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#if you read the manga we get 'cover stories' on what's going on with previous characters to see what theyre up to even though we moved on

mono-blogs-art · 5 months

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Tsukutabe Vol 3 English Release, A Review!

A few days ago I was finally able to get my hands on the long awaited third volume of the Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna (She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat) manga! Here are some of my thoughts - first, no spoilers, and then under a readmore I'll discuss some specific scenes I really liked.

I was very excited to finally read ahead - since the TV live action adaptation covers the same plot points as the first two volumes of the manga, and since there are basically 0 spoilers floating over from the jp fandom into my periphery, I truly had no idea where it was going. And what can I say but it was an absolute delight.

Like in volume 2, we are keeping a balance of the silly, everyday life of Nomoto & Kasuga and their cooking adventures, interspersed with quite serious, even dark moments in their personal lives. In fact, this volume features probably the darkest scenes in the series yet, more on that in the spoiler section later, but I truly had tears in my eyes for a bit. However I love how the focus when discussing these serious topics is always on the character and their feelings in the moment - how they can recognize what's been in their past, and how they've been able to move on and find happiness again, expressing a desire to do so. They've been hurt in their lives - mostly by their families that they've left behind, or by coworkers and strangers - but they are allowed to work through those feelings, take no shit, and say "No, I deserve better than this." There's also more focus again on LGBT advocacy now, with Nomoto coming out (to herself) at the end of volume 2, we now see her try to get comfortable with the lesbian label and how it affects her. There's also discussion on asexuality and its many shades, which I really appreciated!

The biggest change in volume 3 is the addition of two new characters - Yako-san, one of Nomoto's online friends who starts to become a bigger part of her life when Nomoto starts opening up about her sexuality; and Nagumo Sena, who is their "middle neighbor", the person who moved into the apartment between Nomoto & Kasuga that's been empty for the previous two volumes. Nagumo starts to befriend Kasuga when the two have a run-in. So a lot of the volume we actually see the two new pairs interact, and the focus is away from our main couple for a bit (but not really). Rather than new side characters, Yako and Sena feel more like an extension of the main cast, an extension of their little family, and they are immediately likeable and mash well with the rest. Speaking of family, although it's been a theme before, volume 3 really makes the central theme of "found family" very explicit. And it really warms the heart.

And my favourite part, without giving too much away, Kasuga also again receives chapters with her as the protagonist, rather than having Nomoto be the narrator all the time. This is actually the only thing I really miss in the TV live action, there are only a couple of scenes in there where you can see Kasuga's train of thoughts. The manga gives you much more insight into her inner workings. I'm hoping this will change for season 2 of the show, especially knowing what's in store.

Overall, the third volume brings a lot of fresh turns but stays true to its vibe and feel at heart. And of course it doesn't forget that there's also a love story, with Nomoto & Kasuga inching ever closer to each other. But I think this volume is where the story makes a point to say, Hey, This Isn't A Romance Series - it's a series about healing from past trauma, family, and especially found family, tackling everyday misogyny and homophobia, and all that through the very mundane task of cooking. I can't wait for volume 4 to come out, and season 2 of the live action series of course!!

The biggest thing I wanted to talk about was the conversation Kasuga has with her father on the phone. It's just so fucked up. We've only seen her family in flashbacks up until now, and reading the conversation between the two of them shows how far Kasuga has come in the 10 years since she's left home. Unlike Nomoto, who has a rocky relationship with her family but still keeps in contact, Kasuga has cut herself completely off since she left, and her views on family are central to her storyline. She wants to eat whatever she likes and not be shamed for it, own the things she wants, live in her own space, work a job that she choses. She wants to be herself.

At the same time, Kasuga is also the most family-oriented character. She loves to take care of others, make them feel at home and feel included, and she wants others to care for her too, unconditionally. When she thinks about what she values about "family", and the things she desires, there's only one logical conclusion to come to.

Kasuga's ties to her family also make her the perfect person to bring in Sena to the group. Sena is the total opposite of Kasuga, yet they're able to connect because of their shared traumas connected to food and family. When Kasuga bluntly accepts Sena without a second thought, the two really start to connect and it was just so sweet. Sena's whole backstory really touched me a lot and I definitely cried xD

These are the main two things I really couldn't wait to talk about!!! I really love Sena a lot and I'm excited to see more of her in the next volume. It's also very funny that it takes her, what, a single evening to immediately get that Nomoto and Kasuga have mutual crushes on each other, lmao.

The other new character, Yako-san, is also really fun. She's the confident, take-no-bullshit counterpart to Nomoto, and she proudly identifies as both a lesbian and asexual. Apart from that, we haven't seen much of her and her backstory yet - I'm hoping there'll be more in the future, especially with her in parallel to the main romance (idk if she's also aromantic, but it might be hinted at already?). I can't wait to see!

Those are some assorted thoughts... I really love this series and I appreciate it for the simple yet concise storytelling, and the love Yuzaki-san puts into her characters. They feel like real people, reflecting real insecurities and problems you'd run into in real life, even when it's exaggerated in a comedic manner. Can't wait to see where it goes next!!

#tsukutabe #tsukuritai onna to tabetai onna #she loves to cook and she loves to eat #sorry for rambling... this got longer than i expected...#mono-loguing

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okayto · 3 months

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Mini-Review: Akuma Kun

Ichiro Umoregi is the second Akuma-kun – adopted by Shingo Umoregi as a little boy, Ichiro is meant to be carrying on his father's work of bringing about the utopic Millenium Kingdom. But Ichiro has a difficult relationship with his dad and despite the sometimes desperate attempts of his cousin Mephisto III, Ichiro just kind of trudges through life. But when a strange angel from his past appears, Ichiro is forced out of his torpor because sometimes the world really is worth preserving.

-or-

Akuma Kun, a boy raised by a demon, works with his half-human partner Mephisto III as paranormal investigators to solve various murder and mysteries.

Paranormal investigators? Right up my alley! This was pushed to me on Netflix and as per uzh I added it to my watchlist and ignored it for a while. I was definitely intrigued, but the art looked...odd. Not bad, but with some round heads and other features that put in in mind of styles popular before I was born, I figured I'd look into it another time.

Interesting art style, right? Not bad--let me be clear! But definitely distinct, and when I see something that appears to have roots several decades old, I often want to look it up and see what its backstory is, y'know?

Fast-forward a couple months later: I'm reading Anime News Network's best/worst end-of-year roundup, and Rebecca Silverman listed this anime as one of the top five "moments of the year," writing:

Shifting from Japanese folklore to Western religious lore, the story follows the second person to bear the title of Akuma-kun, the adopted son of the original. Shingo rescued Ichiro as a child, and he gives the impression of not being nearly as invested in his role as "Akuma-kun" as he perhaps ought to be. But as the series goes on, it becomes apparent that it's not that he doesn't care; it's that if he lets himself, he'll get lost in the role, and that means seeing the absolute worst that humans are capable of, over and over and over again.

Mentions of horror, investigation, supernatural, and a character who appears to be hiding under a gruff or apathetic exterior? Suddenly, it seemed like a good time to start watching. And then the moment I heard the main character's voice, absolutely marinading in calm apathy, I knew it was going to be good.

So, this is a new (2023) anime that apparently can act as a sequel to a 1989 anime of the same name, which was itself an adaptation of a 1960s-70s manga by the creator of Gegege no Kitaro, a classic series involving many yokai, and one which I've heard about but have thus far never managed to read or watch. The connection between the classic about Japanese ghouls/ghosts/creatures and Akuma-kun, which is more based (vaguely?) on Abrahamic mysticism, intrigued me.

The basis is this: every 10,000 years, a child, always called Akuma-kun, is born who will help usher in a period of peace between humans and demons. Our current Akuma-kun (whose non-prophecy name is Ichiro) is the adopted son of the previous one (Shingo, who starred in the 1989 series). He's assisted by his cousin-by-adoption, the half-human, half-demon Mephisto III.

Together, the two boys set up a supernatural detective/investigative agency, and that's when we get to see how good this series actually is.

Don't let the cartoony designs fool you, this stuff gets dark. While it's never particularly gory, there is blood, there is at least one off-screen-but-audible instance of ripping a heart out, etc. So as the viewer, we quickly realize that these kids are up against actual threats.

The cases cover things like demon possession, trying to use power beyond your control, and so forth. They're not mysteries the viewer can solve, but they're good at keeping you paying attention to learn the result, not drawing things out too long nor fixing everything too quickly.

The recurring characters are what makes or breaks it, however. Mephisto III takes everything seriously, understanding and worrying about what happens when normal humans come into contact with a demon. He looks like comic relief, and he can get a bit shouty, but at his core he's just a straightforward boy who wants to help people and is frustrated at his cousin's...lack of that.

Ichiro, the current Akuma-kun, is more of an enigma. He's clearly brilliant, book-smart with good recall and not particularly excitable. He also has absolutely no social graces and is frequently rude, not because he's mean or wants to be, but because he's incredibly blunt and, despite Mephisto's attempts to rein him in, has no concept of tact regarding delicate subjects and really doesn't care about learning. (And let's be real, that's a dream for many people in at least some situations.)

We know that Ichiro lived with demons for a while, and his relationship with his father, Shingo, the previous Akuma-kun, is strained despite Shingo appearing to be a perfectly nice and well-adjusted person. It takes the whole series to work out the details, which makes the ending feel like excellent payoff.

As the series goes on, it shows more and more of its worldbuilding, and it's just so intriguing. I want to know more about demons! And the demon world! And Ichiro's life with the pre-adoption! How'd he even get there? What is sexy ghoul Gremory's deal? She's so fun, can we get her history? What happens next?

Verdict

English dub? Yes! And like most dubs through Netflix, it's good. Everyone was excellently-cast; Mephisto's voice was exactly what I expected based on his performance, yet without being grating on the ears. And Ichiro/Akuma-kun's flat, unexcited voice was perfect. It would have been easy to take that voice and make it boring or monotone, but it's not: it does an excellent job from the moment you hear it conveying that this is a character who doesn't really get upset or display strong emotion, without making the character himself seem flat.

Visuals: Very nice! Not only is this a recent series, but I really liked the kinda-round, cartoony style. Like I mentioned above, as soon as I saw it I thought it originated in another time period, which it did, and there's something about older art style that appeals to me; maybe it's just a weird combination of nostalgia for things I did experience as a kid (the way Ichiro's mouth is drawn slightly droopy, is reminiscent of a lot of older American cartoons I watched) and a really strange nostalgia for anime I've never watched but which floated around when I was first entering fandom, names and pictures of things I'd never heard of, but which everyone older than me sure seemed to.

Worth watching? Yes, as long as you have a tolerance for paranormal murder investigations where people sometimes die and/or there's some blood splatters. I think it's really interesting, particularly because this kind of supernatural topic doesn't come up in anime a lot. The two minor downsides to it are:

It gives you enough information to understand, but there are probably some references or other context missed because of its connection to the 1989 Akuma-kun. Don't get me wrong, it's understandable and enjoyable regardless! But I did read the non-spoilery series review on Anime News Network before I watched, and I think having that context going in specifically understanding that Shingo was the previous Akuma-kun (and ran around with Mephisto's dad, who now cheerfully supports his son) was helpful context.

Netflix for some reason calls it Akuma Kun. Trying to recall, I think this is the only Japanese honorific used in the English dub, so I assume this was a stylistic choice to allow them to keep the same name/title as Japanese. But to people who have some familiarity with honorifics, it's weird to see it written like Kun is a second name, like "Mary Ann."

Where to watch (USA, as of February 2024): Netflix

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

#Akuma-kun #Akuma Kun 2023 #anime #reviews #recommendation

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random-mailbox · 10 months

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Random-Mailbox's Favorite Sailor Moon Fics - Week 44 - First Kiss

This post is all about marking the stories focused on the First Kiss!

Also, don't forget to check out the prompts for @usamamoweek2023! We are 2 weeks away! Are you excited? Because I am very excited

@smquickies2023 prompts came out last week too - that event is taking place August 6-12 (and is open to any SM pairings).

As always, my apologies in advance for spoiling some of these for you (Fic Titles are linked to either FFN or AO3 entries).

The Dare - Marronett

To kill time, girls decide to play truth or dare - with Rei suggesting Usagi kiss Mamoru.

Four Times Usagi Has Her First Kiss (And One Time Thereafter) - muffin_song

This one-shot is actually a combination of moments in time, shining light on various kisses throughout Usagi’s / Serenity’s life - giving us a glimpse of the thoughts she had in the first arc of the manga

Third Time's the Charm - @lyraterra

Usagi makes a bet with Mamoru that she will get her first kiss by Monday night, kicking off a series of events that lead to reveal of secret identities in a very adorable way.

Mamoru's Realization - Sailor Amaranth

In this anime-characterization story, it takes someone else talking about asking Usagi out to a dance for Mamoru to realize that he is in love with her.

Little Moments: Chapter 2: Speechless - @floraone

We get a bit of a missing scene with this one-shot, where Usagi and Mamoru actually have a discussion about where they stand post events of the Doom-tree arc.

UsaxMamo Writing Diet: Chapter 4: Children - @billyjbradshaw

Having been friends since they were little, Mamoru offers to teach Usagi how to kiss.

Twenty Kisses: Chapter 1: Bunny Among Wolves - @angelmoongirl

To prove Mamoru wrong, in the heat of an argument, Usagi declares that she will set up a kissing booth to prove her worth. The entire series is actually awesome, so you should read all 20 of them!

---

Next Monday's post will cover Reviving Shitennou as the main focus of stories.

Here are the links to the previous Tumblr posts in these series to explore more amazing works based on different themes - make sure to check them out if you haven't had a chance! (Click on title name to go to the post) - I will keep updating the list every week as new posts come up:

Week 1 - Groundhog Day

Week 2 - Established Relationships

Week 3 - Sex Positivity

Week 4 - Unfinished Stories

Week 5 - Darker Stories

Week 6 - Potions 🧪

Week 7 - Reveals

Week 8 - 👻Halloween🎃

Week 9 - Wrong Perceptions

Week 10 - Non-Senshi AU

Week 11 - In-Progress Fics

Week 12 - Mutual Pining

Week 13 - Enemies to Lovers

Week 14 - Slow Burn

Week 15 - Christmas Part 1 - Ugly Christmas Sweaters and Santa!

Week 16 - Christmas Part 2

Week 17 - New Years

Week 18 - High School AU

Week 19 - Slice of Life

Week 20 - Coffee shop AU

Week 21 - Huddle for Warmth

Week 22 - Friends to Lovers

Week 23 - ❤️Valentines Day❤️

Week 24 - Do a Grouch a Favour Day (or Cheer Up Fics)

Week 25 - Soulmate AU

Week 26 - Amnesia Fics (and resources)

Week 27 - 🍀St Patrick's Day🍀

Week 28 - Fix it Fics

Week 29 - Prompt: Mug

Week 30 - Flowers

Week 31 - Traditions

Week 32 - Dreams

Week 33 - Friends

Week 34 - Body-Swap

Week 35 - Medical Assistance

Week 36 - Sex Pollen

Week 37 - Psychometry

Week 38 - What If

Week 39 - Missing Scenes Part I

Week 40 - Green Jacket

Week 41 - Dr Chiba

Week 42 - Birthdays

Week 43 - Fluff

#sailor moon #usagi x mamoru #fic rec #fic list #first kiss #kisses

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trigun-archive · 1 year

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Omg, I just realized something that’s not gonna add much to the narrative or if anyone has noticed it.

Here we go.

So basically in episode 12, Vash did his girlboss move of flinging himself and Nai over the ledge.

And as they’re falling, I noticed something:

To me, this reminds of the Yin Yang symbol:

Then I remember that one post where someone mentioned where Vash in episode 12 wore the colors of ‘evil’ (black and purple).

Knives wore the colors of ‘good’ (white and blue).

They’re polar opposites of one another.

And that got me thinking more in depth with their relation with Yin Yang.

Obviously everyone is familiar with two sides of the same coin. It’s the same idea with Yin Yang, they’re polar opposites but they complement each other.

As part of the Naruto fandom (*groans*, I know I know). But hear me out, lots of symbolism that is related to Naruto and Sasuke is their relation to the sun and moon respectively.

