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leovoid · 2 years

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Keroro Gunso (SGT Frog) is MUCH BETTER THAN I REMEMBERED

Also REGAINING MY WEEB TITLE #4 .3. Hello guys, its been a while ^^;; I’ve been stuck in a rut writing my video on Naoki Urasawa’s Monster so I distract myself by watching more anime ;3; Now typically, I am a big enjoyer of anime filled with angst, philosophy, well structured narratives with a theme to explore. You know, the typical, I wanna be in my feels anime stuff. However this time around I recalled that SGT Frog was reuploaded onto Crunchyroll, and seeing as this was a show I watched ALOT as a child, and finding a high quality upload online was hard to come by until now, I wanted to show this to my fiancé. My mother had first introduced me to this show when I was around 10 - 12 years old, I am currently 29 so we’re looking at roughly 17 - 19 years later to today! Now when I say that this show is alot better than I remembered, I don’t wish to possibly misconstrue you, I’ve always loved this show, I remember (as a child mind you *blushes*) dancing in front of the TV to each of the openings and Endings [This one specifically], collecting all the plushies of the platoon, toys, Gundam models, etc... My entire family genuinely enjoyed this show, so much so that we played it every single day for my little brothers who were infants at the time after buying the first 3 seasons on DVD. I was so into it that even after we passed the DVDs and watching anime online just started becoming a thing, I was watching new episodes every week until around episode 250+ or so (This was around the same time Death Note first started airing, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!) So anyway, fast forward to the present, my fiancé and I have watched A TON of anime together, Hunter x Hunter, Monster, Serial Experiment Lain, etc... So I wanted to take a break from the angst and show her an anime I hold near and dear to me, Sgt Frog. Currently we’re at episode 57, and the last thing I expected out of this show was to cry. Thats right.... THIS SHOW MADE ME F*CKING CRY MAN! And not just a little choke and getting watery eyes, I mean I FULL ON CRIED, had a hard time talking/breathing, tears streaming down my face, I was a full on MESS! If I was someone to wear makeup, I’m sure my face would’ve been a site to see XD

I’m quite embarrassed to be honest, but I have to admit, I realized that despite the show that is engulfed in slap stick comedy, filled with tropes and childish antics, this show has incredible writing sometimes, and I often feel that most of the comedy is what makes the viewers feel so connected to the 5 Keronian troops.

So what exactly made me cry in this show? Well it was episode 51 - The Keroro Platoon Retreats! Farewell, Pekopon, Sir!

The episode starts off just as a lot of episodes would start off, Keroro sleeping around his Gundam models, even holding a model piece in his hand. However Keroro is met by his commanding officer, commanding him and the squad to return to their home planet WITHIN 24 HOURS. Upon relaying the news to the rest of the platoon, everyone but the SGT. truly understands the severity of the situation. Keroro, whos only thought is the punishment he’ll receive for not properly invading Earth, (Pekopon) like a child who has an essay due tomorrow at school crams last minute the information needed to properly invade the planet, while the rest of his squad prepares for their final good byes to the friends and family they have made while on Earth.

The next few minutes of the show follows its usual comedic antics, Keroro arguing with Natsumi about getting his invasion manual back, rushing his chores to study quicker, even accidentally destroying his manual in the process, all the while we as viewers wonders when Keroro will put two and two together and realize what is more important, the fact that he did nothing towards the invasion or the fact that he’ll have to say good bye to the friends and family he has made along the way.

7 minutes into the episode, After wasting half of the day trying to find a way to invade Earth, Kululu comes in with a huge reality check for Keroro, telling him that per protocol all traces of their existence has to be wiped from the face of the Earth, not just physical evidence, but also the memories within the inhabitants of the planet too will be gone.

