#one of my favorite magical mirai performances

[cobaltbluwu]

holy shit guys its Erase or Zero's 15th anniversary.

#woah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #erase or zero #one of my favorite magical mirai performances #and fucking sdfasdfasdfasdfsfd song time #yeeesssss #Youtube

[scuffle-with-spirals]

Sakura Sekiga (UTAU Sakura Design Submission)

Woaugh fellas I love when Yuuma Sekiga, kebab enthusiast said, “it’s kebabbing time” and then kebabb’d all over the sakura trees!

Hey guys!! I decided to try my hand at UTAU-4-YOU’s Sakura UTAU Design Event! While this UTAU is not mine, belonging to Sekiya, I decided to try designing a Sakura themed version of one of my favorite UTAUs, Yuuma Sekiga!

GHGHGHGH OKAY SO Yes. I know this design is kinda big stretch, since, for whoever doesn’t know, this is what Yuuma’s original design is like actually:

Official Art by: Toudou Charo

But like: I feel like the simplicity of the original gave me a lot to work with! Plus it gives me time to gush my favorite UTAU since nineteen-aught-seven again. :0c Yippee!

Since Yuuma is a very powerful and versatile voice suitable for most rock songs, I inspired the aesthetics of this design based around the colorful pop-punkish aesthetics of certain Visual Kei! And to help get my mind in the right headset for an appealing design, I thought about a design I personally would like seeing performed in concert, similarly to the annual Magical Mirai costumes that are reserved exclusively for themes and encores. :0c

While some outfits clearly don’t look realistically comfortable to dance in (2020′s design...), they do look really pleasing to watch someone dance in! So I tried to make a design that I thought would look neat to watch a little funky fella bounce around in. That’s partially the reason why he has those weird stray black strands; I imagined them bouncing a little bit alongside his hair bun. 

I tried to retain his jacket a little with this look. I thought about going for a crop jacket initially but I inevitably decided against it. Plus, I don’t think the slight shoulder drop of one sleeve would’ve looked as good, in retrospect.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a good place to keep the “kebab” on his jacket. But, I also wanted to stick to the yuuma sekiga kebab man lore, so I put a secret kebab hidden in this design somewhere. :0c Woagh!

Either way, I’m super excited to share this design with you all! As I said, Yuuma is one of my favorite UTAUs, so I’m happy to not only gush about him, but share this design I drew for the Sakura event! I think it’s super interesting, and I’d definitely recommend checking it out if you’re interested!

#yuuma sekiga #UTAU #scuffle art #sekiga yuuma #U4USpring2023

[yupuffin]

In summer 2016, I got one of the Japanese bookstore's last copies of the KAITO 10th anniversary album Glorious Blue. The whole album is full of BOPS, but I got particularly hooked on Doctor=Funk Beat by nyanyannya. I was super excited to see it slated to be performed at Magical Mirai later that year. I learned the choreography as fast as I could and became, to my knowledge, the first person to publicly upload a dance cover of Doctor=Funk Beat using the Magical Mirai choreography.

Sometime in the next few months, I got hooked on the rest of nyanyannya's discography and decided to subscribe to his Patreon. We got monthly updates and the early release versions of some songs, which was cool! I believe it was in the announcement post for the song Justin⇒Jive⇒Justify in which he included the song lyrics, footnoted with "It'd be cool if I had an English translation!"

So, like the bilingual student I was, I went 🤔🤔🤔, assembled my best attempt at a translation, and stuck it in the comments with "Hey, I wasn't sure if you were serious about wanting an English translation for this, but in case you were and wanted to use one, I gave it a shot!"

I thought this would be a singular instance, but I was wrong! Unexpectedly, this led to us collaborating on quite a bit of translation work for him over the years, including captions for his music videos back when community captions on YouTube were a thing. It was a really cool experience. I remember consulting one of my housemates, an exchange student from Japan, to help me proofread my responses to the messages we exchanged. Once nyanyannya started to get into Vtubing, I learned how to make subtitle files from scratch to match the skit videos he'd send me so he could upload them with the final product. Most of those videos have sadly been unlisted now, but I have fond memories of his avatar's antics, and many of the one-liners still live in my head rent-free despite the defunct source material.

The cozy fandom for his body of musical work "the Namari Hime series" was led by a dedicated user who'd host regular drawing chats -- the kind where everyone doodles on the same canvas while voice chatting. Every few weeks or months I'd get to wake up ridiculously early to discuss new song releases and favorite characters with a bunch fellow fans from the other side of the Pacific Ocean, and nyanyannya even joined in himself on a couple of occasions. He laughed at the cleverness of me posting a photo in cosplay of one of his characters "Cash" gesturing dramatically at an ATM. He rightly proclaimed our little corner of the Internet a "super cool fandom."

For a while, we had an unofficial Discord server for the worldwide English-speaking sector of the fandom as well. It's probably still out there, actually! It was really cool to see how the fandom grew over the years from just a couple of people to at least several dozen, if not more.

Shortly after protests broke out across the United States in 2020, I woke up to a message from nyanyannya saying he'd seen the news about what was happening on my side of the pond and wanted to ask if I was okay. It was really touching.

I followed his work less closely after he officially started Vtubing, just because, as a college student, I didn't have the spare time to watch a large quantity of ~3-hour-long videos. And a couple of years ago, I stopped financially supporting him after he started experimenting with generative AI to make YouTube thumbnail images and singing samples.

But we still follow each other on Twitter--even though he posts mostly about Vtubing now, and I mostly post about Hoyoverse games and not Namari Hime. I still see the selfies he posts on Instagram from time to time. And I'm still mutuals with a lot of the previous fandom members, too, even though a lot of them are less active and we don't speak directly basically at all anymore.

nyanyannya's song Fräulein=Biblioteka is featured in the ongoing MIKU EXPO North America tour. nyanyannya is not a mainstream musician. In fact, he deliberately quit mainstream music production before he wrote Namari Hime because of the toll it was taking on his mental and physical health, and turned instead to Vocaloid as tool to help him express his individuality, instead of whatever would be the most commercially successful.

Well, that's just one example. There's plenty more.

KIRA, the producer who wrote the featured song "Highlight," is younger than I am by several years. He wrote the lyrics to another one of his hit songs, "MONSTER," when he was sixteen, and almost scrapped it because he thought nobody would like it. Now a song he wrote played at COACHELLA and he's over the moon.

Utsu-P, behind "Hyper Reality Show," is experiencing similar feelings, as he never would have dreamed of one of his songs featuring at Coachella back when his parents bought him Hatsune Miku with graduation money.

yukkedoluce is another of my favorite Vocaloid producers. He grew up wanting to be an astronaut, but didn't qualify because his eyesight was too poor -- so now he lives his dream in a different form by writing Miku songs about space.

At one of the side events at MIKU EXPO 2018, my siblings and I happened to sit next to a Vocaloid producer named Lystrialle who specializes in making contemporary folk music featuring MEIKO and KAITO. I looked up her music after the expo; her album "You, in the Endless Starlight" almost literally defined my sexuality (or lack thereof), and my Genshin Impact AU is named after some of her lyrics. She runs a Mastodon instance for Vocaloid fans.

What I'm trying to say is... there are Vocaloid producers who might be more comparable to mainstream producers, and there are musicians who started with Vocaloid work and eventually transitioned to more mainstream work. But there's also an endless list of Vocaloid producers who make little to no money off their work and hence are far from major corporate entities.

Individuality and collaboration is at the heart of Vocaloids like Hatsune Miku. Miku is primarily a tool to give musicians the power to create the music they want, not to make a highly successful commercial product. I've given an entire hour-long panel on this that convention attendees still remember ten years later, but that's a lot to put into a post that's already long enough, so I'll spare you the details for now.

Vocaloid was one of my first fandoms back in 2011. I got into cosplay and dance because of Vocaloid. Now I'm heavily involved in my local cosplay performance scene, both in terms of participating in events and helping organize them.

How does that phrase go? Do not recite the magic to me; I was there when it was written.

Don't spread misinformation that Vocaloid producers don't care about people's feelings because all they care about is making a commercial Product(tm).

Instead, please fuck all the way off.

#soliloqyu #vocaloid #miku expo

[peppermintchaos]

Hi I’m concept sketching so what’re some of your favorite miku designs?

