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myreallymachine · 1 year

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Perceptions of Junjou Romantica pt.1

I reread Junjou Romantica.

And I liked it, I know it's a red flag; I admit it, and I don't regret stating this.

Okay, so last Saturday, December 03, between these midnight slumps, moments where everything you consider right starts to be questioned, is that Junjou Romantica came to my head, as a blurry idea.

I listened to the thought and after at least 30 minutes of online research, I found a translation page that updates the Manga, more or less up to date and without spelling mistakes, something that is always appreciated.

Before reviewing (this is going to take a long time) then I think it is appropriate to give the respective credits to this translation group:

Credits for the small screenshots I'm going to post to @hibonbl-scan on Tumblr and link to his page where I read the manga (at least the last few caps):

(in Spanish, bc I'm lazy man. Please see the image descriptions (ALT) to read the English translation of the cartoons)

BTW: This post is a translation for a last ONE.

I read the chapters before act 40.5 in TMO and Manga Dogs; please support @hibonbl-scans in their official pages and do not resubmit the manga to these platforms, because it is a demerit to the hard work that this group does for the readers.

Anyway, I'll stop chitchatting because this is coming for a long time, because it is about the avalanche of thoughts both good and bad, of what Junjou Romantica has meant to my life.

On goodreads I rated my review 4.4 out of five stars but… objectively it doesn't deserve more than 3.

Is Junjou romantica a bad manga?

The short answer is: Yes.

But then why did I score it so high?

Because the moment you put aside the bad time the first few chapters put you through, is when you start to highlight the good stuff.

So, a little context for you to understand the crossroads of my life:

My first BL anime, was Junjou Romantica, like a lot of the people who started watching yaoi. I watched it believing that Misaki, the main character, was a girl.

And I was shocked to realize that there could be a genre specific to gay relationships in anime. At that time, I only watched shojo (I also watched kuroko no basket, but I should dedicate another post to that), my epitome of romance was Adrian and Marinnete's relationship from miraculus ladybug, and I was 12 years old.

If I were to go back in time, I would have said to myself, don't watch Junjou Romantica until you understand that the attitudes Usagi exercises with Misaki are not romantic. THEY ARE TOXIC, THEY ARE WRONG and SHOULD NOT BE ROMANTIC.

I was one of the many girls who somehow approached yaoi believing that gay relationships, in real life, were based on abuse and possession which in manga/anime, looked good, but in real life is BAD.

Well, anyway, back then, as soon as I finished the bl anime page, I read the junjou Romantica manga, but I didn't remember anything, so I decided to reread it.

Current context:

I introduce myself; I'm a 17-year-old Chilean girl, who writes BL fanfiction since she saw junjou romantica. My romantic experience is not null, but the truth is that I've never felt in love. Nowadays, I can clearly differentiate the harmful attitudes of my environment and I can say that I managed to say NO to a relationship that was going to become something extremely toxic.

Disclaimer: the manga is not finished yet. But at this point the ending is pretty easy to guess and almost all the main conflicts are settled, so I don't think my opinion will change with the ending.

Also: Too many spoilers.

With this in mind, I can start commenting: Bring your beverage of choice, make yourselves comfortable because this started long and will go on long.

The plot: Usagi is a traumatized novelist, Misaki a traumatized boy but with a cool brother. Usagi and Misaki love each other. 💕

That the easiest plot summary.

I'm going to start with the good and the bad I'll analyze it later.

My favorite character is: MISAKI 🤧

I give a trophy to Misaki, for achieving this position in my heart. A real shame that within the fandom you are so underrated, all because of Usagi's sexy face. However, I didn't fall for Usagi's charms, and I can say that Misaki is one of the best developed characters I've encountered in manga.

WHAT????

When I was 12 I didn't appreciate it, but now. OMG.

Misaki needs real recognition, and so I'm going to start by highlighting what makes him such a mind-blowing character.

Misaki is an orphan boy, and he still blames himself in his 20-something years for this event, for this very reason is that he grows up to become an insecure man with low self-esteem and even comes to believe that he doesn't deserve to be loved.

It gives me certain vibes of Charlie from heartstopper, but worse.

HOW?

Now they're going to want to kill me, I get it.

Misaki, has all these complexes, besides being an orphan, having clear homosexual preferences that he represses and his older brother who has taken care of him, since his parents died, is getting married and, therefore, Misaki must become independent to not disturb the family environment that his brother will begin to form with great effort.

And I emphasize that bother, because Misaki throughout the manga we see him constantly repressing himself for fear of being a nuisance. He shuts up his opinions, his own desires, for the sake of the other person. He is too humble, so much so that it becomes painful. But Misaki grew up like this, it's the way he lives.

But everything I said, it doesn't end there, because the Misaki of vol. 1 changes too much to the Misaki we meet in vol. 27.

Misaki is my favorite character because we see him grow too much, so much so that I ended up in tears of pride just for him.

In the beginning he is, as I said, a snowball of insecurities, which if not healed, is going to end up getting bigger and bigger. His motivations (at the beginning) are basic: finish college, get married, work, and die. A life scheme that she considers boring, but at least it won't cause problems for the people around her.

Misaki, too, has a big issue expressing his feelings, he gets a mental circuit breaker and runs out of words even though he knows them well. He cannot express what he likes and dislikes; something that also contributes to the misunderstandings that occur throughout the saga

(and which add to the toxicity of the main relationship, at the beginning).

But in the end, Misaki not only accepts that he wants to be with Usagi for life, but is also able to express this clearly to her most important circle of people. He is confident enough in the decisions he makes that he can fearlessly reject people who want to go overboard with him. And furthermore, he brings to the relationship he has with Usagi no longer just as a stereotypical "tender Uke" figure BUT now he does so by supporting the very "super strong Seme" that Usagi is supposed to be.

Exactly. Misaki acknowledges that he's pivotal because without him, Usagi would be dead. At first, he says it as a joke, but now we realize that it's true. That their relationship works for the simple reason that they complement each other like a glove.

This is true love 💓. Because we are into something that is mutual.

Misaki can convey that he doesn't like something, maybe with a little more effort than everyone else; but he CAN. He is a boy who has grown into an adult who intelligently recognizes desires, ambitions, fears, and affection.

He transmits and receives love; in all spectrums of the word. As we see in the last vignette. If you only saw it you wouldn't know who Usagi or Misaki are, because they are equals. They consider each other as equals and respect each other as one.

Do you know how much it took for Misaki to identify herself as someone just as valid as Usagi?

Junjou romantica, to me, more than a romantic story is the journey of overcoming a troubled boy through sincere love. It's Misaki's journey, and how this is just beginning, assuming that it will hurt many times and cost; but with Usagi by her side she will be able to overcome the gaps.

There is a reason why the story begins when Misaki is so young. He is 22 years old, just finished college. That is to say, he has all his life and is going to keep learning. Junjou Romantica is the beginning of Misaki's journey.

My favorite scene with Misaki as the main character is when he talks to his sister-in-law about his relationship with Usagi. That explosion of information and feelings they had inside her for years is something magical. I was in tears from how proud I was.

Maybe it wasn't the best confession, but he told her everything he felt, he conveyed to his sister-in-law all the time he has invested in the relationship with Usagi. That it would be for life.

I was with Misaki, supporting him through everything, hoping for the best. I am amazed at how much he was able to convey with those words.

I felt his nervousness. At that point I was already crying, but I had to take a break when I read the following:

So short. So sincere and so meaningful.

I don't think I need to say anything else. Misaki as the best character in the whole manga. First point finished 😉

Now, I know what they're waiting for.

Who they're waiting for.

Usagi-San.

Is he a good character or a bad character, are his actions justified, should he be forgiven?

First, a little vignette of the men we're here to analyze.

One good thing I should point out: His obsession with teddy bears. That has a charm that's hard to ignore. Seeing a guy carrying a teddy bear all the time is wonderful.

In short; Usagi is a novelist, who has a bad relationship with his family and, in reality, knows little about human relationships. We realize this in the first moment, when he attacks Misaki, just for seeing him meddling in her things.

If I'm not mistaken, Usagi never had a steady partner before Misaki, but I want to sound like there was a thing with Hiroki, but I don't remember too well and, I don't really care either (I'll talk about my complicated relationship with secondary partners later).

Okay, so with that in mind, let's start with the bad stuff, just to get it out of the way.

What's up with falling in love with the brother of your biggest crush?

The younger brother, to boot.

I consider that to be the least realistic thing about Misaki and Usagi's relationship, because we're dealing with a replacement dynamic; which ends up affecting Misaki later on.

However, I think that if Nakamura, had the opportunity to remake the first volumes, that would be something that would change; because it is NOT necessary that in order to form a strong relationship between two characters it is mandatory that one has a crush on the other. Misaki's brother himself, is a living image of this. He never had any interest in Usagi in that way and yet, he considers him as her best friend.

