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vitamindropp · 2 months

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beomgyu as your (soon to be) boyfriend^^ PT.2

notes: not proofread!! warning curse words!

after last night’s conversation beomgyu couldn’t bring himself to face you after he fumbled the bag that bad, but he had to (he couldn’t afford to miss anymore days)

this man has never been more stressed, hell he wasn’t even this nervous for exams

when he walks in he spots you straight away and all his worries are forgotten when he sees you smiling at him and waving at him (WAHHH)

for the whole class you guys were talking and working and getting to know each other and before you both knew it 2 weeks had already passed just like that

you both went back to your normal lives and were more focused on graduation

flash forward one month later you are enjoying your summer, no stress about homework, just relaxing at home watching all the shoujos and dramas you wanted to

on the other hand beomgyu is going through STRAIGHT HELL. his friends decided to randomly show up and have a sleepover (do college guys have sleepovers? chat lmk anyways) and have been flaming him non stop on how he didn’t make a move before school ended, he couldn’t even defend himself because he knew they were right.

yeonjun decided to mention that he saw you at the mall with another man (he didn’t he just wanted to mess with beomgyu)

the rest of the guys knew what yeonjun was trying to do so they had to back him up and start lying out of their asses

beomgyu knew he had no right to be mad but he just couldn’t help it

yeonjun knew he wouldn’t make a move if he didn’t lie so he suggested that beomgyu should message you

“But if she’s hanging out with some guy and going to the ma- SHUT UP TEXT HER ALREADY”

he decided he can’t lose without a fight so he was about to text you until yeonjun snatched his phone and BOOKED IT to the restroom and locked himself in, beomgyu was banging on the door so hard that if he had done it a tad bit harder the door wouldve come crashing down

mid way through the live action NANA movie you get a text

beomie: hey i was wondering if you were free so we could hang out sometime?

YOUR PRAYERS WERE HEARD ALL WAS GOOD IN YOUR LIFE AGAIN

eagerly you texted back

ten minutes of pointless knocking later yeonjun finally leaves the restroom and hands the phone to beomgyu

instead of cursing his friend out first he had to make sure he didn’t send you no bullshit so he went to the messages

him: hey i was wondering if you were free so we could hang out sometime?

you: OMG OFC what would we even do though?

him: do you like aquariums??

you: I LOVE AQUARIUMS WHAT DAY??

him: SHUT UP ME TOO anyways tmrw at 10AM if you’re free then?

you: im free tomorrow i’ll see you there!

him:so it’s a date?

you: if you want it to be🤨

you were sweating WYM UR GOING ON A DATE WITH THE CUTEST MAN YOUVE EVER SEEN???? AND THE LAST TEXT HE SENT YOU WERE GOING INSANE

beomgyu was going through so many emotions he had a date. A DATE. WITH YOU???? if this was a dream he wanted to go into a coma.

he was cheesing too hard to even nag at yeonjun for snatching his phone

all his friends helped him plan an appropriate outfit and agreed to meet him tomorrow before the date

before you even agreed to the date you had to give a rundown to your friends yeri, chaewon, winter, and ji-heon in the gc real quick

and you guys facetimed for hours deciding what you were going to wear how to do your hair and makeup and etc.

at 1AM you ended up falling asleep and you were so nervous, well actually nervous was an understatement, you were about to shit your pants

more notes: tysm for reading<33

#choi beomgyu fluff #beomgyu soft thoughts #beomgyu fluff #beomgyu soft hours #txt fluff #txt soft thoughts #txt soft hours

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legodamianwayne · 9 months

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BATMAN AND ROBIN 2023 #1 (Take 6 (yes))

(im not writing this as i go since ive already read the issue before. ill also be mentioning gotham war since this takes place during it (just a warning for spoilers!))

i just noticed the bat and robin on the cover! so cute

OH........(just noticed this too) that doesn't look good

look at them goofing off n having fun

this is cute but the way bruce acts here and in gotham war is so jarring its kinda funny

bruce in batman #137: can't stand my fake ass family

bruce in b&r: me and my son damian 🤗

bruce is in his "local dilf in the area" era rn

damian having talia's mannerism that bruce noticed is so <3

and here its confirmed that this takes place during gotham war. not sure how to feel about that

STILL INSANE OVER THIS baby first self insert fanfic

damian went from drawing hyper realistic gore vent art to anime eyes in the corner

i think it'd be fun if we see damian write more as the story goes on. like him daydreaming n doodling in class

wonder if theres any meaning with damian putting talia as a hero n bruce as a criminal here...or maybe its just a "totally original character do not steal" thing

you dont say bruce 🙄

"the last few years"?? pretty sure the events shown there all happened not even in 2 years since damian turned 14 around the start of the lazarus tournament

also why are alfred n talia not shown there? alfred's death has huge impact on damian (he literally hallucinated him) n talia was there as much as ra's

i dont like how damian looks here but that white connor should be a crime

"thats enough emotions for tonight father" [slams door]

i wonder why damian is staying with bruce tho (outside of making this book exist) didn't bruce n talia had a custody battle moment™ n damian's like "nah i have my own life (is literally 14)"

HELL YEAH MY BOY CAN COOK

he's quoting alfred ohhh im gonna sob

this is kinda embarrassing for bruce...like ur son is finally living with you again n he's the one up early cooking?? sir u better step up

aw he's making tea the way alfred did

*squints* did bruce get his hand back? thats a pretty normal looking hand to me

did damian's comment on it in batman #137 made bruce think "shit i cant give damian any ideas of getting a robot hand" n he just. magically grow it back

[GLASS SHATTERING SOUND]

gotham...heights? n. not gotham academy? no maps? no damian joining her dnd team?? no detective club finally hanging out with damian??

ik damian got expelled from gotham academy BUT. WHY

okay? whats the point if he's not going to the same school that his friend went to?

interesting how damian fantasize for a normal life in robin 2021 (with him liking the mundanity of shoujo manga) n now that bruce is offering him that he's rejecting it (or maybe he just rly don't like school which is. fair enough)

wellll just cuz we're not getting maps n the detective club doesn't mean damian's other friends arent showing up right? RIGHT? (maya plz come home)

THE ROBIN MOBILEEE it looks so ridiculous i love it

HOLD ON. DOES THIS CAR HAVE NO SEAT BELTS?? BRUCE UR LETTING THIS SLIDE?

