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#AND THEN HE DEVELOPS GYNOPHOBIA
roppongi-division · 3 months
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Zakari's Thoughts on Second Members
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Jiro Yamada
"Jiro is one of my close friends! He and I met a few years back when he was in the orphanage and in middle school. Kind of ironic that we're both in high school together despite being five years apart. When we aren't doing schoolwork together, I like to play games of chance with him. I think he likes seeing me perform dangerous stunts cause he's always afraid I'll chicken out. Joke's on him, though. There's pretty much nothing I won't do if it gets me a rush!"
Jyuto Iruma
"Urgh, my parents have the right idea with this guy. Can you believe he once tried to give me a ticket for performing parkour in my own neighborhood? He claimed I was "disturbing the peace" or some shit, like that. Buddy, pretty much everyone in Roppongi and Minato knows I do this shit in my spare time. In fact, they pretty much love seeing me hop to and fro. So saying I'm "disturbing the peace" is just a sad excuse to want to give someone a fine. Nice try, though."
Gentaro Yumeno
"I'm not as close to Gentaro as I am to Dice, but he's still a pretty cool guy... with a unique fashion sense. I know people get on him for his constant lying, but considering he's a writer, it's no surprise everything he says may or may not be the truth. He and I actually have a little side bet going on. If I can catch him in one of his lies before the month is over, then he has to feature me as a character in one of his next stories! But if I don't, I have to pay for the editing and publishing of his next book. I'm really looking forward to it!"
Hifumi Izanami
"Far be it for me to judge someone's phobias, but I really don't get Hifumi's. When he has his jacket on, he's a flirtatious playboy. But when he takes off, he develops a very bad case of gynophobia? Maybe he should consider seeing a psychiatrist. ...A 'male' one."
Rosho Tsutsujimori
"Rosho-sensei... I've heard about his fear of speaking in front of large crowds. Kind of a shocker considering he used to be a comedian along with Sasara-san. A shame he broke up a good thing, though. And jumping from comedy to teaching? Talk about a leap. Still, the guy does teach fairly well when he manages to work up the nerve. I'm glad I only have online classes with him, though."
Jyushi Aimono
"I know Jyushi mainly because of Kuko, but his band, ArgoξOrchestra, isn't bad either. He sounds a lot different on stage than he does usually, but considering he's a musician, that's kind of a given. I noticed he carries around a stuffed pig with him. He calls it 'Amanda'. Apparently, it was a gift from his grandmother, so he carries it as some sort of security blanket. Not that I'm judging, of course. We all need something to help us face this huge and dangerous world. Me, all I need is my parents and my luck!"
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somnimouse · 1 year
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An Analysis of Ryu’s Route in “NO, THANK YOU!!!”
I originally posted this to Twitter as a thread, but I’m going to post it as a whole analysis here.
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For a lot of NTY!!! players, Ryu is a difficult character to understand. "Does he even feel anything for Haru?" many people ask. "There is no chemistry!" 
There is actually a lot of it! Ryu feels quite a lot for Haru, too, but because of the nature of his character, his love is shown implicitly through careful actions in his route. For those who are confused, I’ve got an analysis that breaks down Ryu’s backstory and personality, his route themes, and his significance to Haru’s overall character and the game as a whole.
Warning: If you haven’t played Ryu’s route, this contains spoilers. The analysis also has references to CSA.
I. Backstory and Personality
There are a number of very important aspects to consider when understanding Ryu. The main one is that this man has Extreme Trust Issues(TM) and is this damn close to imploding from all of the misfortune in his life.
According to the sourcebook and implied in his POV flashback in-game, at the age of 13, Ryu was groomed and manipulated by his older female cousin, and he witnessed his uncle perving on his little sister, who was only 8 at that time. His trust in the world was shattered and his personality subsequently suffered. He developed an obsession with cleanliness and a mild form of gynophobia.
After he moved out with his sister at 15, Ryu then had to experience losing Ai at 21. He went to the police and they didn't even file a missing persons report. Who the hell can this man trust? Nobody, he's learned. He’s lost all his loved ones and he’s alone under the world’s foot. Ryu's been through so much hurt, it's no wonder he's a bit of an asshole.
His entire life was dedicated to protecting his sister, and she was his reason for living. Hell, Ai is his reason for living. The only reason he works under Kouichi in the first place is to figure out where she is.
The sad thing is, Ryu only trusts Kouichi to a degree. He believes that the world operates on “fuck yours, got mine” philosophy.
That is more than a decade’s worth of trauma for him. To survive in an awful world like this, Ryu has to put up walls around his heart and won’t let anyone in his world.
But that's not all there is to him. When Haru says, "Ryu might even be kinder than Hiroshi," he's right. Deep down, Ryu is a very compassionate individual who does everything he can to help those who are vulnerable, especially children and CSA victims. While he won't jump in head-first without knowing the full story, he'll always find a way to do something.
Case in point: the Igarashi siblings' case. Ryu, as a CSA victim himself, is quick to correct Kouichi and say it's "sexual abuse" and not "Sorato having a relationship with his mother," and is the only love interest to actually help Rikuto and Sorato successfully.
While I'll be mentioning Yufumi later, you can especially see Ryu's soft side with Hiroyuki and Ren. Both men are still green around the gills and wear their hearts on their sleeves, but Hiroyuki is naive while Ren is incredibly jaded from his own sexual and physical trauma (mentioned in the sourcebook). Ryu has gone as far as to house Hiroyuki back when the guy was 19 and teach him everything from cooking and house upkeep, and will always make sure Hiroyuki's okay at work. He is just as nurturing with Ren, who idolizes him for his competence and coldness.
Hiroyuki, who sees the good in others, views Ryu as a strict but kind man who's much like a mom. Ren, who distrusts everyone, sees Ryu's ruthlessness and cunning intelligence. Ryu's route showcases both of their viewpoints, but whose interpretation of Ryu is right?
As it turns out, neither of them are correct. Haru is the only person who sees Ryu for who he is: incredibly stubborn, reactive, petty, thoughtful, sweet and in a lot of pain. He learns this by doing what no one's ever dared to do: worm his way into Ryu's heart.
If you compare everyone's routes, you'll notice that Haru treats Ryu differently compared to how he treats Hiroyuki, Maki and Kouichi. Haru is much gentler in Ryu's route, (almost) always asks for his vocal consent, never uses his killer face on him, and always has him in mind during their interactions.
Now, Ryu's been suspicious of Haru since the very beginning, and it doesn't help that he hates stupid people. However, Haru's heart is undeniably in the right place, and Ryu is not blind. As the route progresses, he begins to care for Haru and eventually falls in love with him.
“But wait!” you might say. “How do you know he even loves Haru?”
And to that, I say, “Look closely!”
There are three main themes that are present in Ryu's route that showcase how Ryu's feelings change toward Haru from dislike to love:
a place to call home;
freedom;
the dichotomy of love and trust.
I will be splitting the next section into these three themes Haru and Ryu connect emotionally on.
IIA. A Place to Call Home, and a Child of Love
From the day he was born, the "amnesiac" who came to sótano was simply a broken toy of his father's, and has nothing to his name. No family, no home, nothing. He doesn't even have a name... until Ryu gives him one: "Haru."
By the time Chapter 3 rolls around, Haru has sótano as his newfound family, but he finds another one in Ryu's apartment. That is where he eats the Japanese home-cooked meals he's always wished to eat (via sourcebook), does the chores he's always wanted to do, and gets a slice of a normal life.
Ryu knows what a happy home looks like. Although he mentions that his mother "wasn't perfect," she was kind. Both his mother and father, according to the setting sourcebook, were very much in love and raised both Ryu and Ai with utmost love and care.
He no longer has this. Now, he's content with being alone because he can no longer trust anyone, but, while watching Haru react with joy over doing ordinary things like washing dishes, cutting burdock root and eating his food, Ryu gains a bit of insight into what Haru grew up without.
Enter Yufumi, the neglected and abused child who lives next door to Haru. She, too, does not truly have a place to call home because her mother views her as a burden. She's never had a home-cooked meal from a mother, been praised, or given any clothes.
Furthermore, Eyebrows, too, never had a home. He was a stray kitten who was about to become crow food had Haru not saved him. Two people (and one cat) who have never known what a stable, loving home felt like. And they all found home with Ryu.
So they form a somewhat patchwork family of a husband (Haru), a wife (Ryu, according to Haru's own words), and two children (Yufumi and Eyebrows). But what does is the significance of this to Ryu?
I'd like to take your attention to the matsuri scene for this one. Prior to them going to the festival, Ryu watches Haru and Yufumi tinker around on the piano. The soft gaze Haru catches from him makes it clear Ryu is thinking back to the days when it was just him and his sister, Ai.
However, the matsuri scene also shows something else. 
Recall Ryu's POV prior to the Bad End/Good End branch. Ryu was taken to a jazz restaurant by his parents and fell in love with the piano there at the age of 5. The sourcebook elaborates on this and explains that his parents did it on their anniversary date. Ryu, as a child, hand-in-hand inside the restaurant with his parents, and immediately being taken in by the sights and sounds. Does this sound familiar?
This is a parallel to the matsuri scene with Haru, Ryu and Yufumi. It's six-year-old Yufumi's first time seeing fireworks, and she gets to see them on a “date” between Haru and Ryu, who first met in a jazz bar. She is not only symbolic of Ryu’s happy childhood with his parents, but also of the foundation of love and care Haru and Ryu build together. Yufumi grows out of her shell and comfortably voices what she wants, and is visibly excited and happy under their parenting. In other words, the route pushes her solidly as their love child.
Now, when Ryu gently scolds Haru about being more excited than the children, Haru tells him to enjoy himself while he's here. The matsuri scene is also important because that is when Haru starts to plant the seed of doubt in Ryu's head and really, really tries to convince him to adopt Yufumi for both of their sakes. He knows how lonely Ryu is and how safe Yufumi would be with him, so why not raise her?
And what does Ryu do by the end of the route, thanks to Haru? Adopts Yufumi and Eyebrows because the cat is also a part of the family. I should point out that, without Haru’s influence, Ryu doesn't adopt Yufumi or Eyebrows, and the latter two are separated in other routes.
The thing is... in the epilogue, it's revealed that Ryu extends that offer of being a family to Haru, too, in the form of keeping the last coupon. That coupon represents the promise to bind them together, the one that will make Haru come home to him in the future because he never breaks his promises. The reason Ryu is willing to do that for Haru, of all people, is because Haru did what no one else could: set him free and show him unconditional love in spite of everything.
IIB. Freedom
Freedom is a major theme of Ryu's route and character, and it's one of the aspects that fosters the romance between him and Haru as well. Ryu, by nature, is tightly wound and controlled in every way you can think of: physically, sexually, emotionally, verbally, etc. 
Ryu does not enjoy life because he's shackled himself to his goals. He takes things for granted because nothing in the world is worth more to him than his sister. He does not know what he has until he loses it, and it takes Haru's presence in his life for him to understand that. Haru saving Ryu and freeing him from his shackles is represented by foreshadowing in a physical example: Haru unlocking Ryu's zip-ties in the garage scene in Chapter 2. 
"What are we going to do?" "Beats me." "Um... I have a proposal."
This humorous scene actually mirrors the reveal in the final chapter, after Ryu finally sees what happened to his sister.
Ryu, who's broken down and cries in anguish, does not know what to do and begs Haru to kill everyone. He's at his weakest and he has no way out. It's clear he's given up on life and wants the world to burn, knowing that his sister is in that state and would be better off dead.