This is the moment when the entire tone of the episode changes, as Keroro finally realizes what is actually happening around him, never noticing for a second how he will have to say good bye to the Fuyuki house hold forever and the memories they made along with it. I normally would like to criticize the show at this point, because a lot of what happens here is just barely unnatural for some of the characters, Natsumi being abnormally nice to Keroro, making his favorite food, the mother being home in time for dinner, helping Keroro with his chores, etc... But I’ll let it slide because the emotional impact it had was probably slightly more significant because of it, and well.... this show is mostly a comedy anyway so I don’t wanna be too harsh haha From here on out, the invasion or lack there of, has completely left Keroro’s mind, the forefront on his mind is that this will be the last moment he spends with them, all the while keeping the fact that him and his squad will leave a secret.

Giroro leaving his unrequited love Tamama leaving the Nishizawas Kululu surprisingly leaving a sarcastic but friendly message to Saburo Dororo and Koyuki saying their final good byes The standard stuff, but this is where the scene and how its presented really takes off

Keroro is presented with the unimaginable task of giving the order to push the button that will completely wipe any traces of their existence on Earth. The rest of the squad follow, and ask Keroro what he wants to do. While it may not have been explicitly shown, but I believe that in the back of everyones mind they wouldn’t have been able to without Keroros order. The loyal and steadfast Giroro, the righteous Dororo and the menacing Kululu all relied on Keroro for the first time in the entire show to make the decision, none of them had it in their hearts to do it, not without the order. Keroro eventually makes the decision to erase everyones memories and all traces of them being on Earth.

Probably because I'm older, But it was less about the fact that they had to leave and more so of the fact that the 2 years they spent on Earth, all the friends they made, the memories they shared was all for nothing as we witness it all go up in the air in sparkly fashion. It was a pretty damning moment, the thought of it made me choke up pretty hard as the scene was presented magnificently, the voice acting, the music, everything set the tone perfectly. However, it wasn’t at this point where I cried, I came pretty damn close though lol Not even 3 minutes passes and the show hits you with another incredibly emotional scene as Fuyuki stares at his globe and remembers the first time he met SGT Keroro

Fuyuki dashes to the basement where Keroros room was, but of course it is now just a normal basement, Fuyuki stares at the fridge which would be a portal to the Keronian Base, but instead finds a lone, unbuilt Gundam Model in the fridge.

Now for those who may not have watched the show, this was the nail in the coffin for me. Keroro as a character is mainly a giant goof ball, where alot of his comedic shtick falls under his unhealthy obsession for Gundam Models, and for his “schtick” to be used in such an affective way, and after holding back my tears REALLY HARD in the scene prior, I couldn’t handle it, the show took the knife out of the wound they already gave me and stabbed me again in the same place. I CRIED, Poured my eyes out crying, I never felt such shame HAHA Now some might be wondering, well what happened next, do they come back?! Well seeing as there is literally 300+ more episodes later, I think we know exactly how this is gonna wrap up, which plays an even bigger part as to me wondering WHY THE HELL DID I CRY OVER THIS! But I digress...

In typical Sgt Frog (Keroro Gunsou) fashion, it turns out that all the Keronians wanted was to provide the platoon a physical check up and nothing more, so all of what they did was for naught, they came back, and everyone somehow, has their memories back, as Kululu resets everything, putting everything back to the way its supposed to be. So all’s well that ends well LOL I’m COMPLETELY aware that I cried for nothing, but DAMN MAN was that scene crafted so well (For a childrens anime) I barely remember what the next remaining seasons are like, honestly I’m kinda afraid of the quality of writing changes after this season, the next few episodes feels a bit different ( I can’t put my finger on it exactly) But I do recall that there will be more episodes like this of such serious nature, so I’m looking forward to watching it again with my fiancé <3 All in all, can’t believe a show like this made me cry, for those who have not watched it, WATCH IT, YOU WON’T REGRET IT.....maybe....probably....hopefully. Till next time, であります! (Dearimasu!)

