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purpleajisai · 5 months

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The history in fiction: Parallels between historical Japan and the Narutoverse

Part 1: The era of the Six Paths

Naruto may not be a historical fiction and most people will think that the utmost historical reference in the series is the fact that ninja were a thing in feudal Japan. But what if I told you that there is an insane amount of historical parallels in the series? That we could actually place the events of the main timeline within real periods of Japanese history? In this two-part series, I’ll be explaining the many parallels, references and design inspirations of the main events and generations that shaped the course of the series that we all know and love. I’ll start with the era of the Six Paths (starting from Kaguya and ending with Indra and Ashura), and part 2 will be about the Warring States (dynamic between the Senju and Uchiha). At the end of each part, I’ll add useful links so that you can deepen your investigation and see my sources. Without further ado, let’s start overanalyzing.

Historical references and parallels in character design and dynamics

I’d place this particular era of the Narutoverse in the Heian period of Japan (or at least the most important people, the brothers Indra and Ashura). Considering that we’re spanning 3 generations here, I’ll separate the individuals involved in the following way:

Kaguya: End of Nara period (710 AD - 784 AD)

Hagoromo and Hamura: Early Heian period (794 AD - 1185 AD)

Indra and Ashura: Heian period (794 AD - 1185 AD)

Kaguya

On a side note, I’d like to add that I’m not really considering Tenji in the list above because he’s an anime only character. However, his case caught my eye so I’ll discuss him as well. Let’s start by evaluating Kaguya and Tenji then. Kaguya’s character design is a very classical archetype of Heian beauty standards and clothing. Long, straight hair with flowy kimono and a delicate face. Her unusual eyebrows are no coincidence as well, as in the Heian period the practice of hikimayu was commonplace in noblewomen.

"Hiki means "pull" and mayu means "eyebrows". Aristocratic women used to pluck or shave their eyebrows and paint new ones using a powdered ink called haizumi, which was made of soot from sesame or rapeseed oils." (source)

Left: Filler anime episode // Right: Manga panel

Above: Hikimayu through the ages of Japan

Another interesting fact that I’d like to point out is that Kaguya is a character with striking similarity to a Japanese folk tale, in this case the Tale of Princess Kaguya (Kaguyahime no monogatari), whose origin we can trace back to Heian Japan. The Tale of Princess Kaguya tells the story of a little baby girl who “fell from the skies” and was found by a couple of old farmers inside of a bamboo. She grew up to be extremely beautiful and was courted by lots of noblemen, but she rejected them all insisting that somebody would come for her, as she looked at the moon. Of course, Naruto provides us with a different ending to the story but this similarity can’t be overlooked.

Above: "The Receding Princess" from The Japanese Fairy Book, 1908

Moving on to Tenji, it gets a bit more complicated to place him in an exact historical moment as he has elements of many different periods. His hairstyle resembles the styling of the Jomon period, whereas the entire setting in the filler episodes are more similar to the Nara period with the many small kingdoms fighting for dominance within a vast land, just like pre-unification Japan. Therefore, I place Kaguya and Tenji at the end of the Nara period, because we see how Kaguya takes over Tenji’s rulership and is regarded as a noblewoman after she casts the first Infinite Tsukuyomi. I have to rely on some filler in this case because otherwise I can’t find a logical explanation as to why Hagoromo was so well settled and had a large group of people following his teachings if it wasn’t for Kaguya ruling some land that originally belonged to Tenji.

Hagoromo and Hamura

Let’s start with the second generation. Following the events of the end of the Nara period I quoted in the previous section, Hagoromo and Hamura would go in the beginning of the Heian period. Their character designs feature long, flowy tunics without a visible belt. Here you have an image of men’s clothes through Japanese history, the third one being a feudal lord of the Heian period. Compare and contrast with these anime and manga images.

Above: “Men’s Japanese clothes” by Glimja

Left: Filler anime episode with both // Right: Hagoromo manga panel

Again, since we get very few manga panels related to Hagoromo and his sons, I’ll refer once again to the filler episodes where he is shown as the ruler of a village. The spot within the Heian period in which I’m placing Hagoromo would be around 100 years after the Taika reforms which established one of the first codes of law in Japan and (Taihō code) and divided the country in provinces ruled by feudal lords. Curiously, around the time where the Taika reforms happened, there was an emperor called Tenji.

