#the one with him by mount fuji is really cool because you can only get it at tourist locations near mount fuji

[meownotgood]

closeups of things!

plushies! the third plushie actually has a defect... his left ear is upsidedown.... but I think he's even cuter with this lol

all the charms!!!!! I'm running out of space....

this charm changes depending on the angle you look at it from!!

aaaaand the acrylic stands....

#very very happy to add all of these akis to my collection #many many topknots #I'm happy with all the charms! #the one with him by mount fuji is really cool because you can only get it at tourist locations near mount fuji #the one of him on the carosel.... it gets me every time #also obsessed with the huge pop team epic artist charm #the hayakawa fam one where he's doing a peace sign.... aaaah #and the baby aki is so much pinker in person!!!! lol #happy about all the stands too #the one where he has star eyes is the decora pic stand #so you can display him like that or turn him into a charm #the namja town and exhibition stands I've been wanting to get for foreverrr I'm so glad I got them used at a really good price #namja town aki is one of my fave acrylic stands for him (the orange and red one) #the freaking one standing next to coffee aki #it was from the last chainsaw man exhibition and it's so tiny but the damn thing cost me an arm and a leg #the things I do for aki..... #I'm really tired but #gonna try and rearrange my shrine now lol #aki <3

[codenamesazanka]

i dropped mha awhile ago bc it was getting a bitttt too copaganda-y for me and you are like one of three mha blogs i still follow i tuned back in again just to find out the ending im so sorry to shigaraki he shouldve at least been allowed to destroy mount fuji rip king he’ll be spitting on heroes from the skys now….. the kinda split reaction between the japanese fans and western fans is interesting to me it kinda feels like fans are reacting to two different stories? or like focused on very different aspects? anyways thanks for what you do keep it up 👍🏻

Thank you for all your follow and love for all these years!!!! <3333 i'm really happy and grateful and I hope i've kept you entertained the whole time!!!!

Yeah, BnHA is very adamant about its Heroes! So! Cool! Worship Them Like Gods! thing. Just when you think it'll be deconstructing the concept of Hero Society, All Might comes back to be fueled by the wishing energy of the world to inject acid into his opponent. Quite a choice. I'm so just in it for the villains. Sorry it didn't work out for you! And sorry you had to come back to Shigaraki ending up like that. 😭😭😭so far. He really should've been allowed to destroy Mt. Fuji.

As for the contrast between the Japanese fandom and the English-speaking fandom... I caution my observations being the whole and objective truth!

I'm much more familiar with Villain Fans Section of the English-speaking fandom; and while we're very loud and vocal, it does seem like the majority opinion is that Heroes are cool, Villains are bad, ending is acceptable. Meanwhile, I'm looking only at japanese tweets through keywords, and they're bound to be more positive because it seems like people avoid tagging their hate; anonymous message boards are freer with their criticism, but there's still never essay-length rants. I'm sure there has bound to be those existing somewhere, but with my mainly surface access into jfandom, I wouldn't know where to look for them.

Plus, there are a few people in jfandom who have the same gripes: why is Endeavor allowed to continue to be a Hero; the heteromorph resolution is majority-oriented and unfair to the minorities; the social issues aspect should've been addressed more; Deku shouldn't have invaded Shigaraki's mind like that, and it's a bit concerning that he seems to have no reaction to the total annihilation of a man in front of him, etc. Not a lot, and, as I said, not as vocal as in English-speaking fandom, but they're there.

However, from my observations, in my opinion I think there are a few key differences:

Shonen Jump is about the protag Heroes. What it is and should be. I think bnha is pointed out to be pretty uniquely sympathetic to its villains?

jfandom are much less lenient towards the Villains. They can love the League, they can criticize Heroes, but they readily acknowledge that the League have done terrible things and should be punished accordingly. Doesn't matter their sad backstories; they still hurt people and they need to pay for that. They're unforgivable. Like, the idea that Tenko killing his family - even if completely by accident, even if manipulated - is a sin no matter what and he should atone for it, is more prominent. (There are also people who will forever know Bakugou as the 'jump off the roof' bully and never forgive him no matter how much development he goes through.)

The concept of 'saving' seems to be more focused on saving the heart, freeing someone from suffering, giving them relief. It does not necessarily mean not killing them, or ever forgiving them, or ever considering them likeable.

the concept of 'the needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few' seems to also be somewhat more significant. of course the few should be accepted and treated right, and they should be accommodated, but it's best to... avoid causing trouble for other (normal) people, let's say. Sometimes, though, the few can't be made to feel accepted, and that's how things are. It's a pity. There are definitely people fighting against this idea, and English-speaking fandom isn't exempt from this either (soooo many 'wow Toga is just a psychopath' takes still existing; and also 'who cares about Muscular' even from the Villain fans), but it's a thing.

Jfandom appears to like it more that Shigaraki sticks to his guns. to the very end, he's stays true to the League; he stands by his choices and actions even if they were under undue influence; and he's a Hero to the Villains. Loyalty and a strong conviction are valued. Seems to be less fretting whether Tenko and Tomura are separate people/identities/persona. (Still a few who think 'Shimura Tenko' will come back.)

and so end result is that overall, Deku did do his job, and admirably at that. He didn't ignore The Crying Child when he could've/should've because Shigaraki was already unforgivable for his actions at Jaku (and before); he saved Shigaraki/Tenko's heart by providing relief, but that doesn't necessarily mean he needed to understand or befriend Shigaraki, or that Shigaraki should be converted (for lack of better word) and saved physically; he's a Hero who stopped a threat and saved the world; and Shigaraki disintegrating is simply just desserts.

But like I said above, it could be that those points aren't specific at all to jfandom. There are certainly a lot of people who think the ending is great and satisfying in the english-speaking fandom (and from what i've seen of machine-translated spanish/french/portuguese/etc tweets, also those fandoms). It's just the critiques are very in your face, and Villain fans are very vocal. I know I certainly am.

Thanks for the ask!!!!!

#nalslastworkingbraincell

[quirkwizard]

Spoilers but what are your thoughts on how Tomura is now able to take parts of OFA? I’m super conflicted because on one hand this is just another way to needlessly raise the stakes and OFA is supposed to be the one Quirk that can’t be taken. On the other hand, I’m willing to bet that the vestiges will pull a Star and Stripes and destroying even more Quirks. And it may serve to equalize Izuku going forward now that he only has OFA and not the extra Quirks.

So Shigaraki stole Danger Sense… how in the world does that work? Also what is Horikoshi doing? Why take away Danger Sense? I mean we finally got the reveal of the Kudo’s quirk and now he just is taking them away? A little strange. Only got to see one combo where he used them all together.

I have a few thoughts on it. For starters, part of me thinks that, barring any story reasons, "Danger Sense" was stolen for meta reasons. That being danger detection is a really annoying power to write around. It's hard to have stakes or threat when a character is always aware of what is about to harm them especially when they have other powers with which to capitalize off of it. It's why a lot of writers tend to downplay or find work arounds for things like the Spider Sense. Izuku needs to be in greater danger to be in danger, so Hori had to pull the plug on his safety net. And to give credit where it's due, he did have a pretty good way of trying to get rid of the power by having Hikage sacrifice himself for the rest of the the other users given that the Quirks still work inside "One For All".

That ramble aside, I can get the frustration of having the Quirks being taken, especially when the stakes are high as they are. Izuku already has the ticking clock to worry about and the national disaster of Mount Fuji, so why bother removing the Quirks? What's more, what would be the point of having them all introduced only to have them taken away? Unless this is a one off trick, losing them just makes them seem like a crutch for Izuku. We'll have to wait and see on that, though I don't think having individual Quirks stolen is that unreasonable. "One For All" itself can't be stolen, but the other Quirks are just something that's carried between users. They're more like extensions of "One For All" rather then the Quirk itself. Plus Tomura was stated that his strong hatred would help him steal "One For All".

Ultiamtely, I have to think that Tomura being able to steal Quirks like this is leading to something else. I doubt they'd do anything with Stars and Stripes, as her visage was destroyed, or something like her. It's possible, but that's pretty much what happened with All For One, so it'd be pretty redundant to do it again. There is the potential of Nana being able to interact with Tomura in some meaningful way to talk him down or distract him, especially after she'd be so open to kill him before. And while I don't particularly care to have Izuku lose "One For All", you could have it so that the Quirk is taken and there is a visage of Izuku in Tomura as well. You can then have a visage of Izuku talking to Tenko, potentially while the real Izuku is talking to Tomura. Having Izuku talk down and rectify Tomura on both fronts could be a really cool way to finish off the story.

#My Hero Academia #Quirks #Midoriya Izuku #Deku #Tomura shigaraki #Nana Shimura #MHA Meta #MHA theory

[avastrasposts]

MicrosoftFlightSim!Frankie

Inspired by @jazzelsaur idea about Frankie Morales being a hardcore Microsoft Flight Sim player, I wrote this, because Frankie playing MFS has to be canon.

Frankie will take time off work the day the new Microsoft Flight Sim releases, triple checking months in advance to make sure his gaming PC can run the game and make it look epic

He’s been planning for this since the specs were released, saving up to buy new parts for his PC set up, including a yoke, throttle, rudder and pedals. He even replaced his old gaming chair with a better model, second hand on Craigslist. 

This is the only game he plays, except for a bit of GTA V that he got online for $10 when Rockstar had a sale. 

The day before the launch Frankie will let his friends know he’ll be unavailable for the next few days. Benny totally understands, he will spend days playing UFC on his old Xbox and gives Frankie some healthy gamer snack tips. Will rolls his eyes, the idea of wasting so much time on a game just doesn’t sit right with the more responsible Miller brother. Pope just offers to come over and take you, Frankie’s girlfriend, out for a date, earning him a punch in the arm. 

The game releases at midnight but Frankie’s has had it pre-downloaded for two weeks already so he goes to the store and picks up snacks and any caffeinated soft drink he can find. Snacks have to be non-sticky, dry and not greasy. He takes Benny’s advice and prepares apple wedges with peanut butter in advance. 

As zero hour approaches Frankie snuggles you and tells you to sleep well while he tucks you into bed, you’re already half asleep, not really caring much about your boyfriend’s sudden crazy behavior. 

At ten to midnight he settles in and starts preparing his first flight. He’s had it planned ever since he saw that they were adding the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, the game’s first military fighter jet. He’s always dreamed of flying one. 

Finally loading up the game he quickly skips the tutorial, (as if he would need a tutorial), and takes the jet out on the runway. He’s read every manual available about the jet and soon gets the all clear from the tower and takes off. As per usual, Frankie talks to the tower, relaying any information they will need, even though there’s no need for it in the game. 

He logs on to Discord and his preferred flight sim channel, logging his flight and setting a course for Japan. He’s always wanted to go to Japan and it’s tradition for him to do a fly-by of Mount Fuji the first time he’s in a new aircraft ever since he got MFS for Windows 95 on sale back in -97.

Hailing other aircrafts as they cross his flight path, he tries to keep his voice low to not wake you up in the next room. 

Once he’s done playing with the Hornet (there are no targets to shoot anyway, this is a civilian flight sim), he switches to the new commercial airliner, the Boeing 7847-8 Intercontinental and sets a flight course for New Zealand from Newark, he wants to test his skills and the new PC parts on a really long flight. Plus, it’d be cool to see where they shot the Lord of the Rings. 

The next morning you find him asleep in the chair, slumped over the keyboard, headset askew over his head. The plane has crashed somewhere in the Andes. 

The next evening you take Pope up on his offer of dinner and a movie, “just as friends” you underline in your text to him, “need to get out of the house while #GamerFrankie gets this out of his system”

#frankie morales #gamer!Frankie #this is now the truth

[thefinalcinderella]

Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru Chapter 8 - Winter Comes Again (Part 1)

Full list of translations here

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A team with only ten runners had passed the qualifiers and was now in the Hakone Ekiden.

This spectacular achievement accomplished by the residents of Chikusei-sou was widely talked about, not just by the university athletics world.

Since the Hakone Ekiden began being televised in 1987, there was hardly anyone who didn’t know the name of this event for student runners in the Kanto region. Whether it was due to the grueling nature of the race or the glamour and glitz that aired on New Year’s Day, the Hakone Ekiden never failed to attract attention.

Only ten people were taking on that famous competition. Why would they think of doing such a reckless thing? What would happen if someone got injured or sick on the day of the event? What kind of daily training regimen did they follow, and how did they live?

Curious locals and students who wished to join the team began to visit Chikusei-sou incessantly. Most of the students had no experience in track and field, but when they found out that the team had passed the qualifiers, many of them asked to join the team in a temporary rush of excitement.

Kiyose carefully wrote on a piece of paper that he would turn down all visits and stuck it on the door of Chikusei-sou. He appreciated them wanting to join, but the Kansei University boom would soon die down, they couldn’t enter without an official record, and Chikusei-sou was already full. After much deliberation, Kiyose decided that it would be better for the ten of them to concentrate on training and unite to compete in Hakone rather than take in any new members.

With regards to the locals, the shopkeepers of the shopping district told them to not get in the way of training and most of the locals were now content to just peek at Chikusei-sou from over the hedges. The exceptions were the old people who quietly supplied produce from their fields.

As Kakeru was leaving for his morning jog, he noticed napa cabbages and pears placed outside the door. Is this some kind of repayment? He thought. Nira, who had watched the old people’s actions without barking, only wagged his tail at him. In the end, without knowing who did it, the residents of Chikusei-sou filled their stomachs with the produce that was often left at their door.

Of course, requests for interviews flooded in from the media. Not just track and field magazines, but also weekly magazines, newspapers, and TV; every kind of media outlet they could think of had been trying to contact them. Kiyose and Shindou investigated them all carefully and refused almost all requests with “We want to concentrate on our training.”

However, they agreed to an interview with Monthly Track and Field’s Sanuki and Yomiuri Shimbun’s Nunoda, who had been supporting them since the summer training camp. The two understood the psychology of runners well, so they watched them train without interfering and briefly asked them the most pertinent questions. Favorable articles about the people of Chikusei-sou were then published in the respective mediums.

The twins and King were over the moon and insisted on accepting more interviews.

“We’re actually going to Hakone, you know? It’s better to be noticed,” Jouta said.

“It might even help with getting a job,” King said.

“Instead of thinking about that, you need to get more serious about training. Otherwise, your pathetic running will be televised all over the country, and you’ll get attention whether you like it or not.”

Even when Kiyose flatly rejected them, the twins and King didn’t give up.

“No? We wanna be on TV. TV, TV!” they yelled. Kakeru was astonished as he watched the offense and defense unfolding at the dinner table.

Just the thought of competing in the Hakone Ekiden was enough to make Kakeru nervous and elated. But on top of that, the twins wanted the “extraordinary” experience of being interviewed on TV. Were they too simple-minded, were they greedy, or were they just fearless?

Until that spring, the twins had lived without having any connection to long-distance running, so they might not have had a clear idea of the significance of the Hakone Ekiden.

