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whimsical-lullaby · 29 days

Note

Hi! So nice to see another person who writes for Shogun on here.

Anyways, I was wondering if I could get a Yoshii Toranaga x fem reader please? I don't know what all you write in the story, but I know it will be good. Thanks! And take all the time you need, I am in no rush.

Shrivelled Blossoms

You were always a strong person who knew what to say and when to say something in the right moment. And when to keep silent and re-evaluate words and tones that needed to be input in a conversation, whether serious or not. So, what happened today? You just... froze. A word you're so sure isn't even in your vocabulary.

Your friends warned that this would be a serious case to handle and you prepared for it every possible way you could. And when it came, you tackled it in every direction.

'It's not cheese and sprinkles, being a lawyer.' Your father would say. This field of work was hard but you weren't about to lie to yourself, that it didn't build you up as a person.

Entering the train, you took a seat and then texted your friends, telling them you were on the subway. Honestly, it was a miracle you even made it this far! What with the many shots of saké you shared with your friends, that you yourself couldn't remember the exact number.

Your childhood friends who still lived in Osaka texted you after work, when you were curled up on your couch and in your Disney pajamas, contemplating whether to do a Disney marathon starting with Pirates of the Caribbean or just continue binging the last episode of Demon Slayer. They invited you to a girls' night out to cheer you up and you were too nice to decline as much as you were anticipating the latter.

Plus, you thought that it would be nice to catch up after some time you three were caught up in your hectic careers.

Now you wanted nothing more than to plop on your bed and let the drowsiness take you to a peaceful slumber. The hangover can be dealt with once you wake up.

But still, thoughts of the court case resurfaced once more. It's to be expected, as you were an over-achiever ever since you could remember.

It wasn't so much as failing the case and bringing failure to your family name... Well, just a tad bit on that part. But the rest, you wanted to fight for someone so passionately and effortlessly. The dejected look your client gave you made you want to shrivel up and find a place to hide and never come out. But time waits for no one and this wasn't the last case you had. However, you viewed it as your big break.

What a waste, you thought as you contemplated appealing. However that thought was soon demolished by the fear of making a fool of your client and yourself so you just let it rest.

You were so caught up in your internal conflict that you didn't hear the intercom announcement. When you lifted your head up, you realized every passenger was gone and the train was moving once more. Shit.

Clicking your phone open, you immediately went to the phone tracker app only to stare dumbfounded at the moving point from your stop. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!"

You stood up hastily and turned your head to the right. Was it even possible to get ahold of the conductor? You didn't know but you would try. As you took your first steps, the lights flickered just for a millisecond and it went on once more.

A part of you furiously fought off the whispers in your ears of the urban legends of riding a train at night. You weren't big on scary stuff but you grew up mostly with your grandparents so you were a tad bit superstitious.

Gulping hard, you beelined for the front door, hoping that no ghosts or spirits will claim your soul. The train is probably old, it might need a few things checked up. That's why the lights are flickering, your voice of reason was there to calm you down as usual. It's nothing!

Those movies are unrealistic! How could the character's brains function properly when they are stuck in unsettling situation while you are struggling to open a damn door? Despite your voice of reason, your mind kept traversing back to those camp stories and deep down, you thought that a spirit of a bear would maul you. Why the fuck would a bear be doing in a subway station? You're not thinking clearly!

At some point, you managed to pry the sliding door open and enter the pilot's compartment. The air was knocked out of your lungs as the train violently shook from side to side but you managed to grab onto something to stable you. What the fuck is going on?

Losing balance, you fell to the floor and a dull thud filled your ears before it was replaced by a white noise that viscously stung.

The last thing your blackening vision saw was red liquid pooling on the metal floors of the subway train.

...

Furrowing your eyebrows, you blinked your disoriented eyes open, trying to adjust to the light seeping through the room. Room?

Examining the room you were in, you spotted no doors. Only three mahogany wooden doors and a traditional screen door.

You shut your eyes, trying not to panic. Trying to remember how you got here. Your head feels foggy, temples throbbing as you sort through vague memories.

The court case. Night out with friends, few shots of saké, maybe more since you didn't remember the number. The subway. Missing your stop. The light's flickering on and off. The earthquake.

And then ... nothing.

You can't remember.

Your eyes fly open and you take comfort in the feeling of being fully clothed. But it's not your clothes. Glancing down at the unfamiliar outfit. A simple teal kosode. It felt comfortable ... but it still unsettled you - the fact that someone could have undressed you. You hoped and prayed it was a woman, at the very least.

As you sat up, shutting your eyes as you listened to the ache in your head. Opening them once more, observing your new surroundings.

It looked to be one of those traditional homes. There were no windows. Light passed through the paper of the shoji screen. It kind of reminded you of that traditional Airbnb you stayed in for a night with your mom. There were no modern appliances like air-conditioning or heaters. It looked plain.

Your eyes found your sneakers, next to your neatly folded clothes. But your handbag was no where to be seen. I've been robbed, was your first thought and then pieced together the puzzle. And you concluded you were kidnapped and they confiscated your handbag.

Your heart leaps into your throat as it becomes clear that you need to get the hell out of here.

Wobbling as you slowly got up, your bare feet brushed along the tatami mat, taking your clothes and sneakers in your hands, ambling your way towards the shoji screen. You dropped your shoes and pulled the sliding door to the left and you were met with shocked brown eyes staring back at you.

"Miss, you shouldn't be up and about with your injury!" The young woman gasped.

"Who are you and where am I?" Your hoarse voice croaked and felt scorching in your throat due to screaming for dear life in the train.

"I am Lady Toda Mariko," she introduce and from the corner of your eye, you saw two women shuffling in the room. One carried a bowel of water and a towel, the other carried what looked to be a neatly folded kosode. "I am instructed to bring you to My Lord once you regain consciousness."

"Your Lord?" You echoed and your eyes widen. "Jesus Christ? Am .. Am I in heaven?"

Lady Mariko blinked momentarily before laughing softly. "No, I assure you, you are very much alive. And seem to be doing well than yesterday. You are in Ajiro village and I've been instructed to bring you to My Lord, Toranaga-sama."

....

You had been out of place.

Exotic, is one word Toranaga could describe you and quite frankly the only word he could find in his mind after last night's events. His brother had betrayed him, his brash son drove himself to his death trying to avoid an already fixed fate. And just a few feet way from Nagakado's lifeless body was you.

An unconscious young woman, half drowning in a pond filling up with crimson blood. Sustaining an injury to your head that he requested should be treated by a skilled healer.

Hiromatsu thought you were an assassin or a spy who was caught up in the wrong place and time. Why else were you there? You were just so out of place. Upon closer inspection, you were anything but.

They confiscated your bag and searched for any weapon you might be concealing but found.. strange, peculiar things instead. Yet nothing threatening.

Scrutinizing you now in a different light, his thoughts were concluded.

Silence.

That was Toranaga's tactic. He waited to see who would speak first. And judging by how your eyes travelled everywhere in the room, unable to meet his. You were shifty, and you needed to fill the silence quickly.

Very simple, that's what you were. But definitely non-threatening. Unless your true self was hidden well behind a facade. Now that was a different story and he would soon find out.

You did not know how many centimeters your forehead was to the floor, or how many degrees you were bowing. Once you were presentable as so Lady Mariko deemed you to be, you were led to a relatively spacious room by two men in samurai haircuts and made to kneel before this person she had referred to him as her Lord, Yoshii Toranaga.

Behind Toranaga was a Tokoma which displayed an impressive samurai armer and a part of you thought the production crew really had the budget to pull off even the smallest detail.

"Hello-"

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Me? My name is Y/N." You answered. Silence dragged on again and it became unbearable so you filled it. "Is this a movie set?"

"A what?"

"I was just assuming... where are you hiding the cameras?" The two men shared a glance and you were starting to get annoyed that they were beating around the bush.

You desperately wanted an ibuprofen to sooth your headache and call a doctor to check if you didn't sustain any brain injury. Yes, you were grateful for their assistance whilst you were unconscious but you wanted nothing more than to go home.

"Look. There's been a huge misunderstanding here." You say, the tension reverberates in your throat as the words came out in a petty croak.

"Where are you from?" Toranaga asks.

"I am from Tokyo."

The lord hesitated, not knowing of a place by the name of Tokyo but ventured on. "And tell me. What were you doing in the middle of last night's squabble?" You blinked at his question, not knowing what to say.