Haru refuses. With gentle but honest coaxing, he shows Ryu that there is a way out of the darkness and that he still has something to live for: Yufumi. He gives Ryu a reason to stay alive and start all over again, and to stop clinging to the past that will never return. With that, Haru frees Ryu from 17 years' worth of self-sacrifice. He's free to play piano as much as he want again. He can take care of Yufumi like he's always wanted to. Ryu can't get any of the time he lost back... but Haru gives him a miracle.
(This is a direct nod to the conversation Ryu has with Ren, too, about how lost time cannot be brought back in any way.)
To Ryu, who's been single-mindedly pursuing the impossible, this is essentially giving him a second chance at life. It's not only Ryu who's given freedom, either. Yufumi, as well, is given a second chance at life when Haru gives her a similar talk about whether or not she wants to wait for her mom or move on. Thanks to him, Yufumi lets go and is able to move on, just like Ryu, and is able to walk toward goals she wants the most. The fact that Haru is able to do that for them solidifies Ryu's love for him, and that is why he holds onto that last coupon. Because Haru never breaks his promises, he's certain he'll come home. In true tsundere fashion, Ryu frames it as, "I'll allow you to come back to me."
"But Somni!” you interject. “Are you sure Ryu loves Haru? What if he just respects him?"
There are certain things Ryu does for Haru that he does for absolutely no one else, not even his own flesh and blood. Remember that he has his heart encased in an icy prison and lets no one see who he really is. Not only is Haru the only person who gets to see Ryu's foul temper and lack of composure, he's also the only one who gets to see Ryu's playful side.
There are various times throughout the route in which Ryu pranks and toys with Haru, but the cutest one involves the dustcloth. The dustcloth represents Ryu's affection, much like one would see from a noblewoman when she gives it to a knight vying for her hand. Ryu could have simply made the phone holder and be done with it, but he went the extra mile to make a gag gift. And that was done to poke fun at Haru and have him go from excited to dismayed. Unfortunately, Haru is dense as hell, so the prank flies over his head and Ryu has to give him his real gift.
Make no mistake, though—the important thing is not the phone case, but the dustcloth, the proof of Ryu’s affection.
The thing is, Haru also receives the phone case in the Ballad of a Killer ending, but he does not receive the dustcloth. The major difference in this branch is whether or not Haru proves that Ryu was right to fall in love with him.
IIC. The Dichotomy of Love and Trust
Love and trust are not mutually inclusive in Ryu's route. There is a huge difference between loving someone and trusting them, and while his own feelings can’t be controlled, earning Ryu's trust is how he allows himself to fall in love with Haru in the first place.
The key to Ryu's Good Ending is ensuring that Haru never, ever goes back on his word. Not getting handsy with Ryu in the shower shows Ryu that he was never serious about the coupons, so he has no reason to trust him. Refusing to go home when Ryu uses a coupon seals it completely and Haru has to pay for his betrayal with his life. You cannot toy with the feelings of a man with Extreme Trust Issues(TM) and expect to get away with it.
Ryu was already falling for Haru, showing concern when Haru put himself in danger and musing about the fun Haru must have had while laying out the yukata set he bought for Yufumi. He was beginning to trust Haru, too... until, in the Ballad End, the fucker broke his promise and did not obey the coupon. By doing that, Haru unintentionally reinforces Ryu's view of the world: trust no one. He was a fool for loving him in the first place. So Ryu ends up using Haru's feelings again him and tricks him into killing Mimasaka and being fatally injured in the process.
Even then, Ryu can't bring himself to shoot Haru. He still loves him even though Haru screams out the most vile things about his sister to enrage him and drop his guard. It's an incredibly heartbreaking ending because Ryu takes what he has for granted again and will never get that love back.
Here's the kicker: Ryu set that trap for Haru in advance. Whether or not he decides to utilize it depends entirely on Haru's choice to obey or disobey. In the Good Ending’s path, Haru realizes the Mimasaka thing was probably a trap and isn't even disappointed, and Ryu does not pursue it.
Slowly, Haru begins to earn more of Ryu's trust, even though there's a limit. The tipping point happens prior to their last H-scene together, when Ryu sees Haru napping and tucks him in, and lets him hear what his true feelings sound like through the piano.
In the OST, the song Ryu plays is titled "Passion," which shows how much fire and life he's keeping inside of him. This is something he doesn't allow anyone to listen to or touch because that can be easily taken away from him like everything else. He doesn’t even play this kind of jazz for patrons in the bar. The sourcebook notes that Ryu plays with all his might like this once or twice a month, when everyone else has gone home. However, he doesn't wake Haru or kick him out, but lets him sleep and listen. Haru understands the significance immediately and sees him for who he truly is.
Now, a lot of people would say their second-last H-scene is one that holds the most emotional value, but I'd actually argue that their last H-scene, the one after this piano scene, showcases all of Ryu's feelings for Haru out in the open.  For this H-scene, I want to point to Lee's VA comments for Ryu. He mentions that Ryu's true feelings show themselves a little in this H-scene, which made recording for the route climax a lot easier. I also want to mention that Ryu's CSA experience is also vital here.
Ryu is a person who needs to be in control to feel safe because he can't trust anyone else to take the lead. The sourcebook reveals he doesn't even masturbate because, to him, that's a moral failing signifying a lack of control, which nods to his past.
The last H-scene he has with Haru is the first in which he has control over what happens (at least, for now). Haru pulls back at the lack of reciprocity, pouts, and whines about his feelings being hurt, which actually makes Ryu pause.
"If you want to have sex with me, make me want it."
Ryu does not want sex, ever. He's a traumatized, sex-negative asexual, has no interest in anyone, and would rather go through life without any of that dirty shit.  Plus, we've learned from the second-last H-scene that sex acts without emotion actually bore Haru. Even so, Ryu wants to do it with him, who he loves and trusts. But how does he show it?
He gives Haru something he's never, ever given anyone in his life: his first kiss.
And not just any kiss—he practically eats Haru's face (although he absolutely sucks at it) and it makes Haru so happy, it gets him raring to go right away.
"But Somni,” you say. “It's just a kiss! It’s not that big of a deal!"
The thing is, this is coming from someone who won't even masturbate. Ryu shows major resistance when Haru asks him to touch himself. The kiss he gives him is something within his control but also comes from a place he allows no one to look. Ryu has never done this to anyone in his life because he's never felt anything this deeply before until Haru came along in his life. This kiss holds major, major significance in that he's showing how much he wants Haru and love him.
Allowing Ryu to initiate the first move during sex is cathartic. He gets to move things on his terms without being forced against his will, and, as the scene progresses, Ryu begins to want more of Haru and actively voices it. Major trust is required for that.
However, that's the limit for Ryu's because, above all else, he has one goal in mind: to find his sister. He's more than willing to aim a gun at Haru, the man he loves, to get what he wants. The power of compartmentalization is really something.
III. True Love
But then Haru fulfills his promise and shows him the truth. And then Ryu loses it. He crumbles. He's lost everything and is at his most vulnerable, with his broken heart out in the open. There's no point in anything anymore. But, when Ryu is at his weakest, Haru saves his heart. Haru protects him and sets him free with the coupons and the reminder that Yufumi is waiting for him. He was there when Ryu needed him most.
Everyone else in Ryu's life broke his trust and abandoned him, but Haru didn't. And that finally proves to Ryu that, yes, he trusts Haru and was right to fall in love with him and let him into his life. That is why Ryu, seeing the last coupon flutter before his eyes, holds onto it. He wants to see Haru again and have him come home to him.
I want to draw attention to the fact that the very last CG is Haru through Ryu's eyes. His gentle, happy smile is shown through both that and described through Ryu's inner dialogue. Haru never breaks his promises, and the coupon becomes a chain that binds them together forever.
Ryu's lost so much over the years. He lost his parents when he was 10. He lost his innocence at 13. He lost his sister at 21. He lost her all over again at 27. But he also got a family and his life back, thanks to Haru, and Ryu doesn't want to lose him, either. For so many years, Ryu's suffered alone in silence, and in just two months, Haru, that wonderful windstorm of a man, barged into his heart and changed him for the better. Ryu gave him everything he ever wanted, too.
While Ryu's love isn't traditionally flirty like Hiroyuki's, tension-charged as Maki's, or exciting like Kouichi's, it's romantic all the same, and it comes from deep down in the soul. Their love reflects the quiet, everyday love between two people who have been married for many years. He and Haru changed each other's lives for the better, and it's not just their lives, either.
Remember Yufumi and Eyebrows. Because of that love between Haru and Ryu, both Yufumi and Eyebrows have a home and will no longer be mistreated, hungry, filthy and neglected. Haru's and Ryu's love creates a nurturing environment that allows their children to grow and flourish.
Haru himself also gains the most in Ryu's route compared to the other routes. He gets not only an identity, but the milestones he believes he’ll never have are achieved, too: what it's like to be married (with Ryu), being a father (of Yufumi and Eyebrows), having his first home-cooked Japanese meal made with love, etc.. Ryu, so vibrant and full of life underneath that coldness, is a joy for Haru to unwrap over and over again, and how he manages to surprise him one last time by being willing to wait for him to come home solidifies Haru's love for him, too. Haru's so in love with Ryu physically, mentally, sexually and emotionally, he literally does not think about him without simping at some point, and when he finally sees the fire inside him, Haru's all too happy to be consumed by it and even shows jealousy toward his own dick because it gets to be inside Ryu.
Their love is slow-burning and full of meaning and significance, and the impact it has on them and everyone around them is undeniable. The writing in Ryu’s route is so full of clues, metaphors and foreshadowing, it's the gift that keeps giving.
Love does not have to be showy. Love does not have to be explicit. Love is a choice, a conscious effort one makes to the person they care about the most, and when it comes from a jaded individual who keeps their emotions under lock and key, it means the world. Ryu’s love for Haru is clearly showcased in his actions and the route’s intertwining of their themes, and their chemistry together is solid.
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shizuokadivision · 10 months
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Kanon's Thoughts on 2nd Members
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Jiro Yamada 
“Jiro Yamada, also known by the MC name MC MB. Subject is the 2nd member of Ikebukuro Division’s Buster Bros!!! and the middle son of the Yamada family. Subject is not particularly interesting compared to his brothers. He lacks any sort of reasonable intelligence and is average at best compared to some of the other subjects. Data concludes he is not much of a threat.”
Jyuto Iruma 
“Jyuto Iruma, also known by the MC name 45 Rabbit. Subject is the 2nd member of Yokohama Division’s MAD TRIGGER CREW and an active-duty police officer in the Organized Crime Unit of the Yokohama Police Department. Subject is morally corrupt and is willing to get his hands dirty with a wide variety of criminal activities. It is noted that he has a clear disdain for the illegal drug trade. I had a run-in with him once before and our altercation ended with one of my scalpels embedded in his shoulder and a threat that should he even attempt to bother me again that they would be finding him piece by piece for months. Data concludes he is not much of a threat but to watch him if he tries anything.”
Gentaro Yumeno 
“Gentaro Yumeno, also known by the MC name Phantom. Subject is the 2nd member of Shibuya Division’s Fling Posse and an accomplished author. Subject is a compulsive liar however I will admit he is more perceptive than he lets on. I would not be surprised if he is close to finding out Subject Ramuda Amemura’s origins. Perhaps the most interesting about him is his rap ability as it could cause trouble especially if he can imitate my own. Data concludes he is not much of a threat but precautions should be taken against his rap ability.”
