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prismatranslates-cue · 4 months

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Rie [Sabbath of Castor] Part 3

Previously: Part 2

Mei: It’s time to go where I really wanted to go today.

Rie: Right. Lead me, Mei. I will follow you to the day’s bitter end.

---

Mei: Here we are.

Rie: The observation deck…. I recall my mother brought us here once, many moons ago.

Mei: I do too.

Rie: But…it looks completely different from how I remember it.

Mei: They renovated it a few years ago.

Rie: Ah, did they? Whatever they did, the view outside is still much the same. …It’s beautiful.

Mei: The Skytree wasn’t built yet back then. Tokyo Tower was, though.

Rie: Hehe. Oh, what’s that? A baseball stadium? It’s so much brighter than everything around it. And because of its shape, it looks like the moon.

Rie: Ah! I remember seeing it back then too. It looked so weird to me, the way it glowed so wide and round.

Rie: Ahaha. It looks exactly how it did back then. Do you remember, Mei?

Mei: I do. After that, you suddenly got interested in baseball games. I also remember how you dragged me into it too.

Rie: O-oh, I did?

Mei: You could never win a single game against me, though.

Rie: That goes for all kinds of games, given you…

Mei: That hasn’t changed at all, huh.

Rie: …Hey, Mei. Some people say they look like stars on the ground, but the lights down below…those are all from electricity, huh?

Rie: Lights from buildings, from cars, and even from stoplights. Lights that only exist because humans do… I wonder, how many people am I looking at, right now?

Mei: …This observation deck is 251 m above the ground. Assuming a 6% increase in line of sight due to atmospheric refraction…

Mei: And assuming the Earth is a perfect sphere with a radius of 6378 km, and no obstructions…

Mei: A simple calculation yields a calculated visible distance of 59.98 km, for a visible area of 11,302.32 square kilometres.

Rie: Uhh, sure…so that means…?

Mei: All of Tokyo is easily within range. At least half of each of the neighbouring prefectures of Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa should also be visible.

Rie: W-wait, really?! Mmm, but it’s so dark it’s hard to make out the details.

Mei: It’s simple math.

Rie: …By the way. Why did you want to bring me here today?

Mei: I wanted to go somewhere we went as children. That’s true for both this observation deck as well as earlier on the street.

Rie: …Right.

Mei: Our circumstances have changed quite a bit. AiRBLUE, moving into the dorm…

Rie: …Yes, they sure have. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

Mei: No, not at all.

Mei: And it’s not just our circumstances. Both you and I have changed as well.

Mei: And yet…

Rie: Yeah.

Mei: In this ever-changing world…some things remain constant. Those things are precious too, I think.

Rie: …

Mei: I wanted to look for them today.

Mei: The things that have changed in the sceneries we saw when we were little…

Mei: And the things that haven’t. I wanted to find them both.

Rie: I see.

Rie: …

Rie: …Hehhehhehheh.

Rie: What a fool’s errand you’ve been on! For that which is unchanging has been beside you all along, has it not?! I, the archdemon Ellis!

Rie: I may have taken to consorting with mortals a little more as of late, but demon blood yet courses through my veins. That will not change so easily.

Rie: Even if it is…well…a little troublesome, perhaps, at times!

Mei: …So you noticed.

Rie: Come, let us draw closer to the window.

Rie: Gaze upon all those people kilometres below alongside me!

Rie: And, um…thanks. For today. For planning all of this, to celebrate my nativity.

Mei: Your birthday only comes once a year, after all.

Rie: Hehehe.

Rie: Ahhh, that stadium sure does glow. It’s as if the full moon has crashed down to earth.

Rie: Not only stars on the ground, but the moon as well…people truly can create such beautiful scenery, that much hasn’t changed…

Mei: …Yes. If that’s what you think, Rie…I’m sure it’s true.

Fin.