Me too man....me too..... </3

#sgt frog #keroro gunso #sergeant keroro #giroro #tamama #kululu #dororo #fuyuki hinata #natsumi hinata #saburo #angel mois #nishizawa #comedy #anime

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flatnumberseventeen · 2 years

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A little shrine to this absolute baller…

💙⚽️🖤⚽️💙⚽️🖤

#lee mack #comedy #baller #he actually signed the number 7 #this shirt is now the coolest thing I own #will get the shirt framed properly at some point #obsessed? moi?#i am obsessed #obsessed but happy #soccer aid world XI #soccer aid 2022

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schlock-luster-video · 1 year

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Happy birthday Bill Oberst Jr.!

Here's some Abraham Lincoln VS Zombies art to celebrate!

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clemsfilmdiary · 2 years

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Chan Is Missing (1982, Wayne Wang)

6/4/22

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playvodfr · 28 days

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PlayVOD met « Mon grand-père et moi » en avant

Le film « Mon grand-père et moi » est recensé dans la cinémathèque de PlayVOD. En choisissant cette comédie en streaming, vous pourrez passer un bon moment devant votre écran.

#mon grand pere et moi #comedie #playvod

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playvod-cameroun · 1 year

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Max et Moi, une comédie en streaming

La comédie Max et Moi vous est actuellement proposée en streaming sur PlayVOD Cameroun. Connectez-vous à la plateforme pour aller à la rencontre d’un petit garçon de 7 ans et de son ami le toutou !

#max et moi #film #comedie

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playvodma-films · 1 year

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Optez pour « Toi, moi... et mon chien » sur PlayVOD Maroc

Cher friand de comédies romantiques, vous serez ravi d’apprendre que « Toi, moi... et mon chien » est disponible en streaming sur PlayVOD Maroc. Ce site vous permettra également de télécharger la production pour plus tard.

#comedies romantiques #toi moi et mon chien #playvod maroc

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applicationitunesplayvod · 2 years

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Moi, moche et méchant est dispo en VOD

Si toute votre famille est à la maison, profitez-en pour voir un film en VOD. « Moi, moche et méchant » devrait captiver tout le monde. C’est une comédie qui est actuellement disponible sur l’appli iTunes PlayVOD.

#moi moche et mechant #vod #appli itunes playvod #comedie

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fxllfaiiry · 1 year

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୨୧ 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 ⋆˚✿˖°

pairing: charles leclerc x fem!reader

summary: you and arthur are definitely (not) dating

warnings: none

note: I had to redo this fic 2 times cuz it kept getting deleted so please don't let it flop 😭🙏

♡ liked by charles_leclerc, arthur_leclerc and 570,237 others

⤷ yourusername we got lost...

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arthur_leclerc atleast we made friends with a cat

yourusername who tried to scratch your eye out 🤦‍♀️

charles_leclerc this is why you need supervision

yourusername if you want to come with us, just say so

user1 if I don't have a friendship like this, then I don't want it...

speak_now_tv where can I find whatever these bitches have??

yourusername added to their story

♡ liked by charles_leclerc, arthur_leclerc and 809,237 others

tagged charles_leclerc

⤷ yourusername surprise I guess

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arthur_leclerc YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME??? WHY DID I HAVE TO FIND OUT THROUGH TWITTER

yourusername sorry bestie, it is how it is

charles_leclerc please don't kill me or something

user2 why are we always wrong 😭

speaknowtvnearyou clowns as always

user13 so you're telling me that arthur found out from twitter that his best friend and brother are dating, what - 😭

starynights_4 and we thought her and arthur were dating *smh*

luvrlore I just woke up and got a heart attack

user4 I have so many questions -

♡ liked by yourusername, charles_leclerc and 1,098,268 others

⤷ arthur_leclerc when you had to find out through twitter about your best friend and brother dating