"You mean the train incident?" You trekked, not sure to what he was alluding. "I was distracted and missed my stop so the train continued on it's journey."

"What are you saying?" It was the man on the other end of the room who spoke. Lady Mariko told you he was Toranaga's right-hand man, Hiromatsu. "Speak plainly."

Breathing out through your nose, you collected yourself. Opening your mouth to speak, you were cut off by the old man. "Are you an assassin sent by Ishidō?" He accuses.

"No."

"A spy?"

Your eyes bulged at the mere thought of doing that. "Jesus Christ. No!"

"Then explain this weapon." Toranaga placed your phone in front of him. "One of my Koshō took it from your bag and it's light burned his eyes."

Mouth agape, you couldn't fandom the craziness of this situation. What hell did I step into? You wondered inwardly.

"That's because he turned it on. Don't you know what a phone is?"

Toranaga and Hiromatsu stared at you as if you had grown two heads. You hated that it made you look stupid, in front of these serious-looking men. It reminded you of your years in college and some classmates never thought you would make it as a lawyer because you were too sensitive.

Seeing this was going no where, you played along with their game. Method actors, you reasoned with yourself. Perhaps you are in a movie set, set in feudal Japan ... based on their clothing and the extraordinary built set.

Surprisingly, they came to a conclusion and believed you. Toranaga allowed a roof over your head as a guest in his Edo castle until he figured out what he should do with you. You felt like a burden to him and you hated that.

Adjusting for you wasn't so much of a problem. You had a great teacher. Lady Mariko was very patient with you and explained everything you needed to know, that coupled with you were a fast learner, took you farther.

However, in some places you felt restricted. Like the many layers you had to carry when you wear your kimono, or the way you had to shuffle your feet all the time when you walked. Sometimes when you made sure no one was around you, you walked the normal way you did. Screw grace and elegance .. at certain times, that is.

Thankfully you would be going home pretty soon. Toranaga and his entourage were marching to Edo, present day Tokyo.

The lord's brows furrowed as he silently watched you raise your arm in different directions, clutching your magic box in your palm. Muttering something about 'no reception' in a groan.

You were a strange thing. But tolerable.

Upon arriving in Edo, you stopped on your tracks, no longer trailing behind the foot soldiers. He wondered what shocked you...

Continuing to observe your body language, you were now keeping to yourself as your eyes scanned the still thriving city of Edo.

A few days went by as Nagakado's funeral arrived all too quickly and he was staying within the walls of his castle, intent on having time to himself to process these emotions on his own. From afar, he gazed at the smoke drawing up to the sky - the fire that would turn his son's remains into ashes. He needed to distract his thoughts before grief took over. Weakness was never an option.

However, he's mind kept coming back to you. The lord noticed he rarely saw you. He began taking note of your routine. On most occasions, you spent your time in the gardens or by the pond. One time he caught you drawing something on the sand, and the gardener fumed at his ruined work.

Upon inquiry, you told him you drew what you explained as a stickman in an aeroplane, flying back to his home. You missed home ... yet you said Edo was your home. That confused him tremendously.

Requesting a maidservant to invite you to dine with him. Toranaga raised his brows upon receiving the response. "My Lord, she declined your invitation."

Nodding, the maid took her departure. Letting out a breath, he humbly sought you out.

The maids were flocking around you with towels in their hands, lecturing your ear off but you heard nothing. You weren't thinking straight as you sat under the rain. Perhaps a part of you was trying to reach God somehow by asking to end this dreadful nightmare. Reality hit you like a bus, the days were moving and you slowly came into realization that you were stuck, in the past.

Thoughts about your parents and family invaded Would they miss you too much? Would they think you were dead if they searched high and low and couldn't find your body? You began to recalling your grandmother's funeral .. all those sorrowful faces looking up at you, voices giving you and your family condolences. Would that be the same for you as well?

You were unable fathom why .. why this happened to you?

Was this to be your reality?

Drowning in your depressive thoughts, you hadn't noticed Lord Toranaga enter the threshold of your room, requesting the maids to leave you both.

Advancing towards you, he stood in front of you with furrowed brows confusion. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not going home, am I?" My bottom lip trembled as your heart swelled, feeling tears fill up your eyes.

Feeling a warm finger under your chin, he brought your eyes to meet his. A warm smile settled on his lips. "I do not know how or what brought you here, Y/N. But everyone has a fate, perhaps being here is your fate."

You blinked away the tears, sniffling lightly. "But..but why?" Hot tears fell down your cheeks. "My life was just beginning, I was starting to make my parents proud of me, I was starting to find my footing in my career... There is nothing for me here."

As much as you wanted to appear strong all the time, you broke down. Everything you've ever worked hard for is gone and now you were forced to start life anew, in a time not of your own, with new people.

When she sobbed, Toranaga's body went froze, not knowing what to do. He wasn't accustomed to a woman crying in front of him, most woman he knew had learned to stiffen their lips and march on with their pain carefully hidden away.

Hesitantly, he brought you in an embrace, shocking himself as well. But was relieved as you didn't pull away, deciding to lay your head on his chest.

Not knowing how to comfort her any further, he decided to just listen. Inviting her to dine with him in his private quarters and just listened to how she grew up in the year 21st century.

Toranaga had found you infuriating at first.

You were a disagreeable woman with a sharp tongue and quick-witted mind. And he almost lost his words around you. Almost, being the key word. Brazen, just like his son and everyone else in his circle, you wanted him to fight.

He didn't know if you were stupid or too bold for your own good. Such matters needed to be handled tactically, that's what he told you one night as you dined together, getting to know you better. In hope of steering your mind away from the conversation.

And then you told him of your position as a lawyer.

Toranaga appreciate your willingness to fight for people you personally did not know, whom you addressed as 'clients'. He liked your spirit of having to give someone else a voice to speak their thoughts aloud, maybe that's what made you so fearless.

Daresay he wanted to believe you. That you came from the distant future. A world so extraordinary with tall buildings that reached for the heavens, flying steel dragons that flew across the sky from one country the other, horseless carriages that cruised through the streets. Such a world was out of his imagination.

That was when you showed him your rectangle magic box that glows brilliantly with a switch of a button, which stored countless moments in time called 'pictures'.

It stored pictures of you and the people closest to you in life. Places you've been to, your achievements. Every picture had a story. Most them were of you goofing around and you giggled at those, showing him a part of your character, a carefree soul. That was when he started believing you. This truth was solidified after he asked and you told him of growing up in a unified Japan. Toranaga gleamed softly. For he too wished to live in that reality with no wars, losses and betrayals.

Your reality seemed like a tranquil heaven he wished to bask and his heart shattered when he saw that look in your eyes when you finish telling him of your home. It was like a tide going out and it went out slowly... how he desperately wanted he could stop it surprised him.

You told him of how Japan was so beautifully broken. Your words were like a melodic poem to his ears. Narrating of the cycles earthquakes and hurricanes that destroy homes, the losses. Yet everytime, there still is that slight strength to keep standing up defiantly, rebuilding what was once broken. "That's what makes Japan unique," you told him.

That was something you both agreed on.

Daresay, he found himself distracted by you at times. Him of all people, distracted by a woman, no less. That was unheard of. Such feelings were hazardous ... but he was audacious enough to act on them one morning he made up his mind.

Toranaga found you standing on the engawa, overlooking the serenely pitter pattering rain.

It was like you sensed his presence because your body never stiffened this time when you both crossed each other. You were relaxed and just like at last night's dinner, you were free to speak your thoughts without hesitation.

"I've given myself time to think about it, what you said." A sigh escaped your slightly parted lips and they settled in a serene thin line which was half a smile. "It's not so bad when you get used to it."

Honestly, you began to think this whole thing was a vacation. A long needed vacation - you would adjust. Maybe you're starting to, maybe it'll take some time.

Peering up at the Lord, you saw what you could make out as a soft smile. It wasn't all the way to his eyes - perhaps one day you would have the pleasure to see that miracle. "I have given myself time to think, as well." He shifted to observe the garden and his brows furrowed in the slightest, as if contemplating his words. "I want you by my side."

"As what?" You quarried. "If you want to know the details of what happens in Japan's history, I don't know Jack shit, I'm sorry."

Toranaga chuckles. "Fate has many things fixed for us as a people. The heavens would have sent you anywhere in Japan but they brought you to my path ... And I'd be honored to have you by my side."

