can we talk about how so many of us practically grew up with noragami? many of us here are now adults who have liked this series since we were kids. we really stuck around long enough to see it through to the end. it's commendable, honestly. waiting in agony every month for whatever hell adatchitoka wanted us to go through was an experience in itself, and this comment made me chuckle thinking about it.
well, they weren't wrong! i have so much love for this series and the journey i had with it from start to finish. noragami is never leaving my heart and mind, and this sick empty feeling when a series i love ends will haunt me for the rest of my days. thank you for all these years. goodbye noragami <3
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YATO'S THE ONE WHO NEEDS CHEERING ON NOW CRUNCHYROLL WTF MAN!?!?!
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It’s the 24th, so that means a new GakuBaby chapter (ch.132) 😄
In this chapter, Ryuuichi and Kotarou come over to play at Kirin’s house, though doing this isn’t easy with Satoru-san around 😅
——————
Volume 24 is also scheduled to be released on the 2nd of May, in regular and special editions, with the special edition including a jigsaw puzzle.
There will also be no new chapter on the next LaLa issue; they will be back on the May issue (which comes out on March).
——————
There also seems to be an error in one of the pages in this chapter:
It says Mamizuka-sensei instead of Kumatsuka-sensei here 😅 maybe they’ll patch it in the digital version…? 🤔😅
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Has this been done yet
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ehehehehe
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D.Gray Man 20 years anniversary
That's right, next 31 May 2024, D.Gray man will be 20 years old. As a celebration, I would like to do a fandom project : a redraw of the first chapter. Which mean, many artists coming together, drawing each a page of the first chapter in their own style.
The first chapter is about 55 pages long, that's a lot, so here's an interest check to see if the project would be possible !
Some things you may want to know if there is enough interest to begin the project :
This project would be free to download once finished, we're not going to sell anything from this, it will be just for fun, a tribute to the manga.
Discord will be needed to talk with each others as it's a big project
You can do whatever you want with your pages as soon as the story/dialogue are respected and the end picture is of good quality (if you do traditional). B&W, colour, scrap booking, painting, traditional... go wild!
You'll be free to choose 3 pages you would like to draw, hopefully this way, everyone will be able to do one page they want!
If we have (shockingly) way more than 50 artists interested in participating, we'll do the whole first tome!
Old fan, new fan, seasoned artists or determined beginner, everyone's welcome !
This idea came from the @conanredraw go see it if you want a better idea of the project ! The whole result isn't out yet, but it'll be soon.
Please consider rebloging it so more D.Gray Man fan can see it! If you can share it on Twitter/X, it would be incredibly helpful, as I do not know the fandom there at all ^^'
Have a good day :)
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Itoshi Sae, Physical Contact, and the Exceptions: Rin and Shidou
As of Chapter Ch 214, the only two people we see Sae allow to touch him are his little brother…and Shidou Ryusei.** Post (S)pain, it’s only been Shidou.
**I’m going to argue that Sae allows Shidou to jump on his back. And I mean 'argue' in the lightest sense.
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Quick preface: Just organizing and posting notes I took on the subject for characterization in a fic (they are, therefore, biased). I’m not claiming that no one has ever touched Sae, just that the manga only shows a select few occasions. We’ll go in chapter and not chronological order. For the most part.
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The first time the manga shows us anyone trying to initiate contact with Sae is with these two clowns (JFU President and U-20 “coach”) in Ch 107. Hardly surprising that Sae wouldn’t shake the hands of people he so clearly doesn’t respect.
Every expression in this panel is priceless.
Next up, Ch 111:
Aiku and his proposal are plainly of more interest to Sae than the JFU bozos, yet Sae nopes right out of Aiku’s ‘gentlemen's agreement’ handshake. And then threatens to nope out of the whole match if the U-20 Team can’t meet his standards.
We see Sae being rushed by celebratory teammates several times. Not once do we readers see any of them actually succeed in throwing an arm around him pre-Spain, in Spain, or post-Spain. Until Shidou.
Post Spain (Ch 116):
Sae has just scored a goal crazy enough to have Isagi think, “The leading actor in this game is Itoshi Sae!!” The crowd is going wild, the U-20 Team is rushing Sae in joy, …and Sae literally slaps them off: “Hands off, chumps.”
Poor Fox Kid and Not-Bokuto. They seem so darn sweet.
Now, a blast from the past.
Pre-Spain (Ch 123):
I don’t know about y’all, but I can so clearly see Little Sae ducking right out these guys’ arms—in a more humorously standoffish way. Like how we see Rin sidestep Isagi (coming right up!). An imagination is all we got here.