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yourusername we said sorry a million times

arthur_leclerc sorry won't fix my twitter fyp

folkloregoldrush arthur's humor is keeping me alive rn

charles_leclerc it's really not that deep

arthur_leclerc excuse-moi?? this isn't deep but saying we're french is 🤨

charles_leclerc we're monegasque!!!!

user12 this is peak comedy 💀

stsrnights keeping up with the kardashians? nah, I'd rather watch keeping up with the leclercs

user9 go get their ass (affectionate) arthur!!

f1sainz1 arthur is just like me fr, thrid wheelers unite!!

glowymoons arthur felt betrayed 😔

#🩹 — my works ⌇ ་ ˖ ˚₊·#charles leclerc #charles leclerc instagram au #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc x reader #f1 fanfic #f1 instagram au #f1 x reader #f1 social media au #f1 #ferrari #charles leclerc fluff #charles leclerc smut #charles leclerc drabble

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sunnys-out · 5 months

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My Little Darling | Alessia Russo

A/N: Hey y'all sorry this took a while but work got busy and didn't get a chance to work on anything. My French is rusty so please be kind.

I still remember how you told me how you would always be there for me

Warnings: language, injury

Word count: 2298

Alessia and I had met at our first team meeting at UNC and it seemed that all the international students just gravitated together. The other girls got a kick out of the French accent that came out when I introduced myself in English to the rest of the team.

I was desperate for friends, as were the other international girls, so I found myself getting close with the English players, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Alessia Russo, who was half Italian too as I came to find out. I loved them even though they did poke fun at the fact that France didn’t make it to the U-17 World Cup…joked that we would’ve met sooner.

It was nice experiencing America with them and I found myself enjoying the little moments with the both of them, especially Alessia. I wouldn’t dare ruin a friendship that early, I mean why would she even be attracted to me…we had just met a month ago at that point in time.

A little quirk of mine is that I gave people nicknames, usually some animal but in French that reminded me of my teammates. Lotte, I fondly called, hibou or owl. You got to admit it when she is all focused and everything when she is at the defensive line her eyes narrow like a little owl.

I hadn’t given one to Alessia only calling her Less, Lessie, Ali, or just simply Russo. She noticed, of course, pushing when the three of us were having a movie night at my dorm room.

“Why don’t I have a nickname?” Alessia poked my shoulder as we had just put on a random comedy on Netflix to watch. We were procrastinating on essays we had to all write for the same class but hey it was due in a week so we had time.

I furrow my eyebrows with confusion, “What? You have a nickname, I call you Less, Lessie, sometimes Ali…” I poke her back “Soooo, technically you have more than one”

Alessia let out a huff as she got comfortable and laid her head on my shoulder as Lotte also got comfortable on the other side of me.

“No, I meant a french nickname, like Lotte has one…do you not like me?” Alessia pouted as she looked up to me feigning sadness.

I roll my eyes and look at Lotte on the other side of me, “Ma petite hibou, can you believe her? She thinks I don’t like her…as if we are not watching a movie in my dormitory”. This earned a laugh from the other English girl.

Alessia lifted her head and pushed my shoulder, “See, you call her “Your little owl”, when can I get a cute nickname like that?”

Lotte raised her head, “wait, is that what that means? You calling me an owl?” I completely ignored her.

“Less, it just hasn’t come to me yet…but you keep yapping about it…I’ll call you canard, which is duck by the way”. A laugh escaped me before I finished the sentence as Alessia gave up and leaned her head back on my shoulder as we continued to watch the movie.

______________________________________________________________

Love is weird…yeah, I would say so. When I was Alessia there was a calmness that I couldn’t compare with Lotte. Don’t get me wrong I love ma petit hibou, but Alessia was different.

She’s driven and she always had this look in her eyes that only held a certain softness when she was looking at me.

She was there for me when I got my call-up for the French U-20 team just how our coaches had predicted.

Lotte couldn’t make it to our regular weekly movie night in my dorm but encouraged Alessia and I to “not do it because of her”.