(I will also talk about Misaki's brother later but wait).

The second thing I don't like are the attitudes Usagi has, I'll leave a little sequence, so you can realize this by yourselves.

Context: Misaki is talking to Usagi's family and Usagi appears out of nowhere.

I mean, I know it's a joke, but it gets a little murky when we actually realize that Usagi is the kind of partner who would put her boyfriend on a damn GPS, so she knows where he is.

It's controlling.

Still, we can salvage a bit of the reasons why Usagi is that way, so distrustful even of the person he loves; but I must stress that this doesn't justify his actions either. His controlling behavior stems from how much he has struggled to form stable relationships in the past.

See, in the manga itself we are told how for Usagi, Misaki is the first person to cry for him. We are even told that this is what caught Usagi's attention, how Misaki's empathy was so high that he expressed all the pain that Usagi held back, all by himself; despite the two of them getting along “badly” at the beginning of the story.

That's the word: “Irreplaceable”. The main reason Usagi controls Misaki so much is that he knows that he will never find someone who feels the same things, at the same intensity as Misaki does.

Now, does this justify his actions?

NO, NO AND NO.

Let's not confuse motives with justifications, they are very different things, but that we have to realize in order to understand the characters a little more. Because if we start defending toxic attitudes we will be in front of a red flag, and maybe we should start rethinking what we consider love and respect.

Now, let's talk about being possessive, and we don't have to go too far in the manga for the first signs of this attitude to come to light.

This character, who has been almost forgotten, was Misaki's first friend in the uni, when everyone ignored him.

And, in fact, he behaved as a cordial person with Misaki, he made him feel understood and integrated into that micro society that is the University. He even helped Misaki forget for a moment the insecurities that haunted him because he considered himself as his brother's replacement.

In other words, what I said in the first place. Direct effect.

Now. What ends up happening? That Usagi almost wants Misaki to be his. He stresses this to her on occasions where he tells him that he would prefer him to stay in the house 24/7, or in this house itself. Interfering in Misaki's personal relationships.

The good thing is that they're manga characters, so we're dealing with people who function on a scripted basis, but if the situation happened in real life, Misaki's friend would most likely have turned the other way.

Misaki wants to go out to eat with his new friend, but Usagi refuses because he finds himself jealous no longer that he has friendships, but that he is a man. He hates it when Misaki talks to other people, because in Usagi's mentality, that action in itself expresses a sexual interest on Misaki's part.

Which brings us to one of the first major conflicts.

Misaki, for the first time claims that he wants it and Usagi what does he do?

He represses it.

That contradiction is what I hate most about Usagi, who then later complains that Misaki isn't clear with his feelings, that he doesn't hide things from him, what-the-hell-doesn't-he-do. Dude, you in Act 2, when the two of you, in reality, were nothing, not even an official couple; you silenced Misaki.

How does the situation end? With sex and Usagi imposing himself as someone who has greater authority with Misaki and, therefore, must obey him.

I tried to cut the scene as best I could, because it is very explicit.

Honestly, this accumulation of attitudes is what makes Usagi a pretty despicable character to me.

It's a strong word, but unfortunately his pretty face doesn't help us to save points.

But well, not everything is bad with Usagi. But in order to highlight the good, it was necessary to identify how this character started in the story.

Because what I like most about Usagi, is how he recognizes that his past actions were wrong and tries to repair the damage caused in the future. Without repeating the same mistakes again.

For this we have to get to the beginning of the current arc, which I have called as “Confession arc” where the relationship of both, can no longer continue to be kept hidden and, therefore, Usagi understands that in order to form a relationship that is already “for life”, he can not continue to mistrust Misaki in such small situations.

It's not for nothing that the relationships that last the least are the ones with trust bumps. It ends up tiring both parties, and they fail as fast as they ascend.

So, the situation is as follows. We have Ijuiin Sensai, who is a mangaka that Misaki adores with all his life. He admires him greatly, but the only problem is that Ijuiin does harbor romantic feelings for Misaki.

This triggers several conflicts, as Usagi, again with his trust issues tries to “mark territory” with this mangaka. But this does not end up making Ijuiin himself see Misaki as a more “desirable” target. Following the logic that when you are forbidden something you end up wanting it more.

The interesting thing happens during Misaki's 22nd birthday, when Misaki and Usagi decide to travel and by the vagaries of life, Ijuiin meets Misaki. He confesses to him and even tries to kiss him.

At this point, we realize that Usagi, is watching everything from afar, seeing when he considers it an appropriate time to intrude.

The great thing is, Usagi doesn't intrude on this conversation. He does not decide to show himself, as he is confident that Misaki will be able to reject Ijuiin Sensei without further complications.

I think at this point, Usagi starts to put his toxic attitudes aside, and tries to carefully follow Misaki's actions. Something that is really appreciated, because up to this point, I always felt that Usagi, on certain occasions "happened to carry" Misaki, for and for his own benefit.

This vignette actually has more meaning than you think; it shows us that Usagi, despite being able to have it all, what makes her most happy is knowing that he is able to fully trust Misaki.

It makes him happy to know that the person he loves also fights for the same ideals.

Usagi is not a humble person, but we do not realize how in reality, the only thing he always looked for was that; love. Reciprocal and on firm pillars of trust.

My favorite Usagi moment is this one:

If someone says something similar for me, I would hold on to this one without a second thought.

In this sentence, all possibility of failure is left out. Usagi throughout the manga has shown us that he does not intend, for anything in the world to let Misaki leave his side. He has fought against the ups and downs, for that.

To go through this life with him.

That perfectly condenses the character's purpose and how something as human as living can be made better if shared with the right person. Usagi already met him, and this is Misaki, and he is not willing for anything in the world to let go of him.

The Japanese don't have a particular and defined religion; they actually share traits of various religions they have in their daily lives, and JR as such has never really shown too marked religious references other than the typical anime/manga ones, such as the New Year's celebration. But I could say that this is the first sentence that has such a marked religious meaning.

There are various beliefs of death; the Catholic one is that we ascend to heaven and live in paradise, in others there is reincarnation, Shintoism, where humans become kami.

But the fact that Usagi has referred to “this life” transcends the religious, because he makes it explicit that he believes that in the next life he will be a completely different person.

The great thing comes when we realize that one life is full of experiences and hardships and he is willing to spend it with Misaki no matter what. Usagi believes that when he dies, in the next life he is not going to have Misaki and that makes him make the decision to live his current life with Misaki as much as he can.

Therefore, I consider this to be one of Usagi's best moments, for the simple fact that it tells us as readers that this is his final decision and that he doesn't plan to change for anything in the world.

A true: "Till death do us part".

In short. Usagi gives for a lot to talk about, considering all the background of the Usami family behind, but I prefer to leave this section up to here to go to another point.

The best brother in the world?

As I was commenting throughout the post, Misaki comes as a package, so to speak. In fact, there would be no Junjou Romantica without Misaki's brother.

Takahiro Takahashi.

I'm bad with names, so I'll just call him Takahiro or brother, just so we understand each other.

I consider Takahiro to be too good a person, and you can understand at a glance where Misaki got all the humility from: From her older brother.

Takahiro instilled in Misaki the values of hard work, honesty, and simplicity.

From the very first moment, we realize that this character is completely devoted to Misaki, to the point of putting his own dreams aside to take care of his little brother.

Takahiro is aside from this, the biggest hero to Misaki, as he is always the first person he looked to for a second opinion or support.

However, I consider Takahiro, starting from the last arc becomes such a cool character that would lead me to rank him as one of the best siblings I've seen in manga.

Starting with the point that it is not too common for the main characters to have siblings.

THIS CARTOON IS TOO CLEVER.

Takahiro's main flaw is what you see up there; he still sees his younger brother as a child, who is not ready for the adult world. His wife tells him. That Misaki is no longer a child, that he should start seeing him as the independent adult he is.

This of course is going to reflect a shock to Takahiro, who has always sought for Misaki's welfare. Fighting for this with blood, sweat, and tears; defending Misaki from the obstacles that may come his younger brother's way.

But this made Misaki end up, in a subjective way; drowned.

Takahiro is overprotective, that's his biggest problem. Misaki is too important to him and for that very reason, he would like to be aware of everything that happens in his brother's life. He faithfully believes that he knows Misaki too well and trusts that Misaki could never hide information from him because Misaki, in one way or another, is "indebted to him".

Misaki, however, believes that the best way to settle that “debt” (which is the time Takahiro invested in Misaki's childhood), is to get away from Misaki. Letting his brother live a solitary life; with his own family, while Misaki tries to live the best life possible.

Now, clearly they will remain close siblings. I really love the brotherhood between the two because it looks too sincere.