The Hakone Ekiden, which began in 1920, took place every year with the exception of a few years during the war. Even amidst the food shortage after the war, the runners put on their sashes and aimed for the mountains of Hakone—that's how important it was as an event for runners, with more than eighty years of tradition.

The Hakone Ekiden was what student runners yearned and dreamed of; the twins might not have fully understood the meaning and value of participating in such an event. But even though they didn’t understand, they trained and had the ability to claim their place to take part in it, so they were no ordinary people. Kakeru was impressed and amused by this.

Between them, the twins continued their appeal with Kiyose, who was silently moving his chopsticks.

“Hey, hey, let’s go on TV at least once.”

“We can have that perk, at least. After all, Haiji-san, you’re…”

“What about me?” Kiyose's chopsticks stopped moving. Jouta and Jouji suddenly closed their mouths and squirmed like they wanted to say something, but finally shook their heads.

“Nothing.”

In the end, Kiyose gave in and they ended up accepting a TV interview: on the evening news, in a five-minute topic segment, the lives of the residents of Chikusei-sou were going to be introduced.

TV cameras came and filmed Prince’s room full of manga and Nico-chan’s room full of small quit-smoking dolls that were scattered around his futon that he never put away. They also filmed their training in the field and interviewed the members.

The twins and King took the lead in the interview. We don’t know if things just followed their course or if it was because we were threatened by Haiji-san, but we found ourselves aiming for Hakone. We eat lemons soaked in honey every day to avoid catching colds. We don’t do any special training. We believe we have the same kind of regimen as the track clubs in other universities.

Kakeru, as usual, stood meekly in the corner, just far enough away that he was partially cut off by the cameras.

“Why are you hiding, Kakeru?” Yuki asked.

But Kakeru only smiled vaguely and dodged the question with, “No, I'm not really.” Nico-chan, who was watching over the interview, looked back at him.

“You’re not gonna tell us that you’re a wanted fugitive, are you?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

That’d be cool, though, Nico-chan said and gave him a suspicious look.

“Putting that aside, there’s been a strange mood lately, don’t you think?” Yuki said. Nico-chan nodded, I guess so.

Kakeru had also noticed it; it had become somewhat strained within Chikusei-sou. The first-floor residents were the same as before, and most of the people living on the second floor were practicing with the same attitude as usual. The twins, however, seemed to be clearly depressed. To be frank, it was regarding Kiyose.

They didn’t argue with him or act defiant towards him. However, they tried to keep a subtle distance. Although Kiyose treated Jouta and Jouji as he always had, they couldn’t seem to be open with him for some reason. For some reason, their trust in Kiyose seemed to have faded.

This awkwardness spread through Chikusei-sou, and a somewhat uncomfortable atmosphere had persisted ever since the qualifiers ended.

“I wonder what’s going on,” Nico-chan said. “Kakeru, you’re in the same year as them—ask them casually.”

“What do I ask?”

“About what’s in their heart, of course.”

“Aah…yes.”

Although he answered with that, Kakeru honestly felt that it was a heavy burden.

Training was becoming more and more voluminous and dense. They slowly ran the first 5000 meters of the 12,000 meter run in 17 minutes, then increased the pace and ran the last 1000 meters at a pace of 3 minutes and 0.5 seconds. After that, they did five 1000 meter runs of 2 minutes and 55 seconds with a 200-meter interval in between.

Kakeru did his best to think about his own running. Was the swinging of his arms, the angle of his feet when he landed on the ground, the relaxing and tensing of his muscles okay like this? His consciousness stretched around every inch of his cells and he checked his running with every step.

Of course, he had to attend his university classes in between training sessions, but it was hard to have to pay attention to other people as well.

One time, he happened to be in the Tsuru no yu public baths with the twins. When the twins went to the washing area, Kakeru and Kiyose soaked in the bathtub with their backs to the painting of Mount Fuji, and conversed with the plasterer who happened to be there.

“How’s it going, Haiji? How are the Chikusei-sou guys?” the plasterer asked. He was sitting in the hot water with his back to the washing area, so he didn’t notice the twins. The twins, who would usually call out to them, saw Kiyose by the bathtub’s faucet and only slightly bowed without a word.

“They’re doing good,” Kiyose answered the plasterer.

“The first-years did pretty good.” The plasterer pulled his hands out of the water and rubbed his face. “Kakeru did great too, but look at those identical twins—they’re pretty fast too, aren’t they?”

Kakeru fretted over how Kiyose would answer. Behind the plasterer, Jouta and Jouji were straining their ears to listen. Perhaps because he was distracted by the conversation, Jouji lost control of his hands and spilled a large amount of shampoo on his head.

“They really are,” Kiyose smiled. “I can’t say it in front of the people themselves, but they run well.”

“Really?” Jouta stood up from his chair in the washing area, and the plasterer looked behind him with a start.

“What’s the point in lying?” Kiyose rose from the bathtub. “Sir, we’re raising promising runners, so please continue to support us from the shopping district. I will be taking my leave now.”

He walked past the twins’ backs, opened the sliding door of the baths and disappeared into the changing room.

“He only praised us ‘cause we were here,” Jouji muttered to no one in particular. But he couldn’t hide the fact that he was happy. He shampooed his head so vigorously that it was covered in dense bubbles in the blink of an eye.

“What’s with you guys? You didn’t even say hello.”

After the plasterer compared Kiyose’s and the twins’ words and actions, he turned to Kakeru, who was still in the bath. “Are they fighting by any chance?”

He was asked that in a whisper. “Well,” Kakeru sank up to his shoulders in the water. “I don’t think that’s the case.”

The twins might have been dissatisfied with Kiyose in some way, however they couldn’t hide it within themselves forever. If anything, he would say that it was because they had openhearted and naïve personalities; he was sure that they would let their emotions erupt at the earliest opportunity and directly vent them to Kiyose. It wasn’t too late to try and solve the problem.

Kakeru decided to leave the twins alone. He shouldn’t intentionally nudge a dormant volcano; when an eruption occurred, they would naturally discover where the crater is. After carefully assessing the location and wind direction, they could take shelter and wait for the overflowing lava to cool. That was what he thought.

Previous | Next

#Kaze ga tsuyoku fuiteiru #kazetsuyo #kazetsuyo translations #run with the wind

[bpro-cardstories]

Yuta Ashu SR

2019 ー Kiss and Engine [キスとエンジン]

“Then, will you give me a reward for trying hard?” 

『Event: Start of a BRIGHT NEW YEAR (1st - 7th January 2020)』

Part 1

Staff: ‘Alright, we’re resuming the recording. The camera is rolling in 5, 4, 3….’

MC: ‘Now then, we’re sending you the『Fortune Burst Special』! Here we have the ultra-luxurious, limited Osechi*.’

Yuta: ‘Ooh~ amazing! It’s not only a multi-tiered box but the middle is glittering with gold dust~! That’s definitely a good omen! There’s no doubt. Thank you~, thank you~.’

Goshi: ‘Why do you worship that Osechi. It’s not a Buddha statue.’

Yuta: ‘Eh~ Doesn’t it almost look like Buddha!? I mean, such flashiness!?’

Kento: ‘Well, I do understand that the radiance of the gold gives off a divine feeling.’

Yuta: ‘True, true, divineness! This much is a given for the『Fortune Burst』~.’

Kento: ‘Though, my eyes hurt. The pressure of the luck carrier is strong in the studio…..’

Yuta: ‘On the falcon ornament is a big folding screen of  Mount Fuji! I feel the staff’s spirit.’

Yuta: ‘Was it 『One Fuji, two falcons, three eggplants』? If you see them in your year’s first dream, it’s a good omen!’

Kento: ‘As for me, I often have the feeling that cute girls coming to see me in my dream will always be a good omen.’

Yuta: ‘Ah, isn’t 『Four』girls then!?’

Goshi: ‘Don’t say stupid stuff at the start of the New Year. 『Four』is the 『Fan』. It’s even decorated over there.’ 

Kento: ‘I see, that was it.’ ______

Yuta: ‘Waah, Kenken, holding it suits you~!’

Kento: ‘Heh, isn’t that the best luck if this form of mine appears in your dream?’

Yuta: ‘Then, then, how about I take the falcon ornament and Gochin’s in charge of the Mount Fuji folding screen? Together we are 『Fortune Burst The Year’s First Dream THRIVE』♪.’

Goshi: ‘Don’t decide on your own who’s doing what!’

MC: ‘Ahaha, isn’t that great, 『The Year’s First Dream THRIVE』! Since this program is going to air during New Year, what do you think what first dream will you see, everyone?’

Yuta: ‘Hmm…. If I had the choice I want to see one with a good omen?’

Kento: ‘That’s true. Well, if you burn the view of the studio into your memory, you can see it in your dream even if you don’t like it.’

Yuta: ‘Ahaha, true! But then, I wished we had eggplants as well~. Then it would be the top three line-ups.’

MC: ‘Hehehe….. I thought you would say so, Ashu-kun. You know,.....’

Yuta: ‘Eh? ……. It can’t be.’

MC: ‘That’s right, we perfectly prepared the eggplant. Golden ohitashi** eggplant with gold dust!’ 

His biggest nightmare became reality. His good mood was bummed at that moment.

Yuta: ‘Ah…… I-It really is!’

MC: ‘A gilded splendour osechi which was specifically prepared by the head chef of a ryotei***. Now, everyone, please have a bite!!’

Yuta: ‘Ohi-tashi….. It looks so good~! Thank you for the food!’ 

MC: ‘Be my guest! There’s another cup.’ 

Yuta: ‘W-Wah~! Even another serving of the gilded splendour osechi…..!’

Part 2

Tsubasa: ‘ーーEveryone, good work on the recording.’

Tsubasa: ‘The car is on its way, so please wait here for a bit.’ 

Goshi: ‘Okay.’

Kento: ‘Understood. Then, shall I take a look at my JOIN.’

The only member that looks depressed is Yuta. 

Yuta: ‘............’

Tsubasa: ‘Oh…… Yuta-kun, what’s wrong? Your expression……’

Yuta: ‘Ahー...... No, hm…..’

Tsubasa: ‘........?’

Kento: ‘Yuta, how long do you plan to keep that going?’

Yuta: ‘I-I mean…….’

Tsubasa: ‘Keep going…… Was there a problem during the recording?’

Yuta: ‘No, that’s not it.’

Kento: ‘Yuta’s weakness was revealed in the program.’

Tsubasa: ‘His weakness……’

Goshi: ‘...... It’s the eggplant.’

Tsubasa: ‘Eh, the eggplant!?’

Kento: ‘Even though it was fine to leave it there if he doesn’t like it, he had to go with a second serving.’ 

Yuta: ’I-It’s not that I dislike it? Of course, I also don’t like it……’ 

Goshi: ‘Isn’t your『Doesn’t like』『dislike』.’

Yuta: ‘Uuh…… That might be true.’ 

Yuta: ‘Uhm, is it the sudden texture? A mysterious taste that stays until the end? Is it the roughness or the subtle tone? Anyways, in general, I’m bad with the eggplant.’

Yuta: ‘When I think I ate it…. I feel like I can’t say that.’

Tsubasa: ‘That’s how it was….. But, when Yuta-kun was eating the Ohitashi, your dislike of the eggplant was not noticeable.’

Yuta: ‘Eh? Really?’

Tsubasa: ‘Yes! It was something you did not like, however it was amazing how you were able to even eat a second serving without an unpleasant expression.’ 

Yuta (blushes): ‘E-Ehehe…..’

Yuta: ‘Yayー! I was praised by Tsubasa-chan!’

Goshi: ‘Are you a preschooler, or what.’

Tsubasa: ‘Ah, I am sorry! I did not mean to treat you like a child…..!’

Yuta: ‘I understand. It’s okay, Tsubasa-chan. ♪’

Yuta: ‘Since it was New Year, the theme of the program was『Let’s raise our fortune』. Somehow or other, I was careful not to show anything negative. That’s why Tsubasa-chan’s words relieved me! Above all, it would also be bad for the people that prepared it. From the bottom of my heart, I’m grateful and have to eat it properly.’  

Tsubasa: ‘Yuta-kun…. As expected of a professional. I think such an attitude is really wonderful.’

Yuta: ‘Hehe, cool, right?’

Tsubasa: ‘It is!’

Yuta (blushes): ‘Then, will you give me a reward for trying hard?’ 

Tsubasa: ‘Of course! Huh…. eh? A reward, you said……?’

Part 3

Yuta: ‘Yep, a reward! A biiig one!’

Tsubasa: ‘E-Ehm…..’

Goshi: ‘Haa….. Leave it, Sumisora.’

Yuta: ‘Eh~! Even though I tried so hard….. Is that a no?’

Tsubasa: ‘Of course, it is not. It is true that Yuta-kun gave his best.’

Kento: ‘That’s true. Well, I too am not good with eggplants…. In other words, will you give me a reward as well, Tsubasa?’

Goshi: ‘You, shut up.’ 

Kento: ‘Ow…. Violence is not good. That’s barbarous, you know.’ 

Goshi: ‘Shut it.’

Tsubasa: ‘Ahaha….. But, that’s right. When you say reward….. Because New Year is soon, is a New Year’s gift**** fine? Ah, but I thought you will go home directly today, so I do not have it on hand….’

Yuta: ‘Waah, that’s not it!’

Tsubasa: ‘It’s alright, I will go to the wholesale later.’

Yuta: ‘No, no! Doesn’t that look like I extort money from you!?’

Kento (shakes head): ‘It doesn’t look like it, it is extortion, right? How cruel, Yuta…. What a disgrace of a man.’ 

Yuta: ‘Gyah! I didn’t intend for it to be like that, I said! It’s not the reward I meant.’

Tsubasa: ‘Which means…..?’

Yuta: ‘Hm, how to say, it’s not money or a thing. A reward  that energizes me and raises my luck!’

Goshi: ‘What’s that…. It’s too vague.’

Tsubasa: ‘I-I agree…..’

Yuta: ‘Well then~.... Yep, I decided!’

Yuta: ‘Tsubasa-chan, give me a kiss on the cheek!’

Kento & Goshi (shocked): ‘What?’

Tsubasa: ‘Eh?’

Yuta (blushes): ‘If Tsubasa-chan gives me a kiss it will cheer me up an awful lot and raise my luck so that I can give my best for another year. ♪’

Goshi: ‘Oi…. You, do you understand what you’re saying?’

Yuta:’ Hm? I do know?’

Goshi (blushes): ‘Y-You…. Understand nothing!’

Kento: ‘Heh….. Yuta too has quite the surprises, huh.’

Kento: ‘I was at the location since morning and did three TV recordings as well, right? So, will you give me a reward for doing my best, too, Tsubasa?’

Tsubasa: ‘T-That’s….!’

Goshi: ‘Are you an idiot! Good grief…. Sumisora, it’s fine if you sue those two.’

Yuta: ‘Hoeeh!? Why sue us!?’

Goshi: ‘Because…. It’s enough, the talk’s over now.’