Spain (Ch 125):
Now in the mysterious (S)pain… Hopefully we’ll get more than a glimpse of it one day! Would Sae have dodged the Real Madrid Youth Team guys? Would he have numbly endured it? Would he have slapped them off? Etc.? The manga, again, leaves us to wonder. (My money’s on the second one.)
Once again, I’m definitely not saying Sae’s teammates have never succeeded in tackling him in celebration. Just that it’s notable we, the readers, don’t see it. Yet.
I’ll conclude with some pre-Spain Itoshi Bros cuteness, but let’s talk some post-Spain Itoshi Bros parallels first.
Ch 121
Poor Isagi. 😂 Rin sees him coming with a little “!” and dodges his charge like the plague with a grumpy lil “Hmph.”
Rin, now away from Isagi, goes right back to business in the next panel.
Ten chapters later, we have a Sae parallel.
Ch 131
Just like Rin, Sae sees a celebratory missile coming right at him with a “!” and a less than enthusiastic expression—yet Sae doesn’t dodge Shidou.
Shidou definitely takes off like a bat out of hell (ha). But do we really think Itoshi Sae of the New Generation World XI couldn’t have even sidestepped—like his little brother—if he’d really wanted to?
I think Sae allows Shidou his moment of clingy celebration. Especially in light of the Rin and Isagi parallel. Remember, this was immediately following Shidou’s unbelievable Big Bang Drive—a goal that had even Sae showing open surprise on his face (Ch 130). Shidou becomes the first one shown to have jumped on Sae in celebration.
(Real talk, though: someone please give Kitsunezato and Neru a high five!)
The next page…
Both pursuers of the Itoshi Bros end up with a hard impact on the ground, and yet….
Sae doesn’t tell Shidou to f— off after throwing Shidou off him. Shidou doesn’t get an icy “Hands off, chump” like Fox Kid and Not-Bokuto. Sae doesn’t stalk off (he actually lingers and seems to chat while Shidou just chills on the ground and gives him a lil thumbs-up). Sae tells Shidou, “You have to get a hat trick, remember? Then you’d get my number. Hands off until then, you horny demon.” Untillll being the operative word (...one of them, anyway 😅). Not only does Sae let Shidou latch on, Sae banters with Shidou.
This is outside the point of this post, but Sae looks…sad? nostalgic? when Shidou first jumps on him. It doesn’t last long, but it’s there. Perhaps relating to the panels I’m about to bring up. (Addressing what may have prompted Sae’s “Gross” and “horny demon” reactions + his punch/tackle is also outside the purview of this post 😅 Same with speculating on what the helllll these two were talking about below.)
Concluding with some Pre-(S)pain Itoshi Bros
Ch 123:
We see Little RinRin as the original No Touchy exception. And it’s so wholesome.
And Sae actually reaching out to Rin and being affectionate. Maybe we’ll see it again one day.
Ch 124
Look, the Itoshi Bros are capable of high fives! Or, they were, anyway.
Unlike Sae, we actually see Rin's teammates grabbing him in celebration, pre-(Sae’s return from) Spain.
In conclusion...
So far, the manga shows Sae breaking his general Kuzco Rule with only two people.
Pre-Spain, Little Rin was a very obvious exception. Post-Spain / currently and more subtly, Shidou is the only exception we've seen. Is it a respect thing? A soft spot? Emphasizing Sae is an "untouchable" player? Some combination?
As for canon… I really hope we see Sae and Shidou become friends. They’re both so alone but seem to bring each other to life. I also really hope we’ll see Sae accepting his teammates’ celebration one day. Just imagine Sae pulling off a crazy pass or stealing a goal at the World Cup, both Rin and Shidou rushing him in joy, the rest of the team on their tails! Or maybe something smaller, like just celebrating a cool move in practice. I think we’ll see it eventually. Just like I think we could see Shidou act as a bridge between the estranged Itoshi Bros.
You’ll find what notes / “meta” I’ve already posted under #xoxoBlueLockNotes. Will probably organize and post more somewhere in here!
PS: Check out @bluelockhalloweek for spooky Blue Lock fun! 🎃 Halloween is just around the corner!
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hi! i got into bsd and i was meaning to ask, since you seem an authority on the matter, could you recommend me some more bsd blogs to follow?
ps. love your art so much, you capture the characters personalities so well!
oh... that's a lot of pressure... I'm aware that I have weight on this side of the fandom (feels wild btw) but authority is too big a word
I mainly interact with art and the occasional analysis and joke posts, so most of the blogs I can recommend are that, plus I am very Chuuya/Dazai/skk biased
First, browse and follow the bsd fanart tag to get just that. Not everyone uses it (I encourage them to!!), but if like me you are so very done with the negativity fest that have become the main tags since the anime started airing again, that's a great place to find fun things!