We had finished the movie an hour ago and now were on some random episode of Stranger things. Alessia had migrated from leaning her head on my shoulder, as she always did, to laying her head on my lap, my finger gently combing her hair without a care in the world.

It was soothing and then my phone began vibrating in my pocket.

“Allo?, oui c’est elle. Oui…ah Merci, oui merci pour l'opportunité, c’est un honneur pour moi! Oui merci, …alors…. quoi…quoi, merci…au revoir” (hello?, yes this is she, yes...ah thank you, yes thank you for the opportunity, it's an honor for me. Yes thank you...so...yes..yes...thank you.. goodbye)

Alessia had rolled over to look up at me and giggled, “so I only got ‘thank you’ from all that…who was that?”

I couldn’t stop smiling, “I got called up for the French U-20 team! Can you believe that?”

Alessia immediately got up and with a smile grabbed both sides of my face, “That’s amazing and of course I fucking believe that!”

All thoughts I had in that moment disappeared, I mean how could I even think when my whole world was in front of me. Alessia’s laugh broke me from my trance.

“Well, now I got to get called up for England, then we’ll be rivals..isn’t that absolutely wild” one of her thumbs now gently caressing my cheek.

I lean into her caress, “Alessia, what are you thinking about?”

She tilts her head, as if she was observing my face to see how I will react.

“I’m thinking of how proud I am of you, really I am…and um..of…how much I want to kiss you right now”.

Alessia laughs as she feels my cheeks heat up in hands and my eyes widen.

“Well can I?” She asks as she pulls me closer.

With only a nod from me, Alessia brings her soft lips to mine. I had dreamed of doing that for so long that again my mind was empty yet filled with everything.

As she pulled back, her forehead resting against mine she whispered,

“No matter what happens…whatever this becomes, I’ll always be there for you” her fingers threading my hair as she continued to look at me.

“Ma petit chou, that’s your nickname…my little darling…no matter what happens you will always be that” I said quietly as I brought her in for another kiss.

24 August 2018

With another thud to the ground and frustrated groan, I swatted away any hands that attempted to assist me as I got up for probably the fourth time that game, not getting any cards given to the players knocking me down including once from Alessia. She gave me a gentle sorry as she helped me up even though I turned her down initially. I wanted to play against England in the final but it seems we both found ourselves fighting for 3rd place. Alessia and I hadn’t texted since the competition started and maybe only had a phone call here and there. The only time I saw her in person was right there in the tunnel before the start of the game.

We were losing 1-0 and we were desperately trying to equalize, which meant I was pushing more up the field than usual.

I was frustrated…justifiably…so I pushed even harder. I just did not expect to be taken down in the box. I lay face down gasping for any sort of air to return to me after the impact. Groaning also at the sting and sharp soreness near my right knee. The whistle from the referee signaling a penalty for my fall returned me to reality.

“Hey, you alright?” I heard muffled and a gentle touch to my face that I immediately recognized as Alessia. Her tone worried as she grabbed my hand.

“Hey, hey, baby…I’m here ok? I’m here” I felt her hand gently holding mine as I finally was able to breathe slowly.

“Merde, elle saigne, médecin! (Shit, she’s bleeding, medic!)” I heard one of my teammates yell.

As the medics approached to wrap up my knee from the scrape, I felt Alessia’s hand leave mine.

The penalty went in and we equalized. The energy was back but it didn’t end the way we wanted. Penalty shoot outs were never my favorite. Mine went in and Alessia’s didn’t but it didn’t matter what I did because we lost in the end.

I remained sitting on the field feeling disappointed that I couldn’t have done more to at least get 3rd place.

I felt a familiar weight on my shoulder and a gentle hand grab mine.

“Hey..” Alessia said quietly as she heard the sniffle come from me.

“Hey…ma petit chou” I look at her with a sad smile, tears threatening to fall as I leaned my head on hers.