Yuta (disappointed): ‘Then there will be no reward…..?’

Tsubasa: ‘That, uhm…. Ehm….’

(W-What should I do. I want to give him something but a kiss on the cheek is…. Is that even a reward in the first place.)

Yuta: ‘...........’

Tsubasa feels even more pressured to find a solution while Yuta looks at her with sad eyes.

(Ehm, ehm…. Something else that cheers up and raises the luck…..)

Tsubasa: ‘T-Then……’

Tsubasa: ‘Why don’t we form a circle with us four!?’

Yuta (surprised): ‘Eh?’

Goshi: ‘Ha?’

Kento (sighs): ‘.........What’s the meaning of this, Tsubasa?’

Tsubasa: ‘W-Well, to gather the same pace next year as well, forming a circle so that everyone is able to give their best…..! If we let out a loud cry, it will cheer us up and if our hearts are one, it surely will bring luck as well!’

Yuta: ‘.............’

Tsubasa: ‘T-That’s a no….. I assume?’

Yuta: ‘.....Puhaha! Tsubasa-chan’s the best, let’s do that~~!!’

Tsubasa: ‘........! Yes, of course!!’

Kento (displeased): ‘No, it’s not a reward anymore…..’

Yuta: ‘It’s fine, let’s do it! Let’s all make a circle and start the engine~!’

Goshi: ‘Haa, how stupid…..’

Goshi: ‘Hey, oi! Stop that…..!’

Yuta: ‘Yes, yes, I won’t let you escape though, Gochin~? Kenken, you too, join us!’

Kento: ‘Wait, it’s a bit hot. If I join shoulders, then only with Tsubasa.’ 

Yuta: ‘Yeah, Kenken comes between me and Gochin~.’

Kento (horrified): ‘What? Wai-.....’

Yuta: ‘Come on, you too, Tsubasa-chan~♪.’

Tsubasa: ‘Y-Yes! Then…. If you excuse me.’ 

Yuta: ‘Alーright, with this, it’s perfect!’

Goshi: ‘What’s perfect here……’

Yuta: ‘Ahem! Okay then, to wish that the new year will be the best one…. Give it a good yell~.’

Yuta: ‘OOOHー!’

Kento: ‘Geez, my shoulders hurt…..’

Yuta: ‘OOOHー!!’

Goshi: ‘My eardrums are getting torn!’

Yuta: ‘Ehehe, this is great! It’s really such an exciting feeling!!’

Yuta: ‘Thanks, Tsubasa-chan. Let’s do our best together next year as well.’

Tsubasa: ‘Yes, let’s!’

END _________________ 

* Osechi: Food served during the New Year’s Holidays.  

** Ohitashi: Boiled greens in bonito-flavoured soy sauce (vegetable side dish).

*** Ryotei: traditional Japanese Restaurant (esp. a luxurious one). 

**** New Year’s gift: The word Tsubasa used here is お年玉 (おとしだま; otoshidama). It’s a New Gift by relatives and visitors usually given to children.

#b project #b-project #yuta ashu #thrive #myps #card:2020

[theanimeview]

My Interpretation of Blackbird by Junji Ito

By: Casea Mhtar | @madamekrow

Mature Content Warning: This post contains content that we at The Anime View do not think is suitable for everyone. The genre of the work being reviewed is Horror. Possible triggers or subjects could include severe mental illness and suicide. By clicking "Keep Reading," you understand that you may encounter such content. Viewer/reader discretion is advised.

Do you feel the cool winds as they blow through the trees? Do you hear the fallen leaves rolling down the street, scraping against the sidewalk as you pass by? Do you notice the air of gloom hovering over you even on a bright and sunny day? We are now in the throws of Autumn, as we creep closer and closer to Halloween. I hope you’re as excited as I am, because for today’s post I will be delving into a story by Junji Ito, who is also known as Japan’s Master of Horror. I feel he needs no more introduction than that, since one google search will immediately prove why he has such an honorable title.

The one I will be discussing is from Fragments of Horror, a manga of short stories. He created this manga after an 8 year hiatus and it certainly appears that he was rusty in terms of storytelling. Generally, this manga has been received as being rather subpar in comparison with his other works. Which is why I chose this story from Fragments of Horror, the only one that stuck with me even years after I had finished reading the book. It often gets overlooked, making it all the more enticing to shine a light on it.

Blackbird

Kume is out birdwatching, the first time he’s done so in a long while, when he hears someone calling out to him. It’s a stranger lying on the ground, pleading for help. This man gets carried away to the hospital on a stretcher as Kume follows behind. When speaking with the doctor we learn that this man, Shiro Moriguchi, had a terrible fall resulting in both of his legs being broken. Not only that, but he also doesn’t have any family or friends to call, and is unemployed. They all wonder how he survived that long and with a stutter, he explains that he rationed whatever food he had in his backpack. 

Later, he begs Kume to stay the night with him and he agrees with mild concern. Moriguchi continues to open up about not having anyone in his life. In fact he never knew his family, expressing that he grew up in an orphanage. Kume replies, “You can talk to me about your troubles. We have a connection now.” before turning over and the two going to sleep for the night. 

Kume is awakened by a strange noise, immediately disturbed by the sight of a woman shrouded in shadow on top of Moriguchi, kissing him. She slips off of Shiro, walks to Kume and smiles directly in his face, then proceeds to calmly walk out of the hospital room. Moriguchi spits out a lump of raw meat and begins to panic that she has come back. Kume asks for more information and Moriguchi confesses to him what really happened during those four weeks of being injured and destitute, how he was truly able to survive. Seven days after his fall, he was running low on food when that woman appeared with her cheeks full, chewing and chewing. She kissed him, pushing raw meat into his mouth as it sizzled on his starving tongue. Leaving without a word, only to return the next day. This time, her kiss produced warm blood to quench his thirst. She is the one that kept him alive during that time, but he no longer needs her help. In fact, the meat lost its delicious taste, and he is left feeling as though he shouldn’t be eating it at all. Moriguchi was terrified, so Kume decided to stay with him another night in the hospital.

Once again, Kume was awakened by the woman feeding Shiro in the middle of the night. Immediately, Moriguchi spits out an eyeball from his mouth while the mysterious woman chuckles and leaves. Kume decides to follow her through the halls and out of the hospital. But right as he touches her shoulder, she turns into a large, black bird and flies off into the darkness.

The following morning they choose to alert the authorities, though they leave out the details of her flying into the night. Without the authorities present, Shiro panics about her being some kind of bird monster. Confessing that when he was an infant, he was abandoned in the corner of a park, alone for about a week or so. It’s a miracle that he survived, making him wonder if she was feeding him then as well, as though he is her chick.

Detectives show up the following day, revealing that the eyeball and meat are both of human origin and from the same person. Shiro and Kume are questioned, but can only answer what they know. This leaves the detectives without much to go on and with no way of knowing who the flesh and eyeball came from. But the woman hadn’t returned since Kume saw her fly away.

At a train station, Kume congratulates Shiro on his full recovery. He asks if Shiro has plans to find a job in Tokyo, expressing that it’s a shame he doesn’t stay since he could introduce him to people he knows. Moriguchi is thankful for the offer but declines, saying that he feels he needs to start anew someplace else in order to escape the shadow of that woman. Though, when Shiro’s train leaves the station, Kume sees a large black bird following behind it. He eventually receives a postcard from Shiro, not hearing anything about the bird woman, in fact he seems to be doing just fine! This allows Kume to brush off what he saw as being a kite or an eagle.

Three years later, Shiro Moriguchi was found dead in a frozen crater on the summit of Mount Fuji. They also discover that the meat and eyeball from earlier matched his own DNA, meaning that during the time of his horrible fall, Moriguchi was being fed the flesh and blood of his future self. His belongings were found near his corpse, including his journal with the details of what had happened in his last few days of being alive and frightened. She entered his locked apartment and started taking bite after bite of his flesh. He tried to move overseas, but she quickly found him and flew him to the summit of Mount Fuji. Cold, distressed, and alone, he passed away.

It appears to be winter as Kume goes out birdwatching in the forest again, thinking about the findings after Moriguchi’s mysterious death; When he hears something rustling in the tree near by. He turns around, startled by the bird woman, perched on a tree branch above him. Kume steps back, and with no more ground left, he falls down a cliff and breaks his leg. She readily flies down with her cheeks full. She feeds Kume mouth-to-mouth, as he notes its unpleasant taste.

My interpretation

I had an entire post planned out, depicting all sorts of theories I came up with. I investigated  the kanji of their names, the meanings, what the backstory could be, even speculating how this bird woman functions based on my findings...

Until I admitted myself into a mental hospital, staying there for seven days and seven nights. It allowed me to look at this story in a different way. I’m sure my interpretation isn’t truly what it’s about, nonetheless this is what it personally means to me. 

It appears to me like the Blackbird is the embodiment of Depression as she only comes to Moriguchi when he is most isolated and defenseless. Technically, since Shiro was being fed meat from his future self, he was the one keeping himself alive. Much like depression, there are times where we can get ourselves through completely on our own, but it comes at the cost of our own lifespan. People with severe mental illness, such as Bipolar or Depression, have a life expectancy of 10 to 25 years less than people without mental illness. Yes, that does include suicide, however this premature mortality is mostly cause by physical chronic medical conditions. People with severe mental illness often don’t get the proper care that they need, as their mental health deteriorates their physical health. I believe Shrio Moriguchi partly expresses these facts. He received wonderful care for his injured legs, but he didn’t get the treatment he needed for his Depression. This resulted in his physical debilitation and mental decline.

Then we have Kume, he was finally able to scare off the Blackbird for some time, as he was Shiro’s only support system. However, Moriguchi continued to distance himself, allowing the Depression to creep in once more. Why did the Blackbird target Kume? Well, relying on one person to be there for you, night after night as the lady shrouded in darkness overcomes you. That person being the only one you entrust with your woes and traumas. They are the only one you depend on to help stave off your Depression. Imagine that person, waiting to read your letters or postcards, making sure that you are okay, only to later find out that you did not survive. You have been taken by the Blackbird, your Depression. That can severely impact someone’s mental health. That is why it’s important to have a support system of not only friends and family (of origin or otherwise), but also of medical professionals that you trust. Kume did his best to be there for Moriguchi, even offering to introduce him to more people, which would allow Shiro to build up a support system. However, Moriguchi did what he thought would be best, resulting in him inadvertently isolating himself further and further into the Blackbird’s grasp. Even in his time of desperation he turned to old habits of writing in his journal, pleading for help in those pages without the intention of reaching out as well. Being trapped in an icy cold hollow atop Mount Fuji is the perfect representation of his severe isolation. 

I know this all too well, the devastation your loved one feels as they watch you deteriorate. You fall deeper and deeper into dysfunction, while they are helpless to do much more than to hold your hand through the nightly crises. Kume was there for Moriguchi, accepting all of his issues and willing to confront the Blackbird, even keeping it from coming back for some time. He was open and ready to carry some of the crushing weight that Shiro had been burdened with his entire life. Thus, falling victim to the debilitating gravity of Depression that Moriguchi could no longer cope with. Falling prey to the Blackbird chewing away at his future self. Little by little, bite by bite; Depression can take days, even years off your life.

Yes, my interpretation is rather… depressing. But I do believe it is important to recognize your unhealthy patterns, the patterns that detail your decline. In addition to reaching out for help when you feel yourself isolating further into the harsh depths of your inner turmoil. Not only that, but it’s spooky week! What is possibly more terrifying than confronting the realities of your mental illness?

Happy Halloween!

Of course I wouldn’t just leave you hanging like that! Here are some links for more information on not only how to reach out, but also what kind of help you can expect in terms of calling a suicide hotline or hospitalization. As well as what type of therapy might be better for you and what your options are if you can’t afford it:

10 Ways to Reach Out in a Mental Health Crisis

Here's What Happens When You Call Into A Suicide Prevention Hotline

What Happens When You Are Hospitalized For Depression?

4 Differences Between Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy and How to Tell Which is Right For You

What To Do If You Can't Afford Therapy, According To An Expert

#Junji Ito #Ito #Fragments of Horror #Horror #Blackbird #Analysis

[rainydaydevilmaycryimagines]

We cannot believe that this shit is happening.

Hi. It's Abby here. So about Avalon's grandfather (grandpa as we call him) they had him fully checked out and the spot of cancer he had was small. Until they actually realized it was a cavity. It burrowed it's way through the lung, and something is wrong. Avalon will not return as planned, we're truly sorry for the inconvenience, we will remain by her side.

For you to get to know him better so you can understand why we love him so much, this post has been divided amongst three people. Logan, myself, and Avalon. We wanted to tell the story of his life! He's not dead, he's just interesting. We ask that you take the time to actually read it. Names have been changed due to privacy or just not included at all.

(Abby)

Jimmie A. Last name not included for privacy but as a letter instead. He is an interesting man who was raised by very honorable people, Emmett and Helena A. Emmet was a soldier in the navy due to a WW2 draft, Mr. Jimmie actually still has his father's letter from when the government drafted him.

When he was a small child he lived in the city. One of Avalon's favorite pictures (we will try to find it when we can) is of him dressed in a sailor's outfit waking down the street with his mother Helena. Helena was beautiful in her youth and the picture was straight out of a magazine. Mr. Jimmie has a brother, though he moved away and the two don't speak often so we can't really fill in the blanks there. Mr. Jimmie went to school in a academy before moving. (This is where the time line gets a little unreliable)

(Logan)

Years went by after Emmett's return and he sadly passed away. After his passing, Mr. Jimmie enlisted in the Air Force, study Avionics and working on planes. He was stationed around the US from Georgia to Hawaii until he finally left the country and moved to Japan for two years. He actually enjoyed his time there, living in a village near the base of Mount Fuji. He returned to the US to Denver where he fell in love, got engaged, but broke it off due to unknown reasons. He came home and met Avalon's grandmother and they married one month into them dating. They gave birth to two son's and one daughter. Peter, Paul, Lisa.

Peter went on to work at a college, do to reasons we do not mention Paul, and Lisa became a mother. As Avalon grew up, she had a best friend by her side (Logan) and was raised with the families close. Logan views Avalon's grandparents as his own and even calls them Grandpa and Grandma. Jimmie and Grandma (name not included due to privacy) lived with her for a few years before the death of Helena. After inheriting Helena's home, the family moved in together before Lisa and Avalon moved back. Don't worry though, the home is only two minutes apart from each other.

(Avalon)

Many can see Jimmie as a bit of an odd ball but once you speak to him you'll find he is well versed in Quantum Theory, history, philosophy, and science. The man's mind is fucking brilliant if we're being honest. Not many are truly aware of his brilliance though, due to his constant rambling (I usually can keep up though so it's endearing to me). His mind is stronger than many and he has lived an amazing life. We (the small writing team) hope that he is going to live a long happy life. We love him. All of us. And I appreciate Abby and Logan taking the time to ask both me and my grandfather about his life so they would get his life right.