It was a lie. You knew exactly what happens in Japan's history. What kind of person does not know their country's history? You always stood by the law. The laws of physics, the laws of science, the natural law. It wouldn't hurt to break the laws of time travel, would it?

If these feelings were true and they ran deeper than what you ancipated ... you would help him win this war, so that you sustain the head on your shoulders and stay by his side.

Giving him a brilliant smile to his earnest words, you reply. "I'd be honored to be by your side, too."

There were many preparations Toranaga needed to settle for the next days to come, and today he would go to his son's final place. And thank him. Both he and his trusted friend, Hiromatsu.

And then ... Crimson Sky would commence.

But for now, he drank delight in this peaceful reprieve, observing the nostalgic drizzle of the rain with you by his side.

#shōgun 2024 #fx shogun #Toranaga x female reader #yoshii toranaga

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years

Text

Aniplex Fugou Keiji Livestream | Fugou Keiji 2 | Kitsutsuki 2 - 4 | Arte 3 - 12 (FINAL) | Fruits Basket 27 - 32

During the Millionaire Detective: Unmissable livestream (part of FunimationCon and Aniplex Online Fest), I watched and took notes, so you might find these handy upon retrospect. To be honest, this is how I do the posts for magicalgirlsandcerulean’s livestreams as well, but there hasn’t been one of those in a while...

Otherwise, these are all normal notes.

Aniplex Fugou Keiji Livestream

Look out for the dancer from the OP

Onuki was the model for the dancing for the anime – he was told to do it out of the blue

Episode 11 might have one of these^ be relevant

Daisuke’s cup ramen has shark fin in it and he made the packaging from scratch – that’s why it’s so expensive!

The director Tomohiko Ito omits important information, allowing people to decide for themselves what happened. (Miyano) – This might be why the series is stylish. (MC)

Attractiveness of character design is important! (for adapting Fugou Keiji to modern day)

I’ve never watched a livestream where the stars were so conscious of their English and Chinese audiences! This was interesting, especially because Onuki is not normally known as a VA!

“We still have a little bit of recording to do.”

Fugou Keiji 2

I keep misunderstanding my own instructions…this starts again in July after ep 2.

Todai = Tokyo Daigaku (Uni).

I believe this is the 2nd time I’ve seen a rich person like commoner’s instant noodles, although I forget where I saw the 1stinstance.

Kambe switched to the back seat now, huh?

Ah! Now I remember! The first time was seeing spoilers for this episode on Twitter! (LOL)

I see Suzue has a sensible naming scheme for her data.

Hmm…judging by the Google hits, the name visible in the background (Betbeto bin Abura) is the Arabic prince from last time.

SYN-ACK. I see these guys did their work – that’s the final stage of the 3 stage handshake required for things like internet sockets (used to send “packets” of data).

Way to crash a party, Kambe siblings…(LOL)

I really wanna see someone draw Kato slapping (Daisuke) Kambe in the face with a wad of cash…or a “shut up and take my money” meme with Kambe in it.

I like how “special cup ramen” is on the purchases list and it costs 100000 yen. I also like how the reporter Mita was bought out for 5000000 yen (bigger than all the other individual costs except for buying out the Tower)…that’s how he showed up.

Kitsutsuki 2

I gotta finish this show and then pause it…3 shows in my normal lineup are safe.

Did Kindaichi take the bones of the fish out for Ishikawa…? Like a child would have had done for them?

Why is Ishikawa being referred to as “Hajime”…?

Draw this prostitute like one of your French girls…(LOL?)

Ishikawa clearly dropped those coins into that book earlier.

Way to diss the potential asexuality/celibacy in the house. I mean, it’s the 1800s – early 1900s, so there was less LGBTIQ+ stuff then and certainly the further back you go, the more sexual prowess becomes a sign of masculinity, but still, if the guy doesn’t want to go through with it, don’t force him.

Notice how the borders were pink for Ishikawa’s version and blue for Kindaichi’s.

Notably, Otaki didn’t seem to have that hairpin…but maybe that’s because we saw things from Ishikawa’s perspective.

Ooh…who are these bois? Also, crab.

Kitsutsuki 3

…cat? Now there’s a new perspective. That’s like saying the butler did it.

Yay! Hagiwara is Ume!

Notice Hagiwara’s version has a purple frame, while Yoshii (?) has yellow and another person has dark blue.

I think “consumption” was tuberculosis, once upon a time.

I love how the crowd is fed up with Ishikawa’s bulls***.

Ooh, chuuni Akutagawa…

In a Grove is the Rashomon story.

Tarou Hirai = Rampo Edogawa.

You stalker, future Rampo!

I kinda suspected Otaki when I thought through the possibilities…Ishikawa, Kindaichi, an outsider, Otaki (and as of this ep, Rampo too).

Gaiheikan? Is that Ishikawa and co.’s lodging?

Did they have pencils back in that day?

Kitsutsuki 4

Humouresques.

Kabayaki.

I think it was in Detective Conan that I learnt (one of) the only way(s) a man can get his nails done is by his wife doing it for him, possibly as a prank or to indicate he’s “taken”. Note this was early Detective Conan, so it’s very much a 90s attitude…considering the widespread acceptance of drag queens and the LGBTIQ+ movement these days.

Kozukata.

Lace flower.

Maichou seems to be a hybrid of Asahi Shinbun and Mainichi Shinbun.

[Monkfish/dictionary/going home] - Is this how Ishikawa shows consideration…?

The purple letterrboxing is back but this time with Ishikawa…meaning that’s just an aesthetic thing for all flashbacks after all.

Just from vaguely hearing it (I’ve got the volume on low), the words are nodo tsuki/nodo zuki. “Throat moon/throat wound” works just as well, if not better.

Balsam flower.

Update: Since enough anime fulfilled the special COVID-19 criteria, Kitsutsuki was put on hold after this.

Fruits Basket 2 2 (27)

I’ve read Another, remember?…so I kind of know what happens.

Uo’s got purple nails…that’s surprisingly cute of her.

Aw, Kureno! Another Ume role!

Why is “shisho” (master) not translated…? A weird Tokyopop-era translation quirk?

Aw, Shisho cut his hair…? Bummer.

Who was that? Shigure…?(!) Update: We find out his name later in this ep.

“If you continue to change, I’ll continue to protect you.” – Another quote for the archive.

Great…I feel personally called out by this ep.

Fruits Basket 2 3 (28)

It seems all male designers wear their designs if they have no one else to wear them…at least, that’s what I’ve gathered from Hajime (Runway de Waratte) and Ayame.

I remember Ayame stood in for Yuki’s parents in the manga at one point. This must be it.

(Spoilers for later!) I also remember Mine and Ayame get married at the end…This is the prelude to that.

Dang, Ayame, you moment-ruiner!

Fruits Basket 2 4 (29)

Did anyone in the doorway hear about Hatsuharu turning into an ox?

To quote Sailor Mercury, “Douse yourself in water and repent!”

Ooh, window splitting Yuki and Haru. Nice cinematography going on here.

I bet all people think they only think about themselves, in one way or another.

Arashiyama tofu.

Yatsuhashi are great. They’re these sweet triangle things like samosas that come in various flavours. Mitarashi dango are sticky brown skewered balls of glutinous rice…which I’ve never had, but I’ve seen them in enough anime to know what they are.

I only just realised this, but Yuki’s hairstyle isn’t even on both sides, like Atsushi from BSD’s.

Huh…you can see a copy of Mogeta and Ari (as it turns out, “Ari” is the name of a character and not “ant” at all in this case) on Haru’s bed. There’s also an article in one of the magazines discussing how denim is the popular thing now and which types are in right now.

Fruits Basket 2 5 (30)

I realised Yuki isn’t calling Tohru by her first name – he’s going against Haru’s advice.

Hmm? Why should anyone ask a rabbit to hold their horses…? (LOL)

CGI cars…*sigh*

Tororo is grated yam, IIRC.

I learnt recently that nanban means “savage” or “uncivilised”…for a potato and chicken dish, the name and the contents don’t really match…Update: Nanban means “savage” (noun) or “barbarian”. Close enough.

17-26…age gap 9 years…yikes…

The words “(a happy, yet) caged bird” come to mind when Kureno describes himself. Also, Kureno is an Ume role! Yippee!

Ahh…young love…even if it has a bit of an awkward edge to it. Mind the (age) gap!