Naruto is the sun. The Yang per say, because he is bright, aggressive and masculine. His respective color is orange.

While Sasuke is the moon. The Yin, because he is with the shadows, silent and feminine. His respective color is purple.

If you read the Naruto manga, then you would see how much Kishimoto bashes your head in with their respective symbolism, it’s in the cover art, the parallelism in the panels. It even showed up as their respective symbols on their hands after the ceremony for the final battle.

Back to TriStamp.

I believe they put Knives as Yang. He is aggressive and very in your face with his conquests of taking back the Plants. He is very muscular, and it’s shown through his tight bodysuit.

Then they would put Vash as Yin. He is way less aggressive with his morals than his previous counterparts. Obviously he still has them, but he is less forthcoming. His entire character design has changed, as everyone says with his non-binary haircut.

But in certain scenes, he still has those broad shoulders and managed to lift a fucking ion cannon enough to break his prosthetic arm. So, my babygirl is still fucking strong, hmph.

It’s even mentioned that the director of TriStamp has said Vash is both the female and male lead.

Same thing with Sasuke, some Studio Perriot staff has stated that he is the heroine of the story.

Obviously Naruto and Sasuke’s relationship heavily implies they’re in love with each other and soulmate coded to the max.

(Ha, get it? Trigun MAXimum??)

(. . ., I’ll see myself out).

But they did a different relationship of Yin Yang:

Twins.

Knives wanted desperately Vash to be the ‘perfect’ version that he envisioned. Taking away Vash’s bodily autonomy.

Vash just wanted to have ‘love and peace’ in the world. He didn’t want to fight Knvies, but he would defend his loved ones.

Until during episode 12, when he was ready to go in guns blazing to take down Knives.

With the color palette of black and purple against Knives’s white and blue.

Purple is the combination of red and blue. Vash’s red jacket and part of Knives’s color palette.

But also in the end, when Vash wanted to shoot that cube up in the sky.

He still wanted to save his brother, even though Knives was rejecting it by reaching to the absolute power of the cube and what it would bring him and Plant kind.

An Icarus-esque trope per say.

But yeah, anyways, this was just a jumble of thoughts I had to immediately write this down.

#trigun #trigun stampede #TriStamp #vash the stampede #million knives #trigun analysis #honestly was rewatching the scene both of them were falling and saw that symbol on the side of the building #and my brain immediately went yin and Yang #and then started thinking how the twins are correlated with it #and that made me think of their color palette #Knives is very bright and contrasted against Vash’s dark color palette #so smth with the sun and moon in some capacity #and made me think of Naruto with its sun and moon imagery in SNS #and this came out #probably doesn’t mean much to the idea but if it made you think of smth else #I’m glad it did smth lol #and the Icarus trope from Knives also came out when I was typing this #because I think of the desperation of Knives trying to get the cube #the one possible answer for his actions #but in the end he got burned #real bad

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lightlycareless · 2 months

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I’m not super far into your main story(I think I’m in the early 20s in chapters) but I keep up with spoilers and I read a paragraph or two of new chapters since Naoya isn’t in the parts I’m reading at and I’m desperate for even a little taste of him lol but on to my main point: Since I’m only getting snippets here and there so I’m sorry if you’ve covered this already but since Y/N is close to Mai and Maki, does Naoya’s relationship change with them as well? Canonically, he was horrible to them so I’m curious to how their relationship is in your story.

Hello!!!

Hhaha I'm sorry for the lack of Naoya in certain chapters—I tend to isolate him when I need aspects of the story to move forward... or prepare everything for a certain happening hehe. But I promise, he's going to be more present in the future :> ❤️

Now onto your ask... this a good question I've asked myself once or twice in the past actually, and you've now presented me the perfect opportunity to dive a bit more into it!

I believe Naoya wouldn’t really interact much with Mai and Maki because of the age gap.

The only reason he did so in the manga (at least in my perspective lol) is because they represented two of the most controversial matters for the Zen’in estate: daughters of the main branch, and without a cursed technique (or weak on their terms).

Thus, for someone like Naoya, who always seemed to have a bone to pick with literally everybody, how could he not mock them?

But of course, once you came along and everything else happened… he’d find himself rarely interacting with them.

It’s kind of what Gege once said of the type of relationship Ranta had with them:

Probably when they’re much older they would interact a bit more with Naoya, but it’s mostly to make fun him or so lol. You’re actually the reason they don’t go that crazy on him, solely tolerating him for your sake. And any serious matter is directly dealt with you instead (I gotta say, their mom doesn't like it when they talk to you or Naoya, but she's long stopped trying to correct them—you know, traditional matters of the Zen'in.)

Also, let’s not forget they’re essentially on the “I wouldn’t trust my kid with them” list because of the previous reasons so....

Now, if you want to get into the intricate details:

They think Naoya is straight up weird. As in, a nerd, goofy, makes questionable choices and still acts like a clown. They would make fun of his anime preferences and how intense he can get when discussing it, and his dyed hair, which in their eyes looks really, really bad—like, weren’t any other styles to chose from?

So yeah, we can see that if things had turned completely different, with them being a bit more confident, Mai and Maki would actually have the upper hand when mocking him lol (specially Maki!!!). He just has a lot of things to be picked on 💀 you’re amongst the few (if not the only) person that truly likes him.

And there you have it, what I think their relationship would be like further down the road.

It’s slightly based on my own experiences, like, I had younger cousins (older too) and sure we got along well and whatnot, but I interacted much more with those my age. And it wasn’t until the younger ones were like teenagers/adults that we got along much better. Those older than me didn’t change much lol so it really depends on the person.

I hope this was enough to answer your question :> but as always, if you want me to be a bit more specific, or you have a scenario in mind, just let me know and I’ll do my best to answer ❤️

Thank you for sending in this ask! Take care, and hope to see you soon!!

#ask #naoya zenin #naoya zen'in #naoya x reader #naoya zenin x reader #naoya zenin x you #jjk naoya #naoya zen'in x reader #jjk x reader #jjk fluff #jjk x you #prompt series: jujutsu kaisen

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dekusheroacademia · 1 year

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The Ultra Stage: The greatest hero - final thoughts: full detailed plot (part 2/3)

In part 1 you can read my thoughts on the musical in general, understudy Deku (when Shimura was sick), background fun interactions between characters and what changed between the three dates I've watched it.

Here I will write a detailed summary of the plot! I've skipped the intermissions here!

THE RECAP

Like the previous ones, the musical starts with a recap, this time directly showing All Might last fight with AFO. We see Bakugou and Deku watching All Might con the sides, and then they both sing about him. The song, like all in the musical but the last one, is new.

The rest of the recap is only focusing on the story of Bakugou and Deku: middle school bullying, the river incident, the sludge, Deku training for OFA, getting into UA, a recap of their Deku vs Kacchan fight and some more about their interactions.

The musical then starts with All Might talking with Nezu, introducing the idea of the dormitories, and the scene quickly changes to Aizawa and All Might visiting the Bakugous. The scene is identical to the anime, with some creatively used light and cubes to recreate the flashback of Aizawa speaking to the reporters. Another small difference is that the Bakugous bow while standing up.

Next we see All Might talking to Inko, and in the background (without sound) we see Aizawa talking to Jirou's parents, and Jirou dad pretend to be angry with him and storming off.

When Deku reads Kota's letter, a dance with the kid's signature hat comes in to represent him.

Then we see the students returning to UA. Aizawa reprimands them, and then when he decides to not expell them he literally skips away jumping on the stage.

The next scene is Bakugou making Kaminari use his quirk to make everyone laugh. Ochako covers Tsuyu's eyes, and Deku seems surprised Bakugou is giving money to Kirishima. When everyone walks out, we have Mineta, Aizawa and Iida introducing the rooms, before a full on hilarious musical numbers. The musical number centers on Mina and the girls while they all visit different rooms.

Rooms: Deku is a full on All Might posters + carpets being rolled on stage and Ochako calls him an otaku. Iida is just a wall of glasses, Kaminari shows his lamp (Aoyama dressed as a lamp), Aoyama ends up on a platform dancing with a sparkling ball. Shoji has a miniature room that all the students come close to look at. Ojiro's room is very generic and is also rolled in on stage. Mineta tries to invite them, but Deku shoves him quickly off stage. Kirishima is mainly a small dance number and people hitting him with the poles (a classic of the musical), Sero's room also passes by very quickly. Todoroki's room is rolled on stage and is a beautiful Japanese room, and everyone sits down almost on reverence. Sato brings out a microwave and everyone eats cake while flowy fans represents the delicious smell of food. Koda has a bunch of plushies and then Bakugou walks out dressed as his bunny (what bunny bakugou does change every show).

The girls room are all just a screen with the room projected on and pass by very quickly, a part from Momo's, whose bed is dragged on stage and the whole class kneels (Ochako almost faints). The other is Tsuyu, who is shown behind a closed door looking at the classmates.

Then a small camera is given to Todoroki who films the winner announcement (Sato, for the disappointment of poor Aoyama). Todoroki has been yawning and doozing off through the whole song, so finally he goes to sleep but Ochakp stops him. They go see Tsuyu and the rescue students apologize to her. They all hug her but Deku, who is looking at Bakugou in the change of scene.

After the rooms, the students find out about the license exam and we have them meeting the other schools. In the manga this happens a bit later, but at this point the musical introduces Inasa (who interrupts a circle of the class doing a Plus Ultra, with Bakugou getting dragged in by Kirishima), Ms Joke, Camie, Seiji, Shindo (who blinds everyone with his smile, such Aoyama tries to replicate), Shindo's girlfriend (who only appears in this scene) and Itejiro (who is introduced by picking a fight with Bakugou in the background).

After these introductions, we have the "pick the name of your special move" scene, which is a call back to "pick your hero name" from musical 2 (the characters even cheer in the same way). The teachers join the stage, and the musical number shows every student perfecting a move. Mina's move is probably the best done, with smoke coming out of the all rounders she hits. At one point the stage gets dark, only showing us Bakugou and Deku, and we have a small song about Deku's admiration for Bakugou, while he looks at the other student. Uraraka is in the darkened background and she seems hesitant, looking at Deku, but when she makes to reach for him, All Might and the others interrupt her. We get then a small scene of All Might teaching the students, with the camera showing on the big screen his teaching book. Another cute All Might thing is that his yellow antenna-like hair jump up now and then!

After receiving the advice, Deku gets to Hatsume. Everything here is the same, and the scene ends up with Hatsume dragging Iida off stage and Ochako and Deku looking in worry. The rest is the continuation of the previous song, with Hatsume talking with Deku and Ochako about their modifications. A funny moment was when, while dancing, Ochako physically puts herself between Deku and Mei, to separate them. When then Bakugou accidentally destroys a rock and almost hits All Might, Deku's new costume and move is introduced with a song.

The next scene sees Yokumiru (played by All Might's actor) introducing the license exam. This scene changes a bit between shows, and to show the points system we have Present Mic and three all rounders. When the chase starts, the stage has Aizawa and Joke on opposite sides commenting on the students. There's then a small song, before we have the first part of the license exam. This is the same as the manga, so I'll write just some impressions.

Inasa has a big amazing entry with his quirk shown through the screen and suspended spheres over the stage. Camie/Toga is quite amazing, the fight, especially after Toga transforms back into Camie is very dynamic. And Uraraka's actress playing Toga was chilling! The scene with Sero, Uraraka and Deku passing the exam is instead very short, but a lot of emphasis was put on Camie/Toga addressing Uraraka when she expected Deku to be addressed, and I think the musical sets up the Toga vs Uraraka dynamic quite well. Bakugou, Denki and Kirishima vs Seiji was the same. Todoroki also had a very small scene, with finally Inasa acting cold towards him for the first time. Aoyama and Iida had their scene, with a flashback on screen of kid Aoyama, and the rest of the class jumps in to save them with a screen of Koda's doves.

Bakugou's first compliment to Deku's user of his quirk ("you made it your own") is quite prominent, with a shocked Deku looking back at Bakugou, while the other slowly turns to look at him. The rest of the class dances and sings around them, and Bakugou and Deku silently walk to swap their places.

After this part, the focus is on the comedic scene where Mineta, Sero and Kaminari teases Deku about Camie. Tsuyu seems to want to go to them but Ochako stops her and the two stretch while listening. After Ochako's attempt to talk to Deku gets interrupted again, the second part of the exam starts, leaving her wondering what she's going. There's a reprise of Aoyama's song from musical two ("you like him, don't you?"), and Ochako sings a solo about putting aside her feelings.

A small thing I forgot, the Help Us Company is hilarious and is introduced in an almost zombie style song! There's small reprised of this song during this part.

My memory also can't exactly place it, but I think before this point, before Ochako's song probably, we have a flashback of the river scene again, and of Bakugou and Deku finding the All Might card (with Bakugou putting it in his pocket).

As usual, the rest is quite loyal. Gang Orca arrives, Todoroki and Inasa mess up, with the combination of their quirks shown through the screen. The Inasa flashback is also done through a screen, with Endeavor's eyes shown first, and Shouto's cold eyes after. The fight is relatively long, mixed up with Shindo, Deku, and what Bakugou and the others are doing. It ends up with Deku, Todoroki and Inasa ready to attack Gang Orca, but the stop signal rings and the exam ends.

The next scene is the screen with all the names of the students that passed. We have the classic Mineta teasing Todoroki, and the trio who failed accept the remedial exam. The scene changes to Uraraka chasing Deku, who is happy with his new license. We have some extra background scenes of Ochako and Deku taking each the photo of the other with their licenses, and Todoroki accidentally burning Aoyama's license and trying to apologize. The license scene ends with All Might receiving a photo of Deku's license card.

We're back at the dormitories, and Bakugou walks about the audience to challenge Deku. They start walking in circles around the stage, the background changing into streets. At every circle, we smoothly (thanks to moving panels) get the actors re-enacting some of their flashbacks. In particular we get: Deku admiring Bakugou as a kid, Bakugou choosing Deku as a nickname, Bakugou getting his quirk, the river incident (this time with Bakugou's left hand almost raising to accept Deku), Bakugou bullying Deku, telling him not to go to UA, the sludge incident, then Deku standing up to Bakugou, and some dialogues from their later fights.

Once the flashbacks stop, they arrive to ground beta and the screens turn into night. The rest is identical to the anime, and the fight actually happens without singing, but using some interesting music from musical two (the one from Deku saving Bakugou). The fight was actually quite scary, I thought they would accidentally hit each other!

There's a lot of jumping around, and at one point each get a small light in their hands: Bakugou has a orange light and Deku a green light. It all ends up like in the anime, and All Might intervenes and hug a crying Bakugou.

This is quite similar to the way musical two ended, with All Might hugging a crying Deku. At the end Bakugou also has bandaged arms, like Deku had at the end of the previous musical.

After this we get Aizawa reprimanding them, and then the class teasing Bakugou and Deku who are cleaning the common room. Aoyama throws around confetti, and the class has to restrain Bakugou from attacking him. When the students leave, Bakugou and Deku spend a comically long amount of time in absolute silence. Deku starts picking up the confetti, and Bakugou vacuum. Then Deku speaks up and he has this giant smile when Bakugou actually comments on his fighting style.

This is the last scene of the musical, before the final song which is "I want to be a hero". It is choreographed differently than usual, and I talked about it in part one, if you want to read it!

Part one here

#Bakudeku #the ultra stage #Bnha musical #Mha #My hero academia

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shoechoe · 1 year

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Battle Tendency

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know that I’ve complained about Battle Tendency before and stated that it is one of my least favorite parts in Jojo. I’ve never really gone in-depth with it besides minor tangents and side comments; a little while ago, though, I decided to rewatch Battle Tendency to freshen my memory on it, and... well, I have a lot to say. I thought it would be interesting to talk about this part and explain exactly what my thoughts are regarding it. Consider this a sort of overview of Battle Tendency; I’ll talk about what it was trying to do with its story and where I think it went wrong. (I have not read the manga for this part, so keep in mind these criticisms will be anime-centric.)

Content warning for mentions of sexual assault and harassment, a brief mention of incest, and a pretty thorough discussion of fictional Nazis.