Indra and Ashura

The third generation of the alien-human hybrids is here, and I place them in the Heian period as well. My main reason to consider Indra and Ashura in the Heian period is the fact that this is the exact time period where the samurai originate. A common misconception is that a samurai is a Japanese warrior highly trained in the martial arts and weapons. While this statement holds some truth, the samurai were the military social class of feudal Japan, which means that there were people who were of the samurai class but had never touched a weapon in their lives. Therefore, samurai clans were not entirely composed by warriors but also had a number of people who lived a more “civilian” lifestyle. And you may be wondering, “what do the historical samurai have to do with the ninja that we see in Naruto?”. The answer is: more than you think. Historically speaking, the ninja is a samurai specialised in stealth and sneaking, the only difference with the Naruto universe is that the ninja we know and love from the show possess chakra and perform techniques with that.

The story of Indra and Ashura is strongly tied to the origin of ninja clans in Naruto, just as the Heian period is the origin of the samurai clans. From this time period I’d like to highlight the myth of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, more commonly known as Minamoto no Raiko. His story says that he slayed demons (yes, really) and saved many maidens from being abused by drunk oni with his great sword, Dojigiri Yasutsuna. The difference between myth and legend is that myths hold some kind of historical fact whereas legends are purely fictional. Minamoto no Raiko has been heavily mythified and his story sounds unbelievable or too much like a fantasy story until you realise that he did exist and that his sword is kept in a museum. Doesn’t this resemble how the origins of ninja in Naruto are almost like fantasy stories up until Hagoromo shows up in the 4th war and explains that everything was real all along?

Above: Ukiyo-e of Minamoto no Raiko and others fighting the demon Shuten Doji.

Just as Minamoto no Raiko is considered the first samurai, Indra could be considered the first shinobi. He was the first to channel and shape chakra to create jutsu, and he was considered as part of the legends surrounding Hagoromo. Please compare these two panel sequences, one is from earlier in the story and the second one is Hagoromo’s version.

The brothers’ character design can also be correlated with the Heian period. Indra’s eyebrows seem to be real but resemble the hikimayu design of Kaguya’s eyebrows, however he does add eye makeup. The people who wore makeup in the Heian period were nobles (mostly noblewomen), once again reinforcing my point that this family started out as feudal lords and eventually fused with the warrior class, becoming ninja clans. Although the character design for Indra and Ashura isn’t 100% equal to Heian Japan’s male clothing, the inspiration is subtle yet visible. I’d say that the inspiration is mostly for the plot rather than the appearance of the character. If you’d like to see more real Heian period clothing, this link has recreations of the outfits of the characters in the Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu.

Sources

These are some useful links that I’ve referred to while writing this post. I’d like to invite you to read them if you’d like to do further research on the beautiful history of Japan.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tenji

https://www.britannica.com/event/Taika-era-reforms

https://www.japanhousela.com/articles/princess-kaguya-a-tale-for-the-ages

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikimayu#:~:text=Hiki means "pull" and mayu,from sesame or rapeseed oils.

https://www.thoughtco.com/beauty-in-heian-japan-195557

https://history.hanover.edu/hhr/22/HHR2022miller.pdf

https://www.tumblr.com/heian-collection/30869762024/beauty-ideal-in-heian-japan?source=share

https://thegate12.com/article/264

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for part 2, the Warring States era. Special thanks to @al-hekima-madara-blog for actually motivating me to write all of this down 💜

#purple rambles #purple's historical analysis #naruto #naruto shippuden #six paths #kaguya otsutsuki #hagoromo otsutsuki #hamura otsutsuki #indra otsutsuki #otsutsuki indra #ashura otsutsuki #oh goodness this was a very long post #but it was really fun to make!

