023 (Thursday), 10:00~
Please visit the special ‘Kaji Fes.2023′ website for more information.
▶https://fictionjunction.com/kajifes2023
[Quantity limits]
One person can buy up to four tickets per concert.
*It’s possible for an individual to purchase tickets once per performance date.
[Overseas travelers’ ticket sales]
☆Tickets available from noon (Japan Standard Time) of June 15th (Thursday) to 11:59 PM on June 25th (Sunday)
☆Direct link to purchase:
https://ib.eplus.jp/kajifes2023
*Quantity limits: One person can buy up to four tickets per performance date. (Possible to purchase tickets for both performance dates)
*Please refer to the ticket sales website for further information on purchasing and any additional precautions.
*Tickets are sold on a first-come-first-served basis. Please make sure to purchase during the specified timeframe.
*Tickets purchased need to be picked up on the day of the performance at the venue’s box offices.