Hifumi Izanami 
“Hifumi Izanami, also known by the MC name GIGOLO. Subject is the 2nd member of Shinjuku Division’s Matenro and a popular host. Subject suffers from severe gynophobia (fear of women) which if what I discovered is true seems to stem from a past encounter with Honobono Keitoin. However, it seems like he conditioned himself that whenever he wears his suit jacket that that phobia all but disappears. Fascinating what the human mind does to protect itself from the effects of trauma. Data concludes he is not much of a threat.”
Rosho Tsutsujimori 
“Rosho Tsutsujimori, also known by the MC name WISDOM. Subject is the 2nd member of Osaka Division’s Dotsuitare Hompo and a teacher. Subject was once in a comedy duo with Subject Sasara Nurude however after an event he developed crippling stage fright and is unable to speak in front of large crowds. Subject is not particularly interesting and the only thing of worth about him is his organs. Data concludes he is not much of a threat.”
Jyushi Aimono
“Jyushi Aimono, also known by the MC name 14th Moon. Subject is the 2nd member of Nagoya Division’s Bad Ass Temple and is a vocalist in the visual kei band, ArgoξOrchestra. Subject was harshly bullied during his days as a student. As a result, when not putting on a grandiose persona acts quite pathetic constantly tearing up. He is also seen caring around a stuffed pig by the name of “Amanda” which was apparently made by his grandmother. Much like the aforementioned subject, he is not particularly interesting. The only thing he’ll be good for is one of my experiments. Data concludes he is not much of a threat.”
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whileiamdying · 2 years
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Naked Lunch: Burroughs
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This essay by novelist, playwright, and culture critic Gary Indiana originally appeared in the 1992 book Everything Is Permitted: The Making of “Naked Lunch.”
Burroughs’s work tends to affect people like a Rorschach test. It separates cultural conservatives from avant-gardists, social reactionaries from libertarians. Or, to use one of Burroughs’s favorite distinctions, members of the Johnson Family from the Shits. Johnsons have a live-and-let-live, mind-their-own-business mentality. Shits have an uncontrollable need to pass judgment on and be right about everything. In today’s censorious climate, police work dominates the pages of the book reviews: this writer has the wrong attitude and must be done away with.
Burroughs has always elicited a testy response from the cultural establishment. While early support for Naked Lunch from such mandarins as Mary McCarthy and John Ciardi has been matched over the years by encomiums from many of our best writers and by a substantial body of excellent academic criticism, the overall literary world’s recognition of Burroughs has been grudging more often than not. Perhaps Burroughs’s achievement represents a threat to the well-mannered, conventionally crafted, middle-class novel. It could be as simple as that. Burroughs expanded the content of fiction, giving artistic form to extremes of contemporary abjection. Naked Lunch opened a path into the world of the addict, the homosexual, the social outlaw. From this despised and largely unmentionable territory, Burroughs extracted a presiding metaphor of control. Naked Lunch deals with the control of consciousness and behavior through addiction—to sex, power, money, drugs, even to control itself. When themes of this nature, which ultimately have to do with politics, lie at the heart of a writer’s work, appreciation is often checked by the timidity of those who prefer not to think about such issues.
Burroughs also revolutionized the structure of fiction. He opened the novel to chance operations, using the “cut-up” and “fold-in” techniques he had developed with Brion Gysin and Ian Sommerville. Earlier writers, like Conrad, sometimes bring the same characters from one novel to the next. Burroughs recycles phrases, “routines,” descriptions, and characters through successive works as if they were musical figures or colors in a paint box. His novels suggest an artful arrangement of blocks of prose rather than linear compositions. Naked Lunch and the successive books mined from the thousand-some pages Burroughs produced while in and out of heroin addiction in the 1950s—Nova Express, The Soft Machine, The Ticket That Exploded (and, recently exhumed, Interzone)—compose, in advance of postmodern theory, the first truly postmodern literary texts. Eliminating classical armature and syntax, these books embrace the fragmentary, the “incomplete,” the deconstructive.
No doubt the unconventional approach taken by this work inspires nightmares of literary anarchy—what if everyone started writing this way or started writing about what Burroughs writes about? This two-pronged assault on traditional fiction came as the third and arguably furthest-sweeping wave of the Beat movement, after Ginsberg’s Howl and Kerouac’s On the Road. These set a generation in motion and helped spawn the sixties counterculture. Burroughs deserves consideration apart from the Beats, but there is no doubt that Naked Lunch seemed, on publication, the literary apotheosis of that movement. One obvious difference between Naked Lunchand Beat literature is what Mary McCarthy called Burroughs’s aerial perspective. Long exiled from the United States—in Mexico, Peru, France, and Morocco—Burroughs takes a long, jaundiced, global view of things. His evocation of America, though suffused with a gelid sort of nostalgia for the sexual dawn of adolescence, lacks entirely the provincial romanticism found in much Beat writing. (Problematically, much of Burroughs’s work does share the Beats’ extreme gynophobia; one can only defend his remarks about women in The Job by noting the misanthropy in his writing overall.)
In any event, Burroughs’s absence from the United States during much of the Beat era and the subsequent hippie movement encourages us to link him with British pop art as well as the Velvet Underground, with Godard’s Alpha 60 as well as Wild in the Streets. At this distance, it’s tricky to separate quintessentially “Burroughsian” ideas from ideas that were generally in the wind in the sixties. Widespread disgust with and revolt against the gray cold-war conformity of the 1950s was certainly fueled by the Beats and a constellation of associated writers and artists. Strategies of transcendence and escape flowed from such disparate sources as Marxist theory and LSD. Linguistics, along with comparative anthropology, became a countercultural preoccupation. Nonverbal communication loomed as a great undiscovered continent; the nature of the prelinguistic brain was much speculated about. These crypto-scientific interests of the radical young, which existed alongside a vogue for Eastern mysticism and magical operations, coincided with Burroughs’s artistic and personal quest for a “breakthrough in the gray room.” A radical interrogation of language permeates his books. As we can see from variously reproduced pages from Burroughs’s scrapbooks, his word-and-image experiments closely parallel certain contemporaneous artifacts, like Eduardo Paolozzi’s silk-screen series Moonstrips Empire News (itself inspired by Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations) and slightly later work by Joseph Kosuth. (Burroughs has collaborated, both visually and verbally, with Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, George Condo, Philip Taaffe, and Keith Haring; in recent years, he’s been enjoying a second career as a painter.)
Burroughs has always written for the space age. His work addresses readers who want out of present slave-planet conditions. His theory of language as a virus is closely connected to an (ambivalent) repudiation of Western consciousness in favor of “the savage mind.” (This theme, a favorite of sixties culture, is deftly conveyed in Barbet Schroeder’s film The Valley [Obscured by Clouds].) In the tense-scrambled, oneiric narratives of Nova Express and The Ticket That Exploded, Burroughs invokes the synchronic, telepathic mind of the aboriginal, linking the hieroglyphic “Mayan control calendar” with the image manipulation of contemporary mass media. Other texts, exploring the mind-altering possibilities of Korzybski’s general semantics and the Scientology E-meter, read like manuals for dismantling prerecorded consciousness. Burroughs’s basic project is psychoanalytic: to discard imprints, received ideas, the residue of psychic wounds, all forms of false consciousness. Since he pictures liberation as a state of tranquillity and “mineral silence” rather than one of religious or sexual ecstasy, this goal seems close to Freud’s ambition to replace neurotic unhappiness with ordinary unhappiness.
Being a novelist instead of a theoretician, Burroughs invariably paints the catastrophic possibilities inherent in any scheme of liberation. His pointed refusal to endorse “the garden of delights” of the psychedelic movement, though widely ignored at the time, reflects the stubborn complexity of a born realist. A strain of solid common sense serves as a bracket around writing uncommonly open to the apocalyptic imagination. It’s difficult to pinpoint the precise amount of put-on in the dozens of texts Burroughs contributed in the sixties and seventies to English and American underground newspapers, describing methods for instigating riots and disrupting the urban infrastructure. The chill-blooded revolutionary stance is seldom struck without irony; prescriptions for poisoning water supplies or launching biological warfare often turn up later as “routines” in Burroughs’s fictions, like The Wild Boys and Blade Runner (a movie). Nevertheless, it’s worth remembering that between roughly 1967 and 1973, the mood of much of the West was apocalyptic; authentic populist movements really did threaten the control mechanisms of the media-military-industrial complex, for the first and only time since World War II. Burroughs’s writings were part of a seminal, restive cultural mix that included Herbert Marcuse, N. O. Brown, Frantz Fanon, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Marshall McLuhan—which in turn influenced such musicians as John Cage and La Monte Young; diverse artists, including R. B. Kitaj, Rauschenberg, Yoko Ono, and Jasper Johns; numerous theater directors, such as Jean-Claude van Itallie, Joseph Chaikin, and Julian Beck; innumerable writers; and filmmakers Nicolas Roeg, Ve?ra Chytilová, Alejandro Jodorowsky, the Godard of One Plus One and Weekend, and the Pasolini of Pigpen, to name only a few.
Burroughs has remained an influential figure throughout the last two decades, partly on the strength of later [books] like Exterminator!, Port of Saints, Cities of the Red Night, The Place of Dead Roads, and The Western Lands, in which earlier experimental procedures have been integrated into more traditionally coherent narratives. Another part of Burroughs’s appeal, especially to younger readers, is the prophetic aura of his books. Naked Lunch, for example, refers ahead twenty years to liposuction (“stomach tucks”), autoerotic asphyxia, and a fatal AIDS-like viral epidemic. Some of his writing is uncanny in this respect. Some of it simply identifies problems that recur and magnify themselves historically—for example, drug hysteria, a relatively minor tool of social repression in the 1940s and 1950s, today a major implement of state terror. The “purple-assed baboon” routine, used in “Roosevelt After Inauguration” to satirize Roosevelt’s attempt to pack the Supreme Court, also anticipates the neoconservative takeover of the American judiciary in the 1980s and 1990s.
The culture has absorbed many of Burroughs’s ideas so thoroughly that their source is now obscured. A conspiratorial view of government didn’t originate with Burroughs, but he was the first American novelist to make justified paranoia a major literary theme. The idea of sinister forces controlling the world of appearances is commonplace in post-Watergate, post–Iran Contra America, but it was considered bizarre and unseemly when Burroughs invented the Nova Mob.
The pitch-black humor and rejection of humanism in Burroughs’s works were naturally embraced by the punk movement, notably by Patti Smith. In the distinctly unpsychedelic and junk-ridden milieu of downtown Manhattan in the late seventies, Burroughs was elder statesman, guru, and cautionary presence all in one. It would be foolish to claim that the strong antijunk message of Naked Lunch ever dissuaded a single junkie, or indeed was ever intended to. Both the courtroom transcripts from the 1966 Boston obscenity trial and Burroughs’s “Deposition: Testimony Concerning a Sickness” that preface all later editions of Naked Lunch serve exactly the same satirical purpose as the frontispiece disclaimers and pledges of high moral altitude that accompany any picaresque novel out to shock, from Defoe’s Roxana to Nabokov’s Lolita. In the seventies, Naked Lunch was to junkies what Alice in Wonderland and The Hobbit were to acidheads in the sixties. In other words, a completely accurate guide to what you could expect if you got addicted to heroin. In the days before AIDS, many people wanted, for reasons of their own, to go through hell and (maybe) live to tell about it. Burroughs’s writings were useful in the sense that reading them kept you from being too deluded about what you were doing.