#CUE #Rie Maruyama #Mei Toomi #Character Episode #Maruyama Rie #Toomi Mei #QC by Budder #my head exploded when i made the connection between mei talking about some things changing and some things staying the same #wanting to look for both of them #and the story of the mortal Castor and the immortal Pollux

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tappdancing · 2 years

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Quite the conclusion to Bloom Ball, Rie gave it her all no doubt~! Love how the episode circles back to the start with a similar situation whilst also giving a holistic viewpoint of the lives of the girls at AiRBLUE, truly feels like its the penultimate episode

If Cue! keeps riding this wave, the season finale could be a satisfying one

#tapp's anime commentary #cue!#rie maruyama #cyclic structure my beloved

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gurikajis · 2 years

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#Cue!#Maruyama Rie

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kurayamineko · 2 years

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The End of the Beginning - See You Everyday!

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444lpblue · 7 months

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Frieren: Beyond Journey's End #1-4 - It was... Perfect

Episode 1 - The Journey's End Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Keiichirou Saitou Episode Director: Ayaka Tsuji Animation Director: Reiko Nagasawa Key Animators: Junko Abe, Shin Ogasawara, Ran Kamezawa, Jun Sekiguchi, Daiki Harashina, Kanata Yanagisawa, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Xujian Li, Odashi, Keisuke Kobayashi, Shinji Ootsuka, Hayato Kakita, Toshiyuki Satou, Ayaka Tsuji, Yoshiko Matsumura, Emi Yamazaki, Kanako Yoshida, Kerorira, Kou Yoshinari

Episode 2 - It Didn't Have to Be Magic... Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Tomoya Kitagawa Episode Director: Tomoya Kitagawa Chief Animation Director: Reiko Nagasawa Animation Director: Ayaka Minoshima Key Animators: Junko Abe, Nobuhide Kariya, Toshiyuki Satou, Harumi Takagi, Daiki Tanaka, Masaho Hori, Yutaka Minowa, Kanata Yanagisawa, Xujian Li, Fuuko Abe, Kyousuke Ootori, Takahito Sakazume, Jura, Yuka Matsumura, Yukiko Watabe, Hayato Kakita, Hiroyuki Kobashi, Jun Sekiguchi, Airi Takahashi, Daiki Harashina, Ayaka Minoshima, Kouta Mori, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Aoi Ootani, Naoki Katou, Sanae Shitaya, Shinya Segawa, Zihan Liu

Episode 3 - Killing Magic Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Daiki Harashina Episode Director: Daiki Harashina Chief Animation Director: Reiko Nagasawa Animation Director: Daiki Harashina Key Animators: Daiki Harashina, Junko Abe, Shin Ogasawara, Mai Toda, Kanata Yanagisawa, Daisuke Shibukawa, Kou Yoshinari, Fei Hung Donghua, Hanwen Ye, Tooru Iwazawa, Honami Takeuchi, Yoshiko Matsumura, Xujian Li, Yukiko Busa, Nonno

Episode 4 - The Land Where Souls Rest Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Yoshiaki Kawajiri Episode Director: Kento Matsui Chief Animation Director: Reiko NagasawaAnimation Director: Ayaka Tsuji Key Animators: Shin Ogasawara, Hiroyuki Kobashi, Toshiyuki Satou, Harumi Takagi, Rie Arakawa, Yuka Koiso, Masahiro Yufune, Pinqiao Hui, Norifumi Kugai, Ayaka Satou, Jun Sekiguchi, Miyuki Inoue, Shuuji Maruyama, Ryuuguu-san, Yenxin Fan

Last week was utter hell, with a new class, a new schedule, and my sleep going out of whack. I'm still trying to readjust, and let me explain why I'm mentioning all of this. Almost nothing would have motivated me to get out of my zone and type this post except for Frieren. Frieren is one of my favorite manga series. If you've talked to me about anime/manga before, you would know this. So, ever since it was announced, it has been one of my most anticipated series. To add to that, Keiichirou Saitou was announced as the director. He's a great example of an upcoming new-gen director who has excelled in everything he's been a part of. From the beautiful and abstract EDs he created for The Executioner and Her Way of Life or Boogiepop, to the mesmerizing, dreamlike episodes he directed for Sonny Boy, and the expressive, now very popular Bocchi the Rock. He was a perfect choice as a director for a series like this, and let me tell you, he delivered fully.

