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selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs · 24 days

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Anime Convention (feat. someone real). Interlude I

Self-Aware! Ayatsuji Yukito x GN! Reader

Description of Interlude I:

Cats can be mischievous thieves. And, sometimes, they could steal something interesting.

Ayatsuji try to make sense of what he has learned and take a trip down the memory line.

🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️

For Ayatsuji Yukito, self-awareness was a blessing. For Ayatsuji Yukito, Real World is big and unexplored. Yukito Ayatsuji must learn, how to interact with Real World.

Yukito Ayatsuji has two cats. And there is only one can of cat food left. He also has almost no tobacco left.

He needs to face Real World and went to the store.

He is lucky, that Guiding Light is also home.

A.K.A. Shy and timid Reader are more important, than they think they are.

🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️

Ayatsuji's P.O.V.

Warning: OOC. English is my second language. Slight mentions of stalking (BSD Cast had access to Reader's messenger and phone). Reader have some negative feelings towards them. Reader try to be better.

Set at the same time, as Part I, and flashback took place two weeks before Part I. [Before people started gossip about Reader, but, after people saw Albatross and Doc]

Mall trip incident described here

<| Part 1 |

___________

Ayatsuji was sitting in his chair, reading a book [Y/N] gave him. To be more specific, it was a library book, that Ayatsuji wanted to read and that was put under [Y/N]'s name. The book was a compilation of mystery novels by different authors.

It not only was a way to spend time for Ayatsuji. It was a “training”. Training, before Ayatsuji could read a book with his name on a cover.

He knew, that there was a specific someone in this world. Author. Reason, why Ayatsuji existed in the first place. The reason, why his ability was named Another, why his ability worked the way it worked. Author was the reason of everything, that was happening with Ayatsuji Yukito.

Ayatsuji can't say, for sure, who exactly he meant by “Author”. His namesake… Or…

Meowing, that came from the door to Ayatsuji's room grabbed his attention. Meowing sounded odd. Like it was muffled. Ayatsuji knew too well, what it means. Cats were back from “treasure hunting” and wanted to show him, what they have found.

Ayatsuji put a bookmark between pages and closed the book. He signed and looked at his cats. Mei and Misaki¹ were good cats, but, sometimes, they liked to steal something to show their master.

Ayatsuji blamed Karl and Poe for that behavior. Karl often brought things to Poe, and Poe also asked Karl to bring small things to Ranpo. This behavior rubbed on Ayatsuji's cats, and they started to act the same way. The only problem was that Ayatsuji didn't ask for anything to be brought to him. Unfortunately, cats refused to stop. The list of stolen things already included Dazai's bolo tie, Q's doll, Ranpo's glasses, Kunikida's notebook and Yosano's hairpin. Thankfully, cats were careful, and all things were returned to their owners good as new.

“What did you two steal this time?” mumbled Ayatsuji, standing up.

Mei, black cat, meowed again. She was holding a few papers in her mouth. No, not just papers. There were some text on them. A document?

Misaki, a calico cat, pawed on the corner of the document. Before cats could damage it, Ayatsuji took it away. Cats looked at Ayatsuji, waiting for a praise. Ayatsuji crook an eyebrow.

“You do realize, that earlier we will have to apologize for your behavior, right?”

Cats looked unbothered by it. Ayatsuji sighs and adjust his glasses. He starts reading the document's text.

“Okay, who it belongs to…” Ayatsuji's eyes widened. It was a rent contract. With [Y/N]'s name on it. And it wasn't expired.

“They're still keeping their old apartment… Why?” whispered Ayatsuji. His gaze stopped on the rent's price. It was higher, that before.

All of them knew, how much you paid for your previous apartment. You always send screenshots, proves of successful payments, to your landlord.

Why were you renting an apartment you didn't use?

Cats rubbed against his back. They looked at their master, waiting for something. For praise, or… For an order?

Ayatsuji took his phone and took a picture of the contract. He kneeled before his cats, holding contact towards them.

“Mei, Misaki, thank you. Now, please, took it back where you found it. And I… I need to go to my collection.”

The cats purred, and Misaki took the document in her mouth. Ayatsuji and both cats left the room. Mei and Misaki ran towards [Y/N]'s room. With the corner of his eye, Ayatsuji noticed a familiar striped tail. That explained, how his cats managed to open whatever drawer, where [Y/N] hid the contract.

_____

Ayatsuji Yukito was glad, that he was able to took his collection here. It helps him think.

Surrounded by puppets, he sat in an armchair. His eyes were closed.

“Why… Why [Y/N] are keeping the apparent?” Ayatsuji mumbles under his breath.

Did [Y/N] leave something in the old apartment, that they can't move to the new house? Unlikely. Ayatsuji remembered the day they helped [Y/N] with moving out. All furniture and washing machine belonged to the landlord. The biggest and heaviest of Guiding Light's belongings were a mini fridge, microwave, mini stove and vacuum cleaner. They and the rest of [Y/N]'s belongings were transported in Annie's room and didn't take too much of a space.

So, not it.

Are [Y/N] planning to leave them? Did he and others do something wrong? Were they too forward? Are [Y/N] afraid of them?

Should Ayatsuji confront [Y/N]? Should he tell others?

Ayatsuji shook his head.

Stop. He is getting too worked up. No. He should start with the first question.

Are [Y/N] planning to leave them?

Ayatsuji opened his eyes and focused on one of the dolls. The first new addition to his collection.

Present from [Y/N].

🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️

/Two weeks ago/

Mei and Misaki were rubbing against his legs, waiting for their food.

Ayatsuji send a quick glance towards his pets, smiling slightly, but frowned, when he looked at the shelf in kitchen's cabinet, where animal food were kept.

Enough raccoon's food and birds' seeds.

And only one can of cat food left.

Enough for today. But he had to buy more.

Had to go outside, to the pet store, and buy more cat food.

Mechanically, he opened the can, put food in two bowls and put them down on the floor. Mei and Misaki purred gratefully, before digging in. Ayatsuji pet both cats, looking out the window.

Outside… All of them fight tooth and nail to get into the real world. Not only to see Guiding Light, but to finally start living their lives.

Who could guess, that they would be horrified of the real world.

Ayatsuji wasn't an exception. He was also nervous about the Real World.

And “Another” wasn't the reason for his fear.

At first, self-awareness was “shocking, but it doesn't change things for me”.

Ayatsuji, back in their world, was forced to stay away from most people. Even after they gained self-awareness, he was forced to stay away.

His uncontrollable ability could still work on others. No one would want to find out, what would happen, if Ayatsuji saw some event in the manga, that makes his ability activate.

Ayatsuji can't blame them. No one wants to die.

When Oda Sakunosuke, Shibusawa Tatsuhiko and André Gide returned to life, after Guiding Light got their cards, the experiments began.

Soon, others dead characters returned to life.

And Ayatsuji was finally part of the group. Now the results of his ability could be “fixed”.

Still, Ayatsuji could hear them. Whispers about him. If he should be allowed in real world. Specifically, if his ability should be allowed near Guiding Light.

If someone started a vote on “Should Ayatsuji be left behind”, Ayatsuji himself would say “yes”. He wanted to go to the Real World, have a full life, met Guiding Light (or Porcelain Treasure, that's how he called them, after hearing from Tsujimura about 'personal nicknames for Guiding Light'), but, he also didn't want to harm Guiding Light. What if they were a criminal? He didn't want to pay for their kindness with murdering them!

The situation was resolved in an interesting way.

They believed, that cards affected only 'dead' characters. They were wrong.

Ango, when he was trying to raise Guiding Light's chances on getting Yosano's cards, discovered, that they could change their abilities for a bit.

Ayatsuji was among people, who wanted to have their abilities changed. He only asked for one thing. To have control over his ability.

And it was time to wait. He could test, if changed works only in Real World.

He was grateful, that the only crime [Y/N] have committed were a crime of adorableness. At least, if changes didn't work, [Y/N] won't be harmed.

They only need to find a criminal.

With some fake documents and snooping around the police station, Ayatsuji managed to find one. A burglar, who break in a house, steal everything and murdered owners.

And when Ayatsuji explained in great details, how he solved the case, he felt it.

His ability was waiting for his command to be activated.

Changes worked.

Self-awareness was a blessing for Yukito Ayatsuji. His ability wasn't a problem anymore.

Now, there is just one issue was left.

All this people, that lived in real world.

All of them knew, how crowded and loud cities are. It was a well known fact, one of many bits of information, that were there, the moment they became self-aware. Knowledge, they were born? with created to have?

Despite “Yokohama” being a dead city. No other people, except them, no other animals, except Karl, Mei and Misaki.

Only almost two years of silence. For two years, they only have each other and Their Guiding Light.

And then, the Real World greeted them with noises. With stable day and night cycle. With animals and people. Full of life.

And this life was scary and unfamiliar.

Ayatsuji felt, like he was a sheltered child, who was taught about the outside world, but never was allowed to take a step outside. And after years of sheltered life, he was kicked in the middle of “reality” and now must live in almost unfamiliar world.

Ayatsuji shook his head, chasing away the flood of memories and thoughts. No matter, how much he was nervous to go outside, he has to buy cat food.

He will simply grab his coat and wallet and go to the pet store, while smoking his pipe.

********

He was out of tobacco. Now, he has to go to one more store.

“Just two shops. Everything will be fine…” Mumbled Ayatsuji under his breath. He was sitting in the living room, trying to get a hold on himself. He was so deep in thought, he didn't notice, that he got a company.

“Ayatsuji… Are you okay? You look nervous.” the voice, that became so familiar and dear for the last two years, was coming from behind.

Ayatsuji turned around, looking at [Y/N]. They tilted their head, a concerned expression was clear on their face. Ayatsuji couldn't help, but smile slightly. He skipped his normal distant and cold attitude. Jouno's warning was fresh in his mind.

“Mind what you said around [Y/N]. Their heartbeat… They accept all our words for truth.”

“I am fine. I'm simply trying to get enough courage to step outside and do some shopping.”

[Y/N]'s concern was replaced with worry.

“Courage?”

Ayatsuji shrugged his shoulders.

“Mhm. Real World is too loud to immediately accept it. But I need cat food and tobacco right now, and have no time to wait before I get used to the real world.”

For one second, [Y/N]'s expression changed. Ayatsuji couldn't put his finger, on what emotion it was.

or, perhaps, he knew this emotion too well, but didn't want to admit, that [Y/N] felt the same emotion

Nevertheless, the emotion was gone, and [Y/N]'s expression became determined.

“Do you want some company?” they asked, taking a step forward. “I need to get a package from the post office, besides, I am currently free, so, I can go with you… If you want, of course.” Immediately add [Y/N].

Ayatsuji thought about the proposal. It would be good to have [Y/N] near. Someone, who was comfortable in Real World. Ayatsuji nodded with a smile.

“Thank you, I will be happy, if you join me.”

For one second, [Y/N] looked shocked, but, quickly, smiled in return.

