#also I saw you were starting Higurashi and I’m so excited to see another person’s reactions! I hope you enjoy reading it | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

medea10 · 4 years

Text

My Review of To Heart

How did I get into this anime? I have been curious about this anime for a straight-up decade now and the randomizer decided to bless me with something not incest. Thank you Arceus!

Since she was young, Akari Kamigishi has been best friends with Hiroyuki Fujita. Because of kind acts he did for her as a child, Akari has stayed by Hiroyuki’s side. Now that they’re both in high school, something has changed in Akari and it feels more like she’s falling for her childhood friend. Will Akari find happiness with her best friend or will she end up friend-zoned?

And because this is a harem, there are quite a few girls hanging around Hiroyuki throughout the two seasons. Just to name a few, we have the brash friend, Shiho. Then there’s the tomboy type, Aoi. The very silent type, Serika! And then there’s the robotic maid, Multi. Yes, you read right. A robot! This is Japan after all! Oh yeah, there’s also the class rep, an actual American girl, and a quiet girl with supernatural powers.

Akari, girl, you need to step up your game if you’re up against all these chicks!

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Before I discuss all that, let’s go down the ugly story about To Heart for fans in the U.S. The first season (and only the first season) was dubbed by RightStuf (at least I’m certain about that). Everything else wound up undubbed and even unlicensed. To Heart was kind of left in the dust due to what happened when the first season was supposed to release in the U.S. A lot of damaged material was the culprit and this came during the time when animation was transitioning from animating using cells to going digital. So to sum that up, the anime debuted in Japan around 1999, Rightstuf licensed To Heart in 2004 with a release in 2005, and the actual release was delayed to 2007. And in back-in-those-days times, that’s pretty fucking long. I can see why they didn’t want to bother with this series after it took all that trouble to remaster a series many were calling only “OKAY”.

Now then, on with the good stuff! I went in thinking that this was a Geneon reject, but was blown out of my ass to hear voices from New York! Lisa Ortiz, Jessica Calvello, Veronica Taylor, Wayne Grayson, and my personal favorite (not who you’re thinking), Carol Jacobanis! Yeah, surprisingly I didn’t hear Ted Lewis here. But Jacobanis is my second favorite in the NYAV group. I am in nostalgia heaven! Yes folks, these were the same people to give life to many characters from Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Berserk, His and Her Circumstances, Bakuman, Gravitation…OH, gambled and lost! Well, you get my meaning! Thankfully this dub wasn’t as horrific as Gravitation (despite Hiroyuki’s voice actor is well-known for something from that particular anime). Here’s what you might recognize these folks from!

JAPANESE CAST: *Akari is played by Ayako Kawasumi (known for Ursula on Pokemon DP, Saber on Fate/Zero, Izumi on Beyond the Boundary, Aoki on Bakuman, Laura on Index, Yoshida on Shakugan no Shana, and Nodame on Nodame Cantabile)

*Hiroyuki is played by Kazuya Ichijo (known for Hoteye on Fairy Tail and Zafila on Nanoha)

*Shiho is played by Chieko Higuchi (known for Tomo on Azumanga Daioh)

*Multi is played by Yui Horie (known for Hanekawa on Monogatari, Tohru on Fruits Basket, Hanyuu on Higurashi, Minorin on Toradora, Charla on Fairy Tail, Chie on Persona 4, Maria on Umineko, and Riki on Little Busters)

ENGLISH CAST: *Akari is played by Debora Rabbai (known for Mika from Gravitation, Rika on His and Her Circumstances, Leina on Queen’s Blade, and Boogiepop [original])

*Hiroyuki is played by Rich McNanna (known for Jack Walker on Pokemon Movie 9 and Shuuichi on Gravitation)

*Shiho is played by Jessica Calvello (known for Prima on Pokemon, Hange on Attack on Titan, Excel on Excel Saga, Kanako on Maria Holic, Tsukino on His and Her Circumstances, and Aika on Aria the Animation)

*Multi is played by Tara Sands (known for Richie on Pokemon, Soujirou on Rurouni Kenshin, Mokuba on YGO, Badiane on Sailor Moon SuperS movie, Tori on Pokemon Movie ~ Deoxys, and Filia on Slayers Try)

SHIPPING: So remind me what genre this anime is!

HAREM!

We’re watching a harem! But it’s more slice of life than anything romantic. There are a lot of love interests for Hiroyuki throughout the series. It’s just that it doesn’t develop as much as one might think (except for maybe Akari) in season one.

And it’s so easy to think that Hiroyuki is the object of every one of these ladies’ desire. Serika waits for him to come to the club room. Aoi finds him helpful, as does Tomoko and Lemmy. Multi got attached to Hiroyuki’s headpats. As for Akari, she’s got quite the teddy bear collection because of Hiroyuki. After watching all of season one where Hiroyuki is hanging with all of these ladies individually, I thought there would be a moment of jealousy from one or more of these girls. Much to my surprise, that was not the case. It didn’t go down any of those bad-end routes you’d see with things like Kanon, Clannad, or God-forbid, School Days!

But then season two happened…

Ooh boy! First of all, Hiroyuki ended up getting his first confession of love from the most unlikely person ever. Kotone wasn’t even a contender in the first season as she had other issues. In fact, didn’t she have feelings for Masashi in season one? But halfway in the season, she gets ballsy and confesses to Hiroyuki. He rejects her and thankfully it didn’t get ugly (except Akari heard it and got jealous). Lemmy, I also thought wasn’t in play, but here we are! She was apparently childhood friends with Hiroyuki and brought it up when confessing her feelings. That unfortunately came at a bad time as he’s in a quarrel with Akari so he dismisses her.

And then there’s Akari! She’s been able to put on a smile and kind of be a wall-flower whenever Hiroyuki is doing something with one of the other girls. And most of the season, we see him mostly with Aoi and Multi. Thankfully, Aoi never showed romantic interests in Hiroyuki. I much prefer Aoi x Kotone if you want to know the truth. But halfway into season two, jealousy came in like a drunkard in a bar. Akari was definitely pissed when she saw Kotone confess to Hiroyuki and would get jealous seeing Hiroyuki and Multi together so much.

Oh yeah, good old Multi! Yes Multi loves Hiroyuki. Now does Hiroyuki love Multi back? It’s complicated! Because of Multi, Hiroyuki ends up pursuing a career in robotics and as a result spends quite a bit of time with her (pissing Akari off in the process). But because Multi is kind of a malfunctioning robot, who the hell knows if she’ll even remember being with Hiroyuki.

Now are there other boys interested in any of these other girls? The only other boy that has any prominent screen time is Masashi. It’s just that after season one, he’s only seen every so often because he’s busy with soccer. But in season one, it almost felt like Kotone was admiring him from the distance. Don’t get excited because that was just a one-and-done sort of thing before Kotone set eyes on Hiroyuki. Actually, Masashi does reveal his fondness for Akari (at literally the worst possible time). But it seems like Masashi ends up with Shiho in the end. So…whatever!