On the other hand, let's have the conflict that occurs when Takahiro discovers his relationship with Usagi and his reaction.

IT WAS SPECTACULAR.

Because it was realistic, he didn't accept everything at the first time. He even gave a look of pure hatred to Usagi, who is his best friend, and took his little brother elsewhere.

I feel, somehow or other this is no longer about gender. Takahiro doesn't care about the issue of Misaki being with another man, but the simple fact that Misaki has managed to make a person who is not him, become someone precious leaves him too shocked.

I feel that if Usagi were a woman, the same reaction would happen. Takahiro doesn't understand how this guy was able to get Misaki to express his likes and dislikes with such conviction, something that even he couldn't achieve.

This hurts Takahiro, because he hates to know that despite all the effort he made, Usagi managed to bring out a part of Misaki that even he, as an older brother, did not know. It is hard to assume and for that very reason he is perplexed.

Also, there's no denying that he even feels guilty, since it was thanks to Takahiro that Misaki stayed to live with Usagi and, consequently, the relationship was established.

Which brings us to this other thing:

I applauded at this moment.

Simply spectacular.

Are we in front of one of the best sentences in the whole manga? I think so, because in this sentence Takahiro shows us that even he himself feels guilty of what Misaki has suffered.

He knows that one of Misaki's shortcomings is to apologize even for breathing, besides being aware that the reasons for this behavior are a result of the difficult childhood he had. And more than that, is the issue that Misaki is never going to feel totally “forgiven” for the death of his parents; we all know that they passed away from driving fast because Misaki was sick and this fact ended up marking Misaki for life.

Takahiro is aware that the weaknesses Misaki has are because of that. He never expresses what he feels for fear of a similar situation happening again due to a need of his, he apologizes for everything and tries to cope with difficulties too great for anyone.

The simple fact that Takahiro told Misaki that if he has a conviction (love for Usagi), he should hold on to it, is extremely important. Because it is the biggest gesture in which Takahiro realizes Misaki is letting go of that feeling of guilt little by little.

Now how does it affect him to know that his best friend betrayed his trust?

One image speaks for itself:

You know what? The fact that Takahiro hit Usagi made me infinitely happy. Partly because it was the punch I wanted to give him in the first few chapters, but in another because it seems like a very human reaction to me.

Yeah, I guess I'm a fan of human reactions.

Now, let's understand Takahiro a bit. He fully trusted his friend, for Misaki to study in the desired university; no one would ever think that your best male friend would end up with your little brother, who is the light of your days.

In Takahiro's own eyes, Usagi took advantage of Misaki; of Misaki's shortcomings when he was still “innocent”.

Something he's not entirely wrong about because coff coff first chapter coff coff.

At this point Takahiro would feel too guilty if Misaki's relationship leads to having painful consequences for his little brother, because he somehow “introduced” Usagi.

I love that Takahiro has told him that he will never forgive Usagi if she hurts Misaki, because that makes family a priority for Takahiro and that no matter what, he will always support Misaki. He treasures him, and as he has continuously repeated; Misaki is his greatest pride.

Anyway, Takahiro of my favorite characters 💖

-✦───────────-✧

Choice of favorite chapters/moments pt.1:

To no one's surprise, I consider the best scenes to be from the 3rd season equivalence of JR's anime.

So I'll give a brief description of the situation, my feelings, and the importance in the plot.

Misaki's 22nd birthday.

It is not difficult for me to infer why this moment is transcendental. First of all, there is the simple fact that during this moment Usagi understands that the fundamental thing is the trust he must build with Misaki and, on the other hand, there is the mere fact that it is a birthday celebration.

Birthdays, although they may seem stupid to many people, are actually something all too human that people do to get closer to each other. It celebrates one more year of the birthday boy or girl's life and wishes for many more.

Misaki's 22nd birthday, marks the beginning of the last arc, where important issues end and begin; such as college and the Usagi/Misaki relationship is put into further question by Misaki's older brother.

Marbles

It happens during Misaki's 22nd birthday itself, but I consider it a beautiful moment to ignore.

Basically, Misaki teaches Usagi that with marbles you can make 3 wishes and Misaki later realizes that she made the same wish as Usagi.

This makes it clear how such a simple custom as making wishes on marbles can actually have a big impact on a person's relationship.

Without a doubt, Misaki always surprises us with how much he makes us feel, with things as simple as that. Nothing extravagant, just sincere love.

Misaki realizes that he wants to live with Usagi.

Then Misaki's older brother starts to pressure him, saying that it is no longer appropriate for a boy, who is finishing college, to continue living as a “kept man” in Usagi's house.

In this context, Misaki is forced to spend a weekend with his brother and family, realizing how much he misses Usagi.

This chapter is actually very important, as something rather peculiar happens. We know that Misaki's older brother is one of the most significant people in her life and, despite having lived with him all her childhood, we realize that the four years or so that he has lived with Usagi have been enough for Misaki to no longer feel comfortable living in her older brother's home life.

Misaki realizes how much Usagi is missing in his daily life, how such a small action as spending a couple of days without each other is already too much.

They will say it's dependency… But I would call it.

Coexistence.

Misaki no longer sees Usagi's apartment as something foreign to his life, before it even felt uncomfortable. Now, he sees that place as the home he needs to recharge his strength. Misaki now realizes that he no longer wants to keep lying to his family about his reasons for living with Usagi.

Misaki wants to live his life with Usagi, in that home that the two of them have been forming little by little.

Clad in fond memories and overflowing emotions.

Which ends up triggering the following vignette, which I decided to include at this point because it is a direct effect of the above.

Bonus: Misaki with kiki.

I include this bonus because it is too adorable. It makes for a total icon. Just that, Misaki with a bow tie is the best. It's in these moments that I understand why Usagi is so crazy about him.

Who wouldn't be!!!

-✦───────────-✧

Honorable Mention:

youtube

Okay, this is the third ending of the anime and my favorite song of the anime. Simply spectacular. I highly recommend not only this song but all the Luck Life songs that are available on Spotify and on YouTube itself.

Now, a brief analysis of the song and its relationship with JR.

This is Misaki's song.

Maybe that's one of the reasons why I like it so much.

I could imagine Misaki in a karaoke singing it to Usagi. Because the song reflects how hard it is to express what he feels.

Even if I can't find the right words/ I want to tell you/ 'Cause just wishing won't change a thing./ I can't put it well,/ But I'll pour my heart into this voice/ So don't laugh - just listen.

This refrain aside, it reminds me a lot of the marble episode, how Misaki wants to be with Usagi forever. Sure he wants it, but even so he knows it won't change anything, so he decides to pluck up his courage and take the bull by the horns. He realizes that he can no longer be ambiguous or delay the inevitable.

Me pregunto si tú también/ tienes noches en las que piensas en mí.

We go back to the chapter of Misaki spending the night at his brother's house, feeling devastated at not being with Usagi. We all know that Usagi also felt the same way. In itself, I think this perfectly reflects the comfort level they have reached.

In this changing world, with the two of us unchanging/ You'd be by my side.

I have analyzed it throughout the post, but in short this is the main goal of the characters. To stay by each other's side forever no matter how much the world changes, even if they get older, even if there are new conflicts.

To stand by each other and face the modern world that changes without waiting for anyone. No matter what happens, Misaki wants to face that future with Usagi.

Do you see how much can be extracted from such a great theme song as this one?

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ┊✧°•

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊ ✧｡˚ ✦¤

┊ ┊ ┊ ✫•○

┊ ┊ ✦°•

┊✦° ┊

✧ °¤ ┊ . ˚

˚✩

Okay, so Tumblr won't let me post so many images and this is getting too long. I can say that this is the end of this first part of the exhaustive analysis of Junjou Romantica.

I'll be glad if you tell me if you share my opinion, if you think there's something I left out or, by the way, I'm wrong. I tried to make this publication looking at various perspectives and from a rather critical point of view, although, clearly, there are many things that I was influenced by due to my preferences.

In the next part I will continue with my favorite moments, I will talk about the secondary couples, I will make my predictions, I will also say other things I don't like and conclusions. If you have any suggestions or want me to take any specific topic from the anime/manga, in the next post.

I'll be happy to elaborate on it!

I hope you liked it! If so a reblog and a heart is appreciated.

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andisupreme · 6 months

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On a different note than I've been on lately, HOO WEE BALDUR'S GATE!!! I am consumed utterly. I'll do art of my Tavs someday I swear but since it takes me forever to draw, obligatory (spoilery) ramble under the cut of who I've got so far.

First run was a lawful good dragonborn paladin who romanced Wyll and I think accidentally ended up in a throuple with Karlach at the end? Pretty sure it was intended to be a platonic ending but the way Wyll was so heartbroken and distressed over Karlach dying, absolutely begging her to come to Avernus "with people who love you, Karlach!"