Second, I am sending you on a discovery journey. I encourage you to look through people's blogs and tags for some great finds. Here are some blogs in random order for you to start with, because there is no way I can remember all the blogs I love:
@caelanglang (art), @luneariann (art), @sensitiveheartless (art + writing), @arikitoka (art), @itotypes (writing + art), @iwritenarrativesandstuff (analysis + writing + art), @frenchonionsoop (art), @petitesmafia (funny), @yomeiu (art), @esmiara (art), @weeniehutart (art), @videogamelover99 (analysis + art), @carrotkicks (art), @damianito (art), @smolskk (art), @kokoasci (art), @chupidopi (art), @mochimochips (art), @creantzy (art), @justplaggin (news and official stuff),
have some reblog blogs that will probably catch some of the cool people I can't remember right now AND give you some forgotten older stuff if you scroll far enough: @demonprodigy-kingofsheep, @im-always-a-slut-for-soukoku, @for-chuuya, @awkwardbsd, a bunch of the people above too, and a shameless self-plug @originalaccountname where it's mostly reblogs and the occasional analysis post.
EDITED: popopretty makes monthly chapter recaps and other kinds of translations (you might recognize them from twitter, or not), @reneray has Fifteen manga adaptation translations, and @nineofscans has monthly chapter translations and some bonuses!
I could never remember everyone and if your tastes diverge from mine there are also a bunch of really cool people who "specialize" in different characters and dynamics you will stumble upon out there.
you are all allowed to shamelessly plug yourselves or your faves in the replies/reblogs btw
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Weekly Shonen Jump 55th anniversary appendix in Weekly Shonen Jump 2023 issue #33
1968
Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #1
Otoko Ippiki Gaki-Daisho by Hiroshi Motomiya
1969
Dr. Toilet by Kazuyoshi Torii
1970
The Gutsy Frog by Yasumi Yoshizawa
1971
Tezuka Manga Award 1st Edition
Samurai Giants by Ikki Kajiwara & Ko Inoue
Boy of the Wilderness Isamu by Soji Yamakawa & Noboru Kawasaki
1972
Astro Kyudan by Shiro Tōzaki & Norihiro Nakajima
1973
Play Ball by Akio Chiba
Hochonin Ajihei by Jiro Gyu & Jo Big
1974
Akatsuka Manga Award 1st Edition
1975
The Circuit Wolf by Satoshi Ikezawa
Doberman Deka by Buronson & Shinji Hiramatsu
1976
Toudai Icchokusen by Yoshinori Kobayashi
Kochikame by Osamu Akimoto
1977
Ring ni Kakero by Masami Kurumada
Susume!! Pirates by Hisashi Eguchi
1978
Cobra by Buichi Terasawa
1979
Kinnikuman by Yudetamago
1980
Dr. Slump by Akira Toriyama
1981
Captain Tsubasa by Yoichi Takahashi
Cat's Eye by Tsukasa Hojo
Stop!! Hibari-kun! by Hisashi Eguchi
1982
High School! Kimengumi by Motoei Shinzawa
1983
Fist of the North Star by Buronson & Tetsuo Hara
Ginga -Nagareboshi Gin- by Yoshihiro Takahashi
1984
DRAGON BALL by Akira Toriyama
1985
City Hunter by Tsukasa Hojo
Miraculous Tonchinkan by Koichi Endo
Sakigake!! Otokojuku by Akira Miyashita
1986
Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada
1987
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki
The Burning Wild Man by Tadashi Sato
1988
Bastard!! by Kazushi Hagiwara
Jungle King Tar-chan by Masaya Tokuhiro
Rokudenashi BLUES by Masanori Morita
Magical Taluluto by Tatsuya Egawa
1989
Weekly Shonen Jump reaches 5.000.000 copies in circulation
Dragon Quest: The Great Adventure of Dai by Riku Sanjo & Koji Inada
Video Girl Ai by Masakazu Katsura
1990
SLAM DUNK by Takehiko Inoue
Chinyuki by Man Gataro
Yu Yu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi
1992
Hareluya II Boy by Haruto Umezawa
1993
Tottemo! Luckyman by Hiroshi Gamo
Hell Teacher Nube by Makura Sho & Takeshi Okano
1994
Midori no Makibao by Tsunomaru
Rurouni Kenshin by Nobuhiro Watsuki
1995
Weekly Shonen Jump reaches 6.530.000 copies in circulation
Sexy Commando Gaiden: Sugoi yo!! Masaru-san by Kyosuke Usuta
1996
Hoshin Engi by Ryu Fujisaki
Yu-Gi-Oh! by Kazuki Takahashi
Kochikame 20th Anniversary & Chapter 1000
1997
I's by Masakazu Katsura
Seikimatsu Leader den Takeshi! by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro
ONE PIECE by Eiichiro Oda
1998
Rookies by Masanori Morita
Whistle! by Daisuke Higuchi
HUNTERXHUNTER by Yoshihiro Togashi
1999
Hikaru no Go by Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata
The Prince of Tennis by Takeshi Konomi
NARUTO by Masashi Kishimoto
2000
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean by Hirohiko Araki
