#if you love motoko that's fine!

[sakumz]

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₊˚ʚ ᗢ₊˚✧ ﾟ. [ i. shu x fem reader ]

a/n : um... I got a shit ton of editing and rewriting to do lmfao, like there's a few shots for bllk and there's still that pending mysta fic. ૮ ⚆ﻌ⚆ა

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" sleepover... at a friend's house? " shu asked once more, hoping what he heard wasn't true.

" yeah. mom said I could go. I'll be leaving tonight, " his sister, motoko answers. rendering the poor man speechless.

" your friend isn't kitahara, right? " he questions, his eyes twitching slightly with what the younger man could do to his sister.

" n-no! it's a girl. her sibling goes to your school anyway. ah! if you're sooo concern, you could come with me. her sibling did say I can invite you... " without a second thought, he said yes.

the walk to your house wasn't as quiet. shu was asking his sister all sorts of questions to what or who you are. his sister doesn't know your name but describing your features wasn't helping them as shu can't recall anyone with said features.

" welcome! oh you really brought your brother along. I thought big sis was joking around when she said that, " shu wanted to scream, upon hearing your sister's words. you are a girl? motoko didn't specify earlier, he only came thinking this "sibling" was a guy and could take advantage of the situation.

" why are you making the guests wait out in the cold? drag them in! " hearing your voice calling from the brightly lit room, snapped him out of his little world.

motoko, being the angel she was, grabbed her brother wrist and dragged him along with her to the house.

" you're not gonna run away now, are you? " motoko whispers as shu gulps and shook his head, assuring her lightly that he won't.

as they got comfortable with your house after a little tour by your younger sister. everyone is seated in the living room by the table. motoko and your sister decided to do some light homework as you and shu sat quietly facing each other. you're on the phone as shu tries to distract himself by studying a little but he can't.

" you can't seriously be studying right, pfft seems a little uncharacteristic. " hearing you directly speak to him, made him jump.

" ne, motoko. let's go to my room! let's study there instead. " motoko agreed with your sister and they quickly pack up and go. leaving you and him alone.

" they say it's not safe to leave a man and a woman alone, you know. " you pout seeing them go.

" I won't do anything, I swear! also, where are your parents? how come, you don't mind me tagging along moto to your place? " he finally asks.

" oh that, parents are out on some sort of wedding anniversary thing overseas. I didn't really expect you to come, hahaha. I gotta tell toru and the others this. " snapping a sudden picture of the man, left him flustered a bit. looking at his face you double take a photo of him. one with his flush faced in.

" I can't believe you. you even know toru, yet I barely remember you besides being the council secretary. you don't hang around sengoku and remi- "

" I can't stand both of them, acting all lovey dovey especially remi! she won't stop running her mouth about dates and love around me. she tells me I should find love but well... its hard so I avoid them, toru and the others are ok to a certain level. hori and miyamura may be together but they're tolerable same with the other pair. "

hearing your outburst, left the man to think for abit before opening his mouth. he shouldn't put up an act and fake his happy bubbly personality infront of you especially right now since he's been quiet at the start.

" it's late and we should sleep, you can take the couch or you can sleep in my bedroom, I'll just take my parents room for the night. "

" oh I'll take the couch just fine, thanks. " just like that the sleepover was over in a blink of an eye.

" hey toru, wanna hit the cafe after school? " shu suggests as his dear friend agrees and they're there, ordering their meals before looking for a seat.

" ne, y/n y/n! you got your eyes set on anyone yet? you seem pretty happy today. " remi starts as you cough and place your drink down.

sakura pats your back as you thank her in between your fit of coughs. the boys decide to settle in the table behind yours, staying quiet as to listen in on the conversation. being your gaming buddy, toru is indeed very curious about the sudden tea remi was stirring.

" was it the sleepover? " sakura questions as remi looks slightly offended dropping her cookie.

" you had a sleepover and you didn't invite me? " she pouts, making you frown.

" it wasn't like that. it was between my sister and her friend... she invited her brother, that's all. "

hearing your words, shu blushes from the embarrassment of what you said as toru stops eating to fully focus on the conversation. remi and sakura are stunned but it doesn't stop them from prying further.

" h-h-her brother was at your house so it was just three girls and a guy? did he do anything, was he harsh- " sakura was interrupted by remis own questions.

" who's the guy? do you know him? " shu can't help but stand from his seat. the sudden noise of the chair screeching, left everyone quiet to look at the source.

" iura? " you called as the girls tilt their heads in confusion.

" he... iura was at your house? " remi clarifies as toru look at his friend that got up to throw his trash.

" yeah but not only that he's here too. that means... toru is here too. " hearing his name he can't help but turn to wave at you, he's been caught red handed. shu stops to greet you before moving back to his seat at toru.

" back to the topic at hand, " sakura brought the two of you back as the boys were still quietly listening.

" I don't even want to talk about it anymore, " you put your head on the table as sakura comforts you by rubbing your back.

" it's fine but I am still very curious, you must have caught some sort of feeling at this point, right? everytime he barges into some sort of space you're in, there's a slight smile that crawls to your face. you don't talk to him much, but hearing others talk is kinda enough for you to figure out what type of person he is. " remi sips her drink after her little statement.

" well maybe I do like y/n-san! " shu confesses as he turn around to look at your side, making the girls shock as well as toru and you.

" dude you're too loud. " toru whispers as shu was quick to cover his face.

toru could see your slightly red face from his seat, he wanted to laugh at how cute your love story was blooming. the girls couldn't help but be stunned with the confession. it wasn't towards them but it was pretty bold and it felt like the words carried too much love to be shared.

" I'm done eating, iura... let's take this elsewhere, " you called for the green haired man as toru gave him the ok to go, he just hopes you're gonna be nice about it and not hit him like what he thinks hori would do because his loud confession got a few stares.

sakura and remi was bursting with excitement as they bid you farewell. you and him walked to a nearby bench before taking a seat.

" you... heard everything did you? " you question as he slightly pray you're not gonna hit him.

" I wasn't the only one who heard... but yes I did I'm sorry, " he looks the other way, trying to avoid all eye contact with you.

" I'm not mad, I won't hit either. um, it is true... maybe I was falling for you but can you say it again? "

" say what? "

" the confession, this time on my phone hehe. it was so adorable how you shouted I like y/n! hahaha. "

" don't remind me, besides a love confession should just be remembered... but whatever makes you happy. ahem, I love you y/n. please be my girlfriend and go out with me. "

" I love you too, shu. I'll gladly be your girlfriend. "

thats when a sweet love story blooms between you two, everyone was shock with the news of the two people they least expected to date was dating. but those don't matter as long as you were both happy.

#sakumz.pdf #shuu iura #iura shu x reader #shuu iura x reader #horimiya x reader #iura shuu x reader

[translationandbetrayals]

Mamoru Oshii: the mind behind three masterpieces.

Fine, let’s talk about this guy. I recently watched both Angel’s Egg (1985) and Jin Roh (1999) afterwards, and I liked them a lot. Then I realized that both films had been made (directed the first, wrote the second) by the same guy who directed Ghost In The Shell (1995) !! Incredible.

Oshii was born in 1951, in Ōta. He studied at Tokyo Keizai University, and has been in the industrie since 1977. He directed the first OVA project to be released !! The science fiction miniseries ‘Dallos’ (1983), which tells the story of the people of the moon, who discover an ancient alien structure. That alone is something truly important for the anime industry, the OVAs would be a format that would change the way in which anime could be viewed and consumed, and also giving much more freedom to its creators in storytelling. Maybe that’s why Angel’s Egg is given so much credit for. When it was released, it truly gave him an infinite amount of recognition for years to come. It is considered one of the greatest animes in all time. But let’s wait a minute to explain why, and let’s continue in our story…

After 10 years of filmmaking, including the OVA series Patlabor (1988) and his incursions in live action films with The Red Spectacles (1987) and Talking Head (1992); he got to make one of the most influential anime films ever: Ghost In The Shell (maybe more for my generation? Or for the cyberpunk lovers I guess), an adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s manga, and one of the reasons of why I’m here in this course. After that, in 1999 (the year I was born), he directed Jin Roh, the last one of the Kerberos Trilogy (which includes The Red Spectacles too).

So, we got to the point when I can talk about this films. You know, I haven’t watched every anime he has done, and some of them I just knew about, but here I am, to get to know them, and watch them when I got the time. I want to talk briefly about what I consider are his themes that are followed through this specifical three works: Angel’s Egg, Ghost In The Shell and Jin Roh, since they are the ones that I have watched. I find it really interesting that since Angel’s Egg we can see some of the most dense existential dreads that we got to witness in anime. This movie is showing us an allegoric depiction of life after death, of meeting our extinction, and not knowing what we can do about it. It’s certainly referencing through beatiful metaphors (like the shadows of the fishes, the dead armies) the drop of the atomic bomb, an event that got humanity to meet the face of what apocalypse looked like, like never before in our recent history. There is an scene where one of the characters (the male one, who moves along with a crosslike weapon) retells the story of Noah’s ark, creating a reflexion about the uncertainty and impending doom that is felt when discovering something that is far beyond human comprehension. He decides to kill all hopes. I’m not spoiling you any more details jj

Then we got Ghost in The Shell, an exploration on what we call human, and again, an existential crossroad where our protagonist, Major Motoko Kusanagi, a quintessential cyborg cop, faces an AI that is hacking human consciousness, using people to trascend itself and becoming something else. Here we got one of the greatest scenes in all anime, which is a silent ship, coursing a river through the city buildings, and Motoko watching some other “version” of herself (another cyborg with the same body as her) through a glass, and not knowing how to feel about it. The music in this scene is beatiful, I mean it’s so iconic, like ritual chants begging to the new gods of the cyberpunk for mercy, or to get us into this new transhuman world. Well of course it has amazingly animated action scenes near the end, like the scene in wich she has to fight with a flying tank (?), but it’s the end dialogue between her and the AI that has got us in love with it, and with anime in general. In a final act for liberation (and with some sexual innuendos here and there) Motoko and the other get fusioned, creating a new being virtually invencible and far more powerful than before, in the body of a child Motoko. Also, her mate Batou is cool af, and also super cute, like he takes care of some basset hounds (same dogs Mamoru has) and is clearly in love with Motoko, she just isn’t human anymore, I’m sorry buddy.

Finally, we have Jin Roh, a story about a soldier (some ultra heavy metal cop in an atompunk gear like wtf such a cool design) who can’t shoot a girl in a terrorist attack, she gets blown up, he feels guilty about it. If you blink it you miss it, but it’s settled in an alternative Japan where, well, Germany won the Second World War, so Japan is now a fascist state, with brutal police repression to its inhabitants. It’s the fifties, so you can expect a noir type story with some mentally tormented detective and the classic femme fatale that gets him into madness. It delivers. Here, our protagonist Fuse gets in love with a woman who is really resemblant of the girl he just saw die. She’s a terrorist too. With some complicated political intricacies here in there, and some beatiful dream sequences (ok the wolf scene is really gory but so good it got me shivers !!), the film delivers an excellent psichological thriller which is, again, more about the mind that it is about the action. But the world building is GOD.

And we could extrapolate that to all his works, the worldbuilding is phenomenal, I mean, Angel’s Egg creates a world that we never get to know much about, that we are shown to be meeting its end, and it does in a beatifully animated way, like really, and the colors, the art direction, it’s really captivating to the eye and to the mind, and it themes get all in your mind for days. Same with Ghost In The Shell, a pivotal point in cyberpunk storytelling, that got an american remake with Scarlett Johanson that I really like too ! (you are free to hate me.) Finally, with Jin Roh we got a change in the directing seat, but we can see his trace in all the animation style and the tone of the story, where we can only get an ambivalent ending, with a heavy pessimistic touch to it.

We can only say that the mind of this director has got into ours, through his work, which is really important to anime, and also, pure works of art.

Jorge Leiva

#Anime #Manga #Japan #personalstory #essay #Sci-Fi #submission

[papers4me]

You said you loved all FB characters, but who was the character you never cared about at all?

Oh I really like all Furuba's characters, except kyo's dad & Akito's mom, but I'm starting to see these two in new light now that the anime is over. Not liking them at all. They’re 100% negative & toxic even within the canon story!, but now I really see them, if you get what I'm saying. They’re the core of two characters: kyo/akito who affected other characters as well. I'll post my new thoughts abt them when I reach their manga chapters.

But character I never cared abt... umm... motoko! simply cuz her worshiping yuki is presented as sth with more positivity than negativity. In Furuba... " bullying" is a fun comedic gag if it is not directed to a sohma.

Her bullying attitude was never condemned beyond how it affected tohru briefly. Tohru was protected by the power of Uo/Hana. She continued to lead her army of worshipers into idolizing him & they bullied machi, which was totally fine (wasn't really) as it was used as a romantic tool to bridge the gap between yuki & machi, & a tool to set machi aside from the rest of yuki blind idolizers cuz she's the only one who " sees" the real yuki.. We saw motoko herself bullying kimi for... wait for it.. talking to yuki in a "scandalous manner" .. how dear she.. the innocent boi will be devoured by this female snake! but kimi stood her ground & taught them a lesson... more like bullied them back for gags & laughs...

Also, once motoko decided that tohru is good for yuki & stopped bullying tohru in her mind, we went deep into how her worshiping obsessive attitude is healthy for her & yuki.... her stalking, idolizing, preventing him from talking to ppl normally & locking him into a caged persona is what made their highschool years so memorable, they're literally floating. Her toxic love must be respected... therefore, Yuki is thankful. While they float, did their bullied victims who dared to love yuki differently float with them?.. I wonder.

Lots of time & space is dedicated to make this toxic one-sided relationship cute. All of us belong into fandoms & have ppl we idolize, it's cool. but once your feelings leave your chest & become toxic actions directed into the idolized target & his/her inner circle .. it's no longer cute...

I heard the author supports/loves/shiershes her. Maybe .. it's a cultural thing? idolizing someone romantically is cute in Japan? I duno.. The kpop culture is similar to this... " how dare you date oppa! he's an innocent man who never even kissed his own mommy!"... Even the west has similar attitude, but instead of wanting the idol stay " version/pure", the idolization is directed towards the idol's persona..making him/her untouchable & setting on a high pedestal of a constructed image...

My point is... Furuba poses as this " educational" show. lots of direct lessons are given on a regular episodic manner & very direct language & imagery either by tohru, shigure, kyoko or yuki. Very direct. but still fails to comment on school bullying/ idolization/ fanclubs culture. If the FB wasn't abt giving mature advice, I wouldnt care at all... School Rumble is an example where such extreme things can be treated as gags. That show is just romantic fun comedy, nothing more.

This is a part of Furubsa than I don't like. It's not cute to stalk & impose ur perspective on others. Motoko, according to the author, is shown to love yuki purely & genuinely but wrongly. That's why machi is created to be better & love him rightfully. Motoko is created to make us appreciate machi... too bad in the anime.. motoko had more character existence than machi. But motoko was never created to comment on the toxic fan culture. On the contrary, the fanculb continues till yuki graduates & yuki is shown be thankful.

Bullying is a serious traumatic experience in high school & is presented inside a show which discusses child trauma as a core theme. Nothing abt it deserves a graduation song, nor floating montage.

Thanks fore the ask!

#anime only #fruits basket #sleepless paper #if you love motoko that's fine! #I'm not judging you #She's fictional #ask me anything #responding paper #anonymous friends #asks

[malewifehenrycooldown]

Your jojo insert sounds really interesting!!!! Wanna tell us more about Taylor?? I really enjoy seeing what people do with theirs (esp if they have a stand!!!!)

You want me to talk about Taylor? Oh you’re in for a wild ride-

LONG POST AHEAD.

I'll talk about Taylor Ripley as she is in Stardust Crusaders cause that’s the only thing I can think about.

First things off Taylor is kinda of a walking contradiction in regards to her character (externally and internally). On the outside she's outrageous especially with her fashion choices and she has this 'tough girl' act to go with it. However on the inside she's actually a quiet and reserved eighteen year old who'd just trying to fit in a complicated world.