Cue me in character snapping my head over to look at him like "oh worm? You feel that way about her? Do we like her vibe?? I mean I like her vibe do YOU like her vibe? Did we, husband and spouse, spot her from across the camp and like her vibe?" And the thought of this engaged couple dragging their bestie to Avernus so they can keep Zariel off her back, always living on the run with only each other for comfort? DAMN I've never felt the urge to write Main Character insert fanfiction until now but I get it.

Second run has been a tiefling cleric of Selune specifically made to romance Shadowheart and GOD that's been hilarious. The Selunite quips are 90% of the time entirely their own thing, divorced from the romance plotline, so you can talk to her and she's batting her eyelashes at you just as you walk past a Selune statue or something and there will be an exchange along the lines of Shadowheart: "Ugh." Myna, pulling a 180: "You watch your tongue, Sharran! That is the third time you have spoken ill of my god." Shadowheart, immediately matching this energy: "You and your Moon Witch, or should I say Moon Bitch." Myna: >:O -30 seconds later- Shadowheart: "I'm starting to smile more you know. I think that's your fault. ❤️" All I can think of is this is a cleric couple who roleplays religious conflict in the bedroom but it keeps getting a little too real and sex is paused because they start actually arguing about it.

And then I'm not quite done with Myna yet. About halfway through act 3 now. But yes I have started the obligatory Durge x Astarion run. Made my sad blorbo elf man, Nox. Being traumatized over a murderous entity mind-controlling him for years and having amnesia is kind of his whole backstory deal so I couldn't pass that up. Also he's gay and Astarion is literally right there so...

Yes after my first run I've been planning everything around the romances sue me.

#bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 spoilers

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konako · 8 months

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For that movie ask 3, 5 and 10 please and thank you. :3

YAYYY! Thank you for that opportunity!

3 — Post a screenshot and ramble on about why this one frame visually appeals to you (colors, blocking, expression, set decoration whatever).

(first of all, what a wonderful question, I love it)

And here.

(Also, sorry, I didn't hold back. You precisely said "ramble")

From Kajillionaire. It's not exactly an impressive frame. Nothing really stands out visually, (the character almost seems awkwardly placed in the frame, small and crooked) but—but— this reaction!

Look. Let me explain: The entire movie relies on your ability to empathise with Old Dolio. This is an odd little film with an unusual story structure, a strange protagonist, a lovably weird plot and not so lovably weird characters.

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But the emotional core of this thing relies on your ability to feel what Old Dolio is feeling. And let me tell you, I do. Her entire character, every little beat of her emotional journey is so powerful to me; this movie clawed my heart out and played with it, in the simplest of ways.

This frame right there is intense. It's a moment in the movie where, after a potentially traumatic event takes place, Old Dolio witnesses her mother being kind/comforting towards another person, (practically a stranger) — when, in her experience, her mother and father have never offered her an ounce of comfort or affection. At the same time, her mother is explaining to said stranger why Old Dolio is different from them, what she lacks and how she fails to live up to their expectations. In a way, rationalizing why Old Dolio has been given such cold, distant treatment. Parallel to that, it's the first time where Old Dolio gets to hear what her mother thinks and feels about her, and why she's apparently unworthy of the most basic kind of affection.

But, blah blah, that's the background to the shot.

What matters is that the editor chose to linger on Old Dolio's (Evan Rachel Wood's) reaction shot. Noticeably so. It even breaks the rhythm of the cuts a bit, as up until then they've been steady and predictable, roughly all the same length. Not this one. I believe it's supposed to stand out and call attention to itself. It's a shot considerably longer than the rest; a long beat, holding for enough time that we get to see each part of Old Dolio's heart breaking, every step of that painful interaction.

And holding on her reaction shot is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, because this is her journey, her experience of life, her struggles and attempts to live a better, more fulfilling existence. This is her story and it's important that we feel what she feels. And how much of it she feels it, everything bleeding through her expression.

The choice to show the reaction instead of the action (the actor delivering the line), it's what makes it so intense to me. It doesn't matter what Old Dolio's mother is saying and whether it makes any rational sense or not; it matters that we see and feel how that affirmation affects Old Dolio. We see how that impacts her and we are impacted in return.

Ugh, brilliant! Kudos to the director, the editor and, of course, Evan Rachel Wood. Marvelous shot! Absolutely destroyed me, have never been the same ever since. Would watch it again!

(And at last, for you to get a better idea of how damaged and beaten down Old Dolio is, by this strange and cold upbringing, let me show you a clip, from earlier in that same scene.)

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5 — A character who deserves their own spin-off.

Not technically a movie, but I'm contractually obligated to mention: The Trio. Because I'd give an arm and a leg for a Once Upon a Time in Oz spin-off, where we'd get to see Ruby, Dorothy and Mulan have their gay adventures, being feral gay messes, running around helping people, having problems, going through all wacky time-bending, world-changing, realm-jumping drama and selective amnesia over and over again, like The Straights in the main show. sigh

I also wouldn't mind getting to know I little more of Nix, com Guns Akimbo. She was easily the highlight of the movie for me, and I'd sit through three hours of mindless slaughter and quirkiness, with her in the lead. (She has that kind of dark backstory that gets glossed over by the main narrative that makes you go: Ummm? Excuse me? Can you elaborate on that????)

10 —A remake you wish would happen for whatever reason.

Does it count as a remake? Or a reboot? Or... a revisiting?? I want more of Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy Universe. I want the original cast back, continuing their stories or even gaslighting us into a soft-reboot, I don't care. I want Selma Blair, Ron Perlman, Doug Jones together again. (and I understand that it's over and we'll never have that and the good times are long gone, but..... please?)

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besidesitstoowarm · 1 month

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Davies era recap?

sorry i've been procrastinating on this one so bad. i spent three weeks in costa rica thinking about jurassic park. tbh i don't know what to say about the specials or the era overall that i haven't said already

nine feels so beautiful post-time war, traumatized and snappish but also light and warm and kind. he was once a father and grandfather and now he is neither but he is still a doctor!! s1 feels so much richer after having seen "day of the doctor" tbh i know how we got here! it was hard, agonizing, impossible choices. yet he's still here, and he chooses love every time. a coward. he would rather doom the entire universe as long as it kills him too; he cannot survive another genocide. he can't see it happen again. if he can't prevent it, he just wants to not see it. i love nine so much

and then ten. ten is more built from nine than ANY other regeneration i can think of. ten is rose, he's bad wolf, he's nine. he's the echo of donna, of tentoo. ten is someone struggling to find his place between "where he's already been, as remembered by rose" and "where he is destined to go, via donna" like he is so dragged along by fate. mf is a full on greek tragedy, he does NOT know what is going on

that's what makes the specials such a wreck (good/bad). when he was with rose, they were a painful but understandable match. with martha, kinda middle ground. with donna, it was fate. after them? after tentoo, after the most important woman in all creation? he's adrift. he clings to randos, he tries to be the hero so hard. and he fails. he trips and cries and sobs like a huge loser, over and over again. i do love him (and tennant is fully failed by 2/4 specials) but he's unraveling! little baby duck imprinted on their mommy who is gone. what's left, after that? martyr/savior complex and dubiously gay shit, i guess

tennant is a marvel, i have to say this. eccleston too, in different ways. davies has such a wonderfully human touch with these characters, iirc moffat draws a lot from fairy tales while davies pulled a lot from modern social commentary. jack is... something, but it was a different time. ten/master is sooooooo much. this era ended more than a decade ago

all in all, davies era is beautiful, it's decadent. it's complete nonsense bullshit a good chunk of time, but i don't think that's a negative; doctor who is like star wars to me, where i truly genuinely believe it's at its best when it's kind of bad. i mean, late 60s is MY era of who. base under siege nonsense galore. farting aliens. doctor who should be bad, in order to be good. i mean this, genuinely. attack of the clones is great. you get it

i feel more comfortable leaning into this ending knowing what comes later; knowing that davies comes back, knowing that ten becomes fourteen eventually and cleans up his shit, knowing that donna gets a better, more complete ending. it's honestly hard to say what i would think about this era without knowing about the 60th; i do think "journey's end" is a nonsense bullshit episode that is nonetheless very fun to watch, however cruel an ending it is for donna. very grateful we got a redux. moffat is writing for this new davies era too i'm so excited i want to throw up

anyway! excited to re-enter the moffat era but davies had so much sway over the new tone of the show, so much feels so dated but there's no denying the impact his episodes had at the time. there were cat people. it was thematically consistent. god i love it all so much. quel domage!