BLACK CAT by Kentaro Yabuki
2001
Bobobobo Bobobo by Yoshio Sawai
BLEACH by Tite Kubo
2002
Strawberry 100% by Mizuki Kawashita
Eyeshield 21 by Riichiro Inagaki & Yusuke Murata
2004
Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
Gintama by Hideaki Sorachi
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! by Akira Amano
D.Gray-man by Katsura Hoshino
Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation by Yoshiyuki Nishi
2005
Neuro: Supernatural Detective by Yusei Matsui
2006
To Love Ru by Saki Hasemi & Kentaro Yabuki
2007
Sket Dance by Kenta Shinohara
2008
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan by Hiroshi Shiibashi
Toriko by Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro
Bakuman. by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
2009
Kuroko's Basketball by Tadatoshi Fujimaki
Beelzebub by Ryuhei Tamura
Medaka Box by Nisio Isin & Akira Akatsuki
2010
ONE PIECE New World Begins
2011
Nisekoi by Naoshi Komi
2012
Haikyu!! by Haruichi Furudate
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. by Shuichi Aso
Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui
Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma by Yuto Tsukuda & Shun Saeki
2013
World Trigger by Daisuke Ashihara
Isobe Isobee Monogatari by Ryo Nakama
2014
Hinomaru Zumo by Kawada
My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi
2015
Black Clover by Yuki Tabata
2016
Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs by Tadahiro Miura
Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge
BORUTO by Mikio Ikemoto & Ukyo Kodachi
The Promised Neverland by Kaiu Shirai & Posuka Demizu
Kochikame 40th Anniversary and Serialization End
2017
We Never Learn by Taishi Tsutsui
Dr. STONE by Riichiro Inagaki & Boichi
2018
Jujutsu Kaisen by Akutami Gege
2019
Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto
Mission: Yozakura Family by Hitsuji Gondaira
2020
Undead Unluck by Yoshifumi Tozuka
MASHLE by Hajime Komoto
Ayakashi Triangle by Kentaro Yabuki
Me & Roboco by Shuhei Miyazaki
BURN THE WITCH by Tite Kubo
SAKAMOTO DAYS by Yuto Suzuki
2021
The Elusive Samurai by Yusei Matsui
WITCH WATCH by Kenta Shinohara
Blue Box by Kouji Miura
2022
Akane Banashi by Yuki Suenaga & Takamasa Moue
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Wild thoughts on SxF 85 manga
Be careful, there are spoilers here!!
Okay, let's talk a little bit about the chapter, and I can only say that the whole thing was crazy.
I find it very interesting how during the first arc about Nightfall she makes such a small but important connection at this current point. Twilight during the Tennis match e warns his apprentice about getting carried away and how it severely damages her body just by looking at the scratches on her hands.
And in this chapter we see her literally destroy her arm and leg in order to protect her master and her love (which, in a way is appreciated). Still, we see very explicitly how Fiona's love (obsession) can be the trigger for all her power, the strength of her heart is relentless, but still, it can overtake and with it destroy herself Something Twilight clearly doesn't want, no matter if her mentor says spies are disposable, he cares about his disciple's safety and if there is still some conscience left in Twilight at this point, I'm sure it's something that will really affect him.
In contrast, Nightfall speaks to something very important. Spies like Wheleer and Twilight live by logical reasoning and cold, detached from any bond. But, ironically, this also makes them weak. Nightfall talks about how love becomes the greatest power, the strongest reason to protect others, and how mine to cherish someone only makes them cowards by not being able to deal with the possible consequences of a betrayal..
Ironic if we remember that this is perhaps Twilight's greatest weakness. And it is even more ironic coming from Nightfall, since it is Twilight who instills these thoughts, it is he who assures her that spies must stick to the path of solitude in order to keep the peace, while she assures Wheleer that this idea is just a sign of cowardice and weakness.
What it does is to emphasize that the way Nightfall idealizes Twilight prevents her from seeing the true image of this man while bringing her closer. In the last chapter we see her fantasizing about Twilight crying with a baby over her death and taking refuge in the arms (boobs) of his wife, because deep down she and we know that he is someone sensitive (crybaby).