Plot/General

In a lot of ways, Battle Tendency directed the course of the series even more than part one did. At the end of Phantom Blood, Jonathan Joestar, our previous protagonist, dies. If the series wanted to continue, it could not be Jonathan’s story anymore- so instead, part two begins fifty years later with an almost entirely different cast of characters and setting. This is the first time the series does this, and if I am correct, this was not something heard of much when Jojo was written. Dividing the series up into different parts not only helped make it popular, but also allowed it to avoid issues such as seasonal rot, excessive power scaling, and running out of things to do, as it can just move on to another story once the previous one is finished.

Though, while the direction Battle Tendency takes is interesting, I find the plot itself to be lacking. Battle Tendency is very short compared to other parts, and I think this ended up being its biggest flaw. For example, take when Joseph is in a race against the clock due to rings placed in his body set to release poison in thirty-three days, with the antidote only found in rings possessed by Wamuu and Esidisi. After multiple episodes of foreshadowing that Joseph will have to get stronger, now he has to train his Hamon in just a month to get strong enough to defeat them. It’s intended to be tense, set stakes for the story, and force Joseph to train and improve under grueling conditions.

However, this character-crucial training takes up a total of a single episode’s worth of time. The only moment given any focus is the oil-covered pillar test in the beginning. This period is supposed to focus on Joseph’s improvement in Hamon training, which most take years to learn, and his and Caesar’s bonding as they go through life-and-death situations together and learn humility from their trainers- something that would require more than a ten-second montage of the days going by and vague gestures at hardcore training practices improving their Hamon skills.

Instead of serving as an extra layer of interest to the story, this entire plot point just feels like a lazy cop-out to develop Joseph’s Hamon skills off-screen. This denies us the ability to feel Joseph’s improvement like we’re supposed to and ruins the tension by speeding the one-month deadline way too fast.

At multiple points in the story, not just here, it feels as though there are gaping holes in the plot where there should just be more. I expected this training to at least take another few episodes. Not only that, but this training session introduces characters that we are supposed to treat as important but then gives them no focus at all. Loggins and Messina were such laughably forgettable characters that I did not feel a scrap of emotion at Loggins’ death nor was I interested in Joseph’s tedious emotional reaction to it. (In fact, I just had to web search which one it was that died. I did not remember which one was which.)

What is especially odd is that this extra set of stakes with the death timer does... not actually end up amounting to anything. Joseph defeats both Esidisi and Wamuu days before the rings dissolve. The deadline stops being mentioned entirely at the five-day point or so. It starts off seeming important, but the stakes just fizzle out; it ends up being so inconsequential that it makes you wonder what the point of adding the rings even was. You could say that it motivated Joseph to train and improve quickly, but that motivation was already there in the first place with the Pillar Men actively hunting them down for the Red Stone. The best answer I can think of is the symbolism of Caesar stealing Wamuu’s ring before his death, but that alone is not a very strong reason to portray it as a major, high-stakes factor in the story.

Unfortunately, the actual major plot device of the story is lacking as well. The Red Stone of Aja is the object of desire for the Pillar Men, the antagonists, who want to use it to become all-powerful immortals, and Joseph has to protect it while defeating them one by one. Compared to the plots of other parts, I find this turned out sort of dull. Would you believe me if I said that I genuinely forgot the Red Stone of Aja existed before I started my rewatch of part two? It’s the main plot device of the part and it’s given almost nothing interesting that you can latch onto. It’s given a semi-promising ability outside of being able to transform the Pillar Men (being able to amplify the power of sunlight), but the protagonists just don’t use it until the very end. It’s pretty to look at but utterly failed to capture my interest.

Not only that, but the writing here has some noticeable problems. Remember, the stone is only desired by the Pillar Men, who require it to transform into the ultimate beings. In the beginning, it is in the hands of the protagonists, who have no use for it whatsoever. The explanation given as to why they don’t just destroy the stone so the Pillar Men can’t transform is because of a vague “prophecy” mentioned by Lisa Lisa where the stone is involved in the Pillar Men’s defeat- however, this prophecy is never expanded upon nor shown beyond this single line. It’s painfully obvious that it’s less of a “prophecy” and more of a method of lazily dismissing an easy solution to the main conflict.

The prophecy does technically come true later in the story, where Kars is launched into space due to his Hamon being reflected at him when it hits the stone- however, the only reason why Kars even needed to be thrown into space in the first place is because he got ahold of the stone and successfully used it to transform into a god. The protagonists still could have just smashed the stone and defeated regular Kars much more easily with Hamon, just as they did with Esidisi and Wamuu- the canonical reasoning as to why they didn’t just destroy it doesn’t even end up working in the end.

(The especially frustrating thing about this is that the fix for this issue, to me, seems simple. Instead of making up some “prophecy” that wasn’t even given more than a brief mention, just make the stone indestructible. It’s incredibly powerful, after all. Why couldn’t it have just been made impossible or unsafe to break instead of all of this prophecy nonsense that didn’t even end up making sense?)

In terms of plot, Battle Tendency is dry and littered with obvious plot conveniences and structure problems. The Red Stone of Aja was not given enough intrigue to be investing, a lot of the tension just fizzles out due to poor handling of plot points, and there were easy solutions to the main conflict that were explained away nonsensically. (The part’s final fight and the way that it ended were also pretty flawed, which I will get into.) Despite being such a major aspect of the series, it’s often largely forgotten by a lot of fans, and I think that this is why. The story needed more thought and was overall just too short for its own good.

Characters

When I see people talking about Battle Tendency, the plot is rarely mentioned. Instead, the focus is all on the cast and the potential that they had. I do like a lot of Battle Tendency’s characters, but I also think that a lot of them could’ve been better.

Joseph

I think Joseph’s introduction is the moment that piqued the interest of a lot of people reading or watching the series. To sell the idea of killing off the previous main character and replacing him, I think that extra effort was put into making Joseph stand out (especially to contrast Jonathan, who was... well, as lovable as he is, he’s undeniably a very cookie-cutter protagonist, as admitted even by Araki himself). And, with that goal, this part certainly succeeded.

The core of Joseph’s personality is built around performance. He’s designed to be unpredictable and wild to keep you guessing what he will do next. In a lot of ways, Joseph plays as the comic relief just as much as he does the protagonist- the entertaining, charming nature of his character ends up diffusing a lot of tense moments and adding a layer of humor to the situations he gets into. Contrasted to the frankly dark and disturbing tone of everything else in Battle Tendency, his ridiculous antics lighten the mood and provide contrast to the bleak seriousness of everything around him.

The thing I find the most interesting about Joseph is that he simultaneously manages to seem clever yet brainless. He’s excellent at predicting motives, strategizing, and observing, letting him excel at the mind games that fights in the series like to do so much. Once he’s in a fight, you know he’ll find a way to predict and outsmart his enemy. At the same time, though, he’s impulsive, hot-headed, competitive, and somewhat bad at meeting new people, which makes him a lot of enemies he could’ve gone without. He’s in that in-between state where you’re not quite sure if he’s a strategic genius or an idiot with ungodly luck and improv skills. The way that Joseph battles, predicts, and outsmarts his enemies’ moves makes the fights in part two’s battles very fun to watch, which is one of its main highlights.

Joseph is a fun, personality-filled, and important character, which is why he’s a big fan favorite. However, in this effort to make Joseph funny and memorable, I think a lot of his actions delve into being less entertainingly stupid and more just uncomfortable. For example, take this scene where he... threatens to forcefully kiss a stranger for screaming too loudly after he seemingly just murdered a man.

He keeps this womanizing and uncomfortable attitude toward female characters throughout. When Straizo captures a female journalist and tries to use her life to lure Joseph closer, he dismisses the importance of her life as he thinks that she’s “ugly”. He only steps in once he watches her begin to get brutalized.

The biggest example of this is when he makes multiple sexual comments and advances toward his trainer, Lisa Lisa, spying on her when she’s in her room naked and constantly trying to flirt with her. Even without the twist revealing that Lisa Lisa was Joseph’s mother the whole time (do you guys think Sigmund Freud would be a Jojo fan?), that was gross and unnecessary and I did not find it funny. I suppose this kind of humor is no surprise considering… Well, it’s an anime, but it does still bother me how this behavior is so frequent and it’s always played off as a joke where he often faces little to no consequence for it.

My feelings about Joseph are overall complicated due to both this and one bigger reason that I’ll get into near the end. His problems also get worse in future parts, which I may talk about in a different post. Overall, though, I do not think he is a bad character, and I understand his appeal and how important he was for the rest of the series. For people who like part two, I think Joseph is the main appeal for them.

Speedwagon, Erina, and Smokey (AKA: part two’s problem with handling its characters)

The reason why I’m lumping these three together is that they all represent a chronic issue that this part has with establishing characters that have important or interesting relationships with Joseph, then promptly forgetting that they exist. Most of the characters are affected by this, but these three are the worst victims.

Speedwagon and Erina are the two major characters that are brought over from part one after the fifty-year time gap. Erina is Joseph’s main caretaker, acting as the only firm counter to his destructive tendencies for the first few episodes. She’s the only one who can keep Joseph’s temper under control and reacts calmly while other characters are left in shock at his antics. (You can feel how used to him she is.) Though, after Joseph leaves New York to go chase the Pillar Men without telling her, she just... completely stops being relevant. I can’t think of a time where she’s brought up after the beginning until the ending footnotes where it’s said that she dies of old age after the story ended.

Speedwagon is essentially Joseph’s father figure, taking the place of the late Jonathan Joestar. He gets more importance than Erina as he’s kidnapped to lure Joseph to Mexico and discover the looming threat of the Pillar Men, but after that, he also gets largely pushed out of the story until the end, where he shows up with Speedwagon Foundation agents to help Joseph fight the vampire army. He’s important largely just because of the establishment of the Speedwagon Foundation, but he doesn’t do much else.

Smokey, a new character, is a boy that befriends Joseph at the very beginning and functions as a narrator-type character for the first couple of episodes, several moments even taking place in his point of view, until he also just... kind of leaves until the final fight with Kars. There, he just stays close to Speedwagon while commenting on what’s happening, functioning like a callback to the beginning more than anything else.

I don’t have much to say about them beyond this because the story doesn’t do anything meaningful with them after the first few episodes. It’s especially annoying because of the interesting dynamic these three introduce. Joseph is strange with people due to his inner desire for justice being concealed by his airheaded and impulsive nature, and he will often disregard strangers’ safety entirely but be extremely protective of his friends and loved ones. Erina and Speedwagon are his surrogate parents, so he respects them in a way unlike anybody else and is enraged when they come to harm. Smokey is a person Joseph meets and befriends, and we see him start to give him a similar treatment as he beats up several people who try to abuse him in very cheesy little anti-racism PSAs. However, due to this sudden shelving of all three of them, none of this goes anywhere. It’s disappointing.

Straizo

Straizo is another character brought over from part one, but instead of remaining an ally, he returns as an enemy. His main role in the story is to give a sense of escalated stakes compared to part one; he improves on Dio’s use of his vampire powers by utilizing his abilities more effectively, having the expertise and lower ego to do so. One of his first attacks was the blow that defeated Jonathan, the laser eye attack that Dio only used once. He is the first major struggle that Joseph faces in the story, and it’s the moment that makes you go “Oh, shit. This is real now.”

I like the angle that Battle Tendency went with Straizo. His fear of aging led him to lose his sanity and become a vampire; Hamon can prolong youth, but it doesn’t work forever. Vampires stay eternally youthful but lose their humanity in their lust for blood. Straizo tried to slow his aging by becoming a Hamon master, but when that stopped working, his terror drove him to forgo his morals and humanity in exchange for reclaiming his youth. This is especially effective because Straizo is a character we’re already familiar with and how it echoes some of the goals of the Pillar Men and their quest for ultimate power and eternal life.

Once he’s defeated, something interesting happens when Joseph saves him from falling off a bridge. Straizo inquires as to why Joseph would save him, then warns him of his future destiny. Sad music plays as he laments on his victory over his aging body and he bursts into pure Hamon light. While his flaws took over him in his last few days, you still kind of appreciate his strength and reflect on the time we saw him on-screen even if he turned evil in the end. This goes well with a recurring theme we’ll see pop up in Battle Tendency.

Straizo is essentially story foreshadowing, both for the story’s themes and to make you think “If skilled vampires are no big deal for Joseph, what will be the real challenge?” I think he works better here than in part one; it took what would have been a character that nobody would have remembered and made him a bit more worthwhile.

Caesar

I have to admit that Caesar is a character that I initially hated. It’s nothing deep; his rampant womanizing played off as a character quirk and his irritatingly condescending attitude just ticked me off. However, my feelings have softened towards him and my opinions are now mostly neutral. I think the fan perception and complaints about Caesar’s character are interesting, so I want to talk about what I think of him.

Caesar’s main purpose is to be Joseph’s foil and main companion. He’s a significantly more trained Hamon user that also possesses the charm and social skills that Joseph lacks. Caesar is sophisticated and focused, contrasting Joseph’s much wilder nature, but they share a tendency to be short-tempered and arrogant. Caesar also has a predisposed dislike of the Joestars due to his pride in his family- he blames Jonathan for the death of Will Zeppeli, so his dislike of Joseph naturally follows. This all seeds an initial hostility that results in them fighting while Speedwagon can only watch helplessly.

After their quarrel with Wamuu, though, Caesar begins to respect Joseph and their contempt fades after they train and go through multiple life-and-death scenarios together. Eventually, they become affectionate with each other, and they work together when they fight, using two kinds of Hamon at once to expel Esidisi from Suzi Q. Their mutual desire to defeat the Pillar Men led them to understand and respect each other in a way that almost makes you forget the rocky terms they were once on.

We see in his backstory that Caesar had once resented his father for abandoning him as a child, leading to him severing all ties with his family and becoming a feared criminal as a teenager. In a way, his fierce pride in his family was the cause of him going down the wrong path; his hatred of his father was because he disrespected his family, after all. However, his life is ultimately saved by his father, causing him to regain his respect and embrace his family once more. This backstory is intended to make Caesar feel less of a simple foil for Joseph and more of his own character- fittingly, it’s shown to us right after he and Joseph have a falling out, resulting in Caesar leaving the group and attempting to face Wamuu on his own.

I have seen complaints about the choice to kill off Caesar after he faces Wamuu. Some people say it was a cop-out, or that killing off Caesar was entirely a bad choice. Personally, though, I didn’t have a problem with this part of the story. While I do agree that Caesar being used more would’ve been nice, I think that’s more a symptom of Battle Tendency’s short length than the choice to kill him off here. I like how he puts up a genuine fight against Wamuu, severely damaging him and even having Wamuu say that Caesar was the toughest opponent he’s ever faced. We’re given hope that he might even win... until he takes a fatal hit.

After Joseph and Lisa Lisa find Caesar’s body, we get one of part two’s most iconic scenes and most powerful testament to Caesar and Joseph’s relationship: when they see Caesar’s blood seep out from under the rock that crushed him, Joseph screams his name and wails in grief. He’d only known Caesar for a few weeks, but they had grown so close that his death was that impactful for him.

Overall, I think Caesar is a decent deuteragonist. His relationship with Joseph is very satisfying to see develop and it’s arguably the most believable relationship that Battle Tendency has. He works well as a foil while also feeling like his own character, and I like the way his death played out writing-wise despite it not emotionally impacting me very much personally. He’s a victim of Battle Tendency’s stunted length, yes, but I could also say that for almost every character. Though I’m not personally enthusiastic about Caesar, I don’t think I could find many things to complain about (besides the fact that his misogyny gets annoying).

Lisa Lisa

I find Lisa Lisa’s writing interesting just as much as I do irritating. Unlike Joseph and Caesar’s blunt expressions of their emotions, Lisa Lisa masks her true feelings under a layer of coolness and apathy to be a strong mentor. On the surface, this makes her seem harsh and even cruel at times. She seemingly leaves Joseph and Caesar to die if they could not find a way to climb the oil-covered pillar by themselves. You see her as this tough, distanced teacher that puts them through grueling training out of necessity to beat the Pillar Men; for a while, you aren’t quite sure if she cares about them as individuals or if she just sees them as things to harden into proper weaponry against the enemy.