The extravagant homoeroticism of The Wild Boys and Cities of the Red Nightechoes in the films of Derek Jarman, which also employ the aleatory cutting techniques of Burroughs’s fiction. The device of anachronism in Cities of the Red Night—a formally tidy variant of the “time travel” produced by scrambled texts in earlier works—crops up in Jarman’s Caravaggio, Rudy Wurlitzer and Alex Cox’s film Walker, and a recent novel by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, The Difference Engine. Burroughs’s literary influence on Kathy Acker, Dennis Cooper, David Wojnarowicz, and myself is as various as we are and probably something for others to elucidate.
Repetitive variations of the cut-up method using tape recorders and film, investigated by Burroughs in collaboration with Ian Sommerville and Antony Balch, have been adapted in music by Philip Glass, Gavin Bryars (the looping in The Sinking of the Titanic, in particular), and Glenn Branca (Symphony no. 2), among others; groups like the Insect Trust, Steely Dan, Hüsker Dü, and Throbbing Gristle have named themselves out of Naked Lunch and/or applied Burroughs’s techniques of composition. Burroughs has made numerous recordings combining readings of his work with experimental music, including the highly successful Dead City Radio, as well as other recordings made in collaboration with Giorno Poetry Systems. He recently collaborated with Robert Wilson and Tom Waits on The Black Rider, a music drama. Though imperfectly realized, the picture-book projects Ah Pook Is Here and The Book of Breeething were sufficiently well-known to have informed the recent outgrowth of “graphic novels”—grown-up comic books by such serious writers as Clive Barker and Michael Moorcock, intended to catch the short, primarily visual attention span of the TV-and-Nintendo generation.
The question of how Burroughs’s themes, characters, and ideas might be communicated to a wider audience remains complicated in 1991. Because certain important aspects of the work—explicit homoerotica and homoerotic violence, defecatory fantasies, etc.—are not only controversial but banned from mainstream film and from television, Burroughs’s mythology for the space age has “entered the mainstream” at an oblique angle. Religious hysteria surrounding the depiction of sexuality and bodily functions is a depressing, near-universal fact of life today. However, it would be insultingly reductive to suggest that Burroughs’s achievement consists entirely in his exemplary frankness about sucking and fucking. His invention of alternative worlds, of creatures like the Mugwumps, the Green Boys, and the Nova Mob, and of archetypal characters like Bradley the Buyer, A. J., the Afterbirth Tycoon, Hamburger Mary, and Dr. Benway represents a protean effort of imagination. Some of Burroughs’s complex insights into the social dynamics of addiction—and a good deal of Burroughsian humor—were incorporated into Gus Van Sant’s Drugstore Cowboy, a film that features Burroughs as a defrocked junkie priest. Though Ridley Scott adopted the title rather than the story of Burroughs’s Blade Runner, the movie’s cast of renegade androids and its bosky, evocative ambience—Piranesian architectural and human ruins outscaled by the monolithic “Mayan pyramids” of the corporate future—belong to Burroughs’s fictional world, as does the device of Scott’s Alien, i.e., a parasite that eventually consumes and assimilates its host organism. Among major filmmakers, it’s undoubtedly David Cronenberg, now director of the movie Naked Lunch, whose imagination most closely parallels Burroughs’s own. The lethal telepathic practices of Scanners, TV-induced brain tumors and “organic” videocassettes in Videodrome, fatal symbiosis between twins in Dead Ringers, and even—especially—the disembodied gallbladder that swims up between Barbara Steele’s legs in [Shivers] correspond to the queasily visceral marriages of flesh and technology pioneered by Naked Lunch, The Soft Machine, and Nova Express. More pertinent still is the crisply detached “paranoid realism” practiced by both artists: the sense that every human interaction contains the possibility of homicide. Or, as the title of Alan Ansen’s 1959 essay on Burroughs put it, “Anyone Who Can Pick Up a Frying Pan Owns Death.”
— Gary Indiana
Gary Indiana is the author of many novels and works of nonfiction, including the BFI monograph Salò, or The 120 Days of Sodom.
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sannin swap BUT
Orochimaru > Jiraya > Tsunade > Orochimaru
Sasuke stays with Orochimaru Naruto ends up with Tsunade Sakura ends up with Jiraya
instead of Orochimaru looking for immortality, its Tsunade trying to find a way to bring her brother and Dan back, and Shizune is in Kabutos place. Jiraya ends up traveling the world, unable to stay in Konoha because of his memories and ends up developing gynophobia because Tsunade. Orochimaru actually stays in Konoha as a horror novelist who occasionally travels to other places for inspiration, this including battlefields where he seems to be looking for something... Or someone. Kabuto is still his assistant, and tasked with watching Konoha while Orochimaru is out.
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alicenowonderland · 8 months
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DAYTIME SHOOTING STAR ☆彡
MOVIE REVIEW !!
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This may contain SPOILERS so BEWARE if you are going to watch the movie and if you don't like spoilers. ( ˶•̀ ᎑ - ˶ )
`✩`✩`✩`✩`✩`✩`✩`✩`✩`✩`✩
The story introduces us to Suzume Yosano who got lost in Tokyo after arriving there in search for her Uncle's house. She lives in the rural mountainous area of Japan (I'm sorry IDK where is it ㅠ﹏ㅠ) but her Father got a promotion at job where he needs to go to Bangladesh and her Mother will go with him so Suzume will stay with her Uncle Yukichi. But as she search for her Uncle's house she collapse in a park due to exhaustion. She woke up in Uncle Yukichi's house after she was saved by Satsuki Shishio. A junior in class of Uncle Yukichi and later revealed to be Suzume's Homeroom Teacher. She was seated beside Daiki Mamura, he is considered as the most handsome student in their school and called Sadistic Prince because of his cold features and treatment especially towards female classmates and schoolmates.
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At first Mamura is hostile towards Suzume but Suzume asked Mamura to be friends with her. Upon knowing that Mamura has a condition called gynophobe, it is a kind of social phobia where he has a fear of women/girls. Eventually Suzume and Mamura became friends since Suzume keeps Mamura's secret. A female classmate named Yuyuka Nekota has a big crush on Mamura and noticed that Suzume is getting close with Mamura. In order for her to gain Mamura's attention she befriends Suzume and on the day of their camp she tricked Suzume to go into the woods where Mamura followed her. It is where Mamura revealed to Suzume that he hated women since his Mother left them, his Father, him and his younger brother. It became an emotional trauma for Mamura that develops his gynophobia. Later on, Suzume catch a fever due to the cold weather and they were lost in the woods. Luckily, Shishio found them and bring them back to the camp.
When Suzume wakes up she saw Shishio taking care of her in the clinic and even closes the light revealing a box full of fireflies. AHHCCKK !! Personally it is my favorite scene and who wouldn't fall for that act? Like, you get a box of fireflies for me just because I am sick ?! E-F-F-O-R-T!!! ♡_♡
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Then back at school, Suzume confronted Yuyuka and they had physical fight where Yuyuka spilled that she likes Mamura that is why she tricked Suzume. Mamura and his friends saw Yuyuka and Suzume's physical fight but Suzume defended Yuyuka by just saying they are practicing wrestling. HAHAHA! Then Suzume said to Yuyuka that she might be a bad person but she does not hate Yuyuka. Awww! The innocence! ( ,,◕ ̫ ◕,, )
Suzume and Yuyuka became friends for real and Yuyuka helped Suzume to develop her physical appearance. Mamura fell harder for Suzume seeing her physical appearance change. Shishio also catch feelings for Suzume when he saw her. I don't know if her really likes Suzume from the start, he gives her a nickname too calling her Chun-chun. But I guess Shishio likes Suzume even from the start. Maybe at first he is just looking out for her since she is his friend's niece but later on catch feelings for her.
Suzume also likes Shishio and tried to confess to him on Christmas Day which is also Suzume's birthday. Shishio turned down Suzume's invitation to their party and got sad. Mamura then shows up and brought Suzume to a Christmas themed park where she is overjoyed by the big Christmas tree. Who wouldn't be overjoyed by it when a handsome classmate of yours invited you to a date in your birthday and Christmas day! AHHHCCKK! It is where I got confused who should I choose. HAHAHA!!!
Suzume scared of what Yuyuka's reaction will be especially when Mamura kissed her on cheeks. She left and went home. Shishio came and promised Suzume that they will go to the Aquarium (Ocean Park) the next day and almost kissed each other. AHHHHCKKKK!
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Personally I like older guys maybe that is why I like Shishio better than Mamura even if he is the green flag.
While going home, Uncle Yukichi saw them together and hinted that there is something between the two. The scene was not really shown but Uncle Yukichi called Shishio to talked and maybe he asked Shishio to leave Suzume alone since she is his student and a HIGH SCHOOL GIRL. She is a minor and he is not. It will be bad for the both of them even if they feel is real love. In the manga she is only 16 years old. It would be a real crime in the real world, you know.
The next day after Shishio dismissed the class, Suzume confessed to him but he turned her down saying he does not feel the same. AHHHHCKKKK HEARTBREAK ! ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )‧º·˚ Mamura also confessed to her where Yuyuka saw it. She went after Yuyuka who got mad at her feeling played. It is where she said the lines that why did she fell in love if everything will be that sad and hurting. AHHHCKK !! I felt it. I was like that on my younger years but realized that love and pain is inseparable. Someone will got hurt and someone will win. That's just love is.
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Suzume went back to her hometown during Winter break (am I right?) with her Mother visiting her. The classes starts and Suzume stayed with her Mom. Yuyuka and Mamura suprisingly visits Suzume after getting worried about her. There, Yuyuka and Suzume got confrontation and their bond became stronger. Mamura also admitted that he still likes her but she is still in the process of healing.
A new school year starts and they are now in the last year of their high school. Mimura got more famous, Yuyuka still has a crush on Mamura but accepts the fact that he will not feel the same. Suzume sees Shishio less and less because they now have a different Homeroom Teacher.
One day Suzume is feeding the fishes in the school's lobby when Shishio approached her. Mamura seeing how awkward and hurting it is for Suzume rescues Suzume by telling Shishio that they are dating. Mimura told Suzume that it is just for act since he still hates being around with girls, but deep inside he secretly likes the fake dating with Suzume since he likes her. But because he is the greenest flag in this story he cannot keep Suzume for himself, he cannot be selfish to the person he likes.
◾ ┃🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ┃🟩🟩💚🟩🟩 ┃🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ┃ ➖ GREEN FLAG ALERT
He invited Suzume into the Aquarium (Ocean Park) where Suzume and Shishio will have a date. Mamura did it as a thank you to Suzume. Suzume realizing how good Mamura is, gives them a chance.
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SO HERE IS THE BIGGEST PLOT TWIST!
Suzume and Shishio had a confrontation and confession in a hospital after Suzume thought Shishio got into an accident (Thanks to Uncle!). Shishio bravely confessed his feelings for Suzume even if he knows the consequences of it for the two of them. But Suzume UNEXPECTEDLY rejected Shishio, realizing she fell in love with Mamura. AAAAHHHHCCCKK!!! ʚ(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ But Suzume admitted that it is real and cannot be forgotten that Shishio will always be her first love. Suzume went back to Mamura admitting how she felt for him and they kissed. AAAAAHHHHHCKKK!!!