I mean she’s pretty caring and kind for the most part. In fact she’s extremely selfless and compassionate heart. She’s also very empathetic, and while a bit of a free spirit, she kinda keeps it to herself because she doesn’t like people that much but also she’s not keen on interacting with new people she doesn't know. She’s frightened of people judging her, solely on who she is and what she does. Also Taylor’s just kinda lost (metaphorically), like she just wants to have a sense of belonging, a place to find/call home even. But even then she's honestly not really sure what she's looking for though (be it place or a group to feel comfortable in). So in a way Part 3 Taylor is kinda having an internal crisis.

Her family is fine as it is, it's just that everyone is so incredibly busy and scattered across the globe as well - it's not like she can make a phone call willy nilly. They love her and she loves them but like time is mean and also BUSINESS IS REALLY BUSY-

The only real like parental figures in her life are Motoko (yeah i dropped her into this universe cause I CAN) and Holly Kujo (this is how she knows Jotaro, she's like kinda childhood friends with him).

Any who back to Taylor; I like to think the way she dresses in a Madonna-Wannabe style helps her to sort of direct her frustrations of not fitting into society into something particularly freeing and productive. Like it feels nice to wear something that makes you feel free and confident, and to her it’s like literally breaking out of her cage by dressing how she wishes. It's not a fad thing either - like sure it looks cool don't get me wrong but it's making a statement too about how some young folks feel so trapped to live up to society's standards.

Kinda on topic, but the name Taylor Ripley is kinda in reference to Taylor Momsen, Taylor Swift and the absolute badass that is ‘Ellen Ripley’ from Aliens. Look Taylor is a mish mash of a lot of things-

I guess you can pinpoint that for being the reason why she and Jotaro are just really close together. They're like two peas in a pod, if you look for one, then chances are you'll also find the other one too.

Despite the shyness, Taylor is kinda feral - like she's just this emoji: (ง'̀-'́)ง. Due to her Australian Heritage it’s kinda a given that she has an Aussie accent, and has a bad habit of slipping colourful language into normal conversations. This is also the result of 'hanging out with Jotaro Kujo too much'. Seriously like they might be two peas in a pod but goodness gracious it's a very chaotic duo and honestly it’s best not to make them both mad-

Okay so Joot and Tay’s friendship is like - kinda on the level of platonic squad goals. and yes they are a little feral, they do care about each other and are willing to help each other out if need be.

Since Taylor is a self insert, that means she has Narcolepsy (with Cataplexy, cause you might as well make some representation for yourself), and with Narcolepsy comes days and moments when she’s REALLY tired and doesn’t have the right mental state to carry out certain jobs and stuff. This is ever more obvious at school, as Jotaro recognises the signs in which Taylor is really tired, and will act appropriately to ensure that she’s okay. He mostly reminds her to take her medication and but there are times in which he will ask about if she needs to go to the med bay for a nap or something. Basically looking out for her and her wellbeing basically, because Taylor is a little forgetful and sometimes a little stubborn to the point when Jotaro has to drag her to the Med Bay to take a nap. Also like just having Jotaro around is really handy because his intimidating presence is enough to scare away bad actors and characters who could probably do harm to Taylor.

On Taylor’s end, she does sometimes keep Jotaro inline, but if there’s a situation in which Jotaro’s actions make sense (like not paying when a restaurant’s food is terrible), then she doesn’t bother to intervene and instead sits on the sidelines like a spectator. Like it’s not her business and she usually ends up agreeing with Jotaro’s side. She doesn’t really get involved in these situations unless something gets under her nerves. Oh and Taylor is really helpful when it comes to shooing away the fangirls. Now I want to stress that she doesn’t hate them. The last thing Taylor wants to do is antagonize other young women (girl hate is not okay), instead she always makes sure to be polite about it but always tells them that Jotaro is a human being with feelings and that they should probably try to get to know the real Jotaro before making assumptions. It sometimes works?? but not always, but Joot doesn’t mind the fact that Taylor actually tries to get them off his back without having to be mean and cruel about it

Basically Joot and Tay look out for each other no matter what not just because they trust and respect each other, but because their friendship is mutually beneficial to each other.

I still haven't really gotten round to a solid motive for her joining in the search for DIO, but I'm kinda leaning towards an AU of 'Taylor's family has been indebted the Joestar Line and that it's time to help them in return' or 'Taylor is worried for Jotaro's wellbeing because it's literally a race against time to save his mother’. That is something I need to play with a little more though.

ALRIGHT LET'S TALK ABOUT TAYLOR'S STAND TOKYO ROSE.

So the thing is that I'm still working on TOKYO ROSE's design, and the thing is that it's still a work in development. However, I usually describe TOKYO ROSE as a draconic like stand with rough dark blue coloured scales. It's bipedal, standing on two legs like a Wyvern and has a long tail that whips from behind. Unlike usual western interpretations of a Dragon, TOKYO ROSE has no wings, rather it has arms that end in what can be described as another dragon head (for both arms). The head in the middle is more pronounced than the ones on it’s arms, especially with the large horns on it’s head. Spikes trail down the spine of the dragon-hydra going down all the way to the tail. Each head has piercing red eyes, and the jaws are jagged like teeth - that when opened have almost shark like rows upon rows of teeth.

(Think of TOKYO ROSE as like Drogon but without wings, and has two extra heads at the end of their arms.)

I mentioned some of the inspirations for TOKYO ROSE here. I also go into slightly more in-depth of TOKYO ROSE's capabilities besides here, but I’ll just briefly talk about what it can do.

Essentially, the main two powers of TOKYO ROSE is that it can ‘breathe’ powerful long ranged energy blasts from it’s mouths. It can turn these energy blasts into elemental energy blasts as well. It’s main attack though is Arctic Cannon, which is a strong blast of energy of ice. This is the main attack because the atmosphere is full of water droplets in the air which ate drained from the surroundings into the jaws of TOKYO ROSE - that then create this powerful blast of pure unadulterated cold energy which can also freeze things too. (Basically an Ice Type version of Hyper Beam)

It’s other ability it has is regeneration. It can heal it’s limbs, wounds, etc. which in turn also heal Taylor’s wounds too. Also-

If a head is cut off (which will affect Taylor), it will regenerate, healing itself and Taylor. Because much like a Hydra, you cut off one head - two grow back. Cutting off TOKYO ROSE’s middle head will only make one of the existing heads take its place - therefore saving Taylor’s own head.

is Taylor immortal? idk that’s up to interpretation for people tbh

From a strategic standpoint, TOKYO ROSE operates as a long ranged special attacking stand that focuses on taking out enemies with absolute power and accurate precision. Think of it as the Sniper, if you will.

Despite the power, TOKYO ROSE is a glass cannon. It’s got abysmal defenses and it can be taken out in a few hits (especially if it’s a close ranged Stand that has a lot of physical power or needs to make physical contact in order to attack). It’s biggest weakness is that anything sharp be it spikes, swords, knives, anything sharp - can do a lot of harm to TOKYO ROSE. The only way to take down a Dragon is to cut off it’s head / to slay it entirely.

I think it should also go without mentioning that TOKYO ROSE is heavily based off the MonsterVerse version of King Ghidorah, in that each head has it’s own personality and way of thinking.

The Right Head; nicknamed ‘ze’ is the most calm and collected of the trio. It has an awareness of its own surroundings and displays the ability to form strategies - even communicating that with its Stand User.

The Middle Head; nicknamed ‘xe’ is the leader, the one that keeps the other heads on track when they’re in a fight. He acts out the orders that are given out by its Stand User. It is also the most aggressive in a fight.

The Left Head; nicknamed ‘ve’ is the curious and more playful one - although it’s playfulness can easily turn into aggression.

Also one of my favourite things about TOKYO ROSE is that it’s the type of stand that really works well with other stands too, especially if they happen to use an elemental power. For example TOKYO ROSE can borrow the flames of Magician’s Red to use in it’s own attacks, and can actually go along with a tag-team like strategy too! It leaves a lot of potential combinations for Taylor to work with - and the added use of teamwork can really make a difference in a life or death situation.

And.... that’s kinda it?? wow that took me almost forever to write because the moment I saw this in my inbox I HAD TO ANSWER IT- but i cannot thank you enough for sending this in because I have so many thoughts and ideas about Taylor - that I’ve only just scraped the surface! but thank you Kola for letting me gush about my s/i because I’ve put so much love and thought into her as a character and it would be a crime if I didn’t share it with anyone because I take a lot of care and pride in creating her!

#long post tw #Kola Tag #jjba self insert #answered asks #thank you so much for sending this in i had so much fun answering it! #nougatships #gush post #okay to reblog #no seriously i really don't mind it #answered questions #Self Insert Tag #jojoposting #[p]: jotaro kujo | the marine traveller #[platonic tag] #jjba self insert: taylor ripley #☮️✨ | Outrageous and Bizarre #[ jjba stand: tokyo rose ] #🐲 | The Devil Has Three Heads

[vroenis]

Part 2

This is part 1.

Can you tell how tired I was getting by the end? This is life under meds, but given the other benefits (I think?), I’ll take it for now.

When I woke up the next morning, I had a whole lot I was thinking about and it’s stuff I want to say given I said a lot, but didn’t cover this stuff. I’m still happy with part 1, I think that’s just how I write, moving from subject to subject more or less organically and it does show me to more unstructured even if there is a vague plan for how I want the piece to go.

Anyway let’s get going.

As always, mild spoilers for well, everything. If you haven’t seen this stuff and are mildly interested in watching them then ah, you may have a lot of catching up to do. I don’t think I’ll drop any real hard spoilers for anything but you never know.

Ghost In The Shell is an Outsider story

There are whole stacks of lore you could dive into with Stand Alone Complex in particular, with Motoko having been in an aircraft accident and getting her first shell (cyber-body) at a very early age, what that means, the thing with Kuze (avoiding spoilers here), and the extended cast - not that Paz, Boma and even Ishikawa get a whole lot of time anyway - but it’s not really that important.

Looking at just Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 film, and even more-so his 2004 film Innocence (not really a sequel but usually regarded as such), the narratives cast the characters very much as Outsiders. In the first film, Section 9 is already at odds with the government in general and while it’s subtle, Aramaki as a department head is certainly different from his contemporaries, even if we don’t see much of it - again, so much more of this in Stand Alone Complex. Motoko’s early conversation with Togusa in the first film is probably the most telling as far as playing it loud. She speaks in pragmatic terms to why he’s there, but this is a precursor to what will ultimately transpire for herself at the conclusion of the film, something very intentionally written into the film. Batou is also an Outsider in more ways than one, not only in the role he plays in the department but in the very clear personal boundary between him and Motoko. There are boundaries between Batou and everyone and they become more apparent in the second film. Togusa is easy pickings so I’ll leave him alone, suffice to say if the film needs one, he’s the audience’s window of ignorance which is why he’s discarded so willingly half way in. He gets his time in the spotlight in Stand Alone Complex and it’s pretty amazing.

As for Motoko... I admit it is difficult separating my understanding of her character from Stand Alone Complex and attempting to just isolate what’s shown of her in the first film but I’ll try.

I mentioned the film’s centrepiece montage in my previous journal, in which we might say Motoko is the centrepiece but if so, she probably shares it with the city itself, and I feel much more is being said about the two together rather than separated simultaneously. This would be one of the first indications of Motoko’s sense of identity, of otherness, isolation, questioning. Again the scene that plays it most loud would be diving on the boat and her speech to Batou. There are other moments tho; single frames of her face, looks, movements that are lingered on, I feel like Oshii is constantly telling us about her and what she’s going to do, but more important than that, why she’s going to do it and how she feels.

Ghost in the Shell is a film about great emotion, and not like I’d know because it’s been a long time since I’ve looked into the discourse around it, but I suspect no-one really talks about it as a film about feelings.

I realise these days I talk more and more about moods and art being mood pieces. I labelled my Instagram account as being “A catalogue of moods” and I’m very fond of the use of the word in vernacular. It might seem flippant but it’s immensely empowered, especially for me as an individual when I understand my moods and can translate them into, via and thru art. I do appreciate many struggle with Oshii’s cinematic language as it can appear cold and detached and that’s fine, but it’s anything but for me - it’s immensely emotionally charged, it just appears differently to what audiences are perhaps accustomed to seeing. It’s a different language that perhaps takes time to learn, but it’s all there.

This couldn’t become more evident than in Innocence (the Ghost in the Shell 2 moniker I think was a western addendum). Batou takes centre stage and is  immediately presented as bluntly as possible as an Outsider, reaffirmed later by Aramaki who also cements Togusa’s position in limbo.

I should pause and say that within the GitS canon, I feel Togusa is definitely embraced by Section 9, so he’s not wholly an Outsider to the department, but for obvious reasons, he doesn’t fully share all of their daily or philosophical concerns - hence not wholly. He would also definitely be an Outsider to most other members of the force after joining Section 9, but unfortunately I’m not here to love Togusa, poor guy - I feel like he’s always a bit unloved. Someone write a giant essay in service to his greatness. He actually is great.

But I adore Batou in Innocence. I love his story, his struggle, his emotion. I love how present Motoko is without ever appearing on screen and then when she does, the impact she has on everything, especially with the lines she delivers, one of which I quoted to open the last journal. Batou is in many ways a shadow of what Motoko was and is/has become, just in physical form, mirroring her in a real world manifestation with the natural physical limitations that comes with.

For some reason I feel like I need to inject a comment about Batou putting the jacket/vest on Motoko’s body. I don’t know if people perceive this as an act of masculine modesty but it’s not how I read it. I did stumble on this action for years but as I began to interpret the films as Outsider stories, I realised that he does this as an act of inclusion, and that Motoko consents, permits him to and doesn’t immediately react with violence or technological recourse we know she is well capable of, indicates it’s mutual. Their inclusion isn’t just about the boundaries of the Section 9 department but extends beyond that, an inner circle that may only contain the two of them - inside which there are still boundaries between them Batou can never cross. Those boundaries become infinitely more apparent after the final events of the first film, and the second film effectively is all about how he feels about them. He is an ultimate Outsider, but so is Motoko in the state she now is in.

Section 9 is a department of stray dogs. Individuals who haven’t quite fit in where they belong, and found belonging with one another. Then, after a time, one of them moves on - at the conclusion of the first film, and then another feels an almost permanent and ultimate sense of separation - more or less the duration of the second film.

Ghost in the Shell isn’t about technology and sentience and hacking and corporations at all. It’s about loneliness and belonging and acceptance and affection. It’s about how that feels.

I’m Not Sure Why People Struggle With David Lynch Films

I need to stop talking about anime. Honestly I looked at the list at the start of the last journal and thought hell yea Sky Crawlers, Jin-Roh, Haibane Renmei and Lain let’s unpack some shit! but honestly I’ll run out of time and I should really draw from a variety of mediums and sources.

OK I’m not being facetious when I say Lynch’s films are fairly straight-forward narrative-wise. Again, it’s hard for me to position myself in a place where I’m not into the stuff I’m into and maybe that’s what gives me the cinematic language familiarity to parse them but that just sounds like wanker bullshit to me. I don’t mind if folks don’t like Lynch films, that’s fine. But they aren’t difficult.

So in the context of everything else, even on that short list on the last journal, plus how I keep trying to shift the discussion of works from the pragmatic reading of them to an emotional reading of them from a mood perspective, I feel as tho the same process can be applied to Lynch. So much about his films are about how they make you feel, or I’ll say - how they make *me* feel. It might be grandiose to assume I’m feeling the correct emotion, that these are the moods that David Lynch himself is attempting to create and evoke and thus, I am interpreting them correctly but hey - I enjoy the hell out of the films, feel I understand them and watch them over and over again so that’s all I’m basing it on.

That’s not to say there are things I dismiss as meaningless or that I don’t understand in his films, it’s just that I don’t have to parse them immediately at first watch and perhaps that’s the audience’s problem. I don’t know if reverse-diagnosis is appropriate but looking at how much hand-holding there is in other directors’ films might be just as telling. I mean I saw Nolan’s Tenet and was about the least confusing thing I’d ever seen in my life but apparently *that* confused people, and you know hey that’s fair I guess, but I mean Nolan did a whooooole lot of audience hand-holding in that film, I mean, the dialogue was terrible. There was so much unnecessary exposition, which I generally find in all of his films, so if an audience can’t follow that then OK sure, Lynch is going to be a problem.