Just from a quick glance, you can see how the show looks. Everything is eye-catching, making it almost hard to focus on one particular element because they all just look so good, and no, it's not just the chromatic aberration causing the lack of focus. The various departments responsible for compositing, the background, and the overall color design have done an outstanding job, creating a beautiful and cohesive piece of art. Seeing someone you might consider a less experienced director pulling off such a complete and harmonious experience is incredible. In terms of design, the whole show is aesthetically pleasing. It's not the experimental work you saw in Sonny Boy; it's going in a totally different direction, like a beautiful painting that should be framed on a wall.

It works very well when paired with, you know, how Frieren is as a story. The fantasy world they are in isn't an extremely unique one. You've seen it before; it's fairly typical in that sense. But that's not truly the point. The main focus is showing the day-to-day or year-to-year life of this immortal elf girl, Frieren, and how she views time, how she remembers her past. It's not an incredibly grand adventure, but with the small lens we have on these characters, it feels like a cherished moment, something that should be captured in a photo or painting. It's beautiful in a very simple way. It's not a series made for extremely large moments, I think Frieren has always been focused on a simpler view of life, much like a painting. The smaller details of such a straightforward approach are highlighted so well. The trees in the environment, the squirrels just moving around—there's so much life in each scene. It really all comes together for me like a piece of art.

The consistency lasts through all four episodes, and the staff distribution also seems fairly good, so I expect this to continue throughout the two cours. The pacing itself is perfect. I've really enjoyed how the story has been adapted to animation so far. I believe that nowadays, many anime series have fallen into the pitfalls of adapting things too quickly to capture the interest of newer viewers early on. However, the series composition for Frieren here is excellent.

This writeup might have been shorter than most people were expecting considering how amazing the anime adaptation is and how much I love the source material, but what can really be said about except just praising? I feel like even if you don't like the source material, the anime's execution is almost undeniably good. Additionally, as I said this past week has not been kind to me so my energy is a bit drained, at first I was planning to be more specific in my write up and make points more adhering to the specifics of each episode, but I didn't really have time for that. However, I will do my best to cover every Frieren episode weekly from now on. Make no mistake this is going to be my favorite series from this year.

#frieren #sousou no frieren #frieren: beyond journey's end #fall 2024

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historyhermann · 1 year

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"The Demon Girl Next Door": A Comedic Anime Worth Watching

What if one day you woke up and were a demon? Yuko experiences this dilemma in The Demon Girl Next Door. She tries to get a hold of her new form and is tasked with defeating the local magical girl... but not everything is as it seems.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, my History Hermann WordPress blog (it will be published there on Dec. 20), and Wayback Machine. This was the thirty-ninth article I wrote for The Geekiary. This post was originally published on May 18, 2022.

The Demon Girl Next Door is a supernatural and magical girl anime directed by Hiroaki Sakurai. It is based on Izumo Itō's manga parody series, is also known as "Street Corner Demon", and is filled with comedic moments from beginning to end.

As a warning, this recommendation discusses some spoilers for the first 19 episodes of The Demon Girl Next Door.

Yuko begins transforming into her crisis management form

The Demon Girl Next Door, builds off the usual story, where someone wakes up and is different from who they were when they went to sleep. One day, Yuko Yoshida (voiced by Konomi Kohara) comes to the frightening realization that she has a tail and horns. She learns that she is the descendant of a demon cursed to live in poverty by an opposing clan.

In order to restore the clan's honor, her mother, Seiko Yoshida tasks her with defeating the local magical girl of the town, Momo Chiyoda. This is easier said than done. Yuko is assisted by her ancestor, Lilith, who is trapped in a totem, and occasionally by her sister, Ryoko Yoshida.

However, Yuko is beset with a dilemma after Momo (voiced by Akari Kito) saves her from certain death. This is made even worse when she realizes that Momo attends the same high school as her! Luckily, she is helped by her school friends Anri Sata (voiced by Sayaka Senbongi) and Sion Ogura (voiced by Ayaka Suwa). Some call her "Shamiko" or by her full name "Shadow Master Yuko."