Hiroyuki DOES end up with someone. Just go down to the end of season two to get that answer.

ENDING TO SEASON ONE: The last two episodes of this season consist around Shiho deciding that she wants to throw a Christmas party at an old hangout from her middle school days! But this isn’t the only nostalgic kick she feels. Shiho ends up remembering the first day she met Hiroyuki and after he took care of a wound she got, Shiho starts seeing Hiroyuki in a new light. Yeah, up until this point, Shiho and Hiroyuki’s relationship could be summed up by saying they both give each other shit every day. Then you have Akari, who is also feeling a little nostalgic with trying to see if Hiroyuki is able to remember things from their past. During the finale however, Akari does develop a cold and has to bail on the party planning.

When Shiho came to visit Akari, it kinda comes out that both girls do care for Hiroyuki. But because this isn’t one of those kinds of romance animes, it really doesn’t get ugly. It’s more of an “I acknowledge your feelings for the boy I like and good luck to you”. Shiho really didn’t do any confessing and we get a cute moment with Hiroyuki and Akari out in the snow.

Let’s see how Season Two holds up!

OMAKE: Nozomi Entertainment also released the six Omake specials that came with releases of the first season. Not dubbed! Just a couple of minute-long specials that range from cute to wildly absurd.

There were also Omake specials in season two that mostly consisted of all the girls fighting each other in almost a Street Fighter or Dragon Ball style.

REMEMBER MY MEMORIES: Five years after the first season aired, To Heart returns with a bit of a time-leap from where we left off last and some slightly improved(?) animation. And if you’re wondering why this season isn’t called “To Heart 2”, there is a series named that already. To Heart 2 is a spin-off of To Heart. It’s just that none of the characters from To Heart are in To Heart 2. ANYWAYS…

It has been a year or so from where we left off. Hiroyuki, Akari and the others are now in their senior year of high school and a lot has changed. Minor character, Kotone who mostly kept to herself in the first season, has found another role in hanging out with Aoi (the chick who’s into martial arts). Serika is still silent, but that blue hue to her hair is definitely not silent. What the hell is with this new animation? And finally, Multi apparently left a year ago and came back in the first episode of season two. Only now Multi has amnesia. A lot has changed since season one, especially when it comes to romance. Buckle up!

ENDING TO REMEMBER MY MEMORIES: Yeah, this season layed on the melodrama really thick compared to the previous season. All the ladies love Hiroyuki and at least half of them expressed those feelings to him. Akari had some conflicted feelings when it came to Hiroyuki. She loves him, but feels like he doesn’t return the feeling due to him hanging around a lot of other girls (especially Aoi and Multi).

Speaking of Multi, this girl has had such the rotunda of computer issues. My stroked-out Dell PC from 2005 had more working power than this girl! For starters, her memories are in danger of being wiped away at several points of the series. We even begin season two where Multi returns after over a year with full-blown amnesia. And since then, Multi had some sort of malfunction issue arise every other episode. This was showcased in the finale, where Multi gets so upset and runs away to the amusement park!

So, Hiroyuki and all of his friends come together to look for Multi. They thankfully found her at the amusement park (during closed hours) and broke into the main-frame to the Ferris wheel. And did I mention these people almost committed assault on police officers? Yeah, these kids are about to have a rap sheet the size of Texas by the end of the episode. Anyways, Hiroyuki, Akari, and Multi ride the ferris wheel and have a nice talk before Multi falls asleep for…

…Let’s say a long time…

Fast-forward to high school graduation! Hiroyuki and Akari seem to be doing a lot better. They’re both going to attend the same college and are pretty much on better terms than when Akari was having a jealousy, bitch-fit. At graduation, they both decided to give each other the Christmas gifts they never gave each other. Because Multi was having another malfunction, they never got to give the gifts. Hiroyuki got a hand-knit sweater. And Akari got a ring!

Hiroyuki wanted it and so he put a ring on it!

During the ED credits, we see the characters we’ve seen throughout these two seasons and what they ended up doing after high school. Lemmy is back in San Francisco. Aoi and Kotone are still doing the fighting matches. Rio is a primary school teacher. Serica is still into the occult. Tomoko is working for her father’s business. Masashi is becoming a big soccer star with Shiho working on journalism (and I think Shiho ends up romantically involved with Masashi).

And we close with Hiroyuki and Akari working with the HMX robots and surprise, surprise, Multi wakes up.

And before you ask, I did NOT watch To Heart 2. And I don’t intend to…at least not yet. I’m saving it for another day and putting it back on the randomizer list.

This anime was…just okay. Yeah, a lot of things were predictable, especially when it came to who the main male lead was going to end up with. Come on, we all know Akari was going to end up with Hiroyuki in the end. If this were the visual novel, I’m sure there were infinite numbers of routes Hiroyuki could take and there’d be a good end to all of the girls. But I’m mostly anime only here! In terms of recommendations, ehh…I feel like there were other better harems you could watch.

Only season one of To Heart got an official release in the U.S., but you might have to search around for any DVD copies as I’m pretty sure it’s currently out of print. Anything else from the series, you’ll have to do some heavy searching to watch all the way through.

Okay, next licensed limbo/unlicensed classics!

What’s that one play everyone and their mother has seen, but you haven’t?

*sighs* Hamilton.

No, the other one.

Les Miserable? Wait, this never got licensed?!

Okay! I guess I’m watching that. I hope I can do well at this review considering I never watched the play, read the book, or watched that film where Russell Crowe can’t sing.

#anime review #to heart #to heart remember my memories #hiroyuki fujita #akari kamagishi #shiho nagaoka #hmx-12 multi #kotone himekawa

9 notes · View notes

mrfeenysmustache · 5 years

Text

A String of Souls

Chapter 1

Pairing: InuKag

Genre: angst, romance, SORT OF soulmate AU

Chapter warning: mentions of motor accidents and death.

Summary: Kagome Higurashi lives in a world where everyone has a soulmate, and they don't have to wait long to find them. She is more than happy with the person fate has chosen to stay by her side, but as soon as Happily Ever After can begin, it's ripped away. Fate, it seems, can be a cruel mistress. Or maybe not... Time travel/Soulmate AU/No jewel/InuKag

Warm sun; sparse, puffy clouds; a cool invigorating breeze. All these things contrasted starkly against the storm in her heart.

Kagome Higurashi gazed blankly at the headstone in front of her, wishing for rain, or a gray sky, or even one thick cloud to dull the sun for even a moment, to reflect the state of her soul.

But it was not to be. It never was.

Always it was bright and sparkling when she came on this day.

"First the Kami take my soul mate, and then they don't even have the decency to give me a gloomy day on the anniversary... Kisho..."

Her heart throbbed and a tear ran down her cheek. She brought out the pair of cupcakes she'd brought and placed one at the base of the headstone.

His birthday. Their birthday.

That's when he'd died, two years ago on their shared birthday. She couldn't bear to "celebrate" this day any other way now, she just wished for once the weather would cooperate and be bad.