When Caesar dies, she attempts to appear level-headed and unfazed, even taking out a cigarette as she calmly orders Joseph to head out. Joseph is first enraged at her seeming disrespect and lack of care- only to realize that in reality, she was struggling to hold back her tears, her cigarette held backward in her hand. All this time, she had distanced herself to appear strong and composed, to the point where it appeared like she didn’t even care about her students or their lives. But in reality, she cared very much, and the loss of Caesar was just as emotionally devastating for her as it was for Joseph.

Though the uncomfortable incest jokes somewhat taint her relationship with Joseph, there is a lot of interesting stuff going on with them, too. She’s secretly Joseph’s mother, forced to abandon him as an infant for their safety after she murdered a vampire disguised as a military officer for killing her husband. She had to erase all traces of her identity and start a new life in Venice, with Joseph retaining no memory of her. (Fittingly, she was also adopted by Straizo as a child, which makes you view him in a different retrospective light as well.) With this extra context, it’s no wonder why she masks her true self so well; she’s been doing it constantly for years. Joseph’s complete lack of knowledge of their familial ties and anger at her coldness must’ve been incredibly painful for her, not only because she does care about her students, but because she and Joseph are family, something incredibly important and precious in Jojo.

While I think Lisa Lisa is a good character, a lot of the way that she’s handled annoys me. Her character is intended to be pro-female empowerment, with her skills being impressive and even sometimes surpassing the male characters. With the only women thus far in the series just functioning as minor love interests like Erina and Suzi Q, she breaks the standard for the first time by being not only an incredibly powerful Hamon user but a mentor figure that commands respect from the male characters. Even Caesar, the chronic womanizer, respects her and treats her like his superior. Having a woman be involved in the story instead of being relegated to a minor love interest character is a breath of fresh air for Jojo at this point in the series, so I can appreciate Lisa Lisa just on that end.

However, this message ultimately ends up falling flat. She’s mostly relegated to the “teacher” role and never actually gets to do any fighting herself. Curiously, she only gets to demonstrate her skills through enemies that exist purely to be defeated by her.

Remember this guy? (I didn’t.) He shows up, brags about how strong he is, and Lisa Lisa takes him out all in about three minutes. He’s a one-off goon that serves no purpose in the story other than showing off how “cool” and “badass” Lisa Lisa is.

Later, Lisa Lisa almost gets to fight Kars, a much more important and plot-relevant character, but this doesn’t end up happening. Kars simply cheats, uses a decoy, and stabs her in the back... and immediately, she becomes a defenseless, unconscious woman that Joseph needs to save.

We get all of this talk of Lisa Lisa having Hamon skills that make everyone else look like an amateur only for her to never be allowed to get involved in the fighting in any meaningful way. That goon that she killed, the only moment where she gets to fight, was a way of cheating us out of her skills being important to the story. She’s painted as a “strong” female character, but she is still functionally the damsel in distress.

I suppose you could view the damsel-ing as trying to subvert your expectations by building her up as strong only to have her become helpless, but doing that while trying to convey a message of female empowerment is just kind of insulting. It also disappointed me how she had no after-conversation with Joseph after he learned about their familial connection. Lisa Lisa was interesting, but ultimately badly used. (Also, the incest jokes were weird.)

The Pillar Men

I’ll be blunt: the Pillar Men are the best aspect of part two. They build upon the vampire and stone mask lore from part one in an extremely interesting way while still leaving room for mystery, contrast well with Joseph’s character, and suit the themes of the story very well.

There’s this David and Goliath dynamic set up between them and Joseph. It’s established that the Pillar Men like to eat vampires, the previously daunting threat of part one; it’s a superhuman food chain where humans are even less than prey. Even with intense Hamon training, the odds of a human winning against them are slim- Kars, Esidisi, and Wamuu alone drove the Hamon users to near-extinction years ago to the point where Lisa Lisa’s small group is all that’s left. So, then, if Jonathan, a natural Hamon user, struggled (and ultimately did not succeed) to defeat Dio, a measly vampire, how is Joseph supposed to defeat the Pillar Men and curb their plans for achieving ultimate power?

Though Kars is technically the main villain, I most often think of the Pillar Men altogether as the main antagonists of Battle Tendency. It’s partly because of this that my main gripe with the Pillar Men is that, beyond their premises, they feel kind of bare minimum. Most of their interactions with each other are just them standing menacingly and discussing their plans of getting the Red Stone. They would have benefited from expanding their backstories of traveling the world for the Stone together, having them interact and giving them clearer dynamics with each other, and exploring their personalities more. It sets up something interesting to think about but doesn’t use that setup to its fullest potential.

Santana

Santana is meant to be our introduction to the Pillar Men. He demonstrates their base abilities and gives Joseph a sample of the kind of enemy he’ll have to face. He’s the weakest of the four we meet alongside being less “sophisticated” than the others, not seeming to share their goals or knowledge. Despite this relative weakness, though, you note that he’s still extremely powerful. He’s hyper-intelligent and possesses a scary level of strength, two traits that were enough to immediately escape his containment and brutally slaughter an entire crew of soldiers like it was nothing.

Not only is he threatening, but he’s also very horror-esque. He reminded me a lot of John Carpenter’s The Thing with the way he contorts his body in disturbing ways, melting into his victim’s flesh and absorbing them. He gives off an almost otherworldly feeling with his alien biology combined with his stoic yet wild attitude as he digs into the human guards and kills them all in an instant. I think the tone here is executed wonderfully; for a minute, the upbeat and goofy tone due to Joseph’s antics takes a backseat to the dark, macabre reality of the part’s threat.

I also love the way he and Joseph interact with each other, with Joseph taking the situation with zero care and goofing around with Santana only to immediately go into a state of pure rage once he realizes Speedwagon is in danger. I enjoy the fight between them very much- Joseph, possessing but being critically untrained in the one thing keeping Santana from instantly killing him, needs to scramble together all of his luck and what little Hamon skill he has just to stave off instant death. It’s tenser than any fight we’ve had before and I was into it.

Though, while his fight is good, the way Santana’s character gets capped off is somewhat confusing. The way his body wasn’t fully destroyed and was instead preserved in UV light leads you to think that he was going to come back at some point, but this never happens. He doesn’t even get mentioned afterward besides the one off-hand comment from Kars. If there was no plan to bring Santana back, I don’t see why he couldn’t have just been killed off instead of being left in stasis like that. For the role he plays in the story, he works well, but he kind of leaves you hanging.

Esidisi

Esidisi is the general least favorite among the three major Pillar Men, and it’s fairly easy to see why. He’s a bit of an awkward middleman between the younger subordinate Wamuu and the dominant leader Kars. I always felt like out of the three, he was treated the least like a character and more just like a first boss fight. Though, even with the limited attention that he gets, I found his time in the spotlight still entertaining.

Esidisi shakes up your expectations on how the story structure will play out. He’s Wamuu’s higher-up, giving his poison ring second, yet he ends up confronting Joseph first. Most majorly, he shakes our confidence in Joseph for the first time. With the fights before, even when the odds get stacked against him, we’re always reassured by the idea that Joseph can predict his enemies’ moves and have a counter ready. With Esidisi, however, he’s so good at concealing his thought process that Joseph finds him utterly unreadable. Esidisi even once turns Joseph’s “next, you’ll say ____!” catchphrase on his head, predicting his thoughts first. For a while, our confidence that Joseph will win the fight alone is endangered.

Esidisi has a lot of interesting character traits, but they get frustratingly unexplored. It’s shown that he’s not afraid to show extreme displays of emotion if it’ll clear his head; when his arm is cut off, he suddenly starts bawling in grief for his lost limb, throwing Joseph off his game when he thought he managed to get the upper hand. However, this is the only scene we get showing this character trait. It’s also revealed in Kars’ backstory that Esidisi was the only Pillar Man who sided with Kars, and not only helped him genocide his people but raised two babies alongside him. This implies a very close and interesting relationship with Kars that is... not elaborated on in their actual interactions very much at all. Beyond his fight, it seems like the story wanted nothing to do with him.

When Esidisi is killed, something similar to what happened with Straizo occurs again, only more overtly. Joseph, feeling strangely bonded to him after their fight, honors his life and respects his drive to defend his comrades, setting aside good and evil just for a moment. Esidisi might’ve been a force for bad that needed to be stopped, but he lived for thousands of years and fought earnestly for what he believed in, and to Joseph, that’s something he can’t help but revere. This attitude of “you were evil, but I honor you after taking your life in battle” pops up once again in a surprisingly somber sendoff for a villain character.

Esidisi is my least favorite Pillar Man, but that’s not because I dislike him. He’s just the least important of the four and his most interesting traits were not focused on as much as the others.

Wamuu

Wamuu is my favorite character in Battle Tendency. Kars is the main villain, but I think Wamuu is more important than him for most of the story. He gets the most fights out of any of the Pillar Men, having three instead of just one. He’s the most developed and explored out of all the Pillar Men and ends up being the most well-written by far. He’s the only one I feel was used to his full potential and I ended up enjoying any time he was on screen.

Nowhere is the recurring theme of honoring courage and power regardless of alliance stronger than with Wamuu. Unlike Esidisi, he did not join Kars freely as an adult, instead being taken as a baby and raised to be loyal to him. Despite being on Kars’ side, he does not seem very interested in the Red Stone as much as he has the desire to be an honorable warrior and wants a fair, good battle for all that wish to challenge him. He often refuses to kill his opponents, requesting they get stronger and come back later to fight him again. We get a scene where Wamuu refuses to harm a little boy, believing it wouldn’t be fair for him, which makes Kars kill the child himself. When Caesar was about to die, he stole Wamuu’s poison ring to give to Joseph, which he allowed simply out of respect. While Wamuu is still an antagonist, you get the impression that he’s not quite as evil as the others.

The final fight with Wamuu in the arena is my favorite arc in part two. It’s tense, creative, and incredibly investing. The fight being in horse-drawn carriages reminiscent of Roman gladiator shows with a crowd judging Joseph’s every move shook up the typical fight structure and fits both Joseph and Wamuu’s characters incredibly well. Wamuu loves fighting and expressing his strength, and Joseph is such an entertaining and performance-based character, why not turn their final battle into a show? Both Wamuu and Joseph dangle on the brink of death at several points throughout and have to make serious shifts in mental states to give themselves the strength to keep going. I don’t know how to elaborate on how much I like this fight in any better way than “it’s so cool, holy shit”.

(Side note: In the fight, Joseph calls on Caesar’s spirit to help him, burning his headband as a symbol that he was with him the entire time. Usually, in Jojo, death is a very final sendoff for a character; when someone is dead, they’re rarely mentioned again. I found it surprising that such a major symbolic move in Caesar’s name would be used so far after he died. It’s an additional testament to how strong Joseph and Caesar’s bond became.)

When Wamuu takes a fatal hit, instead of celebrating or finishing him off, Joseph eases his pain in his final moments by giving him his blood and they share a surprisingly tender final conversation about respecting each other and the honor of battle. Wamuu even flat-out says that immortality means nothing to him- all he was seeking was a true warrior to challenge, and he finally found that with Joseph.

Even though they just tried to murder each other, there’s no animosity between them in this last scene. As Joseph salutes Wammu’s passing, the narration even states that, in a complex way, they were friends.

I always thought this theme of honor was the most fascinating thing about Battle Tendency, and it’s done in such a believable, earnest way with Wamuu. He’s what I look back upon most positively when I think about part two. I wish the rest of the part was as good as this, but frustratingly, it just isn’t.

Kars

I have mixed feelings about Kars. Though the Pillar Men as a whole are good villains, Kars himself falls short as the main antagonist. There are a lot of things that I like about him as a character, but he’s not a great main villain.

Most of the issue comes from the fact that he stays out of the conflict for most of the story to build suspense only to have an underwhelming final fight that doesn’t keep him in your memory very well. He doesn’t give Joseph a poison ring and largely keeps to the shadows as a calm, mysterious leader figure. He gives hints of an interesting character throughout- we know he’s the mastermind behind the Red Stone plot, meaning he’s incredibly intelligent and has a strong desire for power, but outwardly, he seems very quiet and composed aside from short bursts of maniacal laughter or bloodlust.

Kars’ morality and respect for life are complex. He has an appreciation for nature, actively avoiding causing harm to plant life and saving animals on multiple occasions. Compare the scene of Kars slicing a car in half to save a dog to Dio burning Danny alive in part one- Araki loves dogs and uses their murder to symbolize pure evil in a character, and Kars actively contrasts this. And, while he goes against his comrades’ wishes from time to time, killing a boy that Wamuu wanted to let live, there’s no sign that he doesn’t care about his allies, with him mourning their deaths and swearing to avenge both of them after they’re gone.

However, not only does he slaughter hordes of humans in his way, but in his past, he genocided his people for not aiding him in his quest to gain immortality. He is perfectly willing to be heartless if it means getting what he wants. While he may have some humanizing traits, his ambition turned him into a monster regardless.

Once Wamuu and Esidisi are dead, he betrays his agreement to a fair battle and stabs Lisa Lisa in the back. His stoic exterior falls as his true deceitful nature is revealed and he disrespects everything his recently-deceased comrade valued. For the final fight against Kars, the morality and respect dynamic built up throughout the story is thrown in the garbage. Not only is he evil, but he’s also a dishonest piece of shit. Unlike Esidisi and Wamuu, no respect is afforded to him.

I like this personality twist for Kars in theory, but in terms of a climax and conclusion, the final fight wasn’t very good. Once Kars gets the Red Stone and becomes an unkillable superbeing, the fight essentially becomes Joseph being chased by Kars as he desperately thinks of ways to hold him off. In some way, my issue with this final fight is something inherent to having an unkillable, all-powerful villain like this- virtually the only way they’re going to be physically defeated is through some serious plot contrivances that instantly break story immersion. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens, as Joseph suddenly holds up the Red Stone as Kars attempts the killing blow, leading to a volcanic eruption, which... launches Kars into space, somehow.

Symbolically, I like this fate for Kars. He committed atrocities all in the name of his obsession with immortality, and eventually, he got it- however, this turns into his curse as he’s doomed to float in space for eternity, causing his formerly genius mind to stop functioning as he wishes for death only to never receive it. However, as an end to the final battle, I did not find this well-written, sensical, or satisfying. This felt like a sudden jolt to the finish line using stretches of logic far further than even acceptable for Jojo. The only word I can think of to describe it is “lazy”.

As you’ve probably noticed, there’s one big aspect of part two that I have neglected to mention so far. This is, of course, Stroheim and the major plot point of the Nazis. I felt this needed to be discussed in its own section, so now, I will do that.

Rudol von Stroheim (and the inclusion of Nazi Germany)

The inclusion of Nazi Germany along with prominent Nazi characters is arguably Battle Tendency’s most infamous feature, and it’s easy to see why. The Nazis have a big impact on part two and make several recurrences throughout it. When it comes to including Nazis in a story, it is important to take care in the way you portray them; bad handling of any sensitive subject can lead to your work sending unintended messaging to the viewer that might not be ideal. Unfortunately, this is where we run into some issues when it comes to Battle Tendency.

The first Nazi appearance in the story is when Joseph arrives in Mexico to find Santana. The Nazis, stationed there with the Pillar Man in his dormant state, want to utilize him as a weapon for their plan of world domination. Battle Tendency takes place in 1938; while the Nazis were in control of Germany at this time, this is before World War II began with Germany’s invasion of Poland in 1939, and a few years before the Holocaust in 1941, the Nazis’ worst atrocity.

Despite this, though, the Nazis’ brutality and fascism are made very clear in the beginning. Not only do they explicitly desire world domination, but it’s also revealed that they’re holding an entire Mexican village prisoner, packing them into cages, experimenting on them, forcing the women into sexual acts, and using them as servants. In one scene, they promise to let the innocent people go free if they choose one person to sacrifice for an experiment- only to then reveal they intend to have them all executed except for the sacrifice instead in a cruel twist of extra psychological torture. This is not far off from real tactics Nazis used in their brutal treatment of minorities; inhumane experiments on prisoners were frequently done by Nazi scientists and Jewish prisoners were often tricked by being told that they were being given a shower before being gassed to death.

Rudol von Stroheim, a Nazi officer in charge of facilitating the experiments on Santana, kidnapped Speedwagon to get information on the Pillar Men, forcibly extracting information from him with a truth serum. He sexually harasses prisoners on-screen and was the one who personally decided to execute the villagers being held captive.