ik that thing is rly loud too damian waking up the whole neighborhood here

not rumors abt the batfam fighting getting spread around?? this is so embarrassing omg

am i the only one getting gotham academy flashbacks here? with killer croc n the trio with the fox shark n bird masks

they're very comfortable with calling eachother father n son while in suits huh. ig everyone in gotham knows that batman is a dilf (who's beefing with his adult children) now

not much to say abt the rest: bruce got shot with something n now bats are attacking him

end thoughts: i hope with all the focus on animals here means that we're getting damian's pets back soon n that gotham war wont affect this book much since i rly want to see damian interact with his siblings again. also is it just me or does the day scenes looks very bright? saturated? it kinda hurts for me to read idk. the night scenes r pretty tho

next issue is damian's first day on his new school that is not gotham academy but im still excited for it! (coping)

bonus bestie corner

#damian wayne #bruce wayne #batman and robin 2023 #FINALLY tumblr keeps posting it while im editing it but its done yippee #this is inspired by makeste bnh/a liveblogs! i remember how much fun it was reading them that i wanna try it with b&r #tho i dont think i could ever write as much for a single issue...#still figuring out how i want to do this

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lale-txt · 2 years

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💗 One Piece characters as shoujo manga stereotypes (pt. 1/?)

a/n: i recently discovered that my love @eustasssimp and i share the same deep passion for shoujo manga. we probably have read them all and basically yelled at each other for three days straight about them. for me, shoujo manga had a HUGE influence on my wish to start writing again, i bascially owe them every fluff piece on this blog omg. Lemon is the reason those headcanons were born, feeding me with so many good ideas that occupied my brain for several days straight. just love putting our favorite men in those silly litte scenarios with you (ﾉ´ з `)ノ

Kid

the ill tempered, grumpy male lead

never wears his school uniform the right way, something’s always off – no necktie, the fire red hair (which is his natural color but the teachers don’t believe him), wears too many shiny accessories and make up (his winged liner is on point)

everyone has a crush on him and he hates it, cusses everyone out who makes an attempt to get closer to him

he opens his locker and a dozen love letters fall out of it, he tears them apart on the spot and stomps away with angry flushed cheeks to probably rob some poor kid of their lunch money

he doesn’t buy proper lunch from it, just a big pack of energy drinks he downs within half an hour, vibrating in his seat during afternoon classes

eats his lunch with Killer (who made bento for both of them) on the rooftop where the people don’t find them

close up shots of them biting in onigiri, veiny hands holding chopsticks, long lashes that sparkle in the sunset (it’s noon but for the special effects the sun is setting, okay)

during The Field Trip Camping Arc™ Kid will yell at everyone who fails to put up their tent, building them up himself while huffing and puffing

he’s also the one that goes missing during the obligatory rain storm, making everyone worried until he returns out of the blue, probably carrying a puppy in his arms he rescued

HERO OF THE DAY AND HE HATES IT

will complain to Killer all night about it as they lay in their sleeping bags, the puppy curled up between them (you wished that was you huh), but he’ll fall asleep with a slight smile though

Killer

the stoic, quiet side kick

his mask stays ON despite school rules. also how else would anyone know he’s the sidekick if he didn’t have a quirky accessoire

lowkey everyone has a crush on him too. it’s a shoujo manga, everyone crushes on everyone here

Killer gets his own spin off in the chapter cover art or as his own series once the main act is finished because he stole the show so often and became a fan favorite

he’s the head of the school’s food club, hosting cooking lessons once a week and rambling about the power and beauty of a good meal

every petition to turn it into an pasta exclusive club failed and he’s bitter about it, still only teaching recipes you can eat with a mask on

everyone is intimidated by him and then he just brings out tiny cupcakes he baked during cooking class and shares with everyone

master of cake decor – he might look scary but oh boy can he do those filigree sugar coatings with ease

knows Kid comes from a rough home and therefore makes him a bento every day to make sure his friend eats a proper meal at least once a day

he’s still waiting for Kid to notice the hidden messages he wrote in ketchup on his omelet, asking him to be more than just a friend

Rayleigh

the way too sexy home room teacher everyone has a crush on

like he sparkles a little when he enters the classroom and everyone’s heart just goes doki doki

his subjects are history and PE

on PE days he walks around in a tight shirt and loose sweatpants, hair in a loose bun, making people clench their chest when he walks by

has the biggest crush on his colleague Roger and it’s obvious to everyone except Roger

he almost got suspended once because he used the money for the field trip for gambling but luckily his class hosted a cake sale (Killer being the initiator) to raise funds and save the day

he’s a strict teacher but also a very kind one, always fighting dearly for his students while also showing them no mercy during tests

though he might “accidentally” leave the test answers written on the blackboard

can survive the field trips only with a little flask in his pocket and trusts his student enough to survive on their own while he checks out the hot springs with his colleague Roger

he gets his spotlight in the bonus panels where the mangaka just goes unhinged about him, giving the fans what they want (dilf on dilf action)

Roger

the headmaster and PE teacher that walks around in booty shorts and a tank top that are just a little too tight but no one is complaining, just enjoying the view

has the biggest crush on his colleague Rayleigh and it’s obvious to everyone except Rayleigh

a menace in the staff room, leaving his belongings on every desk except his own (it doesn’t go unnoticed by him that Rayleigh lets Roger’s worn tank top disappear in his bag, just as planned)

loves the kids and spending time with them during their break, playing skipping rope or ping-pong with them and battling them at the cafeteria over the last strawberry pastry until Rayleigh shoots him a glance

will twirl his hair at Rayleigh asking if he’s getting anyone chocolate for Valentine’s Day and won’t sleep at night when Rayleigh confirms that he will give some chocolate out, yes

big men, big feelings

Roger plans to confess during The Field Trip Camping Arc™ but always gets interrupted for some silly reason (the soda vending machine is broken, one student forgot to pack socks, the class troublemaker gotten lost in the woods during a rainstorm)

the fanfiction writers for both are going feral

they kiss in the bonus panels of the very last volume <3

#eustass kid #massacre soldier killer #silvers rayleigh #gol d. roger #one piece headcanons #one piece imagine #one piece scenario #one piece x reader #one piece x you #eustass kid x you #eustass x reader #silvers rayleigh x reader #roger x reader #killer x reader #kid x killer #roger x rayleigh #i think it's valid to tag both ships lmao

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crookedkryptonitebeliever · 3 months