We have funny stories that we will share eventually as he recovers. Thank you to those who took the time to read all of this. I know it's long. But we wanted to tell you his life. It's not over yet. But it is really cool. We love you guys and tonight we want you to call your grandparents if you haven't in a while. Check on them. Get to know them.

Because grandpa isn't just my grandfather. He is all of ours. And he's pretty great.

- The Team.

[hiraethstill]

THIS WEEK ON DAIYA NO ACE (6/11)

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!!! 

LIVEBLOG: 

one second in and i had to pause because SAWAMURA IS STARTING I FORGOT

YOO THIS ANIMATION OF THE BALL COMING STRAIGHT AT YOU IM SHOOK

again, every times kuramochi hyahas i hyaha

still not over him calling haruichi by given name

AMAHISAAAAAAAAA

takatsu and oka singing neraiuchi aw cute

SCREAMS

TAKU

MY BOY

omg taku dont call the pitcher a chicken

ALSO KOUTAKU RIGHTS

LMAO AMAHISA, WHATS WITH THESE BOIS CALLING PEOPLE COWARDS

damn amahisa thats just cold

though i guess i understand his frustration as a pitcher

hell yeAH SHIRASU-SAN NOTHING BUT RESPECT

DRIVING IN THOSE RUNS

lol why they gotta make miyukis play even more flashy huh?

MANAGERSSS

ahaha zono-san dw you did good

do i... mayhaps... ship takatsu and oka?

not much before but after that megaphone (?) tap of solidarity NOW I DO

omg mogami

lmfao ichidai leaving like "eh they got this"

even if it was a hit by pitch, the motions of sawamura pitching and the ball are really nice

plus the firsties are so shocked sawamura let runners on base haha so cute

haha miyuki in baseball vs out of baseball

i like how miyuki says seidou in general has to grow - including himself

honestly do the animators just love baseballs that much theyre the best animated things rn

asada is so proud of sawamura-senpai!!

while kuki is slowly joining the fanclub c:

is this still tetsu narrating???

KANEMARU LOOKS SO PROUD OF EIJUN IM

ah shit i forgot furuya's still the ace

omg these fangirl screams

thats me @ taku tbh

sawamura's face just slightly jealous huh

miyuki understanding that furuya isnt really a consistent (?) pitcher

IM TELLING YOU THE ANIMATORS LIKE BALLS

that came out more strange than expected

tumblr pls dont flag me

BUT YEAH THIS WHITE LIGHT THING IM SHOOK

furusawa rights: sawamura like hey you stole my spotlight but youre still pretty cool so i cant be too mad

NO

HOW DARE

HOW FUCKING DARE YOU DRAW THIS PARALLEL TO HONGOU

I FUCKING MISS HONGOU SO MUCH

THE ANIMATION ON THIS PITCH TOO WTFFF ANIMATORS BLS

I WASNT READY FOR THIS

i would die for the new managers

and all the managers

ASADA YOU PRECIOUS BEAN

FIRSTIES

SHOCK.JPG

can they like stop going so hard on the OST this is NOT GOOD FOR MY HEART

CRIES ENDLESSLY ABOUT KOMADAI

(harucchi being proud/admiring!)

MORE FURUSAWA RIGHTS EIJUN FORCING HIM TO DRINK LMAO

"did you get a hit today" damn furuya ahaha

HELL YEAH MASASHI DINGERS ONLY

kuki and asada's WOW faces are so precious PLEASE I CANT TAKE MUCH MORE

u rite miyuki masashi kinda does need more plate discipline lmao

WHATTT FOUR MONTHS BEFORE TETSU?????

BREATHES HEAVILY

LOOK

AT THIS CUTIE

AND TELL ME YOU DONT LOVE HIM

lmao he's all "that jerk" so fondly about masashi

oh! i heard the deku in taku's voice!

LMAO THE KOUSHUU RUMBLE IVE BEEN WAITING FOR

HMMST yui feeling a little competitive about masashi?

LMFAOOO ASOU-SAN

"got owned so badly" omfg

amahisa you fuck hlskjdflshdf

ayy tahara buoy!

uhhh minabe rightsssss

i keep forgetting how much i love mochi's voice and then it hits me again every time

miyuki @ sawamura and furuya: okay now my little ducklings

ooh and when nabe says amahisa's not his best you know its true

omg??? how cute is this???

HELL YEAH MIYAKAWAAAAAAAAA

LMAO sawamura's "are you psychic" you shouldve expected the smug look on his face

miyuki's all "this is normal"

miyuki analyzing always makes me think he overthinks things

HELL FUCKING YEAH AMAHISAAA

MORE BALL ANIMATION

more shocku.JPG

ooh i love amahisa's eyes i forgot

LMAO MIYUKI ABOUT AMAHISA'S SLIDER SO ADMIRINGLY

THAT WAS KINDA GAY

amahisa/manaka rights???

omg more tetsu narrating im soft

god i love eijuns FACES

asldjfh asada and koushuu just finished dinner huh, they bond a lot there

DO YOU SEE

HOW TAKU IS IMMEDIATELY THERE LIKE "OI KOUSHUU"

THIS TIME HE'S NOT LETTING KOUSHUU FIGHT SAWAMURA-SENPAI

taku and asada part of the "please lets just get along" squad"

"I FORGET" does that mean he came to check on his underclassmen lmaoo

AW NORI BBY

wow they really hid the top half of yui's face to make him look sinister huh hslkdfj

NOOOO DONT SHOW ONO-SAN LIKE THAT HE DESERVES MORE PLAYING TIME

seriously terajima did ono SO dirty like wtf

lmaooo asada like "i can see wolf"

LMAO TAKU

taku harping on the mount fuji rice

why does he look so cute wtf not fair

so... this is the color of his eyes

"why do you keep picking fights with him"

i'm glad i was doing practice swings nearby

I HAD TO PAUSE FOR SO LONG

he's so concerned about koushuu that he was literally practicing there to keep an eye on him im

PLEASE LOVE SETO TAKUMA HE CARES SO MUCH

okay i get where koushuu's coming from cause i hate people like that too but man you dont need to go looking for a fight son

K

KU

KUK

KUKI

KUKI TALKED YALL KUKI FINALLY TALKED

HE FINALLY FUCKING TALKED

aww kanetou married and giving kuki quiet encouragement im so sOFT

LOOKIT HOW PRETTY HE BE

I TAKE IT BACK HE'S EVEN PRETTIER

WTFFFFFFFF

IM NOT OKAYYYYY

HE ADMIRES THEM SO MUCHHHHHHHHH

aww asada realizing sawamura is very critical of himself

i love serious sawamura

oh my god this entire thing with asada looking up to sawamura so much and him wanting to be like him and catch his pitches and I FUCKING LOVE SAWAMURA AND ASADA'S RELATIONSHIP OKAY

oho i see these three parallels between senpai kouhai

koushuu and taku just talking alone on the balcony

preview

furuya still fixated on miyuki huh

wow that was cold to yui

convey your feelings through baseball looool

nooo sawamura still feeling inferior

SUMMARY / TLDR : 

AMAHISA FUCKING KOUSEI 

IM TELLING YOU THE ANIMATORS LOVE BALLS 

SHOCKU.JPG 

furusawa & KOUTAKU RIGHTS 

S E T O  T A K U M A 

KUKI FINALLY FREAKING TALKED YALLL 

KANETOU + KUKI AAA 

parallels between senpais/kouhais! 

JUSTICE FOR ONO & NORI

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!! 

#daiya no ace #daiya no ace act ii #daiya spoilers #spoilers #seto takuma #kuki youhei #okumura koushuu #asada hirofumi

[mataglap]

"my prompts are always open!" EXCELLENT. Truth or dare fic! Truth or dare fic! !!!!11! !! You know, if/when you wanna.

*fetches a five gallon bucket*

*fills the bucket with fluff to the brim*

*sprinkles some crack on top*

*upends the bucket over your head*

“I still don’t see the point,” Hanzo murmurs into his comm. The windows across the street remain dark. “Why would I submit to a dare when I can just lie? You don’t have any means to verify that what I say is true.”

“That’s exactly the point.” The new, metallic timbre of Genji’s voice has not changed his ability to produce audible eye rolls, and it still makes Hanzo want to remain obstinate out of spite. “If you decide to play the game, you enter a gentleman’s agreement not to lie. There would really be no point otherwise.”

“So I’m not only expected to give true answers, but also to believe that the others aren’t lying?” he says, mildly incredulous.

“Hanzo ‘Trust Issues’ Shimada, playin’ truth or dare? You’d have more luck with strip poker.”

Hanzo gives McCree a flatly unimpressed stare. McCree smirks and pretends to keep looking through the binoculars.

“It’s a work in progress,” says Genji, unfazed. “If you prefer strip poker, I don’t mind either, I’m safely away from you two, so as long as you don’t try to send me photos —”

This time it’s Hanzo who rolls his eyes. “We’re on a stakeout. No poker.”

“Truth or dare it is, then. Who’s starting?”

“I don’t mind,” says McCree. “Not sure how you want to do dares when we’re stuck on a roof, though.”

“I have faith in you, Jesse. Truth or dare?”

“Truth. I’m feelin’ lucky.”

Hanzo reaches out and taps him on the shoulder, wordlessly extends a hand: someone needs to keep watch. McCree hands over the binoculars, rolls to lie on his back, folds his arms under his head.

“First crush,” says Genji.

McCree huffs. Hanzo resists the urge to check his expression, brings up the binoculars instead. The flat opposite remains annoyingly empty; shame, because it’s getting late, and the concrete roof is not the most comfortable of places to spend the night on.

“Gabriel,” McCree says. Genji makes a strange noise. “Not that Gabriel,” he adds, exasperated. “A buddy in Deadlock. Three years my senior and the biggest ‘no homo’ douchebag the world had ever seen. Got over him pretty quickly, and then he got himself shot. Hanzo: truth or dare?”

“Truth. I have nothing to hide.” Genji emits an obnoxious sound over the comm, which he elects to ignore.

“Really now.” In his peripheral vision, McCree’s head turns; Hanzo steels himself for the inevitable. “Same question, then. Your first crush.”

“Do fictional characters count?”

McCree’s eyebrows go up. “Sure.”

“No they don’t!” Genji protests immediately.

“Why not? A crush is a crush. I asked, so we’re goin’ by my rules. Go on, Hanzo.”

Hanzo chews his lip briefly, fighting an undignified smile. “There was a samurai manga that Genji once showed me —”

“You had a crush on Himura Kenshin?!” Genji exclaims, high-pitched. His tone is so incredulous that Hanzo has to bite the inside of his cheek to sound appropriately serious.

“No, Sagara Sanosuke. Have you never wondered why I was so obsessed with Rurouni Kenshin?”

“I thought it was because the story was cool!” whines Genji. “I can’t believe my brother was gay for my childhood heroes. I feel so dirty now.”

“I admit, Sanosuke did play a major part in my journey to discovering my sexuality,” Hanzo says, straight faced and dignified, and relishes the sounds of utter distress that come over the comm.

Next to him, McCree shakes with quiet laughter; when he sees Hanzo looking, he extends a fist with a grin. It would be rude to ignore it. Hanzo reaches out and delicately bumps his knuckles against McCree’s metal ones.

“Genji. Same question, unless you prefer a dare.”

Genji emits one last disgusted 'ugh’ before replying. “Haiji, our cook. She was amazing. Scarier than most of Father’s kobun, and cooked better than anyone I’ve ever met. I wonder what became of her. Hanzo: truth or dare?”

“I told you, I have nothing to hide—”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll see about that. Your most recent crush.”

Hanzo’s ears become suddenly, uncomfortably warm. “That… is personal,” he manages, cursing himself for that little stammer.

“That’s the point,” his brother replies, voice oozing satisfaction and that special, Genji-only brand of cheerful cruelty.

Hanzo wonders if he knows — but no, he can’t, Hanzo’s pretty sure he’s been keeping this firmly under wraps. Genji is perceptive, but not this perceptive. If he managed to miss Hanzo’s incredibly obvious crush on Sagara Sanosuke, then there’s no possibility he’d somehow notice his weakness for a certain black-ops-turned-vigilante.

“I’ll take the dare instead, then” he says, willing his ears to stop burning.

Genji sighs. “Boring. Fine: sing a song.”

Of course he would choose the most humiliating of dares when McCree is right next to Hanzo and watching.

“You know I’m practically tone deaf,” he says flatly.

“Yes, and your vocal range is abysmal, I know. You deserve to suffer for bailing out.”

“I’m afraid you’ll be the one suffering.” Hanzo takes a deep breath, thinks for a moment. “Any song?”

“It has to have vocals,” Genji adds quickly. “No humming.”

“Cover your ears, McCree,” Hanzo says grimly, steeling himself. Unexpectedly, McCree does just that: he pulls the comm out and sticks both index fingers in his ears. Strangely, it makes Hanzo feel slightly better. He reminds himself that he survived actual torture in the past, takes a deep breath and begins.

“Hey Jude, don’t make it bad,Take a sad song and make it better…”

It’s one of about five songs in existence that he’s capable of singing without making a complete fool of himself. McCree’s smile widens — of course he cheated — but before Hanzo can choke on shame, McCree does the last thing he could have expected: he joins. His soft baritone is much better suited for the song than Hanzo’s raspy, sharp voice, not to mention that McCree can actually sing and has occasionally done so in the past; not singing alone helps a lot, and they go through two whole verses before McCree stops, chuckles and admits he doesn’t remember the rest.

“Good, because I can’t do the next verse with my voice,” says Hanzo, incredibly relieved.

McCree beams at him, sticking the comm back in his ear. “Love that song. Been ages since I heard it. And your voice ain’t that bad, you just need more practice.”

Genji’s being suspiciously quiet on the comms. Hanzo wonders if he chickened out of listening.

“McCree, truth or —”

“Dare,” says McCree immediately.

Hanzo has a challenge ready, and he can’t wait. “Compose a haiku.”

McCree makes a betrayed face. “I sang with you and that’s how you repay me?”

Hanzo suddenly remembers that this is supposed to be a stakeout and brings the binoculars to his eyes, mildly ashamed of himself. Fortunately, they managed not to miss anything, the windows are still dark and the flat is empty; it’s starting to look like their suspect might be spending the night somewhere else, which, considering it’s Friday, is not entirely impossible.

“The five-seven-five syllables thing is not a hard requirement, is it?” McCree asks slowly. Hanzo knows that tone well: McCree is planning something and he thinks it’s going to be hilarious.

“Haiku should be a short and elegant observation about a fleeting moment that involves nature in some manner. And yes, the syllable requirement is secondary when composing in English.”

“Alright. I got one, very elegant.” McCree clears his throat theatrically. Hanzo turns to look, sees the signature shit-eating grin, and can’t help an answering smirk in anticipation of something truly awful.

“Roses are red. Violets are blue. It’s snowin’ on Mount Fuji,” McCree recites in a voice as serious as he can manage through the grin.