Nightfall claims to love Twilight the spy, while searching for the sweet, sensitive man who is buried beneath the rubble that the war has left…. and yet, at the current point in the manga, she hasn't gotten him.
On the other hand, Westalis' best spy is not becoming weak by being attached to his fake family, what weakens him is his indecisiveness and having to constantly repress his desires and feelings. Twilight wants peace in the world, but deep down, he also wants his own peace, his own family. And that is why he was unable to kill an SSS agent, an enemy, but also a part of Yor's family that makes him also his family.
And lastly we have Twilight, who we've been missing most of his feelings for two chapters now, and hell, that has me looking forward to it. We still don't know what this arc is about, the only thing I know is that all these events seriously affect our spy: Yor and her apparent annoyance with him, a mole, being unable to kill Yuri despite having everything to do it, his apprentice with fractured limbs and having to return home in one piece for dinner
I have no idea what's going on in Endo's head, but it's definitely destroying and thrilling me chapter by chapter.
Most Irrrelevant Thought: New Shipp Unlocked!!! And I don't know about you… I like him.
It is refreshing to see Yuri have more interactions and be beaten by a woman (who is not his sister).
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Noragami: Final Chapter thoughts
For the last time :') I've been making these for roughly half the manga's runtime, both in chapter count and years. Which is wild to think, but anyway, spoilers under the cut. One final time.
I really spent the first half of this chapter with bated breath alternating between being relieved that Hiyori is okay and grew up to be a doctor and everything, and stressed about where Yato was and where her memories were. Then Yato showed up, and I think I burst into tears out of hysterics. They really got me, I thought he was gone.
That aside, it was an excellent chapter. I was right when I said that this would just be an epilogue and the true suffering was over, but god. god. I'm relieved they gave me that open ending and the chapter was mostly good old-fashioned Noragami silliness. With the expected gut punches.
It's probably a good thing that Yuka never got to reunite with her brother, but at least knows that he's resting in peace. That he was given a proper burial by someone who, at the time, barely knew him but wanted to make things right anyway. Great now I'm crying again.
Hiyori's pocket with the little capyper keychain she bought forever ago. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
Yato's CPR being so intense it cracked Hiyori's ribs. god he was so desperate to save her. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.
HER TOUCHING HER LIPS WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Fujisaki getting nostalgic seeing tall grass (as we know from the omake is called kaya) was weirdly touching. Though Father has faded, Kaya is the one that is still remembered. We never got to learn his real name, and while I am still curious about it, I can see the purpose--by not knowing his name, we the readers don't give him a lifeline.
That's not the only fourth wall lean in the final chapter. There was also Yato being able to save himself by becoming a meme, much like how the fandom and Adachitoka have memed on him for years as well.
Back to the chapter, it looks like Father's consciousness had always been lurking alongside Fujisaki's, maybe making him do things from time to time, which is really weird and creepy. Maybe he was dormant until the Yomi arc, but either way he's been doing this to a dozen other guys over the centuries. I'm glad the cycle was broken.
It's hilarious that Fujisaki tries to ask Hiyori out and she's just like haha not interested coo phone be upon ye.
I'm so glad the cherry blossom party has become an annual tradition with even more gods invited to the party. I'm also so glad that Yato refuses to release Kazuma and Bishamon apparently makes it a point to bully him about this whenever she sees him. But also, Kazuma doesn't seem to want to be released. He's just like yeah whatever man I'm glad you saved us. Cheers.
Side note, Kazuma's new glasses look a lot like the ones he was wearing in that 100 years ago flashback of him and Bishamon, around chapter 68 or 69 I think?
So we also get to see the aftermath of what happened to Yukine--he still transforms into a wolf every now and then, because much like how Nora transforms into a snakelike creature whenever she loses control of her emotions, his form is a wolf, and unlike Nora he's always been very emotional. So the nightmares come out and Yato's left with a giant wolf thrashing around in their shared living space lol, but at least his dad is there to hug him :')
WAIT STOP PAUSE EVERYTHING IT LOOKS LIKE THEY SHARE A BED NOW. I JUST COLLAPSED INTO A BALL.
AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH
The panel of Yato hugging him made me lose it again. THEY'RE SOOOOOOOO.
So we never did get to find out what happened to Yukine's father--but as I pointed out in the reread I did during December, I don't think it matters. Yukine wasn't going to exact revenge on him anyway because he's not the kind of person to do so.