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theres this manga i read yearsss ago and the protagonist reminds me of leverett so much, he was the rich pretty boy who everybody was thirsty for, super popular and sweet but surprize he was actually a virgin because he found everyone else except for the stupid shoujo female lead soooo unfuckable and was saving himself for her and he said this one line in his head when a girl was flirting with him which he kindly played oblivious and brushed off thinking 'bitch i wouldnt even give you the tip 😇' and it was so HOTTT. Im pretty sure it was an abo manga so he was like only attracted to his mate but super unsettling and fucking WEIRD with the fl like if she asked for help w something, he'd ask her for a kiss or to bark for him like hdjsjks OMG imagine barking at yves or blanche lmfaooo

Bark at Yves and he will put him in the sensory deprivation chamber 😭

Blanche will just knock his teeth off using his brass knuckles in the shed of murders

Damn thas some interesting manga u read like love me some cringefail mcs

#oc blanche #oc Yves #oc leveret

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ayyyez · 1 year

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In honor of the books I picked up today that I ordered a week ago (finally got more kimi ni todoke!!), what series of manga can you see some of our haikyuu favs reading? Or if not manga what kinds of books can you see them reading, YA, thriller, mystery, etc. Feel free to pick whomever you want for hcs, I humbly ask for Tanaka thou <3

A/N: Look at you getting two answered in one day, it's like you own my ask box at this point bestie lmao but yes I have so many vibes for this one, okay <3

TAGS: manga/reading headcanons, fluff, general

CHARACTERS: Tendou Satori, Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Kenma Kozume, honourable mentions at the end

TENDOU SATORI

Okay so we know he used to collect shonen jump magazine when it was around in a physical form. I say he was a subscription owner who would get each issue.

He strikes me as the kind of guy who likes collecting things. Especially artsy types things like his movies. Especially in physical form so his shonen jumps are no different.

He's a constant but casual reader in terms of what he keeps up with in terms of series.

By that I mean he's not like 'OMG I NEED TO READ ALL OF ONE PIECE I'LL BE SO UPSET IF I MISS ONE CHAPTER.' Absolutley not. He's a casual One Piece fan. I know it seems like they don't exist because once you're in you're in BUT HE IS.

He enjoys reading it, don't get me wrong, it's just he's not tearing the issue open for the next chapter.

Tendou's an allrounder with his reading. Will try everything in the issue. Really liked The Disastrous Life of Saiki K the year it was published! He just vibed hard with it.

With Shonen Jump, he's collected it forever so he's read all the early 2000's classics like Naruto, Bleach and Death Note. He watches the anime too.

Outside of the shonen jump I feel like the only manga he would go out of his way to purchase and read would be something of the horror vein because he's a horror fan.

The first time he went into a manga store and saw the covers of the Junji Ito works he HAD to know what they were about. Started with one and ended up collecting them all.

Still prefers watching horror and thrillers over reading them. There's just something more satisfying about cinematic terrors BUT he does enjoy his small collection of manga too.

He just over all prefers reading manga to chill out. Which is why his go to is more the popular shonen series.

Tendou is pretty good with recs too! If you handed him a romance and told him it was the best series in the world and he had to read it he would. He doesn't care, you like it so why wouldn't he? It's just not something he would usually pick up for himself.

He's pretty good at recommending things too. If you're unsure he'll just hand you a shonen jump mag and tell you to go nuts. Just don't read the ads like Ushiwaka please, he can't handle another one. lmao.

Hanging out with Tendou as teens reading manga together would honestly be the best lowkey date every. Just vibing in each others company. Probably watching anime together after too.

TANAKA RYUUNOSUKE

I see Tanaka as more of a manga reader too over anything lengthy like novels. He just doesn't have the discipline to sit there and read for long periods of time.

This is why studying is so hard for him! He just gets bored! Would rather be doing something where he can move around.

Definitely doesn't mind picking up a manga every now and again though.

Now as for what he reads. Well. Here's the things. He's actually a real softy at heart and a sucker for romance.

How does he discover this? Totally by accident, he swears.

He went in to pick up a couple shonen series and the shonen jump issue (he doesn't have a subscription he just picks it up on occassion) and the cashier accidentally mixed up a shoujo series into the bag that was on the counter on the side.

Tanaka didn't realise until he got home and for some reason he just never bothered returning it. He had paid for it after all. He might as well read it.

The thing is once he did, he couldn't put it down! He had to read another and another. He was hooked. And what was this serious? Well guess what it was also Kimi ni Todoke!

That gets him hooked on Shoujo romances and has him going in buying more series. He buys one for every two shonen series he gets, hiding it under them at the casier mentally telling them 'They're totally for my sister.' as if they can read his mind.

Doesn't get too embarassed if you ask him about it though it's just an awkward flush of the cheeks and 'Yeah, I like them.' Because Tanaka is one to stay true to himself.

Okay but because he reads a lot of it he kind of gets real sappy ideas about romance and dating.

All those ideas about being a gentlemen? Carrying your bad, walking on the side of the sidewalk closest to the road, standing in front of you during confrontations? All further reinforced by reading those manga.

Has a cute little blushy face when he reads the confession scenes too. Hopes to be that cool when he confesses on day.

If you like manga he really likes sharing that with you. Going to bookstores together, he vibes on just watching you browse with a content look on your face.

Will buy you anything you want. Even if its a whole stack. Tanaka is slamming those bills down and paying. Anything to make you happy and see that smile on your face.

KENMA KOZUME

Kenma started reading and collecting manga when his parents forced him to have a hobby other than gaming. Something about resting his eyes from screens.

He did already sort of like reading manga anyway. Was into series like the legend of zelda because of the game. Also collects the standard shonen jump series like one piece, hunter x hunter and naruto too.

The thing about Kenma is he started out with the popular stuff and then he branched out and collected a bit of everything the more he read.

He has a bit of everything from each demographic. Has your Sailormoon, Fruits basket and NANA from your shoujo. Josei like Chihayafuru, shonen/seinin like JoJo's bizarre adventure, fullmetal alchemist, AOT, Gintama, Tokyo Ghoul.

As time goes on he'll collect ones like Given, I hear the sunspot and Blue Flag too.

Likes going to art stalls and places he can collect fan djs and art books too. Isn't really big on chit chat but will say a sweet 'I like your work.' Then pays and scurries off with a little happy face.

Like buying work of his favourite games and characters at the same time. Especially at conventions. Hates the crowds but finds this worth it.

Appreciates being able to do these things with you. Bonus if you like doing them too. If you simply go just to be with him he'll just swoon lol.

Back to the manga. He likes the anime adaptions too but doesn't always get a lot of time to watch them. Prefers games after all. If he does though he prefers to watch the anime after he's read the manga.