“Got it. Give me a minute, I will be ready in a minute.” [Y/N] turned on their heels and headed to their room, only to be stopped by Ayatsuji. Detective put his hand on [Y/N]'s shoulder.

“Wait, [Y/N], do you think, I should change my outfit? I don't want to grab people's attention.” Ayatsuji shivered involuntarily. Gogol's story about that trip to the mall was an unpleasant but important warning. When you go out onto the streets of this world in your ordinary outfit, you can expect a wave of fans with a desire to take pictures and touch you, people who consider you a pervert and accusations of satanism.

[Y/N] were silent. They looked at him from top to bottom, then walked around him, taking a good look at his clothes.

Half-rimmed, light-colored sunglasses, white shirt with a vermilion-based checkered border and a gray knit vest, dull orange checkered knickerbocker pants, and beige boots. Ayatsuji decided to add something.

“I will wear my hat and coat.”

[Y/N] nodded, stepping once again before him, then took their phone and started to type something. After a moment, [Y/N] looked away from the screen.

“Hey, Ayatsuji, can you please take your glasses off? Okay, thanks. Now, please, put them on again. Thanks again.”

[Y/N] put their phone back.

“You don't necessary need to change your outfit. I don't think, that you would get too much attention. But, if you are worried, I think, you could change your coat and vest. You can keep hat and glasses. If someone asks about eye color, tell them, you are wearing contacts.”

Ayatsuji raised an eyebrow.

“But with Gogol…”

[Y/N] raised their hands, shushing Ayatsuji.

“Gogol's looks are… I mean, he is… You are… Umf…” [Y/N] hide their face in both hands, breathing heavily. After a minute, [Y/N] spoke again. They were speaking slowly, choosing words carefully.

“Gogol are well-known among… other fans… You are… Details of Kyougoku's case aren't known by everyone… I guess.”

[Y/N] looked up. They looked extremely guilty.

“What I mean… If we didn't run into hard fans, we would be okay. I think.”

'Why [Y/N] looked like they are on a verge of crying?' ignoring the thought, Ayatsuji hummed.

“Understand… Thanks for your advice, [Y/N]. Let's meet near the front door in ten minutes.”

[Y/N] nodded and hurry to their room.

////////////////////////

You washed your face with cold water. Familiar feeling of helplessness and disgust squeeze your insides.

You almost (if not already) messed up. First, you thought, that someone was rude to Ayatsuji and that's why he didn't want to go outside. Then, you had to mentioned BSD Media fact. Ayatsuji and others have enough on their plate, and don't need any reminders about their origins from you.

you didn't regret of offering help that's what friends do

They would be right, if they choose to leave you. If thinking rationality…

You splash more cold water on your face. You need to remember psychology books you like to read.

Your negative feelings were unhealthy, and you really need to control your habit of trying to rationalize your feelings and find “logical” reason to fell/ not to feel/express/not express them.

You will go with Ayatsuji to the mall, you will be happy, and you won't mess it just by being near.

“You are an interesting person, you are an interesting person, you can keep friends…” you repeated this sentence like mantra, while getting ready.

/////////////////

Shopping trip went, mostly, smoothly. As [Y/N] predicted, no one was bothered by Ayatsuji's appearance. People didn't pay any attention to him and [Y/N]. They were just another people in a crowd.

*******

You were glaring at the cans of cat food, Ayatsuji choose, like they were your worst enemies. Without warning, you turned your head towards Ayatsuji.

“Ayatsuji, if remember correctly, Pushkin will do the cooking tomorrow, right?”

Ayatsuji nodded.

"Yes. Something wrong with it?"

You point at the can.

"No. But, just you know, that tomorrow your cats will have duck with wild berries, while we'll munch on plain pasta with sausages."

And Ayatsuji saw it in [Y/N]'s eyes. They were waiting for something. And they were nervous. Ayatsuji chuckled.

"Agree, people, who produce cat food, really should mind, how to name their products."

Happiness, that shined in [Y/N]'s eyes were the biggest reward he could ever ask for.

***********

You didn't comment on tobacco he bought. Right after leaving the shop, Ayatsuji filled his pipe, light it and start smoking.

Tobacco from Real World felt different. And Ayatsuji prefer it to whatever he smoked back in “Yokohama”.

Suddenly, [Y/N] let out a quiet laugh.

“You remind me of Sherlock Holmes."

Ayatsuji pulled deeply on his pipe, before asking.

"Of whom?"

In one second, your expression from happy became guilty.

"Genius detective, who smokes and wears a hat. Didn't I... watched something about him, while you were... I am sorry..."

That expression again. The expression of shame. Without hesitation, Ayatsuji put his hand on [Y/N]'s head, ruffling their hair.

"Don't sweat it, Porcelain Treasure. All of us, you included, have a long way before us. There's nothing wrong with keeping our origins in mind. Or we would have another "Gogol's shopping trip" incident.

He could feel, how [Y/N]'s cheeks were burning with embarrassment. They still weren't used to nicknames.

"If I insisted on him wearing a disguise..."

Ayatsuji rolled his eyes and flicked [Y/N]'s nose.

Yup, they were burning with embarrassment.

"Okay, hush. Don't put the weight of our decisions on you. Otherwise, we will never learn."

[Y/N] opened their mouth to say something else, but change their mind and stay silent.

'Okay, now, to change the subject'

"So, can you tell me more about that Sherlock Holmes guy? He sounded interesting." Ayatsuji observed [Y/N]'s reaction.

'Why do they look... defeated?'

"He is a book character... Created by Arthur Conan Doyle. I should have one of the books at home. I can give it to you..." it looks like [Y/N] were trying to say as less as they can.

'Come on, I see, that you want to say more! I want to hear you! I want to talk to you!'

Ayatsuji squeezed [Y/N]'s shoulder.

"Tell me more, please. I want to know more."

**********

Ayatsuji was waiting outside the post office, trying to hide his smile. Hearing [Y/N]'s passionate speech about Doyle, mystery novels and Sherlock Holmes were a real treat. [Y/N]'s eyes shined, when they were talking about things they liked. And when Ayatsuji paid attention and asked questions.

You still had a big smile on your face after you finished your businesses in the post office and returned to him, holding a big package in your arms.

************

Ayatsuji didn't expect that [Y/N] will come to his room later that day. They were holding a cardboard box into your arms.

"Hey, Ayatsuji, I have a present for you."

They hand him the box.

It was a ball-jointed doll. The box looked old, but the doll looked good as knew.

"You like it?" [Y/N] sounded nervous. Ayatsuji nodded.

"Yes. Thank you, [Y/N]." He smiled warmly at them. [Y/N] returned the gesture.

"You are welcome. Don't be bothered by an old box. This doll were with me for many years now."

Ayatsuji raised an eyebrow.

"Favorite toy?" Ball-jointed dolls wasn't that good for playing with them, but, maybe...

[Y/N] shook their head.

"No. Present from distant relative. My parents kept it hidden. They wanted to keep it for 'better times'. You have no idea how much I wanted to play with it. I often looked at the box, dreaming about playing with it. But, my father always said, that doll was a possible investment in my future." [Y/N] let out a quiet chuckle.

'They wanted to sell it in a future' mentally translated Ayatsuji. Meanwhile, [Y/N] continue talking.

"But, now, I am an adult, it belongs to me, I am the only one, who can decide, what to do with it."

Ayatsuji put box on the table.

"Are you sure? It seems, doll was important to you."

[Y/N] just waved their hand.

'They looked confident'. They are sure.'

"I am sure. Among two of us, you will be the one, who can truly appreciate the doll."

"Thank you again." Ayatsuji nodded slightly in appreciation.

[Y/N]'s smile was bright.

"You are welcome."

🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️🕶️

Ayatsuji was gently holding his new doll.

"No. They aren't planning to leave."

In a quiet basement, Ayatsuji's voice sounded louder, that it really was.

But it means that...

He should face it. Few things, that Ayatsuji willingly ignore.

[Y/N]'s nervousness and fear.

And almost empty chat list. With chats, where [Y/N] were ignored.

Bruises, Doc were talking about.

And that little fleeting expression on [Y/N]'s face. Expression, that was too familiar to Ayatsuji Yukito. Expression, he sometimes saw in the mirror, before he stopped constantly thinking about his ability. Expression, that he saw on Gide's and Verlaine's faces.

It was an expression of self-resentment. Of self-disgust.

"Why? Why can't you see, what a great person you are?" whispered Ayatsuji. "Who... Who did this to you, [Y/N]? What could we do to help you?"

There were no answers. For now.

Ayatsuji put the doll back, leaving the basement.

Flags must return soon. They wanted to investigate your workplace.

First steps were made.

As he said, they have a long way ahead of them. He and others should learn to live in the Real World. [Y/N] should get used to have them in their live.

And Ayatsuji and others should show [Y/N], that they won't be alone and won't be ignored anymore.

_______

¹As long as I knew, Ayatsuji's cats don't have official names. So, I decided to named them after Misaki Mei, Main Character of “Another” novel.

#self-awarebsd #self-awareau #bungou stray dogs au #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd anime #bsd x gender neutral reader #gender neutral reader #bsd ayatsuji #ayatsuji x reader #bsd yukito ayatsuji #Self-Aware Yukito Ayatsuji

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death-in-a-handbasket · 1 year

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HEY HEY HEY. assorted analysis and thoughts on yukito >:)

This doesn’t contain fic spoilers but it will make certain behavioral things about him make sense, so if you want to make your own theories and deduce it just from the canon content or the fic, that’s fine, but here’s the mechanics I’m working off of :0

So one of the few pieces of info we get to work with is that he’s been working for 20 years, suggesting that’s when the government took him in as well as indicating his ability kicked in when he was about 7. That’s frighteningly young. I don’t doubt he was inclined to be smart from the start, but the idea that he’d have to witness bloody accidental deaths as a child is bound to leave him fucked up in SOME way.

It also sets him up to be isolated early on. I have no doubts that he was likely painfully aware from an early age that he’s smarter than most and unavoidably dangerous. I have never seen any parents be mentioned or shown which tells me that he was either (in classic bsd style) an orphan, or he was forcefully taken from his parents— which is a whole other layer of yikes. Regardless, I can’t imagine the government was gentle towards him in any way, after all, he’s marked as a designated threat. From that, I don’t think showing emotion or socializing like a normal person is in his wheelhouse. I don’t think he knows much in the way of softness either, especially verbally. He is blunt and doesn’t give a fuck in so many ways, although I do think he comes by that naturally. (I don’t doubt that the way he displays love is acts of service. It’s All He Knows Bro.)

Now, this isolation created by his ability ends up manifesting in two ways. For one, he generally keeps to himself, you don’t often see him talking about his own opinions and interests, and you especially don’t see him discussing his past. He very rarely volunteers any information about himself, likely under the notion that nobody has ever asked nor wants to know. He probably also doesn’t socialize or talk about himself because he’s been put on such a pedestal of danger and intelligence that he likely feels that no one would understand any of it to begin with. He’s here to work, why on earth would you want to know anything about him??