Sion is into the occult as much as Yoshiko Tsushima in Love Live!! Sunshine! who believes she is a "fallen angel" named "Yohane" and Rie Maruyama in Cue! who calls itself a demon from hell named "Ellis."

The series shares many similarities with The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!, where a powerful demon named Jahy lives in a ratty apartment and tries to gain all of the mana crystals to restore her powers. Yuko also lives on the edge of poverty with her sister Ryoko (voiced by Hitomi Ohwada) and mother, Seiko Yoshida (voiced by Sayaka Ohara).

Similar to the aforementioned series, in The Demon Girl Next Door Yuko becomes friends with Momo and her friend from another town, Mikan Hinatsuki (voiced by Tomoyo Takayanagi). In a unique twist, Mikan has been afflicted by a "guardian spirit" that attacks whenever Mikan's heart is racing, resulting in those around her to experience calamities. This is akin to the misfortune that the magical girl faces when she uses the mana crystals in The Great Jahy.

Later in the series, it is comically revealed that Yuko and Ryoko's father, Joshua (voiced by Hideyuki Umezu) was sealed inside a cardboard citrus box by another magical girl. It turns out that the family uses this box every day to cook their meals on a hibachi!

That magical girl is named Sakura Chiyoda (voiced by Hisako Kanemoto) and the stepsister of Momo. She disappeared ten years ago after she manipulated a sacred seal to ensure she stayed in good health. It later becomes Momo, Mikan, and Yuko's mission to find her. And she does appear in one of the show's most recent episodes. Mikan, on the other hand, has a familiar named Ugallu.

In another parallel with The Great Jahy, for some time Yuko begins working at a cafe run by a demon tapir named Shirosawa (voiced by Takashi Matsuyama) which has a chef and waitress named Lico (voiced by Ayassa Ito). Although Yuko goes there to garner information about Sakura, she becomes poisoned by the food, which makes her a work zombie, until she is saved by her more-than-a-friend Momo.

Mikan (left) gives Yuko (middle) a lemon while Momo (right) watches Yuko, and Yuko's ancestor sits on a nearby table

On the one hand, the series has plot lines focused on mindscapes, reminding me of scenes in The Owl House, Steven Universe, and Inside Job where characters travel inside the minds of other characters, either on purpose or by accident.

In fact, Sakura, another magical girl, helps Yuko out of her nightmare in the fifth and sixth episodes of the show's most recent season, appearing as a mirage of sorts. The audience also learns that Sakura sacrifices herself so that Yuko could live; a noble sacrifice.

This series also features main characters with cool magical transformations. This is coupled with comedy, which is integral to the show.

This is not an off-the-wall comedy like the hilarious three-season slice-of-life yuri comedy, YuruYuri, for which the protagonist complains about her lack of presence, even resulting in her becoming translucent at times. Neither is it like romantic comedies such as the currently airing Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and Love After Domination, or a recently-ended isekei comedy with transgender themes, Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout.

Instead, there is situational comedy either based around interactions between Yuko, her family and school friends, and family, or with her magical girl friends, Mikan and Momo. As a person who loves to eat sliced oranges as a snack, I have to give props to Mikan, whose family owns a fruit company, for constantly, and somehow, finding fruit. She slices up oranges and lemons and chomps on them when they hang out or brings fruit to eat while she is on the go. Are there any other characters who do this? I can't even think of one.

Even more hilarious is the fact that Mikan's hair color fits directly with her love of citrus, as it has the same color as an orange-dyed orange. It also connects with her bubbly, excitable personality and her orange-themed magical transformation.

The same can be said for Momo whose hair color is pink, a color often associated with "innocence and uncomplicated childhood", who has incredible strength and can quickly transform.

Unlike some other series, Momo has no interest in remaining a magical girl, feeling that having such power is too much responsibility for her. Yuko attempts to take advantage of this and recruit Momo as her "vassal." While Momo turns this down, she remains on friendly terms and there are hints in the season 2 introduction that she may go down that route in the future. All the while Yuko continues to declare "don't think this means you won" after Momo "defeats" Yuko in some way.