"Happy Birthday Kisho. Sorry I haven't been back since my last visit a few months ago. School's been... Keeping me busy. Not sure what the point even is."

She crossed her arms over her knees and sighed.

"You'd hate to hear me say that."

She reached out and traced over his etched name.

"I should probably be better than I am by now... but I'm not."

Her hand dropped to the ground next to her and she fiddled With the grass that grew lush and green over his burial plot, another testament to the time that had passed since his departure from this realm. The gaping, gnawing chasm inside her felt no smaller, no closer to closing and she felt like she drowned in it more and more each day.

They'd been 17 when he died.

Being so young, everyone seemed to think she'd bounce back rather quickly and get on to living all the life that stretched out in front of her. They saw it as some kind of gift she should grab on to, saw the loss of him as some kind of lesson she should learn about living life to the fullest.

She saw it all as an endless desert to cross with no water in her canteen, and no shoes on her feet.

Maybe there would be an oasis on the other side. Or maybe there would be a giant snake ready to devour her.

She didn't honestly see the point in finding out.

She wasn't hiding it as well as she wanted, and had had to listen to a litany of well meaning friends and relatives try to buck her up and push her forward. Even her mother didn't understand, and she had also lost her soul mate!

And maddeningly enough, she knew Kisho would agree with them all.

"I can just hear you now, chiding me for sulking when I should be focused on my life, instead. But how, Kisho? How do I focus on a life that was supposed to have you in it? It's not fair..."

She closed her eyes and centered herself, opening up her soul to "see" and glanced down at her finger where the Red String Of Fate was still tied in a neat little bow. Only the other end, instead of connecting to the one being who shared the other half of her soul, just sort of... drifted in front of her and faded into nothing.

She sighed and shook her head, breaking that connection so that the string would disappear. She didn't make a habit of doing it, seeing her String vanishing into nothing like that was scary and disheartening. Since you can only "see" your own Red String and where it attaches to your Soul Mate's, she'd asked her mother what her's looked like after losing her father. She'd been confused.

"What do you mean, dear?"

"Your string... what does it look like now? Mine just... drifts off into nothing. Is that what yours looks like?"

"No, all I have left is the bow it's tied in. The rest of the string disappeared when your father died. That's very strange Kagome."

"What does it mean?"

"I have no idea, dear. You should ask your grandfather."

She was not going to do that. He'd just ramble on about the youth of today not paying attention to their spiritual lessons the first time.

Besides, it probably just meant that she'd be alone until she died and they both reincarnated again.

Joy.

A little bird flew by over head, tweeting a happy tune. His little mate met him in the air above their nest and they circled and chirped around each other. Kagome watched them absently, casting her mind back to simpler times, reliving her brief happiness as close to its source as she could now get.

She'd been friends with Kisho since early childhood. Their fathers worked together and and when they found out their children had been born on the same day, almost the same time, they'd decided to introduce them to each other and see if they would like each other.

Their friendship had been deep and immediate.

They played together as often as the adults in their life would tolerate meeting up. And then when they were old enough to venture away on their own, they would play everyday. They'd heard the adults whispering to each other about the possibility they could be soul mates, but when you have forts to build and invisible dragons to vanquish, adult things like love and marriage are the last thing you want to think about.

Kagome remembered when she'd begun feeling more for Kisho than just friendship. They'd turned 13 and the way he'd blushed and smiled when he'd given her his gift to her made her heart thump strangely.

She kept her secret feelings close. She had a soul mate out there someone, everybody did. Soon she'd be able to find him. There would be no point trying to confess anything to a guy who'd be running off to find his own soulmate soon.

The thought of him with someone else would crush her young heart and she'd cry herself to sleep over it, but what could be done?

At 15, it was time for them to do The Ceremony. They decided to do it together, since they'd done everything else together. The Ceremony consisted of a short ritual with spiritual incense and chanting, and then meditation to open your spiritual senses to see your Red String. The spell, so to speak, would last until you found your soul mate, then it would fade and you'd have to focus and mediate to see it again.

Sometimes your soulmate found you before you needed to do The Ceremony yourself. Often you'd find each other only after you both started searching. It was rare to wait more than a few years after The Ceremony to be with your soul mate.

When they first opened up their minds to "see," they'd been shocked and elated to find that their Red Strings connected... to each other. They caught a quick glimpse, watched their joined String glow brightly, and then fade away.

He gave her a look of such sheer joy and love. She'd never seen someone smile so beautifully.

Later he confessed he'd always dreamed she'd be the one he was tied too. That had started the most blissful two years of her life.

And then he'd been stolen.

He'd bought a new motorcycle despite his mother's harsh protests. He'd had his license only a short time, but he was excited to practice driving it well so he could take her around on it. It made her nervous, but it made him so happy. His chocolate eyes always glowed in the best way when he was happy.

He took it out in the rain, and never made it home.

The pain she'd felt had been so consuming and fierce she thought she might die too.

She thought she still might sometimes.

But she hadn't, she was still here.

She wiped her face and collected her things.

"I'll always love you. Always. I'll be back much sooner next time, I promise. Goodbye Kisho."

Kagome placed her things in the basket on the front of her bike, hopped on, and peddled away.

The finger holding her Red String itched.

#inuyasha #kagome #inukag #inukag fanfic #inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha fic #soulmate au #sort of

3 notes · View notes

cpt-s-america · 6 years

Text

KogKag Secret Santa: Wrapped Up With a Bow

Here is my KogKag secret santa ( @kogkagsecretsanta) for @dailygila.

So I’m not very much a writer (I’m actually a music person, but holiday music has it’s own challenges and the idea was in my head so I wanted to try to write it), but I was excited to write you a Christmas story and give it a go. I’ve never written either character before, so I hope I got them right and I hope it’s decent and fun and you enjoy it!!

It’s an office Christmas party with some being in a storage closet together and Kagome helping Kouga not failing at wrapping presents.

Warnings: swearing (WEREWOLVES NOT SWEARWOLVES KOUGA), fluff?, romantic parent trapping by ginta and hakkaku

She slammed the door shut quickly, ducking in and pressing herself against the door as it closed. Her face flushed red, Kagome Higurashi took several deep breaths in and out, trying to calm her breathing and mentally force her blushing to stop. She wasn’t even sure where she’d ended up, she just ran for the first door she could find to hide. With everyone’s eyes on her as she’d turned and ran, she didn’t think she’d really managed to hide well but at least there was a door between her and –

“Hey! Would ya quit that?”

She cracked an eye open amidst her next deep breath, looking down to where her foot had (apparently) landed upon someone’s very sturdy, very warm looking abdomen connected to a very tan, very irritated looking man seemingly relaxing on the storage room floor.