OH IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE my top ten fav miku modules in no particular order are:

ivy rabbit- love me a good playing card wonderland-esque design

v1- you literally cannot beat a classic

♾️/ghost rule. just look at her

sonic style. it makes me laugh

15th anniversary ver. i love her id give all my money to goodsmile for her she's gorgeous

wonderlands x showtime- it's my fav purosekai group and she's legit a cutie!! bro she's a kitty. she's a kitty

ribbon girl- she's so fun and i think about that ohedo julia night performance with her daily

digital stars- her design is soso fun and colorful and her gumi counterpart... i <3 gumi fr

this magical mirai version. i love the colors and the vibes

and finally

the only official miku figure i own- choco mint miku! her posing and buns are adorable

#maybe u wanted a moodboard. too bad ur getting miku images and rants #I LOVE MIKU... NOTICE HOW SHE SLAYS IN ALL OF THESE #hopefully none of the pictures glitched out lmao

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Meet the Stars of Princess Connect Re:Dive

  Going into Princess Connect! Re:Dive, I knew little about it other than the fact that it was an adaptation of a mobile game. That didn’t bode well; my experiences with video game adaptations have been less than positive.

  Imagine my surprise, then, when it turned out to be hilarious. When a pair of ridiculous-looking wolves started dragging off our protagonist, I completely lost it. I found myself constantly laughing at the KONOSUBA-esque humor — it was only much later that I’d learn that Princess Connect and KONOSUBA shared the same director. It was also well-animated and delivered some impressive-looking action scenes and spell effects.

  At the end of the day, however, this is a comedy anime through and through. And comedy anime live and die on the basis of their voice acting. Unsurprising, then, that Princess Connect features an all-star voice cast, with the actors from the mobile game reprising their roles in the anime. Let’s take a look at some of the talented voice actors that bring the characters of Princess Connect, both the game and the anime, to life.

Pecorine (M·A·O)

    Mao Ichimichi, also known as M·A·O, is probably better known for her non-anime roles — she started off her career in tokusatsu (live-action often with heavy special effects), most notably playing Luka Millfy in Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. She later ventured into anime voice acting. She voices the cheerful and energetic (and perpetually hungry) Pecorine in Princess Connect. She has also voiced Iris in Fire Force, Luluco in Space Patrol Luluco, Hondomachi in ID:Invaded, Vorona in Durarara, Bela in Bem, and Remi Ayasaki in the currently-airing Horimiya.

Kokkoro (Miku Ito)

    This isn’t the first time Miku Ito has played a character named Kokoro, having played the character of the same name in the BanG Dream! franchise. Her most well-known role is probably that of her own namesake: Miku from The Quintessential Quintuplets. Her other roles include Shimamura from Adachi and Shimamura, Ann Akagi from Action Heroine Cheer Fruits (in which she starred alongside fellow Princess Connect actor M·A·O), and Nana Mifune in Gleipnir.

Karyl (Rika Tachibana)

    Rika Tachibana has an extensive voice acting career in video games, featuring in such titles as Granblue Fantasy, Magia Record, The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, Street Fighter V, and of course Princess Connect, where she plays Karyl. Tachibana’s anime voice acting roles include Sae Kobayakawa from The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls, Reiko from Shomin Sample, Naruse from The Island of Giant Insects — in which she starred alongside ... you guessed it ... M·A·O — and African Wild Dog from Kemono Friends.

Yuuki (Atsushi Abe)

    Our main protagonist Yuuki may not say much, but Atsushi Abe manages to make whatever little he says absolutely hilarious. Abe garnered widespread recognition for his role as Touma Kamijou in A Certain Magical Index and its spinoffs. His other roles include Moritaka Mashiro in Bakuman, Koichi Sakakibara in Another, Takashi in B Gata H Kei, Akiyuki in Xam’d: Lost Memories, Soya in Planet With, Inojin Yamanaka in Boruto, and Sougo in IDOLISH7.

Kaiser Insight (Shouta Aoi)

    It is not uncommon for female voice actors to voice male roles, especially younger characters. But male voice actors voicing female roles? Extremely rare. Shouta Aoi’s unique, “angelic” voice allows him to do so, with him voicing main Princess Connect villain Kaiser Insight. Aoi is better known as a singer, but he made his voice acting breakthrough as Ai Mikaze in Uta no Prince-sama. Since then, he has voiced Hideaki Tojo in Ace of the Diamond, Licht in The Royal Tutor, and will voice Subaru in the upcoming adaptation of Tokyo Babylon.

  Maho (Maaya Uchida)

  Maho is considered by the other Princess Connect characters to be slightly delusional, so of course she is voiced by Maaya Uchida, best-known as the voice of out-of-touch characters like Rikka from Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions and Ranko Kanzaki from The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls. Her non-delusional roles include Yoshioka from Blue Spring Ride, Norman from The Promised Neverland, Yuki Yoshino from Food Wars, and Catarina Claes from My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom.

  Miyako (Sora Amamiya)

    I mentioned earlier how Princess Connect feels incredibly KONOSUBA-esque, both in its setting and its sense of humor. Makes perfect sense, then, for it to feature the voice of Sora Amamiya, known for voicing “useless” goddess Aqua from KONOSUBA. Amamiya’s other notable roles include Elizabeth from The Seven Deadly Sins, Touka from Tokyo Ghoul, Akame from Akame ga Kill, Kaori from One Week Friends, Isla from Plastic Memories, and Asseylum from Aldnoah.Zero.

  Hiyori (Nao Toyama)

  Nao Toyama played her first major role as Kanon Nakagawa in The World God Only Knows, which kickstarted her music career. Many people also know her as Yui Yuigahama in My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, or Chitoge Kirisaki in Nisekoi. However, the role for which I personally recognise her the most is as the quiet Rin Shima in Laid-Back Camp. Other major roles include Karen in KINMOZA!, Ruka in Rent-a-Girlfriend, and Nozomi in Sound! Euphonium.

  Suzume (Aoi Yuki)

    Aoi Yuki has been earning plaudits this season for her energetic portrayal of the titular spider in So I’m a Spider, So What? Yuki has had many significant voice roles over the years, including Madoka from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Tanya in Saga of Tanya the Evil, Froppy in My Hero Academia, Tamaki in Fire Force, Diane in The Seven Deadly Sins, and Mami in Rent-a-Girlfriend.

Rei (Saori Hayami)

  Saori Hayami is one of the most in-demand voice actors of recent times. She is known for portraying Yukino Yukinoshita in My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, and received considerable praise for her performance as Shoko Nishimiya in A Silent Voice. Her other notable roles include Shirayuki in Snow White with the Red Hair, Shinobu in Demon Slayer, Tsuruko in AnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Yumeko Jabami in Kakegurui, and Himawari in Boruto.

  Jun (Ayako Kawasumi)

    Jun is a classic knight in metal armor. And who better to voice a knight than Ayako Kawasumi, best known as the voice of Saber in various installments of the Fate franchise. Kawasumi is also a talented pianist, which explains her role as Nodame in Nodame Cantabile. Some of her other major roles include Fuu in Samurai Champloo, Erina Pendleton in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Alice in Pandora Hearts, Melfina in Outlaw Star, Natsuki in Initial D, and Lafiel in Crest of the Stars.

Io (Shizuka Ito)

  Shizuka Ito won a “Best Actress in Supporting Roles” award at the 10th Seiyuu Awards for her performances as Meiko Shiraki in Prison School and Sailor Venus in Sailor Moon Crystal. Some of her other major performances are as Himawari in xxxHolic, Ran in Texhnolyze, Kaori Kanzaki in A Certain Magical Index, Boota and Darry in Gurren Lagann, Yayoi in Psycho-Pass, Rei Hasekura in Maria Watches Over Us, and Hinagiku in Hayate the Combat Butler.

Yui (Risa Taneda)

  Risa Taneda is undoubtedly best known for her roles as Erina Nakiri in Food Wars and Kaori Miyazono in Your Lie in April. But to me, she will always be Saki from Shin Sekai Yori, where she delivered an excellent performance spanning many ages, and performed the first ending song too. Taneda’s other significant roles include Rize in Is the Order a Rabbit?, Mirai in Beyond the Boundary, Yukina in Strike the Blood, Ai Mizuno in Zombie Land Saga, Xenovia in High School DxD, and Yukari in YUYUSHIKI.