#doctor who #besides its too rewatch #season wrap #special #era wrap

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mikuni14 · 1 year

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Imagine you’re a teenager with lots of thoughts, plans and dreams in your head. That you're not stupid in general, you have eyes that see the world, you're sensible, resourceful, you act when someone needs help, especially when others turn their heads away "because it's none of my business", also you have a lot of empathy, good intentions and (still functional) sense of social justice. And the person closest to you, that you trust the most and admire, constantly, CONSTANTLY criticizes you, complains about you, tries to force you to do something you don't want to do, doesn't listen to you, makes you bow to those with power, never, literally never takes your side. And all this is explained and excused by the fact that this person closest to you, only wants what’s best for you. It's unbelievable to me how Jim misses the fact, that he has a little miracle at home. That he has a truly PERFECT CHILD. Li Ming is everything.

I admit I laughed out loud hearing Jim's now famous phrase about the double misfortune of being poor AND gay :D Sorry, that was just incredibly funny. I suspect (hope) that the context of the sentence is different and it was put in the trailer for shock effect. However, I can see the attempts to defend Jim, that he doesn't want Li Ming to have a hard time as a gay man (implying - like Jim). So: - Jim is not an old man whose youth would fall on extremely difficult times for homosexual people. Despite the constant emphasis on Jim's age, he appears to be in his late thirties - Jim already had a serious relationship with a guy, even started a company with him, he didn't really hide it, there are many scenes with them when they act like a couple in public. Also he was quite open with Wen from the beginning, not acting like a traumatized, deeply scared and closeted gay person - Jim mentions his homophobic sister, says he wanted to prove his importance and equality as a gay person to her. It means he had the will to fight. Even in the face of homophobic behavior, Jim did not give up and did not hide his orientation So either it's what I think it is and the sentence is taken out of context or... it's what it seems and it just doesn't make the slightest sense that Jim would do to Li Ming what his own sister did to him.

Fourth and Gemini have become such a beloved couple that no one even criticizes their non-kissing scene, something that any other couple would be crushed for :D Ok, I'll say it then: for me, if shows are doing something like this, then I prefer no kisses at all. I hate dead fish kisses, fake kisses, the kind where you can see that the actors are not comfortable for some reason. I want to see actors acting being in love, if they can't portray its physical aspect, then they better don’t do such scenes, because I simply stop believing in the characters' feelings, in their love. Besides, it was clear to me that Fourth has no problem with kissing, Gemini on the other hand... :)

Yesterday's episode with Alan was great, the best so far, full of emotions, a lot going on, it was so interesting. I only liked few scenes today ngl. Conclusion: more First Alan :P

#Moonlight Chicken #thai bl #bl drama

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juniperhillpatient · 1 year

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The Drill Re-watch

The Dangerous Ladies are back! And they have a big scary drill. I love how Mai is just happy to get something to do & I had honestly forgotten how consistently ecstatic Ty Lee is at any opportunity for violence. She's so adorable & scary at the same time. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Ty Lee? +1000 iconic behavior points to her for taking out all those earth-benders & scaring Katara. I had also forgotten just how scared of Ty Lee Katara is & how much she dislikes her. Katara yelling & calling Ty Lee a circus freak was a badass moment. +1000 iconic behavior points. Mai disobeying Azula just because she doesn't want to get muddy & popping up in the end like "we lost" in a deadpan voice was hilarious & very based of her, +500 iconic behavior points. Sokka's plan to take out the drill from the inside was pretty smart. +500 iconic behavior points.

My favorite part of the conflict with the drill was actually Ty Lee. I also really loved the flirty moment between her & Sokka, & Katara having to drag Sokka away. Honestly, I've never given much thought to Ty Lee/Sokka as a potential ship until this re-watch but their flirty banter during fights is so funny & cute. And I just can't get enough of Ty Lee happily kicking ass.

Surprisingly, I don't have that much to say about Azula in this episode which is rare for me but this was pretty much standard hero vs. villain "let's keep the Fire Nation out of Ba Sing Se" stuff. I mean, the Azula vs. Aang fight was badass, but I don't have any meaningful analysis of it. I think the most meaningful takeaway I have about Azula in this episode is regarding her relationship with Mai & Ty Lee. It's been commented on a hundred times that Mai disobeys Azula's order in this episode, but still, I'll comment on it again. I think it says a lot about the dynamic between Azula & Mai. Mai is a subordinate, & there is a power imbalance but Mai knows what she can & can't get away with & isn't afraid to do what she wants under certain circumstances. I think that the dynamic between these three girls is layered & this episode gives evidence to the idea that Azula does treat Mai & Ty Lee like friends to the extent that Azula can treat anyone like friends. Mai never felt coerced & if she was reluctant to follow specific orders, she simply didn't.

Jet & Zuko were my favorite part of this episode, actually. I can't believe it took me as long as it did spending time in this fandom to warm up to Jet/Zuko as a romantic pairing. Shocking & disappointing for me, really, I feel like I usually have good taste right away. SMH past me. Oh well, I see the truth now. They're literally Thee Template. Like, they met each other, said "be gay do crime" & had a touching heart to heart about both being traumatized & Zuko realized that he didn't always have to be alone & by the next episode Jet is following Zuko around like a lost puppy begging him to join his little found family. THEN freaking Iroh warms up his tea with fire-bending. Iroh, I was just warming up to you & starting to stand up for you, dude. What are you DOING? Zuko is right. For a supposedly wise old man, that's just.....really fucking stupid. I don't even know what to say. I guess Iroh got a little too comfortable? Like....what? Anyway....

Despite the rather contrived way in which it happened (yeah, sorry, I'm gonna say the writing is a LITTLE contrived like, I just don't get it is Iroh supposed to be smart or not?) I DO love a dramatic breakup between two characters who technically never even dated. Jet now knows that Zuko & Iroh are fire-benders. And MAN. A hundred smarter people than me have written fascinating essays & analyses & metas about the tragedy that Jet is right that they're fire-benders & more right than he knows because they're literally Fire Nation royalty & both personally responsible for a lot of harm inflicted by the Fire Nation but he's wrong because they are actually refugees now & not causing any new harm & also because he needs to let go of this obsessive hate because it will (& does) lead to his downfall like....We'll get to my thoughts on Jet's tragedy & his death when we get there but this set up for drama (by itself!!! pretending I'm watching for the first time!!!) IS excellent writing (if the specifics weren’t so contrived.) If only they ---- never mind, I'm done for now. I'm ending this ramble. Goodnight. Oh yes, Zuko & Jet get +1000 iconic behavior points for their quick little fling that will change them both forever & for having a dramatic breakup without Zuzu (king of drama on any other occasion!) even knowing about it.

Anyway, this was a great episode. I'm surprised I had so little to say about Azula & that she earned no iconic behavior points, but it's okay because she will blow everyone else out of the running in Crossroads of Destiny, I already know 100% for sure. Yeah, my favorite parts of this episode were the Dangerous Ladies & Jet & Zuko but I should also mention that I liked Sokka joking about the different group names even though "gaang" hasn't come up yet. And the hints about metal-bending & its potential were fun subtle foreshadowing.

#atla re watch #atla book 2 #the drill

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meowsticmarvels · 3 months

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im curious. who are your fav characters from each mainline persona game that you have played 🤔🤔 (take this as an invitation to ramble about them)

YIPEEEEEEEE here we go will be long so im hiding it under a readmore again. also since you said mainline im not including toshiro or eri but you Know...... im abnorma, abt them

i have NOT played p1 and i've just barely started p2is (though ive watched snippets of someone elses's playthrough) but i will say. based on my limited knowledge i rly like hidehiko, ayase, naoya, tatsuya, jun, eikichi, yukino, maya, and lisa

p3 and p4 are difficult bc theyre the ones im the most autistic abt and the main entire casts as a whole are comforts for me. but anyways. going to talk about p3 first Yes I Will Include SLs too. im abnormal. top 3 main insaners for p3 though are akihiko, yukari, and junpei. for me

makoto/minato sooo so gender envy. im obsessed with his design a lot. his character i do also like hes a little goofy and so mecore but mainly his design is something i love a lot

same with kotone. also love how she has a sort of distinct personality that you can tell with slight dialogue changes that her counterpart doesnt say. shes rly real. love reload but i miss her...