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fairylynnarts · 1 month

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You all voted for Luna Artemis and Diana 2 months ago and I finally deliver 🙏💙🌙

I was mostly distracted by valentines day, my monthly Winx art and of course school work. But I also couldn't think of a composition I liked that included their moon kitty forms, their human forms AND Diana. So unfortunately Diana was not included 🤧

But I hope you all like the end result of this doodle 💙

I took inspiration from the Princess Kaguya cover :3

It seems fitting that I post this on Takeuchi's birthday since Princess Kaguya was one of my favorite stories from Sailor Moon and I think its some of her best work 💙 Happy birthday Naoko Takeuchi 🐇

#sailor moon #pretty guardian sailor moon #luna sailor moon #artemis sailor moon #my artwork #sailor moon fanart #luna and artemis #manga #anime #fanart #naoko takeuchi

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animehouse-moe · 8 months

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Blade of The Moon Princess Volume 1: An Incredible Look Into Endou's Vision

Rather imprudent of me to title this after the artist rather than the art itself, but it's very hard not to. When your most recent work is your greatest hit, and one of the largest out of nowhere successes in a good while, it's hard to relate everything to that feat.

Regardless, what we have here is Endou's last serialized work before Spy x Family. There's a trio of one-shots bridging the gap, but all three (I Spy in particular, of course) contribute a significant amount to what it is that Endou distills into Spy x Family. Of course, you get borrowings from Tista, and most certainly from Blade of The Moon Princess. Because of those ties, I'd love to explain the connections (and quality) of Blade of The Moon Princess in relation to Endou's Magnum Opus.

Let's get the story out of the way: there are people living on the moon. All Feudal Japan-like but with fancy technology and unimaginable power. Kaguya, the young girl on the cover, is the next-in-line princess to succeed her mother and rise from princess to empress of the moon. Of course, not everyone likes that, as the branch family that was disgraced by the actions of the prior empress that originated from their family has stained their history. Desperate to claw back the power they had lost, they attempt to murder Kaguya's mother and steal away the symbol of her power, a sword passed down from empress to empress that's meant to protect the people of the moon. The coup-meets-assassination fails, and Kaguya is able to flee to the tainted planet (Earth) with the sword and evade the branch family, if only briefly.

Surprisingly well put together, yeah? I thought so too. Where Tista lacks a clear cut vision as to the reason behind Tista's story, Endou rectifies that hole here by providing viewers with the idea that Kaguya's goal is to return to the moon as its empress and usurp the branch family that has wrestled control away from her.

Moving on though, there's quite a few pieces that will catch the attention of readers. The moon, Kaguya, bamboo and Japan. It's Endou's version of The Story of Princess Kaguya. And I think that's really cool. They stretch the fabric of the original story so thin that you can shine a light through it, and Endou uses that light to illuminate the details that he's added. Kaguya does not appear to an old man in a stalk of bamboo. Rather, she appears in a space ship shaped like bamboo.

Much like Endou's marriage of sci-fi and fantasy with Blade of The Moon Princess, they form a transitional period in their storytelling between Tista and Spy x Family. Not quite as humorous as Spy x Family, and not quite as dark as Tista, Kaguya helms a story that straddles the middle of Endou's mind through this first volume. And I think that's something that will be immediately apparent to readers throughout the whole volume.

Though I say 'whole volume', there's two things that will immediately clue readers in: Anya and perspective. Now no, Anya does not appear in this first volume really. But I mean, just look at Kaguya's expressions, they exude the simplicity and laziness of Anya. While Ashe from the referentially titled Rengoku No Ashe might have been the inspiration for Anya's design, Kaguya represents a good portion of her soul.

Similarly, though in the opposite direction, is Endou's use of perspective. While it still exists in Spy x Family, it's to a far lesser degree than something like Tista. In his early days, he very much so had a penchant for blown perspective and the depiction of characters with small and narrow frames. Blade of The Moon Princess continues this trend, though perhaps on a lesser scale than before. The latter example in particular feels like it was pulled directly from Tista.

Anyways, let's refocus on the story to close things out. We know what Endou wants to do, we know where we're going and where it wants to end. It's a very confident series in that regard, which in turns provides me with confidence that it'll be a solid ride through its five volume run. It won't rush to fit it into two volumes, and it won't barely make it a story through one, it'll take its ideals about Kaguya's character, and take the time Endou needs to probably mold and shape it. It's the most promising exercise in Endou's storytelling prior to Spy x Family, and that has me very intrigued. A hot headed girl, stranded so far away from home, stuck with feelings of inadequacy and rage. But a girl that must nonetheless learn how to harness those feelings for the better, and use them to protect the people that form her kingdom. It's a well put and traditional approach with all the right twists and turns inserted by Endou. I'm very curious to see where it goes.