The thing is popcorn cinema is totally OK. I watch it. I really love it, I’ve written about it before, it’s good Industry. There’s a lot of great creativity in popular cinema, I don’t at all think poorly of it and I love seeing a really well produced, Hollywood picture... but I guess if that’s all you consume, and I guess if folks’ short-format episodic media (aka series - think Netflix, HVO etc.) is more or less to the same standard, then it begins to make sense that anything outside of that isn’t going to make sense.

Long story short - Lynch films tell simple stories where the feeling of the film is as important as the narrative of the film. To understand the story, you have to understand the feeling, and vice-versa.

Surprise surprise, it turns out independent and deemed “fringe” film-makers... aka Outsiders... make films about Outsiders.

Now I wouldn’t know if any of the Marvel films thematically are about Outsiders or Outsider culture, they probably are and very loudly at that, but the reason I’ve never included one in my catalogue of moods is they all read the same way. Not only are Marvel films mostly indistinct from one other to me, they’re also mostly indistinct from much of popular culture in general. That doesn’t make them bad, some of them still have some pretty awesome stunts, visfx, even parts of the narratives, funny jokes etc. in them, but on the whole they’re not useful to me as things I deem truly valuable in the long-term.

It’s OK, I’m not at all going to lament the proliferation of Marvel films, a lot of them have been pretty cool and they keep people in work. Meow meow meow “the death of cinema” mate, sure - I find it more difficult to find the sorts of films I like but that’s always been the case. Humans will do what they do, it’s not a read on cinema, it’s about being an Outsider and what that’s all about. True, maybe weird shit like Lynch and Noe might be more difficult to make, but the weird-indie corner was also dominated by white men and that needs to change, so who knows what the future holds.

Can you detect the point at which I took my meds and started getting tired?

Ghost in the Shell // Innocence // What We Want // What We’re Left With

Growing up as an Outsider, I feel as tho the first Ghost in the Shell film carries the weight of isolation, questions of identity and belonging, ultimately of acceptance, empowerment and liberation. Then Innocence brings to bear very similar moods but states that things may not necessarily change for the better, they simply change state. I love that in both narratives, the main texts of hacking or corrupt corporations, crime etc. are the least common denominators and barely relevant to heart of the films. I think about the theme of icons in Innocence, icons operatively being the dolls throughout the film, and the final image of Togusa’s daughter’s gift. As humans we assume we’re to take the position of biological humanity as representative of sentience, taking moral priority over all other beings. Earlier in the film we think Togusa is in limbo, but  at the conclusion Motoko asks the question, or perhaps states that perhaps we’re all in limbo together.

I think that’s a significant part of what growing up as and being an Outsider is like, what it feels like. Christians have this saying about “living in the world but not of the world” (derived from a bible verse) and honestly I don’t think they know what it means because they just operate like a cult, but I think queers and folks with long term mental health conditions have a better idea. We are pushed out to the fringes of our social groups from an early age, long before we know or understand what’s different about us. Our peers and the adults around us do this to us because their social behaviours are so well hard-coded, even they may not even know precisely what’s different about us, they just do - and they’re right. We are different. And they don’t accept us.

Maybe I am starting to get a little more upset that weird/different art is becoming more difficult to fund and make, because it’s for us, for me. It speaks to me. You already have so much, and representation and inclusion is so important. I don’t just need queer cinema, I need weird cinema, I need moods. I need quiet, introspective, pensive, reflective, Outsider moods.

I still feel like an Outsider. I have a few people who understand more about me, but I don’t think I have a place, not in a real sense. I have never felt that. Art is one of the few places I feel any connection with anything, and connecting with people is a very odd thing to consider - honestly, I actually would really like to connect with people but the unique combination of being queer *and* autistic comorbid with bipolar makes it really tough, more difficult the older I get. And now all you want to do is fund Marvel movies. I can’t feed off of that.

I’m getting tired, I’m not making any sense. It’s time for bed.

#2021 #chrono #ghost in the shell #innocence ghost in the shell #outsider culture #outsider #queer #queer culture

[tardytothepardy]

Fruits Basket - Vol. 18

The first part of this book was honestly pretty sweet, I was living for it. The second part of this book reminded me that Haru can kick ass if he wanted to, but for the most part he doesn't. The third part of this book reminded the characters that Tohru wants to help these people in their predicament, but she also wants to help one person in particular out of their predicament.

By the end of it, I kinda want Kureno to carry around a spray bottle and spritz water or vinegar at Akito every time he does something bad. Probably vinegar. It wouldn't do anything bad, but he'd be smelly.

So, the first part. It's mostly just with the Student Council, continuing the graduation ceremony stuff from the previous book (and no, Tohru and Co. are not graduating. I don't know why I thought they were), with some focus on Machi, Yuki, and Kakeru. How fun.

It starts with the one strict guy (I've never had to talk about him at all so I wasn't sure what his name was for a while, honestly. It turns out his name is Sakuragi Naohito. The more you know, I guess) lamenting about how graduation is near, which the rest of the group finds odd, because no one in the group is graduating this year. Then a couple girls show up at the door, saying that Machi knocked down some boxes of chalk, and generally made a mess. They also brought up some random (but very personal) rumor about Machi trying to kill her baby brother a while back, and surely that's why Machi is the way she is. Kakeru tells Yuki about it, from what he was told. It was said that Machi became jealous of her younger brother (who, according to Kakeru, had been decided to be the heir to the family's fortune) and tried to kill him. Afterwards, her parents decided that it would be best if she was removed from the house entirely, and ever since she had lived alone. Kakeru offered to take Yuki to Machi's place, to ask her herself, which Yuki didn't really agree to. Kakeru also mentioned, offhandedly (because he was just jumping from one topic to the next) that he once saw Machi, out in the snow, making footprints all over it. He had no idea why, but he said she seemed pretty intent on it.

So they arrived unannounced to Machi's place, which she did not appreciate whatsoever. She might have been fine with Kakeru showing up, but she was more flustered once she saw that Yuki was also there. (I wonder why,,, hmmm) While they were there, Kakeru was just being weird and put one of Machi's bras, all rolled up, in Yuki's hand. Why did he do that. Don't manhandle bras, dude. They're expensive. Anyway, once he got kicked out for that (they kinda started cleaning up Machi's room, and he was taking out the trash), Machi asked Yuki about the rumor, and if that was why they were here. Yuki didn't answer that, and instead asked Machi if she hated perfection. The answer is yes, she does, because of shit that her mom said and did to her.

Basically (and I feel like this was touched on a bit earlier), after Kakeru acted out and got tired of the family's bs, more pressure was put on Machi to behave, to do the best that she could, get the highest marks in school, have the perfect behavior, etc. She couldn't step out of line, otherwise she would be punished severely. Despite this, her mother would often talk about how boring she was, in front of Machi. This was especially the case after her younger brother was born, and her mother would talk about how glad she was for another heir to the family, because Machi was just so average, so dull. After one of these times, Machi actually confronted her mother, asking, "Why do you say that? I thought this was what you wanted me to be like?", to which her mom was like, "You say that like it's my fault. Well, maybe it is. Oh well."

That sense of "Oh well, onto the next one" was not the thing that Machi needed. She needed reassurance, that she wasn't just some blank, dull, empty person, who brings nothing new or interesting to anything or anyone. I think it's kinda here when she started tearing things apart: anything that was too neat or orderly just reminded her of that suffocating feeling, and she couldn't stand it.

It was then that Yuki praised her, basically, for all the hard work that she did, all that work, just to try and keep ahead. Clearly, this was not something she had ever experienced, because it caused her to break down, and she told him about what actually happened with her and her younger brother: she was just putting a blanket over him. She thought he was cold, and he could get sick. But when her parents saw her holding a blanket over him, they already had a bias against Machi, and were convinced that she was jealous, that she had ill intent. They wouldn't listen to what she said, they didn't care. She had shown a "sign" of something bad that easily fit into their narrative, and took that as a reason to take her away from her younger brother.

Yuki then offers that, if the snow gets thick enough, they can go outside and make footprints all over it, and, honestly? That's some cute ass shit. I love that kinda thing, really. That's romance: stomping around in the fresh snow. Who needs physical contact when you can stomp around on fall leaves? That's the real stuff, right there.

But Kakeru interrupts the scene (he was kinda lingering behind a wall, listening to most of this. I think he was there for the story about their younger brother), but I liked it. It was nice. That wasn't entirely where this section ended, however. There's still a little bit more, with Sakuragi, and why he was so bummed out about graduation.

The short answer is that a girl he likes is graduating. But she (I looked it up and her name is Motoko Minagawa) likes Yuki, who doesn't like her. And Sakuragi is kinda taking out his anger on Yuki, who is mostly just bummed out that so many girls are coming up to him and confessing their feelings, and he just has to turn them down. In the end, Yuki and Minagawa had a chat, things are fine. She told him how she felt about him but she wasn't expecting anything in return, and she said she wished for the best for him, which he was unnecessary. Later, Sakuragi kinda?? told Minagawa how he felt about her, but he mostly just gave her well wishes, and now he is less angry and uppity. How nice.

Moving onwards to the second chunk, Hiro's mom had a baby! Her name is Hinata, and she's not a Juunishi. It's great. Hiro's gonna do his damnedest to make sure that Hinata gets everything she needs, and probably try to protect her from the burning dumpster that is being a Sohma. (Really, it just doesn't seem to be that great.)

While that's going on, there's discussion of Izusu, where is she? People say that she's in the hospital, but they won't say which one, or where. She's not at Kagura's house, where she lives, and she hasn't shown up at school for ages. Kagura had to actually attend Izusu's graduation in her place. It's all very weird. People are started to ask around, but no one has the answers. Kagura's worried, Tohru's worried, Hiro's mom is worried, and at one point Yuki even went up to Haru and asked him if he'd heard anything about where Izusu was. Haru hadn't, but afterwards, he got on the search. On the way to the search, he ran into Hiro and Kisa. They all kinda knew what Haru was doing there, and that's when Hiro told Haru that the last time Izusu got really hurt, it was because Akito had pushed her off a second-story ledge. He then apologizes to Kisa, saying that it was his fault that Akito lashed out at her, and he wasn't allowed to anything about either incident. He then reveals that Izusu is trying to break the curse, and she did something, Akito found out, and that's why she was punished (along with Akito forcing her to break up with Haru).

Anyway, now Haru's pissed. He makes a beeline straight to Akito's room, and he's looking for some answers. He cuts to the point, asking, "Why'd you push Izusu out the window?" Akito denies it, of course, who'd own up to that? He says that Haru must have made that up, or heard wrong from someone, but Haru is not swayed. He's gonna get answers one way or another.

While all of this has been happening, Kureno had noticed that there was a person carrying a tray of food and wandering off to where people don't typically go. He followed her, and tracked her down to a dilapidated building, and he asked her what she was doing. She wouldn't say, but she give him the key to the building, saying that Izusu hadn't eaten in days, she was withering away. So Kureno found Izusu, her hair was hacked off (and Akito did it, it's not even speculation, there's a page where you see him doing it. Well, he's coming out of the room, scissors in hand, with these long clumps of hair trailing on the floor. He totally did it.), and took her to the hospital. So when Haru is questioning Akito, Kureno comes in and tells Haru that she's in the hospital, which is probably a good thing for Akito's sake. Haru is pissed. I haven't forgotten about the "black" Haru thing. The last time that came up, it also had to do with Izusu.

Haru asked Kureno where she was, and it's revealed that she was in the Cat's dungeon, essentially. (I think of it as a dungeon, personally) This totally sets off Haru, who asks if this was another attempt to kill Izusu, and Akito was basically like "So what if it was?" which was not the correct answer. There was no correct answer, at that point, but that one was the most wrong answer. All sorts of feelings were welling up in Haru, at this point, and all kinda gathered into one really nasty feeling: helplessness. He felt like, despite how much he loved Izusu, and how much he cared about her, it wasn't enough. He wasn't able to protect her from the shit that had happened. Fortunately for Akito, he only punched a hole in the wall, rather than Akito's face, but he then left the room. Kureno followed him, and said that he should try to get to the hospital, because he thought that Izusu wanted to see Haru, specifically because she had been saying Haru's name when Kureno had found her.

Later on, we are in the hazy mind of Izusu, who woke up in the hospital and is pretty disoriented. Last she was aware, she was in the Cat Room of Doom, not a hospital bed. She could remember that Kureno was there, that he carried her out. She was looking for him, especially after she saw him talking to Tohru, and when he left, Tohru was crying. She wanted to know what Kureno said to Tohru, and tried to track him down. Turns out that he's pretty elusive. But she did run into another person: Ren. She asked Ren if she knew of a way to break the curse, and Ren said that there was something of hers in Akito's room, a box, and that if she got that box back, she would,,, have it back. She didn't actually say that she would tell Izusu anything, but Izusu's desperate to break the curse. Unfortunately for that desperation, Akito found her, right in his room, holding the box. Akito threatened to hurt Haru, if Izusu tried to get out, but Izusu saw this as payment for her failure, she made absolutely no attempt to escape.

There's a little blip back to Ren and an old lady who reprimanded Kureno for even finding Izusu at all, and it turns out that Ren probably didn't know how to break the curse anyway. She didn't particularly like Izusu, so it wasn't a huge loss on her end. She just wanted to get that box back, for some reason, and was using Izusu to try to get it.

In this hazy dream-state, Izusu's just confused. She can't remember what actually happened, but she's kinda bummed out that she dreamt all of that, and Haru wasn't there. Then he popped up, conveniently. She apologizes to him, saying that she failed, her attempts to save him and break the curse were worthless (and she also thinks that she's worthless). "Dream" Haru says that she can't go off anymore, because he missed her, a lot, and if she went away again, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. She says that this is such a nice dream, but it's not a dream (as I'm sure you could tell with the quotation marks). Turns out, she's lying on the pavement, outside somewhere, and Haru found her. It's reminiscent to the other time that Haru found her lying barely conscious on the pavement, but this time he can pick her up and carry her home. He reassures her that she's not a burden, that she should take help when it's handed to her. In this case, she should let herself be carried when she can't walk.

It seems that Izusu is now staying at Kazuma's house, probably because Kazuma is so chill with that kind of stuff. Tohru was really glad to see Izusu again, which gave Izusu some conflicting feelings (mostly "agh stop don't care about me" but also "hey it's actually kinda nice to know that people care about me"). Tohru wasn't told why Izusu's hair got chopped off, or much about the situation. They ("they" being Yuki, Haru, and Kazuma. I suppose Izusu as well) didn't want Tohru worrying too much, she already was very concerned.

Later, Shigure came by Kazuma's house, to talk to Izusu about what happened, and basically confirmed that Ren was using her, and that she wouldn't know how to break the curse. He also said that he think Izusu should give the curse-breaking thing a rest, because the curse is starting to break itself without anyone doing anything (as we've seen with Kureno). Izusu doesn't believe him, but he doesn't say anything more about it. He just says that, probably in a couple years, it'll be broken, and no one will have to do anything. Then Tohru arrives (who was coming over to see Izusu, and even had a gift for her), and says that that's not good enough, that the curse has to be broken before next spring, before their graduation. This shit has an ever-increasing importance to Tohru. She hates the way that Kyo talks about it, like he's already come to terms with what will happen. Tohru will not stand for it for a single second, and she'll probably do her damnedest (hey look i used that word again) to break the curse before then.

(Also this is kinda, I think, when Izusu and Shigure are kinda like, "Whoa, she really cares about Kyo, huh? Hm, surely there isn't any deeper relationship there, right? Hmmmmm"

#Oh wow it didn't take as long to write this one #Only around a day #And it isn't as long which is also nice #I was reading through one I wrote almost a month ago and holy crap #It's empty #I suppose that's why I make these so long #It's so that I can look back and read through these and still mostly understand what I was saying #Vagueness is not my thing if I can help it #Anyway I'm totally a fan of Machi and Yuki getting closer #For some reason I always adhere onto romances that aren't really the main focus #Like with spop I didn't care about catradora and instead became a huge fan of entrapdak #Idk why they just appeal to me more #Maybe because there's less drama or high stakes? #No that isn't true #Idk #anyway #tohru honda #yuki sohma #kyo sohma #hiro sohma #hinata sohma #kisa sohma #izusu sohma #hatsuharu sohma #shigure sohma #akito sohma #kureno sohma #machi kuragi #kakeru kuragi #naohito sakuragi

[medea10]

My Review of Fruits Basket: 2nd Season

It’s really happening! It’s fucking happening! The never-before animated story to one of the best shoujo series in the 21st century is finally happening!