This is series is not unique in flipping generally understood values, like magical girls seen as "good" and demons as "bad." In fact, the 2017 supernatural slice-of-life and comedy anime, Gabriel DropOut, has angels act like demons, and demons act like angels. Helluva Boss has the demons act like jerks but be relatable and care about each other, while the angels are utter jerks who only care about themselves.

It is even a bit funny that Yuko's magical girl-esque transformation is called "crisis management". It gives her a somewhat scantily clad uniform akin to the lead in The Great Jahy, but it only slightly improves her abilities. This is different than Jahy, as it only helps her a little bit. Due to this, however, Momo helps train her on how to hone her abilities and improve herself. Instead of magical girls and demons fighting one another, they are both on the same side, working together for common goals.

Image from the Season 2 opening of the two protagonists, Momo and Yuko

In the process, the series plays on the common magical girl elements, often associated with female interests like romance, femininity, and child-rearing, with cute appearances of characters resembling idol singers or princesses. When they are in their transformations, Momo, Yuko, and Mikan clearly transform into versions of themselves that seem more mature and prettier, with magical powers. However, Momo and Yuko have items that allow them to use their powers outside of their transformations.

Most powerfully, and apart from any other character in the series, Yuko has the ability to enter other people's minds. She does it often with a wand that sometimes transforms into silly items like a pen, a super-heavy trident, or anything else that does not help her in the slightest. She is also very expressive, with her demon tail telling as much about her emotions as the cat ears of Blake Belladonna in RWBY say about what she is thinking from minute to minute.

Yuko's demon features are often exploited by other characters, who hold her back by her tail, making it hard for her to move, or hold her horns like handles. This is even more painful than someone grabbing onto her tail.

I further found it funny that Yuko's younger sister, Ryoko, is more skilled with technology than her. In fact, she is just as skilled with technology as the underclassman angel Tapris in Gabriel DropOut.

At the same time, her ancestor, Lilith (voiced by Minami Takahashi), can be bought out of her totem into small forms which are like dolls. Hilariously, Momo can easily control her movements, angering Lilith, who is trapped inside the totem. She can only leave to occupy Yuko's body from time to time, which slightly changes Yuko's personality and even her tail in the process. Similar to many characters, she has a weakness for alcohol, which makes it easy to subdue her.

youtube

Although there is a goal for magical girls to have romance that leads to marriage, it is unlikely this would happen in The Demon Girl Next Door. No notable male characters appear in the series. Although Yuko and Momo seem to have some feelings for each other, it is unlikely that Yuko and Momo would marry one another.

In later episodes, they will likely become even closer. After all, in the most recent episode, she became Yuko's vassal (temporarily) and came over the the "dark side", nicknamed "Darkness Peach" by Mikan, to save her from a nightmare. In an unexpected twist, she becomes a dual-class holder whose physical class is light while her spiritual class is light. They both agree to work together to protect the city.

Rather, these characters could be shown ambiguously together and walking off into the sunset akin to the end of Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times. It is even less likely that there would any possible marriage, like that hinted between office worker, Kobayashi, and a dragon girl, Tohru, in the final episode of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid.

All in all, The Demon Girl Next Door is a must-see, especially for those interested in demons, magical girls, and supernatural comedies.

The series is currently streaming on HIDIVE. The next episode will air on May 26, 2022.

#the demon girl next door #anime #comedy #magical girls #demons #gabriel dropout #alcohol #modern times #miss kobayashi's dragon maid #hidive #yuruyuri #the great jahy will not be defeated #Youtube

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linagram · 1 year

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Have you ever thought of potential voiceclaims for your oc, and if yes could you share? :D

SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO MUCH TIME TO REPLY ANON i took this way too seriously 😭😭

okay so the thing is. i've actually made a whole video but tumblr refused to post it even though the video size isn't even that big. and i don't have enough energy to try and fix it so we'll just do it like this.

i'm gonna be honest, i have no idea what to do with my male ocs' voices, like i'm very picky when it comes to male voices and i can imagine my sons' voices SO WELL that i just can't find a perfect voice for them djkdsls. i'm open to any suggestions though! (just so you understand, i literally edited yuno and muu's songs to make their voices sound deeper. i'm that desperate. and they actually ended up sounding a lot like riku and akio.)

so we'll just go with the female characters then!