#blade of the moon princess #tatsuya endo #spy x family #moon flower beauty #gekka bijin #月華美刃 #anya forger #yor forger #tista #manga #manga reccs #manga recommendation #manga review #anime and manga

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haveyouseenthismovie-poll · 8 months

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Just on the topic of princess kaguya as a film, it actually inspired a lot of the watercolour aesthetics of cartoon saloons film wolfwalkers! Cartoon Saloon went so far as to physically paint and scan entire backgrounds for their film.

That's awesome! It is a very beautiful movie (one of my favorites even.)

Thank you for sharing this info about it!

#answers #the tale of princess kaguya

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dailytuxedomask · 7 months

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Pink Sugar Tuxedo Attack

What is it?

Pink Sugar Tuxedo Attack is one of the duo attacks that exists in the Sailor Moon Universe 🌙.

This duo attack is the combination of Sailor Chibi Moon's power, Pink Sugar Heart Attack and Tuxedo Mask's power, Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber. Having only been mentioned in the manga.

Volume: short stories 2

Pink Sugar Heart and Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber

Unlike Pink Sugar Heart Attack that appears in the three versions (classic, Crystal and manga), Tuxedo la Smoking bomber only exists in the manga and Crystal.

Sailor Moon S

In the 90s anime (Season 3 episode 30) Chibi-Usa attacks Mimete and her Daimon with a similar attack but instead of being called Pink Sugar Tuxedo Attack, the name Pink Sugar heart attack was kept.( because La smoking bomber doesn't exist in this version)

Manga

In the manga the attack takes place in the story " lover of Princess Kaguya", which is a secondary story that gives inspiration to the film " sailor Moon S: hearts in ice".

During the fight Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Chibi Moon join the fight to help the other Sailor Guardians. Unlike the similar attack in Sailor Moon S, here both of them hold the rod and say the name of the attack.

Note: I didn't include information about the musicals because it's not easy to get information.

So that's it. I hope you enjoyed!!

#sailor moon #tuxedo mask #anime and manga #sailor chibi moon #small lady serenity #Mamoru chiba #chiba mamoru #Pink sugar heart attack #tuxedo la smocking bomber #pink sugar Tuxedo attack

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teawizard · 7 months

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Hi! Meet my Encanto OC for @encanto-extended-edition: Daniela Serrano :)

Full name: Daniela Alejandra Serrano (& Madrigal in the future) Age (movie): 52 Height: 172 cm, 5'8'' Weight: above average Hair type: black, fairly curly Eyes: dark brown Birthday: 8th of May 1898 Details: a big, hooked nose, wide eyebrows

Daniela is a kind, creative and reserved person. She doesn't usually initiate social communications but is always ready to keep up a conversation. She has two close friends and otherwise doesn't have any people she lets herself be vulnerable with. Her diary knows more about her than any person alive.

She plays a couple of instruments and knows different thread craft.

She is sometimes very stubborn and rebellious because this way she reminds herself that she's still in charge of her own life, even when she doesn't have any strength for it.

Daniela is the youngest child in Serrano Venezuelan-single-mother-and-children-family. Her mother is called Maria and her older twin-siblings - Luis and Carmen.

She is a former 'gifted kid' who rebels against her mother when she's 18 and quits weaving. Daniela tries to find a new place in the community but fails A LOT, even if she works hard (which she doesn't usually do). She then drunk on freedom makes A LOT of bad decisions and has to be brought to her senses by her sister and best friend. At 24 she returns to weaving very disappointed in herself. She leaves Encanto at 35, after a particular person tells her to maybe change her life. She then returns home at 52 and sorts out her relationship with her family.

As a result, her Biggest Problems are: relationship with her mother, her perfectionism, avoidance of conflicts, rarely considers her own feelings and desires and poorly describes them, rarely opens up to people.

This is the shortest summary of her story, and I hope the least confusing one :)

You can notice green lines and numbers on the character sheet. These things indicate intervals when she and Bruno were dating (yes, this is oc x Bruno - I wanted to explore one thing I don't usually see in oc x Bruno fanfiction, which I'll talk about later, but this can as well be due to the reason that I don't actually read them that much).

Also, you can notice that all the phrases above all four Danielas are about her mother(s). Well, there is no reason for that at all.