Labyrista (Miyuki Sawashiro)

    Miyuki Sawashiro is one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. She first came to prominence as the voice of Puchiko in Di Gi Charat; she famously reprised the role in the English dub of Leave it to Piyoko, becoming the first anime voice actor to voice the same character in both sub and dub. A few of Sawashiro’s other major roles include Kurapika in Hunter x Hunter, Celty Sturluson in Durarara, Bishamon in Noragami, Fujiko Mine in recent installments of Lupin the Third, and Kanbaru in the Monogatari series.

Aoi (Kana Hanazawa)

    Kana Hanazawa needs no introduction, being one of the most popular voice actors of our times. She rose to popularity as Nadeko in Bakemonogatari and its sequels, performing the iconic opening song “Renai Circulation.” Some of her other anime roles include Akane from Psycho-Pass, Mayuri from Steins;Gate, Angel from Angel Beats, Kosaki Onodera from Nisekoi, Hinata Kawamoto from March Comes in Like a Lion, Kuroneko from Oreimo, and Ichika from The Quintessential Quintuplets.  

Who is your favorite Princess Connect voice actor? Let us know in the comments!

  By: Manas B. Sharma

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

[crowfrombackdoor]

One of my favorite Kaito moments is that one Magical Mirai performance of Doctor Funkbeat where Meiko and Len were there to the side in their regular outfits while Kaito was wearing a full ass queercoded villain costume

#vocaloid

[genderfcker]

thanks for the tag @rainbowroadimpulse!

relationship status: single!

favorite color: probably some shade of light blue but it changes every week 👀

three favorite foods: this one is tough to answer, but maybe my dad's steak, my mom's brownies, and ice cream?

song that’s stuck in my head: gimme x gimme, but specifically the one that rin and miku performed at magical mirai in 2020

last song I listened to: bless your breath, also from that concert

last thing i googled: ecosia says it was "lesbian flag"

time: for me to finally get a watch it's around four rn

dream trip: a road trip across the us to various cryptid-related places, with the mothman festival in point pleasant either being the start or the end of the trip.

#friend shenanigans #dead robin quintet #tag games #my dream trip is to research a novel idea #but also because cryptids are neat

[venus-says]

Aikatsu on Parade! Episodes 01-05

It’s time to get this Parade on the road!

After a much-needed break, I feel like I'm ready to get back into writing about Aikatsu.

On Parade started roughly a month ago and like what has been usual I won't "dissect" each episode and I'll give a more general review of the first 4 episodes.

As a general overview On Parade is good. It's not brilliant or anything, it still feels like we're in Friends! territory, but it's fun once you let critical thinking aside. It's very obvious this is a series trying to cash in on nostalgia and more often than not shows with this premise can be annoying, but so far the nostalgia card hasn't been overused which's a huge plus.

From these 5 episodes, I have only five elements of the show that I really dislike.

The first two points are TOO MANY STAGES and TOO MANY RECYCLED MATERIAL. The performances on Aikatsu are usually the high point of the episode or at least the thing we expect the most, but the way they're doing it is just too much. I would rather see one stage, maybe two, per episode, with updated and consistent CG graphics, rather than three performances especially when there's really no need for that much. Episode 2 could've happened with just Mahiru and Yume&Mio's stages, Message of Rainbow and Your entrance were more than enough for Episode 3, we should've gotten a single Honey Cat performance (maybe You x I) to go along with Jalapeño's in Episode 4, and Identity should've been the only one we got in the Halloween episode. When you have that many stages it just feels like they're padding the episodes up, especially when they don't even bother to update the CG models. Like Akari had two completely different models in episode 5 and it was just SO WEIRD. I know CG is expensive, I know y'all are trying to play with nostalgia, but this just ain't fun.

The third one is regarding the special coords for this season. In the promotional stuff for the arcade, they make it seem like Legend Premium Rares are something SO SPECIAL, they transcend regular PRs, heck Ichigo's one looks like an evolved form of her first PR. But then episode 2 comes out and Yume pops on the stage with her special coord like if it was nothing and it bugged the hell out of me, it was just the same as Friends and the Jeweling Dresses, they don't feel special AT ALL. Now I'm more okay with it and It doesn't bother me as much, I still wish they had at least one scene of them saying how this coord came to exist but I'm already over this fact.

The fourth point is the whole basis of this show. When written down, a door appearing and the girls traveling to different schools seemed like a very fun concept, however, the execution has implications that once you stop for a minute to really think how things work your brain gets messed up. I know that this was probably the only way to make this work without messing up with past continuity, but this whole different worlds/dimensions thing IS SO COMPLICATED. I wish they were just traveling through space and they had retcon things to make the three shows fit in a single universe, rather than start messing up with this kind of stuff.

And the final point I have issues with is characters. First, the show seems to have got rid of any irrelevant character, I mean it was good because M4 hasn't appeared yet (THANK GOD), but like characters like Luka, that ended her season on a high position, weren't nowhere near the spotlight. I didn't expect this show to give any kind of development to characters that weren't the past main protagonists and Raki, and I'm totally fine with that. But even Raki has been lacking development. Don't get me wrong, I like Raki, but her personality is a huge double-edged sword and the fact that the show doesn't punish her for messing up turns her into a flat-lined and uninteresting character sometimes.

Another problem I have is with her dream, she says she wants to wear a PR she made, and the game already gave her a PR which means it'll probably be happening in the show very soon which implies she'll be reaching her goal before the half-point of the season. What I think they mean by that is that she wants to make a PR that's UNIQUE to her and she'll keep making PRs based on other idols coords until it happens, but if that's really the case they don't make a good job at making this clear. Now, Episode 6 seems that'll give her some development and I'm very hopeful to see it in action.

Despite all these flaws, there's a lot of things this show gets right.

I know I just said Raki is a problem, but she's also a solution. When she works she's amazing, she gives the best reaction faces EVER, and she can be very adorable, and from what we've seen from her sketchbook she can make lots of fun designs and I'm excited about it. Also, her mad scientist sister is a lot of fun, even though we've seen so little of her so far.

I can't deny that seeing the cross-generation interactions has been incredible so far, and we've even got some non-expected matches in these few episodes and they all work wonderfully! Yume and Mio sound like best partners, Aine and Ako were surprisingly very fun, Mirai and Akari were probably the most unexpected of the bunch but it was so magical! Honey Cat and Jalapeño was probably the most obvious interaction so far, but that's no detriment for the bond they make on that episode.

Another thing that to me is great is the fact that they don't forget what Raki's main thing is, we're always seeing her looking for inspiration, trying to learn about designing, and actually making her own stuff, that to me is an essential point to make me like Raki as much as I do.

I can't talk about Aikatsu without talking about music, and while we only got technically three new songs so far they've all been very good.

Your Entrance is a great OP, both as song and as the actual opening sequence, my favorite version is, of course, Raki's solo as an insert song, there's something about the lines "I know the end will never come / We will always be alright / I’m forever by your side / trust me as I trust you" that I really love, it gives me a certain desperation vibe, like if the producers are trying to say "THIS IS NOT THE END" and I just love it for some reason. The new ending isn't my favorite rendition of Idol Activities! but it still gives a warmth to my heart and the sequence while very simple is still very beautiful. Speaking of endings the returning rotational endings are a very nice touch. Yume and Mio's version of STARDOM is very good, it may be a sacrilege but I really think Mio and Yume work better together both musically and as characters than Aine&Mio and Yume&Rola ever did (sorry).

These are small things that I also like, first the show keeps the continuity of each series picking up more or less right after each one has ended, I like that other idols can get dragged by Raki's doors because it makes more dynamic, the girls don't need to be always moving to be able to meet new people and it also makes for more creative mix and matches of idols, and I also like that the aphorisms are back because of all ending segment we got this is the best one (I'm just glad the horrible card segment from Kagayaki no Jewel is gone tbh).

And these are pretty much my opinions on the first batch of episodes of Aikatsu on Parade! I feel like I complained a lot, but I'm still very pleased by this season and very excited for what's to come, there's a moment where they talk about achieving things with the help of other people and as much as I know they're probably talking about Raki learning from seeing others and learning to cooperate there's a part of me that's just so excited in hopes that it's a new character coming up and UGHHHH I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. I'm also very excited to see my faves again at some point, and I'm really hyped for the Mizuki x Elza x Hibiki collaboration they hinted at in the banner for the next wave of cards for the game, it'll be a lot of fun to see Yoko voicing Elza and Hibiki at the same time, I wish we could see backstage videos of that happening. XD

ANYWAY, I feel like I've talked way too much already. What are your thoughts about On Parade? Do you have any theories about how this Aikatsu multiverse things work? Is there anything you're excited to see? Please let me know, let's talk about it. See ya~

#Aikatsu on Parade! #aikatsu

[sneek-m]

Retro Future: A Year in Perfume

Rather than write a blurb about Future Pop, I decided to write about Perfume’s entire 2018 because I can never stick to something short when it comes to my favorite pop group. This post is also available on Medium.