Me being the Ume stan, of course I want to hear those sweet nothings in his voice, even if it has to be via a proxy like Uotani…I wouldn’t be an Ume stan if I didn’t.

…Ah, I see. Uotani reminds me of Minare from Wave and vice versa.

Oh, I just remembered Akito is 20 or thereabouts. Kureno/Akito is only a bit more legal than Uotani and Kureno.

Arte 3

Notice Leo never once uses Arte’s name in the lady’s presence. Her name does have some infamy to it, after all.

“She’s got some guts.” – You say that at a live dissection…LOL.

Is this love~? What’s the age gap between Leo and Arte, anyway? Update: We know for sure Arte is older than 13…that’s it.

Make the things you want prominent with perspective and such. I thought that much was obvious, but for someone straightforward like Arte, I guess it ain’t so. (Maybe it’s because I’m self-taught to some degree when it comes to art.)

*sketching by candlelight* - You’re gonna ruin your eyes, Arte!

Arte, ma girl! You’re getting’ a raise! Good job!

Arte 4

Anime makes this courtesan stuff sound like a host club…(?)

I thought Leo was saying “Aria” for a second instead of Arte, LOL. I’m getting too used to that being my alias…

Arte 5

The speech bubble said “so annoying I could die”.

Arte 6

The video’s gone all pixelated…at least, the subs have…

I bet she’s going to fall over…Update: Nup, she didn’t.

Arte 7

I thought Yuri was a Russian name…or a Japanese one.

This is basically Oushitsu Kyoushi Heine all over again! (LOL)

I thought Yuri would be pushy…like, “Here’s an offer you can’t refuse.” That kind of thing. Likewise, I didn’t think Arte would refuse.

Leo? *dun-dun-DUN!*

Siena is apparently in Tuscany. Also, I did see the Silent Manga Audition page had a chapter on a pregnant woman, so this is ch. 17 or thereabouts.

Is Ruthanna not getting the money because she’s pregnant…?

Epidemic? The Black Death?...Speaking of which, Arte is very much of that ganbaru spirit. By being progressive for her time, she becomes ordinary in our time.

Ohhhhhhh! It’s a reverse harem in progress here!...This would be a good otome game, come to think of it. It’s framed the same way.

Leo can be surprisingly childish at times, don’t you think?

Arte 8

…Really? She fell overboard? *raises eyebrow*

Ooh, china (with and without capitalisation).

Is this another sarcastic child…? Oh, bother. Still, I can see why Hamefura crossed over with Arte now…Katarina vs. Catarina!

Arte 9

Bigoli is a type of pasta, as can be guessed from context.

The kanji for the episode title literally translate to “bad child”! Like the Tones and I song, LOL!

Mikata (ally).

Arte 10

This episode is giving off a Katarina x Gimo ship vibe…but with how young they are, I’m not sure I should ship it. They’re 6, aren’t they…?

Oh, you can see Katarina and Sofia’s hug in one of the ED frames.

Arte 11

Arte’s let her hair grow out…

An Italian man…bowed. In Renaissance Italy. Now I understand what all the ANN complaints are for.

What’s up with that kid’s face…? *grumbles*

Leo’s just being Leo, I see.

That’s right, Angelo and Leo never met.

Instead of a father or a brother overly cherishing his daughter, it’s the uncle…I never thought I’d see the day I saw something like that.

Arte 12 (FINAL)

Is this like Orientalism, but with gender…? (What would you call that?)

Lemme guess…Leo is working on the church mural and so he’s away?

Was that Leo, in the middle of the mural somewhere…?

Another Japanese bow in this anime, which is set in Italy.

But where is Arte herself in that mural?

Fine = end.

Fruits Basket 31

The word Momiji is using is “hisso” or something like that. Hissho is secretary, so the translator made it “secret getaway” to make it work.

That hat! *laser stare*

*one of the textbooks has “high school chemistry” on it* Tohru can do chemistry?! I suck at chemistry!

The episode title is translated as “Are you really this stupid?” It seems the real line for that was “Are you an idiot?”

Something about high school girls appeared in my head when Haru mentioned Shigure wanting to see Tohru in her tight swimsuit…*mumbles grumpily about pervs*

Kyo’s not wet, even though he got in the water! Amazing!

I think it’s sad that Tohru responds to “stupid girl” like it’s her own name.

“…that makes you suspect me?” seems better.

The Akito and Shigure age gap is somewhere between 6 and 8 years, IIRC.

Fruits Basket 32

Tohru switched from okaasan (mother) to okattekita (a formal past tense verb meaning either “bought”, “lent” or “won” based on the characters…which I don’t have a reference for). I assume because it was so off the mark, the subbers chose a similarly off the mark word.

“When I was a kid, I thought watermelons would sprout in my stomach if I ate the seeds.”

We only know about Kyo’s dad so far…hmm…what about the mother? Update: (TW: suicide) I think it was at this point we already knew that Kyo’s mother didn’t love him and committed suicide, but it’s not certain until later.

Why do doctors always use scalpels and syringes as weapons…? I mean, even Jakurai’s symbol in ARB is a syringe!

I’ve been wondering…how big is the Sohma family? Is it diluted enough that Haru and Rin can love each other without genetic problems for their child/ren? (From Another, I would say the answer is “yes”, but shoujo normally doesn’t care about this sort of thing, which is why I ask in the first place.)

Shigure seems like the type to say, “U mad, bro?”

The mansion looks like the one in Haruhi Suzumiya, if I remember the appearance of that one correctly.

#simulcast commentary #fugou keiji: balance:unlimited #Millionaire Detective: Balance: Unlimited #Fruits Basket #arte #Kitsutsuki Tantei Dokoro #Woodpecker Detective's Office #Chesarka watches Arte #Chesarka watches Fugou Keiji #Chesarka watches Furuba

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amyure · 5 years

Text

Snippets from the Tokyo 7th Sisters Complete Music File

I’ll write some interesting things I find as I skim over the t7s complete music file. - Esh

Esh originally wrote this up as a twitter thread, I’ve compiled the tweets and lightly edited/sorted them. If you’re interested in picking up the book for yourself, it can be found on Amazon Japan as well as CDjapan. – Nab

Multifaceted Motegi

Both Satsuki Update and Kanaboshi Tsukumo are Motegi. (Hahahaha) [Motegi is the General Director of Tokyo 7th Sisters, aka the guy to thank for everything (along with his team of course)! For reference, those two lyricists’ identities were kind of a mystery in the earlier days of t7s… though now they’re both just listed as ‘Alias of Shintaro Motegi’ over at VGMdb haha]

Kanaboshi Tsukumo tends to be more straightforward, saying things that Satsuki Update is not able to say explicitly, as shown from the contrast between BokuAo [僕らは青空になる] and Funbare Runner's lyrics. Prizm Rizm’s lyrics were Motegi's first foray into songwriting.

Satsuki Update and Kanaboshi Tsukumo, even if both are Motegi, were created with different personalities. The song "Bokura wa Aozora ni Naru" and "Funbare Runner" were made as "brother songs", where the former shows Satsuki update, and the latter, Kanaboshi Tsukumo's differences from them.

"Nanasis doesn’t really stick to genres, right?" Motegi: Yes. It is more like, if the song doesn’t move me then I won’t release it. If I can’t say this part of the song is good, I won’t produce it. [This is def a big part of why I like t7s music so much…]

Song Notes

The concept of Crazy Girl's Beat is "Anyway, it's cool. Even the lyrics, they’re whatever that sounds cool. ‘Sexy lingerie, yo’, despite being a little ???, is also part of it. Anyway, cool."

WORLD'S END was made to explain to fans how QoP's song came into being. Kz was tasked with making a rock song that "isn't so Kz" (to which kz replied with "eh?") They [Motegi and Kz] made the lyrics together, making it seem like telling a story.

Lucky☆Lucky’s lyrics were written by imagining what kind of songs 4U would sing after getting over the events of Episode 4U. That's why they are firm and reassuring, not only to themselves but also to others and the outside world.

BokuAo was created to convey the feelings of gratitude to Shihainin [the in-game term for the player’s ‘manager’ character] for the great enthusiasm in 1st live and for Shihainins’ great enthusiasm to the music itself. "There is no one word for gratitude,” said Motegi. Within Funbare [FUNBARE☆RUNNER] were things not "explicitly said” in BokuAo. The jackets for BokuAo and Funbare Runner are the girls looking at audience, saying "Thank You.”