Kagome yelped and pulled her foot back quickly, losing her balance in the process and nearly toppling forward at her change in balance. Strong arms quickly wrapped around her waist and steadied her. How had he gotten from laying on the ground to holding her steady so quick? It wasn’t possible. As that thought flew through her brain her eyes locked onto a disarming pair of electric blue eyes she recognized enough to know they belonged to the youkai who had recently become the office’s new Assistant Manager. Kouga. She’d never been this close to his eyes before (or him in general), but she certainly hadn’t forgotten them since the first time she’d seen them. They were a blue she’d never seen on another person; so bright in color they seemed like the color of a clear blue sky in the summer.

Stammering, she pulled herself from his arms and smoothed her skirt, avoiding his eyes. She pulled herself away as far as she could in such a small room, looking down so her bangs covered her eyes from his view. He wasn’t sure why, but he did know she’d run into the storage closet for a reason and it was probably better than his. What was it about storage closets at Christmas office parties that screamed “hide in here”?

“So what’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” he winced at his lame joke, removing his hands from her waist somewhat reluctantly.

She didn’t respond right away, just looked around the room they were in, wishing she’d stumbled into a slightly larger storage closet and maybe one that hadn’t been previously occupied. She tried to busy her hands with smoothing her skirt and put her eyes anywhere but the warm, tan arms that had been holding her seconds before. As she glanced around the room, her eyes landed on a small pile of crumpled wrapping paper poorly taped together over small boxes.

The person who had neatly wrapped presents in her mother’s stead for years spoke, rather than Kagome who was still reeling from her embarrassment outside. “I-is that your attempt at wrapping presents?” She bent down to look at them, noting how some presents’ wrapping looked ripped in frustration covered in too long tape and multiple layers of paper. It looked, based on the amount of paper and tape, like this had been a long process and she almost felt bad about how she phrased her question.

Barely having the grace to look embarrassed, Kouga flopped down next to the pile and suppressed a sigh. “Can you tell I’ve never had to wrap presents before?”

She looked at him questioningly. “Never? Not even for your parents or friends?”

“Nah, I always had someone around to take pity on me. As you can see, I’m horrible at this. Unfortunately this year, with our manager out of town for the merger meeting, I have to find a way to wrap the 30 presents for our staff he left behind. That is, unless you want to help me out here?” Kouga put on his best charming smile, hoping to dazzle her even slightly. He fought the urge to frown as he realized she was unfazed.

Kagome looked at the door, silently contemplating. Did she really want to go back outside and have to face everyone? She knew Hojo hadn’t meant to put her on the spot when he confessed his feelings for her and asked her out on a date (in front of everyone at the office), but she was embarrassed all the same, slightly unsure of how to tell him no in front of so many people. She sighed and began picking up the roll of wrapping paper.

His eyes widened slightly. “Wow… that bad, huh?”

She busied herself gathering the tape and beginning to pull his failed wrapping attempts.

“I mean whatever caused you to run into this closet has got to be pretty bad for ya to be willing to stay in here and wrap presents for me.”

Quickly, so quickly he would have barely registered he saw it if not for his youkai sight, a smile quirked on her mouth. “Oh, I’m not wrapping them for you.”

Kouga started, surprised. “Wait, why are ya grabbing paper then?”

With more confidence than he’d ever heard from her, she said, “I’m taking pity on you and teaching you to wrap presents. You’re in your twenties, right? You can’t get by hoping people will help you always. Now pull the wrapping off so we can start fresh.”

He quirked his eyebrow and shrugged, seemingly okay with this idea. More accurately he was okay that with this distraction, Kouga could see her already looking calmer. She’d run into the closet looking so panicked he was sure someone was chasing her. She’d rushed in so quickly she hadn’t even seen him laying on the ground in his “I hate wrapping presents why can’t anyone else do this” rage quit. As shocked as he’d been to be stepped on, he’d been glad when no one had pursued her into the closet. Kouga hadn’t gotten to know Kagome very much over the past month of becoming assistant manager, but he did know something within him prompted protectiveness over the human girl. She seemed self-assured, knowledgeable, and able to take care of herself, but Kouga still felt a protective instinct stirring within at the simple sight of her. Probably something to do with his wolf demon instincts, but he hadn’t had much time to analyze his feelings for the human yet or why he had them.

He made quick work of tearing off his old wrapping job. Wincing at how much paper he had wasted, he glanced back over at Kagome. “I might be a terrible student.”

She smiled, a full grin that lit up her blue eyes and made her whole face even more beautiful. “If I can get my friend Inuyasha able to decently wrap a present I think I can handle you.”

Kouga recognized the name. He worked on another floor of the office building but was constantly stopping by to see Kagome on lunches and breaks. Every time the half demon showed up Kouga felt himself gritting his teeth in annoyance; Inuyasha was a distraction to the office every time he showed up. Yes. A distraction to the office. It had nothing to do with the way Kagome gravitated toward the hanyou the instant he walked through the door. It also had nothing to do with the fact that, based on the few facts he had gathered, Kouga felt Kagome could really be hanging out with better people than a half youkai. Beyond that, it had nothing to do with the tight feeling he got in his chest wishing he could be the one over there making her smile or having heated discussions.

He snorted. “That half breed? I can learn to wrap presents better than him with my eyes closed.”

Her eyebrow quirked. “I’ll believe it when I see it. Now come here,” she said as she pulled out the wrapping paper and lay it smoothly on the ground. She continued to cut the paper and talk out the steps as she did them, checking if he was listening and watching.

But how could he? Kouga found himself struggling to listen to every word she said, instead looking at her lips and wondering how soft they were and how they would feel against his own lips. He shook his head and focused intensely on her hands instead. Yes, hands would be safer, he decided. But just as he’d decided to focus on her hands, he found that to be a bad choice as well. He couldn’t stop thinking about how tiny her hands were and how gentle they would be as they skirted across his skin.

“You ready to try now?”

Upon hearing her say those words, he felt his brain start up again and he realized he’d heard nothing she’d said. He was just going to have to do his best.

“Yeah, yeah. I got this.” He grabbed the paper roll from her and another box to wrap, and laid out the box to get ready to cut the paper. He was just readying the scissors to cut when he noticed her fidgeting. “Something wrong?”

He looked up to see Kagome looking like she was about to burst.

“I’m doing something wrong, ain’t I?”

The words erupted from her. “So wrong-you’re going to waste so much paper and time cutting it that way.”

He chuckled. “Alright then, wrapping master. Show me how it’s done.”

She frowned. “It’s no good if I do it for you. Here pick up the scissors and I’ll guide you and talk you through it again.”

Before he could crack any jokes or mentally prepare himself, she was moving closer and putting her small pale hand over his large warm one, guiding his hand to the proper cutting places on the wrapping paper. She was talking gently, but he was once again overwhelmed by her. This time he couldn’t stop himself from smelling her-a light natural perfume that tickled his nose. He also couldn’t keep himself from focusing on how warm her hands were and how perfect they seemed to fit against his.

“Ok so now it’s folding and taping time. Do you think you’re ready for that?”

He blinked, very uncertain he could do anything but continue to consume her with all his senses (but apparently not with his brain). “Uh, yeah. I can do that probably.”