“I’m so proud of you, you know?” she said interlacing her fingers with mine.

I only nod as the tears fall, “go celebrate, I’ll be ok”

Alessia laughed a little as she shook her head, “no, I told you, I’d be there for you…even now…they can celebrate without me”.

Media reported the pictures of Alessia and I on the field as a showing of support between two UNC teammates…Lotte would tease us upon our return and would yell “what a lovely showing between teammates” whenever Alessia and I would hold hands.

______________________________________________________________________________

I was called up to the senior French team in 2019 and was able to play in my first World Cup. Alessia and Lotte watched from afar still participating in our university team while I was away.

After the loss against the US eliminating us from the World Cup, I returned to ma petit chou who was waiting in my apartment with a cozy blanket and warm chocolate chip cookies from McDonald’s all set up for me. I wasn’t one to immediately tear up at a sight but the moment I entered the dimly lit apartment I couldn’t hold back.

Alessia loves deeply is what I came to discover and being close to the person she loved was important to her. It was important for me too. We both agreed that we wanted to keep our relationship to ourselves and not really post about it. We played together and lost together. I was there for her injury and she was there for mine. Which is why is was so hard to leave her.

2020 was filled with uncertainty especially because of COVID. Alessia and I were planning on leaving UNC along with Lotte to pursue a career back in Europe. Alessia went to Man United and Lotte went to Aresenal leaving me to go to Lyon.

I won’t say that we didn’t try the distance but it became too much for us especially with our budding careers in our respecting countries. We stopped the relationship with a promise of keeping in touch whenever we could…we didn’t.

A secret relationship remained a secret to the fans and the general public. We were former university teammates just liking each other's posts and commenting a blue heart every so often. It never went past that. The 2022 Euros came and went…an awkward “congratulations on the Euro win” was sent, read and not replied to. I mean I wouldn’t have… so I don’t blame her since the last message between us was from 2020.

______________________________________________________________

I never handled injuries well…I isolated myself and Alessia was always there to accompany me. Since we separated, I hadn’t had a serious injury until 2023.

I knew I should’ve rested during after starting in every game in the group stages…I should’ve listened to my teammates but I didn’t want a repeat of 2019 with Australia.

Sometimes you just know…as soon as I hit the ground in the latter part of the second half…I knew it was THAT tear. I laid there as the tears fell as the pain set in, desperately trying to find a hand to hold but only finding grass…

I don’t remember being put on the stretcher or anything that was said to me…nothing was familiar to me. They confirmed that it was a tear and I would be heading out back to Lyon to get the surgery and recover there. It didn’t matter really, we ended up losing in penalties…funny how history repeats itself…only difference was Alessia wasn’t there.

______________________________________________________________

I remained in my hotel room, turning away any of my teammates who tried to stay with me…I just wanted to be alone…

I saw the result of the England/Colombia game and went through my phone until I found her number. It went straight to voicemail…

“Hey ma petit chou, congratulations on the win and getting a goal…I-uh…miss you a lot especially now. I don’t know if you saw but its an ACL tear and I’m cooped up in my hotel room…I still remember how you told me how you would always be there for me and-”

I choke back the tears threatening to fall but the pause was telling enough. “I just really need to hear you right now, so give me a call back because I do miss you and I can’t do this without you.”

I end the call, immediately regretting my decision. I close my eyes hoping that the pain medication would kick in and I dont know how long I was out before I heard someone enter my hotel room.

I groan at the source of the noise

“Go away” I wave my hand to whomever entered.

I stop immediately once I hear her small laugh.

“Well, I can’t possibly eat these cookies all on my own now can I?” I open my eyes and see Alessia with a small box of cookies. My face softened and my arms beckoned her to come to me.

She gently held me like she always had and caressed my cheek wiping away the tears that had begun to fall

“Hey…I’m here now” is all she whispered…oh how I missed my little darling.