HISTORY: Just read my long-ass review for that.

Okay, okay!

Tohru Honda stumbles upon the family secret of her classmate, Yuki Sohma when she moves in the Sohma household. Whenever a member of the Sohma family is hugged by a member of the opposite sex, they turn into an animal from the Chinese Zodiac. Because of this, the Sohma family is very secretive about this issue and only let close people in on the family secret. And even then, it rarely happens! But after a lifetime of worry and hell these members have been put through, they learned that Tohru cares about each and every one of them. She was able to bring out the sun for many of these characters who have suffered a lifetime of ridicule, pain, and isolation.

SEASON TWO: It’s the start of summer and many things around Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo are changing. For Yuki, it means taking over the student council full-time, as his seniors will be graduating in the spring. And for one Sohma family member, she’s made it her mission to lift the curse that has plagued the Sohma’s for generations. This season is filled with the cute and fluffy moments it’s known for where characters are having fun. But then you remember this is Fruits Basket and the cute and fluffy moments are shrouded in pain and misery.

And when you have an unstable character like Akito, people are going to be hurt. With the addition of several characters, we do detour from time-to-time for stories about them instead of following Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru. But many of these characters have some sort of connection to the main cast. With the introduction of Rin, we see the desperation in finding a way to rid the Sohmas of the zodiac curse. The student council members introduced this season helped Yuki come out of his shell even further. And the introduction of the final zodiac Kureno gave us possible hope for Tohru and a possible love interest with someone you probably didn’t see coming.

LICENSING: Thank you FUNimation. Thank you for once again taking the helm by licensing it and putting in the delicate care the mangaka went in to creating it! And also thank you for not being greedy dickholes and letting Crunchyroll and Hulu air it too. Anyways, the cast from the previous season have returned to do their respectable roles in both the English and Japanese cast. It’s just that due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the dub wasn’t as frequent as it was last year so I spent a good chunk just sticking to the original Japanese audio.

NEW CHARACTERS: In the final episode of season one, we were quickly introduced to several new characters who are going to make a big splash this time around. Just a reminder, there are only two zodiac members that were never introduced until this very moment. But there are several characters, who may not be part of the Sohma clan, but are a big part of the story and to several main characters.

First, I would like to introduce Kakeru Manabe and Machi Kuragi. They will now serve under Yuki as Student Council Vice President and Treasurer. They’re also half-siblings (same father, different mothers). Now by no means are these two ever going to be let-in on the Sohma family secret like Tohru, but they definitely make a big impact on Yuki’s life as Yuki seems comfortable enough to have one-on-ones with Kakeru and share common themes with Machi.

Isuzu (or Rin) is a Sohma with long, black hair. She is the horse of the zodiac curse. She doesn’t let a lot of people in her corner and usually only confides in either Hiro or her boyfriend, Hatsuharu. A lifetime of family issues and Akito being a cunt has something to do with it. Rin’s mission is to find a way to break the curse set on her and the rest of the Sohmas. But after an altercation with Akito, Rin has taken it upon herself to become a lone wo-, um horse in this mission.

Kureno is the final zodiac member to be introduced. And if you haven’t guessed, he is the rooster! Kureno is usually never seen by anyone in the Sohma family due to the fact that Akito keeps him on a short leash. But once Kureno was able to step away from Akito’s side, he finds comfort in one of Tohru’s friends.

I’m familiar with many of these voice actors they’ve added to these new characters. The only one I was surprised at came from Aki Toyosaki playing Rin. I think it’s just leftover questioning after hearing her voice these cutesy, moe characters (blame K-ON for that one). But Rin’s voice isn’t bad.

As for the dub, thank you FUNimation for bringing Aaron Dismuke back to the Fruits Basket family. If you’ve been following Fruits Basket from the very beginning, you might recall him being the original voice of Hiro Sohma. But since he was quite a young child when voicing Hiro, that voice he carried at the time wasn’t going to stay forever. Puberty happens! Aside all that needless info, I really liked his Kakeru! I’m digging Ian Sinclair as Kureno. I spent a full-on decade imagining who would voice him. And back in the day, I always thought Micah Solusod or Vic Mignogna would do him justice. But once 2019 happened…

*crosses off a name on a list*

…Yeah, Micah Solusod would do his voice justice, just him, no one else! But Ian Sinclair is awesome in nearly every thing he’s in and this is fine by me. Brina Palencia as Rin…eh, I mean she always plays characters who are monotone or serious. I’m not bashing it, but it was a predictable role for her. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Kakeru is played by Takuya Eguchi (known for Cheren on Pokemon BW, Takeo on My Love Story, Ryouma on Love Stage, Kujo on Gosick, Watanuki on Inu x Boku SS, and Fumiya on Domestic Girlfriend)

*Machi is played by Ai Kakuma (known for Misaka Worst on Index III, Rossweisse on High School DxD, Lala on Monster Musume, and Hato on Genshike Nidaime)

*Rin is played by Aki Toyosaki (known for Uiharu on Railgun/Index, Yui on K-ON, Suu on Shugo Chara, Satsuki on Maid-sama, Momo on To Love Ru, Chitose on Yuru Yuri, and Aoi on Beelzebub)

*Kureno is played by Yuichiro Umehara (known for Gorou on Darling in the Franxx, Mars on Black Clover, and Goblin Slayer)

ENGLISH CAST: *Kakeru is played by Aaron Dismuke (known for Al on FMA, Hiro on Fruits Basket, Young Hohenheim on FMA: Brotherhood, Van on Escaflowne [redub], Marx on Black Clover, and Takami on Deadman Wonderland)

*Machi is played by Caitlin Glass (known for Winry on FMA, Haruhi on Ouran HSHC, Maki on Love Live, Miria on Baccano, Petra on Attack on Titan, Evergreen on Fairy Tail, and Kirigiri on Danganronpa)

*Rin is played by Brina Palencia (known for Nina on FMA, Ciel on Black Butler, Yuno on Mirai Nikki, Saten on Railgun/Index, Juvia on Fairy Tail, Touka on Tokyo Ghoul, Holo on Spice & Wolf, and Chopper on One Piece)

*Kureno is played by Ian Sinclair (known for Whis on DB Super, Bard on Black Butler, Sousuke on Free!, Chuck on Panty & Stocking, Magna on Black Clover, Brook on One Piece, and Space Dandy)

SHIPPING PART II:

I still know who everyone ends up with and I’m doing my darndest to keep my mouth shut and not let out a decade-old spoiler. So let’s get some crap over with!

*Yuki x Motoko: Yeah, remember Motoko? That Yuki-obsessed chick who literally can’t breathe without the boy in her life! Well, first episode of the season, we get an episode featuring her once more. Because Motoko is one year older, she faces the harsh reality of graduating a year before Yuki and is pretty depressed over that. Not only that, but she's still super jealous that Yuki spends so much time with Tohru. But it gets a little deeper when she noticed that Yuki has changed as he’s smiling a lot more (and those smiles are not fake this time). She so wanted to be the woman in his life to make him smile like that. But Motoko’s probably just going to admire him from a distance. Oh and she still finds time to harass and/or threaten any foreign girl that hangs around Yuki’s aura.

*Ayame x Mine: I almost forgot to talk about this one. Probably because we really only got one episode to show the slightest ship hint from them. Mine has got to be the only female on earth who is able to handle Ayame’s wacky behavior 24/7. Then again, Mine has a few quirks herself. But both of them find that they can confide in each other. Here’s the thing with this one, it is unknown if Mine actually knows about the family curse up to this point. And if they are really in a relationship, Akito hasn’t given her “blessing”. I don’t know, maybe everyone in the family thought it would be best to not pry into Ayame’s private life for many valid reasons.

*Hatsuharu x Rin: So these two were actually in a (secret) relationship. Secret for obvious reasons! They knew the consequences after what Akito has done to Hatori and Kisa for being loved. In this season, we see how much these two really care for each other. Rin is so desperate in finding a way to rid Hatsuharu and everyone else of the zodiac curse that she’ll pursue it by any means necessary. And when she dumped Hatsuharu, this devastation built up pretty big until it burst in the destruction of a classroom. Hatsuharu can be very laid-back, but the break-up really devastated him. Later this season, we do get the development of this ship. Hatsuharu is one of the few people in Rin’s inner circle she was able to rely on and this blossomed into both of them confessing their love. And even sleeping with each other! Yep, Fruits Basket gave us a sex scene! However, Akito found out and Rin took the blame for everything.

…And Akito gave her blessing by shoving Rin off the second story.

Akito’s blessings really should come with an advisory.

Advisory: DON’T ASK AKITO FOR HER BLESSINGS!

*Hatori x Mayu: If you’re wondering who Mayu is, that is Tohru’s homeroom teacher. She surprisingly has some history with Shigure, Hatori, and Kana. First of all, Mayu is best friends with Kana. When Kana was dating Hatori, Mayu started to get these feelings and she ended up dating Shigure (seriously, bad choice). But she knew like the rest of us that Shigure is distant, sneaky, and you just can’t trust him. But Mayu was the only one to cry for Hatori’s sake. Mayu does hold out hope for one day going out with Hatori. Five, ten years, however long it takes!

*Kureno x Uo: The one time Kureno was allowed to escape from Akito’s grasp and he enjoys the company of Tohru’s best friend Uotani. When I first read this in the manga, I thought this was absolutely random, but cute nevertheless. And after watching their small time together, I yearned for there to be more time for Kureno and Uo to be together…but you know it’s not possible because you know the real deal. I mean, Kureno has spent the majority of his life as Akito’s personal bitch. After that one episode, Kureno has remained on the Sohma estate and Uo has wanted to see him again. So much so that she quit her part-time job where she first met Kureno because she feels like she’ll never see him again! Thing is Kureno promised to stay by Akito’s side after a really big revelation happened (stay tuned). Kureno is like the only Sohma that is able to cast his shackles aside and be with someone he loves. And Uo is the first person he’s ever truly felt that about!

No…I’m not going to mention that OTHER ship just yet. I get upset just even thinking about it.

*sniffles*

Just let the little bird fly and be free already.

*Kyo x Kagura: I probably should have covered this in the first season. But I was too focused on the sad ship and cute ship. Anyways, it’s well known that Kagura loves Kyo. REALLY LOVES HIM! But after Tohru moved in, Kagura slowly learned that Kyo has changed because of Tohru and knows that Kyo might not like Kagura that way. In the 11th episode, we get a moving storyline where Kagura goes on a date with Kyo and we learn a little more into why Kagura began to like Kyo. Kagura pitied Kyo as a child since he was the unfortunate child cursed under the cat. It made her feel better about her own sad fate of being cursed under the boar. But she still played with him until she accidentally took off Kyo’s rosary beads that revealed the demonic cat curse. By this time in the story, it’s absolutely cemented with Kyo that he’s in love with someone else and is ready to tell Kagura that he will never love her. But that doesn’t stop Kagura from telling Kyo that she loves him.

*Yuki x Machi: Unlike all the other girls in school, Machi doesn’t see Yuki as a prince. She sees clearly through his fake smile that he gives off all the time. At least that was her thought at the beginning of the series! Machi has been pretty quiet and kept to herself whenever at the student council. No one even knows what her favorite foods and colors are! Truth is, Machi doesn’t know either. But it wasn’t until a simple (and I do mean simple) gift from Yuki that Machi changed a little bit! This ship didn’t get much action until near the end of this season where the student council met up for some lunch. This was the first time we saw Machi act all tsundere around Yuki when he noticed she held onto the gift he gave her.

It was a leaf. He gave her a friggin’ leaf. And then she turned it into a bookmark.

*Tohru x Yuki: Sigh. He kissed her on the forehead and cried. Moving on! She’s not even friend-zoned. She’s MOM-zoned! Tohru is the mother that Yuki turns to because Yuki’s mother is an uncaring cunt. I know who Yuki really ends up with in the end, but if you ask me, I prefer Yuki x Kakeru.

Don’t at me, I love seeing these two together! Okay, final shipping for the category.

*Tohru x Kyo: There is no doubt that Kyo and Yuki have changed for the better since meeting Tohru. Both of them felt that there was no hope and only self-isolation in their life. In Kyo’s case, he knew early on that his life was fucked. His mother committed suicide, his father abandons him, the Sohma family shuns him, and once he reaches a certain age, he faces a lifetime of being locked in confinement. So Tohru’s kindness and persistence has definitely done wonders for the boy. Romance, wise? Let’s just say that things were almost said at the beach. And we get a realization from Kyo that Tohru is precious to him. His precious!

Oh, there is ONE certain ship I feel I should mention. However, it’s still too much of a shock for people to take in. So I will wait for the final season to let it rip.

HORRIBLE PARENTS: The original series only scraped the surface of how horrible the Sohma parents truly are. I could have done my worst parents/mothers/fathers list with at least half of these people. But the original series never showed us the ugliness when it came to Yuki’s mother, Kyo’s father, and queen of the bitches, Ren Sohma. Bitch, I will see you in season three! Thankfully, we’ve got at least one or two nice parents like Hiro and Kagura’s mothers.

Before I bring up the worst this series had to offer, can we just talk about how precious this woman is? Hiro’s mother loved rams and was very happy when Hiro was born. Hiro’s mother is just so precious for this series. She loves her son and even loves Kisa. It’s adorable! As for Kagura’s mother, even with Kagura’s aggressive personality, her mother is quite supportive of her daughter and even Rin. So let’s go down this rap-sheet of the worst ones!

Kyo’s father was never able to forgive his own son for “causing the death of his wife”. He even refuses to call Kyo by name, he only refers to Kyo as “It” or “That Creature”. Thank God we have Kazuma to replace this dick. I know Kazuma’s hands aren’t clean either, but he has treated Kyo like the son he never had. More than what I can say about this fucker!

Yuki’s mother did some unpleasant things to her son. For starters, selling Yuki to Akito for her to do whatever she wanted with him. Because the rat in the zodiac was the first to arrive, it is said that the rat is closest to the god. This gave Yuki’s mother the opportunity to have Yuki deal with Akito’s scary tantrums and scar him for years. Ayame doesn’t have anything pleasant to say about his own mother either. Last I recall, she’s quite cold to Ayame as well. She’s a cold, uncaring witch.

Ah shit, here we go again! Momiji’s father! Yes, that very same father who told Momiji that his mother’s memories of him had to be wiped away in order for her to get better. We see him once again taking away more from Momiji because his daughter Momo is catching on. In an episode, Momiji is told that he should give up playing the violin. Why the fuck for? Well, Momo’s getting music lessons from Momiji’s teacher and feels these two should not meet or even cross paths. And of course, his father isn’t too keen about Momiji coming to his office so he can watch the family he sacrificed so his mother could be saved. This boy just can’t catch a break and I still want to hug my little bunny-kins.

Rin gets panic attacks spontaneously due to her parent’s physical abuse and abandonment. Rin’s home life was okay until one question sparked years of abuse. Because Rin caught on to her parent’s fake smiles, they showed who they really were. Rin hid her abuse until she passed out from so much pain that she had to be checked into the hospital. It was there that Kazuma and a young Hatsuharu learned she was being beaten by her parents. And what do the parents do? Abandon her then and there at the hospital!

Kakeru and Machi aren’t a part of the Sohma family, but that doesn’t stop the fact that they have a messed up home life. Kakeru and Machi are half-siblings (same father, different mothers). Kakeru was an illegitimate child, but was the elder sibling (+ male), so is a prime candidate to be his father’s heir. And both of their mothers fought over who would be the heir to their father’s fortune in the future, putting endless stress on Kakeru and Machi. As a kid, Kakeru would have spontaneous panic attacks because of the stress his mother put him under. While Kakeru was able to tell off his mother and she begrudgingly accepted it, Machi’s mother still puts pressure on her to a point where Machi just does what she’s told and has infrequent bouts of panic attacks.

Oh, there’s another parent worth mentioning. But the final season will take care of that one. I know you’re expecting me to say something about Ren Sohma (Akito’s mother). Problem is, she only had one line in this whole season. I could say there was a scene where her name was mentioned at Akito and Akito went a little berserk. But that’s all I can say here.