Guard 002: Andou Miki (VA: Tomatsu Haruka)

Prisoner 002: Hanasaki Aimi (VA: Ueda Reina)

Prisoner 004: Chiba Naomi (VA: Uesaka Sumire)

Prisoner 006: Yoshioka Eiko (VA: Kudo Haruka)

Prisoner 008: Maruyama Yurika (VA: Date Sayuri)

Prisoner 010: Himura Reina (VA: Takahashi Rie)

some things that i want to mention:

i know it would make more sense for miki to have a more "wet cat"-like voice, i've actually thought about giving her kobeni (chainsaw man)'s voice at first, but i think haru's voice sounds a lot more like her. also she will become more confident in season 2, so..

tbh i wanted eiko's voice to be much deeper at first, but all the voices i found were either a bit too intimidating (and maybe a bit too "masculine"?) for her or just didn't fit her personality. so i decided to go with a more chill voice for her and i think it actually does fit her?

maybe it would make more sense for yurika's voice to be more "soft" and quiet, but i really wanted it to show her more "chaotic" side and i think kanon's voice fits her well :)

reina was the easiest character to find a voice for. thank you for existing (even if you only live in my head) reina ily

#tumblr why would you do this to me that video was so well-edited i worked so hard!!#maybe i will post those “male versions” of yuno and muu's songs just for fun #also. as you can see from these choices i'm a big fan of idol/music-related games #more like “was” i don't really play most of them anymore but still #❔answering asks ❔#🌼guard 002: andou miki 🌼#🌸prisoner 002: hanasaki aimi🌸#🌿prisoner 004: chiba naomi🌿#💎prisoner 006: yoshioka eiko💎#🎀prisoner 008: maruyama yurika 🎀#🎭prisoner 010: himura reina🎭

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666666666666666666661 · 1 year

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我喜欢这个

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tenraigun · 12 days

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Asami Maruyama (丸山旭美)

Age: 21

Birthday: May 21st, 20XX

Gender: Female

Species: Kitsune

Height: 5 ft 8 in (172 cm)

Weight: 147 lbs (66 kg)

Voiceclaim: Rie Tanaka/Colleen Clinkenbeard

Theme: Bullet Dance

Naoto's older sister. She is a beautiful nine-tailed vixen with a passion for fashion. Having had enough of seeing him going out and facing danger alone, she digs up an old tome from their father's possessions and becomes a marvelous spellcaster to back him up.

Asami is much more outgoing than her brother and is generally the more upbeat of the two. She exhibits an alluring vibe that'll make your heart skip a beat, though she commonly has her moments of what I can only describe as "endearing patheticness." She also enjoys playfully teasing Naoto, often playing the fool to his straight man act.

Her creative mind and keen eye work in tandem with her magecraft, allowing her to make devious traps and fully utilize the elements to her advantage. It's also quite beneficial for her aspirations as a fashion designer, which she's in the middle of acquiring a degree for.

One of her greatest weaknesses is also one of her greatest joys in life: alcohol. She especially loves sweet sake, but she's a total lightweight and gets plastered near instantly. After so many hangovers you'd think she'd learn to ease up...

#asami maruyama #character bio #oc #original character #her swag is too powerful and cannot be accurately portrayed with a simple palette edit #like seriously i was digging around and the closest thing i could find was aoko ''t-shirt and jeans'' aozaki #which is kind of the antithesis to how asami usually dresses

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prof-kenny · 2 years

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kanae-sama · 2 years

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CUE! Idol-Training

#CUE! Idol-Training #Rie Maruyama #mei toomi #anime #anime girl #megami magazine

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prismatranslates-cue · 4 months

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Rie [Sabbath of Castor] Part 2

Previously: Part 1

Rie: A lot’s changed since we were kids. Like the stores, for one thing. So many of these places weren’t around back then.

Mei: Yes…oh.

Mei: Wait here for a moment.

---

Mei: Here you go.