Loves watching the anime as a way to spend time with you though after you both have read the manga. Loves being able to compare and criticise it together. Just cuddling and vibing.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Reads books/manga: Semi Eita, Kuroo Tetsurou, Yamaguchi Tadashi, Yaku Morisuke

Reads manga: Hinata Shouyou, Atsumu Miya, Kunimi Akira, Hoshiumi Korai, Nishinoya Yuu, Kindaichi Yuutarou

Reads books: Sugawara Koushi, Yachi Hitoka, Oikawa Tooru, Kita Shinsuke

Reads food packaging and social media: Kageyama Tobio, Suna Rintarou, Kiyoko Shimizu

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psychewritesbs · 7 months

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hi! i didnt have much success when looking through ur blog to see if uve addressed this alrdy so apologies if u have.

i was curious to know ur thoughts on jjk's portrayals of gender, esp women/femininity. if u have particular insight from a psych or philosophy bg, id be interested in hearing that (warning, i have a v feminist critique lens)

ik u love gege's writing 😅 but his handle on female characters/femininity has given me such a difficult relationship w jjk, and its v difficult to have discourse on it. on one hand, we're introduced to sm interesting realistic women, tbh i actually never stanned a woman in manga before jjk. but imo it cant be denied that gege is a sexist writer. despite how realistic jjk women r theyre all .. halfwritten? i cant think of a single one who isnt underwritten, not fully explored, not utilized substantially in the plot, etc. and there r sm ex's of extremely minor male characters in jjk who r given more thematic relevance than frequently recurring women that just underscores that gender gap imo

this isnt solely a gege problem ik but what bothers me in particular about jjk vs other mangas is how gege addresses strength, even in the light of nb/androgynous characters, and how it feels as if gege's def of strength is inherently masculine? even despite going so far as to give us a philosophical battle shonen w diverse reps of gender and emphasizing individuality that encompasses both femme/masc traits

how a reader interprets whether a jjk woman is strong or not is obv subjective. like, i think shoko is strong but shes not depicted as such bc she doesnt have a combative technique whereas yuki maki nobara or mei r depicted as "strong" bc of their battle abilities. but it also feels as if those women r strong bc they take on "masculine" traits/mindsets whereas there r no clear depictions of "femininity" making women or men stronger. even utahime who falls into v classic shoujo girl tropes is seen as weak despite teaching her students v proficientally in battle strategy (mechamaru v mahito is a good ex of that imo), as compared to how gojo teaches his (ie dumping them into missions for experience). but thats not what gege ever chooses to highlight

femininity also doesnt even seem to make men/nb characters stronger. the ex's i can think of r naoya as a vagina (lmao), geto as a mother to curses, yuta as highly attuned to his emotions, kenjaku as yuji's mother -- those r things that support these (mostly) men's strong sense of individuality but like, those arent really the things that lend those characters their "strength", u know? like geges just sprinkling in androgyny for the spice 🧐

what is feminine vs masculine, how an individual embodies those traits in their gender identity r already complex topics. im obv generalizing a lot here, but i just, idk despite how many other nuanced philosophies gege explores, what is strong/desirable in jjk still falls down to all-out fighting abilities/physical prowess, emotional detachment, isolation, extremism, etc -- all things we harp on toxic masculinity for. and even when he critiques that, theres no cogent counter solution/way to be strong that gege provides, much less one that incorporates "femininity" and women

maybe im just asking for too much from gege after having read so many great representations of women and gender by female (and male) mangakas/writers but.. i shouldnt be 🙄 he can utilize his female characters more imo, esp when he can clearly set them up so well. and im sure theres things ive misread about jjk and its portrayal of femininity, theres plenty of holes in my thoughts ^^ anyways, this is obv not a great topic to bring up in a fandom that is so polarized between dudebros and women w unaddressed internalized misogyny.. so i welcome any and all thoughts and interpretations on ur end! (also omg im rlly sorry this got so long)

I love you feminist anon, if I may call you that lol, I just always name my anons 😂. I am so grateful that you sent this.

I feel like you've very eloquently explained the deeper reason as to why I personally can't relate to the female characters in jjk. If I'm honest, I like them and think they are fun and good enough representations or attempts at depicting the archetypes that rule their personalities.

As you say, however, some of them remain rather superficial and underutilized... and please forgive me anyone who loves them, but some of them feel like they are basically dudes wearing skirts.

No offense to dudes who wear skirts or people who like men who wear skirts or anyone for that matter. It's just that, as a personal preference, I like female characters that wear skirts, pants, leggings, etc and have equal amounts of masculine and feminine energy.

So, even if I find they are good enough, I've never necessarily loved jjk female characters, because, as you also say, I've read/seen one too many amazing and iconic female characters by other authors...

And it's not like I think you're asking for too much from Gege in wanting better female characters, it's just that, as you also said, I like his writing and I read jjk precisely because of what it's doing for my masculine psyche. Like... quite literally.

So perhaps I'm more forgiving than you are because of it? Because in all reality, there are female character moments in other manga that I have to give the bombastic side eye to, and jjk isn't one of them.

Let's taco'bout it more under the cut.

So, that said, I have to admit that you might not find a lot of "feminist oriented" content in my blog because my feminist lens is reserved for dealing with lame dudebros in my real life, and also, I honestly do not know how to wear the lens on the same level of depth as you do.

Also, since my blog's lens is depth psych, I very much focus on femininity and masculinity as psychological qualities that exist on opposite ends of a continuum regardless of biological gender. You'll see me refer to femininity and masculinity like this throughout my answer.

So because of this, I'm coming at the whole issue from a slightly different angle than you are. The way I see it, I think the way the jjk female characters are written and thematically utilized (basically everything you said), ultimately comes back to how Gege's exploration of femininity is limited by his own sense of self, and very much likely biased by the sociocultural landscape he grew up in.

I don't know how much you know about Japan, but Japan has one foot in the future, and one foot in the past...

And like... ok I'm totally oversimplifying the whole thing. All I'm saying is... Gege is a man who grew up in a man's world, sharing his view of the world through jjk, which is a story about initiation of the male psyche that is published in a magazine for young boys.

Do you see the pattern there?

So If you feel like his female characters are underutilized and underexplored, and that thematically jjk focuses way too much on masculinity and masculine definitions of strength at the expense of the feminine archetypes he does present (like Naoya as a vagina LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL)... well... to me, we're basically looking at the limits of his own relationship to his femininity, which, this relationship is in turn an imperative precursor for psychospiritual development in depth psych. More of this in a bit.