Her mouth twisted downward again and she shook her head. “It’s probably better if I show you this part once more.”

“Actually I think your hands helping me do the motions was really helpful. I’m more of a learn while I do it kind of guy,” he said as he hoped she would take the bait and keep wanting to touch him.

Kagome for her part was second guessing her choice to touch Kouga. She hadn’t really been thinking when she’d initially touched him. In her desire to help him, she hadn’t considered how close she would need to be to him or how he, her boss, would allow her to move his hand in complete control. She hadn’t considered she would be feeling his breath against her neck, sending shivers down her spine, or that he would shift his weight so his free arm would basically be resting on her waist. Taking a deep breath and calming her nerves (get it together, Kagome. He’s your boss. It doesn’t matter how handsome he is. You’re helping him, not on a date with him), she guided his hand (and regretfully told him he would need to use both hands, thus removing his arm from around her) through the motions of folding the paper around the present in an aesthetically pleasing manner before helping him put tape on.

Upon finishing she turned to him and smiled; very aware of how blue his eyes were, how close his face was to hers, and the fact that his arm had somehow managed to snake it’s way around to her waist again.

A pounding on the door snapped both Kouga and Kagome out of staring at each other.

“Hey, Kouga! Have you seen Kagome? She’s that tiny, pretty sales associate. Her friends are looking for her.”

Kouga suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and snarl at his friend. He stood, helping Kagome to her feet, noticing her lack of complete shyness as she stood closer to him. He was happy with this development and felt his chest swell with happiness. He wasn’t sure why, but in this half hour of getting to know her she had made him smile more than he had in a long while. Kagome was someone he decided he wanted to keep in his life after today as more than her boss. He wanted to make her smile and he wanted her safe and protected in his arms (which she so perfectly seemed to fit in, he noted). He yanked open the closet door to see his friends. “Yeah, Ginta, she’s helping me fail less at wrapping presents.”

Ginta and Hakkaku seemed to just stare, unsure of if they should make a joke or be casual. Something about the way Kouga was glaring at them intently (and the flush they saw rise on Kagome’s cheeks( said to back away slowly and not comment until later.

“Cool. Cool. Coolcoolcoolcool. I’m gonna go back to the party then. That girl…Sango? She’s just worried about ya, sis,” Hakkaku said, clearing his throat.

Her face visibly relaxed (it wasn’t Hojo on the lookout for her right now, so her embarrassment could chill) and she smiled. “Thank you, Ginta and Hakkaku. I’ll get on my way back to her.” She turned towards Kouga, all attention diverted from the boys. She (hopefully subtley) let out a shaky breath before reaching down and holding the wrapped box up in front of his face. “Well I think congratulations are in order: you’ve successfully wrapped a present almost all by yourself. You’re almost an adult now.”

He rolled his eyes and laughed as he took the present from her-perhaps now was not the time to mention their age difference. “Hey, not half bad. It helps I had a good teacher though,” he said, his smile again charming and warm. The smile brought new ways to see how handsome he was to his face and she found herself once again fighting a blush from creeping across her cheeks.

“Well there’s still a bunch to go,” she said, looking at the pile of unwrapped and messily wrapped boxes.

“With my youkai speed, I think I can be a match for these boxes.”

“You’re probably right. I’ll be looking for how well you did when you pass them out.”

He laughed and she reluctantly turned away from him to walk out the door, only to be greeted with a plant hanging down low from the door into her face.

“What?” she stared at the plant, more shocked than anything, not sure she had seen that when she entered the door.

Kouga stared at the plant, heat almost rising to his face (but not because he was a big strong youkai who did not blush, damnit) as he realized that plant had definitely not been there when he or Kagome had opened the door of the storage closet.

“I’m going to murder or hug them,” he muttered.

“Huh?” she asked in confusion not catching what he’d said.

“Nothing,” he said quickly and cleared his throat. “Well, I guess we should decide if we’re going to follow tradition,” he said, pointing to the offending plant and taking a deep breath, using all his ego and courage to guide him. “I mean it is tradition to kiss under the mistletoe, if you’d like to,” he said as his hands found their way to her waist and he gently pulled her a little closer to them, enough so she could walk away comfortably if she wanted or step closer and kiss him.

Kagome’s eyes locked on Kouga’s and it became clear to her he was going to let her make the decision and not move until she did so. Before her nerves and common sense could get the best of her on the subject of kissing her boss, she stepped forward and stood up on her tiptoes, her lips gently brushing against his.

Before she could lean back down and pull away in embarrassment (how did she come up with the courage to actually kiss this insanely hot guy?? Sure he told her she could, but she was not known for making the first move, even though looking back she had done so with Kouga, grabbing his hands to help him wrap the present), her gentle brush of lips gave way to his lips pressing against hers firmly, his head leaning down to allow for their height difference. He was still gentle, waiting to see how she would react, until she responded by kissing him back with the same fevor and he had to contain himself from growling into the kiss. He wasn’t a stranger to kissing, but something about kissing Kagome just felt right. Her lips melded to his perfectly and she responded back with much more confidence than he’d expected, copying him and forming a rhythm together as his hands began to rove ever so slightly. He got ahead of himself and bit her bottom lip, tugging on it slightly and earning him a gasp from her…and that was when he had to take a deep breath and slow them back down. Their kiss broke, but their lips still remained barely an inch apart. He gently ran his lips over hers and smiled.

“You know, you’re pretty cute,” he said, almost rambling on his high from kissing her. “And a great teacher. And a pretty damn good kisser. I hope this kiss isn’t a one-time thing. In fact, I’d like to make it many time thing.”

She blushed at his forwardness, half admiring how confident he was and half wanting to respond with shock at how clear he was being that after one kiss he wanted to keep going in the future. He certainly knew what he wanted. “Well you’re not too bad a student…” she said, trying to come up with an intelligent response. He laughed, rolling his eyes. “Go on to the Christmas party, Kagome. I’ll be there shortly and meet up with you. I’m sure your friend is still worried. I just gotta finish wrapping all these presents to show off what a great teacher my woman is,” he said as he shooed her out the door and closed it, wanting to finish as quickly as possible so he could get out there and show everyone whose woman Kagome was, even if she wasn’t entirely sure what that meant yet.

Outside the closet he heard an indignant, curious shout; “Wait a second…your woman??”

He chuckled and decided he had plenty of time to teach her what that meant as he bent down to wrap the remaining presents as quickly as possible.

#kogkag secret santa #dailygila #i hope this is good i'm not a writer #but i'm trying and the idea was in my head and it was so cute #so hopefully i wrote it as cute as it was in my head #kogkag #office christmas party #hell yeah i went there #kougaxkagome

37 notes · View notes

beneaththetangles · 4 years

Text

Q&A with Our New Staff: Josh, sleepminusminus, Joseph, and Paris!

Over the last couple of months, we’ve brought in four new staff members to join our ministry. A couple of them have been running our social media accounts for weeks now, so you may have been reading their work without even noticing a change, while the remaining two are brand, brand new!