Rie: Hm? What’s this? Oh, it’s warm…

Mei: A corned beef taiyaki.

Rie: A…corned beef taiyaki? They really make those?

Mei: And this one’s chili cheese flavour.

Rie: Is that even still taiyaki?

Mei: This kind of food–and the store that sells it–wasn’t around when we were younger.

Rie: Yeah. This is definitely my first time having something like this. It’s not bad, though.

Mei: You’re a different person now than you were before. You’re a Team Leader and all that.

Mei: New food for a new Rie. It’s only fitting.

Rie: What an oddly threatening way of saying that. You sound like you’re describing “eye for an eye”. …Oh, but don’t get me wrong. I appreciate you going out of your way to find these.

Mei: Rie. I want you to let go and not be so concerned about all the people around you.

Rie: Huh?

Mei: It’s just you and me. Be as “Ellis” as you want today.

Rie: Oh? Very well. If you so desire…

Rie: Hmph. This foodstuff is queer but I cannot deny it is also quite delectable. Did you track this down for my sake? You have my gratitude.

Mei: …

Rie: Was that okay…?

Mei: There were no issues.

Rie: I don’t know if anyone’s ever actively encouraged me to lean into my Ellis persona. I’m kind of at a loss, honestly.

Mei: Rie, you have undergone quite a few changes since becoming leader, but you’ve clearly been spending less time as Ellis as a result.

Mei: So at least this much is okay.

Rie: I detect some faint hints of reluctance in those words…or is my mind playing tricks on me…?

---

Rie: For those who consider themselves seiyuu, reading manga is not only a hobby but a duty. One could call it training, if not outright part of our mission.

Mei: I’ve never thought of it with any such gravitas.

Rie: You’ve always had lots of manga and books and games and stuff in your room ever since we were little, after all.

Mei: Yes.

Rie: And ever since we were little…I would always ask to borrow them from you.

Mei: You were content with that.

Rie: …Oh? This is that anime that Team Flower were cast in…oho. So they already have merch.

Rie: A matter of course for such a popular work. But we can hardly sit by and let them leave us in the dust.

Mei: …Indeed.

Rie: Ah!

Rie: This is that book that everyone’s been talking about lately! I’ve been considering reading it myself…

Mei: I own a copy of that already.

Rie: Oh, do you? Can I read it when we get back home?

Mei: Sure.

Rie: I’ve had my eye on it for a while! It sounds super interesting from what I’ve heard about it. Gosh, sorry that I’m always imposing on you like this.

Mei: Rie? Ellis.

Rie: You may always ask me to return the favour, if you wish me to lend you something you desire.

Mei: Sure. I’d likely already have anything you could lend, though.

Rie: Yeah, I think so too…

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Rie: Oh! Do you mind if I try that claw machine for a bit?

Mei: Is there something in there you want?

Rie: That figure. It’s one of my most admired characters in all demonkind, a great leader among us fell creatures…

Mei: I’ve never seen you succeed at one of these.

Rie: Tch…well, allow me to show you now. I will make short work of this feeble machine.

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Rie: Hah, a worthy foe…How did I burn through 3000 yen so fast…?

Mei: …Here, let me try.

Rie: R-right.

Mei: It’s important to analyze the target’s weight and centre of gravity, in order to understand where you want to apply the force. You should be able to picture the action in your mind.

Mei: First, you shift the target’s position, like…so.

Rie: So then with a second one…

Mei: See?

Rie: Gosh, you’re always so amazing, Mei. You make things I could never pull off look easy.

Mei: It’s no big deal. …Behold, I present to you my tribute for your nativity.

Rie: Yay! Thanks, Mei. I’ll treasure it forever!

Mei: Rie? Ellis.

Rie: My boundless gratitude defies expression with mere words!

Mei: …There you go. That’s good.

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Rie: Lo, the night already approaches, for the sun returns to the horizon so early during the winter moons. Truly the perfect season for denizens of the dark.

Mei: …It’s almost time.

To be continued...in Part 3

#CUE #Rie Maruyama #Mei Toomi #Character Episode #Maruyama Rie #Toomi Mei #QC by Budder

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