#engwnt x reader #woso x reader #arsenal women #alessia russo x reader #alessia russo imagine

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mrsrookhunt · 8 months

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Rook: Look at that splendidly ornate comb! Ahh! Magnifiqué! Trés, trés bien!! I--

Exhausted!Yuu: Oh my god, here we go again. Another TED talk today? You've already given 7.

Rook:..I beg your pardon?

Exhausted!Yuu: Everytime you open your mouth I get the urge to say, 'welcome to the comedy club!'.

Rook: Excuse-moi--

Exhausted!Yuu: I'm sorry but be glad you're not part of my world because there's a role in a show 25 years ago that's calling your name. I hope you like being Phoebe Buffay's ex, because you've been doing some damn good impressions since I got here.

Rook:...

Exhausted!Yuu: That's what I thought.

#did i add in a friends reference #yes #does anyone else remember that really happy go lucky guy Phoebe dated but broke up with bc he was such an absolute CHARACTER that it was #annoying?? enter rook hunt. the reincarnation.#the comb is literally a bath comb with extra ridges for scalp stimulation. let him have his ornate comb ig #they're on a shopping trip btw. they arrived 10 minutes ago and rook's beem monologuing for 9.#yuu is about to excuse themself to the bathroom and never return.#rook hunt x reader #rook hunt x mc #twisted wonderland rook #rook hunt #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland #disney x reader #incorrect twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland incorrect quotes #incorrect twisted wonderland quotes #incorrect twst #twst incorrect quotes #pomefiore x reader #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland headcannon #twst x reader #twst #disney #vil schoenheit #character imagines #x reader #x character

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rudycomics · 5 months

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Rudy Recs: Witch Watch (and its bittersweet love story)

I've written in the past before about some of the things I've been reading in shonen jump, You and I are Polar Opposites as an example, and the current generation of manga in their lineup right now has some interesting stuff going on. Somehow, Witch Watch is not one of the manga I hear other people talking about as often as the others and I think that's a real shame!

Kenta Shinohara has 2 award winning manga under his belt and even though his concepts don't have this really intense fantastical hook and his art isn't clamoring for attention in the ways things like Chainsaw Man or Dandadan do, I think Witch Watch has incredible range. It's part romance, part slapstick comedy/gag manga, and part shonen battle manga all together, bouncing back and forth between these different styles each chapter.

I always felt like it was just really solidly put together and consistently entertaining (except for when the story focuses on some side characters writing fan doujinshi which bores me to DEATH), but the thing that made me feel like I needed to write about it was the way the series handles the romance between the two main characters, Nico, the witch given a prophesized control over every type of magic, and Morihito, her childhood friend and chosen protector because he happens to be one of the last Ogres in the world.

I'm going to be talking spoilers for things that happened in recent chapters, so be warned!

I will put a warning when I get to it, but I like writing about these things because I personally think getting someone to gush about specific instances of well executed craft gets me more interested in checking out new things than anything else.

The basic setup to their romance is that Nico has a crush on Morihito (which she calls Moi and I'll use this nickname for convenience) and she begins living with him as her mother received a prophecy that some evil force will try to use Nico and her unnatural powers for evil purposes that will ultimately bring her harm in the process. Moi is chosen to be Nico's familiar to protect her from whatever this vague danger may end up being, but we see their personalities clash right away. She's very aware of him and he seems very stone-walled and closed off, despite their being some sort of connection between them from childhood.

The two get into a lot of wacky situations as Nico attends school and continuously uses her powers to try to help classmates with their personal troubles and they make some new friends along the way with their own special powers. The household of just the two of them grows into a house of 4 boys and Nico, with two other girls making frequent appearances. We learn about all these characters and their quirks and see how they are all invested in helping Nico try to form a relationship with Moi. It's not until a good handful of chapters later that we learn that in typical Nico fashion, she had somehow ended up putting a curse on Moi when they were children that locked Moi into being "best friends forever" with Nico, essentially kneecapping any romantic growth from sprouting from Moi.