Soooo, it is a very nice movie actually. I liked it. It played my mind cause of it has an element called
✨ SECOND LEAD SYNDROME ✨
But also I did not expect that Suzume will choose Mamura which is also the best choice. I am glad that she did. My heart and mind was played by this movie ahhh!!! But I am satisfied with the story and everything.
I though Mamura was the ✨SECOND LEAD SYNDROME✨ until the end of the movie I realized that the real ✨SECOND LEAD SYNDROME✨ is Yuyuka.
It is still evident until the end that she likes Mamura but accepts the fact even if she is hurting. She also became real and genuine friends with Suzume. She is the pretty classmate whom we thought will be the villainess of the story it turned out that I loved her and I wish he all the luck in love. She deserves someone who will love her as she loves because she is just so sweet and thoughtful and honest. Until the end, she listens to Mamura even if she knows she will be hurt by it. She did not hope for him to like her. She did not got envious of Suzume and let her feelings go in peace. WAAAAAAH! A true woman! A matured one!
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So let's talk about Shishio. We can say he is kind of RED FLAG 🚩 for competing with his student (Mamura) and falling in love with his student. Let us admit it, Suzume is a HIGH SCHOOL GIRL, a 15/16 years old girl according to Manga and he is probably like 25 years old above. Suzume basically is a MINOR. Whether they feel for each other is real love, it is not acceptable that he will start a relationship with his student. That is why I am glad that Suzume somehow chooses Mamura.
But if we analyze the situation, Suzume is in the age where she explores her world and in her age it is natural for her to fall in love and have crushes. Shishio is the first guy who became Suzume's friend since Mamura is aloof at her at first that is why she cannot see him in a romantic light. Shishio maybe really loves Suzume but in the first it is more like he takes care of her just because he is his friend's niece and he is their Homeroom Teacher. Until, well, his feelings developed. *suddenly remembers MY TEACHER (Japanese Film too)*
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Since Shishio is always there for Suzume and they are always togehther since he is always in her Uncle's shop, Suzume fell for him. AND WHO WOULDN'T FELL FOR THAT FIREFLIES TRICK?! AHHHCKKK even I would fall for my teacher if he did that and he is good looking too just like Shishio. Hihi! (≧▽≦) So basically Shishio is the only option for Suzume at that time since her guy friends back at hometown feels like brothers to her. It is where she felt the attraction towards the opposite gender with Shishio.
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AND WHO WOULDN'T FALL FOR HIM? Just look at him. ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
Over-all the movie is nice. I recommend it to young adults, not to teenagers cause they might fall for their teachers TT____TT it's a different kind of offense when your teacher fell for you at a minor age. It is a serious crime in some countries like here in the Philippines. So I recomment this to young adults (18+) so we can all feel hopeless that why did this not happened to us in our high school days. WAHAHAHAHA! Just kidding! It played my mind and my heart so good that sometimes I do not know who to choose. ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
This is a really nice film and the actress who played Suzume, Mei Nagano, has a resemblance to Moon Ga Young! ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
And I just recently knew that Alan Shirahama who played Mamura is a half-pinoy. Ahhhh! That's why I felt some connections between us. HAHAHAHAHA! Delulu momints 🇵🇭
What are your thoughts and comments about the movie? Would you like to watch it too? Or just a hard pass?
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boochubsgeeks · 2 years
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Taisho x Alice - Steam
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We meet our heroine as she wakes up in a world without colour or sound. She does not remember who she is or even where she is. In an attempt to find an exit, she wanders around aimlessly, but she comes across a young boy with shining golden hair and piercing blue eyes. We discover that he as well is in a similar situation to our heroine, and he can only remember the name "Alice". Since she has no name, he calls her "Arisu" and they start looking for an exit together.
Their journey eventually takes them to a cave filled with crystal mirrors and figures reflected in them. Shortly thereafter, they decide to enter through the looking-glass. What awaits the "heroine" on the other side of the mirror world?
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There is a lot of darkness and depth in this Otome. Despite its sweet plot lines, this isn't your average romance Otome. You should not play this game if you are unable to cope with its contents, which include mental disorders, illnesses, incest (in a sense), polygamy, monogamy, suicide, amnesia, control, submissiveness, and sexual content. 
The game starts out as a normal fairy tale, but once you delve deeper, it becomes confusing. My mind was constantly occupied with explanations and questions throughout the story. Obviously, all the puzzles were solved once I played Epilogue. 
For CGs, click here - Full of spoilers
Characters
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Main Characters
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She is the best protagonist ever. She is funny and have a mind of her own. She is firm and no one can stop her once she put her mind into it. She is strong-willed and very determined. She is always, always there to help you and always have a positive mind.
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Cinderella is a self-centered, childish man whose family owns a local cafe. He is engaged to Yurika because their families are close. Snow White and Gretel, his younger brothers, live with him. Cinderella enjoys blowing money on frivolous items and throwing extravagant parties. He despises all forms of hard work. His hobby is glass-working. Walkthrough
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Red is a serious police officer who comes to stay with Yurika after she receives all those threatening letters. He appears unflappable and cold at first, but it turns out he just seems to have Gynophobia and is actually a charming genuinely nice guy with a twisted mind. He is very fond of flowers. Walkthrough
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At first sight, Kaguya falls in love with Yurika and asks her out. Since he is actually homeless and has lost all his memories, he moves in with Yurika at the cafe owned by Cinderella and Snow White. Having been through a lot in his past, he has a lot of scars on his body. As a moon dweller, he loves watching the moon and has always wished to go to the moon to end his suffering on Earth. The moon is all he remembers despite not remembering anything else. Walkthrough
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Gretel is Yurika's younger brother and completely devoted to her. The two know they are not blood related and have developed feelings for each other despite their differences. The relationship between Gretel and his sister was always a priority to him, so he cannot risk having it tarnished. Despite not realizing it, Yurika adores wrapping Gretel's fingers around hers. Being brothers and sisters, they can stay together and do everything together without worrying about what others think. He fears losing this relationship - someone to be called home - as an orphan, he has only Yurika as his family. The best thing he enjoys is spending time with his older sister and making sweets. Walkthrough
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Snow white is a soft-spoken young man who stays at home most of the time. He hates being referred to as girly, cute, or anything that describes girls. His favorite thing to do at night is to sit by the lake and read. He suffers from Dysgeusia, which causes his food to taste bad. Also, he has a very strong sense of self-consciousness and hates looking at his own appearance. He's a thinker and asks riddles as well as looking deeper into situations. Walkthrough
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Mr Wizard is a mysterious detective at Black Cat Detective Agency. He is said to be a genius at deduction and tries to assist Yurika after she receives a threatening letter. He is always straight forward and rarely minces words. Walkthrough
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Alice, as you all know, was also in the dark with Yurika. Most of the time, he can be annoying because he is extremely loud. In addition to not answering your questions, he will speak in an aggressive tone. It was probably to prevent Yurika from finding out who he is. Her first encounter with Alice in the darkness was not remembered until the Epilogue. Throughout the epilogue, he displays more concern for Yurika than he did at the beginning. In times of need or difficulty, he is always there for her. Although he maintains a distance from her, he keeps an eye on her.  Walkthrough
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champagnecall · 3 years
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“Mother’s Day, huh...?”
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One look at the calendar was enough to confirm that, though he didn’t even need to check the date for that unsettled feeling in his stomach to return. 
When was the last time he had seen this mother...? Eighteen?
When was the last time he had spoken to his mother...? Sixteen? Seventeen?
Some son he turned out to be.
Memories of waking up early to stand on a stool in the kitchen beside his sister, the smell of eggs, pancakes - whatever they decided to make that year - was all to present in his mind. Old photographs, tearing and browning at the edges. He didn’t have the full thing anymore - but he had pieces.
Pieces, that she was never able to take away from him, while the rest of his memories went up in smoke from what she had done to him. It was Honobono’s fault, that he couldn’t remember. 
It was his fault, that he let her too close.
He wanted to remember though, so he tried. The crayon-drawn card he had made for his mother in elementary school. The breakfasts he helped his sister make, every year since he had been allowed to help in the kitchen. The last Mother’s day he was able to spend with his mom, before everything fell apart, a bouquet of flowers - tulips, carnations, orchids - purchased from a nearby shop with his own money after school.
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“...well, I hope it’s another good one for her.”
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animehun7er · 2 years
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TOP ECCHi ANiME TO WATCH FOR
It’s sexy time now or in anime terms, it’s ‘ecchi’ time now. After doing a list about some of the popular harem anime out there, why not compile another list, this time with popular ecchi anime. The ecchi genre has been a fan favourite for a long time. So much so that there are special fanservice episodes in anime from other genres. Though I am not an avid watcher of ecchi anime sometimes I do tend to dwell in them. If you are looking for some sexy anime the here’s a list compiled just for you. So, let’s see what are some of the top ecchi anime out ever. You can watch some of these best ecchi anime movies on Crunchyroll or YouTube. Most of these anime are erotic and hot
10. No Game No Life (2014)
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‘No Game No Life’ is a fantasy, ecchi anime. It has been made bright, colourful, and is filled with fan service. I liked the premise of the movie (though it has been done before). The base theme is that you have to play high-stake games to make critical decisions. Thus, this removes all kind of action, bloodshed, and war. So, if you are into that action anime then I suggest you skip this one. Sora and Shiro are one of the best online gamers. They are siblings who are not currently pursuing any sort of education or doing any jobs. Their online game username is ‘Blank’ which has achieved a sort of legendary status. They don’t go out much and feel that the real world is nothing but a lame game.
One day they receive an e-mail which challenges them to play a match of chess. This starts their adventures in another realm where every rivalry and problem is solved by games. The ruler of this world, Disboard, is Tet, who is the God of Games. This system of settling disputes and discord via high-stake games works pretty well for one particular reason. Both the parties must wager something equal in value to the wager of the opposite party. Now, the gaming genius duo Sora and Shiro has got a reason to play games. They must unite all the races of this world to play against Tet so that they become the new God of Games.
9. Kill la Kill (2013)
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‘Kill la Kill’ is an entertaining anime. There are two ways of watching this show. You can watch it as a parody of sorts and enjoy how it satirically criticizes the stereotypical anime paraphernalia. You can also watch it as a common ecchi, action anime with strong female leads and lots of funny scenes. Whichever way you choose you will end up having fun while viewing this show. Though at first, the series might feel a bit confusing and clichéd it matures gradually as the series approaches the end. Ryuuko Matoi is the protagonist of the series. Her father was an inventor. One of his inventions is a scissor-like weapon. It is the missing half of this weapon which serves as the only remaining clue of his murder that Ryuuko has.
With the remaining half of the scissor blade, she ventures out to find the killer of her father and avenge his death. Her investigation takes her to Honnouji Academy. It is a prestigious academy at the top of which is the cold and heartless Satsuki Kiryuuin, the student council president. Four people serve her and are known as the Elite Four. They have been given God Clothes by Satsuki which grants them superhuman powers. Ryuuko tries to fight one of them but looses and retreats to her home. There she finds a rare God Cloth which after coming in contact with her blood latches onto her. This gives her immense superhuman abilities.
Now, armed with power Ryuuko ventures once again to the Honnouji Academy to face Satsuki and her underlings to uncover the culprit behind her father’s murder.
8. Highschool of the Dead (2010)
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The only reason I decided to include ‘Highschool of the Dead’ is that I found it quite entertaining. Mind you it is nowhere close to some great ecchi anime like ‘Shokugeki no Soma’ but it is entertaining nonetheless. It is an erotic zombie apocalypse anime with lots of fanservice. There are some steamy hot scenes in this anime. It does not plan to intrigue the viewers with a complex and interesting plot or relatable characters (though at times you can relate with some of them) but rather let them enjoy a sexy little zombie apocalypse anime. So, if you are a fan of the genre then you might enjoy it.