SADDEST MOMENT OF THIS SEASON: Hands down, anything involving sweet, little Momiji is going to hurt. Granted, this doesn’t hurt as much as the backstory between him and his mother. But when we get the episode of Momiji’s sister Momo spying on Momiji playing the violin, it’s like a knife to the chest. You want these two to see each other, but it’ll trigger some unhappiness with the family. Momiji sacrificed a butt-ton just for his mother to recover. Momo knows that Momiji exists, she just doesn’t know that Momiji is her brother.

So what does Momo do?

Ask Tohru to ask Momiji to be her big brother.

Ouch. Ow, Fruits Basket! I know this scene hurt when I read it, but it nearly killed me in animation. God and Momiji’s crying. I want to hug him so much. 

EVERYONE’S FATE: In this season, we hit the asphault when it’s revealed that Kyo made an ultimatum with Akito. If Kyo is able to beat Yuki in a fight before the two of them graduate high school, he will obtain his freedom and avoid a lifetime being caged (like the previous cat). As this clock ticks, Kyo knows he doesn’t have much time left before he spends the rest of his life sealed away.

And it isn’t just Kyo! All the other zodiacs are destined to live on Akito’s estate so that Akito can have her delusional “eternal banquet”. So of course, Akito feels threatened that Tohru has such a hold on almost all of the Sohmas. That’s why Rin wants to free everyone from this curse and a little later once she learns about this, Tohru wants to do the same.

THE HAT: Remember the hat that seems out of place for Tohru to have? An old, dusty hat that doesn’t match anything! It was mentioned briefly in the original series and expaneded a bit in the first season. This season gives us a little surprise in the form of the hat connecting to Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru.

The hat originally belonged to Kyo. When they were children, Yuki tried to talk to Kyo and it turned into Kyo yelling at Yuki because he’s the rat of the zodiac. And as the story goes, the rat lies to the cat about the banquet and the cat is left out. A lot of the zodiacs were always sour at Yuki growing up. Moving on! Kyo’s hat fell and Yuki never returned it to him. Yuki once wore the hat on his head and ran away from the Sohma estate. It was at that time he came across a lost, little girl (Tohru). Yuki lead Tohru back home and puts the hat on her head as he leaves from her sight. And that’s the tale of that mystery hat you might have seen prior.

Oh, there’s another connection with Kyo…yeah, you guessed it. Third season! Wait for it.

ENDING TO SEASON TWO: So this season seems to be getting 25 episodes as well. That means if the final season only has 13 episodes that would equal up to 63 episodes in total. And that would make Eric Vale’s comments in a video a year ago correct. Eric Vale is bad with spoilers, isn’t he?

Anyways, this season has given us a lot to mull over. We get new characters that have no connection to the Sohma family, but has a big impact with Yuki that he changes for the better. We finally get to see the two zodiacs that have never made their debut until now. And the backstory of Tohru with the out-of-place hat as a child is settled. Inching closer to the second season finale, we get some cute and semi-impactful stories around the school. Tohru and Kyo were in a class production of Cinderella where Kyo finds out Tohru knows what’s going to happen after graduation when she accidentally blurts out the wrong thing on stage. Then we have Yuki opening up more to his student council members (especially Kakeru) and long-time holdout Machi opening up and becoming a blushing girl like many her age.

Well folks, it’s New Years and time for another zodiac banquet. And Yuki was feeling a sense of weight being lifted from his shoulders. He was going to make a change with his life by not blaming others for his problems. So Akito gives her blessing by…

You should know by now that when I say that, it’s not going to end well.

Let’s just say, hearing Yuki say those words, Akito started to recall a time with Kureno that really struck a cord. I’ll get to it in a second. Akito struck Yuki in the face with a blunt instrument and thankfully he did not end up blind like Hatori. Akito had yet another psychotic outburst that resulted in one of the Sohmas being hurt. And you have to wonder why Akito is this evil, twisted soul that hurts her family physically and mentally. Hatori permanently loses the sight in one of his eyes and still forgives Akito. Kureno stays by Akito’s side no matter what she did to him.

In the final episode, we get quite a few revelations exposed (especially for Tohru). The play, Tohru, Hana, Uo, and Kyo were in was videotaped and Momiji gave a copy to Kureno. Let’s just say that Uo sent her own secret message of wanting to see a certain someone again. Kureno was conflicted that he wanted to reach out and talk to Tohru. When Tohru met with Kureno, she came upon some startling discoveries about the man possessed by the rooster zodiac (or bird).

When walking towards birds, they flew away from him. If you recall, many animals are drawn to the zodiacs (i.e. cats to Kyo, rats to Yuki, etc.). But with Kureno, they all just flew away! And finally, Kureno walked right up to Tohru, hugged her, and he didn’t transform.

Kureno has been curse-free for several years. Actually, since he was in high school and dude is in his 20’s currently. It’s unknown why only he was released from the curse and everybody else still transforms. Kureno kept it from everyone in the Sohma household (even though Shigure was suspicious for a while). And when the curse lifted from Kureno, he felt as though he could finally fly free (irony is that he can no longer “fly” being a zodiac bird). Problem is that Akito had a mental breakdown when she saw Kureno was free from the curse and she screamed at him to stay and never leave her side. This was actually the one time Akito didn’t hit or injure someone during one of these fits, so this felt very different.

And because of Kureno’s decision to stay by Akito’s side, he feels he can no longer see Uo. Even though, he really feels a connection towards her despite only seeing her two times. This was his first actual love! And then, Tohru learned another bombshell.

Actually, this bombshell isn’t as huge as it was years ago.

You see, up until this point in the manga it was hard to decipher what gender Akito was. In the original anime ALL of Akito’s voice actors (even in Japanese) were male. Yes, including when Akito was a child. Aaron Dismuke was everywhere 15 years ago. But then a chapter from the manga came out where Kureno clearly tells Tohru (who had no idea at the time) that Akito was female. So, for hardcore fans such as myself, this wasn’t so much of a bombshell. Although I forgot Tohru didn’t know about Akito’s true gender. New fans to the anime, it might’ve caused great impact. Anyways, the second season ends on that note.

Come on Fruits Basket, you announced another season on my birthday last year. Surely you can give me something to go on for my birthday this year.

OH HELL YEAH!

This totally…doesn’t make up for RBG dying over my birthday weekend, but it’s a start!

Aside from ONE episode, this season was totally brand-spanking new, never-before seen in anime form. And it was satisfying to watch many of these moments I thought were going to remain on the printed page forever finally in animation. This season gave us the good and the bad. We’ll have those light and funny moments that Fruits Basket was notorious for. Tohru visiting Ayame’s clothing store, Yuki’s class taking a trip, and the Cinderella storyline. But then you get all the heavy stuff like Akito coming to see Tohru at the beach house, Rin’s backstory, Kureno’s reveal, and Momiji’s sister wanting to know more about him. Every Momiji episode hurts me! Momo is too precious for this world and she just wants to know her secret onii-chan.

Now some people might think the lineup of these episodes and story is a bit sloppy with how it’s listed. Well, that’s how most of it was in the manga, just go with the flow. I mean, yeah, I’d agree with you there and maybe if this series were one continuous anime with no breaks, you’d get no complaints there. But whatever, you can’t please everyone on everything. This season gave us more character development from these characters. Kyo, while still an angry kitty from time to time has really matured a bit. He doesn’t fly off the handle to fight Yuki every day like you’d see in season one. Yuki was able to realize many aspects of his life and grow from there. Hatori was able to move on from Kana. Ayame learned to be a better big brother…though he’s still a yutz.

Shigure is NOT to be trusted!

I know some people have been saying that since season one and I feel it’s well worth repeating. And it’ll get worse next season, believe me! The only character I was disappointed in by not seeing that much of was Ritsu. But as I recall, Ritsu doesn’t get that much action in the second year arc. I’m so happy to hear the original dub (most of them anyways) with this new material that they’ve never done before for these characters. And I’m hoping to ride this train going into 2021. I love this story and I can’t wait for the final season.

Yes, watch this. Watch the first season too! Hell, watch the original series, it’s not out of print yet!

All of the episodes are available to watch on FUNimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu. The dub is available through FUNimation only. And if you want to watch the original anime (w/o the new story), Hulu still has it available.

#anime review #Fruits Basket #fruits basket 2nd season #Tohru Honda #kyo sohma #Yuki Sohma #hiro sohma #hatori sohma #kagura sohma #kakeru manabe #machi kuragi #rin sohma #akito sohma #ayame sohma #shigure sohma #momiji sohma #kureno sohma #arisa uotani

[recentanimenews]

Horimiya – 11 – It’s Not Easy Being Green

Anyone expecting a segment or two focused on Kyouko and Izumi will be disappointed, but once I accepted that the show wanted to delve into other things, I relaxed and enjoyed the grab bag of character stories we did get.

Randomly enough, we start with talk of everyone’s siblings (or lack thereof), including the little sister of Iura Shuu, a character who has only ever appeared on the margins of the show until now. Shuu’s one character trait is that he’s loud and annoying, so Tooru was surprised how quiet and seemingly distant Shuu’s sister is by comparison.

We then shift from brothers to bros, with Izumi feeling a little threatened by Yanagi Akane’s seamless integration into the group. Yanagi ensures Izumi he won’t steal his buds, but Izumi still calls him a dummy and runs off in a huff like a tsundere. To see them stand side by side asking Sakura who is taller, Yanagi certainly comes off as an “alternate” Izumi.

Sawada Honoka returns, and we learn that thanks to Izumi, with whom she’s not only called a truce but seems quite close to now, she’s gradually attempting to get used to the other guys in Kyouko and Izumi’s circle. But one boy who seems to have no hope of ever getting along with Honoka is Shuu, because she just can’t handle his annoying boisterousness.

When Shuu comes down with a cold (as discovered by Kyouko and Yuki) and it hurts to talk, Honoka is thrown for a loop when, before heading home to rest, Shuu carries a box for her to the science lab without saying a word. She worries that he’s mad at her for being so hostile, but Sakura doubts Shuu can even get mad. Turns out Shuu’s voice has fully recovered, and when he’s a bit too zealous with his greeting Honoka flees once more.

The final segments deal with Shuu and his sister Motoko (voiced by Kanemoto Hisato), who we see in a black-and-white flashback being laughed at by her horrible teacher for saying she wants to try to get into East High, where her friends intend to go. When Motoko says she won’t be eating dinner, Shuu asks why. She tells him, and when he asks if her grades were laughable, she raises her hand to strike him.

Shuu knows from the condition of her textbooks and notebooks and all the hours she spends studying that it’s not a question of effort. Motoko is equally perplexed that despite trying, her grades just don’t improve. Calling her brother “onii-chan”, she tearfully asks Shuu what to do. Shuu starts by asking the name of that teacher so he can punch him in the face for her sake.

Then he says the uniforms at his high school are cuter than East High’s anyway, so she should just do her best—which is really all she can do—and whatever happens happens. He also insists she eats dinner; the brain needs food to work efficiently! He also asks Kyouko to tutor her and determine if she can get into East High, and Kyouko agrees, noting that Shuu “looked like a big brother” when he asked her.

Shuu and Motoko may not have been close before, but her academic troubles so close to transitioning to high school seems to be the catalyst they needed to grow a bit closer. Even so, they still worry that the other sibling hates them, even though the truth is they love and care for each other just fine!

Kyouko is on her very best behavior (and indeed is portrayed in her best light yet) as hostess and tutor, keeping things laid-back by saying they won’t even hit the books for this first session. Instead, she wants Motoko to be comfortable in a new place before they begin in earnest. And if Motoko wants more company, she can always bring in Souta and Izumi!

Meanwhile, Shuu visits a local shrine with Tooru and buys the most expensive charm for “Guaranteed Exam Success” for Motoko, and hoping she’ll accept it. I can’t tell you that I’ve been waiting ten weeks for a story about the loud green-haired kid and his sister, but after getting one, this real-life big brother isn’t complaining! As for Kyouko and Izumi, there are still two episodes left to check in on them.

By: sesameacrylic

#Anime #News #RABUJOI – An Anime Blog

[mercurygray]

I will say one thing for coronavirus - it’s kicking up a lot of interesting obituaries into my newsfeed. Today, it’s the passing of  Motoko Fujishiro Huthwaite, one of  twenty-seven women who assisted the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives section (or Monuments Men) in their mission to preserve and restore art and other cultural objects during and after World War II. She was the last of this group, and her passing leaves only one Monuments Man, Richard Barancik, still living.

A couple of things. 

1. There were Monuments Women?!  Rose Valland, yes, but there are more!?(Be still my nerdy, museum loving heart.)

2. Because Robert Edsel’s professional practice focuses on Europe, it never occurred to me that there’d be MFAA activity in post-war Japan.

If you have time today, go read her biography at the link above. She lived a fascinating life, and should be remembered.

#women in world war two #monuments men #monuments fine arts and archives section #original girl gang

[somekindoftuber]

vld youtuber AU (klance, part 4)

part one | part two | part three

Compared to the all day insanity of his livestream, Lance’s 23rd birthday is super laid back. Hunk makes the hour drive into Harborville and the three of them hit his favorite pizza joint. It’s not as good as the one back home on Varadero Beach, but it’s a close second. After that they spend the rest of the day in he and Pidge’s living room playing horror games and snuggling together on the couch (let it be known that Hunk is a world class cuddler and his hugs can cure most ailments). He spends an hour on facetime with his family, retreating to his room at one point to talk to his mom and dad alone. He misses them so much, even though he was just there. He comes out of his room sniffling a little and lets Hunk scoop him up like a ragdoll.

Once July is over, Lance finds his schedule suddenly packed. His subscriber count is starting to inch towards twenty five thousand and he has to sit down and process that for a while. It doesn’t seem real. That’s a fourth of the way to a silver creator award - he never dreamed he’d get that far just making weird videos and singing parody songs.

But to what end? Does he want a youtube career? This was just supposed to be a fun hobby. Not that he wants to work at the cafe the rest of his life, but his associate’s degree in social sciences has sort of been going to waste. He might be able to use youtube as a stepping stone into something else.

But what?

He would normally consult Pidge, but she’s slammed with robotics projects and barely has time to hang out at all. Hunk is still online sometimes, but he’s frequently occupied since he finally grew a spine and asked Shay out after pining for her at a distance for almost a year.

Like how you’re pining for Keith, his inner monologue tells him. He shakes his head to shut it up. Besides, Lance has only been pining for what, four, maybe five months? Not nearly as bad.

Speaking of Keith, Lance hasn’t heard much from him since the Livestream. He never responded to Lance’s text thanking him, and he hasn’t played Overwatch in a while. Shiro had recently posted a video where they were finishing up their current bike and Keith had been there (looking amazing and wow is his hair getting long), so Lance knows he’s alive. A weird sense of dread starts gnawing at him, so he sends Keith a DM on twitter.

@LanceyLance to @k_redlion Hey man just checking in, haven’t heard from you in a while, you good? We should play OW soon, I miss my dps partner ;D

He hopes that’s not too forward. While he waits for a reply (and so he doesn’t anxiously check his twitter every two minutes), Lance starts working on the guitar part of a Hozier song he wants to cover, and he’s never been more glad that he took the time to learn how to read and write music. Lance’s channel has been featuring more love songs - for which Pidge and Hunk have collectively nicknamed him Captain Subtlety. But does it matter how not-subtle he is if none of it seems to be getting through to his intended target?

He spends a good two hours practicing and then takes a break, finally letting himself check his twitter. There’s a reply from Keith and Lance almost jumps up from his chair.

@k_redlion to @LanceyLance yeah man sorry just been really busy with work and the garage i’m free this thursday if you want to play

He’s not technically free. He was planning on filming on Thursday since Pidge will be out of the apartment almost all day and he won’t bother her. But for Keith? He’ll make time.

@LanceyLance to @k_redlion Heck yeah man just name a time!!

When they do play on Thursday, Keith isn’t very talkative. He’s always sort of quiet, but he sounds tense today. His words are even more clipped, and it sets Lance on edge. They’re in a queue for a game when Lance decides he can’t take any more.