With this being our 10th anniversary year, it felt very appropriate to throw back, as we’ve done all year, and introduce you to them in the way we once did: through a Q&A! So here we go—introducing Paris, who will be covering conventions and doing cosplay content for us; sleepminusminus, one of our writers, who just dropped a guest post for us last week (like I said, brand new); Josh, who helps run our Twitter account and also contributes to the blog; and Joseph, our Instagram admin and the podcast team’s video editor.

-----

Question 1: How did you become associated with Beneath the Tangles?

Paris: Funny enough, Charles found me on my personal Instagram—not my cosplay Instagram! He saw that I went to Dallas Theological Seminary and wanted to recruit me onto the team, but at the time I was still in school and an active member of of another group, so I didn’t have time to make any commitments. Now I’m graduated and excited to be a part of the team!

sleepminusminus: It’s been so long… I must have looked something up about Christianity and anime and found BTT in the results. I’ve kept up with the blog on and off ever since.

Josh: Charles and I were `both members of the Christian Anime Alliance forums. Years later, when I started up my own blog, Charles was so welcoming and so encouraging. A true inspiration. Fast-forward a couple months and I’m coming off a really, REALLY stressful time due to a blog article I wrote that was not received well by some. Charles helped me out of that dark time and when all was said and done and my brain was no longer a quivering mass of goo, he asked if I would like to join BTT. I had to think and pray about it for a while before I said yes and, well, here I am.

Joseph: I met Charles in college and we went to the same church for some time. I always thought it was cool how he used something as secular as anime to evangelize, but it didn’t cross my mind that I could do the same thing until I saw some of my classmates working for BTT too. Then after I graduated, I asked if I could join and here I am.

Question 2: How did you become an anime fan?

Paris: I guess I was kind of born into becoming an anime fan—being half Asian. On my birthday each year, my uncles would take my brother and I to this anime store back when VHS was still a thing, and we could rent as many anime VHS tapes as we wanted! Some of my first anime included Ranma ½, Kodocha, and Yu Yu Hakusho (we weren’t censored as children). I related so much to Sana Kurata that I literally wanted to change my name to Sana, haha! (I think I still do relate to her lol)

sleepminusminus: At first, Youtube clips of visual novels served as the gateway drug into a deeper obsession with anime. After some personal struggles with pornography, I took a break from anime for around a year. When that year ended, some close friends started watching Nagi no Asukara and invited me to watch along. I’ve been riding the slice-of-life train ever since.

Josh: Okay, first of all, Paris is awesome because I have heard very few people talk about Kodocha and the fact that was one of his first is amazing. Second, SleepMinusMinus is awesome because…well…Nagi no Asukara is awesome, and I also am a happy passenger on the Slice-of-Life train. But I digress. My anime switches were flipped one night in around 2002-2003. I was up late and I was channel surfing. I came across this show that ended up being Yu Yu Hakusho. It was so cool as I had never seen anything like it before! Then…then Cowboy Bebop came along and that’s when I realized there was this whole bigger, wider world of those funny Japanese cartoons than Digimon, Pokemon and Monster Rancher. I came back the following Saturday, and the Saturday after that. Before I knew it, I was writing fanfics and joining online forums. Then I was buying DVD’s and Newtype USA magazines. Next thing I knew I was going to cons and meeting other fans. My ascendance into the world of anime has been quick and amazing.

Joseph: I grew up watching all of the classic kid’s shows like Pokemon and Yugioh with my brother. At night, I remember we would always be excited to watch Inuyasha because of how much more actiony it was compared to American cartoons. I don’t think I realized that I was watching anime until in middle school though, when one of my friends asked me if I watch anime, citing Inuyasha as an example. Then he recommended I watch Code Geass and after I watched that, I realized that there was more to anime than just really cool fight scenes and have been watching since.

YYH is an important starting anime for Paris and Josh (art by つゆ / reprinted w/permission)

Question 3: How would you describe your place in the fandom?

Paris: I think my place in the fandom would be a cosplay enthusiast and entertainer. I love Instagram and Tik Tok right now but I’m also hoping to start doing Visual Novel walk throughs on Twitch.

sleepminusminus: In public, I’ve mastered the art of the lurker, only peeking out to mark my completed shows on AniList. Most of the time, though, I watch anime with IRL friends and make fun of bad CG. I also spend excessive hours on rhythm games while procrastinating work.

Josh: I think my place in the anime fandom right now is as a mature anime consumer who has just enough writing talent to put his opinions, thoughts and ideas to a word document or in a 240 character tweet and have it make some kind of sense.

Joseph: I don’t really take part in online discussions, but I know most of what they talk about and the references usually (even the memes). I also try to keep up with the actual industry itself too, like what studios are up to or what the directors are doing. Fandom wise, if anyone mentions the Monogatari series, be ready to listen to me rant for an hour on how it’s a masterpiece.

Question 4: What anime or manga are you excited about these days?

Paris: Right now I’m most obsessed with Re: Zero and My Hero Academia.

sleepminusminus: Kyoto Animation has been consistently good recently. I just finished the Haruhi series and I’m thinking about picking up Lucky Star (but only for the Haruhi references). Beyond that, I’m hoping the new Higurashi remake is better than the original. Oh, and the new Made in Abyss movie had better not disappoint.

Josh: Of course, I’m beyond excited to see where Digimon Adventure (2020) is going to go. It’s been a fascinating watch so far. Seeing these characters who I know but don’t know has been a real prodigious experience. It does feel like we’re moving pretty fast though. Sticking with Digimon, I’m also excited to FINALLY get to see Digimon Adventure Last Evolution Kizuna. I grew up with the Adventure ‘99 crew, and knowing this is their final curtain call is bittersweet, but I’m interested to see how this whole thing plays out. Getting away from Digimon, I’m really excited to see the Stone Wars arc of Dr. Stone. I’m completely caught up with the manga so I know what’s to come, but I still want to see it play out in anime form.

Joseph: I’m really excited for the new Maeda Jun original next season: The Day I Became a God. Re:Zero has got me on edge every week and probably will until next year. The Violet Evergarden movie was just released in Japan and hopefully it finds its way here soon. Oh and Haruhi is back in print with the next light novel coming out soon, so that’s been a long time coming.

Season two of Re:ZERO has us all excited (art by 茕榕 / reprinted w/permission)

Question 5: QUICK FIVE

Best live action anime adaptation?

Paris: Ghost in the Shell sleepminusminus: I’ve only watched Detective Pikachu… Josh: Death Note (2006). Chairman Kaga is Light’s Daddy. Joseph: Alita: Battle Angel

Digimon or Pokémon?

Paris: Pokémon sleepminusminus: Pokémon Josh: Digimon Joseph: Pokemon

My first cosplay was…

Paris: Ken Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul! I was really into Facepaint and FX makeup in High School so I literally just painted the mask onto my face. sleepminusminus: Lurkers don’t cosplay Josh: My first cosplay was supposed to be Izzy from Digmon at MechaCon this year, but COVID happened and… Joseph: Kagamine Len from Vocaloid. I like make easy and not hot outfits to wear at cons.