Anyways, that's my anticlimactic reasoning for why I am more forgiving about the issue than you are. To be honest, I've been so consumed exploring my masculine psyche through jjk (because personally my feminine psyche is more developed in certain aspects) that I just never focus on the female characters (that is not to mention what I shared earlier).

ANYWAYS, I fucking love what you wrote about Gege's exploration on power from a masculine perspective because you're 100% spot on. What I'll say to that is that, to me, from a depth psych perspective, that's kind of the whole point.

I invite you to look at it from this other level of perspective (in addition to the whole "Gege's psych is a product of his upbringing"): the whole idea of individuality and focusing on the sense of self as a measure of "The Strongest" is being shown as an incomplete part of the equation...

... that leaves "the strongest" ultimately feeling dissatisfied.

This is a sentiment echoed by several characters because ego strength (masculine definitions of strength) is ultimately an unbalanced measure of strength precisely because it ignores feminine values and measures of strength.

Who knows where Gege is taking jjk at this point, but I will admit I am hoping he is going to explore this in more depth because, central to Jungian thought and depth psych is the idea of the Buddhist middle path and union of opposites.

In Jungian psych this means that, when you have an unbalanced ego attitude like that, something has to give so that the pendulum swings in the opposite direction, which gives the ego the experiences it needs to integrate the "opposite" attitude. This ultimately results in a more holistic and balanced perspective for the ego.

That to say that I'm wondering if Gege is going to make the pendulum swing in the opposite direction with the whole "individuality" idea since self-preservation is a "masculine" trait. Again, psychologically, it's all about balance, and right now, the story is out of balance in favor of the masculine traits you mention.

But... to bring it back to Gege's possible limitations around his perception of femininity and how developing a healthy relationship to his anima (femininity) is a precursor for psychospiritual development... what if, on a meta level, jjk is depicting part of Gege's journey towards integrating and deepening his relationship to his femininity and what you're seeing is the beginning of that journey?

Hint hint Tsumiki! maybe I'll write about it someday

This is the thing... In depth psychology, more specifically what is called "the psychology of fairy tales", fairy tales and myths are stories that depict the thinking patterns of a peoples through metaphor and symbol. The characters in these myths and stories are thus characters playing out dramas in our own psyches. So basically, think of jjk as an objective exploration of Gege's subjectiveness (psyche).

Admittedly, even if the pendulum swings in the other direction (more feminine definitions of strength), you might find that his exploration is rather shallow or that it falls short of your expectations for what you'd like to see from a feminist perspective. And you wouldn't be wrong for it, it's just that Gege is probably not on the same level of understanding that you have about femininity because he's, like you and I, a human on a journey of self understanding and growth reflecting on how his environment has shaped who he is.

The same goes for women with internalized misogyny. Sometimes you don't know what you don't know, and coming to an understanding of it is a process that doesn't take place overnight.

So I think the only part I'll disagree with is that Gege is a sexist writer. But that's perhaps because I'm being a bit too technical in what sexist means? i.e. masc supremacy or hating women and perpetuating stereotypes. I think that rather than being sexist, his unconscious biases are showing, which is why someone like you can pick them out.

I do understand where you're coming from though, and admittedly perhaps I am being too forgiving of him.

Last thing I'll say is that I've said a couple of times that wanting for jjk to have these iconic female characters feels like an exercise in futility. In retrospect, I now understand that it's not that anyone shouldn't want for jjk to have iconic female characters, but that doesn't change the fact that jjk will probably remain the wrong manga to look for them, and that's something to make peace with because it is what it is.

So, here's to hoping we get a chance to see a deeper representation of feminine values in jjk or Gege's next manga. Because, if he's done such beautiful work with the masculine psyche, like you, I'd be curious to see what he makes of a deeper exploration of the feminine psyche.

Between you and I, I'd actually love reading a proper battle bl from Gege. And I mean proper. Like... gays so canon that even the dudebros can't deny it.

ANYWAYS... giiiiiiiirl what an ask 😮‍💨. I don't think I've done it justice tbh. But hopefully I made sense? I really do love what you wrote. It was very eye opening to see this age-old argument spelled out the way you did it. So thank you again for sharing your thoughts!

If you over have any other thoughts on the topic I look forward to hearing from you!

I rambled too so... hopefully I made sense 🤣.

#ask the mental gymnastics anime girl

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doobea · 9 months

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omgomg im so excited for ur new reo au!! 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🩷🩷 also do u have any shoujo animanga recs hehe

YES I DO HEHE !!!! (and omg ty I’m also excited to write it too)

Daytime Shooting Star / Hirunaka No Ryuusei - I like this one because the main girl experiences kinda second lead syndrome. She does also crush on an older male figure but dw he doesn’t reciprocate any feelings back.

Ouran High School Host Club - hehe I love this one so much the anime was cute but I’d rec reading it since it’s finished (idk we will never get another season ugh). Poor girl attends elite rich school and accidentally gets roped into a popular host club because she accidentally breaks a one million dollar vase.

Kimi ni Todoke - cannot stress enough how much I love this show so much I remember first finding it and binging everything AAAHHH shy girl x popular boy but everything and everyone is a green flag !!

Bride of the Water God - is a Korean manhwa and also been adapted into a kdrama but I honestly suggest just reading it instead!! I love love love historical fantasy AUs w all my heart and this one just tugs all the right strings. Girl gets sacrificed to save her village from a drought and ends up being a bride to the water god hehe

I’m gonna take some elements from the first two and actually throw them around here and there in the Reo fic hehe expect some shoujo cliches in like every chapter because I’m a sucker for those …

#doobea answers ⋆˚✿˖°

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kuroo-suno · 2 months

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Hey, random question but ik you read some shoujo manga. Do you have any recommendations?

omg i sure do!! sorry if this is long i just really love shoujo ( ‘́⌣’̀) completed series are at the top and currently releasing are after, and i wrote a little about each one (though it's based on memory so it's not exactly detailed).

hopefully at least one of these is enjoyable! i've read loads more but these are some that stick out ♥

Completed:

Chorokute Kawaii Kimi ga Suki

☆ Intimidating, misunderstood sweetheart ML and an endearingly goofy and super-weak-to-romantic-gestures FL

Horimiya

☆ one of my all-time favourites UGH. FL and ML are both completely different outside of school but in vastly different ways and thanks to a chance encounter, they meet and discover that perhaps they both have a little more to offer than what's on the surface ♥♥♥♥