The plot starts with the world suddenly amid a zombie apocalypse. People start turning into the undead. The entire social structure is experiencing a great demise as humans start feeding on each other. Takashi Kimuro is the protagonist of this anime. His friend, unfortunately, turns into a zombie. Takashi takes the harsh decision and kills his friend before he can harm anyone. He promises to protect the girlfriend of his friend. As they navigate through their school campus they meet a bunch of other students and a school nurse. All of them are trying to escape this predicament. They decide to bundle up together and work as a team so that they can survive this apocalypse.
7. Sekirei (2008)
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‘Sekirei’ is a popular ecchi genre anime and like lots of other anime in this genre, it too uses the supernatural theme. The series has some funny scenes and some over-the-top action sequences. The female characters, who are the centre of attraction for all ecchi anime fans, in this anime are quite pretty and sexy. They are nicely endowed and have voluptuous figures. Though it is common in these types of anime I felt that ‘Sekirei’ was somewhat misogynistic in its approach. It is one thing to make women wear skimpy and tight clothes (which is quite staple in any ecchi anime) but it is another thing to treat them as objects. This was one of the most obnoxious things about this anime. If you can get over this fact then it will become a fun little anime which you can either binge or watch an episode or two once in a while taking a break from your regular stuff.
Though Minato Sahashi is not an idiot he keeps struggling with academics. He tries hard but ends up failing the college entrance exams a second time. He and people around him lose their hope and think that Minato is a failure. But suddenly his life changes when a beautiful human-like extraterrestrial-being falls into his life (literally). Her name is Musubi. She is a Sekirei, special beings who kiss humans who possess a special gene to unhide their secret powers. Musubi brings out Minato’s hidden powers but now he is paired with her to compete against other similar pairs. What Minato doesn’t know is that there is far more danger regarding this than he thinks.
6. Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san (2018)
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Up next is another supernatural ecchi anime. If you fantasize about sexy supernatural or fantastical beings then you will enjoy ‘Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san’. There are 12 episodes in this series and each episode is around 23 minutes long. If you have ventured into the ecchi genre after watching anime like ‘Shokugeki no Soma’ then I will suggest you not to hang around this genre much, since most anime are not remotely like it. They are filled with lots of fanservice and buxom beauties and that’s mostly about it.
Fuyuzora Kogarashi is a medium and has been troubled by spirits since his childhood. He has been possessed many times but as he grew older he became more resistant towards the spirits and can now even exorcize them with just a punch. But he is poor and in need of a cheap boarding house to stay in. He finds it quite cheap to stay at the Yuragi manor. The main reason that this Manor is cheap is that it is haunted. But having dealt with ghosts most of his life Fuyuzora has no problem with it and starts staying in the house. The other tenants of the house are beautiful and sexy females. There he meets the ghost of the girl who is haunting the house. After Fuyuzora vows to help fulfil her lingering wish, the other members of the house reveal their supernatural nature.
5. Sankarea (2012)
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The next anime is an odd one. ‘Sankarea’ had one of the most unusual plots. The main character is Chihiro Furuya a boy obsessed with everything ‘zombie’. He is so into them that he even wants a zombie girlfriend. One day Chihiro’s cat Baabu dies. This makes him determined to create a resurrection potion. He finds one of the main ingredients in Rea Sanka’s, a girl who wishes to die, house. After the potion is complete Rea decides to drink it thinking that the potion will kill her. But the potion was successful and when Rea, dies in an accident she is resurrected from the dead thus, becoming a zombie. Though this situation may seem ideal for Chihiro he faces a lot of trouble to deal with Rea.
4. Mayo Chiki! (2011)
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Kinjirou Sakamachi had developed gynophobia, a fear of women, thanks to his mother and sister’s wrestling obsession. One advantage did come out of this though, his body has become very resilient allowing him to even brush off bumps from vehicles. But his fear is quite abnormal so much so that even a touch from a female can make his nose bleed. He ends up discovering that Subaru Konoe, who is the butler to his headmaster’s daughter, is a female. In exchange for secrecy, she promises to cure his phobia.
3. Prison School (2015)
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Hachimitsu Private Academy is a popular all-girls academy until very recently when it decided to let boys enrol. After the first enrollment process, only 5 boys are selected. This puts them in a very awkward position as they cannot converse with almost any of their classmates since they are all female and ignore them. They try to find recluse in being peeping toms. But they are caught and thrown in the school prison for one month. Will they be able to survive or will they break?
2. High School DxD (2012)
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Issei Hyoudou is your everyday pervert who wants to own a harem someday. He enjoys peeping on women. One day he is asked by a girl. Unfortunately, the girl is a fallen angel who wants to kill Issei and is successful in doing so. End of story, right? Wait! Issei is then resurrected by Rias Gremory, a devil, who makes him her servant. Now, Issei must adjust to this new lifestyle and survive in the vicious world of devils and angels.
1. Shokugeki no Souma (2015)
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Souma Yukihira has been working as a sous chef under his father in their family restaurant. He is quite creative in his cooking style and entertains the customers with skilful culinary creations. His dream is to one day become the head chef of the restaurant. His dream is however cut short when his father closes down the business and enrols Souma in Tootsuki Culinary Academy. Now, he needs to work hard since only 10% of the students can graduate. Will he be able to survive the academy and its famous food wars?
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hexyourheartablaze · 2 years
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I agree so much with this! At least Obanai, Sanemi and Gyomei should have gotten their own arcs, where we get to know them better. Like, seeing more of Sanemi‘s soft side or seeing more of Obanai‘s struggles with himself. On top of that I wish Genya and Kanao could‘ve joined the squad for at least one arc too since it feels like both of them should’ve been more part of the team, with them representing all together the five senses. There could have been so much more good character development. ❄
I think that the lower moons should have survived just for this purpose. Instead of massacring all of the lower moons, Muzan should have expressed that he needed to strengthen his defense and pumped more blood into them to make all of the moons more of a threat. When he killed the lower moons he didn't do any good for himself, just made his defenses weaker even if some of the lower moons were cowardly. More blood could have fixed some of that at least?? Like they have more power now so...
We could have gotten mmmaybe a Shinobu arc too but that's not as important as the other characters. We see Shinobu quite a bit with the butterfly mansion, Giyuu as well but I was hoping for more Giyuu action.
I think having an arc for Gyomei would have sparked some more interest for him in the fandom. I feel like I'm one of the few people that thirsts for him but there's barely any content for him so it can be tough. I think having Gyomei go on a mission with Genya and the others would have been interesting.
Also, I think having Obanai do the entertainment district arc instead of Tengen would have been interesting to see. I think watching him take on Daki would have been so cool to see, plus it would give us a chance to dig deeper into his gynophobia and past. Imagine the snake breathing animated against Daki's obi sash. Holy shit!!
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fluffypeachwriting · 4 years
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Hiiiii (*˘︶˘*).。*♡, can you do a non-romantic scenario where Doppo and Hifumi have a fight? I was thinking about how they have such a wholesome friendship and then thought "wait, what if they fought once?? WHAT WOULD'VE HAPPENED AND WHY NO ONE WROTE ABOUT IT???" I think it's an interesting idea? Idk I guess I would like watching the world burn jsjsjjsjk
(If you dont wanna do it its fine np at all~)
thats an interesting idea, anon! i’ll be honest with you i had a good think about what they’d argue about and i came to the conclusion that we dont really know that much about them concerning their past enough 
accidently made this a long ramble so here
i do agree that they have a wholesome relationship - sort of? like any other friendship really
they don’t really acknowledge each other’s faults that much, them being doppo’s constant insecurities and hifumi’s gynophobia. I’m not sure if that’s a result of them not knowing how to deal with it (especially since they’re both mental illness related and god knows where on earth there isn’t a stigma around it) or them knowing each other long enough that they’ve already discussed this 
but they do definitely care for each other! seeing how hifumi makes sure doppo eats well when he gets home from work is so cute, and even the side comic where he wants to take doppo fishing is sweet! and how doppo used his rap ability right after hifumi was knocked out (and considering it’s self-destructive that’s saying something)
anon i didn’t mean to write all this lol but i get where you’re coming from! and yes it’s angst fuel for sure! but since we haven’t seen them fight *genuinely* that might be something to think about
and i just remembered the woman who caused hifumi’s phobia has been named (in the guidebook) and is part of chuuoku that’s something else to remember for the future
also why tf was doppo in questioning 5 years ago? we’ve known that for a while so if kr makes it some small thing i’ll go ballistic,, but y’know
the next chunk of story we’ll get from the next division battle is gonna be whole chunk of angst and i am not looking forward to it
but! hopefully we’ll get some good character development from it
i just love doppo and hifumi a lot, they’re in my fav boys tier for sure
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kaoarika · 4 years
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I kinda want to scratch the “joining in good faith” part of my theorizing about Nemu from my last post about the last hpmi drama track.
But, tbh... this is perhaps little less worse than what I was expecting about her reveal back in December. “Little less worse” because anything like human traficking (which was part of that kidnapping storyline in BTB), or death is TECHNICALLY worse than “being part of Party of Words and Central Ward by brainwashing”. Yeap.
I don’t feel good for knowing that exact detail. Definitely suspected it from the very beginning (and very convenient of Ramuda being the double agent he is -clones/copies aside not being 100% confirmed atm- being a fashion designer who recruits young women as “models”... yup, nuff said :))) ) because, while I think some women might have joined POW and/or CW in good faith (like anything equivalent IRL, perhaps a bit too naively, maybe not), some might not... or were they forced... by brainwashing, too. 
Exactly where I thought this was the direction it was going for. (also, because I still think 19 IS a pretty fishy detail to go by - I believe it is pretty young for such a position in the government, it doesn’t matter if you tell me “but this is fiction, Kao” >.>).
I’m not gonna say this was as gut punching as the BBs Drama Track’s reveals dump, but still somewhat in that same sad train of thoughts. We didn’t have a very... bittersweet ending (because it does seem that MTC have their camaraderie on a good point? with a same objective on front), even though it did end in a very anxiety inducing cliffhanger.
The thing with the BBs’ being “VERY gut punching” was because most of the stuff about MTC was built and revealed slowly from the beginning (the military involvement with the hypmics, Jyuto having his reasons to be like he is, Samatoki and the mysterious whereabouts of Nemu, all of these have been hinted and told from the beginning), but the thing with the BBs...? not really.
Hence why they seemed a bit “plain” in hindsight, compared to the others... in contrast, for example, with MTC.
We didn’t know about the orphanage until the BTB manga... it was hinted they were orphans, yes. But, not the whole gut punching situation train around them. Okay, orphanage? Fine. The head of the orphanage being a douch*ebag who attempted to child trafic the kids under his wing? Yikes. Ichiro working his butt since he was FOURTEEN? Plausible. Bad experiences with paternal figures? Eh, I can see it. ...because their previous caretaker was ALSO a douch*ebag? Okay, wai- A conman who is probably pulling the strings or is a middle man of sorts TURNS out to be their obvious absent father who MIGHT have abandoned them? OKAY, SERIOUSLY, WAIT. OH, and did we mention the Yamadas are some of the victims from WWIII? I SAID, WAIT.