If I could meet one person in the anime industry, it would be…

Paris: Laura Bailey! She’s my favorite voice actress. sleepminusminus: Honobu Yonezawa, the author of the Hyouka novels Josh: Amanda Winn-Lee. I’ve interacted a lot with her on Twitter and she’s so nice. Joseph: Yamada Naoko, director for A Silent Voice and K-On! The Movie.

This anime character would be my best friend:

Paris: Tomo Takino from Azumanga Daioh sleepminusminus: Kyon from Haruhi, for his continual complaints and stream of grandiose allusions Josh: Mimi from Digimon Adventure. She’s an awesome character that needs a good friend to tell her to “hush” whenever she goes ditzy. Joseph: Chitanda Eru from Hyouka because she always wants to do something

Our staff is curious—at least sleepminusminus and Joseph are! (art by ちゅんころもち / reprinted w/permission)

All-time anime crush?

Paris: Kyo from Fruits Basket. For some reason, I always end up loving the angry boys… sleepminusminus: Mayaka Ibara, our tsundere queen from Hyouka Josh: Hinata from Naruto. How can you NOT like that lavender-eyed cutie? Joseph: Holo from Spice and Wolf because of course she is.

Favorite food to eat while watching anime:

Paris: Pho Tai w/ an order of eggrolls and Thai Tea sleepminusminus: Instant ramen (no crumbs!) Josh: Nice cold Muscadine grapes. Joseph: Fruit Basket (Preferably strawberries)

An anime that more people need to watch:

Paris: Kodocha; the manga is good too! sleepminusminus: Hyouka (notice a theme yet?) Josh: Planetes. It’s a great space slice-of-life show that gets little to no love. Joseph: A Place Further than the Universe. Very well rated but I don’t think enough people watch it because of its silly premise.

An anime that is way overrated:

Paris: DANGANRONPA. It’s horrible. Change my mind. Other than the Fate series, I haven’t had much luck with Visual Novel anime adaptations— (let’s not talk about School Days) sleepminusminus: Madoka Magica: watch Steins;Gate instead Josh: My Hero Academia. Come on guys, it’s the same old comic book superhero “I wanna be the strongest ______ ever!” shounen show we’ve seen over and over again. Joseph: One Punch Man. The title tells you what the show is going to be about you guys.

Poor Madoka… (art by 薯子Imoko / artist allows reprints)

Do you like gore / dark anime?

Paris: yes. It’s my favorite. sleepminusminus: Sure Josh: Depends on my mood, but not really. Joseph: Gore for the sake of gore (Another), not really. But everything else I can enjoy!

Shonen or slice of life?

Paris: Shonen sleepminusminus: Slice-of-life Josh: Slice-Of-Life all day everyday. Joseph: Slice of life

Best Ghibli movie:

Paris: Spirited Away sleepminusminus: None yet… recommendations please Josh: Ponyo. It’s just so freaking adorable. Joseph: Princess Mononoke

Ever been to Japan?

Paris: I was supposed to go this Summer, but Covid… sleepminusminus: No Josh: HAHAHAHAHA…on my salary? Heck no! Joseph: Yes two times now!

Question 6: Where can our readers find you other than here on the blog?

Paris: Instagram / Tik Tok / Twitch / Facebook / YouTube: Pariscosplays (in progress) / Email sleepminusminus: You can find me on Twitter. If you’re fortunate, you might catch a tweet once a year. Josh: Blog / Twitter – Heads up on my Twitter, I tend to get very political and I sometimes go off on tangents. I give fair warning for both. But overall, I’m pretty chill! I do have an Instagram but I don’t update it too often, and I do have a Facebook, but I keep it on lockdown. Sorry! Joseph: I don’t really use any other social media actively

#Anime #Interviews #Manga #Beneath the Tangles #Visual Novels #Video Games #Articles #Author: TWWK #Author: Pariscosplays #Author: The Cajun Samurai #Author: sleepminusminus #Author: Joseph

0 notes

gilgamemesh · 7 years

Text

Heyo I found this old Umineko meme in my drafts and I think I typed these up in 2016 (so heads up some sentences are oddly phrased)? And it’s not all of them, but I figured I should upload at least the ones I had here.

Day 01: Why did you start watching Umineko?

I remember seeing small bits and pieces when I was younger. Extremely well I remember the part where Chiesters kill everyone in the dinning room because after I saw that part I realized I really genuinely just love gore and that was actually how I became the disgusting gore fiend I am now.

But yeah in general I got into Umineko because the OST was a real blast and I found the general aesthetic of the game really fascinating! And later when I learned it’s also a mystery story I REALLY wanted to start it because I really enjoy mystery genre even though I don’t consume it as much anymore as I used to at some point in life. I started the anime only after VN because I just wanted more seacats no matter the cost.

Day 02: How did you start out with Umineko? Through the anime, the manga, or the VN?

I started with VN and then moved to manga, but in a way the OST was my first Umineko experience!

Day 03: Do you read the VN, watch the anime, read the manga, or all three?

I’m done with VN and will finish mangas and the anime soon!

Day 04: Which are your favourite battles between Beatrice and Battler?

Day 05: Which are your favourite scenes between the witches?

Day 06: Which are your favourite scenes in general? One from the VN, one from the anime and one from the manga.

I think my favourite scene from the VN is the love trial gun battle between Shannon and Kanon. I had already figured out the deeper meaning of the duel between them so I could already enjoy the emotional suffering of it. The music and scenes and overall just the combination of images, text and music was really impressive and I remember I got chills more than once. I also really, really love the Jessica vs. Ronove battle.

From manga I think it’s the confession chapters of episode 8 manga. They’re really impressive and strong chapters with so much raw emotion it left me with such a strong impression I consider it one of the most memorable chapters of any manga I have read. I also kinda cry every time I read it so there is that too.

I really liked the scene where Shannon looked like she was flirting with Jessica

Day 07: What do you like most about Umineko?

ALL? I honestly have hard time deciding because there are so many things in Umineko I really love.

The way the women of this series are written is so good and the variety is amazing like we have women from age 6 to mid 90s here and the witches are in a category of their own! Someone once said that the way the women are written in a story actually determines the entire story’s worth and if that’s the case then this is a really good work (as it is).

The characters in general are honestly one of my favourite things because Ryukishi’s way of writing people of different ages and from different settings is really convincing and feels really realistic for me. Especially certain types of abuse shown are something I have seen and can relate to as I have seen and/or experienced similar in real life.

I also like the fantasy and mystery blending into one like sometimes (and I still do, actually) I feel like I’m reading multiple stories at the same time and in my head while I consider the Rokkenjima prime the truth of the human world but the witch side story is kind of a story on its own too. But those stories don’t exist in the same world, there is no room for more than one. For me, a reader, it’s multiple stories, but for the human characters... that’s another story.

Day 08: What would you have changed about the anime/manga/VN if you had the ability to?