as stated yukari's one of my favs. she didnt Use to be (i did like her but Not as much) but she's slowly become one and man. i love that silly girl. her haters will not survive the winter actually. it does piss me off though because like. yeah shes not perfect no character rly is but she's a traumatized mentally ill teenage girl with a dead dad and a neglectful mom cut her some slack maybe? god forbid women do anything. idk. but im obsessed with her. her character is actually so interesting to me and not a lot of people talk about it? like her whole fear of death causing issues with summoning her persona like at the beginnning, her dad being involved with the kirijo groups shit, how she puts on a cheerful front but is actually deeply really lonely :(, her kinda playful insult friendship with junpei (deep down they do care abt eachother. i wish that was explored more. i found a rly good fic abt it once.) and etc etc. idrk what to say but shes sooo. i also love how she initially HATES mitsuru and is super jealous of her and then. Well. gay tension is real. anyways shes a transfem lesbian to me btw. yukamitsu ftw

junpei's also become one of my favs. somehow. in a similar vein to yukari in that he wasn't initially my main fav character but i think his character's also pretty interesting and has. a lot of unexplored potential. he's very silly and i love him for that a lot but something i don't see many people talk about is like. his Issues. like yeah hes silly but he's also got some fucked up self-worth issues!!! remember the scene on 5/9 where he kinda gets really upset and goes off on his own and stuff. for example. like i think him being imperfect and having these moments where he's NOT cheerful and goofy all the time and actually deeply really jealous of you because he feels that fighting's all he's good for and he's not worth much else is what makes him interesting. do you get it. like him being tbe silly funny guy isn't all he is as a person yk!!!!! also as far as characterization I point a lot to the scene where yukari's more than willing to go confront the people in the alley while junpei's worried, or scene near the end of the game where yukari teases junpei and he snaps at her, confessing that while he doesn't show it he really is terrified. they all are, at that point. yk what I mean? also people don't acknowledge his trauma with his father enough (maybe because it's only really discussed at all in femc's route... his SL is so good but not enough ppl see it... BUR YEAH did not think I'd go off on a tangent about junpei fucking iori tonight but he's real. hashtag brokeback tartarus. also he's an adhder to me. (oh yeah also want to point out this line in his SL where he says "maybe I have anxiety or something". yeah. that's a line!)

akihiko fucking sanada. ohhhh man. this guy. where do i even START. he's so so crazy like what if your local high school upperclassman boxing champion guy was also really gay for his dying childhood friend and autistic as hell and also traumatized. and he's doing boxing in the first place to overcompensate because the death of his sister made him fear losing anyone else again snd he needs to feel like he has power. he needs control. yk? like this guy made me insane for like several months straight in 2023 and he still makes me ill. to this day. as you can probably tell by my distaste for people seeing yukari and junpei at face value you can probably gather that I hate the protein jokes and i Do. he said it like. Once in p3. it never rly was funny????? and what they did in spinoffs esp p4a to just make him look like a gym rat and nothing more makes me upset bc of the REASON he's obsessed with fighting. he's not just a dumb jock (he also isn't dumb lol he canonically scores very high on his exams) he's overworking himself because feelings of self doubt from trauma have caused him to feel the need to overcompensate so he never loses anyone again. you know? it would've been interesting to see him relapse in p4a if theyd actually done it well. like he doesnt rly give himself time or room to grieve in game (theres rhat onw scene on 10/5 and then he barely talks about it again. man i wish it was developed more...) so realizing that grieving isnt a linear process that he can just repress for a long time and even years after it can still hurt would go INSANE. but no they just turned him into i love protein joke number 20. okay!!! (im very angry) thinking about when my non persona friend after hearing me explain some of the plot described p3 as like a greek tragedy because like. damn. he and shinji were doomed from the start with personas like polydeuces and castor huh. anyways. yeah. continuing writing now that i've watched october 4th in reload AND akihiko's breakdown as a reuslt and i wanna scream and cry and throw up that will be for another post but ooh man it mad eme cry like 3 times. and I KNOEW WHAT HAPPENS. THEYRE SOOOOOOOOOO if you know me im an insane akishinji truther. im just. i wanna talk abt other charactrs so ill stop here but always ask me about akihiko + akishinji + ships i like in general. i am really normal. oh btw transmasc akihiko is forever real to me. also he's autistic and a ptsder. to me (tbf what persona character Doesnt have some form of truama but like. this guy in particular). up there with my highest blorbos

i dooont wanna go on for too long abt every other character in p3 so ill keep this next part short and sweet but if u wanna hear me talk more abt any of them. feel free to. starting with fuuka i love he rmy transfem autistic girlie who has every disease. i also love mitsuru a lot who i Wish had people acknowledge her deeper aspects more. like. she was experimented on and also very sheltered and also a little bit of a girlfail. shes not fully the girlboss you all say she is shes also just a teenage girl!!!!!!!!!! koromaru can do no wrong hes forever the best. i love that dog. ken makes me so so sad he is just a kid!!! what the hell!!!!!! :(. and oh man. shinji. guy who is so wracked with guilt. guy that is dying no matter what happens. guy that dies in his lover's arms

as far as non-sees characters. i rly like strega. esp jin and chidori. dont think abt them enough. also as far as SLs i like keisuke, hidetoshi, bunkichi and mitsuko, kazushi, yuko, and etc etc...i need to see rio and saoris links too they look real. oh also i LOVE ryoji

p4 time !!!!!!

again gonna cut this short so i can actually Fit it all in one post. but wow. i do like all of the IT so so much but im just focusing on my favs. anyways i love yu so much his autistic swagger esp in the animation is amazing. like he is not a "chad" he's just an autistic teenager. ok. also the animation broke me when nanako gets kidnapped he sounds fucking distraught there. love when people delve into yu's issues also bc hes a bit fucked up but Man. ouch. just like me fr tho

i love yosuke in a similar way to why I like junpei because he's kind of a loser /pos snd has some insane issues that his shadow delves into that are Kind of Insane for the FIRST shadow of the game. like ok damn. i really do love his social link in general tho his was the first one I maxed out in my (unfinished because i didn't want to finish it) p4g playthrough so!!!!! many things wrong with him and also the lgbt community has forgiven yosuke hanamura. also similarly to junpei he's adhd as hell. souyo ftw

naotos probably my fav p4 character I think which is Pretty Painful Sometimes. sometimes I need to kill both other persona fans and atlus if ykwim. but anyways i hc him as transmasc for one thing but also if atlus weren't cowards and actually made his story abt rhat it would've hit so hard. his shadow in general is often overlooked apart from that bc what about the part where he talks about being mistreated by others and feeling utterly alone and not allowing himself to act like a kid!!!! it fucks me up!!! he's also super autism btw like god damn. but YEAH point is I love naoto so much and i hate how both some fans and atlus tjemself treat him because his whole arc and shadow had the potential to be super compelling

apart from who i listed above i do like the rest of the IT so much they're such silly friends (i love you chie i love you yukiko i love you kanji i love you rise i love you teddie.). can't think of any SLs off the top of my head that were crazy but I do like daisuke and kou. OH ALSOO the dojimas..... 😢💧😢😢💧 love them

p5 time :3 I'm into it less so than p3 or p4 but Still

yusuke's my favorite p5 character probably. i domt know what it is apart from the common trend of my favs being autistic as hell (see: akihiko and naoto) but he's like. such a fucked up guy. he's traumatized. he loves art. something is deeply wrong with him. obsessed with this gug

i also do like ren/akira, ryuji, futaba, and also mishima (unfortunately. but in my defense there is something deeply wrong with him slash positive). i don't know a lot abt all of p5's confidants but i like iwai I think.... this reminded me I need to make more progress in p5 what the hell. i miss you futaba (i haven't even got to her palace yet im still on kaneshiros LOL)

but YEAH! thank you for asking!!! from the ones I've played my top favs are akihiko + naoto + yusuke respectively so👍👍👍 loved answering this :3 if u have any thoughts on a particular character feel free to ask and ill elaborate :3

#sparky speaks #persona #not maintaggjng BUT here i talk a lot about:#yukari junpei akihiko yu yosuke naoto yusuke #and some others. LOL. but i am indane #SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO RESPOND i just have a Lot to say #anddd i still wanna properly get into p1 and p2 tbh

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kaioshin-kai · 4 months

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👬

send an emoji and i'll tell you my opinion on...

— 👬 shipping

• NGL, as a traumatized person I'm not a fan of problematic ships. They just make me sad and uneasy, sometimes it can be triggering. If you call stuff like selfcest (which isn't an existing thing IRL) and age gaps between consenting adults "problematic", you don't know what "problematic" means BTW.

You personally disliking a ship ≠ Problematic. Please don't spread harmful misinfo.

Also please don't harass people over ships.

• In RP. actually don't care about chem, if it works it works. I can ship something fast if it goes really smooth. However, I'm pretty selective & I have a MxM pref. I also like some FxF, I'm most picky with het ships. It doesn't mean I don't do them but… preferences… lol

• I prefer ships that have a more interesting dynamic. Like, small conflicts or the characters have some contrast or are similar and have goals. I dislike both overly ideal ships or overly toxic ships.

Though I admit that some ships I like make no sense and are just complete AU's lol.

• Ship "collectors" make me uncomfortable. I block OC accounts that give off those vibes. It's nothing personal; I'm simply not comfortable with it.

• That being said, I make exceptions of writers that are able to offer double ups bc I think it's only fair if you can offer OC x Canon in return.