The second way his isolation manifests is in the doll collecting. For one, one of the few panels we have of him as a child has him holding one, suggesting that they’ve been the only stable constant in his life. He’s bound to find that comforting, especially if it can’t leave him or be afraid of him. Plus, his ability cannot kill it, a rare grace in his line of work. It’s no wonder he finds them more interesting than people, they’re probably the only things that would bother listening to him. In essence, it’s a doppelgänger of humanity, except they understand him and don’t demand anything of him.

From what I see, his experiences with other people boil down to three main interactions. Criminals, who he is tasked to kill and who he likely wouldn’t want to know regardless. After all, he does hold strong that the world should not have murderous assholes in it. There’s civilians, who are not on the same level as him and wouldn’t understand him or his line of work to begin with, so he’d dismiss them as simply ordinary and rather stupid. The last encounter is anyone in the government, whose main goal is to use him.

All the government does is restrict him for an ability he did not choose to have and use him as a weapon, but they hardly see him as an actual person. In that way, he’s only ever valued for his ability but no one has ever taken an interest in who he is outside of that, he’s there to be useful, end of story. And of course, if he were to fail a case, they’d kill him. He literally earns his living, with every case he solves, he gets the privilege of being alive. And there’s no out in this deal either, they’ll work him til he’s dead and if he were to leave or go rogue, it would be a death sentence. In essence, as stressful as this current situation is, it’s the most stable option for living he’s got.

He’d sooner be on his deathbed than admit any of his feelings out loud. But the work, as much as he’s made peace with his situation, still likely takes a toll on him. Not to mention the inherent feeling of not belonging and feeling inhuman. But I think he takes his ability and his natural intelligence as a way to justify and be at peace with being alone, no point in fighting against it.

Thus, the idea that someone would want to know him and treat him like a normal person regardless of his ability and job, well that would be rather startling now wouldn’t it? He’s used to operating solo and being wanted for what he can do rather than who he is, that’s why friends with benefits is so comfortable for him, it’s a dynamic he knows. So the idea that someone is interacting with him for a purpose that isn’t linked to a demand of some sort is very strange and very new for him. If he acts weird, it’s because he is weird, he only has half an idea of how to interact with the reader. He doesn’t quite know how to human but oh baby he’s trying.

#fox’s soapbox #the scriptures #yukito ayatsuji #bsd #bsd gaiden #bsd ayatsuji

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otome-mondays · 3 months

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Lover Pretend Review 💖

Another game I was very excited for! I don’t believe there are many trigger warnings asides from technical incest, but please look up a list in case there are!

Lover Pretend is focused on Chiyuki Ueda, a college student going to school to be a screenwriter. She is an orphan and is trying to search for her dad, as he wasn’t in her life. She works under her professor and mentor on a new movie, makes some friends, and then the story depends on the plot. One thing the main four routes have in common is that there is always a fake dating plot. As always, review order is how I played through the game!

Spoilers Ahead

Sena Yukito 📸

Since there didn’t seem to be much important on whether I started with Yukito, Harumi, or Kazuma, I gladly started with Yukito. Yukito here is a model with a rough reputation. He’s trying to transition over to being an actor, but to get a gig in the movie Chiyuki’s helping with he has to avoid scandals. Unfortunately, another model is kinda obsessed with him and wants to date him. This is where Chiyuki steps in and they have a fake relationship. It’s a cute route and I enjoyed it a lot! 8.5/10.

Makino Harumi 🖥️

Besides Yukito, I was interested in Harumi’s route as well. Because of that, I decided to go with him next. Harumi is the son and assistant of the director Chiyuki is helping with. Harumi is a secret anime and manga lover, and his dad disapproves of this. He’s also worried about being bullied, so he hides this fact from most people. When people from his college start catching on, he blames it on his girlfriend liking that stuff. What girlfriend? Well that’s going to be Chiyuki. This is where the fake dating plot kicks in. This route was another cute one, 8.5/10!

Kamikubo Kazuma 💇‍♂️

Being the last of the recommended ones before Riku, I moved on to Kazuma’s route next. Kazuma is Chiyuki’s best friend and is currently trying to get into Hair and Makeup for movies and shows. He’s an assistant to the hair and makeup crew for the movie Chiyuki is working on. Kazuma’s fake dating comes from Chiyuki going exploring on a set when she shouldn’t and him saving her from getting in trouble. Kazuma’s route was going smoothly until chapter 6, then it was unfortunately ruined for me. Wasted potential, Kazuma deserved so much better. 6/10.

Nishijima Riku 🎟️

Honestly I wasn’t really excited for his route and stalled a bit. I also got fixated on other things and left this game alone for longer than intended. Riku’s an actor who is trying to quit the industry. His fake dating comes from him trying to convince Chiyuki to pretend to be his fiancée to convince his dad to let him quit. He opens up to Chiyuki as the route progresses, and it’s a nice route after the disappointment of Kazuma’s route. 7.5/10.

Asagi Eiichirou 🖊️

The not so secret “secret” route. Asagi’s route is less focused on romance and more so on solving who Chiyuki’s dad is. Spoilers, but unfortunately this route is technically an incest route with a questionable age gap. The one good thing is it’s extremely short. 0/10.

Final Thoughts 💖

This is genuinely a very cute and lighthearted otome! This one was a lot shorter of a game too. Usually I easily put over 50 hours into a title listening to all the voices lines, but I didn’t make it past 35 with this one. I did skip most of Asagi’s route lines, but even then it’s not enough to where it would have that much of an effect I think. I liked the pretend time feature, but it could get a bit stressful at times. As for a route order, I recommend Kazuma/Harumi/Yukito -> Riku -> Asagi. Start with whoever of the first three you like the most, then move on to the other two, then Riku, and finish with Asagi’s route. If they didn’t fumble Kazuma’s route or have Asagi’s route, I’d rank it higher. 7.5/10.

Route: Yukito > Harumi > Riku > Kazuma > Asagi

LI: Yukito > Harumi > Kazuma > Riku > Asagi

Resources 📝

I used Otome Kitten’s walkthroughs and looked at the reviews from Otome Kitten and Blerdy Otome.

#otome mondays #lover pretend #minor spoilers #cg spoilers

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kurogabae · 6 years

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Tsubasa: Trainwreck Chronicles

And Why Bee Train Personally Owes Me At Least a Grand; an Essay by Popular Demand

part 1 part 2

For those of you who might not know, I love Tsubasa Chronicle. So much. But for the love of Kurogane’s beautiful biceps is the anime awful. Now, I’m not one of those “manga purists” who always insists the manga is better than the anime, I tend to find them equal pretty often. This is not one of those cases.

Once upon a time CLAMP made a deal with Bee Train for a Tsubasa anime. Cardcaptor Sakura had done so well! CLAMP was a solid name to back! Bee Train had nothing to lose - except the trust of every CLAMP fan ever. I don’t know how hands on CLAMP (or rather Ohkawa) were in the production but I feel like “not at all” is a fairly solid guess. It was a mess folks. Production was rushed, story was disregarded, plot was cut up and Frankensteined back together, I’m not even going to talk about the English casting.

In fairness, it wasn’t without it’s good points. The soundtrack was flawless, the Japanese cast was amazing, and when Bee Train tried they really did manage to make the series look nice, which imo makes the rest of the subpar animation even more of a slap to the face. They even had some genuinely enjoyable filler episodes - the chibi episode and the Kero and Mokona episode are always the first to come to my mind - but overall? Not even a hot mess, just a mess.

Under the cut we’ll go arc by arc. I’m not going to rewatch the series just to write this so forgive me if I’m missing facts or if something I say is slightly inaccurate. Also, beware of spoilers for the manga if you haven’t finished reading it. That means you Nick. I’ll write you up a spoiler free copy of this later. Anyway, let’s go.

Opening and introductions:

You’d think, as the start of your series, you’d want the first episode or two to look really nice right? Catch the eye, impress the new viewer. Not Bee Train! [x x] The whole thing is subpar at best. Syaoran and Sakura’s introduction isn’t so bad for the most part, they’re cute and Bee Train tried to add a little more interaction between them before Sakura loses her feathers, which I am all kinds of behind, but... there’s a point where they run from castle guards. And Syaoran sort of just... grabs her and runs and Sakura is left literally flapping in the wind? [x] Also Sakura looks stoned out of her mind in like 90% of the shots she’s in. Touya probably thinks Syaoran is giving her drugs. But honestly, I don’t have too many problems with how the intro happens, mostly just the way it looks.

Fai’s intro can go by with almost no comment aside from the fact that his face looks like it’s melting. Sadly, this is not the worse his face will ever look. Pretty meh.

Personally I think Kurogane’s intro got the short end of the stick visually and I’m not just saying that because he and Tomoyo are my favorites. They both look pretty awful and, as always, where’s the beef???

Also Yuuko deserved better.

Hanshin:

If possible, the animation gets even lazier. We’ve added Mokona to the party and they cannot decide how big she is. I’m not being nitpicky either. Her size fluctuates wildly. Here are just a few examples set only in Hanshin. This problem persists throughout the series. Also I don’t know how to exactly put this into words but... everyone’s eyes are just extra jacked up.

Plot wise we mostly follow canon. Until they decide Sakura should get more screen time. “Great idea!” I can hear you say. “We love Sakura!” Well so do I. Problem: she has one (1) feather to her name and is comatose. Sakura is not really going to do anything. Yet the camera keeps going back to her- oh wait she’s awake. Sort of. Oh she’s getting dressed now, we even get a very weird little montage of her trying on clothes. Now she’s wandering the town, meets up with the leader of the Mohawk Gang whose kudan Kurogane beat the crap out of. Luckily she’s a super cute girl (who is barely conscious and doesn’t even talk? She’s so far from Mokona she probably can’t even understand these guys anyway but...) so they take her out to lunch instead of doing something Terrible. To the restaurant Touya works at. He serves her and doesn’t recognize her, meaning there is no Sakura in this world, at least not one related to him. This happens a lot.

In the anime Sakura is sometimes, for reasons unexplained and inconsistent, “drawn” to her feathers. She’s looking for her feather. There is an absurd Looney Tunes moment where she climbs some sort of tall thing (oil rig? construction site? world’s weirdest flag pole?) and jumps off of it before Syaoran and Co. (who have located her after Arashi, who would never have lost track of her in the first place let’s be real, tells them she’s gone AWOL) can stop her.

And then she flies. Literally and truly fucking flies. Through the sky. Thanks I hate it.

Syaoran catches her, brings her back home, and the story pretty much continues. One fun change was that the whole family had to share a room, they didn’t get separated like in the manga, so we get treated to this Gay Fucking Scene(tm) of Kurogane waking up and the first thing he sees if Fai sleeping while angelic music plays in the background. So that was nice.

Oh god hang on, I had to come back and add this because I literally always forget: Kurogane sees a version of Tomoyo in this world and goes running after her, leaving Fai and Syaoran to meet Touya and Yukito on their own. This results in both of them missing Kurogane’s kudan fight and Kurogane missing the “same face, different person” talk/reminder. They still can’t draw Tomoyo.