Hanzo shudders with disgust and starts laughing, and in his ear, Genji snorts too.

“No laughin’ at my poetry! That was straight from the depths of my heart, you heathens. Genji! Truth again?”

“Sure,” says Genji. “My last crush is Lúcio, the suspect just arrived at my location, and you two are disgustingly hopeless. Go on a date or something, for god’s sake. I’ve got this covered. Over and out.”

Hanzo freezes with absolutely no idea what to say or do, and since remotely strangling Genji is out of the question, he busies himself with folding and pocketing the binoculars, instead.

“Well, it’s still early,” McCree says after a few seconds, carefully neutral. “Wouldn’t mind grabbin’ a bite. Wanna come?”

Hanzo turns towards him and hesitates, teetering on the precipice of the unknown.

McCree stands up, pulls out the comm, pockets it, reaches out. “C'mon,” he says, quieter, and winks. “I’ll sing you another song if you come.”

Hanzo looks at the outstretched hand and up, at the whiskey-brown eyes and the crow’s feet, the shaggy beard and the smile. “I don’t compose poetry until the third date,” he says, and McCree laughs and pulls him up.

On the way to the burger joint, McCree sings “I Want To Break Free,” complete with a partial reenactment of the music video.

Hanzo can’t help himself. He composes a poem about Jesse’s smile on the second date.

#writing #prompt fill #prompt fic #crack #fluff #robo-cryptid

[babywhereyougone]

[Translation] The Television 2019-01 - Wild Sexy (Part 2 - 20 Questions) (original scans: nsnsns_mmm@twitter)

1. When’s your birthday? Ryo: October 30, 2000 Mizuki: October 31, 2000 Yuto: November 15, 1999 Soya: September 20, 2002 Ryuto: September 30, 2002

2. Where’s your hometown? Ryo: Kangawa Prefecture Mizuki: Kanagawa Prefecture Yuto: Kanagawa Prefecture Soya: Tokyo Ryuto: Kanagawa Prefecture

3. What’s your blood type? Ryo: O Mizuki: AB Yuto: A Soya: A Ryuto: O 4.What’s your hobby/special skill? Ryo: My hobby is billiards. I have been playing it for about a year and have gotten pretty good. My special skill is talking with people I’ve never met before. Zero shyness. Mizuki: My hobby is shopping. My special skill is eliminating my presence. No matter the circumstance, I can disappear with ease and have people wondering where I went (laughs). Yuto: Baseball. I played it from second grade to my first year of high school. I also love watching it. Soya: To debate and talk about the world news and topics. Ryuto: Playing the ukulele is a recent hobby. I bought it when I was abroad, and I got really into it after I played it as a break from the test studying period. My special skills is turning things I hate into things I like. Such an example is acrobatics! 5. On average, how many hours of sleep do you get a night? Ryo: 6 hours. I sleep at midnight and wake up at 6 in the morning. Mizuki: About 7 hours. Today was 6 hours. Yuto: 8 hours. Today was about 8 hours, but the ideal is 24 hours. I can sleep all day! Soya: 6 hours. I got 11 hours today so I’m super content. Ryuto: 7.5 hours. It was about 6 hours today. 6. What’s your favorite thing to eat lately? Ryo: Beef tongue. I buy a block of beef tongue, cook it in sesame oil, and mix it with some spring onions. Eating it like that is the best. Mizuki: The smell of truffle. (Iwahashi) Genki went to this place and had truffle french fries that were super good and now obsessed with, but I haven’t had the chance to try yet (laughs). Yuto: Convenience store oden. I must have daikon and sometimes I’ll also buy egg and kon’nyaku, too. Soya: Cream croquette. Crispy on the outside and soft, melty center inside. Ryuto: Convenience store kalbi bento. 7. What did you eat today? Ryo: For breakfast, I had yesterday’s leftover yakiniku. For lunch, I had curry. Mizuki: Bacon cheeseburger. Yuto: Kimchi. I wasn’t feeling too well this morning, but I felt better after eating kimchi. Soya: For breakfast ad lunch, I had beef tongue rice my mother made. Ryuto: For breakfast I had cereal. I was studying for tests during lunch so I didn’t get a chance to eat… When I’m immersed in something, my appetite takes a break. 8. How many texts do you send in a day? Ryo: About 50. I have about 10 people I talk with regularly. I call in my downtime, so I don’t text much. Mizuki: Almost zero. I immediately reply when I get something, but I rarely send anything myself. Yuto: About 50. Soya: I don’t answer my phone when I’m busy so zero. I usually only text my family, the group members, senpais, and some other people, so maybe about 4 a day. Ryuto: About 3. I call more than text. 9. Who in Johnny’s did you message most recently? Ryo: Shime-chan (Shimekake Ryuya) texted me, “Why didn’t you come to the stage show,?” and I replied, “Because of work and tests.” I want to go if I could~ Mizuki: Nishimura Takuya of Kansai Johnny’s Jr. When I have time, I’d ask him how he is and he sends back a nice reply. Yuto: 7MEN Samurai’s Sasaki Taiko and I entered the company at the same time, so he’s always being cheeky with me. For instance, he saw the TV show I appeared on recently, “Everyone looked amazing …except for Yuto” (laughs). Soya: Tanaka Juri-kun. He gave me advice on the rap I did for “The Shounen Club.” Ryuto: (Sasaki) Taiko. He wants to get something simple across but can’t find the right words for it so the text comes off as angry (laughs). 10. What’s your favorite emoji? Ryo: Cute, funny faces emojis. Mizuki: LINE stamp of the white, round character with his thumbs up. Yuto: Stamps of my favorite anime character. I use the “OK” and “Thank You” ones a lot. Soya: Surreal character stamp of a slim kid. The one where he’s bowing going, “G’mornnnnn!!” is convenient so I use it a lot. Ryuto: Grinning and laughing white bear. I like the relaxed, half-baked ones. 11. What’s on your homescreen? Ryo: A picture taken at Disneyland of JUNIOR 5, including Saku-chan. Mizuki: It’s completely white. I can see the icons easier this way. Yuto: A picture of Mount Fuji I took outside of the hotel window on a family trip. Soya: It’s a photo of a single red rose I purchased. The photo quality on my phone is really good so the red is so vivid and beautiful. Ryuto: The view of the ocean at sunset. Around the summer, it was of Yuto’s expression upon taking a photo with Matsumoto Jun-kun in the dressing room. 12. What’s the most recent photo you took? Ryo: Of my own hair. Just dyed it black. Mizuki: Choreo video. Yuto: A picture of Matsumoto Jun-kun during his concert. The pose he was during while wearing pink gloves was really cool so I took a picture of it without thinking about it when I saw it in a magazine or something. Soya: A picture with friends taken in front of the emergency stairwell on the day of the school culture festival. But we took it with the light the wrong direction so it was a big fail (laughs). Ryuto: Taiko holding a ukulele. 13. What sort of pictures do you have the most in your camera roll? Ryo: Pictures with friends. When we go out, we ask people nearby to take photos for us. Mizuki: I don’t really take photos, they’re pretty much all choreography videos. Yuto: Photos of the members’ selfies when they steal my phone. I dunno what kind of faces Hashimoto-kun makes, Saku-chan’s photos are of eyes wide open, etc. (laughs). Soya: Family. My older sister loves photos so there’s a lot of everyone. I’m like cut off to the side. Ryuto: Of the members. I turn my camera towards the members in between rehearsals. I have a lot of good faces from Yuto. 14. What do you always have in your bag? Ryo: Breath mints. Mizuki: Mask and tissues. And a train character chewing gum. I loved that gum since I was kid so I always have it. Yuto: Perfume. I’m into scents, and I’ve been into jasmine lately. Soya: Hand wipes. I use it when there isn’t any hand soap when I’m out. Ryuto: A ballpoint ben. It’s the kind with both black and red ink together and it fits into my wallet. 15. What’s your most recent purchase? Ryo: Hawaiian jewelry. I bought something that has “strength” associated with it. Mizuki: A red smartphone case. (Takahashi) Kaito gave me a case that has a built-in battery that I’ve been using, but the color faded… so I went and bought the same color and style! Yuto: Hawaiian ring. Soya: Five rings from Hawaii. My fingers look pretty when I put them on. Ryuto: Mobile battery. 16. What do you want the most right now? Ryo: Motorcycle. I want to ride one during a concert! I have to get a license first, though. Mizuki: I want to try living on my own so I want a one bedroom apartment (laughs). Yuto: White sneakers or boots. I surprisingly like white, even the wristwatch I’m wearing now is white. Soya: A super amazing massage chair for when I’m tense. I never experienced it before, but I want to experience the first class cabin of an airplane. Ryuto: Macro lens for an SLR camera. 17. What type of girls do you like? Ryo: A girl who looks good with short, brown hair. Mizuki: A girl who supports and doesn’t reject my opinions. Yuto: Someone who isn’t clingy, a girl who is a bit of a tomboy. Soya: A bit of a dreamer who says funny, innocent things at times. Ryuto: Someone who talks for me. I don’t hate conversation, but I’m bad at bringing up topics… 18. If you were a girl, which member do you want to go out with? Ryo: None! I know too much about them all so it would be bad (laughs). If it’s any other group, then (Yoshizawa) Shizuya-kun. He’s so nice. Mizuki: Sakuma! Since he wouldn’t be disagreeable with me (laughs). Yuto: None (laughs). But, if Saku-chan was my boyfriend, it would be pleasantly fun. Soya: Hard pass on all (laughs). But if I had to choose someone, the person that fits the answer to the last question the most would be Sakuma. Ryuto: I guess Mizuki-kun. If I were his girlfriend, I’d probably fuss a bit over if he’s sleepy. 19. When do you feel the most happy? Ryo: When I’m talking with my friends at school about how we’re graduating soon. It’s a bit sad though—that only have a little bit of time left together with my classmates. Mizuki: When I hit the snooze button. And, when I eat yummy foods! Yuto: That feeling when I realize that so many different people love me now than ever before. Soya: Shampoo (hair wash) at the beauty salon. Ryuto: When I can relate to a book I’m reading. 20. What’s one thing you want to say to yourself about this past year? Ryo: You’ve grown up a lot! You now like black costumes more than the sparkly ones, you now have an interest in cars and motorcycles, your tone suddenly changed. Mizuki: Blossom. It’s your final year of high school, and it feels like it was spent brilliantly blossoming. Yuto: It was an incredible, spectacular year! Soya: You worked hard! Deserving of praise! Ryuto: You worked hard! You gave everything you had in all the work opportunities given this year.

#hihi jets #hashimoto ryo #inoue mizuki #takahashi yuto #igari soya #sakuma ryuto #magazine #translation #*

[littlebigkaiju]

Turns out I had a lot to say about Pacific Rim: Uprising

Opening statement: It’s now VERY clear why Guillermo Del Toro has had nothing at all to say about this movie on Twitter. Has it ruined Pacific Rim for me? Nothing could. Has it destroyed the future of this franchise? Almost certainly. No real spoilers in the list of good points, but BEWARE OF SPOILERS IN THE BAD POINTS.

THE GOOD:

Dr Hermann Gottlieb gets arguably the best deal out of all the returning cast. His position in the PPDC at this point is unclear, (research and development?), but he plays a fun, engaging part with a surprising amount of screen time. It’s great for him to have such an important role in this movie despite his separation from Newt, and I honestly loved him.

Liwen Shao. Definitely a character with more depth than I had expected. I really came to like her and her role in the movie.

The new Kaiju designs are GREAT. They’re suitably different than those of the original movie without being a complete departure (there are definitely some familiar themes in Raijin and Shrikethorn).

The Mega Kaiju is terribly underutilised, but he’s wonderful. He turns the tide of battle very quickly and really feels like an unstoppable force.

I WAS RIGHT ABOUT MOUNT FUJI, and this turned out to be an interesting revelation about the Precursors’ plan of action. Very cool, although by the end of the movie I was wishing their plan had succeeded.

THE BAD (SPOILERS EVERYWHERE):

Let’s get this one out of the way: Uprising is a massive “fuck you” to the character development of its returning cast. Pacific Rim holds the distinction of having had an alternative to the Bechdel Test created after it. (It’s called the Mako Mori test – At least one female character who gets her own narrative arc that is not about supporting a man’s story.) Almost unbelievably, Uprising manages to destroy this. The vision and portrayal of Mako in the original Pacific Rim is fantastic. Her motivation is driven by tragedy, as her family was killed during Onibaba’s attack on Tokyo, but she’s incredibly smart (the head of the MK-3 Jaeger restoration project, in fact) and a talented Jaeger pilot in training with a simulation drop to kill score of 51 to 51, something that makes even veteran pilots turn their heads. Not only was Mako in charge of restoring Gipsy Danger to her full glory and installing the chain sword that would become her trademark weapon, she became instrumental in defeating the most powerful Kaiju ever seen, avenging her family and ultimately saving the world. Despite this, she’s a humble and strongly emotional character; a brilliant example of what a strong female character should be. (Strength doesn’t preclude emotion or empathy, but movies like to tell us it should.) I really can’t emphasise enough how important she to this franchise. In Uprising, Mako has become the secretary general of the PPDC – So far, so good. Unfortunately, that’s where the ‘good’ ends for Mako. She’s briefly in contact with her estranged adoptive brother Jake Pentecost to create the impression that they’re making up after some longstanding disagreement, just enough to indicate to the audience that we should care about their relationship. Because the next time we see Mako, she dies in a helicopter crash purely so Jake can have some angst and a reason to take his position in the PPDC more seriously. This REALLY pisses me off. Mako Mori, arguably the most important character in Pacific Rim, is given a screen time of around 5-10 minutes and reduced to nothing more than the victim of the infamous fridge trope in its sequel. Mako deserved better. If she was going to die in this movie she should have been in a Jaeger, fighting to save the world once more. What a travesty of a decision this was.

Though John Boyega plays a good part, it’s painfully, painfully obvious that the character of Jake Pentecost was invented solely for him to have a larger role in the movie, one with a direct link to some of the most heroic figures in the Pacific Rim universe. Given that John became a producer for Uprising, it’s hard not to feel like his ego is the primary factor driving this decision (and, ultimately, the death of Mako Mori, since she’s the only other relative of Stacker Pentecost and the only original pilot to return in this movie). Jake’s manufactured existence causes the audience to question what we know of Stacker, the strict but doting adoptive father of Mako Mori. Given the appropriate time and care, this could have had the potential to be a plot point that would add more depth to Stacker, Jake, and Mako as a family, but as with all the character development in Uprising, it’s rushed. Jake’s relationship with Mako and their father is barely mentioned at all, such that I only know that Jake was inducted into the Jaeger Academy like Mako, but was kicked out of the program for attempting to pilot a Jaeger alone. Jake was either disowned or simply ran away. There’s no more discussion than that, giving us the impression that Stacker Pentecost couldn’t care less that his son was living rough and stealing Jaeger technology to make ends meet while he continued with his duties as a PPDC marshal. None of this adds anything of value to these characters. It simply conflicts with the way Stacker was portrayed in the original movie, tarnishing the legendary reputation that Uprising is otherwise so fond of bringing up.