Kanojo ga Kawaisugite Ubaenai

☆ demon ML comes to the human world disguised as a high school student to complete a test to become the next demon lord and the FL has never had friends before and couldn't read any romantic (or warning) signs if they were printed on the inside of her eyelids. ML is also sooo weird and awkward and provides a lot of comic relief

Kawaisugiru Danshi ga Ouchi de Matteimasu

☆ FL is a star employee, but an absolute scrub once she gets home so she offers her friend/ML to live with her rent-free in exchange for his cooking and cleaning services (and to keep her from getting involved with losers)

Living no Matsunaga-san

☆ FL moves into her uncle's boarding house while her parents care for her grandmother and her roommates are quite the array of individuals, including the older ML who shows he cares by being a crabby little nag-machine

Natsuaki-kun wa Kyou mo Kokuhaku Shitai

☆ Aloof and seemingly disinterested ML (main character) pines HARD for the world's cutest girl and is desperately trying to confess

Tsubaki-chou Lonely Planet

☆ i wish i could read this for the first time again tbh. FL gets a job as a live-in housekeeper for a famous author (ML) to help pay back her dad's debts. ML is icy and distant, but FL has a heart of gold fr. This series made me laugh and cry numerous times and reading the last chapter was so bittersweet because i loved getting a conclusion but didn't want it to end yk? (from the same author as hirunaka no ryuusei and uruwashi no yoi no tsuki so no surprise it's 10/10)

Ongoing:

Daifuku-chan to Ouji-sama

☆ Small-town girl moves to the city for university (and to find new love). One of her boarding house roommates is a 10/10 but their first meeting doesn't exactly leave the best impression~

Hikaeme ni Itte mo, Kore wa Ai

☆ one of my all-time favourites?? Super school-focused, perpetually stressed FL comes across the battered and bruised delinquent ML in the rain and patches him up. He makes sure to repay the favour (insert saluting emoji here)

Kaoru Hana wa Rin to Saku

☆ modern day romeo/juliet situation except no one dies! ML and FL are from rival schools (lower-class, bad grades vs wealthy scholars) and are perceived very differently. ML is soft and sweet despite his appearance and encounters FL as a customer at his family's cake shop. She treats him differently than others have (read: like a human person) and oooooo it's so sugary!!

Super no Ura de Yani Suu Futari *technically seinen but........

☆ 45 y/o ML's only joys in life are going to the convenience store to talk to his favourite bubbly cashier and smoking out back with an edgy young woman who he's definitely more familiar with than he realizes..........

Uruwashi no Yoi no Tsuki

☆ FL presents much less feminine than her peers earning her the nickname of "prince" and she's always treated as such. But then she meets ML who is a fellow """prince""" and he sees her for who she is and appreciates her beauty both inside and out~

Yamaguchi-kun wa Warukunai

☆ FL has an unfortunate run-in with a creep on the train en route to her first day of high school and is saved by her delinquent classmate (ML). he's in everyone's bad books but the more she learns about him, the more determined she gets to change his reputation

Yubisaki to Renren

☆ FL is a deaf and lovely, but sheltered, college student and has a chance encounter with the ML, who is much more worldly and adventurous than she is annnnd cue tears fr

i almost added about 600 000 000 000 more but i'll hold back for now LOL if you have any recs or want to talk shoujo, please don't hesitate to reach out!!

#answered #i love shoujo so fucking much ugh i could die #are they all the same tasty little treat in different packaging? yes but i will continue to scarf them down nevertheless

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nanaosaki3940 · 4 months

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The Time When We Were Young [Manhwa/Webtoon]

It's an ongoing isekai genre manhwa/webtoon and OMG, it's so fucking good, y'all!!!

I'll talk about the manhwa with spoilers, so read this at your own risk!!!

The story is about a 37-year-old female lead (Choi Ah-Ran), who's now a renowned novelist and publisher of a famous publishing company, had once wrote a well-known web novel (named Cheonyang City) back in her high school days. Since she wrote it back when she was 16-17 years old, the web novel was full of cliches and had all those cringey troupes that you see/read in your average shoujo manga/manhwa. Also, the novel happened to be a self-insert story and it was an alternate reality of her own personal life. Like for example, in her real life, her younger brother passed away in an accident but in the novel she wrote about a reality where her brother was still alive and well. In real life, she had a best friend who stopped talking to her because of a misunderstanding, but in the novel, she/her character also had the same kind of best friend who never left her side and they always cleared up their misunderstandings if any confusion ever arose between them. Also like in her own life, her parents got divorced after the death of her younger brother and she had a very toxic relationship with both of her parents all these years, but in the novel, her imaginative parents were in a happy marriage and were lovey-dovey with each other. Or like how she was bullied in real life when she was still a high schooler, but no one bullies her in that novel's world. In other words, the novel was an alternative reality of her own life which she created to escape from her pain and actual reality, and the novel characters are based on real people in her real life.

So in the present time, 37-year-old Ah-Ran recently broke off her engagement and was going through a tough time at her workplace. Life was quite hard for someone like her who was in their late 30s. Then one day she decided to visit her mother (who's now married to another man and had a son together) one afternoon for lunch and at that time, she went to her old bedroom and noticed her computer (which she once used to write her web novel) was still there on the table. Feeling a bit nostalgic, she tried to turn on her old computer and before she knew it, she was sucked into the world of her own web novel "The Cheonyang City". She got isekai-ed into her novel where her younger brother was still alive, her parents weren't divorced and happy, and her best friend was there for her in every thick and thin.

But alas, unlike other female leads, she doesn't want to stay and live in this cliche-filled web novel she once wrote in her teenage years and was finding a way to go back to her actual reality. And the only way to get back to her reality was to change the flow of the story of her own and make the characters around her say stuff that they need to say. Every time she would get isekai-ed in her web novel, a small piece of paper would magically appear in the pocket of her clothes, and in those papers, there'd be these cliche phrases/dialogues that the characters around her would say to her, like for example, one time in the paper a dialogue was written and it went like - "My heart is sick because of you", meaning the male lead of the story (Kang Hwiyoung; a typical high school delinquent with a bad boy persona but also has a heart of gold) has started to fall for her, and in order to make him say this, Ah-Ran has to get closer to him and make him fall for her. And when he said that dialogue, she again went back to her own reality/world.