Taikutsu Ribbon [たいくつりぼん] was made on a rainy winter day; it was made because Motegi wanted a mellow song.

Watashi Ai for You’s title was thought up by Motegi.

Motegi said "It's okay if the lyrics are incomprehensible" to emon for B.A.A.B. The title is from the acronym of "Break Away", mirrored. The lyrics were by emon, but the title was thought up by Motegi.

It was decided for everyone to sing every part in H-A-J-I-M-A-R-I-U-T-A-!! and Motegi wrote it without the image of MC [main character]. Even the cast asked him, “whose feelings are these?” It was his own feeling to every young person who loves Nanasis, and the moment he thought “777 Sisters is great this way.”

Hello... My Friend is the song which Motegi, for the first time, crafted together with the composer. He felt "something" was lacking, so Ryudai Abe said, "come to my house" and they made the song together. It was also made after Motegi gave his all for Ep4U and got a positive reaction.

Haneru!!’s [ハネ☆る！！] lyrics were done in one night. It was when schedule was tight with LeSCa’s lyrics as well, and Motegi felt like he wanted to break away from that style. Motegi also seems to like having girls saying somewhat boyish things, so he put boyish words like "sakutekichuu" (searching for enemy) in.

Motegi commented there were only painful memories in the making of Behind Moon. Having had not enough time, he wrote it alone in a car while the others were out drinking, and thus put in words like "unfair". Yoshii Ayami (Kyoko’s former voice actress) praised Motegi a lot for the phrase "The mint tea smells like winter" in Behind Moon and for the very first time Motegi had the confidence to say, "I wrote it."

From B.A.A.B., Karakuri’s songs were made to have an ‘overseas’ sound. For -Zero, while thinking the concept may be ‘China, or Europe, or US’, Motegi remembered Karakuri as a name is very Japanese and decided to make lyrics with a lot of old Japanese words. For -Zero’s lyrics, Motegi referenced Heian period stuff like “The Pillow Book" or "Kokin Wakashuu", a collection of waka Japanese poetry from Heian period. (Personal note: no wonder it really took a lot of research for me when I translated -Zero...)

Seventh Haven was made before the 2nd Live and at that time, they [Motegi and Kz] were in a ‘dark mode’ where they were pondering, "Is it okay for idol songs to be like this?" "Just bust through it."

The lyrics from "Robber x Lover" began flowing after "I am sure, by Abracadabra...". "I don’t want to be a robber, I want to be a lover" is to convey a ‘that is just how much I love you’ vibe. Within WNo4’s songs, the girls' voices are the least "autotuned" in Robber x Lover.

Sayonara Rainy Lady’s lyrics were written when it was raining, which revealed a bright sky after stopping. This made the feelings during the time of their writing to be bright. Motegi specifically wanted the "Kudaranai hanashi" part be sung by Imai Asaka (Shizuka’s VA).

KUMAROBO comment for BokuAo: the last chorus’ guitar solo was conceived with the "thought of borrowing those feelings from Kz-san's song" but, he could not remember which song it was. He personally repeated that part numerous times as well, loving it very much. Upon being asked for a song he could never make himself, Kumarobo answered Seventh Haven. He couldn't get an idea how it was made at all, saying he might have been able to create Sparkle Time!! but he could never be able to make a Seventh Haven.

YELLOW’s lyrics were written before 2nd Live, in 2 hours. Motegi was at a park overlooking the ocean near an airport waiting for his plane, which is why it has the sky and breeze imagery within the lyrics.

KARAKURI's song Winning Day is linked to Episode KARAKURI’s scenario, especially how it questions the meaning of "winning". Where the girls "win but did not triumph."

Kz is a fan of Kumarobo. His favorite T7S songs are PUNCH'D RANKER, Cocoro Magical, Funbare Runner, HAJIMARIUTA, and YELLOW. The image he had of Killer Tuner changed upon seeing it live, which he described as “it's super awesome.” Kz said, while working on seventh haven, he felt for the first time he understood what Nanasis was. When he sent the track to his manager, his manager said, "this is an overkill.” Kz replied "just send it," and as it turned out, Motegi approved it right away. Kz said within the story there are dark moments here and there in Nanasis, and Seventh Haven represents what "blows up" after them.

During the making of Girls Talk, Ryudai Abe [composer of the track] said a discussion went, "don’t two girls talking sound nice?" to which the reply was "then phone calls seem good!" and somehow it was made with the atmosphere of ‘strange late-night high feelings’. The talking part of Girls talk [after the second chorus] was Motegi recording the "girls talk" of two young staff members and just putting it into the song. The fast-forwarding effect was also there because he wanted "to try it somehow," he said that at that time, he really played with things.

Seiyuus / units

Ferb is Hirose Yuuki's first voice acting role. She was told to portray Ferb with her "usual voice" but always had to calm down before recording, or else it would be “too Hirose."

Ayano Yamamoto, Yumeno VA, knew about QoP’s debut from twitter when fans started dropping congratulation messages on her twitter. She thought at first that they might have mistaken her with someone else or something, as she didn’t know what those congrats were for.

Just like in the QoP Drama CD, the voice actresses of QoP spent a long time practicing how to do their MC [talking to the audience] session for the Live. Hirose (Ferb VA) thought of it as fitting and very QoP.

LeSCa’s debut was determined when Kadokawa asked for novelization in Comptiq. Motegi had wanted to debut them but never had time/opportunity till Kadokawa's novelization offer. The same thing happened with QoP.

WITCH NUMBER 4's unit name is from the image of a super hacker swimming in digital world of 2034, ‘digital wizards’. Since they are girls, it became digital witches. With imagery of JK [high school] hackers, thus it is a technopop unit.

The theme for SiSH is ‘that refined lady you find commuting by bus.’

The theme for NI+CORA is ‘Is it superb compatibility, or incompatibility? Like two high heels touching at their tips’.

The theme for Sanbon Ribbon [サンボンリボン] is ‘Somewhere in their heart, there always remains a small girl.’

The theme for LeSCa is ‘the sweet and sour days of youth’; "What's LeSCa? It's lemon squash, refreshing, carbonated drinks!" [as explained by Kyoko in the novel]

Artwork / jacket illustrations

The CD jacket for ‘t7s Longing for summer’ was originally meant to feature Mito, but MKS-san (main illustrator) said Haru would be good. Upon seeing the rough draft, Motegi felt that he had been mistaken. Haru was indeed the right choice, and with praise to MKS, the illustration was done up before the album released.

The jacket for ‘The Things She Loved’ [the t7s soundtrack album] is Nicole, not Coney, and the title is meant to be past tense. The moment she became Coney, thanks to the things she (had) loved, she can shine brightly. She continues to love it as time progresses towards her future.

Thanks to time constraints, -Zero/Treat or Treat? didn’t manage to get a full body illustration. Since it's Halloween, it is orange for pumpkin, and sticking out of the tongue as Halloween's "trick or treat"-ish playful feel.

The jacket illustration for YELLOW was to show “Triangle”. The white heels and beautiful legs are "very LeSCa", which Motegi had wanted to show off no matter what (Motegi commented how all 3 girls have beautiful legs). [Motegi…]

For Seventh Haven’s jacket, Motegi gave the raw track from Kz to MKS. Motegi had the image of both songs and illustrations' expressions and costumes, but in the end, he let MKS's design sense take the lead, and could only describe the final product as nothing less than amazing.

QoP album jacket was made black and white to show off a "rock band”-esque feel, with only their name in purple, symbolizing the band’s name.

The rough draft for Harukaze’s jacket was drawn by Motegi himself half a year before its release, then given to MKS. He then let it be just as per Motegi’s draft but the hand, the chin slightly tilted upwards, and Haru’s eyes were all MKS's design. Motegi requested for Haru's ear to be visible though.

Motegi on World’s End and Stay Gold/Start Line: MKS-san always knows what Motegi desires every time. Motegi praised MKS-san a lot in the music file, e.g. how his "world" would not be able to be separated from MKS-san's illustrations. He also commented how Musubi's leg is mesmerizing [in, I assume, illustrations where she is featured…? Such as You Can’t Win’s cover.]

For Present 4U, Motegi talked about how rock bands make jackets with meaning, but then often they don't have meaning. The illustration is "to show how the meaning is to have no meaning", fully made for the 'atmosphere', which is set in California, and tied to the Drama Track in the album.