“Dude,” He asks. “You alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Yeah, right, Lance thinks. But he’s gotta approach this carefully. Keith doesn’t open up easily, he knows that much, and attempting to force it out of him would likely backfire.

“Hey,” he says carefully. “I know we’re not, like, super close, but you can tell me if something’s wrong. I’m actually really good at keeping secrets.”

There’s a bit of silence, then a tiny breath that almost sounds like a laugh. “Like how you told the entire internet that Pidge pukes in the car if she reads anything other than road signs?”

Lance makes an indignant sound. “Oh come on, that’s not a secret! Anyone who’s been in a car with her for five minutes knows she’s has the stomach strength of a toddler!”

Keith laughs then, and it’s such a nice sound, even if it’s short lived. It breaks the tension enough that Lance feels confident about trying again.

“But seriously, Keith. I’m here for you, yeah?” Lance chews on his lip. “I hope that’s okay for me to say.”

There’s a stretch of quiet that has Lance almost breaking out into a sweat. But then he hears Keith huff over the mic. “Yeah,” Keith says, and it sounds like there’s a smile behind it. “Yeah, man. Thanks.”

.

Lance gets another invite from Shiro.

It’s perfect timing because Pidge is finishing her summer term and is completely fried - something only a trip home will fix. And since she doesn’t have a car, Lance has the perfect excuse to drive her. With his neighbors set to watch his cats, they pile in Lance’s Civic, put on a playlist of Disney songs, and sing for nearly the entire drive. Pidge is damn near loopy after her final exam, but she finished her robotics project and most likely aced it. Like she does every exam. Lance doubts she’s ever seen anything lower than an A- on anything.

The Holts are just as chipper as always, even if Pidge collapses face-first into her father as soon as she steps through the door. He just pats her head and laughs. Lance brings their stuff inside so Pidge can take a much needed nap, then shoots a text to Shiro letting him know they got in okay.  They’re not set to film for another two days, but maybe he can sneak some hang-out time in there. Until then, everyone under the Holt family roof is on Pidge pampering duty.

Filming day comes and Lance brings a cake for them all to share. He pulls up to the house and parks on the street, noting that the house garage is open. Keith is inside, bent over a motorcycle and surrounded by parts and tools, looking so focused that he doesn’t seem to notice Lance approaching. He’s wearing a tank top and sweats and is covered in grease, but he still looks good, so Lance doesn’t say anything for a second and admires the view. Keith’s phone is perched on a toolbox nearby, playing music - Massive Attack. Of course he would listen to Massive Attack.

Keith finally notices him and stiffens, turning. With the cake in his arms, Lance can’t really wave, so he just shrugs and smiles. Keith eyes him up and down for a second before pointing to the door inside the garage.

“Head on in, Shiro’s in the kitchen.”

When he gets inside, Shiro stands from the kitchen table to take the cake from Lance and pull him into a hug. Lance thinks he’ll never get used to that. Keith wanders in a minute later and goes straight for the back of the house to shower and change.

Shiro looks to be in good health, as does Keith, though he’s not really meeting Lance’s eyes. Did he do something wrong? They drive to Shiro’s rented garage a few miles away and shoot for almost five hours, switching camera duty between the three of them. They get a hilarious outtake when Lance drops a socket wrench and juggles it spectacularly before it falls to the floor and bounces at least a dozen times - like something out of a cartoon. It sets them all laughing.

Once they’re done filming, Shiro locks up the garage and they head home. Then it’s time for dinner, barbecue again, but Lance isn’t complaining. He gets put on corn and potato detail while Shiro gets the grill going. Keith still isn’t being very talkative. He doesn’t seem to be actively avoiding Lance, but he thought they’d gotten to a point where they could chat candidly.

Kosmo provides a nice distraction while they eat, giving both Lance and Keith something else to focus on. As the sun sets, Lance could swear that Shiro is giving him a weird look.

“So,” Shiro begins. “Pidge is almost done with school, right?”

Lance nods. “Yep. Finishing almost a year early, even. Not that I’d expect any less from her.”

Shiro picks at a slice of pork loin. “What is she going to do next?”

Lance pouts, then shrugs. “Dunno. She’s got her eye on Boston Dynamics, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if they welcome her with a red carpet. Have you seen her thesis? I can’t even pronounce half the title.”

Shiro laughs. “Yeah, she’s a Holt alright. Geniuses, the whole family.” There’s a pause. “And what about you, Lance?”

Oof. That sure is a topic. Lance leans back in his lawn chair and finishes his beer. “Beats me. I stayed in Harborville after school because Pidge wanted a roommate, but I don’t really have anything else going for me there.” He picks at a loose thread on his jeans. “I can sort of work from anywhere? Dunno if I want to stay in a college town.”

Shiro nods with a smile, then glances at his phone. “I’ll be back in a bit,” he says, then ducks back into the house, closing the sliding glass door behind him.

Now it’s just Lance and Keith.

And Keith is giving him A Look. He’s not sure what to make of it, his thick eyebrows pinched over his nose like Lance just grew a second head.

“Uh,” Lance says. “Something wrong?”

Keith opens and closes his mouth several times, then is suddenly very interested in his plate. “You wouldn’t go with her?” He asks.

Lance raises an eyebrow. “Pidge? I mean, I could, I guess...? But I doubt she’d really need me. That woman is going places, y’know? She’s probably pretty eager to be on her own for the first time, especially after living with me for three years.” He laughs a little. “Though I won’t be surprised if she attempts to take one of my cats. Motoko always did like her more than me.”

Keith looks up at Lance and he looks so confused. Adorably confused. “Uh.”

Lance studies him. “Yeah…?”

Keith is chewing on the inside of his cheek a little. “Isn’t -- isn’t Pidge your girlfriend?”

Lance would have choked if he wasn’t so used to that question. “Haha, oh man, no.” He reaches for another beer from the ice chest. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love Pidge and would take a bullet for her any day of the week, but she’s like a sister to me.”

Surprise is slowly dawning on Keith’s face. “Oh.” Then he starts blushing.

“Hey man, don’t sweat it,” Lance assures him. “Pretty much everyone thinks we’re an item. No one believes a guy and a girl can live together and not be dating.”

Keith looks so uncomfortable, his face and ears red. “Sorry. I thought - and then in your livestream you said you weren’t single, so…”

“Huh? When did--” But then Lance remembers his line about his heart being spoken for and now he’s blushing too. “Oh, right. Nah, I just tell that to fans, in case anyone tries to get too close. Which some have. It saves me a lot of headache to just pretend I’m seeing someone.”

He swears Keith’s eyes are glittering. “So you’re…?”

Lance nods. “Yep, completely unattached.”

“Oh.”

There’s a long stretch of quiet that has Lance fidgeting as Keith keeps looking up at him from behind his bangs. He thought Lance was taken? Is that why he’s been awkward? Or is Lance reading too much into this yet again? He shouldn’t say anything, he should keep his mouth shut and wait for Keith --

Shiro picks the perfect moment to return to the back patio and rescue him. They chat for another hour and Keith has visibly loosened up, laughing loudly at Lance’s jokes and stories. When he says goodnight to make the short drive to the Holt home, Keith smiles wide at him, and it takes Lance’s breath away.

.

They only stay in town for another two days, and Lance spends more time with the Holts. On their way out, they swing by Shiro’s to say goodbye. Keith still doesn’t hug him, but he grips Lance’s hand tight and holds his gaze with those crazy intense eyes of his.

Pidge naps for most of the drive so Lance puts on one of his favorite mixes and hums along.

They have another two weeks before Pidge starts her last term of undergrad, so Lance throws himself into YouTube. The filming he did at Shiro’s was enough for three episodes, and thankfully one of them includes Lance dropping the socket wrench. He can’t even be embarrassed when he sees Shiro laughing in the footage.

He spends three days recording before finally posting his newest cover - “Like Real People Do.” He worked really hard on this one, recording several tracks to mix together and several camera angles. Lance splices it all together in his editing software to make a little music video, and, as a last touch, puts it all in black and white. He posts it and crosses his fingers, making an announcement tweet about it.

Keith likes that tweet and Lance melts into the couch.

Pidge rolls her eyes from the other couch, looking up from the giant book she considered ‘light reading.’ Lance had told her the tale of Keith thinking he was dating her, and Pidge took on her classic Resting Bitch Face in response.

“I’d say you’re like a lovesick puppy, but I feel like even they wouldn’t be this bad.”

Lance doesn’t even look up. “Let me have this.”

Pidge huffs and makes a vague gesture with her hands. “Lance. For the love of all that is sacred, please get your shit together and ask him out already.”

But Lance pouts. “But what if I’m seeing this all wrong?” he toys with his phone a little. “He’s super withdrawn and I haven’t known him for very long. What if this is just how he acts when he finally trusts someone? He hasn’t exactly flirted with me or anything.”

Pidge turns a page in her book. “Won’t know until you try.”

Sinking further into the couch, Lance sets his phone aside and continues pouting until it’s time to make dinner.

After he disappears into the kitchen and Pidge starts hearing the rattle of pots and pans, she takes out her phone and opens the text app.

(+328) shiro this is pidge. i need to talk to you

(+770) Hi Pidge! Everything okay?

(+328) in the grand scheme of things yes. i am however about to either lose my mind or commit homicide against my roommate

(+770) Lance?

(+328) shiro. listen. lance is hopelessly in love with your brother and if i have to put up with his pining for my last term i might flunk out from sheer frustration

(+328) he refuses to ask keith out because he’s convinced that he’s misreading it and keith isn’t interested. please tell me hes wrong

(+770) Oh wow

(+770) ahahaha

(+770) Oh my god, this is hilarious.

(+770) Keith is completely smitten with Lance, but won’t do anything about it for the same reason.

(+328) oh my god

(+328) theyre perfect for each other

(+770) Yep.

(+328) but i think it’s time for an intervention

(+328) before i do something ill regret

(+770) I agree. Any ideas?

(+328) yes actually

.

Continued in part 5 here!

#text #youtuber au #klance

[murasaki-murasame]

Thoughts on Fruits Basket 2019 Episode 21: “I Never Back Down From A Wave Fight”

The absolute madmen have done it, they’ve finally made an episode that I think is inferior to the 2001 anime counterpart of it.

Seriously though, this was still a perfectly good episode and I enjoyed it more than most people probably did, but this is the one and only time where I think the 2001 anime’s unique style elevated it over this adaptation. But really, the fact that there’s only one part that the 2001 anime did better than this one isn’t exactly an insult toward this adaptation, lol.

Anyway, thoughts under the cut. [Plus some manga spoilers for at least next week’s episode]

Continuing the trend of the second half of season 1 thus far bouncing around the manga timeline a whole bunch, this episode takes us back to chapter 29, which is the only chapter adapted in this episode. Which I think makes this the first episode since, like, episode 5 where they used a single chapter as the basis of an entire episode. But this is much more of a conventionally ‘filler’ type of scenario, rather than it being heavily fleshed out in a meaningful way.

I honestly thought they’d do some heavy editing in order to splice Hana’s backstory into this whole part and make it into a two-parter that way, like Uo’s arc, but it looks like they’re really just adapting the two Hana chapters separately, but back to back. Which is fine, but it does mean that this episode might strike a lot of people as unnecessary beyond exploring Hana’s character a bit.

I’m very curious to see how people react to the next episode, especially since this episode’s content doesn’t really hint at the fact that we’re about to dive into an entire backstory episode focused on her. It comes across more like a stand-alone episode that we’ll immediately move on from, but nope, it’s set-up for actual backstory.

Though in the manga it was a lot more filler-y and self-contained, since Hana’s backstory chapter isn’t until several entire volumes later in chapter 51. I think putting them back to back in the anime makes the pacing feel way better, since in the manga her backstory chapter is just thrown in there with zero context or purpose, and doesn’t come up again. So it should feel more natural to have it happen right after this episode.

That’s basically the main reason why there’s been so many adjustments to the pacing and the order of events recently. A lot of stuff is being moved around so that it flows together nicely, and in particular it means that they can frontload the backstory and character intro episodes so that the more plot-heavy stuff can happen back to back.

I can’t help but worry that the move to have so many introduction/backstory episodes in a row might make new fans bored, but in the long run I think it’s much better than if they, sad, had Hana’s backstory randomly interrupt the story early in season 2.

I’ve at least seen a lot of people across the board wishing that we could see more of Kyo, and at least when anime-only fans say that all I can think is ‘honey, you got a big storm coming’, lol. I feel like some people might be eating their words a bit once the Kyo content starts back up.

There’s no real point talking about it much until next week, but I think Hana’s backstory is going to really catch people by surprise, for a lot of reasons, so I’m excited to see how it goes down. Even after stuff like Uo’s backstory arc, people might be taken back by the subject matter it covers.

It’ll also be another episode covering material that wasn’t in the 2001 anime at all, so for that reason alone I’d be excited for it.

Anyway, aside from all that, there’s kinda . . . not a whole lot to say about the content of this episode. It’s literally just covering a single, comedy-focused chapter from the manga, and it didn’t really add or change much. Aside from Motoko’s nightmares at the start and end of the episode, which were fun. Everything else was basically 1:1.

I honestly do think the 2001 anime’s take on this chapter was a lot more interesting, with how much it embraced it’s weirdness and comedy. The fact that a lot of it reminded me of Utena’s cinematography made me kinda biased in it’s favour, though. Most of the 2001 anime’s creative vision was kinda awful in my eyes, but that episode was genuinely really neat and had some cool ideas in it. This version was pretty much the exact opposite, in that it felt pretty much exactly like any other episode of the 2019 anime. Though in the long run I appreciate the 2019 anime’s consistency when it comes to it’s atmosphere and tone, even if it sometimes means that you get episodes like this which don’t lean as heavily into the comedy as they probably should have.

I do think the soundtrack in this episode was notably good, even if the direction was a bit lackluster.

In a lot of ways I think the next episode will play much more to the strengths of the 2019 series, since it’s much more thoroughly dramatic.

I doubt any of this would be an unpopular opinion in the fandom or anything, but unlike most people, I actually really like Motoko and the fan club girls. They’re not exactly deep or interesting as characters, and if they were real-life people I’d hate them, for obvious reasons, but I just think they’re really fun. And honestly I can’t help but feel a little bad for Motoko, even if I also kinda hate her, lmao. She’s just a bit of a miserable person all around and her whole role in the manga ends on a kinda bittersweet note.

Though on the other hand I’m also just being a bit of a contrarian and everyone hates her so I can’t help but pity her a bit, lol.

I do also like how this episode actually sets them up as a foil of sorts to Hana, which gets into how the whole message of this episode is really nice, even if it’s not super complex. The idea that loving someone doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want fits in nicely with what the series as a whole says about relationships in general. And I think the ending scene with Hana thinking about her own jealousy issues and how much Tohru means to her is a great way to set up the next episode, which is gonna really dig into all of that. An also why everyone is so scared of her. Which will probably make this episode kinda sad in hindsight to new fans.

Anyway, I’m really excited for the next episode, and I think right after that we’ll be getting into the Kyo stuff once and for all, which I’m still not at all prepared for.

#murasaki rambles #fruits basket #in this house we love Motoko u_u

[skyhopedango]

Nodoka no niwa vol.7 by Akiyama Kaori

It’s been out for quite a while but I haven’t had time to read the last volume until today… Well, time aside, I’d been actually kind of putting it off, not sure how I would like the story that I had expected to unfold. And well, my fears were in part not unfounded, but overall? Yeah, the journey was worth it.

The manga’s best part is, as always, Motoko. She’s a heroine that we rarely see, not only in manga but overall in entertainment - and she’s one of the incredibly few female characters that I find relatable. She starts the story as a shy, withdrawn young woman, and it’s to the credit of the story that being shy and withdrawn is not treated as a flaw that she needs to overcome. Motoko’s flaw is that she’s complacent in her insecurities - afraid of being vulnerable and leaving her comfort zone, she basically treats life as something that happens to other people, something that she’ll never experience. Romance, friendships, and other things that are natural to other people - she longs for them but she knows for a fact that she won’t get them, so she doesn’t even try being proactive about them.