He, a high-ranking Nazi, commits an explicit act of genocide on a group of innocent people. Keep this in mind.

Though it’s fictionalized in the typical Jojo fashion, I feel as though at this point, the Nazis are very explicitly framed as evil. They murder innocents, they kidnap, they torture, and they want to take over the world; all things you are very clearly not supposed to like. There is the question of if this was an appropriate thing to bring into such a goofy story like Battle Tendency, but that is not my focus- if the story stayed like this, I would not have felt much of a need to write about it. However, when Santana breaches containment and slaughters Stroheim’s crew, something very odd begins to happen.

During the fight with Santana, Stroheim ends up helping Joseph. After Santana grabs onto Stroheim’s leg, he demands that Joseph chop his leg off, claiming that he would gladly lose limbs if it were for the sake of Germany. Joseph, who previously did not care for the Nazis, makes this remark:

“I thought he was a coward, but when the going gets tough, his bravery shines through.”

Stroheim then proceeds to sacrifice himself by using an explosive device to try and take both himself and Santana out at once, something that brings our protagonist to... tears.

At this point, I was getting confused. Why is the Nazi who just massacred a village being mourned by our protagonist (who did not spare a second of thought for the slaughter of an entire group of Nazis a few minutes ago)? You could make the argument that Joseph didn’t see or know about anything Stroheim did, but the way this scene is framed makes it feel as though we are supposed to feel the same as Joseph here- we are supposed to feel bad about Stroheim’s death. I do not see how this was in any way earned or justified and it feels jarring and inappropriate.

Later, after Joseph meets Caesar in Italy, it’s revealed that Caesar has a friend that’ll take them over to the site where the other Pillar Men are being held. He also just so happens to be a Nazi.

This character is portrayed as a good man with any rivalry explained away by the fact that Italy and Germany are allies. The fact that he’s a Nazi is nothing but a background detail, and Caesar’s friendship with him is treated as something harmless. When Joseph’s group arrives at the Pillar Men’s site, Caesar’s Nazi friend is killed by Wamuu and it’s treated as something tragic yet again as Caesar mourns his death. This is twice now that a Nazi character being killed is taken as some horrible casualty of the Pillar Men that we’re supposed to feel bad about. (The Nazi character didn’t even do anything particularly brave this time.)

After this, the Nazis are out of the story until Joseph’s group travels to Switzerland to find the Red Stone. There, they are again encountered by the Nazis, revealing that they have been watching them this whole time. Joseph’s group and the Nazis then agree (though through pressure from the Nazis) to help each other, with Joseph’s group giving them information on the Red Stone and the Pillar Men and the Nazis letting them into their base for shelter and providing help with defeating them. (Interestingly, it is said yet again that the Nazis are seeking world domination, but this is pretty much ignored.)

They are then all ambushed by Kars in search of the Red Stone, but as Kars tries to attack, a retaliation happens from none other than Stroheim. It turns out that, despite Stroheim’s body being blown to bits, he was rebuilt with the Nazi’s advanced technology and is now a kind of cyborg, allowing him to come back from the brink of death with an entire arsenal of weapons in his body. Joseph remarks on Stroheim’s return with this... interesting line of dialogue:

Too… pompous. Stroheim is just too pompous. Yes. That’s the problem. (This is sarcasm.)

After Stroheim fails to stop Kars, the Nazis are once again out of the story until Kars tricks Joseph and he’s swarmed with vampires, where the Nazis barge into the plot once again. They and the Speedwagon Foundation have developed anti-vampire technology and helped in the final fight by getting rid of the vampire army so Joseph can focus on Kars. Speedwagon makes a lighthearted comment about Stroheim:

You would think that he would have a significantly less friendly attitude toward the fascist that kidnapped him, forced information out of him, and was responsible for awakening the Pillar Men in the first place, but I guess not.

Stroheim helps Joseph fight Kars and they both witness him getting launched into space. At the very end, Stroheim receives a mention in the summary of the character’s fates, where it’s stated that he... dies an “honorable” death fighting for the Nazi army in Stalingrad.

“Honorable.” The Nazi general. The fascist. The character that sexually abused innocent prisoners he was using as slaves. The character that mercilessly slaughtered an entire village of innocent people to fuel his weapon of mass destruction. The character that does an explicit Hitler salute and is shown in nothing but Nazi attire throughout the story. “A proud German soldier.” “Honorable.”

Yeah, can you see why this is bad?

The way that the Nazis are portrayed is, at best, a severe flaw in Battle Tendency’s writing. At worst, this is, intentionally or not, actual Nazi sympathizing. Regardless, this upsets the balance of the entire part and makes for some incredibly uncomfortable viewing, to the point where it supersedes every positive aspect of part two- in a lot of ways, it is the real rot underlying this part, tainting the entire story and making every character at least a little bit unlikeable. This is the reason why I can’t say that I fully like Joseph or Caesar as characters. It’s the reason why I avoid talking about this part in casual discussions, and when I do, I have to use such vague language and swerve around major plot points to not immediately escalate the conversation, as I have been doing throughout this analysis until now.

Every attempt to defend this that I’ve seen has involved ignoring the obvious and pushing claims that are just not true about what Battle Tendency did here. You can’t call what happened to the Nazis a character redemption; no true change in belief occurs here. The Nazis never stop being Nazis, nor do they cease seeking world domination. Stroheim never faces consequences or is even criticized for slaughtering innocent people to use in his experiments. The only reason why he realizes that he was wrong for doing it was that Santana was too powerful to control. It’s not a “WWII hadn’t started, so the story operates like the Nazis aren’t bad because we didn’t know it yet” scenario, because we see the Nazis have explicitly fascist goals and commit atrocities before their rapid portrayal shift. It isn’t just a worst-case “teaming up with one enemy to defeat a larger one” scenario, either, because as we can see, Stroheim and other Nazi characters are actively praised and treated as good people after this point. No matter how I look at it, this is indefensible.

If this wasn’t already bad enough, it also makes the whole story confusing and unfulfilling. Remember, the Pillar Men are supposed to be omnicidal tyrants, but the only hordes of people we see them kill are Nazis. This is intended to paint them as monsters who kill without a second thought, but it doesn’t register because the only people they’re killing are tyrants themselves. (If you ask me, it has the exact opposite effect of making them the most likable characters in the story.)

Not only that, but aren’t the Nazis even more of a threat than the Pillar Men are? With their similar desire for world domination combined with highly advanced technology, exponentially greater numbers, and, thanks to Joseph, knowledge of Hamon and the Red Stone, they’d also pose (and obviously ended up being) a massive threat. Battle Tendency ended on a “happy” note due to Kars’ defeat with only a brief side mention that World War II began at the story’s conclusion. Joseph stops one disaster only to completely ignore, if not aid, another starting. (Hell, Jewish people are never even mentioned despite being the most major of the Nazis’ victims. What’s up with that?)

What makes this whole thing especially angering and upsetting to me is that this series has quite a bit of messaging that’s very anti-Nazi, including in Battle Tendency. Let me put it this way: In terms of actions and desires, what makes the Pillar Men different from the Nazis? The Pillar Men wanted immortality; so did Nazi Germany. The Pillar Men wanted world domination; so did Nazi Germany. The Pillar Men slaughtered innocent people without care; so did Nazi Germany. Every single thing that the Pillar Men are treated as evil for, the Nazis explicitly wanted and did as well, if not even more and more successfully. If the Pillar Men are treated as evil tyrants who need to be stopped, why aren’t the Nazis acknowledged for attempting the same thing? Why is Kars’ slaughter of innocents and desire for immortality and world domination an inexcusable evil, but Stroheim is forgiven and gets to become a core ally despite trying to achieve the same thing and never realizing that his army is in the wrong?

There are more examples of this, too. Do you remember Battle Tendency’s opening scene, where Joseph defends a black child from being brutalized by corrupt policemen in a cheesy but blatant anti-racism message? What about Lisa Lisa, the point of her character advocating for gender equality and the idea that women can be just as capable in battle as men? What about George Joestar II, who fought in World War I against Germany and was framed like a hero for it? All of this (attempted) messaging- gender equality, anti-racism, anti-genocide- are things that do not fall in line with a pro-Nazi line of thinking. Not only that, but remember, you also have the fact that in the beginning, Nazis were explicitly portrayed as bad. They were treated as evil for having the goals that they did. You saw the way that they brutalized minorities and viewed every other nation and people as inferior to them, and it was framed as harmful.

This is where my opinions get more complicated. While the portrayal of Nazism in Battle Tendency is an unforgivable oversight regardless of its original intent, I do not believe that Battle Tendency was intending to send a pro-fascist message. I just do not think that a writer with a truly positive view of Nazis would put scenes like Stroheim’s sexual abuse, slaughtering of clearly innocent prisoners, and blatant irrational German ultranationalist beliefs into the story. So, then… How did this end up happening?

I think that there are a couple of underlying problems that led to this. The first one is the broken way that Battle Tendency treats its antagonists. When Stroheim and the Nazis were being more appropriately portrayed as evil, it was before the Pillar Men were introduced into the story- Santana and the others were still in their “dormant” states, so they were not yet a threat. Stroheim was Joseph’s main priority in stopping as he was the biggest threat introduced so far, and so he was treated as a villain.

The moment that Stroheim’s portrayal flips can be pinpointed to when he begins fighting the Pillar Men instead of aiding them. The characters, instead of objecting to his help, instead seem to completely forget what Stroheim was doing beforehand and accept his and the Nazi’s allyship with little to no fuss. Their attitudes become very lighthearted, with the most negative comments being light teasing about Stroheim’s obsession with German superiority. The Nazis suddenly start being portrayed in a disturbingly positive light as they become recurring characters due to proving useful allies against the Pillar Men; to rub it in, it’s even revealed that Caesar has a friend who’s a Nazi. The Nazis stopped allying with the Pillar Men, so in the eyes of the narrative, they have become the “good” guys.

Another thing that I think contributed to this is the recurring theme that Battle Tendency has towards honoring power regardless of good or evil. The same thing happened to Straizo, Esidisi, and Wamuu; once they were defeated, the story tries to make you respect them for their fighting strength even though they were evil. It doesn’t matter if they were good or bad, the story says- they were strong, honorable fighters that committed to their beliefs with all of their hearts, which is worthy of respect regardless of morality. After the Nazis were shifted from their “antagonist” role, I think this theme might have been haphazardly applied. Stroheim was a prideful soldier committed to his cause, and so, according to the story, it doesn’t matter if he was an evil, genocidal tyrant hellbent on world domination… he was “honorable”.

This is the only explanation I can think of; the story simply forgot what kind of character it created. Since Stroheim was not with the main bad guys anymore, and he was “honorable”, he became an ally, even if that means ignoring his vile actions and beliefs to paint him in that light. What was previously a genocidal fascist is suddenly now a goofy exaggerated nationalist who’s ultimately a brave soldier at heart. The fact that Stroheim is a totalitarian and a murderer with no difference in desire from the Pillar Men has to be greatly downplayed and eventually just forgotten about.

I don’t think I need to explain how this is bad writing. The story introduced a threat that is just as severe, if not more so than its main villains, but did not have the desire to deal with that conflict- so instead, it opts to make fascists the good guys out of the blue, which is monumentally thoughtless even in the most charitable lighting you could give it. While I believe that this messaging was likely accidental, that does not change what this botched writing ends up signaling to the viewer. When it comes to Nazis in fiction, you have to be careful with the way you portray them- something Battle Tendency did not do. Ultimately, nothing will excuse the fact that this part made a Nazi a good guy, and I wouldn’t blame anybody for skipping Battle Tendency or even dropping the series entirely for that.

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My issues with other parts are to do with typical writing flaws and maybe some mishandling of subjects that ultimately does not ruin the entire story. Battle Tendency, though, has flaws overpowering any of its strengths to the point where it’s nearly unwatchable for me. I have no desire to read the manga or rewatch the anime for this part and I’m honestly glad that it doesn’t get acknowledged very much going onward. What’s a shame is that there are a lot of good things about it- the antagonists were great, the protagonist was entertaining, and I like many of its themes and how it expands part one, but overall, it’s just not good.

#shoe talks a lot #haven't made one of these in a while #this should've been finished a lot sooner i'm sorry guys. the procrastination just got to me #i hope the length isn't too daunting i broke it up into a lot of smaller chunks #for an overview of the word count the general analysis is ~6700 words total #and then the end bit specifically for the n/zis is around 2800 words (i felt like that needed its own separate discussion)#i'm kind of nervous to post this since i've had it as a document for so long. i hope you guys like it #battle tendency #jojo's bizarre adventure #criticism #jjba part 2 #jjba part two

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taki118 · 6 months

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SuyaLight Master Post Part 16

I really like these two there’s not a lot of content for the fandom as a whole soooo here’s my submission as I get every moment of these two royals who literally share a braincell (and I love them for it) First up this is just on the manga if you are anime only its going to have stuff you havent seen, yes even with what the anime covers (so read it) and there will be spoilers so beware. If you prefer Demon Monk/Cleric/Leo (which I don’t really get) I am sorry this isnt for you. Lets go! Part 1 is here Part 2 is here Part 3 is here Part 4 is here Part 5 is here Part 6 is here Part 7 is here Part 8 is here Part 8.5 is here Part 9 is here Part 10 is here Part 11 is here Part 12 is here Part 13 is here Part 14 is here Part 15 is here

Twilight finds out Sand dragon is spending time with his dad and gets jealous so he get Suya to tail them (also she finally finds out that the little kid is his dad depowered)

I think it says a lot that he goes to Suya to complain like Twilight knows he's being ridiculous and he doesn't want anyone else to know so he trusts her to not say anything. Suya agrees to help him cause he can't sleep cause he's worrying too much, but

It legit just looks like they're on a date

WHile Twilight freaks out over the time his dad and sand are spending together SUya is just enjoying her time out of the castle

I do love how she's able to kinda control Twilight

It's revealed that all his dad wanted was to get a gift for Twilight and thought Sand would be good to consult with since he's close in age to Twilight. Twilight realizes that this is why Suya kept saying everything was fine she knew all along

Even though she thought it was stupid she was happy to have helped Twilight

Suya's mom has been spreading videos she took of the demons and this info has reached them. Its funny that Suya thinks the demons are cute.

As Twilight worries over these embarrassing moments get shared with humans and Suya sends his own words back at him.

And it sorta makes sense as human's think demons are just monsters but these silly videos show their humanity. We later find out that Suya's mom took a lot of Twilight (like she wanted to show off he future son in law kidding kidding.....)

One of the 10 is revealed to have had a relationship (Not sure if its platonic or romantic) with Suya's grandmother but it was one her grandmother spoke of fondly. I just find Twilights ending words here sweet.

Suya.....reflects? on her actions in the previous chapter and is just casually in Twilights room again.

Twilight thinks he can just wave her off but no

She wants to hear a story. (I wonder if she's maybe jealous)

They're just too cute

I just love that she's taking notes as Twilight recounts his first love as a kid. The audience is well aware it's Dawner the hero after he get left in the woods by Suya as kids, but these two haven't figured it out.

This meeting however is what caused Twilight to reconsider humans

Twilight does want to meet "Her" again but doesn't think it's possible

Suya goes to sleep on his bed feeling better knowing that the story wasn't all that important (I think she's just glad to know his love story wasn't all the much and she doesnt have a rival)

Again says a lot that Twilight goes to Suya for help

While she knows Suya wants Twilight to come to his own conclusion almost like guiding him to be a better ruler

Soon though she joins him and explains the man's behavior, Twilight still though is unsure despite suya saying he confessed all this to her.

Twilight feels awful though when he realizes it's the truth feeling incompetent as a ruler but Suya supports him.

So she gives twilight a pin to join the spy club that he had made to better connect.

He's touched but its not totally altruistic

Which he soon finds out, at least this time Suya thought she had told him

#aurora suya rhys kaymin #princess suya #suyalight #demon king twilight #sleepy princess in the demon castle #maoujou de oyasumi #maou jou de oyasumi #manga #long post

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seeyounexttime · 1 year

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This is Part 2. Please read Part 1 first.

Whenever you scroll down, a red square that says MENU appears in the lower right-hand corner

Tap that

You get a menu like this:

新着情報 "What's New"

Sends you to the same place that the ARCHIVE button from the home page did.