Thanks to time constraints, for the “Are You Ready 7th-TYPES??” album jacket, only Nicole and Haru’s illustrations were finished. Since the ‘two colors’ concept was decided on, the art that was originally multi-colored was made monochrome red/blue. This was also to strengthen the image of a cool album.

Back to summaries

#Tokyo 7th シスターズ #tokyo 7th sisters #eshtarwind #translation #interview translation #translation blog #t7s #Shintaro Motegi #ナナシス

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inazuma-eleven-translations · 6 years

Text

BAKA TO TEST TO SHOUKANJUU BOOK 1

Read part 1 here.

Chapter 1 - part 2

I gave him a token nod of my head and took the envelope.

‘Still, why on earth do you guys go through the bother of handing out every student’s class individually like this? Wouldn’t it be better to just stick them all on the notice board?’

Preparing a sheet with their class written on it to give to every single student one by one could only have been a load of unnecessary hassle. Not to mention, having to individually prepare and stuff the letters into envelopes.

‘That’s what’s normally done, certainly. But keep in mind that our school uses one of the most cutting-edge, innovative examination system in the country. This unusual way of announcing class is part of that system.’

‘So that’s what it’s all about…’ I tried to respond appropriately, while turning the envelope over in my hands. Well then, what class was I going to belong to? I was a little nervous.

Why? Well, at my school - Fumizuki Academy - starting from their second year, all students were divided into classes A to F all depending on their grades on our final exam. The smartest students made up A Class, and the dumbest were F Class - that’s how it worked. In other words, your intelligence could be judge by whatever class you belonged to. For the sake of my own pride, F Class was the only class I wanted to avoid.

‘Yoshii, there’s something I want to say to you.’

‘Yes?’

The envelope was sealed pretty tightly shut, and I wasn’t having much luck opening it.

‘As I watched over you during the past year I had this nagging doubt in my head - ‘could it possibly be that Yoshii is an idiot?’ ‘

‘That’s a pretty big mistake on your part! Getting confused over something like that - people might start questioning your eyesight!’

It might not mean a whole lot coming from me, but I do think I did pretty well on the end of year exams, even though I didn’t study a whole lot. After seeing my result, Nishimura Sensei must have corrected his misjudgement and revaluated my intelligence.

‘Yes. After seeing your score on the end of your exams, I have truly realized my grave mistake.’

‘I’m glad to hear that!’

Yup, this envelope is way too difficult to open. Guess I’ve no choice - I’ll rip it open from the top. I tore off the top of the envelope and peeped inside to find a single sheet of folded paper. So, which class would I be? Perhaps D Class? Maybe even C Class?

‘Yoshi, any doubts I had about you have completely disappeared.’

I unfolded the piece of paper and checked my class.

Yoshii Akihisa...F Class

‘You are - without any doubts - an idiot.’

And that’s when my life in this school’s worst class began.

Read the next part here.

#baka test

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tatsie-kun · 7 years

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Purple Sky: MUCC Interview

Meet MUCC, Japan's hardest working and hardest rocking band By Brian Stewart From Purple Sky, Fall '06 Transcription by Tatsie-kun

"Why do you play barefoot?" I asked them.

Miya, MUCC's guitarist and de facto leader, gave me a reply that made no sense at the time. "How to put it..., there's something different feeling about listening to our sound with our feet directly planted on the ground versus listening to our sound through one layer of shoe. Like actually being able to feel the vibration."

It wasn't until I saw them live that I realized what a stupid question it had been.

Like their barefoot performances, MUCC's sound is largely instinctual, letting its whims carry it breezily across genre and category.

Their latest CD, 6, a mini outtake collection that blossomed into a full length album, was released domestically on August 6th. Described by Miya as "something so quintessentially us, a large part of which was challenging ourselves in a new way; to let a MUCC CD happen organically," it comes as no surprise that, unlike their pop rock opus Houyoku, they "felt no special need for a producer".

It is these kinds of risks that have been the band's calling card since their early days on the burgeoning Visual-kei scene. Throughout an arduous, ten-year career MUCC has supplemented their explosive operatic rock sound with ska, nu-metal, punk and recently, pop. When asked to describe MUCC's music, Miya avoided labels. "Music that is true to our emotions," he stated flatly.

Not only true to their emotions but true to their influences as well. The almost-danceable grooves laid down by perpetually smiling bassist Yukke find their roots in an unusual place also.

"I guess (my sound)'d have to be from the '80s. I like the j-pop music of that era, when I'm making a song the influence of that music comes naturally into my melodies."

But that's only the first pat of the equation. "Since high school, and since I joined MUCC I would say that my sound, and ear for music came from more Western music." His love of Finnish industrial-pop/rock pin-ups The Rasmus provides us the solution and the key to understanding the roots of his sound.

Their drummer Satochi talked about the team spirit so important to a drummer and the band dynamic.

"I guess I'm most influenced by the songs the other members write, they motivate me." he says.

But what does he mean?

"The things I don't have, the other members do. I think to myself 'So that's how they're bringing it?' or they come up with all these new things one after another, so it's like I don't want to fall behind."

Miya pulls his inspiration from a variety of sources and constantly challenges his band mates to match him, "I listen to a lot of different music, and I guess what I listen to is constantly changing. It even changes depending on my mood so I think it's good if, as an artist, each new project reflects the music I'm listening to at the time."

Finally but perhaps most importantly, one needn't strain to hear vocalist Tatsurou's love of Sakura Atsushi (Buck-Tick) in his singing.

"As a vocalist, I love him. His vocals, what would you call it, the presence. It's not that he musically influences me, as far as musical influence I'm far more inspired by the disbanded The Blue Hearts." Though comparing the two bands may seem like comparing apples to hand-grenades on the surface, MUCC, despite the stigma of Visual-kei that hangs over them are far more likely spiritual successors to the working class, high-energy punk pop legends, than even some of the low-rent punk acts directly following in their footsteps. Like MUCC, even The Blue Hearts' fun, high octane songs spoke of a world of the inevitable; pain, betrayal, corruption, and at the root of it all, love and kindness.

Though Japan has yet to respond to MUCC with the fervor with which they embraced The Blue Hearts, there can be no doubt the band has earned a passionate and fanatical following. Miya remains humble in regard to his band's fame.

"I never equated being a professional musician with materialism. If anything, I'm more concerned about the concerts we have in Japan being successful. When you're in a band that plays from your own emotion, the performance changes depending on your mood and you gotta give a concert to satisfy those paying customers and yet there are times when your emotion gets the better of you. Since going major, it's really been about closing the gap, but that's been a hard issue we face," he says.

The quartet, straight from Japan's famous Ibaraki prefecture, seems like a pretty down-to-earth people off-stage. Dressed down but still working a rockstar chic, the guys awaited the start of our interview in the OFF position; causally complaining about forgotten toothbrushes, cold air conditioning and in the case of Tatsurou, ritualistically removing the label from his bottle of juice.

For MUCC, this week was going to be a string of firsts; first time in America, first time performing at Otakon in front of American fans, first time being interviewed by an American magazine. For Yukke the deepest impression was seeing America from a plane for the first time. "I looked at the map while I was on the plane flying over, on the eastern, no, western edge of the Americas and I couldn't help thinking how wide across it stretched. That is until we landed."

For Miya it was the food. "It was typically American. The way they cooked the meat. Kinda, in a funky style." Pressed further he laments, "You know, I ordered it well done but it came back burnt." A round of laughter from the band and management alike greeted the punchline.

The story behind what lead to their first American concert left little to mystery. Miya explains their reaction. "Well, we got the invite and we thought it would be really interesting." Knowing that MUCC has never had an anime tie-in, it's a little surprising that Otakon would invite them to perform, considering that 2004's guest L'Arc~en~Ciel had a handful of anime theme song hits to recall.

For their Otakon performance, Miya seems content to let their music speak for them. He says, "We have no plans to tailor our music for specific audiences." It's a strategy that has worked so far, leading to shows in Germany and France and garnering international attention.

Many fans notice that Houyoku's "Monster" was the first song of theirs to have an English title since their very first demo "No!!". While it may seem like a sign that the band is trying to appeal to foreigners, Tatsurou thinks otherwise.

"Uh, even though it's English, in Japanese that's called katakana-go. It's pretty much the same, so I said why not. 'Cause the English letters of the word are pretty well known anyway."

While the band seems prepared to make an all out musical assault on the west, planting the seeds of future record releases and hopefully, a full-scale nationwide tour, they don't seem quite ready to tackle English lyrics.