The characterisation “fuck you” continues with some very poor handling of a villainous Newt. (Oh Newt, buddy, how they’ve wronged you.) It’s not news to most fans that Guillermo Del Toro was toying around with the idea of taking Newt in a villainous direction for the sequel after his repeated exposure to the Kaiju hivemind in the Drift. Ghost Drifting is a known quantity in the Pacific Rim universe; essentially a residual connection outside of the Drift that results in shared thoughts and behaviours. The idea of this being an opening for the Precursors to hijack Newt and use him for their own gain is REALLY interesting and something I was legitimately excited about, but the execution of it here is just plain bad. The reveal of Alice is appropriately creepy, but is left unexplored beyond a singular, unsavoury scene. The implication of it ends up feeling more like Newt betrays all of humanity for the sake of some virtual reality Kaiju sex, rather than because he is being used as a literal puppet by the Precursors, and that’s a pretty awful thing to do to a fandom-beloved character who had more than a small part in saving the world the first time around. He gets a couple of nice scenes with Dr Gottlieb and a small moment with his monstrous Mega Kaiju creation (which smacks of Leatherback’s curiosity about Striker Eureka, minus the personality), and that’s… it. For the rest, he’s treated like shit.

Uprising is also a massive “fuck you” to the world building of the original movie. In Pacific Rim, it was established that the highly pollutant nature of Kaiju Blue meant that Jaeger pilots had to avoid using weapons like swords that would cause bleeding while fighting Kaiju in populated areas. Apparently, no-one gives a shit about this 10 years into the future, despite the fact that we’ve discovered Kaiju Blue is also incredibly explosive. Nope, we’ve got a mace coated in knives, massive machine guns, and chain swords abound. There’s Kaiju Blue everywhere, but who cares?

On the above note, watch Gipsy Danger carefully during the Battle of Hong Kong in the original movie. Her pilots, Mako and Raleigh, take great care not to damage the buildings around them where possible, even stepping over a bridge instead of simply walking through it. Not so in Uprising – Apparently Tokyo’s shiny new skyscrapers (which are only around 10 years old) are all fair game. Jake Pentecost uses Gipsy Avenger’s gravity sling to intentionally pull down a good four or five skyscrapers onto Raijin, for all the good that does, while the pilots of Saber Athena casually drag the Jaeger’s twin swords through the buildings at either side of her for no particular reason.

Likewise, drifting is important… except when it’s not. This movie pushes the idea that it’s easier to form bonds (and thus be Drift compatible) at a younger age, which is why all the new cadets in training are in their teens. They’re not actually meant to be deployed until they’re older – Fine, I’ll buy that. Amara repeatedly fails to successfully drift with anyone in training, making her a very weak contender in the Jaeger Program, but then magically drifts with a total of three other pilots for the battle in Tokyo because… Well, because the plot required it to happen.

As previously mentioned, the character development in this movie is almost non-existent. This hits the new Jaeger pilots especially hard because we get almost no information about their backstories, their training history, etc. so seeing them in action becomes an unknown quantity with little impact. There is a pilot called Jules and I know nothing about her, because Jules is a character who exists to be nothing more than an object for two men to compete and drool over. This is the sequel to the movie that prompted the creation of the alternative to the Bechdel test, everybody. Good job.

Uprising tries very hard to be its own thing, (much to the detriment of the returning cast and the world building of the original), but it just can’t help but lean on the legacy of its predecessor. References to the original movie appear in the form of bargain basement scene reshoots instead of clever nods. There are many, but here’s the worst: Amara lost her family to a Kaiju known as Insurrector, just like Mako Mori, who lost hers to Onibaba when it made landfall in Tokyo. We see this in a flashback when she attempts to drift with Jake, just like when Mako drifts with Raleigh for the first time. And just like Mako, she gets hold of the memory and can’t let go, so the pair of them are thrown out of neural alignment while Jake appears in her memory and pleads for her to stop. At this point we’re not really referencing the original movie so much as remaking it shot-for-shot.

True to the genre, Pacific Rim’s Kaiju had powerful abilities – Flight, electrical discharges, acid spit; things sometimes a step removed from reality but certainly inspired by real creatures. But the Kaiju in Uprising are magic. They can do some very bizarre things that are never given any kind of explanation, like absorbing energy from attacks to send it right back to their Jaeger aggressors. Even more bizarrely, when succumbing to the influence of the Precursors, the drone Jaegers suddenly sprout Kaiju flesh and appendages like glowing Kudzu on speed. We’ve never seen Precursor tech with any level of regenerative capacity, let alone the ability to flash-grow an entire Kaiju from an old sample of a brain, yet this happens and then it’s never referenced again. None of the other Kaiju exhibit abilities like this, so not only is it out of place but it feels like a missed opportunity because it could have been used to great effect for the false scare with the shattered Mega Kaiju at the end of the movie.

The individual designs of the Kaiju are great, but they’re given frustratingly little time to shine on their own and have absolutely no personality to speak of. Raijin gets some nice screen time, but Hakuja and Shrikethorn are barely visible and never really get to feel like a threat despite being Category IV Kaiju (the same as Leatherback and Otachi, who REALLY fuck shit up in Pacific Rim). This is especially disappointing given that they appear only in the last 20 minutes or so of the movie. Even the Mega Kaiju, who is quite magnificent to behold, only shows up for about 5 minutes and gets nothing in the way of special moves or tricks hidden up his sleeve; certainly nothing we didn’t see in trailers. Seriously, if you’ve seen the trailers for this movie, you’ve seen all the Kaiju action.

Both the Kaiju and the Jaegers are weightless. They move far too quickly and unfortunately so does the camera, meaning that fights quickly descend into a sort of mild chaos in which it can be quite difficult to focus on what’s happening. This is in stark contrast to the original, which took great pains to express the sheer weight and volume of Jaegers and their Kaiju foes, and carefully choreographed and framed the action for maximum impact. When Gipsy Danger prepares to fire the rocket on her elbow, the process takes a good few seconds – The moving of armour plating, the ignition of the rocket, the lowering of air brakes and then the swing of the punch. In Uprising, Avenger does all of this in about half a second. There’s no anticipation; blink and you’ll miss it. Likewise, Uprising misses these beats with its Kaiju. There’s a brilliant moment where Bracer Phoenix launches its mace into the side of the Mega Kaiju’s head, (to hilariously underwhelming effect), only for the Kaiju to whip around and shred the Jaeger in a matter of seconds. Had this been a shot in Pacific Rim, the Mega Kaiju would have taken a moment to shake its head, express its displeasure with a roar, and then clamp its jaws around the offending Jaeger. Sadly, this injection of personality and humour is skipped.

Under the persistent control of the Precursors, Newt designs a swarm of small creatures called Rippers who deconstruct Raijin, Hakuja, and Shrikethorn to recombine them into the unnamed Mega Kaiju. There’s no indication of whether the Kaiju are prepared for this, or, like the abused living weapons they truly are, whether they’re actually distressed by having something happen to them that they don’t understand. All we’d need here is for them to fall weirdly still and assume a formation, or to show signs of distress or aggression, and we could get the idea either way. Unfortunately, what we get is somewhere in the middle, so I suppose we can just assume they don’t care. How blank and characterless.

There are plot holes and lost threads all over the place in this movie. Here’s one of my favourites: Hermann requests help from Kaiju biology specialist Newt as he tries to figure out a way to combine Kaiju blood and rare earth metals to create a propellant more powerful than rocket fuel. Newt declines, Hermann despairs… and then somehow figures it out anyway off screen, just in time for the fuel to be used in a Jaeger launch. What?

Similarly, we find out why Obsidian Fury is a rogue Jaeger, but we never get an explanation for who’s responsible for its existence. The inference is that it’s meant to be Newt, but the idea that he somehow used Shao Industries’ automated factories to construct an entire uncommissioned Jaeger without anyone ever noticing is a stretch, to say the least. The same goes for the Rippers.

Ghost Drifting, Part II? This is very minor, but as much as I enjoyed him there’s something odd about Hermann’s characterisation in this movie. He’s not just a mathematician but a really goddamn passionate one, (“Numbers are as close as we get to the handwriting of god.”), but that job just doesn’t exist for him in Uprising. The closest we get is him talking about using a ‘fractal algorithm’ to decode some damaged data. Instead, Hermann seems to be spending his time messing around with Kaiju biology, having discovered that Kaiju blood reacts violently with rare earth metals. I assume we’re meant to be seeing the residual effects of the Drift, but even despite that, taking up the dissection of Kaiju samples just seems like something Hermann would never do, given his sheer distaste for Kaiju biology. (“No Kaiju entrails on my side of the room,” per the first movie; “…when we drifted with that disgusting Kaiju brain,” per the second.)

Tone. Pacing. Both of these are awful. The movie opens with a vague recap of the original, complete with footage lifted directly from it. This is otherwise known as Really Shitty Exposition.

There’s a terrible and wholly unnecessary montage scene with an equally terrible rendition of the Pacific Rim theme as remixed by Patrick Stump… because of reasons. I threw up in my mouth a little.

The movie contains a whole lot of forced Marvel-style humour. Everywhere. That’s not an inherently bad thing but never once does it feel fitting here. In addition to this, a dead meme is shoehorned in because apparently Steven De Knight is a cheap asshole who’d rather fall back on a meme to try for laughs instead of committing to a serious tone for more than 5 seconds at a time. Out of nowhere, one of the cadets is playing the Russian Trololol song on one of the Jaeger’s internal screens during their deployment. What the ever-loving fuck does that have to do with anything? Except for utterly destroying the moment the movie was trying to build?

I really could go on, but I think I’d rather forget the existence of this movie.

#Pacific Rim Uprising Spoilers #PRU Spoilers #Pacific Rim Uprising #I'm gonna have to go ahead and pretend this movie never existed #Strifespeak

[mdwatchestv]

Westworld 2x05: Ain’t Nothing To Fuck With

How did all these disparate threads come together to create this nightmare? HOW INDEED FARES FARES, HOW INDEED.

Anyway welcome back to Westworld! I was pleasantly surprised by the cohesion and thematic relevance of last week's episode, and while they weren't able to deliver as tight a narrative this week, the hour did manage to deliver something often sorely missed on this show - fun! Sure, there was still some gloom and doom, but there was also like adventure! Comic relief! Action! Wu-Tang! And from what well did this welcome variance in tone spring? Why from Shogun World of course! My preferred setting for the rest of the series, please and thank you.

Shogun World was teased in season one, as well as a couple episodes ago when Maeve and her crew accidentally stumbled into it, but now we finally get to explored it in full. Shogun World is set during the Edo period (1603 - 1868) in Japan, which was marked by the rule of well...shoguns! Shogun World boasts incredible scenic beauty, as well as awesome samurai-based violence. Simon Quartermain describes it as the World for people who think Westworld is too tame. Lol okay. Of course I also have to point out that Shogun World also has its own MOUNT FUJI. This iconic Japanese geographical feature, and giant ass volcano, only furthers my theory that the location of these parks is a twist/important. I mean, they have a whole mountain!!!! But while no expensive has been spared in the environment, there was clearly some budget saving in the narrative department....

Maeve and her unlikely band are captured by a group of samurai, Maeve's robot voodoo doesn't work on them, nor does their automatic translation feature. Her group is taken into a...vaguely familiar town square, and by the time Paint it Black kicks in, we know what's happening. In a shot for shot sequence we see Sweetwater's vault robbery event (led in that world by Rodrigo Santoro and Armistice) enacted by a new, but not TOO new, cast of characters. Simon admits he may have lifted the character's and story from world to world to save time, as a writer I do not blame him. But besides other-world doubles of Rodrigo and Armistice (Hannibal's Tao Okamoto featuring a dragon tattoo instead of a snake), there is of course also an alternate universe Maeve and Clementine. At the end of the robbery Maeve comes face to face with Akane (Pacific Rim's Rinko Kikuch). Like Maeve, Akane is quick, cunning and fiercely loyal to Sakura, her surrogate daughter. Seeing Maeve, and a bevy of other characters, come face to face with themselves was the kind of boost this show desperately needed. Finally we get to see the  show poking a bit of fun at its own expense, and it could not be more welcome. After hours of unrelenting Very Serious Mystery Time, it was nice to have a scene about Rodrigo having an inherent mistrust of his Other (every TV show ever's Hiroyuki Sanada). This is what we want from you Westworld!

The plot thickens as the local Shogun's messenger comes to buy Sakura from Akane, who bloodily refuses by going off-script and stabbing him in the eye. Our combined super-group makes a plan to return to Sakura's homeland Snow Lake (ps there is a whole-ass lake in this world too, where ARE we) but their plan is foiled by NINJA. ACTUAL NINJA. Imagine I am using the handclap emoji when I say this-is-what-I-am-talking-about. In a fantastic fight sequence that pits our brawlers and gunslingers against NINJA, Maeve's control powers get a major upgrade. Not only is she able to verbally instruct other hosts, apparently she can now even control them with her mind. Perhaps she is able to cognitively access the host network, issuing commands via cyberspace. Or you know, maybe she's a witch. But beside Maeve’s newfound ability to plug directly in the matrix, Sakura is captured anyway.  No sooner have the ninja been defeated by the power of Maeve's brainwaves than who should role up but the Shogun's guard. In an amazing development, that the best samurai movies would be jealous of, it is revealed that ronin Hiroyuki Sanada is the ex-captain of the guard, and at the behest of Akane he rides out to confront the new, shittier, captain. Truly, I could live in this storyline forever. 

[Note: I started writing this at work where I apparently left all my notes. So from here on out I’m flying blind people!]

The Hectors’ and Armisti allow themselves to be taken prisoner by the Shogun’s army allowing Maeve, Akane, and Simon to escape. Maeve is bent on helping Akane rescue Sakura, another mother trying to reunite with her daughter. Once they arrive at the Shogun’s camp however things don’t go quite so smoothly. The Shogun has gone a bit mad and had all of his men’s ears chopped off so Maeve can’t influence them with her witchy words. This seems sort of impractical for a number of reasons, but it’s whats happening. The Shogun says he will release Sakura if Akane also agrees to dance for him, and she reluctantly agrees. In the dressing room Maeve attempts to level-up Akane and free her mind, but Akane rejects the “freedom” Maeve offers her.  She chooses to stay in the reality of her personal Matrix, with Sakura,  rather than waking up and realizing she is really in ugly sweater land (it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Matrix okay). 