チケット・劇場情報 "Ticket - Theater Information"

This is only in Japan: those who go to the movie premiere will also receive the special volume 23.5 "Sword of the Wizard King" written by Johnny Onda (who wrote previous Black Clover light novels), with the original draft by Tabata.

"Wait there's light novels?" you may find yourself asking. The answer is yes. Yes, there is. There's 3 of the them. Part of the first light novel was adapted into the two "The man named Fanzell" episodes from the anime. Fanzell, Domina, and Mariella were all introduced in that first light novel, and later they appeared in the manga in the Witchs' Forest arc.

There is no official translation, but there's a fan translation available here:

https://blackcloverdatabase.tumblr.com/novels

Apparently this new novel will also contain interviews with the voice actors.

イントロダクション・ストーリー "Introduction - Story"

Takes you back to the home page. I already covered this in the previous post.

キャラクター・キャスト "Character - Cast"

Click on that one. Here's a direct link while I'm at it:

https://bclover-movie.jp/character/

It just gives a little description of the characters. Nothing we don't already know.

They have their designs from the 6-month timeskip (Yuno is listed as vice-captain and Julius is a child too), but the movie will take place before the Dark Triad's attack.

Then there's some info about their voice actors like awards and some roles, but you can find more thorough info about them on Wikipedia or myanimelist, etc

So let's go the actual interesting part: the new characters 👀

Conrad Leto

The 27th Wizard King. Attribute: ???

Julius's Wizard King predecessor. He was respected and loved by the citizens of the Clover Kingdom, but suddenly rose in revolt against the Clover Kingdom.

Edward Avalaché

The 20th Wizard King. Attribute: ???

A person who was once Wizard King. He was also a Father in the church; a presence who was idolized and depended on by the people. He thought he needed to change the situation of weak people.

The description of his voice actor, Hōchū Ohtsuka, actually adds a bit of information about Edward:

He plays the resurrected 20th Wizard King Edward, an original movie character. Pay attention to how he plays Edward's strict personality.

Princia Funnybunny

The 11th Wizard King. Attribute: ???

A person who was once Wizard King. A larger than life mighty warrior who took pride in having one of the best combat abilities among successive Wizard Kings. She was feared by people because of that strength.

The description of her voice actor, Miyuki Sawashiro, also includes a bit more about Princia:

She plays the resurrected 11th Wizard King Princia, an original movie character. Pay attention to how she plays Princia, who has a cold and cruel personality, but relaxes her guard around companions she can trust.

Jester Garandros

The 16th Wizard King. Attribute: ???

A person who was once Wizard King. He is sometimes seen speaking and behaving like he looks down on others, and has a flippant attitude like a clown, but he possesses a calculating strategist side.

From the description of Jester's voice actor, Fumiya Takahashi:

He plays the resurrected 16th Wizard King Jester, an original movie character. Pay attention to how he plays the calculating Jester.

Millie Maxwell

Magic Tool Research Lab: Branch 0

As the coordinator of the "Magic Tool Research Lab: Branch 0", she conducts research with Sally. She doesn't like unfounded ways of thinking that leave it up to chance such as "doing something without a plan", and people who take action with nothing but sensibility are not her cup of tea.

After that is the Black Bulls. Again it's just a short description that we already know. But there was this: they wrote Zora as Zola, and Henry Legolant as Henry Legorant.

Then it's the captains, some magic knights, and others. Again, stuff we already know.

Lumiere

Clover Kingdom's prince 500 years ago. He protected the kingdom from a demon, and later became known as the "Wizard King." He left behind numerous magic tools for future generations.

Considering that one of the original characters is a researcher for the Magic Tool Research Lab, I wonder if one of Lumiere's magic tools will become relevant in the movie?

Sally

A magic scientist who loves research and experiments. She used to belong to the terrorist organization "Eye of the Midnight Sun", but is now conducting research on magic tools at the "Magic Tool Research Lab: Branch 0"

スタッフ・音楽 "Staff - Music"

Talks a little bit about the previous work of Tabata, the director, character designer, (background) music, and studio – which as previously noted, is the same folks behind the anime.

TREASURE, the same boyband that provided the anime's 13th ending song "Beautiful", will again contribute a song to Black Clover (I assume the ending song)

世界観 "World"

This page gives a quick rundown of the Black Clover world, such as: the Clover Kingdom, the Wizard King, the Magic Knights, the Black Bulls, and grimoires.

ムービー "Movie"

Videos related to the movie's advertisment.

TVシリーズ "TV Series"

That takes you to the website about the anime series.

⁠☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ

And that's just about it for the website besides some bits of information from the newsflashes.

Remember the Date: March 31st

#black clover #black clover sword of the wizard king #black clover movie #conrad leto #edward avalache #princia funnybunny #jester garandros #millie maxwell #black clover Sally #lumiere silvamillion clover #long post

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demonslayedher · 1 year

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More spoilery thoughts and opinions on Episode 1 of the Swordsmith Village Arc

I've seen some opinions out there that the new OP is cheesy, and... you know what, it kinda is. However, this is also a bit of a cheesy arc for how it spoon feeds us the back stories of two Pillars without reaching the height of their arcs, like the previous two did with a focus on a single Pillar each. Plus, Gyokko and Hantengu are kind of the throwaway Moons. I'm sure the song will quickly grow on me and I really like some of the visuals and subtle use of early dawn lighting.

Poor Genya gets shafted though, he's bound to get Akaza come-from-behind marketing treatment, he has to. I had the pleasure this time overhearing an excited Genya fangirl leaving the theater.

Mitsuri really truly is adorable and I love her performance of so many lines, but... I kinda thought her interactions with Nezuko were gonna be cuter than that and I'm still sad I didn't get to hear her singing "Miya-san" so I guess I'll just have to do my best Hanazawa-san impression and sing it myself.

Gotou still steals the show, though. I know this is supposed to be the big flashy Upper Moon meeting in which the Fortress steals the show, but no, this was Gotou's stage. His vocal performance has so much personality and I love it.

Jumping back to non-spoilery territory, I love that scene of Gyutaro bullying Tanjiro, it's got so much impact. They went so hard on that and just slowing it down and letting every action breathe. Also, Daki's death tears me up EVERY TIME.

Also going backwards, I love the AMVs at the beginning, the editing on the Gurenge one is especially chef's kiss. Lining up Tanjiro's line with "terashite" is just wow.

I love Tanjiro banging his head on the floor. I love Nezuko crawling around under tables.

Tecchin's two styles of vocal performance worked so well for me. Also I love hearing all the Kakushi and random swordsmiths, I love how there's so many individuals in this Corp. I do not know what was up with the Kakushi waiting for Mitsuri to follow her, though. In the manga I read her discomfort as needing Mitsuri to hurry and come but being unable to pester a Pillar, but the anime the seemed to take it as the Kakushi being all fluffy in the head listening to to Mitsuri praise Tanjiro and give him advice (and to be fair, I was also fluffy in the head listening to that scene again, I feel all wrapped up and warm in Hanazawa-san's voice in surround sound), but.... it comes off like the Kakushi has a really, really big crush on Mitsuri. I mean, sure, but... it was a touch distracting.

I really don't mind the "Tanjiro is a shonen hero who has encounters with sexy women and he cannot help but be a bit bothered" thing. Tanjiro's as respectful as it gets for a teenage boy with a typical sex drive, what with being able to still carry on a conversation with Shinobu when she gets in his personal space or Mitsuri being absentmindedly provocative. Cover her!! Save the rice balls!! On the other hand, I was annoyed by Zenitsu's one appearance when I first saw this, but on second watch, yeah, what else do we expect from Zenitsu, it wasn't all that bad to just be excited that a girl might be thinking of him. But also, it's so sweet that Aoi got to have a little narration? I feel so bad for her running into walls, though!

Wow, that last paragraph was all over the place.

Kanao is still so timid, with how much she talks in the fight with Douma and even during the fight with Muzan, it's easy to forget she's still barely gotten used to this whole speaking up thing, after years of never saying anything unless prompted. Poor baby is still so fragile. I love how after her startling outburst Kiyo still winds up mothering her by suggesting what they go do next.

I really like Yoriichi's voice, it's similar to Tanjuro but filled with a very different mindset, one that really does make you feel what Tanjiro feels for him, wishes he wouldn't think such lonesome things. I like that he feels like a full grown man and not someone who can be confused with the teenage members of the cast. Also, great editing choice to end the episode on Tanjiro seeing the battle doll, instead of seeing it later on like he did in the manga. Also, baby Sumire has reddish hair, eeeeee!!!

THE TITLE CARD FOR THIS EPISODE HAD A MOTIF OF YORIICHI'S EARRING AND PLUM BLOSSOMS LIKE ON UTA'S KIMONO, EEEEEE

Speaking of previews, I was not happy to see all those previews of settings in the Infinity Fortress Arc. I'M NOT READY TO WATCH MORE PILLARS DIE, OKAY, but I do like that Ufotable is winking at us like, "oh yeah, you're totally gonna get it all, see, we already have models started." I assume they'll add more details once they're animating that season, but speaking of improving on the model in later seasons... HOLY SMOKES, LOOK AT DOUMA'S EYES

You know what? I found Gyokko's awkward/uncomfortable "uhhhhnnn"'s kind of endearing and I'm looking forward to more. Also, seeing him in animation is already making Hantengu grow on me in a "he's a funny little guy" kind of way. It'll be fun to hear the range on how he's performed.

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trappedward · 1 year

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BLOG #06 - Holy shit I never made any kind of post about the ending of Haisha-san, attematsu!

For anyone unfamiliar, Haisha-san, attematsu! is a manga written and illustrated by Yamazaki Sho. The full series is available to read for free on MangaPlus. Link: https://mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp/titles/100114

It is intentionally meant to be kind of bait-y from a first glance. It looks sus but I ensure you it's not! (There is also a little bit of borderline sus stuff in the first 3 or so chapters but I promise, PROMISE, it really isn't anything like that once you get into the nitty gritty of it).

Anyhow, on Saturday the 21st of January (at the time of writing this, last Saturday), the last chapter of the series was published. I wasn't expecting it. I knew the series was coming to an end because of the pace of the chapters before this one, but I thought it would at least have a few more left to go. But no. This is the end.

The author / PR team has stated on twitter that there is bonuses to still be released for the paperback print. However, I am unsure as to whether the bonuses will also be released digitally because when the last chapter came out, the usual notice for the next chapter release at the bottom of the website page was not there. I am hoping we get digital uploads, otherwise I will have to wait and see if it gets a physical print in english and this could take any amount of time, if it even happens at all - as I am to believe that the series is not as popular in English speaking audiences as it is in Japanese audiences. I think the advertising is partially to blame as there is virtually none for this series other than the twitter account that is in Japanese.

So, with all the background now given, I have to get off my chest the thoughts and feelings I had on this 'final' chapter. First emotion I felt was sadness. I was actually genuinely mourning / grieving the end of this manga. Even though it only updated bi-weekly, it kept me going through the weeks as I could always tell myself to keep looking forward to the new chapter releases. My next feeling was a slight bit of disappointment. I felt that this last chapter was a bit rushed / too fast paced for all of the previous material it had to cover or wrap up. There were too many loose ends left untied and I had many questions as to what this ending meant for various characters, not just our MCs. I am hoping that this can be answered or rather compensated for in the bonuses coming up.

Spoiler warning from here on out.

From what I could gather, Takuma and Tomori choose to remain friends after everything was all said and done. The scene of them bathing in the bathhouse was a reused one from the initial one-shot that this series was (it was made a full series after the one-shot was made - I assume it got popular and therefore appointed it's own series). This, to me, was what felt rushed. From chapter 67-68, we don't see any progression from Takuma's realisation to the two of them becoming friends / allies. Takuma mentions at the end of chapter 67 that he wishes to have a drink of sake with Tomori as 'brothers' (yakuza term) but we don't even get to see this. It just jumps straight into the resolution for chapter 68 and we don't get to see the progression in between. This felt rushed to me and it is also why I was surprised initially that this was indeed the final chapter because I had assumed we would at least get to view this progression before we came to a conclusion. It made me a bit sad because until now, the pacing of the series was steady and well plotted and the ending sort of let it down a bit. If the bonuses can compensate for this by providing a bit more story of what happens afterword or perhaps what happened during the jump between chapter 67 and 68, then it will no longer bother me and I will not view this ending as such a fail. If not, it may leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth cause I feel that it deserved more. I may be bias cause it's my favourite series but I mean c'mon, I want peoples' projects to be a reflection of their own passion - they deserve to have good quality for something they care about.

EDIT: Here's more on what I meant about lack of progression. First is what I was saying about the cups of sake. Tomori mentions it here and then that's the end of this scene. Nothing else. Just yeah we did do that.

Like hello????? I want to know what they talked about!! What was the exchange like?

Second detail was this scene here:

Senior Mima is about to rip his sleeves off as he usually does whenever experiencing heightened emotions, but he resists. WHEN DID HE OVERCOME THIS? Am I assume that this character progression occurred during the time jump between chapter 67-68?? How was he able to overcome his habit? Why weren't we able to see it?

Third point:

Takuma is taking notes about the others discussing him and Tomori. It sort of alludes that he is still interested in him or at least in learning more about him so what comes of this? Will we ever get to properly know? If not, what was the point of seeing him writing this down? Even later in the onsen, he's looking at Tomori as if he's still sort of interested in him. So what are his true feelings? Like I understand he had the realisation in chapter 67 that he wishes to leave things as they are (as it's implied) but has he really gotten over Tomori? Not to mention his lower body reaction.

Do you see what I mean? I feel like Sho meant to address all of this before this final chapter but it just wasn't? So what happened? Was there a limit on how long the series could be? Was it a problem with the author not knowing how to end the manga? Was it something in relation to Manga Plus or perhaps a contract thing? I need to know!!

When all is said and done, this series will remain my favourite - at least until something else surpasses it and takes its place. It made me laugh, probably tear up a bit, and I loved every single character. This is the first series where I can confidently say I didn't hate a single character. Each had their own unique schtick and it was just so silly and self aware and I will forever love it. Surprisingly, the straight man Tomori was my favourite!!

Thank you Yamazaki Sho for gifting me this experience. I had been following since the early chapters (somewhere in the 10s-20s) and I was there every 2 weeks, on the dot, for more. My journey was only roughly 2 years, but your 3 year journey meant a lot for me and I hope to see you with another series in the near future.

That's all!

#Haisha-san attematsu #excuse me dentist it's touching me #excuse me dentist #Haisha-san #Tomori Shirayuki #Takuma Kurosumi #Yamazaki Sho #Sho Yamazaki #manga plus

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troius · 2 years

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As I hope you're aware, I've really enjoyed reading your thoughts on BLEACH during your reread! I was thinking today though: do you have a personal top 10 chapters or a favorite chapter [so far]? Totally okay if you don't want want to answer this, I was just curious.

No, thank you, that's a very good question! And an interesting one, since I don't tend to think of Bleach in terms of chapters. Unlike in anime, where the episodes have clear dividing lines with the openings and endings, manga chapters just sort of blend into one another when I'm reading them. Even during this reread, where the plan is to do roughly one chapter per day, I'm actually just posting my thoughts on interesting pages, so some chapters get more or less time depending on how much stuff catches the eye.

But I think it'd be an interesting exercise to see what chapters I do really like as isolated works of art! And if it encourages anybody to reread these chapters, or read them for the first time, so much the better! Troius's Top Ten Bleach Chapters (limited to those I've covered in this reread) under the cut.

34. Quincy Archer Hates You. A funny thing about looking at individual Bleach chapters is that they are clearly designed to run together, to keep the reader interested in what's going on so that they buy next week's copy of Weekly Shonen Jump. So they often are part of an ongoing storyline, and include several scenes, some of which are characterization and some of which advance the plot. This chapter, IMO, is the first one that does all of that and still feels "complete". Yes, it ends on the cliffhanger of Uryu's introduction, but that's the natural culmination of all the scenes in the chapter, including a really good one about low-stakes discrimination to set us up for the Quincy. Excellent stuff.