I made her almost a month ago and I feel like I still don't have a clear image of her in my head, but I guess it will all come together when I start writing the actual story...

Also, tried to make a character inspiration sheet:

I haven't watched that much different media, so the sheet might be not that accurate but I tried :)

(Tiana from The Princess and the Frog Fleabag from Fleabag Evelyn from Everything Everywhere All at Once Kaguya from Kaguya-sama: Love Is War Eleanor Shellstrop from The Good Place)

#encanto #teawizard art #bruno madrigal x oc #encanto oc #encanto oc event #encanto oc appreciation #oc: daniela

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celticbotanart · 26 days

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Been feeling under the weather these past few days (hence why I'm a bit inactive here, as per usual); so let's go for another music post~

I've recently finished the season 1 of "Constellation", highly recommend it if you are into scifi, space/astronauts and time-alternative dimension-fuckery. The show is pretty awesome, and Noomi Rapace, who plays the protagonist is also a favorite of mine (and she's killing in this role as always <3).

I won't elaborate a lot, due to personal reasons but also bc spoilers, but the finale really made an impression on me and I've been thinking a lot about it. It also reminded me a lot of a couple of songs I know with these themes of "lost in space (metaphorically and literally)", longing, loss/grief and so on, and I want to share them with y'all~

1- "Moonhearts in Space" by Tina Guo ft Serj Tankian

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You were undressed With your lies, I confess But I don't want to know 'Cause we're going to space Children, let's pretend We can see everything But we can't I can make the pain go away No, you can't

For context, Tina Guo is the original cello soloist in the soundtrack of the game "Journey", which is majorly cello all over it, as the "voice" of the main character. And also yes, that Serj Tankian (vocalist of System of a Down), haha. An unlikely pair that really pays off in this collab - Tina has a very intense and emotional playing style, and Serj really goes hard with sensitive, beautiful vocals as he does <3 I love how the lyrics are "all over the place", like someone's thoughts going from one thing to another really fast~

2- "Toki no Kioku" ("Memory of Time") by Yoko Kanno

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Far away, long ago Wandering lost, so alone Passing eyes, parting sighs Some pains come through Where time flows, no one knows Pulsing dreams, barely seen In skies, thoughts of love go by

This is the ending theme of an anime / 6 episode OVA called "Please, Save My Earth" - the main plot is kind of inspired by the tale of Princess Kaguya (moon beings experiencing humanity). The story of "Please Save My Earth" tells about these teens who start to have dreams from their previous lives, where all of them worked together in a space station at the moon, trying to find a way of helping Earth and humanity, longing for it. It's a very strange anime, ngl, but I found it so captivating, from the detailed 90s anime style to the mysterious, introspective narrative. The music is by Yoko Kanno (most known for her work on Cowboy Bebop's OST), and "Toki no Kioku" really reflects the somber and melancholic tone of the story. I'm linking the version with the ending credits because I think the beautiful animation adds so much to the music's experience!

3- "The First Corpse on the Moon", by Lethe

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Lethe is a project featuring Tor-Helge Skei and Anna Murphy (former Eluveitie, current Cellar Darling). No lyrics here because they are nowhere to find online, and I can understand only some bits of it (I have a hard time picking up English in singing). It's enough though, cause the title is pretty self-explanatory. Out all of these songs, it's probably the song that makes me think of "Constellation" the most (if you know, you know). I've always loved Anna Murphy's vocals and how she goes for darker, more introspective themes too, and this song is no exception

#music posts #constellation 2024 #constellation #not including David Bowie stuff like Space Oddity bc those are pretty iconic and well known already #and I like to share more low profile stuff so people can know more bands and such!

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thisbelongsto-nohbodys · 1 month

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Studio Ghibli watch-through pt. 7

Finally found a way to finish watching these last 4 Ghibli films, so here's the current finale of my Studio Ghibli watch-through.

22. The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)

7/10

I loved the art style but I see how someone might be turned off of it but idc, they can leave more beautiful art to me. The story dragged in some places but it was still fun to watch.