Perfume observed quite a few anniversaries between its fourth and fifth albums, LEVEL 3 and Cosmic Explorer, respectively, so I assumed the group would do the same this year and commemorate a decade since the release of its debut full-length, GAME. But not a peep came from Kashiyuka, Nocchi or A-chan about the album when the release date came around in 2018. The three seemed to be interested instead more in what lies ahead, revealing the title of the new album as Future Pop.

The promotions for music leading up to what would become Cosmic Explorer really worked the anniversary angle. The year before the album, the trio premiered its world-tour documentary We Are Perfume in conjunction with Perfume’s 15th year together as a group. Kashiyuka, Nocchi and A-chan talked up the retrospective qualities behind the movie’s tie-up single “Star Train” during TV interviews, and they made sure to point out how the lyrics speaks as though Yasutaka Nakata is congratulating them after working as their producer for more than a decade.

The Future Pop period, however, had Perfume explore its next potential directions. Last summer’s single “If You Wanna” attempted to introduce future bass not only to the group’s own music but also the Japanese mainstream. This spring’s “Mugen Mirai” refined those experiments, and the members continued to act as a spokesperson to explain the subgenre to the masses. But while Perfume tried its best to stay ahead of the curve, the group also spent much of 2018 revisiting its past successes as inspiration for its current work.

Perfume’s 2018 started with a live tour for its fan club, P.T.A., which coincidentally turned 10 this year. The group has been more than generous when it comes to fan service: for its 15-year anniversary tour, the three incorporated a dice-rolling system to decide its set list with possible choices full of deep cuts. For this year’s fan-club show, the trio built its set based on fan votes. And which track won the number-one spot on that 10-song set? “The Best Thing,” a non-single from its second album, Triangle.

From GAME album track “Take Me Take Me” to “Perfect Star, Perfect Style” included in the 2005 best-of collection, the P.T.A. show featured even deeper cuts released before “The Best Thing.” But more than acknowledgment of long-forgotten favorites, seeing Perfume bring back choreography that hasn’t been performed in almost 10 years seemed like one rare experience. I have yet to see clips other than “The Best Thing” from the show, but reading about the group revisiting old dances has been exciting material in itself.

Watching Kashiyuka, Nocchi and A-chan interact with old material was also the highlight of this spring’s Reframe concert in collaboration with NHK. As the title suggests, Perfume brought back past tracks from various parts of its catalogs in new, reconsidered contexts. Initially a throwaway B-side tied in with a Panasonic ad, “Display” was rebooted as the opening track introducing the show’s mission statement. “With a new, fresh experience,” began the EDM track, fitting this new environment far better than the original.

Reframe also included “Secret Secret,” one of the singles from GAME. After witnessing grand, sweeping choreography in Perfume’s dances for its recent singles such as “Flash” or “Mugen Mirai,” it was intriguing to watch the three revisit more meticulous movements favored during its earlier years. As Kashiyuka, Nocchi and A-chan packed in so many micro gestures throughout the chorus of “Secret Secret,” it showed how far they’ve come as performers. They no longer need to establish themselves so much on stage nor do they have to constantly entertain to make the music more palatable to new ears.

As much as Reframe gave a spotlight on how much has changed, it also dedicated space to show what remains the same. While Perfume’s electro-pop production has been a huge draw of the group since the very beginning, the concert spent a part of its set connecting recurring lyrics and themes in the music. The extended outro section of “Secret Secret” (remixed by producer Seiho) stitched together fragments of Kashiyuka, Nocchi and A-chan’s voices reciting words like “anata,” (you) “boku,” (me) “omoi,” (feelings) and “hikari” (light) culled from a few dozen songs from its catalog.

Out of all of the highlighted lyrics, “Koi” (love) is perhaps the most central topic that carries on in the music to this day. For all that Perfume talked up about its future-bass-inspired production, “Mugen Mirai” lyrically concerns a classic theme of newfound emotions which also inspires the group’s breakout single “Polyrhythm.” The title track to Future Pop further works in a similar vein, capturing the spark of discovery and a first-time encounter. The three marvel at the magic of technology, and their fascination speaks to the song’s inspired EDM production as well.

The wide-eyed wonder of Kashiyuka, Nocchi and A-chan towards their environment in “Future Pop” recalls the tone of GAME, where they, too, were being introduced to a new sound, setting, and series of experiences. Echoes of their past glories can be heard elsewhere in Future Pop. “Fusion” stands tall as the updated version of past mostly-instrumental anthems such as “Edge” or “Story.” The infinitely ascending “Tenkuu” works a chorus with an elongated cadence that resembles the chorus of “GAME.” The titular hook of “Chorairin” revives Nakata’s knack for writing in made-up phrases — think creations for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu but also tsundere-ation in “Puppy Love” — favoring purely its sound over meaning.

However, Perfume doesn’t pretend as though it can recapture its youth so easily in Future Pop. The members’ voices sings more in a worn-out sigh in “Let Me Know,” tapping into a prevailing uncertainty in settling down in a new environment — a recurring worry for Perfume since at least “Computer City” in 2005. In a self-referential album such as Future Pop, Kashiyuka, Nocchi and A-chan’s words sound as though they’re asking their former selves for advice. As they hand down a key to what looks like kid versions of the members in the music video, they provide enough materials in this single alone to signal their transition into an older guard.

Made up of a thump, a snap and a loop of a guitar pluck as its base, “Let Me Know” is one the most contemporary-sounding songs in Future Pop. The other singles, too, depart from the idea of classic Perfume as heard in a song like “Chorairin.” “Tokyo Girl” bridges American EDM to the works of Perfume, and “Everyday” responds to a post-Chainsmokers pop landscape. But if Perfume sounding like other producers is the future Nakata hopes to present in Future Pop, it’s a rather bizarre conclusion to reach after holding on to the pop wonders of GAME 10 years ago.

That said, it’s a realistic snapshot of the present, where electronic pop music has finally caught up with Nakata to the point he is now essentially referencing versions of himself. Future Pop, then, is an echo of what he has always done, and same could be said about the rest of Perfume’s ventures this year as the group reworked, fine-tuned and re-introduced a once-forward-thinking vision of its now-storied past. Rather than predict the future, that album title announces the arrival of it. Everyone involved can say with confidence, after 10 years from the debut album, that a time where this type of pop is accepted as the present might be finally here.

#Perfume

[pretty-idol-hell]

I wasn’t actually planning to see PriPara/PriChan KiraKira Memorial Live on the premiere day and yet somehow I ended up seeing it twice… oops. (Both normal and then cheering.) 

Info and thoughts below (spoilers but honestly there is very little to spoil since this movie is 90% performances and basically just Prism Tours again). 

The plot: Miracle Kiratts realize they need to learn more about other idols so Meganee brings out a giant Mega PriChan Cast but they accidentally activate an app that sends them to the PriPara world where they meet Laala and Yui. Laala and Yui then show them various PriPara performances and at one point they access the Pretty Rhythm world through a rice cooker. (What they see in the rice cooker varies by what course of the movie you’re watching.) In the end Mirai and Emo perform and gather enough iine to get them back home, but not before trading Tomo/Follow Tickets with Laala and Yui (… but.. but the system.. ah oh well) and promising to perform together someday. (They do not perform together in this one. Instead the most we get for a finale is the Saints-SoLaMiDressing Make Ii! that was ripped straight Prism Tours ahah.) 

It was so odd to see the film open with Mirai and Emo performing Ready Action right away on the big screen even though we’ve only known them a month. I think that was the moment it actually sank in for the first time wow, they are our main characters now. 

And then I almost cried when Laala and Yui came out I know it’s only been a month BUT I MISSED THEM SO MUCHHHHH. Perhaps it was an even bigger shock to realize Yui is a senpai! And aw man I didn’t realize how much I missed the classic soulless Meganee as well. (While addressing children in her enthusiastically happy tone:) “You can never leave!! System!!” 