Also this.

Koryo:

Where’s the beef?

Much in the spirit of Hanshin, Koryo keeps mostly to the plot and has overall meh animation with a few choice moments of dear god why. Surprisingly, they made a few changes that I didn’t hate - the village had gotten a group of rebels together against the Ryanban. He also stole Chu’nyan’s mother’s body, making it so that her spirit could never find peace, making him even more of a dick.

This is where we see the first instance of the anime really being geared towards younger audiences than CLAMP had planned for. In the manga Sakura wins everyone new clothes via dice gambling, but in the anime she wins a lottery. Not a big deal, but we see more of this. Another thing change is that there’s a whole secondary plot added to everything when they try to, again, give Sakura a more active role. There are better ways to do this, but Bee Train sort of just tosses her into action and then tosses Syaoran in after her. It’s always bad and pointless and never amounts to anything.

Anyway, she ends up inside the castle, somehow Syaoran manages to follow after her. Goodness knows what the dads are up to. (Probably this.) Some Really Weird Stuff happens and from what I remember the spirit of Chu-nyan’s mother hops a ride out of the castle with Sakura. Who, uhh, teleports her and Syaoran out. Yeah.

The rest of the arc goes pretty much how the manga does with a handful of minor changes - like the fact that Kurogane never bought a manga in Hanshin, so in order to block Kiishim’s killing blow he’s tucked the hammer he was using to fix the roof in his shirt, which is a much smaller shield than a whole ass book and I think that’s dumb. Still can’t get Mokona’s size right, to awkward and hilarious results.

And remember kids, we won’t show you dice but we will show you this.

Big Lake and Shipper Fish:

The animation in this part is actually pretty nice. Considering. The things they changed were needless and weird.

Sakura and the fish talk. How? Why? We don’t know, it’s never explained or examined. We are meant to accept it Because Sakura, which only works most of the time. The fish tries to tell Sakura that she knows Syaoran - we all know this will not and cannot work. Why does this happen? What was the point of adding this? It is so weird and awkward. It messes up the flow and is so extra. I understand your desires Shipper Fish, but please, let things take their course.

Jade:

Fuck you and fuck your animation. It looks The Worst, which is a bummer because this world changes the fewest amount of things. Anything I could point out are really minor:

somehow Fai can read

they never show how the family gets their clothes, and 99% of the scene in the tavern is skipped

breaking and entering!

Mokona bites Kurogane in the ass

they don’t have horses

no Kuro-dork looking at the snow like an excited child

they nerf Kurogane’s BAMF

the feather isn’t hidden behind a wall, they need the pure hearts of children?

Kyle was a way lazier villain

Filler #1 - Lightning Jazz Hands:

Alright, that looked neat as hell, I’ll admit. My compliments end here.

Story: nosy little shits got themselves cursed. Gonna fight in a competition to win a Big Magic. Is the Big Magic a feather? Stay tuned! (It’s not, because then the girl would die and that would be Too Sad.)

So the people in this country can shoot lightning out of their hands, that would be awesome and possibly scary, but I guess Kurogane is water/ground type because he gets it and only says, and I quote, “it tingles”. So your lightning powers mean nothing, add no stakes, and the Fam can’t do it so what is the point?

This filler is also famous for its KuroFai baiting, which is impressive, seeing as the anime tried very hard to make them Not Gay. I mean it failed but yeah.

Syaoran is the only fighter they have left because Kurogane and Fai are children and Sakura is making friends with the cursed girl. Keefer... Keepha... fights Syaoran, and obviously Syaoran wins because we’re supposed to think this is a feather. They really play it up to, even after we learn the Big Magic isn’t a feather Syaoran still hesitates before handing it over. For dramatics I guess? I don’t know, there’s literally no reason for him to not give it to the needy couple.

Boring filler. Only fun was watching Kurogane get excited over fighting people.

tbc... with Outo

[part 1] [part 2]

#Tsubasa Trainwreck Chronicles #my meta #sort of?????#TRC #spoilersTRC

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drink-n-watch · 5 years

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I’ve been promising this post for a while now. I did a voice actor version some time ago and it was one of my favourite lists to put together. I think you guys enjoyed it too.

As we all know, an actor’s performance can really drag down an anime. There’s something heartbreaking about a painfully wooden performance in the middle of a wonderful story that rips you right out of the fantasy. On the bright side, I’ve seen more than a few characters go from boring to endearing on the strength of an actor’s charisma. Voice actors don’t have as much to work with as conventional actors. They can’t rely on body movements or smouldering looks to get their message across. So it’s doubly impressive when they manage to convey subtle emotion and complex feelings though inflection and tone alone.

And for me, these ladies do just that.

Today let us celebrate the artistry that goes into bringing some of our favourite characters to life. In no real order we have!

5. Aoi Yuuki

I don’t care how petty it sounds, I’m just going to put this right here. This young woman is shorter than me!!! A musician and traditional actress, Aoi unique voice has made her quite successful in the field. Here are a few selected roles out of the tons she has had:

Hana – Ben-To

Tsuyu – My Hero Academia

Mina – Vampire Bund

The Energetic Ringo – Daily Lives of HighSchool Boys

Sosuke – Free!! (surprised? – I was)

Victorique – Gosick

Mihoshi – Gundam

Russia – Hetalia

Kino – Kino’s journey

Futaba – Persona 5

Iris – Pokemon

Mélie – Radiant

Shinra – Durarara!!

Sunako – Shiki

Borr – SSSS.Gridman

Tanya – Saga of Tanya the Evil

Oh yeah – she’s also Madoka in some magical girl show…

She’s set to play Touka and Boogiepop in the upcoming remake and I am psyched for this!

Not to mention roles in March Comes In Like a Lion, ACCA 13, Asobi Asobase, Welcome to the Ballroom, Gangsta, Gintama, Goblin Slayer, Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens, Hyakka, Hyouka, Your Name, last exile, One Punch Man, Seraph of the End, Sword Art Online II, Tanaka-kun, Tokyo Ghoul, Snafu, Yuru Yuri, and I seriously skipped over most of them. This lady works!

The surprisingly raspy quality of her vocals, and the counterintuitive depth of her tone makes her suitable for a wide range of diverse characters. A small actress with a big voice! Irresistible.

4. Chiwa Saito

Miss Saito has been acting for some time which means she’s had the chance to amass a pretty impressive portfolio. One of my favourite random facts out there, is that she is part of a voice acting groups called “MORE PEACH SUMMER SNOW”. That’s the best name ever. I’m going to rname Buddy that. (His actional name if Sir Buddy Livingston Master Chief Brown). Sadly, she is taller than me.

Yona – Yona of the Dawn

Aika – Aria

Hitagi – Monogatari series

Sigyn – Break Blade

Yuki – Vampire Bund

Chloe – Fate/Kaelid series

Natsumi – Keroro

the fantastic Riko – Kuroko’s Basketball

Louise- Gudam 00

Anita – R.O.D. TV

Kotori – rewrite

Meru – Zetsoubu Sensei

Nadeshiko – Yuru Yuri

She’s also Homura in some magical girl show…I swear I didn’t know this before researching for this post. I never realized how much I liked the Madoka casting before!

Of course there’s like a billion more titles but I’m going to name these ones because, reasons: Amanchu, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Boccano, Berserk, Dog & Scissors, D-Frag, Daily Lives of HighSchool Boys, Gintama, Girls Bravo, Kino’s journey, Last Exile, Log Horizon, Lyrica Nanoha, Murder Princess (I just like this title) One Piece, Sward Art Online, I’m just going to stop now.

You can actually hear her sing in some roles and she truly has a beautiful singing voice. It has a rich timber and she obviously has a great ear for melody. If ever she chose to switch career paths to the musical instead, I’m sure she’d have a great future. We would miss her as an actress though so let’s not encourage that!

3. Megumi Hayashibara

A more classical voice actress and one of the best known in Japan, Megumi almost became a nurse instead. There’s a certain personality that goes along with choosing a career in nursing. Caring but also resilient. You can see that peek through a bit in Megumi’s character and acting choice. Then again, there are so many to pick from I could probably make an argument for any character type.

Pai and IV – 3×3 eyes

Ai – Detective Conan

Haruko – FLCL Progressive

Haruka – Love Hina

Todomatsu – Osomatsu-kun

Paprika and Chiba – Paprika

Musashi – Pokemon

Ranma – Ranma 1/2

Lime – Saber Marionette J

Anna – Shaman King

Lina – Slayers

Ai – Video Girl Ai

Genkai – Yuu Yuu Hakusho

Hello Kitty…this woman is Hello Kitty

The incomparable Faye Valentine – Cowboy Bebop

Probably best known as Rei Ayanami – Evangelion

She can also be heard in Blue Exorcist, Bakuretsu Hunters, Sailor Moon, Blue Seed, Chihayafuru 2, Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Macross Plus, Lupin III, Maison Ikkoku, One Piece, Project A-ko, Shadow Skill, the Doreamons, Tenchi Muyou, and obviously a million more shows.

This lady’s body of work speaks for itself. I have to say I was already pretty amazed that spunky, opinionated Faye, with her womanly register and quiet monotone Rei were played by the same person, add in Hell Kitty to the mix and my mind is a little broken…and then you have comedy queen Ranma. This is the type of career you look up to!

2. Romi Park

Did you know that Romi studied Korean in university. I just find that intriguing, obviously she’s always liked languages. Ok I’m beating about the bush so let me just say it, miss Park’s performance was one of the best parts of FMA: Brotherhood for me. I literally caught myself in the middle of scenes just going, OMG the acting is phenomenal. I’ve heard great things about the English language cast but you really are missing ouy if you didn’t catch this performance.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya – Bleach

Teresa – Claymore

Akane – Danganronpa

Tanaka – Daily Lives of High School Boys

Igarashi – Deadman Wonderland

Kenichi – Cyber Coil

Ken – Digimon

Sena – Eyeshield 21

Natsume – Gakuen Alice

Walter – Hellsing Ultimate

Switzerland – Hetalia

Angelina – Black Butler

Taiga – Major

Falis – Murder Princess (love this title)

Temari – Naruto

My precious, precious Naoto – Persona 4

Jiro – Pokemon

Syrup – Precure

Alma – Radiant

Zoe Hange – Attack on Titan

Everyone’s favourite rocker Nana Osaki – Nana

And of course Edward Elric – Fullmetal Alchemist

And if that wasn’t enough, you can hear her in Air Master, Beelzebub, Blue Dragon , Clannad After story, Detective Conan, Devil May Cry, Garo, Granblue Fantasy, Hunter x Hunter, Kill la Kill, Lupin III, Gundam 00, One Piece (everyone is in this), RahXephon, Sengoku Basara, RDG, Samurai 7, Terra Formars (cause it’s terrible), Aquarion, White Album

Romi Parks has the most devastatingly emotional voice I know. She often plays calm, cool and collected genius type characters (a lot of boys as you can see) but when an emotional contrast is needed, she really knows how to deliver, making her characters feel so real and raw. One of the greatest performers in my opinion, she tends to make me want to see a show just to hear what she can do with the character.