And in this way, Ah-Ran was going back and forth between her own web novel and her own reality/world, and through this journey, she learned a lot of things and those things helped her to overcome her fear and traumas, they taught her how to deal with her painful past and move on with her life etc. Like going through this unusual journey made her recall back her actual high school life where she was bullied and her best friend abandoned her. She also recalled back the time when her brother died, her parents got divorced, and when she was self-harming herself. As she interacted with those fictional characters in her novel, she learned a lot of stuff about their lives and how they dealt with their traumas and stuff and when she would go back to her own reality/world, Ah-Ran would gain the courage to face her own problems and traumas and would also take steps to overcome them.

And while going through this journey, in her real world, she came across her old classmate from high school named Cheon Jonghyeok (who owns a bar-n-cafe in the same building as her publishing company), and guess what? That dude is the spitting image of the male lead (Kang Hwiyoung) from her novel!!! I mean just look at them, y'all!!!

(the right side column is Kang and the left side column is Cheon...)

Firstly it was speculated by readers that Kang was probably based on someone from Ah-Ran's real-life and they even teased us with a panel of this bartender...

And after that in Chapter 50 Cheon's face was finally revealed and he looked exactly like Kang from her novel!!!

Knowingly or unknowingly, it seems like when Ah-Ran wrote her web novel years ago, she portrayed Kang's character and physical features based on Cheon's looks and personality. The only difference is that Kang (in the web novel) is a popular delinquent and leads a gang called "Four Heavenly Kings", meanwhile Cheon (in the real world) is a popular handsome dude with a good and caring personality and was liked by everyone in school back then. Other than that, both Kang and Cheon are absolutely the same person. I mean Ah-Ran created Kang based on Cheon, so obviously they'll be alike.

So yeah, overall I'll give this story a 10/10 rating. If you like a modern setting isekai story with teenage high school romance, adult workplace romance, drama, and comedy, then this story is for y'all.

Links to read the manhwa/webtoon -

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daychiie · 5 months

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For the manga ask: 1, 11 and 17

HIIII HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

AND ALSO THANKS FOR NOT ONLY SENDING ME A ASK BUT SENDING ME THIS TWICE SINCE I ACCIDENTALLY BLOWED UP THE FIRST TIME TEEHEE <3 <3 <3 odeio escrever coisa pelo celular augghh

Anyway I'm answering those questions here!!!

1. Your top 5 reads of 2023

Meme for symmetry lol

No Home - NO HOME MY BELOVED MY BESTIE NO HOME,HOW IT CAN BE SO WELL WRITTEN IT MAKES ME INSANE BRO... COMICS OF ALL TIME. I have no words to explain... I do want one day stop being a coward and write out some analysis on it, buuut--oh well~~

Dungeon Meshi - I got into the party almost "too late". Well, I don't really believe that starting something after if finished is getting into it too late,but I do get that you lose some experiences if you get into something late than other... And in my case I got into it some weeks before it officially ended lmao. Always heard about it and finally gave a try, it's extremely funny and charming, can't wait for the anime this week :]

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun - I saw the anime back when it was releasing, enjoyed it and...that was it. Hoped for season two (kinda still wish for it),but yeah... Then finally said fuck it and OHH IT GETS SO MUCH BETTER. LIKE ITS NOT THAT THE ANIME IS BAD BY ANY MEANS BUT WELL...it only covered one part of it and it always keep getting funnier and funnier! Wakamatsu is so much more insane and dumb... The characters we never got to met there. I do have some issue here and there but in general I have a pretty fun time :]

Ikoku Nikki - yeah maybe sometimes see that something gonna end next week really pushes me to read it lol. Anyway I do want to re read again sometime soon,but it was a very emotional read!! Makio women of all time, a aro icon <3 she everything!!!!

After School Lessons for Unripe Apples - another fun read!!! Don't think I have too much thoughts but I really enjoy Mi-ae and Cheol dynamic <3

Just making clear that in this top 5 I put stuff I started reading in 2023,so like ... No Skip to Loafer here lol even thought I enjoyed the new chapters that were released in 2023,in the rules my head made it didn't count lmao.

11. Your favorite covers

Suddenly I actually never read anything in 2023 :) GJJSAJFN ok guess Hirayasumi covers are very neat!!! I love the painting of it.

But yeah I noticied I remember chapter covers much more than I remember volume covers, so originally I was going to show some of my favorite chapter covers...but then 10 photos limit. Even thought I was sure nowdays is 30 idk if its because I'm stuck in mobile but whatever,I spend two hours looking covers on my phone I gonna show it on a rb or something lmao

17. A manga you didn’t expect to like

Hmnm ... I don't remember lmao. Like at least not anything that I felt that extremely "omg what pleasant surprise!!!!!" ? The best I could think of is kisses x kiss x kisses that ...well does have a cringe name that kinda put you expectations at low I guess lol

It's nothing amazing, it's a finished romance comic, that is very sweet. I liked the contrast of the protagonist and his love interest being like, boy with big family all living together and boy that lives alone with parents in another country lol. It is a cliche and not gonna pretend they do anything groundbreaking with it, but it's still a nice storyline. Lowkey big spoilers ahead I guess but: I liked that while the protagonist dream of living completely alone changed a little (cause come on its a fluffy romance lol), he still got separates room cause he does want be able to experience and enjoy not sharing a room,having more privacy and stuff. It's kinda small overall, but it's nice that his dream and his goals didn't do a complete change because of love.

#daychiie talks #my laptop giving up on me on new years...so sad... aug aguhhh #PORRA MANO ESCREVER PELO CELULAR FAZ EU ME SENTIR NUMA JAULA AUGHHRNFJSJSJ #but yeay thanks for the ask wawhahwh #now i only have other of those to reply hehe #i feel kinda bad talking so much lol

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yoisami · 8 months

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SAKI YOUR TAGS ON MY REO FIC AAAHH <3 <3

please even im frustrated at our reader here bc she's dense!!! nagis just nagi ... never been interested romantically in her smh and reo... poor poor reo!!! kept the bracelet all this time (ps he secretly wears it to his exams in hopes he'll pass too)

we've reached the midpoint of this shoujo drama ... which means the next chapter has to involve romantic tension between reader and reo now!! >:)))

DOOBY HIHI 🙈 <3

I LOVED THE SECOND PART SO MUCH OK LIKE I NEEDED U TO UNDERSTAND HOW I REACTED TO EVERY SCENE !! plus i love commenting on each bit idk it’s so fun i hope u don’t mind 😭 </3