• Probably a hot take but I'm just not keen with people who try to "un-gay" obviously queer-coded characters.

• I definitely have some favorite DB ships I have total brainrot for! 🥰

• I'm only multiship bc it's too hard to singleship. Most writers turn inactive after a while. 😔

I'd be totally up for singleshipping or something semi/limited. I like the idea of having more meaningful/dedicated ships!

I guess I'll put something like "main ship(s)" in OC bios.

• When I say shipping, I generally refer to romantic and or sexual ships. But I think platonic shipping is valid too, though.

• That being said; I'm actually most interested in roleplaying platonic bonds!

#(ooc)#(askbox)

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crimsoncrim · 1 year

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Ace for the thing? curious to see what u have to say abt them 👀

yessum! and I apologize in advance </3

sexuality headcanon: asexual, omnisexual/pansexual!

gender headcanon: amab, nonbinary, they/them!

a ship I have with said character: I have a few! (sorry). the primary one I enjoy is Royalcourtshipping (Taka/Ace) because I'm somft for them- they just really compliment each other (also red/blue chara pairings....) both in personality and behavior, and their interactions ingame are so . fruity. I love complimentary characters who balance each other out and support each other’s strengths and help them overcome their weaknesses.

another one I've been really growing to enjoy as mentioned before is Ace/Adrienn! they're really sweet to me and I think they're actually pretty similar in terms of their goals and what's important to them. I also really love Ace/MC as well. they’re the same age as the age that I headcanon the MC at (I project onto my characters, so I imagine the MCs in the 21-23 range), and there's one heck of a complex arc there that leads into MC being one of the few people they feel comfortable being vulnerable with postgame, and it's very sweet. they're just a big sweetheart and super thoughtful that I think they'd be a really fun character to OC ship with.

a BROTP I have with said character: haha where do I begin,,,,, I have a few ones! I've mentioned Aya/Ace being super important to me before-- I feel like Ace is someone to really go out of their way for others to bend the rules and use the little power they have within Meteor to make her more comfortable even if it might come at a cost to them-- i.e., the fact that they get stripped of their position ingame for going out of the way for someone. (I think a lot about how we briefly considered them getting demoted again after the Sanctum for saving Luna and defying Elias.)

I also really care them and Noel being friends, along with the other orphanage kids! I think they'd be really good with kids, and they're really similar to Noel, what with being overshadowed and dismissed by family leading into who they are today. they take him out for ice cream and tell him he's important and valued, and they have pastel rainbow solidarity together.

a NOTP I have with said character: don't have one! all ships I've seen with them are top tier. they're fun to ship with.

a random headcanon: there are Many but I'll try and find some favs. they enjoy presenting in diff binaries on diff days, and they're comfortable with their appearance being pretty fluid. they already wear earrings and I think they'd love stereotypically "feminine" stuff like nail polish, eyeshadow or eyeliner, heels or heeled boots, maybe dresses if they felt cute in it-- stuff like that!

despite being pretty outwardly confident, they're a total gay panic disaster when it comes to any sort of romance or flirting-- they fluster easily and get all blushy and embarrassed although it secretly makes them really happy. they're pretty touch starved but also hyper respectful of boundaries-- I just think the concept of someone who's super eloquent normally just tripping over themself and getting flustered when someone flirts with them is a really cute trope.

they're pretty smol compared to everyone else in Meteor. Taka and Solaris are both Very tall (6'0+ range, but Taka slouches a bit) so they're (5'8") short in comparison. most other people in Meteor are taller than them, so they try and make sure that their hat is counted in their height whenever they compare with others. they're still shorter even with it.

general opinion over said character: ougughhhghgh. if it was not evident by how much I talk about them (sorry again) they're my fav <3 they take up lots of space in my head and I think they're so interesting-- they're one of the most complex and interesting charas in the cast to me, and I wish we had more of them (but that's why I write and draw! >:3). characters that are like. very deeply hurt and traumatized but try and cover that up with a smile because others deserve the kindness that they never got is Such a trope weakness of mine. they're so kind and friendly, and such a fun character and I love their aesthetic and design and personality. they're really fun for me to write too because of how perceptive they are -- they subvert a lot of things you'd expect from a goofy jester-type character-- they're really emotionally intelligent and extremely good at reading people and will absolutely go out of their way to support the people they care about in times of need even at their own expense. i will draw them until i am sick of them <3 dearly beloved

#ask crim #chara opinions #i am so sorry i feel so obnoxious and cringe HDHSFS i just have. so much to say about them. i love them #pokemon reborn #ace featherstone

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superbdragoncollection-stuff · 2 years

Text

The Hardest Thing was the hardest series finale to watch, and I don’t think people are taking it seriously

This is a perfunctory piece, I will have more words on this later.

What upset me so much wasn’t just the friends drifting apart, it was the found families being violently and mercilessly ripped apart. It felt incredibly mean, upsetting, insulting, and hurtful, and I am deeply distressed that so few people seem to be taking it seriously. This show focuses so heavily on found family, and then it felt like it proceeds to turn around and insult it.

From a writing perspective, it was inappropriate. It was unnecessarily traumatic. It had very upsetting implications about found families. The word “realism” is overused far too often. It appears to suffer from serious homophobic and bigoted corporate interference. The theme of change, and the themes of the show overall are undermined by the dramatic and bitter writing choices made for the ending. This finale was deeply upsetting and sad, and I’m not sure I can watch the show again.

I will say that the rest of the episode, while not perfect, was adequate. It was the last five minutes that were the problem. If the show had ended with the girls leaving, that would have prevented a lot of pain and hurt. Yet it didn’t. Instead, we are treated to them being permanently cut off for a decade. That implication is incredibly upsetting and hurtful.

The weeks surrounding the finale were the two worst weeks of my life. And Amphibia became one of the factors. There was serious emotional upheaval in my life, several extreme emotional catastrophes, and this finale cut very, very deep. I was going through many life changes, and this stabbed me in every single one of the most vulnerable places I had right then; leaving a familiar place, loss, graduation, and age. Every single button they could have possibly pushed was hit with a hammer. I am very sad and very upset about this even weeks later, and nothing I can do mentally seems to fix it.

One of the show’s appeals in my mind is that it subverts typical tropes, and takes trauma seriously, that we see people reacting to these things that in other stories would be glossed over. That’s kind of the point of Marcy’s arc. What we get in the finale feels very different from everything we’ve seen in the show.

It felt like the show was betraying its themes, and all the people felt really out of character to me. There is no way that these characters would accept the ending that they got, there is no way they would accept being torn apart again. The Guardian should have been the ultimate evil, or at least, something for Anne to fight against, that it would propose a traditional cutoff ending, and that she and the family would defy it. Instead she and the gang accept it happily, in a bittersweet ending that’s meant to be heartwarming but has only served to make me feel grief, because I felt insulted as a member of a found family.

This finale insults found families in the worst way possible; it feels as if they are saying found families are temporary. I felt insulted by this ending, I never expected my comfort show to come across like this. It felt to me like it was saying that found family is temporary and will inevitably drift apart. It feels like its saying biological families are more important somehow, that found families are somehow lesser or temporary. And that feels like a betrayal of the entire show’s message. Everyone came together, the found families reunited, the best friends joined back together, just in time to be violently ripped apart forever. I am a second generation member of a found family. I come from a found family that has stayed together for over thirty years, and I have only existed for 2/3rds of that. As someone over eighteen, I am affected by this, and I can’t imagine what this might be doing to children watching, especially those who have lost loved ones to the pandemic. Most of all, those with found families, or with gay parents. They have just been told that their families aren’t permanent, and that they will drift apart. And further, that their close friends, who stuck through them through thick and thin, will be dragged away by their biological families.

I am upset that Marcy went back with her parents, that Sasha went back with her parents, and that the trio drifted away, even if it was "only" for ten years. I enjoy that they still had a connection, and that they almost certainly became a poly trio, but that doesn't help much. I like that they still have a connection, and that there might even be the implication that they could go back some day, but I'm still pretty upset. It's not just the friendship I'm concerned about, I'm upset because found families shouldn't get broken up.

I am almost positive (and desperately hoping) that Disney forced them to tone it down after True Colors. Considering how the Owl House was sabotaged, and how True Colors got delayed and leaked in the same day, we can be sure there was definitely something going on behind the scenes. Delays on short notice like True Colors is something that rarely happens in TV. It costs NBC six million dollars to pull the plug on a live broadcast, so it cost them money to delay True Colors. It was probably a warning as well as a practical measure, and so I'm guessing Amphibia was forced to play ball and tone it down.