Adding the factor that the whole real hypmic deal was recently put in action in the side manga and BTB only to confirm that “okay, yes, Sasara and Kukou were hypnotized. CW wants to brainwash Jakurai, too... this was only to reaffirm: “Ah, and by the way... there’s a high chance that not ONLY Nemu was brainwashed to join CW, just saying~”
So, there’s that.
It’s nice to see the camaraderie between the guys. Fighting for a dream, and all that. This track made Riou shine a lot, though, hahah. I think he is a severely underused (and somewhat understimated) character, because from lots that I have seen about him (fanon and the like) is because his personality is mostly built around what he lived under the military. It’s also quite nice seeing Samatoki in such a position where he is not the cocky, short-hair-tempered man he is (although the gap moe has been shown before) because his weakness is his little sister. So, it’s easy to assume that Ramuda/CW/POW KNOWS how to get into him.
What DOES intrigue me is... was Ramuda the one who ordered the arrest (through hypmic influence) just to “disturb” things around (”supposedly” Ichijiku wasn’t involved, but... do we believe her at this point?) to see if he can get into a side of Samatoki (at least my theory about Jyuto knowing her fell through) of pure weakness? Or to divide MTC (like what Amayado’s intentions with the BBs probably were)?
I kinda wanted this track to go to other direction, but it was definitely going to tackle the thing with Nemu, anyway.
With this, I can briefly assume what the other two divisions’ Drama Tracks might cover: 
Fling Posse’s is probably going to deal the thing about Ramuda, PROBABLY confirmation about the Dice’s theory and... whatever Gentaro related (could be the thing about his real identity? his friend at the hospital’s identity?).
While Matenrou could go a bit deeper into Jakurai’s past (probably involving Hitoya and BAT in a sense), and probably more revealing details around Hifumi’s gynophobia and Doppo’s... hmm... smth? (we know he had a previous encounter with Jyuto, though).
Aside point/addendum - I can see the side manga series (while not BTB yet?) ending soon (FP & M confirmed) because the events of the 2nd DRB are still going to be developing as I’m writing this. But, I can probably assume once the DRB passes (results and all?), I can somewhat see KR and Kodansha resuming in the adaptation... or not, because there will be the anime, too... Hmmm...
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somnimouse · 24 days
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AAAAHHH !! YOU ANSWERED !! i literally squeaked when i checked your tumblr to see that you did !!! such a shame that the setting sourebook doesn't cone in english, but i definitely will be buying!!
oh! and, i appreciate you being willing to tell me about ryu and haru! but can i instead learn about ren? ever since i read your ryu route analysis, i've wanted to learn more about the younger mochizuki :]
sorry about the big ask, and thanks in advance!!!
No worries about the ask! I'm always more than happy to talk about NTY!!! because aaaa I love this game so much. ;_;
Going to put this under a cut because Ren's section has a little bit of heavy stuff, but it's not as bad as Haru's section (which is incredibly NSFL). Ren's section also talks a little bit about Kaori as well, and their dynamic is really, really sweet!
Warning: Contains references to CSA, child abuse, sexual assault and rape. Taken straight from the sourcebook.
To start off, Ren was raised by just his mother, who was a prostitute and wasn't exactly the best example of a loving mother. Ren was bullied in school a lot for this. Other students would insult his mother and insinuate that, because she has sex with a lot of men, Ren, too, must be sleeping with them. He got into fights all the time because of that, and his experience with these bullies was the foundation for his very distasteful feelings toward men.
Unfortunately, his mother eventually got a boyfriend who was also not a very good person. One night, when Ren was in his late-teenage years, this boyfriend snuck into his bed and molested him. Ren took a beer bottle and smashed it over his head to stop the assault, but his mother was enraged and kicked him out.
Ren eventually wandered off and found himself in a hostess club. There was a very kind, beautiful woman there with big breasts who welcomed him. After Ren had spent quite a bit of time drinking, he opened up to her about his life and cried. Much to his surprise, the woman cried as well, and immediately told him, "I will be your family, then!"
... Of course, this creeped Ren out and he thought she was kind of crazy, so he ditched her immediately and resolved never to go back. Who in their right mind would even say something like that to a guy they just met?
At some point, Ren got into a fight with a bunch of guys and lost terribly. They held him down, and a different young woman ended up raping him that night. However, Ren refused to fight back. He thought that, if he refused, he would be seen as gay. He developed a severe defensive response to being assumed gay because of his experience with bullies and his mother's boyfriend. And so, he let it happen.
(Amemiya, the director of NTY!!!, notes that Ren isn't really affected by his rape by the woman and has just brushed it aside. This contrasts with Ryu and Sorato, who have significant trauma and gynophobia because of their experience. It should also be noted that Ren is actually heterosexual, but while his defensiveness at being assumed gay is somewhat understandable, his volatile response is moreso linked to his issues.)
Ren, defeated, eventually returned to the hostess club. The hostess he ran away from never held it against him and welcomed him into her life with open arms, adopting him as her little brother.
This hostess' name? Mochizuki Kaori.
Unbeknownst to Ren, Kaori had a similar childhood. She was molested by her stepfather in the past and ran away from home at the age of 16. She ended up with a boyfriend who was into some shady business, and, one day, she and that boyfriend were targeted and shot by criminals who had it out for the guy. She was saved by Inui Kouichi, and they became good friends. Kaori eventually left her boyfriend and met her future husband, Hagiwara, who loves her dearly and would do anything for her.
It was initially awkward living with Kaori. Ren would turn red and get a boner every time she hugged him because her breasts would push up against him, but after some amount of time, these feelings subsided when he began to truly see her as family. Kaori basically saved him, and that's why he's protective of her.
Kaori eventually introduced Ren to Kouichi, who hired him at sótano as a bartender and a private investigator. Ren has some respect for the old man because of his connection to Kaori, but he ultimately views Kouichi as "too soft." That said, he still obeys his orders.
However, he was immediately awestruck by Kurosawa Ryu, who he views as the only competent man at the bar. He's everything Ren wants to be—cold, composed, ruthless and intelligent. Of everyone at sótano, Ren respects him the most and would follow him without question. He trusts Ryu so much, he even opened up to him about his past. Ryu, seeing himself and his sister in Ren and Kaori, also told him about what happened to Ai. Ryu has a particular soft spot for Ren, but he's also more strict with him than Hiroyuki because Ren keeps getting into trouble with the police by fighting with other guys.
(Funnily enough, after Haru had him drugged and shot him in the arm in the climax of Ryu's route, Ren woke up in the hospital with no memory of what happened. He said to Ryu, "Something complicated must have happened." Ryu vaguely agreed and didn't even mention who shot him or tell him the events that transpired. Thanks a lot, Mr. Kurosawa.)
It should be noted that, due to his childhood, Ren is particularly knowledgeable about the poverty industry and how society preys on the weak and the poor. Despite his harsh, cynical and unfriendly attitude, he's a good guy deep down who also doesn't like injustice. In a sense, you could say he's very much like Hiroyuki in his direct, headstrong approach to issues, and it's why Ryu worries about him just as much.
Some minor trivia about Ren and Kaori that I found interesting:
He really likes rock and visual kei music. Amemiya notes that he tends to really get into the music and "sing with aggressive arm movements" at karaoke bars. Kaori, on the other hand, likes pop music. Her singing prowess is on par with Ryu, who is described as a very good singer, while Ren is just average.
Ren is trying to make himself healthier meals. In the past, he used to survive on things like burgers and spaghetti, but he's learning how to cook.
In Ryu's route, after Kaori's pregnancy announcement, she quits her job as a hostess and becomes a dedicated housewife.
It's noted that Kaori is the only woman Ryu trusts, and this is shown in-game when he rescues Yufumi from the orphanage and hands the little girl over to her.
Ren and Kaori have tried smoking at some point in their lives, but they quit because it was too gross.
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hyphypmic · 5 years
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I love your 10 years after HCs, please do one for Matenrou.
Here love! Hope you like it!
Jakurai
Okay what the actual hell 45 years old???
Well tbh that’s pretty young if you think about it but damn that’s 5 years till he be 50
Anyway, he’s still being the awesome doctor he is except now he’s also teaching the young ones
Like his calm aura just intensified like he enters the room and he just has that aura that makes you want to listen to him
He’s also still rapping (does age really define you)
And he’s in pretty fucking good shape
Yes he is still growing his hair, but really he never cut it so its in a FUCKING BRAID
He’s also so pretty like when students catch him in the office with like his glasses, laptop, coffee and he’s just staring out there he’s like
A work of art
No really some art students ask him to model because he’s graceful like that
He also is really so wise like the old man he is
Probably made up with Ramuda at this point
He finally developed a little bit of tolerance for alcohol! Meaning he can take TWO SIPS without losing his shit
No okay fine like a glass of very light alcohol and he won’t flip
As for family… yeah he seems like the type to settle down by 45. I mean, he has a pretty stable job and stuff and his rapping and division battles keep him p motivated
So yeah he’s probably the most stable 10 years later
Doppo
Please, he’s probably the boss now
At 39 (amazing) he’s probably the boss of the company he’s working for
My boy rose through the ranks and got promoted so many times because he really runs his ass straight to the ground and cries over work
Happily married to hifumi (or whoever) and has like at least a kid or two because he is better!
More emotionally stable! He’s less prone to apologising, but old habits die hard. He still apologises a lot, but it went down
has a more positive outlook because again, he’s the boss, but he’s like one of the kindest bosses out there
Also yes he maintained his blue highlights
Yes he’s still rapping, but a lot less nervous now
And he improved so much and Sensei is so proud of him
He still is very good friends (or married) to Hifumi and Jakurai and they go out and bond together
They’re like the old people squad (even if two of them are the same age as Jyuto) it’s like they’re a wholesome family (but don’t bring them to a bar please)
Has a place of his own and is content with what he has
Hifumi
he’s probably done to exposure therapy or like therapy for his gynophobia
Doppo was there to support him
So hifumi also improved! He became better and he’s a lot less afraid (he can handle kids now and maybe teens)
Anyway, his host club has expanded, or like his business because now he has like three and he’s managing all of them
He also has a Harry Styles level of wardrobe, like he’s just out there living his best fashion life
He changed his hairstyle as well, but like he just cut it
He also aged so well, like the 10 years looks good on him
He’s a little more mature without the suit, but still very much a big whining puppy (kinda Chris Hemsworth-ish)
Oh my god he has graced the covers of so many magazines and is like a model of like designer brands and alcohol (because duh)
He also still is in very good shape and maintains it well
And when he’s out of the suit, he is less excitable
Has written a cookbook because he’s good at it (but probably like 1 book full of Hifumi’s tips and he wrote it while in the suit)
Also if anyone was gonna make Matenrou merch, it would be him
Probably sells it online
Also a social media god and posts cute selfies with husband Doppo (sorry such a DoHifu shipper nyark)
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eng-hypnosismic · 5 years
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Animage 483: Interview w/ Matenrou
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This article comes from the Animage Magazine vol. 483, please buy the magazine to support them and get the exclusive images!