Honorable Mentions

Ami Koshimizu

C,mon, she Ryuko from Kill la Kill. Always loved that sexy alto voice! Apparently she was also both Hiro and Naomi in the recent Darling and the Franxx. I loved her as Ibuki in Danganronpa. She was Kallen in Code Geass, Holo in Spice and Wolf and Yuiko in Persona. Obviously I’m skipping over st of her work including some very big roles. I suggest you look her up! The only reason she isn’t on the list proper is that I simply haven’t seen that many of her shows even though a lot are very popular.

1. Megumi Ogata

OK fine so this is a subjective choice. Well they all are really, it’s my top 5 list. Fact is, I’ve been a fan of Megumi Ogata for a long long time and I’m just always going to be. She’s the first voice talent I ever learned about and I absolutely love her work. Sure, she might have voiced a few of my anime crushes but surely that did not influence my choice in any way…. She’s much taller than me.

Ayato – Angel Beats

Haruka (Sailor Uranus) – Sailor Moon*

Jun – Captain Tsubasa

Yukito and Yue – Cardcaptor Sakura*

Makoto – Danganronpa

Nagito – Danganronpa***

Shinji – Evangelion*

Izumi Rio – Searching for the Full Moon*

the terrifying Fairies – Humanity has Declined

Cranberry – Raising Project*

Ichigou Fujimoto – Magical girl Ore

Ken – Persona 3

Yukimura – Samurai Deeper Kyo*

Akagi – Slam Dunk

Valkyrie – UFO Princess Valkyrie

Yuugi – Yu Gi Oh!*

Karuma – Yuu Yuu Hakusho*

And just o drive the point home, here are a few more at random. If you want to full list, you’ll have to look it up. I just can’t type that much! Bleach, Detective Conan, et Backers, Great Teacher Onizuka, Kino’s Journey, Magic Knight Rayearth, Tamayura, Tokyo Mew Mew,

Megumi Ogata is a revered veteran in the field. Comparing Nagito to Makoto (purposefully similar characters with a lot of very similar lines) will reveal her mastery on inflection and subtle vocalisation to embody a character way beyond their dialogue. Anyone still under the illusion that voice acting is simply reading your lines, please see master Ogata’s work!

Good list isn’t it!?! I discover new voice talent all the time mind you. I’ll be watching a show and suddenly realize that the actor is doing fantastic work. And I’m always so happy when I discover a new favourite. So please, share yours with me!

that was a lot of pics to find….

Top Five Voice Actresses in My Harem I've been promising this post for a while now. I did a voice actor version some time ago…

#anime #Lists #Voice Actors #yummy

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creepykingdom · 5 years

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“Alita: Battle Angel” Spoiler Free Review

By John Duarte

As I sat down and waited for the lights to dim in theater 14 at the AMC in Burbank, I was thinking about how it took 20 years to get this movie made. Originally, “Alita Battle Angel” was supposed to be Oscar winning director James Cameron’s next movie after his mega blockbuster (and overrated love story) “Titanic”. He sat on the script that he co-wrote with Laeta Kalogridis and went on to make “Avatar”. Since Cameron wouldn’t be able to do “Alita” because of his commitment to make Avatar sequels for the rest of his career, In 2016 he called upon Robert Rodriguez (Sin CIty) to direct it and told him: “Hey, If you can figure out the script, you can shoot it!”. So Rodriguez took it and also helped rewrite some of it as well. So finally in October 2016, Production began in Austin, Texas with a budget of 200 million dollars and wrapped production on February 2017. The movie was suppose to be released Aug 2018, then it got pushed to Dec 2018 and now finally Feb 2019. Usually when a movie gets pushed around like that, that’s not a great sign. Well, I’m happy to announce that: It’s a pretty damn good movie. Now, enough of me explaining the troubles of “Alita” lets get on with the review shall we?

“Alita Battle Angel” is based on the Manga series created by Yukito Kishiro and this film is focused on the first 3 books of the series. I haven’t read the series or even heard about the books until this movie was announced. The plot of the movie goes like this: Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Dr. Ido (Oscar winning actor Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past. Without giving anything away, it does leave it open for a possible sequel.

Rosa Salazar who plays the title character of Alita who’s an all CGI character and I’d say after the first 5 mins of the movie, you completely forget she’s CG and you believe she’s a real character walking, talking and interacting with the actors in the movie. Thanks to the wizards of WETA Digital for the amazing job they did to bring Alita and the rest of the world to life. Everybody in the movie like Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein and an unrecognizable Jackie Earl Haley just to name a few to an amazing job with the direction of Rodriguez. As a fan of Robert Rodriguez for years, I’ve been there for his early hits to his recent misses. “Alita” proved to me he can direct and bring out really good performances. Also, If you’re not a fan of his work, he might win you over with this movie.

One of my favorite sequences in this is a small one but it reminded me of early Rodriguez. It’s a sequence when “Alita” becomes a Bounty Hunter and tries to round up additional bounty hunters at there local bar. The other bounty hunters look at her and basically could care less about her and turns into an all out brawl. The whole bar bawl reminded me of “Desperado” and “From Dusk Till Dawn”. Rodriguez know how to stage a bar bawl.

There isn’t anything I didn’t like about “Alita Battle Angel”. The little love story between Alita and Hugo (Keean Johnson) wasn’t overdone as if James Cameron probably would’ve focused on that a little bit more. Maybe not, but I think if Cameron would’ve directed this right after “Titanic”, he’d for sure focus on the love story.

The 2 hour running time flies by fast. The films score done by Junkie Xl is his biggest score to date with his very unique themes for the characters as well as the big action sequences. The 3D in this although not always in your face gimmicks, it shows depth and range and Bill Pope’s Cinematography is incredible. I would love to see Robert Rodriguez take on other peoples projects and put his two cents in it. “Alita” proved to me he can pull it off. Just give him awesome producers, a good script, and let him do his thing!

To wrap up this spoiler free review of “Alita Battle Angel”, this movie has a solid cast, damn good set pieces, really good direction that i’d be more than happy to return to the world of Iron City pretty soon. I just hope the opening weekend box office sales go well. Oh, I forgot to tell you…..Go check this out in Dolby CInema theater in 3D. It’s the best way to experience this movie.

(All Images Courtesy of 20th Century Fox)

#blogposts #alitabattleangel

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sparklyjojos · 6 years

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Let’s Read & Suffer: Tsukumojuku by Maijō Ōtarō [part 22]

Today`s recap: In which Inugami Yasha attempts to explain the case of the Cross House, people switch places with Jesus Christ a lot, and Tsukumojuku has a headache. [tw: brief eye horror]

STORY 7 PART 2

Tsukumojuku couldn't understand, and he cursed God. He cursed God for killing Tsutomu. In wrath, in grief, in despair, he pulled out his eyes, threw them on the ground, and crushed them under his shoe. Now he didn’t have to see that anymore, anything, ever again...

But he could still see everything. (Why? Why could he still see...?)

“Gajobun?”

He turned around. His dear Seshiru and Serika were standing there, both grown up, now a beautiful man and a woman. Glittering, almost. Dazzling. They were already pretty as kids, but now it was as if all that was beautiful that once hid deep inside them was now visible outside.

And Tsutomu--- with Tsutomu's head busted open like this, face in an unrecognizable shape, Tsukumojuku couldn't know if he had grown up to be beautiful, too...

“So you really are alive?” Seshiru said. “He knew that you were, and solved the case. ...Let’s go.”

- - -

In the mountains behind Himago-tani, even further than the small hut where Junko's body had once been found, there's a part where cars can't go any further. Going up the mountain way from there, you'd find yourself at the feet of a transmission tower. If you then entered the northern forest, and climbed a small hill, you'd arrive at a giant cross-shaped house with “CROSS HOUSE” written over the entrance.

The southern end of the vertical bar of the “cross” was near a cliff, from which you could see the dense cedar forest beneath. Walking inside the house put you in a winding hall surrounding 24 rooms. The hall and the rooms were made of worn out wood. Apparently, somebody had been secretly here, managed to climb the mountain unnoticed and maintain the house. The mysterious carer tidied the place up, changed the mattresses, even cleaned the bathrooms.

Each of the 24 rooms contained a bed, a bookcase, a desk set, and a closet. The bathrooms and the dining room were in another, smaller building northwest of the Cross House.

At the northern end of the cross, there was a small chapel, with fourteen pews in two rows, a pulpit for sermons and an altar. Behind the altar there was a cross, but without a figure of Christ.

- - -

On 9th September, around 11 AM, Kato Takashi had come to check on the state of the Cross House, as some guests were living there for the previous two weeks -- members of a video production group from Shibuya, the Angel Bunnies. Abe Atsushi, who was one of them, had asked Mr. Takashi if they could do some filming there. Their movie was based on the original work of Ayatsuji Yukito [an actual Kodansha writer] called The Cross House Murders [十字館の殺人 -- a pun on Ayatsuji’s real novel's title, The Decagon House Murders, 十角館の殺人. ]

When Mr. Takashi came to the Cross House that day, he found the dead body of “Tsukumojuku” in the hall in front of the chapel’s open door. Surrounding the corpse were seven candles, their flames illuminating his naked body and the arrow in his chest.

- - -

When everyone from the Cross House gathered in the chapel, Seshiru [who’s going by Inugami Yasha, as the twins are still wanted for murder] said, “As a last thing in this investigation, I'd like once more to review everyone’s alibi for the time of the murder, 11 AM.” He drew a map of the Cross House on the whiteboard, numbered the rooms 1-24 clockwise and wrote down all their alibi.

1: Hongou Takeshi – sleeping.

2: Tanaka Masatsugu – checking the script. A few times went out to knock on his neighbour Hongou's door to try and consult some parts with him, but it seems Hongou was sleeping all this time. Moved only between their rooms.

3: Kumono Takuya – working on their Internet page.

4: Yoshida Yukino – woke up around 10:30, changed clothes, at 10:45 went out of the room, then through the eastern entrance and walked around the chapel to reach the big washroom, met Mizoroki there, at about 11:00 went back to her room the same way.

5: Hoshino Masato – sleeping.

6: Aoyama Gen – sleeping.

7: Mizoroki Fumie – like 4's Yoshida, went to the washroom and then returned the same way.

8: Kajiwara Ayako – sleeping.

9: Nomura Rie – sleeping.

10: Obata Aki – at around 10:50 woke up, knocked on the door to room 11 (Nonaka's) but there was no answer, so she returned to her room and finished changing. At around 11:00 knocked on Nonaka's door again with the same result. Then she knocked on the door of rooms 9 (Nomura) and 8 (Kajiwara), but they were also still sleeping, so she decided to go to the washrooms alone through the eastern door. Returned to her room the same way at around 11:30.

11: Nonaka Mami – sleeping.

12: Kawai Kazuhiro – sleeping.

13: Fukushima Manabu – sleeping.