These movies (=this one and Prism Tours) are kind of bizarre. Despite PriChan being the new thing, they spend half the movie talking about how great PriPara is, aka something they won’t even make that much money on anymore ahaha. Same thing three years ago with Prism Tours: I went in expecting PriPara since that was the thing and left going “what is this Pretty Rhythm…”

But like really. When Mirai and Emo learned PriPara idols get cyalume change they were like THATS SO COOL! But when Yui and Laala learned that PriChan idols film themselves doing stuff they were also like THATS SO COOL!

(Uhhhhh.)

(Do you really want to be comparing that? It’s not much of a comparison.)

But I suppose they get away with doing movies like this since they are SO CHEAP to make! There was only one new performance, and I’m sure it will be in the PriChan anime soon so it that means there were zero performances made specifically for this movie. 

But ah well, I got to see PriPara and Pretty Rhythm on the big screen again what do I have to complain about???! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! 

So I can hear you asking, what was the new performance? 

Towards the end of the film.. Emo performed her solo. It reminded me of a perfect mix between AchaKocha Game and Tick Tock Magical Idol Time and… I liked it. 

I was just sitting in the theater being like. 

I am watching a PriChan live….

AND 

I 

LIKE 

IT????????????????! 

There is hope after all. Ahahah. Seriously her solo is really good. I am sure it will be in the anime soon so you can look forward to it. (Maybe even tomorrow?)

Another mild spoiler about PriChan: Emo has a little brother? We didn’t see him, but she complained about him eating her ice cream if she didn't get home on time.

Actually you know what. Emo totally stole the show in this whole movie. Her terrified reactions to all the PriPara stuff were PRICELESS. EMOI. I hadn't paid her much attention until now but all that and her performance raised Emo several pegs for me.

So as I mentioned above the second show I went to was cheering. I wasn't totally sure if I wanted to bother with the cheering since I have never been to a decent local PriPara cheering show. (Nothing on par to my average for King of Prism.) But when I saw a lot of seats were actually being taken I decided to give it a go. Unfortunately I didn't feel I could go all out because I ended up sitting next to a father and his daughter, of which the Dad seemed to be just there for his girl and not a fan so he didn't know what he was getting into (I felt kinda bad for them), but they were the only family in the theater. Everyone else was my age and on the other side of them was this big group of dudes who had obvious PriPara/King of Prism cheering experience.

I got to hear real life "iize". DanPri does exist.

Two of my favorite callouts: When Aira said "Now you'll see a show", "Sho?! Where is he?! Bring him out!" When Mirai(?) said "We got a couple more followers!!" Deep enthusiastic male voices: "IT WAS ME!"

Haha so yeah. If it's this good every time I will be going back. A LOT. I want to go again tomorrow too but I am trying to talk myself out of it because I know I'll want to go a lot during the Rainbow Live course... but!!!

#prichan #pripara #pretty rhythm

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 730 (v1)

Episode: HUGtto! Precure 22 - “A song of love for two! Twin Love Guitar!” Date watched: 8 July 2018 Original air date: 1 July 2018 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/kfRvK0g

the crossover nobody expected

Hello no you’re not going crazy, I did skip almost 700 days. I mentioned on the status blog that I’d review HUG 22 early specially because it features the FW duo so here we are.

A note about names: after some research I’ve elected to use Ruru and Emiru instead of Lulu and Emile, so if you wonder why I’m writing Ruru when the captions say Lulu, suffice to say I have my reasons.

Here’s the setup, since I won’t actually review the episode this continues on from for another 2 years: in HUGtto! 21, Emiru and Ruru were out at the park, playing guitar when Papple attacked. At one point, Cure Amour (Ruru) is trying to save Emiru’s guitar from being trampled but the Oshimaida stomps down on her. Cure Macherie (Emiru) yells at her to get out of the way, and ultimately jumps in to push her out of danger. Unfortunately her guitar gets stomped and breaks in two. After the main trio swoops in and defeats the monster with Yell For You, Ruru apologizes to Emiru for her destroyed guitar. Emiru replies that it’s okay as long as Ruru is alright and tells her not to worry, and then turns to Yell and states that if they had Melody Swords then this wouldn’t have happened, so Yell should hand hers over. Yell, taken aback by this, tells her that these wands are theirs so Emiru turns to Harry and demands a Melody Sword. Harry brushes it off with a “don’t ask me” kind of response and then Hugtan starts glowing, opens up a portal in the sky, and out fall Cure Black and Cure White. Roll credits.

Also we got this awesome end card.

HUG 22 picks up right where 21 left off. Emiru assumes Black and White are there to deliver her Melody Sword, but they’re just confused. After figuring out who everybody is, and concluding that there are other Precures out there (All Stars confirmed non-canon), they all head back to Harry’s store to regroup. Emiru and Ruru get in an argument over Emiru’s feelings about the loss of her guitar and Nagisa and Honoka give them advice, saying it’s okay for friends to fight sometimes and they certainly have *flashbacks to FW08*. Ruru can’t understand why Emiru is saying it’s alright that her guitar is broken considering how much she loves music, and Emiru doesn’t want to have to explain to her that she cares more about Ruru than a guitar. It’s not as deep as the fundamental difference in personality Nagisa and Honoka experienced but it’s something.

After the pep talks from their predecessors, Emiru and Ruru set about making gifts for each other. Emiru makes matching charm bracelets, similar to the one Hana, Saaya, and Homare wear but with red and purple heart links instead of pink, blue, and yellow.

BRIEF ASIDE: I feel like this charm bracelet maker comes up every few seasons. Is it an actual toy Bandai sells? Is it rebranded for each show or what? I need to look into this, and anybody with more info please chime in.

Meanwhile Ruru sets about making a pair of new guitars for Emiru and herself, with Saaya and Honoka helping. There’s a humorous moment where Honoka remarks that it’s easy to forget Ruru is an android..... while Ruru is cutting into sheet metal with her finger. As one does.

The next day (I think?) Emiru and Ruru meet up at a dock with everybody else looking on. They talk out their feelings and give each other their gifts, with Emiru explaining that she can replace a guitar but she could never replace Ruru or the friendship they’ve developed. Hana says it best:

Meanwhile at Criasu Corp, Papple is feeling like a failure because she can’t seem to eke a win against the Precures and Gelos is subtly putting pressure on her. She goes up to the room of her mysterious lover who is most definitely not the president of the company and the strange man Hana has bumped into a few times, but she sees Gelos in his room with him. Feeling betrayed and heartbroken, Papple flees the scene and runs to the roof of a building. Telling herself that if he loves her he’ll come stop her, she summons a bunch of negative energy and..... STABS HERSELF IN THE CHEST.

She becomes an Oshimaida and starts terrorizing the nearby Precures. The Hug gang all transforms and tries to fight her but she lays them all out, so Black and White enter the fray and they single.... or I guess doublehandedly give Papple the smackdown. She cries out, and Ruru recognizes that her former employer is inside of there. Cure Amour and Cure Macherie together vow to try to help Papple from the inside. Cheered on by Black, White, Yell, Ange, and Etoile, the duo dive into the monster’s soul...... right through her cleavage.

You can’t make this up.

Inside they find Papple crying her eyes out from heartbreak. Putting aside her personal feelings, Macherie gives her a pep talk with Amour’s help and they tell her that they will protect her love at all costs. This calms her down, and the duo emerges. Suddenly they receive two new Mirai Crystals and new weapons: the Twin Love Guitars, as a reward for their act of love. They perform their new finishing attack, Twin Love Rock Beat, which involves them strumming a tune on the guitars (despite the strings being like.... 6 inches long. I know it’s a toy and it’s magic but that is not how instruments work!) before holding them like guns and firing hearts at the Oshimaida to purify it.

The dust settles and the original duo congratulates the newest duo for a job well done, saying they make a great team. Hugtan babbles and glows and a portal opens up in the sky again as Nagisa and Honoka begin to levitate. Waving their goodbyes, they disappear back to their own world. After they’re gone, Harry asks Hugtan how she did it, to which she responds with more baby babble. I don’t know what they expected. Homare freaks out over how cute she is, and Emiru and Ruru observe that with their new bracelets they now match. We close on this image.