The page of Nora reading Hiyori's diary also made me so sad. Hiyori's right--she probably did have parents who loved her, but she never got to meet them. One thing I noticed throughout this manga is shinki habitually chasing something relating to their pasts. Yukine craves a good relationship with a father figure, Kazuma is obsessed with Bishamon because he missed out on marrying a girl he loved, Daikoku acts like a dad to every child he meets because he died before having his own kids, and like Yukine, Hiiro craves the parental love she never had. And as Hiyori pointed out, being given a name by Father was like being given life.
Since we didn't get to see what became of her name situation, but Yukine still bears the Hagusa name, she must still have Mizuchi. If her master is gone, can she still draw borderlines? Does she hang around with Yato and Yukine still? Adachitoka didn't say Kofuku DIDN'T name her, so...
The way Hiyori remembered Yato because of his scent had me SOBBING, yall. She didn't forget, but she did solve her problem and it was solved by people, just like they've been saying throughout the manga. But now, they can be together again. Yato was away from her for some years, and maybe he'll leave for several more (it's been a repeated thing in the manga that he'll insist he has to stay away for her own good), but the point is that even if it's been years and years, she'll always remember him. It's open-ended, but that just means it can be my preferred ending of Hiyori not forgetting but choosing to distance herself. She'll meet up with Yato and Yukine every once in a while living her own, separate, fulfilling life. They've been watching over her all these years anyway.
And so, that brings us to the close. It's as happy an ending as we could have possibly gotten, and above all else, I'm relieved. I've been saying for...years, probably, that I want an open ending, but I really thought it was off the table with recent events.
Final hangups are the same as they were in my final reread (tagged under #Noragami reread on my blog), so I won't repeat them, but the bottom line is that I got everything I wanted out of this ending--except maybe a trio hug? But that interior illustration of the four of them, all smiling and happy, Yato's arm around his sister, made up for that. I kind of wish there was a Yatori kiss for real, but the panel of her touching her lips also assuaged that.
Anyway, I'm not sure what other manga would/will make me unhinged enough to type up monthly thoughts posts for years, but I'll be tuned in to whatever new Adachitoka has coming up. Whether it's a full series, a short series, or just a oneshot, I'll be reading every word. I'm also looking forward to getting the final volume once it releases here, and praying for an artbook announcement.
Thank you for reading! I have some posts to make, some projects to plan, and I'll be diving into the tag once more for old times' sake. This won't be the last of me!
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Rambling about Fairies - Manga Chapter 200
One thing that's similar between Fairy Tail and One Piece, and a big part about why these two manga do nakamaship so well, is probably the post-battle banquet. While in One Piece the trend is that it gets bigger and bigger, in Fairy Tail it's always similarly wild, and sometimes it's less "yay we made it through hell" and more "oh hey, welcome home". Both are good.
I love the spirit of "let's find any excuse to drink and dance and be idiots!" it's just the spirit of how we can always just forget everything and have fun celebrating the present.
Also, this Raijinshuu reintroduction. I wish we did more. I kinda wonder what would've happened if these three decided to adopt Lisanna into their tribe instead. Sure it's more story coherent that she formed a team with her siblings, but just for narrative advancements it'd be fun because these three are some of the ones we don't see any interactions of them with Lisanna, because they're not in the kid era. Wouldn't it be funny if Mirajane and Elfman, overprotective and all, were like 'how about you go on missions with the raijinshuu from now on? Safer that way. And that's just. A thing from now on. Gives the thunder legion development while giving Lisanna a fun new experience rather than just going off her experiences in Edolas.
Like, would it be funny if Laxus came back and Lisanna was like hah! they bodyguard me now! And laxus, who never really cared that the tribe were technically guards, would just be like didn't you die, and then he would be completely on board with the protect Lisanna agenda. It'd be funny
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Fic: Something Reckless by @millenni-em-tauk
Fandom: Witch Hat Atelier | For: em, the author herself <3
Book #12 is for a brand-new fandom, and reading it got me so hype I went back and caught up on the entire manga in an wild insomniac blitz over four days - PLEASE READ IT. Em is a superb writer and it's truly an honor to count her among my friends, as she is unflappably considerate and smart. She is also so talented: not only did she write this fic, she drew all the illustrations!
This book was my first all-Duo book (in Mudbath) - Duo really is a pleasure to work with, which made it all the more frustrating when I fucked up the margins on the case and foiled that giant golden eye off-center. Boo! But since I refuse to turn in B+ work, especially for Em, I tossed out the case and made another - much better this time (I free-handed the little frills hanging off the tassels BOTH TIMES. Please clap.) This was also my first time chisel-trimming the block; I like how it turned out, but the power sander sings quite the siren song...
Another design note: Witch Hat Atelier is about magic that is hand-drawn, with a focus on runes/glyphs; every rune or glyph has its own unique effect/element. For every chapter, I used a different rune /glyph as the section break (nine total) for funsies.