Tatsurou says of the possibility, "I can't write in English. If I were to, I think there's stuff in the Japanese that I just can't express in English." He pauses and looks around the room. "If there were someone who could properly translate 100% the depth of my lyrics down to the hidden meanings unique to the Japanese and it sounded good, I'd be interested."

As one of the two main lyric writers, Tatsurou has been responsible for some of MUCC's most beloved songs. He even mentioned an influence that struck me as singularly unexpected.

"I love Yoshii Kazuya (ex-The Yellow Monkey). The way he uses words and his sense," he says.

Meanwhile Miya, who is the other primary lyricist in the band, has delegated more of the writing to Tatsurou recently. He talked about expanding his outlook to include themes beyond his own narrow world-view. "There's some (lyrics) just about me, and some that aren't. In the past there were a lot of songs from my personal experience, but lately I'm writing from other perspectives."

Looking at the direction of the recent singles Ryuusei and Utagoe MUCC seems to be heading further away from the down-tuned guitars and sludgy production of their past to something much cleaner and with greater appeal to a mass market. Miya is not willing to admit that much however. "At this point the new album (dropping in December) is only 1/3 completed. I can't say for sure what it will be like... we'd like to go in a new direction."

Constantly changing directions has been the band's M.O. since their formation in 1997. One could even call it evolution, but no evolutionary step was bigger than their move from high school Visual-Kei wanna-bes to hard rock veterans.

The room fills with embarrassed laughter following mention of MUCC's demo tape era song "KAGAMI" (a hilariously generic mid-90's ballad that apes both early L'Arc and Shazna). It's akin to showing someone a photo of themselves from their freshman year in high school, which is not far off from where MUCC was when they wrote the song. As "KAGAMI" proves, the band's disparate influences took awhile to surface in their music.

Miya explains, "Hey man, 'KAGAMI' and those songs from our very first demo tapes, those are from, like, when we were in high school. We didn't have a clear idea of what kind of music we wanted to make back then. We had our hands full just 'being in a band'. Of course we wanted to make the best music we could, but we just didn't have that vision yet as to the kind of band, the kind of songs, and the kind of performance we wanted to put out there. So that shows in the songs and arrangements."

The band earned their wings by surviving those aimless early days and growing as musicians with each release. This year, their self-described "Devilish Year", has been like one long training session to see how well they hold together through endless touring, endless releases (they put out three original CDs this year) and endless promotion.

Unquestionably deserving of the spot, Miya has no reservations about taking his band to one of the biggest shows in Japan. The annual Kouhaku Uta Gassen (lit. Red/White Song Battle) broadcast every New Year's Eve is watched by over 80% of all Japanese homes. He said, "It's known by every nearly every Japanese. It's a show that showcases the best Japanese music has to offer. If we could I'd love to."

Tatsurou has only one thing he'd like to clear up before they do so, "I don't get it. How do they decide who wins (Kohaku) anyway? I've never really sat down and watched it before. Do the songs and performances decide who wins?" A lot of laughter accompanied several abortive attempts to explain the contest.

One thing is certain, however, for such fun-loving guys, they sure do write gloomy songs.

"Honestly we're just normal people," says Miya. "We just happen to have a gift to say what people normally wouldn't and that's what we do in our music." He adds matter-of-factly, "It stands to reason sometimes that's gonna turn out to be a gloomy song."

~~~

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

Part I: Scary Things

Purple Sky (pS): What scares you most?

Yukke: Ghosts.

pS: Do you believe in ghosts?

Yukke: Yeah. I think Japanese ghosts are pretty scary.

pS: Is there really a difference between American ghosts and the Japanese variety?

Yukke: Well foreign ghosts... like for instance, say a ghost appeared in this very hotel, I don't think it would be that scary. If the setting were a Japanese hotel? Now that's scary.

Tatsurou: I think Japanese and American horror is fundamentally different. I think there's less of the spiritual here. Not that there isn't any but... in like, horror or splatter house films there's sort of incorporeal monsters. In the case of Japanese horror, it's like they posses you, and you like, never know where they're going to come out of. In Japanese horror there's very few tangible monsters. Like Freddy...

pS: Is there something you're afraid of?

Tatsurou: Afraid of... well ghosts for one, and like, UFOs. The unexplained. I'm afraid of things I can't quantify.

pS: Does it keep you up at night?

Tatsurou: Very seldom does it keep me up at night, but there are lots of things I'm just frightened of. Roller coasters. Haunted houses. Things I can't comprehend. Because I can't comprehend them they scare me. If I knew all about them I don't think I'd be scared.

pS: But actually, MUCC, you yourselves make scary faces and wear scary makeup and shoot scary videos.

Tatsurou: At first when we were in high school, all we wanted to do was stuff that was interesting and would make an impact unlike anybody else out there. And then we started to change. Somewhere along the way we started finding out who we were as a band and started singing about real stuff. Real stuff is what helped get out these painful emotions.

pS: Is what's real scarier than fantasy?

Tatsurou: I think the two are relative. It's scary because we're expressing something real but...

pS: Anyone else?

Miya: Scary things, eh? Personally, I've never seen a ghost.

pS: Anyone here seen one? (Yukke raises his hand high.)

Miya: It doesn't feel real to me. Cause I've never experienced it. I mean, if Yukke says he's seen one, I think that's spooky but I'm someone who hasn't. I'm just not attuned to that sort of stuff. What I think is scary are all the incidents in the news recently, of like the slaying of children. There's been so many recently. I think people, mankind scares me the most.

pS: That's a mature answer. Are you all fans of horror or splatter house? Do you watch those sort of movies?

Miya: I enjoy Japanese horror movies and Korean.

Tatsurou: Scary maybe, but not really horror.

pS: What kind of movies do you enjoy?

Tatsurou: It's not horror really, but as far as movies I enjoyed The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Otherwise, I really like action movies, but I like to watch movies that make me think too.

PART II: CANDY

pS: On Halloween we give out candy to little kids. Do you guys like candy?

Miya: I like sweet things.

pS: Really? I have this image of Japanese people not really liking sweet things.

Miya: (defensively) There's plenty of us, trust me.

Tatsurou: The quality of sweets suited to a Japanese taste and those suited to a Western palate is different. I think the sweets we eat as children are different.

pS: Do you prefer foreign candy or traditional Japanese sweets?

Tatsurou: I think if you were to ask the kids today, hardly anyone would say they love traditional Japanese sweets.

pS: So then do you often eat candy bars?

Miya: I love them.

pS: And you?

Yukke: Yes, I like them.

pS: What kind?

Yukke: Like sweets, right? I'm not really into chocolate.

pS: Well, Pocky is popular here at Otakon.

Yukke: Really? I've never bought one. I like this penny candy called "Dagashi". There's this one called "Sudako Santarou". It's not too sweet and they sell it for about ten yen. It's the kind of salty cheap one I like.

PART III: ANIME

MUCC, said to have taken their name from a furry red character from the children's variety program Ponkiki (similar to Sesame Street), and having been known to cover songs from the show, including "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun," were sure to be anime dorks, right? Since we were at Otakon, I decided to find out!

pS: Do you guys like anime? Do you now watch much?

Miya: No, but I think all Japanese children are brought up watching anime so we all know it.

Tatsurou: The one I really got a kick out of recently was, I mean there's tons I like so it's hard to narrow it down to just one, but recently I really liked Samurai Champloo. I dug that one. And, uh, just before I was into HunterxHunter. I really liked Hagane no Renkinjyutsushi (Full Metal Alchemist) as an anime too. You know when they make an anime of an on-going manga series, there's a gap between the manga and the anime. A time difference. They have to wrap up the story of the anime so the story of the anime diverges quite a bit from that of the manga.

pS: Right, so the anime ends but the manga goes on.

Tatsurou: But, in the case of Hagaren (Full Metal Alchemist's Japanese nickname) I think the anime wrapped up the story neatly. It's different than the manga story but the finale puts the pieces together and offers closure.

pS: For you, there's closure on the story so you stopped reading the manga?

Tatsurou: In the case of Hagaren I think I like the end of the anime more than the way the manga is going.

~~~

EXTRA: TATTOO

pS: None of you have tattoos is that right?

Miya: Yes.

pS: Are you anti-tattoo?

Miya: No, not really.

Tatsurou: Satochi used to want to get one.

pS: What were you thinking about?