98. A Star and a Stray Dog. For once, Kubo uses one chapter to tell one story, end to end, and it's a tour de force. Granted, it's in the larger context of the Ichigo/Renji fight, and the Soul Society arc as a whole, but the entire Renji + Rukia relationship flashback is in this chapter, and it's magnificent. Renji starts the chapter as the closest thing Ichigo has to a rival, and by the end, Ichigo is the closest thing he has to an ally.

124. Crying Little People. This chapter title kinda sucks, and the title page is a pretty boring illustration of Ichigo, who doesn't even appear in the chapter proper. But as an Uryu stan I could not in good conscience leave off the moment where he sacrifices his powers and his childish aspirations for moral principle. The fathers-and-sons dynamics here are impeccable, and the Quincy worldbuilding flawless. I can't recommend it enough.

159. Long Way to Say Goodbye. It turns out that while single chapters often don't tell a complete story in Bleach, they do frequently tell one complete story, and that's the patented Bleach Characterization Flashback, where Kubo cuts away from the end of the fight to give you the backstory of whoever's fighting. In this chapter we get Soi Fon and Yoruichi's history, and it's incredibly effective once again in turning an antagonist into a sympathetic character.

168. Behind Me, Behind You. A complete change of gears -- the Byakuya/Ichigo fight wraps up in the previous chapter-- this is a complete information dump that nonetheless Extremely Works in getting the reader invested in the Hitsugaya/Matsumoto Spirit Detective plotline. Those two, Kira, Momo, Gin...none of these are the main characters of Bleach, but even if you didn't have strong emotions about them coming in you will once the chapter's over.

169. End of Hypnosis. This is just a run of killer chapters, and this one features both the start of the Matsumoto/Kira fight, as well as, uh, Aizen revealing himself. Now, obviously the latter is probably one of the more notable moments in all of Bleach (and maybe shonen manga in general), but what actually makes the chapter work is the taste of violence introduced in the opening, which is then tied to the Gin/Momo/Aizen stuff with just the briefest flashback-- one page! But it's essential to making the story cohesive, and to putting the appropriate focus on Gin, who would otherwise be overshadowed, I think.

171. End of Hypnosis3 (the Blue Fog). Okay, I promise I'll stop in a second. But I just cannot get over the pacing of this thing, starting with Unohana walking in on Aizen right as he finishes gutting Hitsugaya, and the tense standoff where Aizen reveals how he pulled it all off. And of course, that exposition is interwoven beautifully with the inevitable reveal that Tosen was in on the plot all along. When the chapter finally closes with the reminder that "oh yeah, Rukia was the target of all of Aizen's schemes" . . . it's magnificent. I don't know if anybody's ever paced anything better.

221. Eat the Worlds End. This chapter is just excellent when it comes to working with the existing concepts and characters to develop Ichigo’s character further-- and not in a good way! It’s basically Bleach’s version of inception, with Ichigo’s inner hollow letting Ichigo get the “victory” over him, while at the same time using the image and likeness of Kenpachi Zaraki to get Ichigo to embrace his “killer instict”. Really well done.

268. You Are Forbidden to Die. It’s another end-of-fight flashback chapter! This one might be the best though, as Rukia’s journey back into her memories to honor the Kaien she knew contains the thesis statement of the series as a whole, and makes for a very satisfying last couple of pages where she stabs Aaroniero in the face.

283. You don’t hurt anymore. The Grimmjow/Ichigo fight has so many layers to it, but what makes this chapter stand out is that it works independently of all that. You don’t have to know that Orihime’s concerns about Ichigo are extremely well grounded, or that Ichigo’s been fighting a massive battle about how much he should lean in to his dark side, or that Grimmjow is fighting in part because he’s scared about what he’ll feel if he doesn’t fight. The story the chapter tells in isolation-- of our hero being given the strength he needs to fight by the person he’s rescuing-- works well enough on its own.

#Bleach #Top Ten #Kubo's chapter titles are rarely defeated #(shout out crying little people because what the hell was that)#ask Troius

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catmonk · 2 years

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Straight as a Spy

Part One Part Two Note

Yuri Briar x Loid Forger

Yuri woke up with his head in someone’s lap- someone who wasn’t Yor. Slam. He elbowed the stranger in the gut, holy shit were they made of iron. He looked up to see their face only to realize it was the handsome stranger from last night. Oh no. He was saving himself for marriage.

“Oh, you pack quite a punch. Yuri, I can't thank you enough for marrying me last night.”

What.

“I made this myself.” Lo- Forger leaned over to the side of the couch, and pulled up a tray that smelled amazing.

It wasn't too late to kill everyone in the room and make an escape. No one would suspect anything. No, Forger had a daughter. He couldn't kill someone’s Yor. Well, a quick bite before interrogation wouldn't hurt.

It didn't work out that way.

Yuri found himself scarfing down the whole plate. Hmph. Forger might be a tall, handsome, considerate doctor, but it's going to take a lot more than a decent meal to earn approval.

“You're lying. I can't remember anything from last night.”

“Ah that makes sense. I was quite drunk too, but luckily one of us remembers something. I told you about how I needed to get married to enroll my daughter into Eden Academy, and you proposed to me using a paper ring you made on the spot- it was very cute.”

Yuri felt his ears burn, he definitely remembered that part.

“Anyways, we walked down city hall which was possibly a choice made far too drunk. After the papers were completed, you collapsed and I had to carry you back here. I pulled in a favor from a friend at the courthouse and got our marriage backdated a year, so it wouldn't look too suspicious to the academy.”

“And what would you know about what looks suspicious or not. To protect my sister, I've eliminated all sorts of threats to this country. Who says you won't be one of them.” Forger didn't know Yuri was a secret police officer, but his cover story was that he worked for the government so it wasn't a far stretch.

“Wow, you're really bad at pretending to not be a secret police officer.”

What.

“How do you know that.” Yuri’s hand gripped hard on the glass of water that was on the breakfast tray. He forgot his gun in his locker, dammit.

“You told me yourself last night when we were signing the papers.” Forger had a stupid stupid smile on his face like Yuri wasnt considering the best way to kill him. “Don't worry, I won't tell your sister. Everyone has a secret self they don't show to other people, not to friends… not to lovers... not even to family. I understand.”

“I see. Well, if we are to act as a married couple, I'll be moving in tomorrow.” Yuri was doing this because he wouldn't let his secret reach Yor, because he needed dirt on Forger. Nothing else.

A moving van rumbled through Berlint. It arrived shortly at a home harboring a very unusual family. A home riddled with secrets. A home where Anya was currently hiding behind Papa’s legs, looking up at the stranger.

“Welcome to Anya’s house!”

*So this is the spawn from Forger’s previous marriage.* Anya wasn't sold on this man.

Nonetheless, she took a deep breath. Papa needed her help on his super duper important mission.

“Can I call you Old Man like Bondman does?”

“No…call me Sir.”

She didn't even have to read Papa’s mind to know what face he was making.

“Why doesn't Anya call you Father instead? Sir seems a bit…impersonal.”

“Mm.”

“Well that's settled, after we sort out the boxes, shall we practice for the interview?”

Greatful for all reblogs

ok so the ** is basically like the little sparks around anyas head whenever she mindreads in the manga Im following the manga but yuri doesnt get alot of apprearences toe events might be slightly out of order hard to characterize someone who doesnt appear often ill propably get a new chapter up soonish, unfortunately theyve been short, not satified with that but it might take longer im impatient tho being gramatically correct really breaks up the flow sumtmes

#spy x family #sxf #sxf fanfic #loid forger x yuri briar #catmonk works #loid x yuri #yuri briar #loid forger #character x character

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shadowofroses · 2 years

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Rejected works

Demon Slayer Demon!Reader x Rengoku

Summery behind this: It was an Itsukai, which I somehow weaved into the actual timeline as the author of the Manga was warning people that Demons were still around. Dying in her sleep she wakes up in the same timeline. Finding out she is somehow related to Muzan, and he turns her into a Demon because of it. Tamayo removes his curse, and the Reader is currently with the Kamaboko squad, working with Ubuyashiki. Previously Rengoku, Mitsuri and Uzui gave Reader a Bunny to Eat, but she couldn't eat it.

Warnings: Adventure, rejected writing that didn't make it into the actual story, Story not posted yet, Mild sexual talk but nothing actually done or discussed. Reader's outfit is like a full blown Ninja with a full blown covering over the head and face so that she can be out during the day. Mugen Train Spoiler. Reader watched the anime up to Entertainment Arc, only read Manga up to Tsuzumi Mansion. MDNI just to cover my ass.

Rejected writing:

Regardless, one night, Rengoku walked up to you while you were attempting meditation in the gardens. He held some clothing in his hand, as he called out your name. “You are to accompany me on a mission, an investigation of deaths involving a train.” He noticed you freeze slightly at that. “Aoi had given your original outfit to the Corps, for them to make a Demon Slayer Uniform Variation of it so that we can travel during the day, as I assume you would not like to be shoved into a box like Little Kamado.”

You blinked, tilting your head slightly at the thought. “I would not appreciate that idea.” You stood up, “Is this the outfit Rengoku-Sama?”

“YES! Please try it on!” You nodded in response as you went inside and suited up in your new clothing. Complete with a hood that went over your head and face. Completely protected you from the hot and cold, and minor demon attacks. Which for the upcoming mission was technically useless. You walked back out, and he hummed in approval. “Looks good on you!”

You blinked again, and smiled, “Thank you. When do we leave Rengoku-Sama?”

“Technically we should leave post haste, however I just previously came back from a mission and I would like to see my brother before we leave! However I am worried about bringing you to my place considering my father was the previous Fire Hashira!”

You blanched. Yeah there would be no doubt that the man would attempt to slay you, whether he was drunk or not. “I would like to not prevent you from seeing your brother. He is a sweet kid.”

Rengoku’s head shot up, “I never spoke about him before, how would you know that?!”

Your eyes widened, “Future.”

Rengoku only nodded in response, “AH YES! Almost forgot about that! However, this mission takes precedence over what I would like to do considering people have been going missing! So we should head out now, do you need to take care of anything first?”

You shook your head. “No, I already released the bunny you guys got for me, the one day, so Kocho-Sama shouldn’t have a fit about it being in the Estate. I don’t need to bring anything with me, although I assume some Medical supplies wouldn’t hurt just in case.”

“YES! That would be smart to have on hand!” Rengoku announced boisterously as you went to get a small bag to bring with you, Rengoku followed you around in case you had something else you could think of.

The boys noticed you two running around, and asked what was going on. “Mission.” You said.

Rengoku looked at Zenitsu and Tanjiro, “I’ll bring her back in one piece!”

You deadpanned, “Considering I’m a Demon, that is a given…I’ll make sure Rengoku-Sama comes back in one piece!”

“RIGHT!” Rengoku laughed at his slight oversight. You had lowered the hood of your outfit, since it was night time. “We should go!” The two of you headed out from the headquarters and moved to go to the train station. “If we need to move faster, is it okay to carry you?”

You nodded, “I appreciate the fact that you ask for permission, but that’s not needed. If we need to move faster feel free to, if I’m in the way shove me out of the way.”

“I WOULD NEVER!”

You smiled at his outburst. “You are a sweet man Rengoku-sama, you’ll make a great husband one day.”

Rengoku slightly blushed at that and his eyes widened. “Rather bold of you to state! Are you planning on Courting me?”

Nope nope nope. You’re not doing this to me brain, do not fall for a man who might die within the next month. You continued to look forward. “I wouldn’t be bold enough to assume you would be interested in a Demon, I was just stating a fact that you were very courteous, admirable, and honorable. Traits I would associate with a husband in a healthy relationship that is all.”

Rengoku hummed in thought. “Thank you! I do take pride in being courteous and honorable, and it’s a pleasure to know that I am admirable as well!” He paid for the train tickets as the two of you were heading to the station to investigate and question the station master, and encounter the bento vender girl in a few towns over. “Did you have a husband when you were in the future…and human?”

You sweat dropped, oddly enough, you would consider this an awkward conversation but for some reason it was flowing quite well. “No.”

“No?” Rengoku furrowed his brows. “Did no one peak your interest?”

“Rather curious to ask, but to be honest, no. I guess my expectations for courting were too high. And I was focused on my studies.” You blinked at yourself trying to understand why your speech had changed so much in your time spent in this world.

“Understandable and admirable!” The two of you got onto the train and sat down beside each other.

You really didn’t expect to discuss relationship statuses with Rengoku while heading to a mission. “And you Rengoku-Sama? A reason you haven’t been courted and or married yet?”

His head shot up. “I put my duty as a Demon Slayer and Hashira in high regards! Once the World is Eradicated of Demons, then I will think about settling down!” He then looked at you sharply, “No offense meant!”

You chuckled, “No offense taken. I too want to eradicate demons, even if it means my own demise. First and Foremost, Kibutsuji. Get rid of him, then we can focus on the rest.” You said as your face fell.

Kami you wished you read the manga, and completed it. Most of the train ride was silent, minus Rengoku getting to know you with random questions. It reminded you of Tanjiro and Zenitsu playing twenty questions more or less. “Do you have any Demon Blood Art?”

You tilted your head frowning. “Honestly, no idea. I’ve also never tried to attempt any. Considering I’ve trained with the Upper Moons I should have been able to pick up somethings. And Kocho-Sama has a theory that I might have been able to modify my body when Shinazugawa-Sama in advertantly introduced Nezuko’s blood to my body, so I might be able to use some of her blood art…but that would be quite a stretch in my opinion.”

“Little Kamado has blood art?”

You nodded, “she was able to use her blood to burn away Lower Moon Five’s Spider webs, and it also lit Tanjiro’s broken blade to hurt Rui. She doesn’t know it yet, but she can also burn away demonic poisons from the human body, and her flames will not harm humans.”

Rengoku looked at you intrigued. “Which begs the question, when does a Demon realize they know Blood Art?”

You rocked your head to the side, “When does a Demon Slayer know when they accidentally created a new breathing Technique?”

Rengoku mirrored your action, “I believe it just randomly happens.”

You nodded, “That is my assumption too. As I am no expert on demons myself.”

Rengoku only smiled looking forward as you could have sworn his hair fluffed up, “And I am no expert on creating no breathing styles!” You promptly chuckled with how the two of you conversed. “OH! Before you came here, you said you had a dream about me teaching? What was I teaching?”

You hummed trying to remember, “Hm…you were teaching History. However, because you were teaching it I realized I was lucid dreaming and could do whatever I want, so I took it in a different direction.”

“You can control dreams?! Fascinating! TELL ME MORE!” He crossed his arms looking forward.

You nodded in response, “General response when realizing one has these dreams is more…Spicy than anything else, but…”

“Spicy? You cook in your dreams?”

You sweat dropped going slightly red in the face, “Okay maybe being too honest here isn’t going to be the best idea…” he turned to you in thought and tilted his head, “Spicy, can be another term of uh…” you coughed, “a sex dream of sorts. Usually when people realize it’s happening they generally change it to that general direction. However, I directed it to Swordsmanship training.” You continued to ramble on without giving him an inch to butt in. “Then I asked if the you in my dream ever tried to train on a cloud, and you went forth to attempt to teach me Flame Breathing, and killed a Pterodactyl which was attacking; which promptly evaporated the cloud where I fell back to the earth and woke up here.”

“Sounds very chaotic! I’ve had a lucid dream before! I directed it to my family having an outing with my mother!” He noticed your face melt to tears in your eyes, “IT WAS A HAPPY DREAM! No need for tears!”

You shook your head with a smile, “Nonono, it’s sweet, happy tears. I was adopted so I was more or less an only child. But I wasn’t close to the people who took me in.”

“That’s a Shame! I’m sure you were a lovely Child!”

You chuckled, “I was too afraid of doing anything wrong, and always looking forward to helping people out, and was easily bullied into Societal Norms. Basically Get married young, have kids, raise them and repeat the cycle. Only since no one stepped forward with interest, I assumed I wasn’t desirable so I went forward with education…my apologies I was rambling.”

“It is fine!” Rengoku nodded with a huff, “Nothing wrong with breaking free from what is expected of you. However, I can't imagine someone not being interested in you. Then again I only knew you as a Demon!”

You scratched the side of your head while sweating a little, even felt as if your heart skipped a beat. “Careful there Rengoku-Sama. Talk like that, I might just develop a crush on you.”