(You can read part 2 about Doppo and his VA Itou Kento here. )
The Bonds of the City that Never Sleeps
The second part of the Territory Battle has begun. With their strong lyrics that bewitch one's heart, will the bonds of Matenrou be able to pierce through their fated rivals? Shinjuku Division -- the city under shimmering neon lights that never sleeps. Here resides a doctor of great prestige who goes by the name of Jinguji Jakurai, a former member of the legendary team The Dirty Dawg. Every day, patients bearing both wounds of the body and heart seek his aid. One of these patients was Kannonzaka Doppo who is suffering from social anxiety. In order to save Izanami Hifumi, his childhood friend whose life was being threatened, Doppo sought help from Jakurai. That is how the three of them met. Taking an interest in Doppo and Hifumi, Jakurai invited them both to his team. After forming Matenrou, Doppo and Hifumi remained being as awkward and eccentric as ever, but now as a team they become each other’s most important and reliable comrade, shouldering the future of  Shinjuku Division together. And now, the day on which Chuuoku organized a territory battle for Matenrou has arrived. Their opponents, Shibuya Division’s Fling Posse, are led by Amemura Ramuda who has a deep and convoluted antagonism between himself and Jakurai. Once again, without Jakurai being aware of it, Ramuda is involved with someone from Chuuoku, the governmental district that dominates all men. Jakurai can’t be too careful around him. The victor of this battle will soon be decided. With Matenrou’s scalpel-sharp lyrics that can be used as both poison and medication at will, can they pierce the heart of the trickster leader of Fling Posse? And what does Jakurai think of his fated rival...
Jinguji Jakurai
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A renowned medical genius. He has top-class rap skills and a gentleness that shows no bias towards anyone. If there is any flaw to his otherwise perfect self, it is his transformation into a true Tokyoite through the consumption of alcohol. He considers Hifumi and Doppo as precious friends whom he cannot leave alone. Contact Jakurai maintains solid communication with his companions. He listens patiently to Doppo’s troubles, and when their days off overlap, drives them all out to go fishing.  Since Doppo has been sleeping in on his days off he missed the invitation and has yet to join them. A Man of Character He gently reprimands people without seeking repentance and steers clear of alcohol (partly because he loses memory after drinking) -- someone who can be compared to a Buddha. With such a personality, the only person Jakurai couldn’t stand is Ramuda. What on earth is going on between these two…?
Izanami Hifumi
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Sociable, bubbly, and also an extreme gynophobe. Became a host to overcome his fear of women. However, his character only changes when he puts on his suit. While he becomes a suave, composed gigolo in the face of women, it does not actually tackle the root of the problem.
Host Mode
While spending a night at town in Chuuoku, Hifumi wore his suit to calm down after feeling unsettled by Jakurai’s warning of the battles’ popularity with women. Activating his Host Mode, he seized the opportunity to roam the streets. The shift from his extreme gynophobia to extreme gynephilia doesn’t seem to be conscious.
Domestic Skill
Hifumi is surprisingly adept at household chores. He is roommates with Doppo and cooks breakfast for the both of them. When Doppo’s suits gets torn, he mends them. It is probably only thanks to Hifumi that Doppo who lives an unhealthy lifestyle is still alive.
Kannonzaka Doppo
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An office worker so thoroughly exhausted that he cannot recover even if he sleeps through his days off. He depends on his roommate, Hifumi, to take care of the domestic chores. Has a negative disposition. Because he apologizes so frequently at work, “I’m sorry” has become his pet phrase.
Spectacle This territory battle exists as a spectacle for the women watching. The men who participate in the battles are treated as idols, thus strolling about without a care will get them overrun by a flock of female fans. Whether it is a good or bad thing depends on the person himself. Hifumi in his host mode was overjoyed to be surrounded by women while Doppo was screaming and running away. Camaraderie That night in Chuuoku, Hifumi and Doppo ran into Gentaro and Dice. It started off with Hifumi poking fun at Gentaro’s choice in clothing but ended up with Dice and Doppo arguing,   instigating a Mic Battle. Rather than taking offense at the insults directed at themselves, Hifumi and Doppo, as well as Gentaro and Dice, were more defensive against the insults directed at their trusted companions. Unfortunately, their battle was interrupted as it attracted more attention from women, but they still managed to strengthen their bonds within their teams.
Fate
The clash between Fling Posse and Matenrou doubles as a showdown between their leaders. Beyond warning his teammates of Ramuda’s “inhumanity,” Jakurai says nothing about their connection. In Ramuda’s case, he seems to avoid speaking about Jakurai altogether towards his own teammates. However, regardless of their mutual animosity, Jakurai still tirelessly admonishes Ramuda...
Enigmatic Men    Jinguji Jakurai’s VA Hayami Show
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“Doctor that can’t be swayed by money and patient that can’t be left alone”
--What kind of a person is Jinguji Jakurai?
Hayami:  Although there is still a lot unknown about him, he is a humane doctor who cannot be bought, who is incredibly gentle, and who brims with humanism. In a place like Shinjuku Division, there ought to be all kinds of patients visiting Jakurai. Amongst those patients, there are people who can’t afford the expensive medical fees, and people with questionable backgrounds… Yet the person who’d treat them all properly and equally is none other than Jakurai. You’d think that doctors are all rich people, but since he puts healing people before money, maybe he doesn’t earn that much (laughs). I think that the car he owns is certainly not an expensive one. Even though Jakurai seems to be so benevolent and perfect, in the drama part of our first CD “Matenrou -Clinical Phonetics-” we saw how much of a big mess he caused when he was drunk. With a side like that, I feel that he’s quite well-rounded as a human being.
--So for Izanami Hifumi and Kannonzaka Doppo, what do you think about them? Hayami: To Jakurai, they’re like his two cute little brothers. Of course as part of Matenrou, they rap in order to join battles, but the two must have wished to move towards a more decent life through rap. Jakurai has a lot of patients, but they’re the number one and two patients that he just can’t leave alone. I also feel developments in Hifumi and Doppo’s characters after they got the hypnosis mics. When you look at each of them individually, you can find quite a few shortcomings, but when they’re rapping together, they offset each others’ limitations and bring each other up.   --In this Battle CD, it felt like there’s even more to Jakurai and Amemura Ramuda's past. Hayami: Details of the past between the two are not fully disclosed. The two were very mysterious to begin with. Actually, I don’t know the whole backstory either and it could be easier to act not knowing things. Ramuda is a strange kid. Even when I was recording I was annoyed; not by Shirai Yusuke who voiced him, but by Ramuda himself (laughs). The way he talks is so insensitive that it’s almost unbearable. Furthermore, Ramuda is 24 years old. Never in my life have I seen a 24-years-old who says things like “It’s ◯◯☆” or  “Oneesan♪.” However, someone like Ramuda is very popular amongst women… It gets on my nerves (laughs). --There’s also bad blood between Yamada Ichiro and Aohitsugi Samatoki. Does Jakurai know what happened between them? Hayami: Of course he knows, I think Jakurai watched it happened. However, it’s only with Ramuda that he couldn’t just watch. In the drama part of the Battle CD, it was revealed that Ramuda is connected to people from Chuuouku. Jakurai might not know about that specifically, but I don’t think he would tolerate such duplicity of Ramuda. Hifumi’s host mode while he’s in his suit is a different story, of course. Jakurai can and would accept any kind of people, but perhaps it’s just difficult for him to agree with Ramuda’s way of doing things. --Will the mystery of their previous relationship ever be unveiled? Hayami: I think it will, little by little. I feel that the story of “Hypnosis Mic” is full of mysteries, and these complicated relationships and mysteries are unraveled in rap. Therefore, as the story unfolds, rap is still going to play an important role.  
--You never had any experience with rap before this, right? Hayami: You’re right. That’s why, when they offered, I joined the project only after making sure they know that I know nothing about rap… Actually, the lyrics of Jakurai’s song didn’t completely match his personality in the story. But as the story develops and he gets more raps, the lyrics and his personality fit together better. Incidentally, Jakurai’s solo song “Labyrinth Wall” is tailored for my voice. Therefore I thought that if I work hard on my skills, poetry rapping, and rapping as Jakurai, I will get there someday. However, when I first heard  the demo of “Labyrinth Wall,” I didn’t know what poetry rap was or that it even existed and how it had classical music as its track. I was so appalled I asked my manager, “What the hell is this?” (laughs)
--The first live of “Hypnosis Mic” is coming up on August 26th, right? Hayami: At this stage, the set list has not been finalized yet and I’m a bit worried about whether I can remember all the lyrics by then. By the way, the junior from my agency, Nozuyama (Yukihiro) who voices Arisugawa Dice, has already memorized everything perfectly. If we’re doing all songs including the solos at the live… that’s exactly what “Don’t Make Me Laugh” is about, I just gotta make it work no matter what.
“Let the lyrics created by these men be your heart’s oasis”
--The deadline of the Battle CDs’ voting is coming up. Hayami: It seems that everyone gave us so much support, I’m glad. However, please do it without affecting your daily lifestyle. That being said, I also hate to lose. It’d be nice if each one of you could take one small action to bring Matenrou towards victory. --What kind of actions for example? Hayami: Try something like sneakily placing the CDs and merchandise around someone you’d like to get into Hypnomic… (laughs). If anyone can recommend it to others like, “it’s good, try listening to it” that’d be nice too, but maybe try making people who are already interested in Matenrou love Matenrou. For me, I stealthily follow pedestrians in Shinjuku, whisper Jakurai’s lines behind them, and just brainwash them casually. --What kind of team would you like Matenrou to become in the future? Hayami: Matenrou is a group made up of the most mature people amongst the four divisions. Even though they’re weird, I want them to become a team that is able to give dreams, hope and love to others as grownups. I think Shinjuku, the model of Shinjuku Division, is very charming. It’s a place that has the entertainment district Kabukicho, Shinjuku Gyo-en Park that’s close by, and many corporate buildings. The rap which was born in such a chaotic place will probably be forever bizzare and scandalous.   From now on, if possible, I hope our rap and the other divisions’ raps can be the oasis for the hearts of our listeners where they can be healed. Actually, the casts of Matenrou haven’t had the chance to meet up and do something together yet, so I hope we will do more of that in the future. Then as we get closer to each other, I hope we can deliver better contents with profundity in our drama parts.
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fang-emblem · 6 years
Text
a couple of my favourite awakening pairs
So this list is based off of favourite supports or characters, how compatible I think the pair is and for some- how good the second gen child is.
1. Female avatar and Stahl
Okay so obviously, my first choice is the guy I married on my very first play through. Stahl is a cute guy and hes very average so hes relatable. My Morgan completed our powerful family.
2. Chrom and Sully
I hate how this pair doesnt get enough recognition. Sure if you arent careful, Chrom will marry her automatically. But I like how they're childhood friends and they are rather similar.
3. Nah and Yarne
This might seem a little cliche but the S support is cute. Nah, being nearly kidnapped and Yarne saving the day is great.
4. Sumia and Henry
I like their contrasting personalities mostly, Henry the outgoing guy. And Sumia, clumsy and shy. I just think theyre a cute couple
5. Virion and Miriel
Their supports are rather unique. Virion does everything to pretend that his predictions are coincidence (correct me if I'm wrong) and then he admits to Miriel how he makes it happen. And then hes stuck with teaching her the art of manipulation.
6. Male avatar and Lucina
I used to be unsure about this pair but i decided to give it a try and it was painfully obvious to me how their relationship developed in the supports, they're really attached to each other lol. I just love Lucina more than any other second gen (Inigo is a close second)
7. Chrom and female avatar
Okay they're so close to each other, Chrom trusts Robin from the very beginning. I admit I don't like the supports but their relationship is hard for me to deny. And I like the idea of Grima basically being Lucinas mom
8. Cherche and Lon'qu
I love how we get to learn so much more about Lon'qus gynophobia. Its really genuinely why i like pairing them.
×This list is totally incomplete but I can't seem to brain storm anymore pairs lol
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