Font is Perpetua, with accents in Song of coronos and Kristi. I am starting to see the value in chapter pages having no header or footer (notes for next time.) Endpapers are Italian letterpress marble in azure/gold from Hollander's.
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Strap in boys, this is a long one.
So I was looking back through the pages of the manga and I noticed something very interesting about Hyuse. It's a really subtle thing but it's been blowing my mind all the way to Saturn and back.
I had to split this post up because of the Tumblr picture limit so if you want the full version you can find it here.
When we first meet Hyuse, he's in the Aftokrator Away Ship, dressed in Aftokrator's military uniform, surrounded by fellow soldiers. And he looks like this:
Look at his hair. It's neat and tidy, slicked back to be smooth and out of the way. It's very round and flat and well-behaved, almost like it's been polished.
Soon after this, Hyuse is instructed to go out and fight Tamakoma-1. So he does. He goes with Viza and he fights Tamakoma-1.
But Tamakoma-1 isn't easy to beat. In fact, they're quite hard to beat, and Hyuse is encountering some difficulties. Their techniques and weapons are new, unusual and unknown to him - he's being exposed to how Meeden works for the first time. And his hair... scruffs just a little bit.
Just a little bit messier, not a lot to really matter. Could be just the effect of an intense fight.
Then he meets Jin.
And then he fights Jin. And after fighting Jin and learning that his fellow Aftokratans have left, he looks like this:
Those back spikes weren't like that before, were they? No, after having fought with Jin and being told he's been abandoned by his comrades, Hyuse's hair is definitely scruffier. (Also, doesn't that crack look weirdly like he's... crying? Food for thought.)
So Aftokrator loses and Hyuse is taken prisoner, and when we next see him, it's here:
Posture slouched, hands in his pockets, hood over his head. A very clear anti-social stance. He doesn't want to be here, he doesn't want to talk to these people, he's pretty much doing this against his will. So he's reluctant, and he's hiding.
This is a common thing with Hyuse. It's how Ashihara communicates the distance between Hyuse and other characters to the audience; if he doesn't want to be there, he puts the hood up and he hides. And it's kinda interesting that the behaviour that is associated with Hyuse hiding is also the behaviour where he covers his hair.
His hair, which went from almost-uniform neatness in Aftokrator's ship to a ruffled mess after being on Meeden.
Do you see where this is heading? Let me keep going.
After the Aftokrator invasion, Hyuse spends some time among Tamakoma Branch as per Border's way of keeping him prisoner. He barely talks to any of the people there, but that doesn't mean he doesn't interact with them. He's still in the same space as them, sharing the same environment, so he continues to gain exposure to Meeden and its people, and he bonds particularly with Yōtarō.
Following this, the next major event in the story is the Galopoula invasion. Towards the end Hyuse meets with one of the Galopoula soldiers (Reghindetz) and demands to be taken with them so he can return to Aftokrator.
Hyuse fakes stabbing Yōtarō in order to convince Reghindetz of taking him with them, but Reghindetz flips out a completely grills him.
Chapter 135 is the first ever chapter to be titled with Hyuse's name; it's incredibly important to his character, and this panel is the centre of it. It takes up half the page it's on. Ashihara wanted to make it very clear to the audience that this moment for Hyuse is absolutely critical - and it is, because this is a major turning point in Hyuse's character growth. He's just had the blatant truth of what it means to be left behind by Aftokrator thrown right in his face.
And you wanna know what Ashihara chose to highlight in such an incredibly crucial moment for Hyuse's character?
His fucking hair.
His messy, fluffy, scruffy hair that looks absolutely nothing like it did when he first arrived in the Aftokrator ship. His hair, which has gone from neat and orderly and controlled to wild and free just from being on Meeden.
But the absolute wildest part? Hyuse looks like a teenager now. The more his hair fluffs up and gets scruffy, the more Hyuse looks like a normal everyday teenager who just grew up on Meeden/Earth. It's insane. It's surreal. It's absolutely off-the-walls batshit bonkers and Ashihara is a bloody genius.
It doesn't stop there either, because the very next thing that happens is the first time the audience gets to see Hyuse put on Lambyris. And lo and behold...
Hyuse, using Lambyris and wearing Aftokrator's military uniform, has scruffy hair.
Ashihara could've just made it so that Lambyris automatically gives Hyuse neatened hair, and excused the previous scruffiness with "he was in a fight". But he didn't. Instead he chose to show us Hyuse putting on Lambyris while looking like a normal teenager, and have his trion body load in with god damn scruffy hair.
What happens afterwards? Well...
Hyuse hides again.