Sakura and Akane prepare to dance for the Shogun, but the Shogun murders Sakura in front of Akane and then demands she proceed with the performance, and proceed she does. In one of the season’s best sequences, Akane lays down a beautiful geisha dance, that turns into a brutal decapitation of the Shogun, all set to cover of Wu-Tang’s C.R.E.A.M. This was one of the rare scenes on Westworld that really exceeded the sum of its parts. The unexpected cover song, the grand aesthetic of the setting and Akane herself, and the emotional stakes of the scene, all came together to create a truly effective and memorable sequence. Westworld often boasts individual cool or compelling elements, but rarely do they all come together to create such an effective and engrossing narrative moment. These past couple episodes have been some of the best of the series in terms of episode construction and payoff, even displaying emotional connection, which the series has struggled with. However despite the sheer badassery displayed by Akane, she and Maeve are captured and set to be beheaded by the Shogun’s soldiers (they yell orders to each other which is weird because I thought they had no ears?). As they are about to be executed, Maeve tells Akane she is a true mother, and Akane thanks her. Akane has put Sakura before all else, her happiness, her freedom, even her life. However before the blades can fall, Maeve uses her new psychic power to turn the soldiers against one another (and she had to use mind power because all their ears were cut off...but then why were they JUST talking- never mind). Bloodshed and violence ensues, and armed with her new power, Maeve turns her eyes to the horizon, the future, and her daughter.

And that’s it! What a great and enjoyable hour (plus) of television. An engaging story with great new characters powered by a stand-out guest cast, new locales and exciting action. I can’t believe this episode was able to avoid the usual drudgery and angst of most of Westworld, what a welcome reprieve, what a tight- oh wait.

That’s right these guys. For all the delightful surprises to be had in Shogun World, Teddy and Dolores’ storyline came to an all-too predictable head. Back in Sweetwater Dolores’ gives Teddy one final “test”, metaphorically asking him how he would protect an infected herd of cattle. His answer is of course reflective of Teddy himself, gentle and caring: protect the sick, hope for the best. The answer Dolores is of course looking for is: burn it down, burn it all down, and if there are casualties so be it. Teddy and Dolores’ finally knock boots, but it’s more of a goodbye before Dolores sets him up for a full reboot (get it, boots, reboot. I work hard on these things). This “twist”, if we can even call it that, has been projected from the beginning as Teddy has consistently failed to adapt to Dolores’ new world order. However we know that Teddy is still going to end up floating in face down in a lake, so maybe this reboot won’t be as effective as Dolores’ hopes. Dolores tells Teddy that ‘to grow, we all need to suffer’, and she clearly sees sacrifice as the way to do that. She has cut away all the ties that made Dolores, well Dolores, and is living largely as the Wyatt personality. In Maeve’s storyline though, she grew by seeing a reflection of herself, and another path she could take. Akane was fully devoted to Sakura, and even though Maeve is dedicated to finding her own daughter, it’s unlikely she would have sacrificed the knowledge and power she currently has to do so (unlike Akane). 

The introduction of the new worlds in Westworld is the best thing the show could have done. The time spent in Shogun World, as both a new setting, and a foil to the world we are familiar with, was a refreshing change. The return to the scenes in Sweetwater felt like a big clunk in an episode that otherwise soared. Like Maeve and Dolores, I as the viewer am also ready to venture out into a larger world, the new world. 

Can you believe we are only halfway through the season?

XO MD

#westworld #westworld hbo #martha writes #westworld gifs #westworld spoilers #westworld recap #westworld reviews #rinko kikuchi #shogun world #wu-tang clan #thandie newton #maeve #tv recaps #tv reviews #tv gifs

[superchicalonelyviking]

Four

Hello everyone from Fuji Q theme park next to (you guessed it) Mount Fuji!

We've been in Japan 10 days now and what a fantastic country! We are totally impressed by how clean, beautiful and cheerful everything is here!

We arrived in Sakaiminato, a small port town in the South of Japan, getting off the boat you straight away see Japanese style houses, Japanese style seagulls (huge brown feathery type things!) and of course lots of vending machines! Sakaiminato is a nice seasidey town with lots of sculptures of characters from an anime cartoon series by the artist Shigeru Mizuki, lining the streets. You can go round and get rubber stamps of all the characters! Walking around town there are red lanterns hanging everywhere, lots of really sweet music playing and people greeting you from the shops as you pass. A kindergarten crocodile passed us, all wearing yellow hats and with colourful water bottles strapped over them and every one of them said 'koniciwa' to us, it was extremely cute! We had read that a Japanese way to show respect to people is to bow / nod your head, and everywhere you go people do this in greeting to one another. Everybody is so polite here as maintaining social order is important in Japan, apparently foreigners tend to break the rules (many of them unimaginable) all the time and have no idea, meaning we are a constant source of embarrassment and annoyance. Well I hope it's not quite that bad but we've been trying to fit in as much as possible!

From Sakaiminato we got a train up to Hiroshima, passing lush mountainous scenery on the way. Even the train was very nice and clean and had cute pictures of cartoon characters everywhere ! We got a Shinkansen for some of the way, which is name for the Japanese high speed / bullet trains- it feels like you're on an aeroplane rather than a train, actually looks a bit like an aeroplane too and it's fantastic how quickly you can move between places. The train attendants, on reaching the door at the end of the carriage, turn round and bow before leaving!

Hiroshima is a very nice, progressive and apparently international city (we thought it would be a lot more multicultural here, even in Tokyo it's unusual to see people who are clearly foreign, and apparently 95% of people who live in Japan are Japanese or Korean due to strict immigration laws), Hiroshima is most famous for  being where the atomic bomb was dropped in WW2 and hence most people come to visit the peace park, museum and monuments which serve as a memorial and a message that it should never happen again. The place is very emotive but feels very optimistic too, it is very much about peace rather than divisions. There is a large flame in a shrine which will burn until we reach global nuclear disarmament, a bell which you can strike to send a message of peace, and a children's monument, inspired by a girl who developed leukaemia age 11 and attempted to fold 2000 origami birds before she died but unfortunately didn't succeed, so thousands of school children across Japan send birds they have folded in her memory. There was a busker in the park playing violin really beautifully, after a couple of hours we were so sad that we had to go for Okonomiyaki to cheer up! This is the local dish of Hiroshima and is this fantastic pile of pancake, cabbage, pork, noodles and an amazing sauce, all cooked in front of you! Afterwards we went and balked at how expensive the fruit and veg is here (in the supermarket, about £1 per apple!) apparently due to laws which protect Japanese farmers and govern imports, decided to attempt to cook some of our own meals to save money but subsequently decided this was a terrible idea, we are rubbish at cooking Japanese food and you may as well just pay someone who knows what they're doing! (It's hardly even any dearer) - oh apart from breakfast, we've been having scrambled tofu everyday, you can get a huge block of tofu for around 25p which is about 90% cheaper than in the UK! Also Mat is super happy because the loaves of bread here are sold with the crusts neatly sliced off, initially a disappointment for him, until he discovered that for less than half the price you can buy a bag containing all the discarded crusts!!! Anyhow this probably isn't very interesting so back to Hiroshima...

There is also a beautiful castle, rebuilt in 1958 in a lovely park with the huge temple of the carp god outside, all surrounded by a moat . At the temple you have to wash your hands and mouth with water outside before going to pray in front - to do this you have to summon the gods by ringing a bell, and afterwards clap and bow to signify you have finished. The main religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism. I don't know a huge amount about Shinto but I do know there are many gods, and a belief that when people die their spirit goes back into nature, and natural things such as rivers, trees, mountains and rocks are often worshipped or seen as sacred. There are small temples scattered around most places and most will be dedicated to a particular God. We visited some more in Tokyo, where we went next !

Tokyo in comparison with Hiroshima is a huge sprawling city (or amalgamation of lots of towns into a huge metropolis) it is very busy but yet feels strangely calm, I guess due to the attitude there of politeness and consideration not to bother others. Everyone is so well dressed, for example you see lots of people in smart suits and very white starched shirts, children in pristine sailor suit style school uniforms, in fact all the uniforms are very stylish and look brand new, we feel pretty scruffy in comparison! The place we stayed was tatami style with tatami mat flooring, futon mattresses and traditional wall decoration, and you're provided with slippers to use whilst inside the house (although not on the mats, and there's a separate pair for the toilet, it's quite complicated!). We had a few days exploring Tokyo, went to some beautiful temples (visited the temple of the God of Strong Legs, so now our legs are in fine shape) and explored some of the older parts of town, and after we'd finished with the cultural bits went to Joy-polis which is a bit like a cinema complex if instead of a cinema it had loads of indoor rides, and felt more like a giant disco! There is even a rollercoaster themed around sonic the hedgehog where you have to play a guitar hero style drumming game on the way up, and a ride where you're strapped into a skateboard with a big lever attached and it simulates going up and down a half pipe! What really makes the place though is the brilliantly enthusiastic Japanese ride attendants who clap and cheer when the ride begins and when the place closed were all grinning and waving from the exits! We also spent a couple of days at Disneyland and Disney Sea - I was majorly skeptical about this plan but actually it was fantastic, the attention to detail is really incredible, the place doesn't really feel like you're in a theme park so much as a giant pop up book, it's really fun just to explore and go on the kids' rides with all the freaky animatronic characters, some of the sets are actually really impressive! The parades are fun too and there are really good dance shows and a huge firework and light show projected onto the castle at the end of the day. Disney Sea was especially amazing, it is centred round a huge lake with a massive man-made smouldering volcano behind with a rollercoaster coming out of the top. Mat should probably tell you more this as he is the biggest fan but I also loved it!

We also visited Akihabara, Tokyo's 'geek' district, with massive gaming arcades and retro video game shops. Mat played Tetris at an arcade, and was thrilled to get the highest score of the day, before realising his was actually the only score of the day. On the whole Akihabara feels like the big, slightly weird Tokyo that we sometimes hear stories about. It's a cool place!

Near our place was a sushi conveyor belt restaurant where most plates were just 100 yen, approx 70p! So we were loving having amazing cheap sushi.  Everything is ordered from a touch screen, but then is delivered via conveyor belt, with a musical jingle playing just as the plate reaches your table so you know to take it!

On our last day in Tokyo we discovered there are several so called 'Penguin Cafes' in the city, so we're really excited as the Penguin Cafe Orchestra was one of the reasons we were keen to come to Japan- the founder Simon Jeffes visited it (via the trans Siberian!) and wrote a lot of music here in the 70's, and the Penguin Cafe have toured Japan and have a following there. The famous song Music for a Found Harmonium was played on a harmonium found in Japan! So it turns out that some of the Penguin Cafes actually have real life penguins that live there (along with Tokyo's owl, cat, bunny etc. Cafes!), and you can watch them over a cup of tea! We decided against that but instead turned up to a place in Asagaya and on arrival realised it wasn't just any old Penguin themed cafe, it was totally inspired by the music, which was playing inside, with their records on the walls, and we spoke to the owner who also loved the music!

Afterwards we went to a nearby Yakitori place he recommended, very small places where you can buy beer and sake(rice wine) and Yakitori which are small skewers with meat and vegetables, cooked in the window, all the food is prepared behind the counter. It was a bit difficult to order as the people there didn't speak much English and our Japanese is awful but we ended up with lots of beer and skewers and afterwards the chef brought us a platter of leftover   Fruit and salad then served us three different types of sake, each with a different flavour, which were all really good. Later we ordered more sake and were totally alarmed when the waiter didn't stop pouring after filling our glasses, meaning it splashed over the sides and filled up a small saucer underneath but on googling this found out it is a way sake can be served and is a happy bonus as you get a bit more than the glassful! Our original plan had been to go on a Tokyo big night out (by our standards at least) but we loved this place so much that we stayed all night, they also gave us free ice cream too! It is called Kawana. Highly recommended!

Since leaving Tokyo we have been in Fujiyoshida which is a city at the foot of Mt Fuji, and it has been brilliant! I had a giant picture of the Great Wave of Kanagawa by Hokusai on my wall since the beginning of university (for no good reason other than my room needed posters, I saw it at the Keele fresher's fair and liked it), the painting has a picture of Mt Fuji in the background (it's actually one of a whole series of woodblock paintings of Mount Fuji by Hokusai), the picture is still up in our lounge today and I never thought I would actually see the mountain, or that it would be as spectacular in real life!

The first night we stayed in a place we found on air bnb, we were the host Kazu's first guests so we're guinea pigs for his 'authentic Japanese experience', which turned out to be awesome!

On arrival we were given some lovely Japanese clothes to wear and then we had coffee, green tea flavour kitkats and then Kazu got out what looked like a kind of industrial workbench clamp and with it made us some Kakigori, a type of crushed ice dessert! Then we were taken to a study room and he taught us some Japanese calligraphy, using ink and a special brush, including how to write our names- they are written using an alphabet where all the characters represent a phonic, so for example the 'th' of Elizabeth is the same character as the 'th' of Matthew. There are two other alphabets used in Japan, with more than 2000 characters! Often the characters represent whole words rather than just a sound.

After calligraphy Kazu made us some Takoyaki which are these delicious octopus dumplings! And he drove us to a local restaurant for Ramen, and advised us on what to order. As if we thought it couldn't be any better, when we got back Kazu had run us a hot bath with Japanese bath salts so we had a mini onsen experience too!

In the morning Kazu cooked about 5 different dishes including tofu miso soup, cooked fresh salmon, rice, a really nice salad and tofu in a dressing, and afterwards showed us how to perform a tea ceremony and we had delicious green tea, with very tasty mochi which are a Japanese sweet made by pounding rice into a pulp. He also showed us a Japanese musical instrument called a Shamisen, played for us and let us try it. He even had a replica samurai sword! It was all so totally Japanese!

In conclusion it was great and if you're going to the Fuji area look up Kazu's place! Also, we really need to up our game with our air bnb! It's a bit more difficult to think what we would do for an authentic British experience, but any suggestions are welcome!

Whilst in Fujiyoshida we also went to Fuji Q, a theme park Mat has dreamed of going to for ages.  The best rollercoaster was a '4D' rollercoaster called 'Eejenanka', where the seats rotate on their own axis, meaning you go over drops face first, upside down, forwards, backwards... it's really hard to keep track of what's happening and it feels nothing like any other rollercoaster I've ever been on! Our on-ride photo was so beautiful we had to buy it.

There was also the 'Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear', a walk-through haunted house (well actually a zombie hospital) with a reputation of being amongst the scariest in the world. It's really long, it took us about 20 minutes to get through, and you go through just the two of you, feeling alone, rather than with a big group. It was genuinely very scary, my heart was pounding the whole way through, and we were almost tempted to quit at one of the emergency exits part way through!

One afternoon at Fuji Q thousands of fans wearing matching coats turned up and gathered around a big model Sea plane- it turned out they were at a festival for an online Japanese video game - then a girl band came onto a little stage and everyone did a coordinated dance to the theme song. Totally bewildering!

On the last evening in Fujiyoshida we cycled up to a mountain opposite Fuji called Shimoyama, here you hike up through the trees to find the Niikurafujisengen shrine (dedicated to one of Japan's princesses) and a beautiful Chureito pagoda representing citizens of Fujisan, all with an absolutely stunning view of Mount Fuji towering over the town. At sunset it was particularly peaceful and calm. We met several elderly men jogging up and down it as we were nearly collapsed by the side of the path! On the way back down we went to the temple and were surprised by how noisy it was there as they are normally VERY quiet -it sounded like someone was doing some really enthusiastic evening gardening behind it- and then we realised the temple was covered in monkeys! They were leaping around all over the roof and through the trees behind, one of them had a baby on its back, they were super cute!