Rengoku furrowed his eyebrows. “I thought demons don’t fall in love.”

You deadpanned, “One I was teasing, two who knows. Nezuko has already been proving things wrong. Besides, from what I can tell I experience the very extreme of emotions. However I think it’s best if we drop that subject. Yes?”

“Agreed for now!”

You blinked, for now? Did that mean he wanted to continue the subject at a later time?

Finally getting to another station, you made sure your cover was up over your head and face, before running around and exploring the areas.

#Demon Slayer #Demon!Reader x Rengoku #rejected writings #might use at a later date

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staystraykay · 2 years

Text

Domino Chapter Three

The domino effect. How one thing happening can cause a chain reaction. How were you supposed to know a call home made by your cousin would be the tipping domino that sets off the next several years of your life?

WARNINGS: This is not a XReader type story. There will be OCs. Rindou X OC, Ran X OC. Mentions of various Bonten things and events that have only happened in the manga. If you haven't read the manga, and don't anything to be spoiled...DO NOT READ THEN!

I had this on my old account, before I was shadow banned. I just simply moved it all over to my new account this new shiny one. There is also all my fannon dumbs and The Story of Us.

MASTER LIST

Nearly ten years ago I left Tokyo and started running from all responsibility. I was eighteen and jaded and mad at the world. Days before I graduated, however, I had gotten into one of the worst fights with Anaiya I'd ever had. This was just days before I left.

She had been out following Mikey and his new gang around that day. She had told me she was going to see Chifuyu at the little pet store he worked at, but when I swung by to check in he had said he hadn't seen her. Neither had Mitsuya or Draken or either Kawata twins. It wasn't until Inui had said he heard Koko had been seen in town a few days before that I had started putting the dots together.

So, I waited for her get home to the small apartment we had been sharing. She muttered a 'hey' as she walked in, acting as though she had some normal ass day.

"I brought some pizza home." She smiled wide, holding the box up and opening the lid to show the cheese and spinach covered pizza. "You wanna grab some sodas and start the new season of-"

"Keep your fucking guilt pizza." I snapped, pushing past her to grab my keys. There were many things I had wanted to say to her, but I didn't think I was in the best mental state to have a rash conversation. I was always the hotheaded one, and the only person I normally refused to jump on was Iya.

She shook her head in confusion and gawked at me. "What the hell is a guilt pizza?"

A small chuckle fell past my lips as I racked a hand shaking hand through my hair. "You know, Iya, I really believed you when you promised me you were done with him. You were done chasing after him like some puppy, you said you were ready to just move on with our lives."

She looked down at the box, guilt written all over her face before she put the box on the table. "How'd you find out?" She asked lowly, keeping her eyes down.

"You think I wouldn't hear something about Kanto Manji being in town? Are you serious?" I gawked. "Mikey's one of the most notorious gang leaders right now. Someone was bound to find out he was in town!" I slammed a hand down on the table, causing her to flinch. I wanted to throw chairs and furniture around I was so pissed.

"Dammit, Anaiya, we were supposed to be leaving in four days. Are you even still going?" I snapped, heatedly yelling the question. I knew the answer. She was staying. I could see it all over her face.

She bit her lip before sheepishly shaking her head no. That made me laugh. She chose Mikey over me-or that's how I saw it then. I was so hurt over it. I had taken care of her our whole lives, and all Mikey had ever done was give her a stupid yellow daisy he found when we were no more than nine or ten. I was had always been there to pick up the pieces and comfort her. He had always been the pieces I was there to pick up.

"So, you're choosing him." I chuckled out in disbelief. My blood had been boiling.

"I am not choosing anyone!" Anaiya finally snapped back, her usually cheery disposition replaced by a tearful angered one. Honestly, if she had any fighting skills, she would have reminded me of Angry when he was overly upset. "Why do I have to go? Traveling and see the world, that's always been your thing, Kira! I never said I wanted to leave!" She flung her hands wide, gesturing to what I was assuming was supposed to be more than the four walls of our apartment. "This is where I want to be. This is my home!"

"Home? Never wanted to leave? Who in the hell are you trying to fool here, Iya? I'm not some fucking idiot. I know exactly why you don't want to go anymore." I seethed, my voice carrying well beyond the walls surrounding us. "You wanna go off and chase after Mikey because for some fucking idiotic reason you think you can 'fix' him. There is no fixing someone who doesn't want to be fucking fixed!"

Fat tears ran down her face, and any other time I would be hell bent on finding who made her cry, but now I was the one causing it and I wasn't going to stop. I had babied her our entire lives, making sure never wanted or needed something, making sure no one or thing hurt her. Except for Mikey. I couldn't save her from him. Never was able to keep her from him or make her see what I saw. She'd just tell me I didn't understand and that she could mend whatever it was that was broken. Except she couldn't, and it only ever left her hurt.

"You can't force me to go." She stubbornly said, her bright blue eyes glaring at me. Bright blue eyes that were tinted a little to red to just be tears.

I clutched my fists at my side. "The hell I can't. Who the hell else is going to take care of you, huh? You barely wake up by yourself!"

"We're not kids anymore, Kira. I don't need you to take care of me!" She snapped back venomously.

A angered and irritated growl bubbled out of me. "Is that so?"

"Yes! I can take care of myself. I'm not leaving with you." She said like a child throwing a fit. And to me, she was a child throwing a fit. She was being a stubborn brat who wanted the toy in the store she couldn't have.

"Anaiya, you're going to London with me." I said sternly.

Her fists turned white and if I hadn't known better I would have thought she was going to hit me. No she did far worse. She uttered the most hateful words I had ever heard at the time. Words that cut me down deeper than any blade ever could.

"Just because you lost Keisuke doesn't mean I have to leave Mikey!"

After they flew out of her mouth I knew she didn't mean them. I could see the regret on her face, but I didn't stay to hear her apologize or explain. I grabbed my keys as she called my name and walked out the door. I didn't want to even look at her.

Instead I went to visit Keisuke. Bringing him his favorite yakisoba as an offering, and his favorite drink along with it. I brought my own sushi and soda to eat as I talked to him. Just like we had when he was alive. Just like I had been doing for the last four years.

"I wish you were here." I muttered out. "Things wouldn't be so messed up right now if you were." I felt the tears begin to bubble up. "God, Kei, can you see him from where you are? Mikey just isn't the same, and I can't make Anaiya see it. You could make both of them shut up and listen if you were here. I can't." I felt some of the tears fall. I had really wished he was there. He always knew what to do. He always had a plan to make Mikey wake up. If he had lived, if he had just decided to live and not stab himself in the gut, none of this would be happening.

"I can't stay here." I croaked lowly. "I can't be here without you. It doesn't feel right. I have to go, but I can't leave her here to Mikey either." I sobbed, covering my eyes with the sleeves of Baji's old jacket. The one I wore everyday since he died. An old white jumper that was so tattered and old, anyone on the street probably would tell me to throw it away.

"So don't." I heard someone say behind me.

Jumping I tensed and looked behind me. Standing there, with a matching sorrowful and misery etched face. He must have come to visit Emma.

"Draken." My voice cracked and I felt the tears get harder to hold back. He held a hand out and I took it, getting up from the ground and allowing him to pull me into a hug.

"Baji wouldn't want you so miserable, and if being here makes you like that, then he would want you to go and live your life." He said softly, petting back my hair as I let tears fall heavily. "And as for Anaiya, you can't protect her from herself. She's the only one who can make decisions like that." He shushed my tears, trying to console me.

"Mikey will get her killed." I cried into his chest, unable to hold it all back anymore.

I found myself back then wishing sometimes Anaiya was more like Takemoi in the sense that he was addicted to gambling or like Haruchiyo and his drug addiction. Those things I could control and keep her away from. Instead she was addicted to a person. A person who did not care about others anymore and was as empty as a black void.

Draken held me for a while, letting me sob more and more into his chest until they finally subsided and I had no more tears to shed. After they had finally stopped he still hugged me to his chest and petted back my hair soothingly. He probably needed it as much as I did. Emma had been taken from him just like Keisuke had been taken from me.

"You should go, Kira. Leave for a while and find something that makes you smile again." He said after a while in a mutter.

I nodded my head before asking, "What about you?"

"I have the mechanic shop. I found something I can cling to. It's time you find that for yourself." He sighed and kissed the top of my head. "Baji would want that for you."

So, that night, after Draken and I went our separate ways, I returned home to find Anaiya sitting on the couch, wet hair, tv on but not paying any attention to it. She looked up at the door once I shut it, jumping from her sitting position. She opened her mouth to apologize but I shook my head.

"You don't get to apologize for that." I said sternly, clenching my fists at my side. I didn't want to do what I was about to, but for what was best for me and what I needed then, I knew I had to. "I'm leaving still in four days. You're not going."

She hugged her arms around herself and looked down to her fuzzy socks. "Can I ask what changed your mind?"

"I can't make decisions for you anymore. And I can't make you see Mikey for what he really is. So, I'm letting you do what you want. I'm not going to stop you, but I'm also not going to stay and watch it happen." I gritted my teeth, the words tasting like vile on my tongue. "I also won't support it or be apart of it either. So, when I leave I don't want you to call, because I don't want to hear about it." I sounded harsh and the words sounded hateful and cruel, but this is what was best for both of us. I couldn't be apart of Mikey's world anymore, and if that included Anaiya then I couldn't be part of hers either.

She nodded her head, silent tears falling from her eyes again.

"I love you, Iya, but if you're choosing him then I have to chose myself." I muttered lowly before I left for my room, and locked myself in.

The next day I had gone and told everyone about my leaving and when. The first was Angry and Smiley. Angry cried of course, upset that I was taking off, and Smiley...well Smiley was kind of a dick about it, but I knew it was because he didn't want me to go either. After then were Pah and Peh who both cried like the massive babies they were. Hakkai made me promise to keep in touch and even went as far as to swear to come see me if we were ever in the same place at the same time. Mitsuya tears up and made me swear to all Hakkai had, but then he told me he understood and wished me the best. Takemichi cried...because he was out crybaby hero of course. Draken had known and gave me a hug and wished me luck and told me it wasn't going to be goodbye so he wasn't going to say it.

Chifuyu was my second to last stop and he wasn't thrilled about my presence in general.

"What do you want?" He groaned as we stood outside the pet shop we worked in.

Glaring at the concrete I bit back the insults urging to fly out. "I just wanted to tell you I'll be leaving in a few days. So, I wanted to ask you to take care of Keisuke's grave for me. And before you get all snippy and say you would have anyways, I'm trying to be civil here. You're probably the only person I trust him to."

I could tell on his face he was fighting back the same urges I was. But with a soured look on his face he nodded. I wanted to vomit just being civil with Fuyu, but he had been close to Kei and if I trusted his grave sit to anyone it would have been him.

"Have you talked to Kazutora yet?" He snipped.

Clinching my fists I nodded. "I'm headed up there to see him now, he's known for a while. And once he's out, he'll be coming with me for a while." I admitted. I saw no point in hiding my plans from Chifuyu. Even if it was something he didn't agree with.

Which he didn't.

"No he isn't. He'll be coming with me once he gets out. It's what's best for him." He snapped, his civility at its limit.

Rolling my eyes I took a deep breath. "Staying here and being sent right back into the same streets once he gets out is what's best for him? Sure, whatever you say, Fuyu." I was dripping with sarcasm. "However, Tora and I have already discussed it, and it's what he wants. So, you can kiss my ass for all I care."

"You can't even take care of Anaiya, how do you expect to take care of Kazutora?" He seethed, snapping back venomously.

My limit snapped. I yanked Chifuyu forward by his collar and plunged my fist full force into his mouth. I connected to his jaw two more times before tossing him back onto his ass. I would have kicked him if we weren't in broad daylight and it had already seemed like I randomly assaulted him.

Heaving in anger, breath heavy, I viciously spat, "Don't forget, Chifuyu, last time I left someone in your care I came back to them dead."

He groaned either from pain or anger, but I didn't stick around to see. I left, pissed and hand stinging from the contact. I headed straight for the juvenile facility, washing my hand with a water bottle outside to get rid of the blood dried on my knuckles.

When I saw Kazutora he smiled at me brightly.

"Three days 'til London!" He said excitedly. "I'm happy you're going, but we have to go back once I'm out."

Smiling I nodded. "Duh. There, Florida, and Ireland are the big three right?"

Tora and I talked until a guard came in and told me it was time for me to leave. Wishing me the best he gave me a smile and told me he'd be seeing me in no time. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry silently the whole way back to the apartment. The thought of leaving Tora, Draken, Mitsuya, and all the other TOMAN members made my heart heavier than I'd like to admit.

Graduation came and went, Anaiya and I hardly saying much of anything to one another and then the day of my leaving came. Draken offered to drive me to the airport, but I had one more stop to make before I left. And that was to Kokonoi and Haruchiyo who I threatened to beat to death if they ever allowed anything to happen to Anaiya. I even went farther to make Kokonoi promise to give me monthly updates via the phone-which he honored and held up for ten long years.

Once I was ready and entering the airport I heard someone calling out my name.

Anaiya with Draken a little ways back by his bike.

She rushed towards me and flung her arms around my neck. Squeezing me tight, I hugged back. "You can still come with me." I offered.

"I can't." She shook her head and squeezed tighter. "You can always come back home. No matter when or why, you can come back." She muttered into my hair.

"And you can always join me whenever." I promised and hugged her tighter. "But I was serious, Iya. Don't call unless it's an emergency. Whatever it is, I'll come home right away." I made her promise.

And that was the last time I saw or heard from her for nearly ten years.

“It was time you stopped running.”

I winced. I wasn't ready to hear that. Not yet anyways.

"I let you go, but I always planned to make you come back." Anaiya added, now looking at me as I looked down at the balcony floor. "It was time you came home. Just like it was time I moved on."

I took a deep breath and nodded. She was right. I had admitted it aloud to Inui and Draken. It just felt different coming from Anaiya. I was always the one taking care of her and telling her when enough was enough. And now the tables were turned and I was the one still acting out and burying my head in the sand.

"Well, I'm home now." I sighed. "And I think its for good." I finally said.

I felt her beam with joy in that second. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's time I came home and started facing reality." I looked up and at her. "I just got to find a job and a place to live now. Can't crash on Inui and Draken forever."

She wrapped her arms around me tightly and squealed. "You can stay with me! The Haitani penthouse in large enough for a whole gang to stay in!"

Grimacing I looked inside to the bruised Rindou and Ran who had a goose egg knot forming on his forehead. "Uh...Iya...I don't think they'll like that idea."

She frowned and pulled me back enough to hold me by my arms and shake me. "Why? If I want you there then you'll be there!"

Smirking with a giggle I said, "Still a spoiled brat, huh?"

"I am not!" She pouted.

Laughing at her puffed up cheeks and furrowed brows for a minute, I took in the reality I had just promised myself to. "Seriously, Anaiya, I just beat the hell out of both Haitani brothers. I really don't think either want me living in their house."

"My penthouse is open to you no matter what they think." She rolled her eyes and then poked her head in from the sliding glass door. "Ran, Rin, come here please!" She singed out and both purple headed boys strutted to the balcony.

"Iya, seriously, I have somewhere to stay right now." I pleaded with her. But when Anaiya got an idea in her head there was no talking her out of it.

She turned to them with her chin held high and confidence pouring out of ever pore as she stated, "Kira is going to move in with us."

I felt like I could jump off the building right then and there.

"Ok, Princess, whatever you want." Ran smiled calmly.

"Like hell she is!" Rindou snapped, eyes ablaze.

Smirking I looked at him. "You mad about it, Magic Marker?"

"Magic Marker?" He questioned in confused irritation.

Chuckling I said, "Yeah like the Magic Erase Markers. You look like a kid colored your hair with one." Anaiya suppressed a laugh while Ran cackled aloud.

Raising a brow I looked to him. "Why are you laughing? You look like a giant colored pencil, lanky legs." That made Rindou cackle.

"She can't stay with us." Ran said flatly, obviously insulted.

Smirking I mocked his tears as Anaiya stood in front of me with her arms crossed. "Yes she is." She argued, that pouty look on her face again.

They stared at each other for a minute before the older Haitani caved and sighed an "ok". Anaiya cheered and hugged me tightly again.

Suddenly I didn't find it funny anymore.