HUGtto! 22 was a good episode. An unexpected but welcome return by the original cures, and I do mean unexpected because to my knowledge Toei did not say ANYTHING about this prior to the broadcast of ep 21, so when Black and White fell out of the sky it was a big WTF moment. It was an important development episode for Ruru and Emiru, and while Nagisa and Honoka were prominent in mentoring them they never overshadowed them. There was a part in the fight where Black and White were kicking much more ass than the entire Hug team were able to, but ultimately it was Macherie and Amour’s ability to see beyond the surface and address Papple’s heartbreak that saved the day, and that’s admirable. Even though I’m currently still working my way back through Max Heart, it was nice to be able to get an entirely new adventure with some of my favorite characters, and see them interact with the newest team in a significant way (those end-of-series cameos we’ve gotten the last few years leave a lot to be desired). I like how they were able to relate the conflict of this episode to a similar one that Nagisa and Honoka faced back in 2004. The animation of the episode was great, this might be the smoothest the FW characters have ever been portrayed outside of the movies, and while there was some minor deviation from their original art style to suit the HUGtto art, it wasn’t drastic. I’m having trouble even pinpointing what it is, maybe their a little less squished, it’s hard to say. My only nitpick would be that Yukana and Honna Yoko sounded a bit.... off in this, but y’know it’s been 15 years and all that, their voices have probably changed. I may simply not have noticed it in All Stars films because it was gradual, but since I’m actively watching Max Heart right now I picked up on it more. It’s a very minor criticism and it doesn’t detract from a fantastic episode. Look forward to my v2 review in a couple years, if I manage to keep this project up for that long, haha.

PINK PRECURE CATCHPHRASE COUNT: 2 MECHOKKU PINK PRECURE CATCHPHRASE COUNT: 3 ARIENAI

#Precure #Pretty Cure #HUGtto! Precure #HUGPC22 #PCD730

[yupuffin]

Tagged by @deckofsouls​, so I get to do a fun thing, whoo! XD

Nicknames: Usually just Yu, but occasionally I’ll get called Puffin as well.

Zodiac: Taurus (moo)

Height: 5′5″

Time: 12:09 pm

Favorite bands/artists: yukkedoluce, yuukiss, nyanyannya, and a ton of others I can never remember

Song stuck in my head: yukkedoluce - Liekki (It’s amazing how yukkedoluce’s songs can so easily get stuck in my head and stay there for days on end. They’re so good!)

Last movie I saw: The Road to El Dorado (Did a rewatch since the other person in the room had never seen it :P It was only my second time, too)

Last thing I googled: There’s a lot of stuff on my history and I can’t tell which one was most recent, but the one on the top is an instance in which I searched Google in Japanese for a list of Deadman Wonderland characters so I could figure out how to write Shishito’s name in kanji.

Other blogs: None

Do I get asks: Almost never, but my ask box is always open to positivity and curiosity!

Why I chose this username: It’s my performer/stage name, which comes from the name of my fursona, which in turn comes from the pronunciation of my favorite hiragana, ゆ.

Following: Friends, artsy and anime things

Average amount of sleep: I need about 9.5 hours a night consistently in order to operate at full capacity. If I decrease that by even one hour for more than one or two days in a row, I start getting sick, so I need to be careful when I go to conventions.

What I’m wearing: It’s cold where I am, so I have my lined jeans and big warm coat on, plus an Iwatobi Swim club t-shirt I got in Japan. No scarf today since it’s quite below freezing.

Dream job: Either a freelance translator, or a translator/localization specialist at Nintendo. Or maybe a fursuit maker idk.

Dream trip: I’d like to go to Japan and attend a special event there, such as Magical Mirai or JMoF.

Favorite food: There are so many -- how do you expect me to pick one?

Play any instruments: I played cello as a kid, but now my instrument is my body because I dance (~*3*~)

Hair color: Brown (I’m boring)

Languages you speak: English and Japanese

Most iconic song: I’m not sure I understand the question? But I always think of “Meltdown” since it’s the song I danced to my first time on stage at a convention. I’d say that’s iconic?

Random fact: I have a very low spice tolerance and I love plain food.

Describe self as aesthetic things: Blue and purple, the ocean, stripes, high contrast, things that light up, tailcoats and long formal clothes, rough and sketchy lines

I get the distinct feeling I’ve tagged people for this same thing before so I’m going to play it safe and not tag anybody, but if it looks fun feel free to do it and say I tagged you \o\

#ask yu

[moved-larvaloverlord]

all of the music asks

 1: A song you like with a color in the title

Blue Bird Lamentation, ZTD mix

2: A song you like with a number in the title

7/8, Kyaami’s Rin cover

3: A song that reminds you of summertime

Cantarella, this is Andyfined’s Miku and Rin cover

4: A song that reminds you of someone you would rather forget about

I really can’t think of one that I want to put here badly enough that I’m willing to put myself through going to find it.

5: A song that needs to be played LOUD

Fools are Attracted to Anomaly (flashy video, light medical). This was hard as hell bc I love,, a lot of vocaloud songs ahaha.

6: A song that makes you want to dance

TRASH and TRASH!

7: A song to drive to

That’s Right! by Swingrowers is good.

8: A song about drugs or alcohol

Sweet Float Flats?

9: A song that makes you happy

Cumulonimbus Graffiti! I can’t find the original PV with the translation I liked best, though, and I’m a little sad.

10: A song that makes you sad

My R (suicide and abuse)

11: A song that you never get tired of

SORE GA DAPPO ROCK NO REIHOU NAN DESU WA

12: A song from your preteen years

Naked

13: One of your favorite 80’s songs

Take On Me, lmao

14: A song that you would love played at your wedding

Glad You Came, Boyce Avenue cover

15: A song that is a cover by another artist

No Brand Girls, by a group calling themselves No Brand Boys, the best cover of a love live song you’ll ever hear

16: One of your favorite classical songs

What can I say, I love Moonlight Sonata.

17: A song that would sing a duet with on karaoke

Closer, but I love this cover by Boyce Avenue and Sarah Hyland.

18: A song from the year that you were born

Barbie Girl!

19: A song that makes you think about life

Today, The Day After Tomorrow, Anytime

20: A song that has many meanings to you

Journey. I like simple songs, for this sort of thing. (the chorus is transcribed wrong: it’s “light to guide you home.”)

21: A favorite song with a person’s name in the title

Does Peeping Tom count?

22: A song that moves you forward

Terror, 96Neko cover.

23: A song that you think everybody should listen to

Leia, because I am forever in love with it. This is the Magical Mirai performance, because it’s less flashy, and I do like the live guitar.

24: A song by a band you wish were still together

When I Get Low, I Get High by the Speakeasy Three. I think they’re not producing anymore?

25: A song by an artist no longer living

honestly all my music is more modern than that ahah,,i cant think of any i want to share off the top of my head.

26: A song that makes you want to fall in love

Soredeiinara

27: A song that breaks your heart

Paper Plane, cover by Lucifer/Sahara

28: A song by an artist with a voice that you love

Bad Romance, cover by Giga, nqrse, and vacon. this is me, licking the sound coming out of my speakers as i type. i love giga’s voice a LOT.

29: A song that you remember from your childhood

Adia

30: A song that reminds you of yourself

ok so like idk when i drafted this but apparently i just couldnt find anything that reminded me of myself. im gonna say iiya iiya iiya and move on or something

#long post

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Everything You Need to Know about My Hero Academia Before Season 5

  In times like these, we need heroes now more than ever. Luckily, the plucky up-and-coming super students of UA Class 1-A are making a comeback in the newest season of My Hero Academia. With a massive following thanks to its inspiring themes, memorable characters, and incredible animation, the ongoing origin story of Izuku Midoriya has truly solidified itself as a modern anime classic. The newest season promises to be just as mind-blowing as ever, so there’s a lot to catch up with before class goes back in session. That’s where I come in.

  Check out the major plot points and character statuses on the heroes and villains of My Hero Academia to make sure you’re all up to date for the latest season!

  **MAJOR SPOILERS for My Hero Academia from here on out**

    Plot Summary

  In a world where everyone is born with a different superpower known as a “Quirk,” anyone can become a superhero. But when it came to Izuku Midoriya, his dreams of becoming one were nearly dashed when he found out at a very young age that he would never develop a Quirk on his own. But his determination and willingness to help others captured the attention of All Might, the greatest hero of all time. After some intense training, Izuku was able to inherit All Might’s Quirk — One For All — and finally take that first step toward achieving his dream.