We went for really good sushi for dinner both nights in Fujiyoshida, it was a small traditional sushi place - somewhere Mat has wanted to go since working at Yo! Sushi (a bit of a different type of sushi experience!) - and the chef was so friendly and told us what all the different bits of sashimi were and how to eat it all! We got to meet his family, wrote in the restaurant guestbook and when we left he gave us a calendar with his name on it and on the second night he gave us a pen! Another recommendation for Fujiyoshida - it is called Musashino.

Next we are going up into the alps to a more rural part of Japan, so we're looking forward to that! Will blog again soon ! Miss you all!

Libby and Mat

[sinangoral2017-blog]

[06.15.17] today, i had the privilege of visiting the family-owned mushroom cultivation farm, oyama no taishō, which has been perfecting the art of shiitake mushroom farming for over 24 years. i’m still a little flushed and surprised that they allowed for someone like me to come to their farm, but i’m not questioning it. let me walk you through the organization of events prior to my visit, as well as the farming day, itself.

i had really been struggling with their website, since it is completely in japanese. thus, finding any contact information provided quite difficult. over the several days i have been in japan, i asked as many japanese natives as i could on how to navigate the website. surprisingly, it wasn’t any hostel worker who got me through, but some random girl on the street urging people to come into the made-famous ‘maid cafes.’ i don’t even want to get into what i think about those places, but if you want to look it up, check this out. 

in either case, this sweetheart named yuna helped me decipher the site, and i was able to email the farm. within hours, an equally friendly lady named takako emailed me back with broken, albeit discernible english. after basic introductions and several back and forth emails, my research intent became clear to her (as clear as ‘building materials using mushrooms’ would be lololol) and we gained an understanding of expectations from one another. i was invited to the farm, and she even suggested that they pick me up from the train station. google maps only showed a 1.3 km walk, but she insisted. i obliged, and set towards haneda.

well, boy was i grateful for their pickup. the 1.3 km drive, in the minitruck, took over 20 minutes. the farm happens to be on a severe incline, and the winding roads to go up to it present daunting cliff overhangs. the same stuff from the movies. no joke. 

a young man named takashi picked me up. we couldn’t really speak to one another in light of the language barrier, but he seemed to exude a lot of excitement. as i later found out, it was pretty rare for people to ‘randomly come through to the farm.’ in retrospect, i must have been the most bizarre visitor to see them. 

once we got to the farm, takashi introduced me to takako, her mother, and her father. i met some cute cats (whose names i cannot remember), and then takashi took me of a tour of the facility. 

the farm has several ‘houses’ that house prepared logs, dropped off by a partner logging company. these logs stack either vertically or horizontally. temperature and humidity are meticulously controlled in these houses. as takashi explained to me, ideal humidity levels never go over 80%, and temperature never exceeds 90 degrees. 

the logs continually cycle through misting (humidification), heating, cooling, and flushing (in cold water baths)to expand and contract. any log can spawn several generations of shiitake mushrooms, but can only continue for this cycle for up to three years. 

takashi also explained that there are several benefits to horizontal and/or vertical growth. none of these benefits affect taste per se. rather, they affect the aesthetic quality of the mushrooms and their directional growth. you can see, for example, that all the shiitake which have blossomed out of the vertical logs arch upwards. depending on the consumption method (i.e. grilling, frying, etc), this affect might be more desirable. 

you might be asking yourself: ‘okay, these logs are prepared, cycled through, and nurtured. but how do they give birth to mushrooms?’ good question. throughout the three to four hours i spent on the farm, i had the same underlying question pestering me. though i should’ve asked earlier, takashi explained towards the end of the day the two ways in which they can implant mushroom spores into the wood - both of which accomplish the same thing, but do so with different speeds.

the first involves a gun resembling a drill punches a hemispherical cavity into the log. after this space has been excavated, a tool resembling a pneumatic nail gun fills this cavity with a paste, which is also provided by a partnering company. though we got confused with one another when i asked about what kind of ‘paste’ this was, i have a pretty good idea from my own research that this paste was mostly fungus/spore based - a mycelium paste, of sorts. i would’ve uploaded an image of the canister, but i’ll spare you, since i’m not sure if any of my readers know japanese. 

the second method does exactly what i just explained, and in the same order, but through automation. the huge (and beautiful... drool) machine resembling a diesel tank engine does just this. takashi powered this up for me and showed how a log enters into the machine’s claws, gets ‘stamped,’ turned, stamped again, and then filled. one log can be covered in +/- 20 dimples in around 15 seconds. pretty efficient, pretty japanese.

we then picked my favorite mushrooms and grilled them for lunch. no sauces other than soy sauce to top them off, yet they were the most delicious vegetables i’ve eaten in a while. they still reeked of that fresh dirt smell - sort of akin to a recent rain. combined with the smokey coals of the grill, to me, the mushrooms needed no other taste. sure beats organic trader joes mushrooms.

though none of my research (at least at this point... ~ massages beard inquisitively ~) is interested in the taste qualities of mushrooms as they relate to architecture, the experiences i gained at this farm are invaluable to me and my research process. one thing that utterly failed in my previous mycelium experiments was the actual cultivation of the mushrooms in an efficient way. though the farm specializes in shiitake, specifically, i’m sure that i can adapt the insight i gained towards my own work.

now that my visit to oyama no taishō has come to a close, i plan to continue down south along the east jr line. tomorrow morning, i’ll leave for hamamatsu if i cannot stop in shizuouka beforehand to take photographs of mount fuji (the town offers some pretty spectacular views, i hear), but i also worry that the weather will not allow me. it has been especially foggy and rainy here, so i might have to skip out. nonetheless, i’ll be in nagoya by tomorrow night, and plan to stay there for a couple of days.

from nagoya, i’ll head down to kyoto and osaka and soak those cities up for a few days. i’m planning to travel to tottori on june 21st, because i was finally able to secure a meeting and tour with the tottori mycological institute. i probably shouldn’t even start writing about that yet because this post has gotten too lengthy, but let it be known that i am inexplicably pumped to somehow get a foot in a door, there. 

after all of this, i’ll be slowly returning back to tokyo because i secured some visits and tours of some non-architectural ‘museums’ of sorts. more on this later... but those of you who know me and my side obsessions with tuner culture might be able to guess what comes out of japan. hint: ~ jdm ~

i don’t think that i’ve expressed this at any point in this blog, but something peculiar happened to me when i was on the subway, still in tokyo. i mention it only because it might help explain why i am so in awe of japanese culture, and why i respect the diligence and discipline of the country’s work ethic.

i happened to get off at the same station as a well-dressed man in a suit at around 9:30 or 10:00 at night. he was carrying a briefcase and sporting some kind of expensive watch. his shoes were shiny, and his walk upbeat. he sped up, and i lost sight of him. but i remembered the back of his head distinctly, because he had this iconic mole on the left side of his neck. i have a thing for moles.

nonetheless, some minutes later, i took a wrong turn in the subway system and ended up in a small alley tunnel. i ran into my businessman friend, again. he had just finished changing out of his suit, shielded away in this alleyway, with thousands of people rushing by, oblivious to his existence. realizing i was invading in on his privacy, i turned around - he never noticed me, because he had his back to me. but i happened to catch a glimpse of his mole to clarify his identity, as well as his new attire. it was a navy blue worker’s uni-suit with indiscernible writing on it. written in english, however, was ‘crane operator.’ 

it then dawned on me how hard working people are here. businessman by day, and crane operator by night, this guy was working his life away. suddenly, studio life became irrelevant. so did my coffee job. thoughi wasn’t necessarily looking up to him in awe, i just couldn’t believe how someone could juggle so much, from such seemingly different sectors.

it’s in this way that i am intrigued by japanese culture - specifically by its workforce. people use the train to catch shut eye. most aren’t on their phones to socialize, but get work done. it’s unlike anything i’ve ever seen.

also, a lot of people have blackberry phones here. honestly, that’s the easiest way to my heart.

and, to conclude, a brief aside - thank you so much to all of you who have reached out and connected with me to provide feedback on or encourage my writing of this blog. that people are actually reading this makes me really happy. keep the questions and inquiries coming - and thank you!

oh, and for any of you nerds who want to learn more about traditional mushroom cultivation, check out this pdf from the university of vermont. 

[withchantomo]

Hirose Tomoki First Solo Event Kirakira Boshi Second Session Report!

Note: ALL credits go to @araignee0707 on twitter (1 , 2) and I don’t own anything. Only the translation belongs to me, please do not take it out. I will be writing this in the same format that she wrote her report in. Araignee0707 has written that her report may have some mistakes so do take note.

Kirakira Boshi Choco and Birthday Report MC is Wada Takuma-san

○× Quiz Q1 Hirose Tomoki’s first stage play is Shakunage no Hana Q2 Hirose Tomoki is popular Q3 Every generation in Hirose Tomoki’s family has the character 「紀」 in their name Q4 (VTR played) This person is Hirose Tomoki        It was a video of Mokkun jumping rope during Pedal rehearsal Q5 (VTR played) After this, Hirose’s mother said something good.       A video of him playing with Yuuho-kun was showed ♡ The way he said “Can we bring Anpanman along~?” was cute ♡ Impromptu quiz from Wadakuma Q6 I have went out to eat with Hirose Tomoki before. Have we ever eaten sushi together?

The answer is OOOXXO!

Impromptu drama skit

Wada (W): This is my first time doing an impwomptu skit! Fan: Impwomptu? Eh, eh? www W: Impromptu skit www

Topic: Rival clubs, Love, Alien Chantomo imitated an alien

W: Ah~ I’m so tired today.... Eh? Hirose (H): Recently there has been reports of aliens, do you know anything about it? If we find them we’ll become heroes you know! Let’s look for them together! (Hirose put a finger on top of his head and started searching) W: Eh? It’s responding around this area.... are you an alien!? H: Don’t say such an obvious thing (Chit-chat) ↓ Daisute started ♡ W: What did you throw over here H: My love End

Topic: Cat, Underground train, Split personality Chantomo is waiting for the train

W: Um, have you seen my cat!? It ran away... H: This is the underground train!? W: Where did my Mi-channnnn go to, please search for it together with me! (Chit-chat) H: Watch out (falls off stage) Excuse me, please help me up!! W: Ahaha that was so funny H: At that moment, something in me exploded (went back on stage) (Chit-chat) H: Eh, isn’t that Mi-chan!? W: Eh! Mi-chan, Mi-channnnnn! (It looked like Chantomo was about to stab Wada from behind but he did a model pose) W: I thought you were gonna stab me.... H: Sorry, I have a split personality and I wanted to... W: Ah, the train is here! (Chantomo went in front and Wadakuma hugged him from behind and they did a titanic pose) End

The songs he sang are the theme song for the stage play 「world」, “thread” by Nakajima Miyuki-san and candy lights.

After singing the theme song for world W: You know, I went to watch 「world」 and at that time, I wore a black leather jacket on top of a gray parka and black jeans, my outfit so happened to be exactly the same as Tomoki’s, I looked like I was a huge fan of his www

During thread W: the vertical thread is? H: the fans W: the horizontal thread is? H: Takuma ♡ W: Where did Tomoki go www

Before candy lights W: Now then, I’ll take my leave H: You’re not leaving yet right!? W: I’ll listen from the stage wing H: You’ll return right!? ↑ Seeing Chantomo so worried like that was cute ♡ (Chantomo then went back to the mic stand and at the mic,) W: Please listen to candy lights H: I like how Takuma remembers everything! W: I love listening to people talk H: I like listening to people talk too, but Takuma asks questions along the way that’s why it’s so easy to talk about myself!

During candy lights, when Hirose was singing, Wadakuma appeared with a cake! He also brought a letter. In the letter, he wrote “(Seeing) Chantomo flourish makes me happy as if it’s me”, he’s a really kind person.

After candy lights W: Why did you sing this? H: Why!? Um, um, because the movie is coming out www ↑ Sometimes the questions are so weird it’s funny

H: Aoki-kun appears in this movie too and from the start, I thought that he was a really cool person but the way he says “good morning” (at this point, Hirose imitates the way Aoki-kun walks) is extremely cool!

Talk about the photo book H: I shot the photo book in Macau W: Macau!? Eh, I got goosebumps www H: www Ah, but this is my second (photo book) that’s why! W: Your first was in Nagasaki www ↑ I’m not sure if I heard the location right, sorry... (T/N: wasn’t his first in Okinawa for Jtripper?)

Questions Do you have any characters that you want to try from here on? H: It’s starting to get difficult to act as a student so I want to try acting as a doctor or as a detective~ And I have been having black hair for almost 6 years so I want a character that can break this image!

If you come to Yamanashi, where do you want to go? W: Have you been to Yamanashi? H: I have! Um, I climbed Mount Fuji but wasn’t there a dispute between whether Mount Fuji is in Shizuoka-ken or in Yamanashi-ken? And so, (I’ve been to) Yamagata-ken. W: No, (they’re asking about) Yamanashi www H: That’s right www Yamagata www W: wwww H: When you climb Mount Fuji, your world changes!! It only changes this much though www But things have returned back to normal and I want to climb it one more time! Let’s go! W: You know, I bought a coat recently and the store employee told me that if I wear this coat, I can go to see the aurora! www

What do you eat for breakfast? H: Breakfast huh~ Aloe Vera yoghurt W: Having said that, you’re always eating yoghurt at the rehearsal venue (laughs) H: I’m the type to eat (a lot) at night so in the morning my stomach doesn’t digest well~ W: That’s why you put the Ehomaki on top of the refrigerator www H: You read (my blog post) www W: Do you cook? H: I cooked during my part-time job but, what is it, I don’t cook for myself~ It would be nice if I could cook for somebody~ Want to come over? W: Ehh!! I do, I do www Do say “I made this for my husband~” okay www ↑ (T/N: contrary to popular belief, it’s not Chantomo who called Wada his husband but Wada was the one who said it)

Returning to the stage from the audience (T/N: not sure when this took place) H: Takuma, wait, the lighting looks really good on you now! W: Eh, really!? H: Go back and come back up again! It works really well with those glasses!! W: It truly is interesting (said with a Fukuyama Masaharu-san feel)

A part of Chantomo’s letter I love all of you. I’m the type that will like somebody because they like me so I like all of you. And all the staff that are working behind the scenes and Yamada James Takeshi-san, Wadakuma, it’s because all of you are here that today’s event was a success. I’m really thankful. ↑ Chantomo’s kindness could be felt through this letter. He really treasures the fans and staff ♡

T/N: I will translate the full letter in another post

#SO MUCH FLIRTING??? #hirose tomoki #chantomo #solo event #wada takuma #kirakira boshi