14: Abe Atsushi – woke up at 10:30, took three roundtrips to knock on the door of room 16 (Iwai) to go with her to the washrooms, but because of lack of an answer gave up after the third time and went back to sleep.

15: Furutaka Masayuki – sleeping.

16: Iwai Yumi – sleeping.

17: Nakai Sayaka – morning exercise routine.

18: Kawabe Keisuke – storyboarding.

19: Higashimoto Mika – sleeping.

20: Satou Kazuhiro – surfing the net, writing an entry on the Heaven's Voice boards.

21: Taniguchi Touru – doing pushups.

22: Hanada Sawako – calling dad in Fukuoka (recording as proof).

23: Hiraki Takako – sleeping

24: Room for luggage.

- - -

Seshiru wrote down all of this, then asked if anything strange happened back then. (Tsukumojuku noticed that Seshiru didn't write down any alibi for himself.) Nobody really said anything, so Seshiru hinted, “Well, if you still don't understand, then maybe you should try... asking God.”

As he said this, Serika showed everyone a large crucifix with a Jesus figure attached to it.

“This,” Seshiru continued, “is the figure of Christ that had been made for this movie. It's really well done. And speaking of everyone's alibi... well, if you look carefully at the whiteboard, you’ll see that... nah, you know what?” he casually put the whiteboard away, “let's just stop with this. It's quite bothersome.”

Everyone was pretty confused, until they realized that while Seshiru was directing their attention away with the whiteboard, Serika had managed to replace the Christ on the crucifix with a full-size, realistic-looking doll. Pale skin, long hair, a crown of thorns, stigmata, a bleeding spear wound on the chest. The doll also happened to look exactly like one of the Angel Bunnies, Aoyama Gen.

“That figure of Christ you’ve made was only put on the cross in the chapel during the shooting. It was originally prepared as the background prop for the scene in which Mr. Aoyama would play a victim. Now, this doll here sure resembles both Mr. Aoyama and Christ a lot.” He removed the long wig from the figure. “...Although the hairstyle is quite different from God’s.”

(listening to him – to that “different from God’s” phrase – Tsukumojuku remembered for some reason: God is different, if something's different from God then it cannot be God...)

“The culprit secretly put this Aoyama doll on the cross. Then, the supervisor of the movie saw the doll, thought it was a threat, and without telling the crew summoned a great detective called Tsukumojuku to investigate the situation.”

...That other “Tsukumojuku”. Who was he? What was he doing here? Tsukumojuku didn’t know anything.

If you don't know something, think about it deeply, Yuuki had said, and--

Yuuki?...

Right. Morimoto Yuuki [森本有紀], from the Sixth Story...

His head was hurting a lot. As if that plant from Little Shop of Horrors was about to burst out of it and start singing about eating people, or something. [Yes, the narrator actually says that. What a nerd.] It really hurt. “Eating people”... Like the urban legend about Seshiru and Serika, like the man-eating Detective God... Why all this eating people stuff? What the fuck did that mean? He didn't know, he didn't understand. He had to really think about it, probably. He only got this far by thinking about things he didn't understand.

If you don't understand something, please think about it carefully, Yuuki had said. Yuuki? But why was he thinking about Yuuki...? He had no clue what was going on. There were so many things he didn't know or understand...

- - -

Seshiru continued, “And so, while the Great Detective Tsukumojuku was being given a tour around the place, nobody noticed that the Aoyama doll was replaced – this time with the culprit himself. He waited up there until Tsukumojuku came by to investigate the chapel by himself later, then shot him dead using a modern crossbow. Then he arranged the scene with the seven candles to confound the police.”

“So it was Aoyama?!” Kawabe asked.

“No. But since his doll was used, the culprit probably hoped it'd cast a suspicion on Mr. Aoyama. However, he's not the only person here who resembles Jesus Christ and thus could be mistaken for the figure – in the movie, Mr. Aoyama’s character has a fraternal twin, even... And you, Satou Kazuhiro, are the one playing him. Your alibi wouldn't hold in court, too. However… everyone here is sure you’re not the kind of person to commit murder.” Everyone nodded in agreement. “If so, then who prepared this stunt?”

The silence was deafening.

“Mr. Furutaka.” Seshiru turned to him.

Mr. Furutaka just grinned at him.

“Everyone, you may notice that Mr. Furutaka resembles both Mr. Aoyama and Jesus Christ a little. He'd need both of their inanimate counterparts that morning. The Aoyama doll to put on the cross, and the Christ figure to put in bed and pretend it’s him, asleep. Since it's pretty dark in the rooms, nobody would notice the difference. Here,” Seshiru showed everybody two polaroids, “are photos I've taken of this Christ figure when I found it hidden under Mr Furutaka's bed. As you can see, whoever would glance inside the room wouldn't notice it at this angle.” Two more photos. “And here's the doll of Mr. Aoyama, found under the bed of Mr. Aoyama himself. Same situation.”

“Wait, wait!” Mr. Aoyama shouted, “I didn't know that was there!”

“Of course you didn't. Mr. Furutaka put it under your bed while you were asleep. Whether he'd put it under yours or Satou's bed, it didn't really matter, either one would be suspected when the doll was found. He couldn’t hide it back in his own room -- the morning when Tsukumojuku was killed, Abe Atsushi made a few round trips to Mrs. Iwai's room, which involves passing by Mr. Furutaka's door, so he’d be noticed. The time before somebody noticed the body was running out, so in panic he hid the doll under Mr. Aoyama’s bed. Then in confusion over the murder he sneaked back to his room and quickly put the Christ figure under his bed. And that's how I had the chance to find Jesus.”

Furutaka kept on smiling.

“But here's the question, Mr. Furutaka. When you used this,” Seshiru showed everyone a modern crossbow, “whose heart did you pierce with the arrow? Because that wasn't Tsukumojuku. Tsukumojuku's sitting right there, perfectly alive.” He pointed at him. “Then who is the victim, Mr. Furutaka?”

“I don't have a damn clue, you idiot,” Furutaka answered, “'cause it wasn't me who killed the dude.”

“Then why was the Christ figure found in your room?”

“That's the only thing you have on me, huh? Then I'm gonna tell ya this had nothing to do with it. That ass cloth the figure has, remove it.”

Seshiru was confused but did so, and discovered there was a cylindrical hole drilled in the figure.

“See that?” Mr. Furutaka grinned. “That's where I put my--”

While everyone was shouting in outrage, Furutaka fled the scene, a few men chasing after him. Seshiru was just standing there stunned.

(Seshiru, you oaf. You were always an idiot. You still are one.)

“Seshiru,” Tsukumojuku quietly called his real name to get his attention.

In the Fourth Story, there was an imposter Christ, Seiryoin, and that event had to be a prediction about the progress of the current case. In the Fourth Story also, the Detective God called Tsukumojuku a Beast... and now it seemed like it was correct. To kill “God”, he'd now speak the words “God” wanted...

He looked pointedly at the ceiling in the middle of the chapel, and said, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” [Revelation 6] He stood up and approached Seshiru. “Seshiru... we were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of our fellow servants, our brothers and sisters, were killed just as we had been.”

The Fifth Seal had been opened. Finally, he understood everything.

Everything had meaning.

- - -

IMPRESSIONS

I’m not sure how much of Seshiru and Serika’s new “beauty” is there because of them growing up into better people (or whatever is it that is implied here?), and how much of it is just the result of Tsukumojuku looking at them through rose-tinted glasses caused by emotions after losing Tsutomu.

The “everything has meaning” ( (全てに意味がある) phrase Tsukumojuku uses here, and that’ll get used a few times more in this book, is the very same phrase that Japanese Jorge frequently uses in Jorge Joestar.

The Arrow Cross House in Jorge Joestar also happens to have 24 rooms, if we don’t count the four little hallways, or the study (=Cube House).

“My head hurt as if that plant from Little shop of Horrors was about to burst out of it and start singing about eating people” is not a phrase I expected to read, but one I whole-heartedly welcome.

>>>>NEXT PART>>>>

#sparkly reads tsukumojuku #long post #maijo and jdc stuff #unfortunately the illustrations are of worse quality than in the book since I had to work around the ebook reader screencap block

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recentanimenews · 6 years

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Bookshelf Briefs 6/25/18

Astra: Lost in Space, Vol. 3 | By Kenta Shinohara | Viz Media – Two things are the most notable about this volume of Astra, which otherwise sees our heroes going to more alien worlds and slowly firming up into the obvious romantic couples. The first is the big reveal that Luca is intersex, which comes out after a confrontation with Ulgar over Luca’s father, the senator. We’ve seen intersex characters in manga before, but it doesn’t usually hit Jump titles. The other reveal is back with the parents discussing their kids, who have now been missing for a month. It’s clear that there is some sort of big conspiracy going on here. That said, I’m not sure I’d really be continuing with this if I didn’t know the next volume was the last. I look forward to it ending, but also want to see the end. – Sean Gaffney

Battle Angel Alita: Mars Chronicle, Vol. 2 | By Yukito Kishiro | Kodansha Comics – Having recently started reading and enjoying the original Battle Angel Alita, I was naturally curious about Mars Chronicle. While the first volume of Mars Chronicle served as a prequel to Battle Angel Alita, taking place during Alita’s childhood as a war orphan on Mars, the second volume is a sequel set after the events of the Last Order series. Tying the volumes together are the characters and the Martian landscape. Alita finds herself caught up in a dramatic battle with Erica, her childhood friend and another expert martial artist, while larger efforts to establish a unified Mars are in danger of collapsing, Alita herself framed for an assassination attempt of the emerging leader. For the most part, Mars Chronicle is a fairly accessible series even for those who haven’t read the earlier manga, although some basic familiarity with the franchise can still be useful. – Ash Brown

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 24 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – One of the more iconic things about Food Wars! are the images that are drawn by the artist summing up the preparation of food. Sometimes, when it involves the judges eating, it’s pure fanservice, but not always. There’s two terrific portraits here of the different types of cooking that two of the teams do—the one with Gin, Takumi and Megumi is shown as a sort of cocktail jazz band, while the one with Soma, his dad and Erina is shown to be avant-garde Jackson-Pollock style painters. It’s great stuff, and helps get us into the big final matches, which start with Soma immediately having rotten luck destroy him, as he’s challenging a soba expert and the meal they’re doing is soba. Ah well, he’s the hero, I’m sure he’ll come up with something. – Sean Gaffney

Ghost in the Shell README: 1995-2017 | By Takuma Shindo | Kodansha Comics – Despite being subtitled 1995-2017, the recent Hollywood live-action Ghost in the Shell film is oddly the first incarnation of Shirow Masamune’s manga to be addressed by the README guide and artbook. The rest of the volume is devoted to the various anime films and series by Mamoru Oshii, Kenji Kamiyama and, most recently, Kazuchika Kise. Each of the adaptations is given a chapter of its own which includes general information, story summaries, character, mechanical, and landscape designs, an abundance of full-color artwork, and more. For me the most interesting parts of README were the essays, the interview with Atsuko Tanaka and Maaya Sakamoto (the voices of “The Major,” Motoko Kusanagi), and the roundtable featuring all of the Ghost in the Shell anime directors in conversation with one another. README will likely appeal most to established fans of the franchise, but it provides a terrific overview and general introduction, too. – Ash Brown