More Lion Ushiromiya please and thank you

Day 09: What do you like about the Umineko fandom?

They reblog my art They are surprisingly active here on tumblr considering how long ago this series has already ended! I don’t do much with the fandom in general though so I can’t see much! I really appreciate all the essays and theories though

Day 10: What do you dislike about the Umineko fandom?

I feel like the opinions sometimes are really dramatically divided so that they’re either really offensive or too “shh shh you can’t talk about this it’s offending”? Like sometimes the middle ground with certain things and topics seems to be completely missing. You can talk about sensitive subjects without being TOO careful but also without being offending. It’s possible. Believe it or not.

Day 11: Your favourite witch

I would be lying if I said it was someone other than Beatrice! Although I love and appreciate all the witches featured in the series, Beatrice has a special place in my heart for nostalgia reasons. As the most popular character of the series, she was one of the first characters I learned of and she kept popping up everywhere during a certain time in my life. I knew almost nothing about her honestly but for some reason I was really attracted to her design and the bits and pieces of little information I got of her personality and behavior. After playing the game I can tell I love her even more obviously, haha!

Day 12: Your favourite Ushiromiya

ALL OF THEM but okay honestly if I really need to pick one I will just go with my pre-game-bias Lion! I actually used Lion as my ultimate motivation to start the game because they looked really fun + 15-year-old me apparently was interested in cosplaying Lion because we used to have a similar hair style, haha (as I’m typing this I’m already working on the cosplay btw).

I also really love Battler and Jessica they’re both darlings and while I LOVE George and I’m always ready to defend him when he is being accused of things he didn’t do I just kinda like Battler and Jessica a little more (as Battler is really relatable and Jessica is the best girl(tm) )

Day 13: Your favourite couple

Eva and Hideyoshi honestly kill me but like, in a good way. I really, really liked their interactions and I was very positively surprised when I learned that despite an arranged marriage pretty much, the two of them seemed to very genuinely love and care about each other. And especially Eva often talked (along the lines of) how marriage is not just feelings but it’s something you and your partner work together on and make it grow as you bond and it kind of changed my view on marriage a little even though I was aware of this beforehand already.

Day 14: Your favourite non-canon couple

*coughs at the general direction of Willion*

Their interactions are so fun I literally don’t care whether it’s romantic or platonic, I just enjoy seeing them together!

Day 15: Your favourite character in general

Natsuhi / Lion / Jessica / all of Yasu is the way to go, I suppose?

Day 16: Your least favourite witch

She is not my least favourite honestly I ADORE Featherine but I feel like her screen time was so small compared to the rest of the witches my brain prioritizes the other witches before her. But honestly she is so cool and I love her smug face so much and I wish there was more of her so I would learn to love her even more through canon interactions!!

Day 17: Your least favourite Ushiromiya

Man idk Kinzo maybe? I understand he suffered on his own and had his own difficulties and probably (most likely) wasn’t mentally quite alright but I still have hard time dealing with what he did to the people around him. Kuwadorian Beatrice aside, he was still cruel to his other children too and I just can’t really deal with that.

Day 18: Your least favourite couple

have you ever gone to pixiv and seen BattlerxNatsuhi and just quite frankly wanted to die

Day 19: Your least favourite character in general

Day 20: Your most favourite song from Umineko (can be a vocal song, or a BGM)

BIRTH OF A NEW WITCH! I used to listen that song a LOT when I was younger and ironically suffering from many of the issues that were also more or less featured in Umineko. Whenever I listen to the song it makes me feel really powerful in a way haha but also sad because I remember listening it a lot while being extremely sad and lost with my life and myself.

I also really love this version of Alive

Day 21: A series that you feel is similiar to Umineko other than Higurashi and why

ACE ATTORNEY............. It’s the whole loose concept of arguments and murders and mysteries but also the sometimes incredible kind of humour and series of events that keep happening. That, and Phoenix Wright and Battler remind me of each other and it always makes me laugh.

Day 22: Other 07th Expansion series that you like

Day 23: Post a picture of a Umineko cosplay you really like

Day 24: Explain the red truth, the golden truth and the blue truth in your own words.

Day 25: Could you have solved any of the mysteries Beatrice posed, personally?

I DOUBT THAT because I’m really bad with locked room things these days?? I used to be pretty good as younger because I was disgustingly into detective stories and the like but now I have gotten older and forgotten even the basic settings of how to build a locked room :’’’)

I did figure out other things on my own though and I could give a human side explanation to some of the magic featured but yeah. I couldn’t have done it better than Battler at all.

Day 26: A character you hate and love at the same time.

ERIKA she is such a nasty person but I also love her so much and I find both her and her writing very interesting. I would absolutely never get along with a person like her (especially because we share a lot of negative traits) but she is so good as a character and worthy of my adoration < 3

Day 27: A crossover with Umineko that you’d like to see? (No Higurashi, please.)

Umineko x Fate??? I can’t believe Kinzo Ushiromiya started the holy grail war and forced his relatives to take part.

Okay but really I have no idea how it would work honestly but it would be exciting probably because both Fate and Umineko are my main fandoms and subjects of endless love and adoration xoxo

Day 28: Witches vs Humans, which side do you take?

OKAY LISTEN I was asked this question multiple of times before and during the game and at FIRST I picked the witch side. Because, like, it somehow feels more “right” to me in a way I can’t explain. But having gone through Umineko now, I don’t think I can choose a side. I think everything is more exciting if you can balance between the two sides instead of taking just one.

Day 29: Do you believe that Yasu is the culprit? Why?

culprit [kuhl-prit] noun 1. a person or other agent guilty of or responsible for an offense or fault. 2. a person arraigned for an offense

Going with this definition yes, Yasu was the culprit. But Yasu was not the only culprit, and Yasu in Prime didn’t end up being the one who did the actual killing. As she said in the rules, if someone solves the riddle she will give up on her murder deed.

Yasu is the culprit and the one who even ended up aiding Kyrie by placing the guns on the table and predicting what would happen, but she is not the one who actually killed the others. It was a decision from Kyrie’s part to carry on with the murder plan. Yasu would be punished too if put on a trial but Kyrie would most definitely, along with Rudolf, receive a bigger sentence than Yasu.

Day 30: A phrase you find most memorable from the series (Anime, Manga or VN).

“And everyone was there. Everyone, everyone, everyone.”

When I read those words I legitimately started crying. I just suddenly started crying and kept going for like five minutes with my face absolutely covered in tears. I was smiling so hard but at the same time crying so much. Umineko was such an intense ride for me and I could see myself and my life situation in many of the events portrayed and finally coming to the end of the long journey made me feel like I had changed somehow and I had to let the old feelings out in order to have room for the new, better feelings.

“I can hear us howling in pain”

Like I said earlier, the confession chapters in EP8 manga are one of my favourites due the emotional impact of them. We get to see Yasu’s inner struggle

#cai's seacat adventure #god I cant believe I still remember this is a tag I used for my shitposting

1 note · View note