Notice how he took the hood off when facing Reghindetz? He was confident then, self-assured. He had a plan and he was gonna act on it. Now, that's all been crushed. He's back to square one and worse, he's been confronted with the fact that he's been abandoned.
There's a distinct pattern to Hyuse's hiding. Whenever he's faced with something that shakes his world view and/or hurts his pride, he puts his hood up. He creates a second shield for himself and he uses it to cover up his key defining features. This isn't just anti-social behaviour, it's a defence mechanism.
The Aftokrator invasion? No hood, but the moment he's taken prisoner of war it's there. Aftokrator lost and then left Hyuse behind, and he's hiding how he's hurt by that. On top of that, he's being manhandled by Border.
Confronting Reghindetz? No hood, he didn't feel like he needed it. Post-Galopoula invasion? Hood up, head down, won't sit near anyone but Yōtarō. He's having to rearrange his whole perception of himself, Aftokrator and Meeden and it sucks.
And thirdly, confronting the Border Executives. In order for Hyuse to get back to Aftokrator, he needs to join Tamakoma-2 as their second ace, and help them get onto the Away Mission team. To do that, however, he needs approval from the heads of Border - which means he needs Osamu to plead his case.
Notice how, by having him sat down, Ashihara made Hyuse shorter than Yūma in this panel? How Hyuse, who's normally the tallest out of Tamakoma-2, is depicted as smaller than their smallest member? And even more than that, how Osamu is now the tallest?
Where Hyuse is normally the guide, the advisor, the more experienced one that the others turn to, in this situation he is the one reliant on them.
And look, he's regressed. He's gone back to that flat-eyed stare he had when we first saw him in the hoodie, sat in the back of the car.
He's been placed into a situation where he is basically powerless and completely dependent on others to survive, and in response all of his defence mechanisms have gone back up. He refuses to emote properly and only talks when he feels it's absolutely necessary, and the hood stays firmly on - hiding not only his hair but his horns as well, the key defining feature of his Neighbour heritage.
But Mikumo succeeds in getting Hyuse approved for Tamakoma-2. And Hyuse, incidentally, goes back to being depicted as the tallest of the four of them.
From this angle, it also appears that he's no longer slouching. His confidence is slowly coming back.
So at long last, in Chapter 150/151, Hyuse joins Border. He rocks up at the induction ceremony in a customised C-Rank uniform, hair fully exposed and scruffy as ever.
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I’ve seen a bit of discourse on Twitter, with people calling Nene toxic because she shot 3 Cupid arrows into a sleeping Hanako. It’s… wild. Imagine hating the main character of the entire manga 💀 I could make an essay on why she’s not toxic, but instead I’m gonna go down the other route and say:
If you think Nene is toxic, then oh boy do I have some news for you about Hanako!!
Let’s list Hanako’s toxic behaviours:
Tricked a young girl into swallowing a mermaid scale so he could make her destroy yorishiro’s
Literally admits himself that he didn't plan to care about Nene and was just using her until he caught feelings
Heavily flirted with Nene until she became confused about his intentions, which resulted in her crying
Threatens to turn Nene into a fish when she doesn't bend to his will
Intentionally keeps Nene's lifespan a secret from her, and only reveals it to her after she confronts him about it
Tries to harm Nene's best friend twice! Despite knowing full well she would disapprove (for those who may not remember, along with literally trying to kill her in Nene's stead, Hanako attempts to drop a chandelier on Aoi to lure out the clock keeper he was hunting)
Hanako quite literally locks Nene away, against her own freewill, because he decided it was the best way to save her (despite how much she didn't want to stay there)
Becomes overly possessive and jealous about Nene, to the point that he doesn't even like the idea of anybody saving her life other than himself (there's so many examples I can give on Hanako's possessiveness alone, but just know it's a pretty toxic trait of his)
Constantly thinks he knows what's best for Nene and will act on that interest, never consulting her on anything even though it's about her
Refuses to entertain Nene's desire to die and stay with him, even Tsukasa says he was selfish for that one
Do I even need to mention chapter 71? The entire severance? How Hanako, after realising he wouldn't be able to make Nene forget, decides to try and make her full on hate him and acts cruel towards her
Honestly I am certain I am forgetting things, but this is a list of Hanako's toxic behaviors from the top of my head. He isn't innocent by any means!! And sure, I admit Nene has flaws and that's okay, but if you're going to say she's toxic then I'm sorry but you have to include Hanako too because he's far worse.
And btw this is just Hanako's toxic behaviors towards Nene, she actually gets off easy, because everyone else gets it far worse from him. Like? Tsukasa anyone?? Murdered younger brother who was abandoned for 2 decades??
The hypocrisy runs deep.
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