  Midoriya later enrolled in U.A. High School, the most prestigious academy for young superhero hopefuls, and joined a number of fellow students in Class 1-A, each with their own ambitions of greatness. The school’s unorthodox courses strive to bring out the best in its students as each of them learns how to develop their Quirks in unique ways. But each student maintains the grit to overcome insurmountable odds as they reach out toward their goals.

  Unfortunately, for every great hero, there’s a villain lurking in the shadows. Despite only being students, Class 1-A has already had to clash with formidable evildoers like Hero Killer Stain, Overhaul, and even the mighty All For One. Even now, Tomura Shigaraki operates within the League of Villains to carry out their sinister plots. Bad guys don’t wait for high school students to earn their diplomas, so Class 1-A and the students of U.A. will have to train their hardest in order to uphold justice and protect the world. 

  Meanwhile, Izuku continues to learn how to wield One For All for himself and will soon discover what it means to inherit this power and the legacy that now rests on his shoulders.

    A New Age of Heroes

  In Season 3, All Might used up the last of his strength to take down All For One, a Villain with the power to steal Quirks and wield them as his own. He was forced to retire as a hero, becoming a full-time faculty member at U.A. and leaving the position of the Number 1 Hero vacant. At the end of Season 4, the highly controversial fire-wielding Endeavor replaced All Might as the new Number 1 Hero; his previous position at Number 2 was filled by the red-winged Hawks. 

  The League of Villains’ Next Move

  Tomura Shigaraki and his band of bad guys are still active in their efforts to incite chaos. Their ongoing battle with Pro Heroes has created a stir, and the targeting of U.A. students has tarnished the school’s reputation as adults become concerned both for their safety and the safety of the students. The villains continue their work developing Nomus, genetically-engineered monsters outfitted with Quirks. Though they were initially mindless monsters, the latest experiments have given them overt intelligence. 

    Character Status

  Protagonists

  Ochaco Uraraka aka "Uravity" - alive. As part of her Hero Work studies, she participated in the mission to defeat Overhaul and his organization, the Shie Hassaikai. 

  Tenya Iida aka "Ingenium" - alive. In Season 2, Iida overcame his vengeance against Hero Killer Stain for permanently injuring his brother. In Season 3, he assisted in rescuing Bakugo from the League of Villains. Later, he passed the test to earn his provisional hero license.

  Shoto Todoroki - alive. As a cryokinetic and pyrokinetic, he once rejected his fire abilities in order to reject the heritage of his abusive father, Endeavor. After his fight with Izuku, Shoto began using his fire more openly. In Season 3, he failed the provisional license exam and had to take a special course to make up for it.

  Eijiro Kirishima aka "Red Riot" - alive. He was also recruited in his Hero Work studies to face off against the Shie Hassaikai.

  Tsuyu Asui aka “Froppy” - alive. She participated in the Shie Hassaikai Raid.

  Momo Yaoyorozu aka “Creati” - alive. She assisted in rescuing Bakugo from the League of Villains in Season 3. She also passed her provisional license exam.

  Minoru Mineta aka “Grape Juice” - alive. Still a creep.

  Kyoka Jiro aka “Earphone Jack” - alive. She played a major role in rallying the 1-A students during the U.A. school festival and was the star performer during their musical number, “Hero Too.”  

  Fumikage Tokoyami aka “Tsukuyomi” - alive. In Season 3, he was nearly captured by the League of Villains alongside Bakugo, but was rescued before being taken away.

  Mina Ashido aka “Pinky” - alive. Last seen participating in the U.A. school festival.

  Yuya Aoyama aka “Can’t Stop Twinkling” - alive. In Season 4, he forms a bond with Izuku over their shared struggle in controlling their quirks.  

  Mezo Shoji aka “Tentacole” - alive. He earns his provisional hero license in Season 3.

  Hanta Sero aka “Cellophane” - alive. Participated in the school festival.

  Mashirao Ojiro aka “Tailman” - alive. Was a dancer in Class 1-A’s musical performance.

  Koji Koda aka “Anima” - alive. Part of the staging team for the school festival.

  Rikido Sato aka “Sugarman” - alive. 

  Toru Hagakure aka “Invisible Girl” - alive. Last seen never. 

  Toshinori Yagi aka “All Might”- alive. Retired as the Number 1 Hero and is now a full time faculty member at U.A.

  Mirio Togata aka “Lemillion” - alive. Lost his Quirk in the fight against Overhaul. Last seen accompanying Eri to the U.A. school festival.  

  Mirai Sasaki aka “Sir Nighteye” - deceased. Perished in the aftermath of the Shie Hassaikai Raid.

  Enji Todoroki aka “Endeavor” - alive. Named the newest Number 1 Hero. He defeated a High-End Nomu unleashed by the League of Villains.

  Keigo Takami aka “Hawks” - alive. Assisted Endeavor in fighting the High-End Nomu.

    Antagonists

  Tomura Shigaraki - alive. Though he and the League of Villains were once tenuously aligned with Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai, they never saw eye to eye. In the aftermath of the Raid, Tomura destroys both of Overhaul’s arms so that he may never use his Quirk again. He is last seen taking four Quirk-destroying bullets away from Overhaul.

  All For One - alive. Captured and currently being held prisoner.

  Dabi - alive. Last seen unleashing the latest of the League’s Nomu experiments on a rampage.

  Himiko Toga - alive. In Season 3, she stole a sample of Izuku’s blood for unknown purposes. In Season 4, she was loaned by Shigaraki to Overhaul. She returned to the League in the aftermath of the Raid.

  Jin Bubaigawara aka “Twice” - alive. He was on temporary loan from the League to assist the Shie Hassaikai.

  The Legacy of One For All

  The nature of One For All is all too unique. While most people are born with their Quirks, One For All is passed down through its users. The Quirk itself enhances the user’s innate physical abilities astronomically, but it also connects its wielders to the predecessors of One For All. Izuku has had brief glimpses of those who held the Quirk before him. But if the final moments of Season 4 are any indication, his journey with this special Quirk has only just begun.

    The hype train for My Hero Academia shows no signs of stopping as it rolls into Season 5. Despite everything that our young heroes have faced so far, there’s still no telling what new challenges await them. Be sure to catch up on all the intensity and drama here as we enter a new semester at U.A.!

  Are you all caught up on MHA? Who are you looking forward to seeing again? Drop a comment and let us know!

      Carlos (aka Callie) is a freelance features writer for Crunchyroll. Their favorite genres range from magical girls to over-the-top robot action, yet their favorite characters are always the obscure ones. Check out some of their pop culture pieces on Popdust and Looper as well as their satirical work on The Hard Times.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: Carlos Cadorniga

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

[adorablesapling]

I didn’t know Luka got to perform one of my favorite songs at Magical Mirai this last year ;;

#cyan.txt #that's such a cute dress too I die

[karmatechfiction]

Witch Talent Precure!

So, years ago before Maho Tsukai Precure, I had an idea for a witch magical girl series. At first, it was going to be a original series that didn’t tie with precure, but...yeah a lot of my ideas for it, well, let’s just say there’s a lot of similarities between my series and precure and other magical girls, including Shugo Chara. Put it short, it just doesn’t stand out much as it’s own thing, but I still like these ideas and thought, well since it’s like a Precure series already, let’s just make it a Precure fan series. Than it’d be okay to use the different ideas from different magical girls.

 I really like the ideas Maho Tsukai had but of course, the development of the plot was a bit messy and the characters in Maho Tsukai, I like them, don’t get me wrong, (well except the idiot trio) but they all are under developed. So I thought, I need some baddies and few side characters too. So this will be, what if Maho Tsukai was written better. I had plan this series for years in my head, so the plot itself will be mostly it’s own thing. The only thing I really took was some concepts such as designs. Again, I will use maybe some characters from Maho Tsukai including a certain green horn guy, so at least they will be written better.

My main precure team are from my head though. So don’t worry, I’m not just using the Maho Tsukai Cures. This is gonna be completely different. In fact, one is based more on me and the other are based on two good friends of mine. 

I may write full “episodes” once in a while but it’s mainly gonna be done using pictures and explanation to give an idea of it. This is due to me having so many projects already. This is just something I wanna come back to sometimes just for the fun of it, since again. I’ve had this idea for years and I just can’t ever seem to abandon it so, I’ll just use it as a part time, fun project.

So without further a due, this is my precure team and their story. The theme is witches, magic, talents, music and a little romance/love.