It's not that important to what I wanted to talk about, but I do think this is such a fun story device because it completely fits in line with everything we've learned about Nico and what every wacky situation stems from in this series: Nico somehow uses her magic in ways that challenge the intuitive way the powers would seem to work and creating unintended effects on top of what the power is supposed to do. Nico's bond with Moi ever since they were children has also become the reason that nothing will ever happen between them.

EXCEPT... All of their new friends have sussed the situation out and form a plan to break through the curse and free Moi to accept the feelings that are actually blocked off inside his heart that they all know are there. They even have this fun visual metaphor of a heart with a valve leaking romantic feelings that gets repeated all through this arc.

They try some things to get Moi to over flow with feelings faster than the curse can repress them which is fun but ultimately fruitless, only for Moi to accidentally being able to listen in to Nico tell everyone that she loves him because of all his flaws that are center to his insecurities that make him close up. It's a beautiful moment that caps it off with using that visual metaphor again to really push emotion to the reader and I thought this was so effective!

From here on, I think what I want to talk about is spoilery enough that I should put a marker here for people that don't want to see anymore before reading:

**SPOILER WARNING!!**

The two both have feelings for each other at this point and Moi wants to confess to Nico now, but tragedy strikes as the big bad makes his move to attack Nico and friends which ends up costing Moi his life as he gets shot in the chest with a gun. Nico uses her powers to heal him at the cost of something of her own and what she ends up giving up is her time, which includes her memories, and turns back into a 5 year old.

The group find out that Nico can be restored to her natural state by collecting these magic butterflies that escaped from her body during her spell, and here is where I think this series does something that really grabbed me.

I read a LOT of manga. Like, scouring for new stuff to read every day. Comics are my primary source of entertainment and I read a LOT of romance stories. One of the things that I feel like authors have to consider when writing compelling romance is how to get readers to connect with characters enough to also want to see those characters get into a relationship. In general, I think a lot of this connection buildup happens AFTER characters get together and you have to just get accept the weak initial romantic beginning (like Galaxy Next Door for example), OR the story spends its whole lifetime creating their bonds slowly and ends right as they get together which annoys me, personally (hoping this one doesn't do that, but we will have to see).

What I think Witch Watch does here is so striking and unique; Nico and the gang put in so much effort in between their escapades to get these two characters together so that they can be happy. Right when things lock into place, it all comes to a halt and resets, but what doesn't get reset is the readers' understanding and connections to these characters. We're already invested in Nico and Moi and we get a second chance to see these characters form a loving connection in a really unique way that feels unpredictable as Nico slowly regains her age and memories back. It's got a bittersweet tone to it as Moi doesn't get to express his love in the way that he wants to, but we get to see such a complex form of love develop as he takes the role of a caretaker for little Nico. Love is more than romance or attraction and getting a chance to put that trope away for a bit to do something different is so refreshing. It really builds out something so much more complete and more befitting of a seinen maybe, rather than a shonen with fight scenes and mythical characters.

This current arc is the beginning of part 2 of Witch Watch, with the big bad leaving the group alone because Nico is useless to him as a child with no control over magic. We know this peace will come to an end when Nico is restored to her proper age, but we get to see the characters all get up to their silly antics again with child Nico in the mix now. It's a really cool shakeup that adds new life to the slapstick comedy bits that make up most of the story, putting the action in the back seat again for now. This is the most recent chapter at the time of me writing this (chapter 133), and seeing Moi's perspective as the point of view in contrast to Nico's experiences so far is really gripping to me. This final page of the chapter is what did it for me:

It hurts, but it's love. The pain is temporary, all for the goal of being together when it's all over, with a connection deeper than anything that they would have formed otherwise.

Please go give Witch Watch a read! It's really fun!!

#rudy recs #manga recs #manga recommendation #witch watch #kenta shinohara

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