Horimiya, Vol. 11 | By Hero and Daisuke Hagiwara | Yen Press – It really is impressive how the author of Horimiya is just not letting go of the fact that Hori really gets turned on by being dominated/struck, and that this really seems to bother Miyamura. It’s one reason, perhaps, why the volume ends with a short chapter that shows that, though they love each other, they still have tremendous difficulty figuring out how the other thinks. And there’s also Hori’s rage issues, which they at least acknowledge but don’t really deal with. As for the other couples, well, Ishikawa and Yoshikawa (Ishiyoshi?) are still struggling a bit, mostly due to embarrassment and embarrassing family. Horimiya isn’t as fantastic as it once was, but it’s still fun. – Sean Gaffney

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 23-24 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | VIZ Media – We begin with the conclusion of the Winter Cup semifinal game, during which Seirin manages to defeat Kaijo by a one-point margin. It’s tense and exciting and there is a lot of manly crying. Rather than move right into the finals, however, the story diverges into flashback mode, with Kuroko telling the story of his time at Teiko Middle. This arc is fabulous and I’m a little bummed we didn’t have it earlier, as it would’ve informed so many of Kuroko’s interactions with his former teammates. However, putting it before his big matchup against Akashi makes sense, since Akashi was the one who sensed his potential to develop a unique style in the first place. In particular, I wasn’t expecting to come out of the arc loving Aomine so much. It’s nice knowing he finally did find someone who could defeat him. One of the best volumes in a while! – Michelle Smith

Kuroko’s Basketball, Vols. 23-24 | By Tadatoshi Fujimaki | Viz Media – As you might expect, Kuroko solves things, and is even allowed to make the winning shot—something that stuns him a bit. We’re clearly getting near to the end of the series, which means it’s now time for a biiiig flashback showing how the Generation of Miracles actually came to be. As you might imagine given everyone we’ve seen, it was not free and easy. Kuroko is almost put off the team a few times and the others barely work together at all. (It’s also cute seeing a middle-school, pre-sexy knockout Momoi falling for Kuroko.) I’m glad that this flashback is coming now, as we’ve come to know all the leads, and it also gives us a break from the tournament while still being filled with basketball. – Sean Gaffney

Mushroom Girls in Love | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – If it weren’t for the length, this could easily have fit right into the middle of A Centaur’s Life, a series that seems to enjoy randomly wandering off into whatever the hell for a few chapters on end. Instead of animal-human hybrids, this time it’s fungi-human hybrids, as our heroines try to stay married and in love despite root rot, royalty trying to break them up, and evading gunfire and the world seemingly being against them. As with A Centaur’s Life, this is not so much comedic or dramatic as just plain weird. And then there’s the girls riding tarantulas like horses… I guess what I mean to say is that if you like A Centaur’s Life and wish that the lesbians were the main characters, give this a shot. – Sean Gaffney

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 9 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – In many respects, this is a satisfying finale. Jelly Fish is back in business and it’s great to see the girls, particularly Jiji, finally able to don fancy clothes without hesitation in order to help Tsukimi’s visions become reality. In fact, I pretty much cried straight through from that point on. Reveals and reunions occur, but when one looks closer, one sees that several things remain unsettled. Amamizukan is still owned by Kai Fish, we don’t know whether Jelly Fish will actually be a success, and we don’t know how Tsukimi feels about Kuranosuke being in love with her (though I do love that he recognizes she doesn’t need a man right now). The feeling is all very optimistic, though, and perhaps it’s for the best that we just imagine a happy outcome without worrying about the details. It’s hard to believe it’s over! – Michelle Smith

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 2 | By Fujita | Kodansha Comics – If you enjoyed the first volume of Wotakoi, this second one gives you more of what you enjoyed. The four leads are still all otaku types, but realistic and not caricatured. We get to see how Hanako and Taro met, which temporarily turns Wotakoi into Haikyu!! for a bit, and also see the couples accidentally getting swapped thanks to a haunted roller coaster. And there’s a new character, introduced (I thought) to be a gay love interest to Naoya, but no, she’s just a shy girl who dresses like a schlub. Still, there’s some comedy to be mined from hiding this from Naoya for the time being. As an anime and manga geek, reading Wotakoi is both fun and heartwarming, and I like it a lot. – Sean Gaffney

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 2 | By Fujita | Kodansha Comics – I really liked the first Wotakoi omnibus, but I flatout loved this one. All of the characters are so great and so vivid, and there was an interesting structure to the two volumes included here. In the first, the continuing story of Hirotaka and Narumi’s first real date is interspersed with short vignettes and the story of how Naoya makes a friend. I came away with a much stronger idea of why Hirotaka loves Narumi, and how he feels like an inferior adult compared to her. In the second volume, the continuing story is an amazing flashback to Kabakura and Koyanagi in high school, with all the tsundere goodness one could wish for. Ordinarily, characters who bicker this much would bother me, but these two are the exception. This is a fabulous series that everyone should be reading. Get on it! – Michelle Smith

Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs, Vol. 2 | By Tadahiro Miura | Seven Seas – If nothing else, Yuuna is proving to be a slightly better ecchi Jump title than To-Love-Ru has, possibly as there’s slightly less emphasis on falling into everyone’s breasts all the time. Only slightly, though, and Yuuna still positions itself for one type of reader and one alone—the horny teenage boy. But if I were a horny teenage boy, I’d like this—Kogarashi is a bit less hapless than the typical ecchi protagonist, the girls are for the most part fun (I was amused that the drunken Kitsune wannabe is a manga artist), and there is the occasional sweet romantic tease. Still, if you’re expecting romance, read Nisekoi. If you want boobs, this is the book for you. – Sean Gaffney

By: Michelle Smith

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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cherrycapturedwolf · 7 years

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SyaoSaku Hogwarts AU

after some discussion with the Clow Kingdom server, @risamari and @lilyvzs decided on a little collab with this one Hogwarts AU idea! :)

(this is just one possible way they end up friends)

On their 11th birthday, Sakura and Syaoran are invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They are sorted in Hufflepuff and Slytherin respectively.

By their 3rd year, Syaoran and Sakura recognize each other in the halls and in their classes, but it’s only until they’re both drafted onto the Quidditch team (both as Seekers) that they start to actually acknowledge each other

...especially because both have never lost their team a Quidditch match.

However, in their first Quidditch match ever, Syaoran loses the snitch to Sakura and becomes furious.

Being the Hufflepuff she is, Sakura tries to shake hands with him in the name of good sport, saying “Well played, you put up a real challenge!”

But Syaoran huffs and turns away, thus beginning his initial hostility towards her.

Syaoran, who’s come from a long line of pureblood Slytherins, has always had a bit of a Slytherin pride streak (even though Meiling ended up in Gryffindor) so of course, he’s very annoyed and bitter to know that Sakura, a half-blood could be more talented than he is. He continues to act very antagonistic to her well beyond their first Quidditch match.

Sakura is a little taken aback by his behavior towards her even after their first match, but always remains kind and open with him.

One day, Syaoran finds himself in the library because he needs a book for his recent Potion’s homework. When he gets to the shelf, however, he sees Sakura holding the exact book he needs.

When she sees him, she brightens up and asks, “Oh, did you need this too? I got the last copy but I’m willing to share, if you want to study together!”

Syaoran frowns, feeling conflicted. He wants to get his homework done, but he doesn’t want help from Sakura.

“No, it’s okay.. I’ll just wait for another copy.” “But the assignment is due tomorrow! Are you sure? *worried face*”

Eventually he caves --- after a lot of smiling and encouragement on Sakura’s part.

He’s surprised by how kind she is to him despite his clear hostility towards her. It makes her really impossible to hate and he’s confused.

Syaoran learns that Sakura is really bad at potions. She asks for his help in exchange for Astronomy/Charms help. He begrudgingly accepts.

“Wow, you’re so smart Syaoran! I could never get through Potions without you. You’re amazing!” “Oh.. yeah... thanks. *looks away*”

They end up spending more and more time together doing homework and studying in the library. Her kindness rubs off on him and he softens up to her the more they hang out.

They spend some of their working hours sharing different stories from their childhood. Sakura is endlessly curious about growing up pureblood. Syaoran is humbled over and over again when he hears more about how Sakura grew up muggle (since Fujitaka is the muggle/squib) and how her Mother died.

(He also begins feeling some shame about how strongly his pureblooded family uphold the values of being pureblood.)

Over time, them hanging out just becomes routine, an everyday thing, something he doesn’t think twice about.

Until one day, when Syaoran enters the Great Hall for breakfast, he sees Sakura smiling brightly and waving to him

...and with a blush so crimson it could paint the Gryffindor flags, he feels the ground fall out beneath him as he thinks to himself, “Well... shit.”

Bonus:

Tomoyo keeps trying to set them up on Hogsmeade dates.

Touya starts seeing them everywhere and just gets pissed. Constantly bombards his boyfriend Yukito, who’s the Keeper on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, to destroy Syaoran/Slytherin every time they go against each other.

Sakura has an orange tabby named Kerberos who always hisses at Syaoran when he sees him.

Sakura is also great at Divination.

#cardcaptor sakura #syaosaku #clamplove #syaoran li #sakura kinomoto #hogwarts au #au's #harry potter #tomoyo is ravenclaw of course #tomoyo daidouji #touya kinomoto #yukito #touyuki #justine writes #justinewrites

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ramialkarmi · 6 years

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Robert Rodriguez explains why his movie adaptation of famous manga 'Alita: Battle Angel' won’t make the mistake 'Ghost in the Shell' did

Robert Rodriguez and producer Jon Landau ("Avatar") talked to Business Insider at CinemaCon about the evolution of bringing "Alita: Battle Angel" to the screen.

It was originally a project James Cameron was to make, after he discovered the manga around 2000. However, the success of "Avatar" changed everything.

Rodriguez has resurrected the project, and explained how it will still feel like a Cameron movie, and why it won't make the mistakes of recent manga release, "Ghost in the Shell."

Before James Cameron made “Avatar” and broke all box-office records, he was planning on making the big-screen adaptation of “Battle Angel Alita,” the famous manga series created by Yukito Kishiro.

In fact, Cameron's deep dive around 2000 into the rich material about a cyborg named Alita (played in the movie by Rose Salazar) who tries to rediscover her past after being found in a garbage heap by a cybernetics doctor, wasn’t just going to be a single movie but a franchise.

However, Cameron had to put the project on hold as the success of “Avatar” has now led to him making multiple sequels of the movie (at the same time). Luckily, he’s found a worthy filmmaker to take on the “Battle Angel” material.

Robert Rodriguez, who is known for his wide range of titles (“Desperado,” “Machete,” “Sin City”) took Cameron’s material and crafted it into a stunning 3D movie (opening December 21).