And so when she falls in love with her much, much older professor (it’s never explicitly said but strongly implied why she develops feelings for someone so much older) it takes an incredible amount of courage for her to confess to him. This is a huge step for her, but it’s due to this that her life basically “starts”, with a strong lurch - as a result she keeps getting into situations where she needs to step out of her comfort zone, to challenge herself, to stand up for herself. And throughout these experiences she grows to find the strength in herself to face her desires, to acknowledge what she wants, and to fight for it. She grows to be sure of herself, to accept herself, to be more assertive and strong.

Which is why I’m not entirely sure I like how the manga ends, with her still being “bound” by her love for Sakaki. It certainly fits her character - someone like her whose emotions run so deep and strong, wouldn’t move on so easily. And it also fits that she doesn’t give in to Sakaki’s “secret plan” wherein he hoped that with this chapter of her life irreversibly closed, she could finally move on from her feelings for him, to a better and more hope-filled future. But I guess it’s just kind of a slight bummer. After all the growth she’d gone through to shake off her chains and step out into life, I would have wanted to see her moving ahead in some way, instead of being stuck emotionally. But then, it’s not like she’s alone with this, Tanaka apparently still loves her, and I suppose the wedding bouquet may or may not be foreshadowing! (I hope it is.)

Also, I was kind of “meh” on the conflicts in this volume? I mean yeah the way they played into Motoko’s character development was fine! But as conflicts they were kind of… predictable and not very interesting. I’m really tired of the “I’m breaking up with you for your own sake but I’ll never tell you why" thing (especially as here we’re talking about a 64 year old dude, gah), and while the conflict with Motoko’s grandpa had the potential to be interesting, it kind of ended with grandpa acknowleding Motoko as a grown woman and with her own life to live, something he has no right to interfere with. Which is fine and all, just… idek, I kind of expected something more, what with the strong implications of just what a definitive influence he had been on Motoko’s life. Oh well.

As for the romance between Sakaki and Motoko… well, I guess I enjoyed the way it played into Motoko’s character development and growth? Otherwise it didn’t really grab me, but then I never really looked at Nodoka no niwa as a love story, anyway - yes, in a great part it revolves around a romance, but to me it is, more than anything, about Motoko and her growth. I do think that the romance aspect peaked in volume 6, this volume kind of gave in to some romance manga clichés. Fortunately overall it’s handled well, and while it doesn’t really touch on the aspects of the age gap that I had hoped it would examine, it works and is believable. Sakaki doesn’t really “shine” as strongly as Motoko or even Tanaka, but he’s believable as an elderly man who finds the strength in himself to not give up on life just yet.

And Tanaka… I really, really love Tanaka. He could have easily been just an ateuma or plot device, who only exists to facilitate the romance between the leads, but instead he’s such a sweet, warm character, even with his flaws. Between Motoko and Sakaki, he’s the “normal” one, the one who has “normal” struggles - and yet he’s so likeable, such a positive presence, and so full of affection toward both Motoko and Sakaki. Generally, one of the manga’s highlights is the relationship between Sakaki and Tanaka, which is not romantic (although here I should note that Akiyama does write BL under a different penname…) but still deep and sweet. You rarely see this kind of mentor-apprentice relationship because usually romance or conflict gets in the way, or it has familial overtones. So I really appreciate the way the relationship between Sakaki and Tanaka is depicted as being equally strong as the romantic feelings between Sakaki and Motoko. (Or Tanaka’s romantic feelings for Motoko, for that matter.)

All in all, despite a few grumbles I liked this volume a lot. As a finale it worked well, and overall I leave this lovely manga with warm feelings. I really wish it had more exposure, it’s the sort of manga that I think would do well in the West… if only someone licensed it. SO SOMEONE LICENSE IT!

#nodoka no niwa #akiyama kaori #kaori akiyama #schöner ruhiger garten #josei manga #manga review

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket, SE03, Ep3

This ep is exactly like se02, ep 24, meaning it was divided clearly into two parts. While the graduation theme unties the two parts, you can point things out exactly like ep,24:

1st part : Machi’s story= the important part.

2nd part: scattered parts here & there that concern yuki, ep, 24 his interactions with akito, here his interactions with Motoko).

plus, an ep cliff hanger: (e, 24 the dvd given to kureno, here, Isuzu’s mysterious fate).

it is exactly the same even a small kyo/tohru moment!. School graduation instead of the zodiac’s new year gathering. 

Really awkward pacing, but that’s furuba, we celebrate when they DO connect dots for once! lets talk abt the REAL ep: MACHI.

-Machi’s awkward presence:  

Although I love Machi, I’ve voiced my concerns abt her character in Furuba:

It seemed that Machi was solely created to be a step in yuki’s success journey more than a character on her own right. After getting motherly love (tohru) leaving the nest, Yuki needed friendship (kakeru), then as an independent man, he needs romantic love: (Machi). This is all fine initially but I was yearning for more individuality for Machi as a character. All furuba characters were given space to be unique including minor characters like Motoko who narrated her own story each time she’s on screen & we lived it with her within two seasons & a number of eps.

 However, Machi’s background was introduced thro her brother’s exposition in se02 & that moment was a yuki/ kakeru bonding moment.

Thro kakeru’s exposition  we learned how similar yuki & machi are (the parental neglect, high expectations, cold sibling relationship, Big brother saves himself by himself, big brother pushing for redemption & the younger sibling’s still trapped silently ). While that makes for romantic appeal between the two which makes the writer’s job easier, it steals from Machi individuality.

Then her part in ep, 24 was shown & I was given hope for Machi’s individuality as her own inner voice spoke volumes abt her as a person away from yuki (romantic interest) or Kakeru (big brother). Having a lot of screen time, while can make a character more believable to the audience, is never a factor in character’s depth nor individual worth. Heck! kyo (part of the main trio & the main character’s love interest) has only ONE ep in se02 to explore his issues & by far it is my fave ep in se02 as it established kyo’s trauma, psyche, mental issues & emotional baggage better than I could ever imagine! You can DO WONDERS with little time if you knew what to do. That’s what happened with Machi this ep (half ep).

-Machi’s shines! (trauma & romance):

I was so relieved to learn that altho both Machi & yuki despised perfection as it suffocated them, the writer (thankfully) went abt a different approach with Machi. Unlike Yuki who went silent cuz he felt his voice didn’t matter as he was used as a tool, Machi went silent cuz she was was NOT needed, & not only discarded but painted as WRONG. If you admit that raising me this way is wrong, then what does this make me? What should I do with myself? I’m wrong! boring, a failure, & a presumed killer!! all while I was absolutely doing my best! all while I was having good intentions! It is devastating but It makes Machi real. A character on her own right with her own trauma, struggle, pain & outlook on life. Although, the writer made the whole yuki/Machi meeting orchestrated by Kakeru to quickly make the two siblings one step closer, it worked cuz kakeru chose to not interfere after setting the scene. He played a subtle mach maker & tried to find happiness for his sister silently. Kakeruy is yuki’s best buddy & Machi becoming the girlfriend, the trio will have to hang out more which will slowly but surely warm Machi towards Kakeru. While the flat visit is the part where Machi open the lid to Yuki with a spark of romance at the end, the chalk scene is the romantic part! Not only did Yuki noticed her panic & saved her by breaking a piece of chalk, she secretly remembered his promise! “ lets make footprints on the snow”. The snow that was another source of anxiety attack, is now sth she looks forward to & prays for! Truly romantic!!! Well-done writer.

Side Notes:

I know furuba is shoujo & it’s abt love, but C’mon! where did Nao/ Motoko come from??!! XDD Who is left without love interest? Kyo’s rejected fangirl loved by one of kyo’s buddies? The maids in love with Akito? Momiji? Who does Kimi love besides money? XD

Yuki once observed that kyo makes tohru happy with small things, Today he did the same! A broken piece of chalk.

Yuki/ Machi romantic scenes contrast Yuki/ tohru forced romantic scene at the earlier seasons. There is no lame cringy lines like “ I’ll kidnap you & go to a vacation” or kissing a ribbon. There is NO acting or pretentious lines. Here a piece of chalk did the trick, an understanding of her tears & a head pat, a promise to walk on snow together! Congratulations Yuki, You made it into romantic boyfriends category! XD. also, good writing!

The Bra scene is the real comedy in the ep.

Arisa’s “ kyon, we won’t forgive you if you hurt tohru” is gold cuz kyo WILL. When it’s time to confess he knew kyoko & she HATES him & doesn’t forgive him, tohru would be hurt! Even if she wasn’t in love with kyo!!! Knowing your beloved’s last words were hateful is painful!! Add to this that tohru loves kyo & would be struggling between forgiving him or not!! Add to this that kyo might NOT want to be forgiven!!

“ I won’t forgive you”. kyo’s haunting reminder that he’s unforgivable is now shared by kyoko, yuki, Hana & Arisa!! 

look, you might argue that furuba’s romantic writing might be a bit awkward with all sorts of romantic couples, age gaps, the need for everybody to be in love one way or the other & so on, but the traumatic behavioral writing is the best!!!!! I was never disappointed with how Takaya write abused traumatized children’s behavior. One of my fave scenes is yuki/ kyo in the stairs in se02 where kyo lashed out on yuki & yuki was over it. While that scene was rightfully celebrated for yuki’s triumphant attitude as he got over his trauma, I love it for the realistic trauma filled attitude of kyo, all charged with kyoko’s flashback! He’s in deep & he’s all by himself! Kyo will hurt tohru cuz he loves her just like how kazuma hurt him by forcefully taking his bracelet cuz he loves him. Kyo will be thinking it is for the best, who would want to be with someone that kyoko of all ppl hates!

 I’ll tolerate all the weird love couples in furuba, but the moment trauma is written weakly I’ll drop the show. There is NO way, kyo will confess kyoko’s lines then go “sorry abt that tohru, we’re good?” 

Back to Machi, I really hope that her trauma isn’t merely wrapped up cuz yuki loved her. Furuba was never abt love heals, it is abt love helps. We might not see more of her trauma for reasons of space, or not related to the current plot lines, but I really hope we hear her talk abt herself with yuki even few lines. Although, I feel that the focus now will be on setting her for yuki’s next stage in character development: honesty in the love confession. He’ll tell her abt the curse as the trailer hinted at. That’s their first love life struggle. But if I were to take a guess, it will be dealt with quickly like her trauma. She loves yuki dearly & as long as he walks with her in snow (human or rat, lol), it’s all good. <3

Hior’s mom is love.

Kagura’s new style is love! she isn’t dressed overly cutely anymore, but had a more comfortably style & I love her hair! also her friendship with Isuzu! <3. I wish Isuzu would really know there are ppl worried abt her in her life. Haru isn’t the only one.

Akito put Isuzu in the cat room, didn’t she? The place she left is similar to the place young Kazum wandered to in se01, ep25. & those scissors....

I never thought that the mere sight of shigure’s face will disgust me. XD. I still find him so intriguing, but yeah need time to get over the fact that he slept with Ren & counted it even with Akito, then slept with Akito afterwards! EWWW! so disgusting & I’m here to see this drama escalate!

Yuki / Machi moment was interrupted! XD It’s not fun when it happened to you, yuki? XD.

#Fruits Basket #Anime Only #sick paper #final season

[aizenat]

So in honor of the Fruits Basket reboot who would you say are your fave Furuba characters and ships (canon) and why? Least fave Furuba characters and canon ships and why?

Oh hi nonny! This is fun! I meant to reply earlier, but I know this is going to get in depth so I wanted to be on my computer when I replied. Also, this is going to have major Furuba spoilers (duh). 

I’ll start with the least favorites to get the negatives out of the way. My least fave characters are hard because I tend to love more than hate characters in this series. However...

I didn’t really like Motoko or any of the Prince Yuki fanclub girls. I had a much better appreciation for her after that graduation scene; I’m glad she didn’t confess to Yuki and instead just thanked him for helping make her high school experience fun. When you think of that, how she had a group of friends who all shared this adoration for him, and how much fun she had, it is sweet. 

BUT the fucking fangirls really helped create a culture in their school where people couldn’t get close to Yuki even if they wanted to! And seeing how much that hurt Yuki, despite their intentions, it irks me. It was only once there were people like Manabe and Kimi who didn’t give a fuck about the fangirls (Kimi’s handling of the fangirls was just so wonderfully delicious for this very reason) that Yuki was finally able to have a fun high school experience and let loose a bit. It’s not all Motoko’s and the fangirls’ fault; Yuki had his own demons to fight through. But you can’t deny that if everyone knows that there is a legit fanclub with strict rules on how anyone, especially girls, are allowed to communicate with him, they’re not going to think they can joke around and goof off with him. 

Interestingly enough, I think her daughter makes up for her. Her daughter’s love of the Sohmas is so much funnier, non-obtrusive, and more respectful than Motoko’s was. 

This might be unpopular or surprising, but I really dislike Shigure. Aside from him being a disgusting lech (that scene with him going the high school talking about seeing high school girls is sick. And as someone who is 27 going on 28 my own damn self, I would protect high school girls from perverts like him until my dying breath), I just find his motivations and mindset fucked up. Like, he was fucked when he decided Akito was the love of his life, but the things he does just to get a reaction from her is annoying as BALLS. Idk if we ever got a definite number for how old Akito is, but she’s still much younger than Shigure. And doing shit like SLEEPING WITH HER MOTHER out of spite when you know Akito is just one wind blow away from losing her fucking shit is just so gross. He’s too grown to be doing dumb shit like that, and I have zero respect for him. 

Also, on a side note, I don’t really like Kureno either. Not like he did anything in particular (except get with Arisa, which I don’t like at all), but I find him boring as dirt. The only interesting thing about him is that he’s the first one who’s curse broke. Cool. So why are you here? He’s not much of a character; he’s just there to show that the curse IS breaking, and then to cause tension between Akito and Shigure. All while being dull and annoying. Boy, bye. 

Least favorite “ships” is funny because I actually dislike more couples than I like. But among my least favorite are: 

I think I lowkey read Arisa as a lesbian as a kid, and it was really annoying that Takaya-sensei decided to force her into a relationship. Especially because I just wasn’t sold on her and Kureno. Kureno is nothing like Tohru for her to be doing that “Oh, he’s like Tohru” thing. He did one thing she would do, boo hoo. I can’t imagine Tohru also doing what he did with Akito (ie, not leaving/not establishing boundaries), so there’s that. Also, the, like, 9 year or whatever age difference is a hard no. Arisa had so much potential and personality and whatnot than to become that fuckboy’s housewife. ALSO, that line when she says she wants to hit like 6 feet or something, and Kyo asks if she wants to be a model or something, I couldn’t help but think “oooh, she should be a model!” Imagine Arisa as a model! That’s what she should have been; not Kureno’s girlfriend. UGH! 

No matter how many times I read it, I can’t get over Katsuya and Kyoko’s age difference. I mean, at least Arisa is in high school and been through some shit to mature her where you can KINDA be okay with her and Kureno (except me, who hates it 100%). But Kyoko was IN MIDDLE SCHOOL. Like, how you a grown man falling for a MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT. The fuck? The hell? Jesus did not die on the cross for this. Even taking into consideration culture and the time period, it’s 10000000000% NOT okay. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. Even when I was the same age as Kyoko myself reading this (like 15ish), I had a HUGE issue when I learned about that age gap. It’s gross. It’s predatory. And when he’s even called out on it by Kyoko, he laughs it off. 

His personality was cute, but I don’t know why they couldn’t wait. Like, even if they did something where they met when she was in middle school, and then maybe ten years later, while Kyoko was reforming her delinquent ways, she finds Katsuya again and reconnects with him, fine. But really? 

I respect it only because they made Tohru and she’s a gem, and he died long before the story began, so it is what it is. But ew, hell no. 

The last couple I don’t really like, and this is really unpopular, is Haru and Rin. I know most people who read this love them, but I always found their relationship to be too codependent and unhealthy. Rin isn’t my favorite character, but considering her history, I can’t be too mad at her. Not to mention she reacts the way you would expect a high school girl going through what she did to behave. I was friends with angry girls like her in high school; I get it. I also saw those same girls get into unhealthy codependent relationships with guys and are still struggling today. I like Haru a lot, and I’m sure he and Rin could be sweet. I love how protective he is of her. But Haru just wasn’t right for Rin when they were going through the breakup and then getting back together thing. The things they said to each other were just off putting to me. Once things calmed down, they were fine, but I found it hard to root for them because of what a weird introduction we got to them as a couple. 