 Celina, Nerissa and Lin are in a band together known as Magic Melody Lively. They are the top of their class at Balboa Academy for Arts and Athletics being not only are they good singers, but each has their own unique talent. Celina loves to dance and is good in sports, she’s in charge of choreography in their band. Nerissa is a great painter and musician, she’s also good at writing and is usually in charge of song writing and scheduling. She’s also the lead singer. Lin is great at tailoring sweets and clothes. She’s in charge in making costumes and outfits for concerts. She’ll also make some snacks for the team.

Celina and Nerissa are sisters but Celina was adopted. Years ago, as a child, a fire broke out and killed her family. Being Nerissa’s family and Celina’s family were good friends, Nerissa family adopted Celina in. Since then though, Celina is terrified of fire but soon, she needs to face her fear for when a monster attacks her favorite dance studio that she went to when she was younger. Not wanting so many people lose their talent, she must stand up and shout “Precure, Awaken My Talent!” and rises as Cure Dancer! Together with Cure Painter and Cure Tailor, they form Witch Talent Precure! 

So, the question is, Witch Talent are you?

Name: Celina Hinami

Name Origin: Celina is French for “Sky or Heaven” Hinami; Japanese “Hi” meaning “fire” “nami” comes from “Minami” which means “Beautiful Wave” so “Fire Wave” or “Fire South”.

Age: 15 (Yes these are high school age. Something different.)

Favorite Treat: Cinnamon Roles

Personality: Celina is sweet, shy and soft spoken at times, but when she gets on the dance floor or on the concert, there is no one passionate as her! She lets herself known to the world. She’s also pretty good at sports but she mainly prefers gymnastics and dancing. She likes to teach others how to dance. Makes her feel just as special as doing it.

(Yes her design is slightly based on Mirai. I really liked Mirai’s hair style. It’s cute and perfect for a character that loves to dance! Her outfit is based on 80s/90s style clothing.)

Name: Cure Dancer

Catchphrase: “Passionate and Courageous as a Dancing Flame! Witch Talent? Cure Dancer!”

Transformation Device: A gold bell (seen on the side of her.)

Weapon: Fire Ribbons

Finishing Attack: Precure Ribbon Salsa! (Wraps ribbons around enemy until they explode into flames.)

Healing Technique: (This is used to restore damages from fights) Elegant Flame!

(Note: As Cure Dancer, she’s kinda iffy on using fire attacks due to her past. She basically needs to get use to using fire base spells.)

Name: Nerissa Hinami

Name Origin: “Nerissa” Spanish/Greek for “Water Nymph” and the Goddess of the Sea , Hinami see above. 

Age: 16 (She’s the oldest.)

Favorite Treat: Triple Fudge Brownies

Personality: Nerissa is a bit boyish. Despite having long hair, she dresses like a man most of the time and almost never is seen in dresses or skirts. She’s not someone to mess with. Despite she hates sports, she does work out and acts “ the man of the house” because their parents are divorced. When she’s not singing, working on a song, writing or drawing, you’ll often find her on the waves surfing. “Siren of the Sea”, she’s sometimes called due to this. The ocean is her inspiration. Don’t let this tough chick fool you. She does suffer anxiety issues that cause her to fall ill sometimes and actually does have a weak body, she covers up with her boyish side. Singing and being on stage, one would think would make this worse, but actually it keeps her mind clear and she’s too busy putting effort into a good performance to let it get to her. This shows her true beauty and strength.

(Note, this is the character based more on me.)

Name: Cure Painter

Catchphrase: “Beautiful and Strong as the Shimmering Sea! Witch Talent? Cure Painter!”

Transformation Device: Conk Shell Ocarina

Weapon: Shimmering Radiant Brush 

Finishing Attack: Precure Watercolor Whirlpool! (Sends massive and colorful whirlpools that surround enemy, causing them to explode.)

Healing Technique: Aqua Aurora Antidote! 

(Yes this is the character that’s a little based on Chara Spade from Shugo Chara.)

Name: Lin Shuang

Name Origin: Chinese “Lin” means “Fine Jade” “Shuang” means “Jolly”.

Age: 15

Favorite Treat: Hard to pick but loves mooncakes most of all!

Personality: Lin is full of energy! She’s always working on a costume or a something sweet! Her family owns a restaurant thus learned to cook from them. She’s also got a good vocal range but didn’t pick up on singing until meeting Sirena and Celina. Despite being the most outgoing, she does have a few insecurities. She tends to break under pressure the most but thanks to her friends, she stands back up on her feet and ready to go!

Name: Cure Tailor!

Catchphrase: “Creative and Free like a Playful Breeze! Witch Talent? Cure Tailor!”

Transformation Device: Playful Mini Ruan! (It does become slightly bigger to play properly. Just becomes small for compact size. Sorry I wanted to keep in theme and drum is taken from my special cure which I will reveal later.)

Weapon: Honey Needle (A sewing needle about the size of a cooking spoon)

Finishing Attack: Precure Sweet Sewing! (Sends out a thread of honey from the loop end, that winds around the enemy until they explode)

Healing Technique: Silk Honey

(Was a challenge making her. I wanted to of course make her more Chinese base and not just be a typical maid look.)

Some questions/accusations you probably will have.

“But Tech, they don’t look anything like witches! Least MTP had witch hats!” 

Fear not! They do have witch forms and other forms to change into. In fact, they do transform into their Witch Forms first and then the outfit unravels into their element before their cure clothes pop on. It’s a neat idea in my head and like their hair becomes their element (fire, water, wind) as it makes its transaction to the cure colors. I just haven’t design the Witch Forms yet.

“You know, you could just add original characters instead of just adding the MTP characters as side characters? Don’t be lazy!” 

Again, I have other projects that I want to finish. This is just something I wanna do for fun once in a while. Also, no matter what. Fan anything is just that. Stuff dedicated to a franchise. Even if you do make completely original characters for it, in the end, it’s something you can’t completely call your own because it’s for a universe that already exists. It doesn’t mean you can’t be creative or put effort in. It just can’t be completely, 100% be original. 

I say this because most of the projects I’m doing are original stories and stuff I want to make successful one day. So I speak as someone that does create their own content. That’s why I’m not as harsh towards people who make things for fandom. Fandom is just for fun at the end. It’s just creative ideas made for something you enjoy and you’re free to be creative or lazy as you want. It’s the real original stuff you best know how to put 100% effort in. That’s when it really counts. 

Plus, hey, some of the the MTP characters deserve to be better written. Just think of this as an alternate reality kinda thing, where instead of Maho Tsukai, you have more mature team saving the day.

“Your characters are mary-sues/too talented!”

First off, Mary-Sue is a character that is perfect. No flaws or been through anything bad. (And if they have, it’s overly unrealistically depressing.) They’re also tend to be happy all the time and everyone loves them. All my characters have flaws, they’re not happy all the time and not everyone likes them. Celina is shy and soft spoken. She has a hard time speaking out what she wants. She also withdraws when she’s scared or nervous That’s why she must learn courage. 

Nerissa is independent and tends to push others away, including loved ones. She dresses like a boy to hide her insecurities, weaknesses and to get guys to back off on her, since she kinda hates men in some ways. She doesn’t think all men are bad, but she has a negative view on them, due to having so many negative experiences with them, including a break up and well hate issues with her father. 

And then you have Lin, she’s insecure as hell. She tends to act over excited when she’s nervous and tends to annoy people like that, but she’s also conscious about that. She's afraid of pushing others away and being left alone in the world. When she’s nervous or feeling insecure, she tends to really not think straight thus cause more problems around her.

So yeah, they maybe multi-talented but people are multi-talented in a lot of things. Look at the Go Princess Precure team. They’re talented in almost everything under the sun, yet they still have flaws to keep them grounded and real. It’s all about adding the right and realistic kinda flaws. 

“What’s their Mascot?”

A black fox name Stella, that does talk and she likes to use her own magic to take care of flowers. (Hmm...Could she be a cure?)

They also get their own familiars once they grow in magic.

What are the things they need to collect?

Magic stones. I dunno what to call them. I guess Mythic Change Stones, since they’re like the Linkle Stones. They change the cures into different forms, but I’m having a twist to them and having each transformation using the Mythic Change Stones be based on a mythical creature such as a mermaid, kirin and tengu. These stones fit into the heart gems of their transformation items.

#precure #pretty cure #magical girls #Mahou Tsukai Precure