Satochi: There's this drummer I like...

pS: And you wanted to get a tattoo of his face?

Satochi: No, no. (laughing) There was this Buddha on his back.

Tatsurou: If I were to get a tattoo I'd want a Japanese style one. Not like tribal or something. A Japanese print. Japanese style tats have like, Japanese-like creatures and things in them. In those Japanese colors and with that style, I think it'd be cool to have non-Japanese animals. Most people would get like, a carp or a dragon but you never see like, a dolphin or like, Shamu the killer whale. They'd look cool in a Japanese style.

~~~

Message to America

Satochi: I want to make an impact with our concert, the type that makes fans of those watching. I want more Americans to become our fans.

Miya: I hope to do a performance that makes the people who come to see us say "They're better than I imagined," and allows us to periodically release our Japanese relases here.

Yukke: I think that most people in attendance today will be seeing MUCC for the first time. I hope that we get an invite to come back and do more concerts soon, and that when we do we'll get more fans and be able to put out a CD and do some more concerts.

Tatsurou: Rock is like, the rock coming out of Japan, is being sold on its roots; It's Japanese-ness. I hope that people listen to what Japan has to offer.

#purple sky #MUCC #MY EYES HURT SO MUCH NOW LOL #omg this magazine needed a goddamned proofreader the grammar is so god awful it hurts

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njawaidofficial · 7 years

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How DC Is Betting on Tomorrow's Comic Book Talent

http://styleveryday.com/2017/08/10/how-dc-is-betting-on-tomorrows-comic-book-talent/

How DC Is Betting on Tomorrow's Comic Book Talent

With high-profile comic book projects like Dark Nights: Metal and Doomsday Clock waiting in the wings, it might come as a surprise that DC Entertainment is looking even further into the future. Wednesday sees the announcement of its Class of 2017 Writers Workshop, featuring six writers taking part in the company’s initiative to promote new talent inside its line-up, and to the industry beyond.

Heat Vision can exclusively reveal that the writers participating in this year’s Writers Workshop program are Magdalene Visaggio (Kim & Kim, Quantum Teens Are Go), Sanya Anwar (1001), Joey Esposito (Pawn Shop, Captain Ultimate), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Last Sons of America, Warlords of Appalachia), Robert Jeffrey (Route 3, Radio Free Amerika), and Ryan Cady (Big Moose).

The Writers Workshop is one of two parallel programs making up the larger DC Talent Development Workshop initiative (the other being, perhaps obviously, an Artists Workshop program). 2017 is the second year the initiative is in full-swing, with last year’s launch following a 2015 pilot program.

“It was like going to Hogwarts,” 2016 alum Ibrahim Moustafa told Heat Vision about his experience of the Artist Workshop program, which relocates all participants to DC’s Burbank offices for three weeks of classes and seminars led by DKIII‘s Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson, as well as DC Entertainment co-publisher Jim Lee. “I’ve been drawing comics for quite some time now — several years — and I learned things that I never knew in the class. It was incredible.”

Moustafa, whose work can currently be seen in the DC/Vertigo series Savage Things, said that the daily tutorials didn’t just help sharpen up the skills he already had — “I would liken it to being fluent in a different language and then learning better vocabulary,” he explained — but it offered important lessons in the theory and business of comics, as well.

“We had some really fruitful time talking to editors, talking about what they’re looking for from artists, what kind of things are required — scheduling, things that go along with production — a very well-rounded experience,” the artist says.

Being midway through a project (he was one issue into his Savage Things run when he started the course last November), the practical lessons proved invaluable, he says. “It was the type of thing that, right away, I could start working into my thought process … I think I can see a marked improvement in my work from that time forward. I’m much more thoughtful in how I draw a page now. I think the experience overall made me a better storyteller in general, and it’s something that I do every day all day, so it’s going to be there with me going forward.”

Tony Patrick, an alumnus of the 2016 Writers Workshop — and co-writer on the new Batman and the Signal mini-series — described the Writers Workshop as “an instant game changer” for his career, and for comics in general, due to the new voices it supports.

“I really didn’t think I was going to get in. It’s not something I really conceived of, it just felt like something I had to do,” he remembers. “Vita Ayala was in the [2015 pilot program], and I know her from [independent publisher] Black Mask Studios. She spoke highly of the program. From talking with her, I wasn’t exactly sure what was possible, but I asked her if I should do it, and she said absolutely. I really had no expectations — it was inconceivable that I would actually get into it. Then I did. It’s still yielding results for me in a lot of different ways.”

Unlike the Artist Workshop, the Writers Workshop is a virtual class that runs across three months, according to All-Star Batman and Dark Nights: Metal writer Scott Snyder, who leads the group.

“It’s 13 weeks, and we meet for two, two-and-a-half hours online in a Brady Bunch-style box of windows. I teach it in such a way that it’s all superhero writing for DC. I try and make each week a lesson about a particular technique,” he explains. “My job is not to teach you how to write by formula for DC. It’s for you to come in and write the stuff you’re passionate about in your own way. I don’t care if that’s funny political, light-hearted, dark, whatever. Your job is to come in and have something to say. My job is to help you fit it into the rubric of superhero calculus and to help you maximize that story: look at where you should beef things up, slow it down, be aware of pacing. You need to come here and have something to say.”

Patrick agrees. “The aim is for us to contribute something new to the DC Universe and, also, become part of this extended family,” he says. “The workshop gives you the space to look behind the curtains when it comes to the DC Universe, and the process, but there’s an equal opportunity to write in your voice — and to fine-tune and find your voice.”

As part of the program, each participant submits “two or three” scripts for group critique, which Patrick describes as a bonding exercise as much as a chance to improve individual writing chops. “Once you’ve turned your script in, a significant section of the class is dedicated to feedback,” he says. “I was working with very talented, intelligent, kind human beings who would take apart your script — just rip it apart — and the very next moment, give you feedback that would help you improve, give you inspiration and keep you going.”

Moustafa says the same was true of the Artists group, adding that he’s still in touch with his fellow graduates months later. “It’s nice to have somebody there to share work with, hold each other accountable if we’re starting to slip on any of the stuff we learned — somebody there to reinforce the good stuff that we learned, and just talk about our journey into comics together and discuss our growth. Having another eye that you trust is very, very valuable, especially someone who’s been through the same process, so they know what to look for.”

For Snyder — who jokes that “I have no business teaching just because of the workload I have,” despite having almost a decade of teaching experience outside comics — the chance to bring new voices to DC is what drew him to the program. “You always hope to leave things on the shelf, and I do hope to do that, but knowing that you’ve helped get some people in that make things that inspire you is really a point of pride … It’s making our bench, and the DC universe, much more robust and diverse, just in terms of the diversity of voices and the kinds of stories they want to tell. It’s inspiring.”

The Talent Development Workshop program doesn’t actually end when the workshops are finished. Bobbie Chase, DC’s vp and executive editor of young reader and talent development, and leader of the initiative, leads a team — including Sara Miller and Andrea Shea — that works with alumni to place them on projects after the classes are finished, with work from the 2016 group having already appeared in issues of Superman, Nightwing, Suicide Squad Most Wanted and other DC titles. (Patrick’s co-writer on the Batman and the Signal series is none other than Scott Snyder, who said that he enjoyed “putting my money where my mouth is” with that kind of collaboration.)

Additionally, Nov. 29 will see the release of New Talent Showcase 2017 No. 1, a special issue featuring short stories created by the collected alumni of both the Writers and Artists Workshops groups from 2016, behind a cover from Jim Lee. The solicitation text for the issue reads as follows:

NEW TALENT SHOWCASE 2017 #1 Written by ERICA HARRELL, DESIRÉE PROCTOR, DAVE ACCAMPO, AARON GILLESPIE, AL LETSON, TONY PATRICK and OWL GOINGBACK Art by SAM LOTFI, MINKYU JUNG, LYNNE YOSHII, SIYA OUM, MATT MERHOFF, LALIT SHARMA and JAGDISH KUMAR Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS That latest graduates from the DC Talent Development Workshops show off their skills in stories starring some of DC’s greatest characters. In these tales, Poison Ivy fights an ancient demon, Doctor Fate is confronted by the cost of magic, Red Hood and Duke Thomas face off in a training day simulation and so much more!

More information on DC’s Talent Development Workshop program — including updates on graduates — can be found here.

#Betting #Book #Comic #DC #Talent #Tomorrows

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