I also believe half of the ending was Disney "degayifying" things. Given the sabotage, and what happened to the Owl House, and how we got it pretty much confirmed that's what happened in the last year, this is almost certainly something that happened. We never got an answer to why Anne was blushing in that episode when she was talking to Marcy. The one confirmed lesbian couple aside from the newt moms made a non-speaking reappearance in All In, after not appearing for most of the season. I'm fairly certain Marcy's line about "I wish I had gotten to know you better" to Olivia and Yunan was shade at Disney similar to the Owl House episode the previous night. I'm positive Disney must've told them to not keep them on screen together very much. The fact that they can't even have them say out loud they're a couple is pretty messed up. She was the only one who didn’t seem to get a proper found family, and everything pointed to Yunan and Olivia being the new found family, and it’s incredibly awful to keep Andrias as her sole connection. The two she had the most connection with by the finale were Yunan and Olivia.

I am happy that Olivia and Yunan are a canon couple, and yet I can’t think about that last scene of them without thinking of Marcy, and how she should have been with them. It’s very upsetting. She deserved better than that, and what the show gave her. Marcy has to go back to her miserable home with her terrible parents, and I can’t help but think that Olivia and Yunan wouldn’t be able to get over it either.

Disney is fine with killing parents, they're not okay with breaking up even abusive families, or with letting two lesbian moms adopt a kid. Found families are typically associated with LGBT families, not to mention the US still has a terrible problem with kids being adopted. Up until the 80s it wasn't even something you said out loud, it could be a scandal if someone was adopted. So it's very easy to see Disney execs telling them to not have Marcy and her newt moms hang out. In Deep Space Nine in the 90s, the execs once told the writers to literally stop putting Julian Bashir and Garak together in scenes because the chemistry was so powerful. Oh, and the actors literally asked "so what, we're Star Trek's first gay couple?" Those same kind of execs are almost certainly still in charge, the old fossils.

I’m positive executive meddling was at work here, or I’m desperately hoping so. The sort of trauma in season 3 that the show has dealt with before in season 2 wasn't properly addressed, like Marcy sobbing as she got stabbed through the chest, or screaming as she's getting possessed by an eldritch demon. This is in contrast with how we had Anne dealing with Hop Pop's betrayal, with Sasha dealing with her issues with Anne(or not dealing with them), or both of them angsting over Marcy's behavior. Marcy got some, yeah, but she also got a seriously short end of the stick. We also never saw Sasha and Marcy's parents, despite some heavy implications.

My favorite character is Marcy, and her treatment felt incredibly hurtful. She’s one of the best sources of representation for me as a neurodivergent and a disabled person, and all of that is glossed over. I’ve seen a few people online agree with me. Her injuries are ignored and glossed over, as is her trauma. Despite being the “heart” of the show, she gets the short end of the stick.

Make no mistake, Marcy and Sasha’s families were awful. This is not inference, this is not subtext. Literally everything we are told about their families indicates that.

It's just so sad for Marcy that she got the short end of the stick. She barely got any time with a found family of any kind. Her surrogate dad is a man who literally tried to kill her, and indeed stabbed her, she spends time as a meat puppet to an eldritch horror, she went back with her implied to be abusive family, and the horrible thing she expected to happen happened. She moved away, and she didn't talk much with her friends for ten years. I suppose there's an implication that they at least maintained contact, and I know they reunite, and they're able to slide back in. There's a few people I know who I can just do that with. And I know the theme, yet it's still so utterly depressing and sad that she had to grow up like that, alone with her awful parents.

Her entire story starting off the show wasn't just about the moving. That's an emotional thing already, but her parents were terrible beyond that. She did not grow up in a good home. The box seems like an impulsive decision, but in True Colors she uses language and phrases that sound like she's parroting her parents, saying “I gave you all this” and stuff like that. She seems to value her friends more than she values her family. Anne's family keeps her favorite ice cream at her house, suggesting she spent more time at Anne’s place than anywhere else.

Kids don't run away to a fantasy land and have little interest in seeing their parents again if they're from a healthy and relatively happy family. And they certainly don't have that reaction just because the parents wanted to move. Sometimes the emotional and verbal abuse leaves deeper scars. Even college students get homesick and miss their parents. So a person showing little to no signs of that, especially a child means something is very wrong. Not to mention, the tones of voice her parents were trying to use to calm their emotionally-distraught daughter weren’t what I’d call acceptable. It feels incredibly upsetting to me to see my favorite character, who I relate to the most, and who I want to see represent me, be constantly given the short end of the stick, be shown little in the way of trauma recovery/confrontation, or have any consequences for the injuries she goes through.

Sasha certainly didn’t grow up in a good home either, considering her control issues, and there can be lots of different kinds of poor family environments. I just think that her parents were of the more neglectful and/or controlling type. She doesn’t show too much love for her parents, but she also buries her emotions and makes this difficult to gauge. Marcy’s family was not straight-up physically abusive, I think she’s the one of the three who has the closest thing to a traditionally abusive household.

I don't even have to make estimates, or use psychology to analyze the patterns of abuse depicted in this show. I just have to literally use the evidence in the show. Anne is the only one who wants to see her parents again, she is the only one who wants to go home and has fond memories of her mom. Marcy never mentions her parents. Sasha's control issues("If I'm not in control I lose my mind!"), like Marcy's language, seem to stem from parroting her parents. Sasha is also dealing with her parents that she cares so little for, when she tried to send Anne back to Earth, she openly said "say hi to your parents for me". She never mentions her parents ever.

Grime is a father figure of sorts for Sasha, despite a bumpy road. It is very clearly asserted that Olivia was a mother figure for Marcy, and Yunan could slide in pretty easily, heck, she does in the last episode! And we know Anne, her parents, and the Plantars integrated extremely well. So seeing the found families form these extremely strong bonds only to have them be cut off like this is upsetting.

It's terrible Sasha had to go back with her parents, and it's really, really sad to me that Marcy had to grow up with her awful parents, rather than allow her to be adopted by her newt moms. She means a lot to me emotionally as a character, and I'm upset at what happened. It's really sad that they broke up the found families, especially as to me it feels like it defeats a lot of the themes of the show. And ten years...I come from the second generation of a found family, with many LGBT members, so this cut really deep to me personally.

I thought we were going to have a trope subversion or something. Amphibia is pretty good about that, so I didn't expect to see a standard issue portal closure ending. I mean having modern Earth appear at all in this kind of story, let alone government intervention and a pitched battle in downtown Los Angeles, is next to impossible to find in this genre. I thought the portal closure was going to be a fakeout. Having some kind of travel between the worlds would be nice. I am well aware of how Gravity Falls ended, but that wasn't the same thing. One cannot compare them. I realize how many of the themes can be interpreted as being about growing up, and at the same time, "leaving childhood friends behind" was the phrase that completely destroyed Amphibia, and shutting down multiverse travel was something else that came from a pretty biased source.

I'm also aware of the realism arguments people bring up, about how friends can drift apart. Yes, that can happen, and I find it strange that this is the case under these circumstances. Most people will defend it as being “realistic”, that loss is expected in these scenarios, that nothing lasts forever, etc. That may be true, and yet I can’t help feeling hurt. There is no positive feeling for me. This finale wants to be heartwarming, but all I can feel is grief, because it feels like it is throwing out all the themes it spent the last three years building. And it’s not realistic. You can’t cherry-pick realism like this. If this were realistic, they’d stick together, because they’re the only people they can relate to. Because their families were so violently torn apart, there are only two other people on Earth each of the girls can relate to. There is no way they would drift apart like this. After WWI, soldiers couldn’t relate to civilians, but they could meet other veterans, total strangers on the street and share a beer with them, because they understood what they were going through.

I've heard theories like the show creator basing it too much off his own experience, or perhaps that he wrote it down before certain factors were developed. Considering the sabotage and the experience Owl House has had, not to mention the bad marketing for both of them, I'm fairly certain there was heavy executive meddling.

I've been staying off of most social media because this utterly destroyed me. It cut really deep and it's making my daily life hard at the moment.

And I’m really upset because I feel like the journal coming out soon will do the same thing, and gloss over Marcy’s injuries again. I’ve seen other Amphibia fans who are disabled be mad at some of the language we’ve seen already.

This was incredibly upsetting for me, this was the most upsetting series finale I have seen in my life, and I am incredibly disturbed that few people in the fandom are taking it seriously. This was my comfort show, and I can’t look at it anymore without feeling this awful. I felt insulted as a member of a found family, as a neurodivergent person, as a disabled person.

These are my preliminary thoughts. It’s a bit of a mess. I’m just posting my initial thoughts now because I am angry and hurt. I am desperately hoping Marcy’s Journal isn’t as problematic as it seems, and that it can solve some of these problems, but my heart sinks at what I’ve seen so far.

I hope someone can take this seriously.

#amphibia #amphibia season 3 #amphibia season 3 spoilers #Amphibia Spoilers #the hardest thing #Upsetting episode of a favorite show #im sad and angry

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