After showing footage of “Alita: Battle Angel” at CinemaCon on Thursday, Rodriguez and producer Jon Landau (“Avatar” movies) sat down with Business Insider to talk about the evolution of the project and why this manga won’t end up like the big-screen version of “Ghost in the Shell.”

Jason Guerrasio: Jon you said on stage that Robert came in and "edited" Cameron's material to make the movie. Robert, what did that entail?

Rodriguez: Jim was writing “Alita” for himself to make. So he had already taken the 30-plus books and found which stories to focus on and created a story that was a movie story. He even wrote his first draft, which was long but he would have gotten there if he kept on it. But he got busy on “Avatar” so it was just left. So I asked him at this one meeting, "What are you going to do if you're now doing 'Avatar?' If you're only doing 'Avatars' what happens to 'Battle Angel?'" He said, "I won't have a chance to make it, but hey, if you can figure it out you can go and make it." And I was like, sh-- that's what I'm doing this summer. I took his 600 pages of notes home with me and I figured out what I needed to fill in.

When I read it I could tell this doesn't need a rewrite, it just needed to be cut down. So being an editor I just pretended it was already shot and I just edited it down to length and I suggested some additional photography and dialogue to patch the holes. That's it. And he went, "That sounds good, let's go make it." That was the main work, taking the vision that he already had and like I made “Sin City” in the style of Frank Miller, I made this like it would fee like a Jim Cameron film that I always wanted to see.

Landau: And Robert did that on his own. He didn't say, "Put a deal in place for me to be the director." He just went and did it. And that speaks volumes. And we read what he did with Jim's 180-page script, and nothing was missing. And that told us that he understood what was important thematically. A lot of people talk about plot, Robert held onto the themes that were so important.

Rodriguez: In fact, Jim told me he would play a game with himself while reading the script. He would be coming up on a part of the movie that he liked and would say to himself, I bet that's cut out, and he would love that it wasn't cut. The stuff that I thought he would miss the most, I made sure to keep in there.

Landau: Honestly, Robert wasn't the first director we came to for this, but we never found the right fit to give up something that we believed in. I mean, Jim put in the time commitment to write it.

Guerrasio: I know that “Battle Angle” is a very different manga than “Ghost in the Shell,” but seeing the disappointing result critically and financially for that movie, can you see the potholes you need to navigate around?

Landau: I think the pothole to avoid is what Jim did in the script. This is a movie that is about her. This movie is about emotion. One of my favorite shots in the movie is when Alita cries. That's a human thing. I think oftentimes other movies are made based on mangas that don't access that human quality. So to us she's just a character. And that's why I said on stage, "She's not a superhero, she's a hero." Just a regular girl who comes into this world and I think everyone can identify with her.

Rodriguez: Also, Kishiro didn't write a movie that was particularly Asian. It was actually set in Kansas City. But we set it in South America because Jim's scientific mind made him believe that a space elevator would work better near the equator. So I was excited to make a Latin-based movie with a diverse cast that was organic to the story. This is set in the last city that's left in existence so people from all over are there. That helps you avoid the pitfalls of something that's particular to a society, like “Ghost in the Shell.”

Guerrasio: Robert, you've taken risks on your movies all the way back to your first one, “El Mariachi.” What makes this different from those?

Rodriguez: It was risky in this sense: You'd seen "Planet of the Apes," but that's an ape, we were making for the first time a really human face. We've seen it in the "Star Wars" movies but that's just a few scenes. Here is a real character that we're creating and it has to be as human as the characters around them. We don't shoot hardly any green screen in this. Just to extend sets. Real sets, real actors, and there are a couple of characters that are completely CG and they have got to stand up skin for skin, eye to eye with anyone else. No one had done that. So we're pushing the envelope with that. But my risk level was lower because Jim had gone through this already on "Avatar."

Guerrasio: Jon, compare and contrast Robert's style to James'.

Landau: The interesting thing about both of them is they are true auteurs. They both write, direct, edit — cinematographers when they want to. What I have found is Jim has his way of doing things. Robert is a student of filmmaking and he's adapted his style to making a Jim Cameron movie. A commitment he made. He understood he had to leave the world he was familiar with and approach it differently. Jim does that through always using different technology.

Rodriguez: Here's an example how we're different. We're both into 3D, and he invited me to the making of the 'Terminator 2" 3D ride that he shot for Universal Studios. I'm such a fan and I try to impress him by telling him that I was taking a 3-day steadycam course because I was going to operate steadycam on my own on "Desperado" because I couldn't afford a steadycam operator. And he said, "I bought a steadycam, but not to operate it, I'm going to take it apart and design a better one." [Laughs.] That's the difference between me and Jim. I'm just a mortal trying to figure things out, he's designing a whole new system.

Guerrasio: I need to bring up "Avatar," Jon, what are the challenges of shooting two movies at the same time?

Landau: Well, we are doing a little more than two.

Guerrasio: Oh, I thought you were shooting just two right now simultaneously.

Landau: Two and a little more.

Guerrasio: Ah, ok.

Landau: I think what we had to get our heads around is the first “Avatar” was a marathon. Now we're running a triathlon. We have to gauge ourselves and our crew to handle that long-term thing. But when you break it down, what we are really doing here is a miniseries on a super scale. There are segments of that miniseries that need to come to completion for the story arc. And then you build upon that. Once we got our heads around that we're really telling one big story, we were able to figure out how to plan it and schedule it. The cast is there and they are doing scenes from movie two today, movie three tomorrow. But we explained to them it's not different than doing just one movie. You do the end scene on day five and another scene another day. It's just communicating that to people.

Guerrasio: Robert, you are always directing or producing, one project that I want to know that’s always talked about is “Machete Kills Again... In Space.”

Rodriguez: [Laughs.]

Guerrasio: Is that a real movie?

Rodriguez: Danny [Trejo] and I always say we're making that. The joke was that “Machete” two and three were together because you have a fake trailer for three [in “Machete Kills”]. The idea is we got to kind of make it already because there's the phantom trailer floating around. But you never know, we might make it. People have always expressed interest. There might be a way to do it.

Guerrasio: I feel you can make those movies with Danny for years and people would watch them.

Rodriguez: It's crazy, I met Danny on the set of “Desperado” and I told him about "Machete." "You are going to play a character called Machete some day," and it became his most iconic character.

SEE ALSO: "Equalizer 2" director Antoine Fuqua talks about getting Denzel Washington to do his first sequel ever — and teases a "Scarface" reboot

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ALITA Creator Yukito Kishiro on Adaptation and Living in the Future

The lead-up to Alita: Battle Angel's launch was concerning and maybe a little confusing (I mean, if I had a nickel for every time someone says "eyes"), but it all ended up being for naught as the movie ended up being pretty dang cool. Last year at Crunchyroll Expo, I had the privilege of getting to talk to Alita director Robert Rodriguez about his influences and creative process, which further convinced me that the movie was in good hands (as if me being a massive Rodriguez fanboy wasn't enough).

We sat down with Alita: Battle Angel director Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY) to talk about the film’s roots in manga. Alita opens everywhere February 14th - get your tickets NOW: https://t.co/6Lmdz8n73I #alita pic.twitter.com/BvbBaEXv1y

— Crunchyroll hoping to reincarnate as a slime ???? (@Crunchyroll) January 31, 2019

But there was one other voice, one other creator who I wanted to hear from about Alita: Battle Angel, and that was original manga author Yukito Kishiro! This story of cyborgs, humanity, ultraviolence, and self-determination was originally published as Gunnm (銃夢 "ganmu," or "gun dream") in 1990, later released stateside as Battle Angel Alita by Viz.

Now we have these beautiful unflipped hardcovers--thank you, Kodansha

While Kishiro-sensei has returned to Alita's world several times, he's also known for the ongoing (and currently on-hiatus) Aqua Knight fantasy adventure, and several pre-Alita manga starting from when he was 17 with Space Oddity.

NATE: First off, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, Kishiro-sensei. To start, Battle Angel Alita was made quite a while ago, first publishing in 1990. Now in 2019, we have all sorts of amazing technology that would have felt like science fiction back when the series first published, and technology is a much greater part of everyone's lives. How do you think today's audiences will relate to the science-fiction themes presented in Alita as a manga, and as a movie?

KISHIRO-SENSEI: Fashion and technology will always change as time goes on, but human nature doesn't change. I think that works with the manga's themes of human nature and humanity--it's a timeless concept.

There have been a number of manga that have received both animated and live-action adaptations, but did you ever expect Alita to be one of those?

I had never considered there would be a live-action movie--when I was originally drawing the manga, I didn't even realize it had fans! I'm very fortunate to see this live-action adaptation, and would like to express my utmost appreciation for this wonderful movie made by such talented creators.

You've mentioned in interviews that you've enjoyed Robert Rodriguez's films, like Desperado and Machete. Your manga sets a high standard for action, just like his films. In the film, were you hoping to see Rodriguez's interpretation of your manga panels like a storyboard, or were you hoping to see him do something completely fresh with your characters?

Compared to fans, I'm not as nostalgic for things I've already seen or made, so I love bold, interesting changes. I was looking forward to (director) Robert Rodriguez's unique vision of Alita!

I'm a huge action fan, and Panzer Kunst is one of the coolest concepts I've seen for a fictional martial art--a fighting style designed for machine bodies. What was your reference or inspiration for this?

Originally, Panzer Kunst didn't appear in the manga when the series started. An editor advised me to put Alita in more dangerous situations and have her fight more, so from there I came up with the concept of Panzerkunst. Around 1985, I had come up with an idea for battling cyborgs, and how they would fight in low or zero gravity, and so I reused this concept for Battle Angel Alita.

Initially, the true experience of living in the Scrapyard only existed in your mind--but now, with the Passport to Iron City event, fans can take a tour of the movie's "Iron City." How does it feel getting to walk through a neighborhood you created?

It was a lot of fun! If Alita: Battle Angel becomes a huge hit, maybe an even bigger Iron City could be made!

Are you currently reading or watching anything cool you'd like to share?

S.S. Rajamouli's Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. They're Indian action epics, and very fun!

Do you have any special message for fans discovering Alita for the first time through the movie?

First of all, please enjoy the movie! Although various difficulties, adversity, and hardships may show up in your lives, walk ahead with courage and pride just like Alita!

What about for longtime fans of the manga going to see the movie?

This movie has truly inherited the soul of the manga, with a new skin on top of it--almost like Alita being reborn in the Berserker body! I truly think longtime fans will enjoy Alita: Battle Angel!

Thank you very much for your time, Kishiro-sensei!

What about you? Have you seen Alita: Battle Angel yet? How do you think it stacks up to Yukito Kishiro's original vision? Let us know what you think in the comments! Also, if you're interested in checking out the Passport to Iron City event, head on over to AlitaExperience.com and use the coupon code Crunchyroll20 for 20% off!

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Nate Ming is the Features Editor for Crunchyroll News and creator of the long-running Fanart Friday column. You can follow him on Twitter at @NateMing. Check out his comic, Shaw City Strikers!

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