Now on to the positives. My favorite characters. This is going to be conventional, buuuuuut...

Tohru, obviously. Only losers who fell off Fruits Basket don’t love Tohru. She’s very awe inspiring honestly with her attitude. You read her reactions and think how you want to be that sort of person. You want the be the person someone looks at and thinks of as home. You want to be the sort of person who is encouraging and positive and happy. You want to be someone full of light. 

I do have critiques of her being a “perfect mother” character, and how she finds herself mothering a bunch of guys (like, literally taking care of three males cooking and cleaning for them. Gross). There is something to be said about whether Tohru would work as a character if she had real goals other than “get a job and support myself.” If she had goals like wanting to go away to college and get a career. Like, imagine Tohru as a therapist. She’d be able to help so many people. But no, her humble Japanese heart wouldn’t allow her to go for some sort of passion that grandiose. Like, we live in a modern day where it’s GOOD for girls to have passions, so it’s kinda off putting that her only passion is homemaking and nurturing those around her. 

BUT, she’s still so sweet and kind and makes you want to be a better person! lol. 

What’s funny about Flying Pot-kun is that when he was introduced, I remember thinking “he reminds me of someone.” And I was racking my brain of people I knew irl, wondering who he reminded me of. Then Yuki starts going “he reminds me of someone,” and I was like “What? Yuki too?” And when Yuki thought of his brother, I started DYING laughing! It’s ironic that Yuki’s best friend ends up being a younger version of his brother who irritates him. 

Manabe is really fun, but I really love his relationship with Yuki. I like when they fight, when they talk. But what really impressed me is the scene with Komaki, where she tells him off about what he said to Tohru at her mother’s wake. And how instead of getting defensive (”what? I was only looking out for you!”), he realized that he fucked up. I wish he would have apologized to Tohru earlier, even if she didn’t remember him until a while later, but he’s a guy so I don’t expect much from them (whoops, my misandry was showing). 

Still, Manabe reminds me of my guy friends from hs, and how fun and stupid and silly they were. I could see him hanging out with them, getting in trouble with them, so I like him lol. 

My #1 favorite character has to be Yuki. What’s hilarious is that when I first read Fruits Basket through (so, as a teen, reading all the volumes as they came out during the Tokyopop run), I HATED Yuki. I thought he was a dick to Kyo unnecessarily. There’s that one moment right after the “True Form Reveal” I believe where Kyo is visibly trying to not snap at Yuki the way he normally does. But then Yuki provokes him and causes Kyo to yell at him. As the oppressed older sister of a favored younger brother, I know first hand how it feels to be provoked to anger by someone who knows how to push your buttons. And so I likened Yuki to my brother and hated him for that. It felt like to me that every time Kyo wanted to move on, Yuki was there to put him down. 

Then I reread Fruits Basket when I was 19 and realized “Holy shit, Yuki is a male version of me.” Not 100% obviously, but his self loathing and the way he isolated himself even after no longer being under the direct control of his family was something I could relate to. I realized that I disliked Yuki because I saw in him all the flaws I disliked in myself: hating him was easy because I was hating these parts of myself. 

When I understood that, I related to his story more, and he’s always my favorite character now. I especially love once he becomes student body president. All of the scenes with him and the rest of his student council members are gold. Kimi and her stupid flirting, Manabe going off track, Chibi-suke’s play at maturity while everyone else goofs off, and Machi’s quiet and awkward energy leads to some amazing moments. Seeing Yuki interact with them in a way he never lets himself behave with his family is great; and we get to see a side of him you know his classmates rarely see too. You watch his confidence grow and it just makes my heart glow. I’m smiling while I’m typing this lol. 

Favorite couples? Tbqh, there’s only two I really love and respect, and they’re the obvious two. All others can fall apart tomorrow and I’d feel NOTHING. But these two were endgame and perfect. 

Tohru and Kyo. God, the first time I read this series, when I realized that it was setting those two up, I wanted to DIE from happiness. Kyo was my BOY first time around, and he could do no wrong. So to know he “won” over Yuki and got the girl made me so happy. Rereading it, I always find Tohru and Kyo so adorably compatible. Tohru is very good at reading his love language, and seeing his deeper meaning. I remember someone mentioned that Yuki, in the beginning, still kept a lid on his feelings, making it hard for Tohru to 100% connect to him. And that Kyo was always so explosive with his feelings; even if it’s awkward and not 100% how he feels, Kyo still expresses how he feels as he’s feeling them. 

I think that’s why when she confesses to him, she takes his rejection as REAL rejection. Because Kyo is always the honest one, the one she rarely has to question how he feels. Kyo is always honest. I thought that was a good assessment, and a good reason why they work. 

Not only is Tohru’s love for Kyo healing for him, but her love for Kyo is healing for Tohru. Being able to move forward and create a future with him allows her to move on from her past. Through loving Kyo, and working on breaking the curse so she can free him and be with him, can she move past her mother’s death. Imagine if she just graduated, got a job, and lived on her own after high school. She’d be alone. And left with remembering her mother all the time. It would have broken her. Loving Kyo meant she had to be willing to let her mother go a bit. Move on and live despite her mother not being around. And after Kyo stopped being a dumbass, that’s what his love was for her. It freed her. Not as a distraction, but as a way for her to heal from it. 

They were really made for each other. 

Despite my love for Tohru and Kyo, Yuki and Machi are just my absolutely FAVORITE. Their dynamic together is so interesting. Yuki is so used to people putting him on a pedestal that he’s intrigued by someone who’s like “he’s not a prince; he’s just an average guy.” And when he starts giving her attention, Machi, who is used to being ignored and overlooked, is flabbergasted. Not only that, but he UNDERSTANDS her without her having to say anything. And what’s funny is that that is how Yuki is. He doesn’t express his feelings the way Kyo does; he holds a lot in. His feelings might manifest in small ways, but it’s hard for others to read it.

Because it’s how he is, Yuki is able to read deeper into Machi’s actions. He hears a story from Manabe about her walking in the snow, just making footprints, and then sees that she destroys clean and organized rooms and spaces. He puts two and two together: she hates when things are “perfect” and orderly. So she has to “ruin” them. And just like that, he gets it. Like, imagine what they’re house has to be like with Yuki being bad at cleaning and Machi just HATING a messy home! And considering how their son almost brags about his messy habits in Fruits Basket: Another, jfc, it’s gotta be bad! 

I think that’s why Yuki and Machi are so cute to me: they also compliment each other. They can observe each other and see deeper than what others see. Machi didn’t just see his perfect persona at school: she saw beneath that. She remarks that he seems lonely, and he is. He sees her actions and realizes the truth. They think of each other and then do things based on that. Yuki sees her clutching a Mogeta when she meets his brother and realizes she must like him. Then sees another Mogeta while out and buys it for her just like that. Machi asks Yuki what he wants and when he says fertilizer like a dumbass not realizing her intent, she goes out to get it for him (carrying fertilizer by herself couldn’t have been easy). 

They see each other. And that’s what’s so beautiful. In a world where they both, for one reason or another, are so easily forgotten and overlooked, they see each other. They found each other. They get each other. FUCKING CHRIST IT’S TOO BEAUTIFUL TO THINK ABOUT. 

Also, some honorable mentions of couples I actually liked: Komaki and Manabe (I hope she beats his ass every time he calls her his meat angel lol), Ayame and Mine (I wish we saw more from them; then maybe I’d like them enough to wax poetry over them), and Hatori and the Great Mayu-chan-sensei (god, those two!!!!! Wonderful!!!!!). 

Thanks, nonny, this was fun! 

#god so many spoilers lol #fruits basket #furuba #furuba spoilers #fruits basket spoilers #too many characters to tag #so here we go #Anonymous

[malewifehenrycooldown]

Heya hope you don't mind me popping in here but how each of your familar f/os (or just Frank and Motoko if you wish) show they care and support you? Are they overprotective when it comes to friends or romance? Or just feel free to gush about them if you wish! Either way I hope you're having a radiant day and are getting all the love you deserve! [The-storyteller-and-her-soldiers]

For the most part my family pop in quiet frequently to check how I’m going, if I need help or just need a place to stay over. Motoko and Thomas pop in more frequently, because they are protective of my wellbeing; (Thomas doesn’t want to lose a family member like his mother, Motoko is afraid of my physical vulnerabilities as I have no cybernetic enhancements). Now Frank is protective, but it’s on another level - he’d die trying to protect me from anyone who could cause potential harm. Frank is extremely protective of teenagers and kids, women and young girls especially - he lost his wife and daughter and son to criminals. He doesn’t want that happening again. Ever.

It’s a given that they would all be protective of me when it comes to romance, my friends are fine (they are second family in a way), but romance? That’s a big giant can of worms, and it varies from person to person.

Frank is a scary guy in general, and it’s very confronting for possible romantic partners to meet a dad who can practically snap their neck with his bare hands. He’s judgemental of people. He wants what’s the best for me but he won’t hesitate to intervene if something goes wrong.

Motoko is more relaxed, shes part cyborg but she doesn’t judge people. She is seems intimidating, but she’s relatively approachable and welcoming.Thomas Shelby is like Frank, but he has a gang of people who aren’t above intimidating others. He’s also somewhat impatient when it comes to meeting new romantic partners, but he holds his thoughts until he can get a clear picture of what the person is like. But yeah they are a protective bunch. And I’m okay with that.

// sorry for the long response but it was very fun to answer. I Might make a post inspired by this - romantic f/os meeting the family type thing and vice versa!

#answered asks #child-of-the-nighttime-stars #[parental tag] #[familial tag] #[f]: thomas shelby | an offer you can't refuse #[f]: frank castle | memento mori #[f]: motoko kusanagi | cyborg mum #Rebecca Tag

[sisilafami]

2018

same shit, different year.

Rap:

My RAOTY is 03 Greedo - God Level i guess, then

70th Street Carlos - youtubes & 777

BlocBoy JB - Simi

Blueface - Famous Cryp & Two Coccy

Chief Keef - Ottopsy, Mansion Musik & Back From The Dead 3

City Girls - PERIOD & Girl Code

Co Cash - Foolhardy

Daboii - Neva Lookin Back

Drego & Beno - Sorry for the Get Off

Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs

G Herbo - Swervo

Goonew - Goonrich Urkel

Gunna - Drip Season 3

JPEGMAFIA - Veteran

Kevin Gates - Luca Brasi 3

Kodak Black - HeartBreak Kodak & Dying To Live

Lil Dude & Goonew - Homicide Boyz

Lil Durk - Signed To The Streets 3

NBA YoungBoy - Until Death Call My Name

Playboi Carti - Die Lit

Saba - Care For Me

Sada Baby - youtubes

Smino - Noir

SOB X RBE - GANGIN II

Trouble - Edgewood

ZMONEY - Chiraq Mogul

HM :

1TakeJay x Rucci - The Winning Team

21 Savage - I Am > I Was

Bandhunta Izzy - Code Blue

BbyMutha - Muthaz Day 3

Black Fortune - Ossh Rock

Busdriver - Electricity Is On Our Side

Chris Crack - Being Woke Ain't Fun

Fmb Dz - The Gift 2

Hermit and the Recluse - Orpheus vs the Sirens

Husalah - H

Jayo Sama - Out On Bond

Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Everything's Fine

Key Glock - Glockoma & Glock Bond

Koran Streets - Late 20’s

Lil Tre - Unexpected

LUCKI - DAYS B4 II

Maxo Kream - Punken

Meek Mill - Championships

MIKE - War in my Pen

Migos - Culture II

Payroll Giovanni - Big Bossin vol. 2

Rico Nasty - Nasty

Roc Marciano - RR2꞉ The Bitter Dose & Behold A Dark Horse

SahBabii - Squidtastic

Saweetie - High Maintenance

SD - Pay Attention

Sheck Wes - MUDBOY

Shy Glizzy - Fully Loaded

$ilkMoney - I hate My Life…

Starlito & Trapperman Dale - Trapstar

Tierra Whack - Whack World

Trippie Redd - A Love Letter To You 3

YG - Stay Dangerous

YNW Melly - I Am You

Young Nudy - SlimeBall 3

Vince Staples - FM!

R’n’B:

Jacquees - 4275

Mariah Carey - Caution

Ravyn Lenae - Crush

Tamia - Passion Like Fire

Brent Faiyaz - Lost

Digital Beats:

RP Boo - I'll Tell You What!

Byrell The Great - Chopped Cheese

Iglooghost - Clear Tamei & Steel Mogu

Martyn Bootyspoon - Silk Eternity

EQ Why - East 37Th Street & Footwork Tracks Vol.2

Proc Fiskal - Insula

Sinjin Hawke & Zora Jones - Vicious Circles

Sabiwa - Sabiwa

P. Adrix - Álbum Desconhecido

Crystallmess - Mere Noises

Stun Pool - STUN POOL

Various - Príncipe Mixtape (2018 Special Edition)

Contemporary Music:

Vanessa Rossetto & Matthew Revert - Everyone Needs A Plan

Lucio Capece & Marc Baron - My Trust in You

Graham Lambkin - No Better No Worse Vol 2

Lee Fraser - Cor Unvers

Thomas Ankersmit - Homage To Dick Raaijmakers

Christopher Fox - Topophony

Alistair MacDonald - Cabinets de curiosité

Arek Gulbenkoglu - A gift like a hollow vessel

Cassandra Miller - Just So & O Zomer

Etelin - Hui Terra

eRikm - Mistpouffers

Francisco Meirino - The Ruins

Kate Carr - I Ended Out Moving To Brixton

Monty Adkins & Paulina Sundin - Beyond Pythagoras

MP Hopkins - Aeroplanes & Puddles

Peter Blamey - Five Fertile Exchanges

Jamie Drouin & Lance Austin Olsen - Moon Watcher

Savvas Metaxas - Wetlands

Clara de Asís - Without

John Tilbury & Keith Rowe - Sissel

Masayuki Imanishi - Worn Tape

Graham Lambkin & Áine O'Dwyer - Green Ways

Hong Chulki & Will Guthrie - Mosquitoes and Crabs

Eli Keszler - Stadium

Simon Whetham - Open and Closed Circles

Exael - Collex

Matthew Atkins - Cryptic System

linda catlin smith - wanderer

Tonus - Intermediate Obscurities I+IV & Texture Point

Jörg Widmann - Drittes Labyrinth / Polyphone Schatten

Mathias Delplanque - Témoins

Pascal Battus, Anne-F Jacques & Tim Olive - Trois Conseillers

Data Dump:

Aclds - ['b7nb95c

Aclds - {Qa.-br.e

Aclds - 3øºEg-x-8xd

Aclds - Fuadain Liesmas Appendages

Dalglish - I​​'​[​]​n​​f​​]​c​​​_​​T​​_

Scald - (Kyjch Uyr​[​st

Autechre - NTS Sessions

Post-Techno / Ante-House:

2814 - Pillar New Sun

Clouds - Heavy The Eclipse

De Leon - De Leon

Diptera - Antenna

DJ David Goblin - Ork Music

Dolo Percussion - Dolo 3

Facechain - Accensor

Galcher Lustwerk - 200% GALCHER

Hieroglyphic Being - The Red Notes

How Du - Landing

Kolorit - Workshop XXI

Loidis - A Parade, in the Place I Sit, the Floating World (& All Its Pleasures)

THUGWIDOW - DESIGNER VOID

Topdown Dialectic - Topdown Dialectic

Young Paint - Young Paint

Zuli - Trigger Finger

Robert Mallet-Stevens Music:

Nico Niquo - Timeless

Organ Tapes - Into One Name

Foodman - Moriyama & Aru Otoko No Densetsu

Aqueduct Ensemble - Improvisations on an Apricot

Motoko & Myers - Basis Key

Lolina - The Smoke

James Ferraro - Four Pieces For Mirai

Jon Hassell - Listening To Pictures

Gossiwor - Lighthouse

Oneohtrix Point Never - Age Of

New Old:

Carl Stone - Electronic Music from the Eighties and Nineties

Iannis Xenakis - Persepolis

Luc Ferrari - L’Escalier Des Aveugles

Pablo's Eye - Spring Break

Christian Zanési - Grand Bruit ⧸ Stop! l'horizon

#2018