MISS READER IS SO DENSE BRUH I JUST WANNA SLAP HER AND TELL HER TO WAKE TF UP BC HELLO HOW CAN U NOT FALL FOR REO WHO IS SUCH A CATCH ??!?!

omg i just thought of “you belong with me” by taylor swift 🤭 yk the line that goes smth like “if you could see that i’m the one who understands you been here all along...” 💳💥💳💥💳💥 (why is it lwky perfect...?)

nagi </3 but ykw it’s fine IT’S ALWAYS BEEN REO WHO’S THE ONE WHO CARES AB NAGI RIGHT NOW >:(

YAYAYAYYAYA ROMANTIC TENSION IT’S ALWAYS SO SATISFYING WHEN THE SHOUJO LEADS BECOME ALL GIGGLY AND FLIRTY AND FLUSTERED AROUND EACH OTHER I JUST DIE IT’S SO VFKSBFMDBMSND 🙄💞

also when i was reading the fic i was like thinking to myself just how much respect i hold for u and other longfic writers 😭😭 y’all are INCREDIBLE AND SO TALENTED bc how do u make sure that u entertain the reader in between major scenes? idk how u do it but i’d love tips if u’re willing to give some :’)

#૮₍˶˃ . ˂ ⑅₎ა — ୨୧ moots: dooby !

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pendwelling · 1 year

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wait omg what was jibril implying when he was checking out yeseo?? 😭😭 I didn't mention anything in the last ask bc I wasn't sure but I read some of the comments and it made me think if it was like that.. also considering the paladins' harsh reaction after he said it too lol it kinda flew over my head tho n the comments could just be talking abt bc yeseo rlly thought they were bugs.. but now I'm rlly sure lol I initially thought he meant like "now why would I tell u for free??" so yeseo rummages thru his pockets idk

IM GONNA BE REAL WITH YOU THAT SCENE ALSO PUZZLES ME HAHAHHAHAH

I didn't exactly think of it as flirting at first until other people pointed it out, but it can DEFINITELY FEEL THAT WAY WHEN U THINK ABOUT IT LMFAOOO

Jib: "now why would i tell you for free? it would be a shame to tell you in one go.." (implying he wants something in return) (JIBRIL DIOP WHY ARE YOU LOOKING HIM UP AND DOWN???)

Yeseo: Ah. I dont have money but I have some candy if u want?

Our local holy knights: PALACE LORDNIM GET AWAY FROM THAT FCKER. HE DARES ASK SUCH THINGS FROM OUR NOBLE PARTNER?

(((JIBRIL AND YESEO'S DYNAMIC IS SO FUNNY, THEYRE ONE OF MY FAV DUOS HAHAHAHHA)))

Yeseo is usually a very mild-mannered and gentle person, but whenever hes with Jibril these days that kid seems to become a little agressive, especially in recent chapters 😂😂 It's similar to a delinquent getting intrigued by the class' straight-A student who disapproves of their habits in shoujo manga...

Troublemaker (who is actually pretty responsible) and Goodie-two-shoes (who is unexpectedly pretty troublemaking) xDDDDD

The difference between how Yeseo treats the sons of the imperial bloodline is so different 😂 He only openly bullies and snarks back with Jibril, but the seventh cousin the crown prince Cédric is treated much more nicely HAHAHA (tbf he is the next emperor! And yeseo would probably break his hand hitting Ced's rock solid chest ngl... Hang in there Jib!!)

#asks #twsb asks #IM DYING TO KNOW IF JIBRIL'S LINE WAS ACTUALLY MEANT TO COME ACROSS AS FLIRTY????#OR IS IT JUST HARASSMENT LMFAOONFHDJDKDK #JIBYES BELOVED 😂😂 ONE OF MY FAV DYNAMICS FRRRRR #I love Jibril's chara development lmao he starts off as the typical womanizer but hes actually!!! a really good dude haha!!

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cherimaho · 1 year

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omg id love to hear ur thoughts on kazehaya being the superior shoujo ml bc i feel that way but i struggle to articulate why.. ur so right abt shiina not relying on trauma to create sympathy for him

thank you for asking!

i think what makes kazehaya so charming and different than the rest of the male leads of his time (early 2000s and before) is that, from beginning to end, he is a genuinely good person.

he is introduced as a kind guy who is sociable and easy to get along with. he's not extraordinarily handsome or super talented or rich. he is refreshing and popular but at the same time he is Just Some Guy.

it's kind of hard to talk about how good he is without comparing him to other male leads of the 90s/00s. in a time where mostly distant and aloof and emotionally constipated male leads with a traumatic past were on the rise, kazehaya stood out for his emotional availability and overall normalcy.

for measure, a character similar to kazehaya from the 90s would be arima from kare kano. just like kazehaya, he is introduced as a kind guy who is popular among his peers and who is from the beginning nice to his love interest. however, all of that is thrown out of the window as soon as his backstory is starting to unveil.

i personally find how 'boring' kazehaya (supposedly) is, a positive. a lot of people say they feel his development lacks in comparison to other characters in the series and while a lot of times this is said by people who have not read the manga, they're not far off.

but his development lacks not in a "bad writing" kind of way, but in the sense that there's not much he needs to develop, as far as his personality goes. while other male leads needed to learn to be civilized people by getting together with the protagonist, kazehaya's main struggle was communication with his loved ones —mainly with sawako, and later on, with his dad— and he works on it until the very end of the series.

by no means does this mean his development is insignificant or nonexistent; it's just not as big of change to him as a person as it is to how he navigates his relationships.

i would also like to mention that his little need for change and the lack of unecessary tragic backstory gave so much space for other characters to get the spotlight. it's not inherently bad for the male lead to get as much screentime as the protagonist; sometimes it's necessary, and it's great, if done correctly.

however, kimi ni todoke, in my opinion, succeeded in giving almost everyone, besides the protagonist, their own time to shine and i think kazehaya not having a thousand issues to solve helped with that.

at the end of the day, you like kazehaya because he's nice to sawako, he's nice to everyone. you understand he sometimes struggles with communicating his feelings. sometimes he makes mistakes. even then, you know he is a good person. you don't need a backstory to excuse his every misbehavior and you don't need a backstory to know that he's a good person.

i hope this doesn't sound like i think characters with trauma are inferior or automatically bad writing; there are good ways to do that (karuho did it in kimi ni todoke already with another character). but i do think some authors rely too much on it when writing their male leads.

#kimi ni todoke #i hope this makes sense ... im not good at articulating myself either 💔#i just love giving my opinions on kimitodo

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