23. When Marnie Was There (2014)

8/10

I came for the promise of yuri, was disappointed in the twist but watching it again I see that yuri is there but it's more of an awakening yuri. The story is also relatable for those of us artists who have felt burn out and depression blocking us from creating, not to mention the feeling that ppl are being nice just out of curtesy rather than genuinely. Tho' if I had a nickel for a Ghibli film that had a romance where it turned out they were related, I'd have 2 nickels which isn't a lot but it's strange that it happened. (I know they aren't related in Poppy Hill but we were made to think they were for half the film)

24. Earwig & The Witch (2020)

3/10

First of, the Ghibli style in CGI didn't translate well. Second, this really could've been a series instead of a movie because at least in a series we might've gotten more than what we did get. Nothing really happened and then it ended just as it seemed like it might be moving the plot forward.

25. The Boy and the Heron (2023)

9/10

Saw this one in the theaters with my brother and we both loved it. Seeing as it's an apology from Hayao to his kids, in that he wants them to not follow his footsteps if they don't want to, makes the movie a bit more poignant. Wish we could've had more time in the wacky spirit world or whatever realm it was but I liked what we got (also Robert Pattinson killed it as the Heron)

That's every Studio Ghibli film from Castle of Cagliostro to The Boy and the Heron. Ghibli is a major inspiration not just for artists but for film makers/story tellers and I'd say that they should be required viewing for any aspiring artist/film maker/writer. While obviously their most well known ones but also some of the lesser known ones since there might be something there that someone sees potential in and expands on it in their own work.

#studio ghibli #ghibli #the tale of princess kaguya #when marnie was there #earwig and the witch #the boy and the heron

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regalstudies · 10 months

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Japanese Movie Recommendations!

こんにちは皆さん！今日、特別な順序ではなく５本の好きな映画を紹介したいです。

Hi everyone! Today I’d like to introduce you to 5 of my favourite Japanese movies! My personal tastes lean more towards the horror and anime side of things, but I hope there are some here that you guys haven’t seen! Cinema can be a great avenue to delve deeper social commentaries about the country we’re interested in learning about, so I’ve tried to pick some recommendations with that in mind! :]

I’ve attempted to add all relevant content warnings, but there may be something I have missed so please take caution! I’d recommend having a look at what people say on DoesTheDogDie.com if you have specific concerns

Without further ado, let’s get started!

1. Confessions (告白) directed by Tetsuya Nakashima (中島哲也)

Confessions is a 2010 psychological thriller based off of the mystery novel of the same name. It follows the aftermath of the murder of a school teacher’s daughter by her pupils, who utilise Japan’s laws on age of criminal responsibility to “get away with it” and focuses on the differing perspectives of those involved. This film explores themes of revenge, familial values and expectations, and the normalization of violence in youth. This film is unmistakably heavy, but it is powerful.

This was introduced to me by my professor when I was doing a Japanese Film course in Uni, and it has stuck with me for YEARS. Not only is the story itself poignant, it’s brilliantly acted, beautifully shot, and has so many striking visuals with artistically composed scenes. As this was a fairly successful film, there are a fair few articles analysing its themes - if anyone is interested, I can try and dig up the resources we used when we studied this in class! :]

Content warnings: depictions and mentions of mental and physical abuse, violence towards children, violence committed by children, bullying mentions of animal death, attempted suicide, murder, mentions of chronic illness (AIDs and cancer in particular)

2. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫の物語) directed by Isao Takahata (高畑勲)

A retelling of famous folktale Taketori Monogatari (竹取物語) for modern Japanese audiences, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya brings new life to the classic story without sacrificing any of its heart. Takahata cited his own inability to connect to the original tale as inspiration for the retelling, aiming for something which the audience could connect to emotionally and really understand the titular princess.

The film deals with feminist concerns about the restrictions of womanhood (especially in the ambiguously Heian-era Japan), familial obligation, love, and the beauty of life. It’s a cultural adventure which I would recommend to anyone regardless of their familiarity with the tale it is adapting! Honestly, I’ve written essays about Taketori Monogatari and this film still managed to move me to tears with how beautifully and painstakingly rendered it is! I’d need a whole other post to detail just how much I appreciate the /art/ of this piece.

Content warnings: animal death, suggestion of sexual assault, arranged marriage, memory loss

3. Dark Water (仄暗い水の底から) directed by Hideo Nakata (中田秀夫)

This 2002 horror movie is a sad ghost story! It follows the story of a single mother trying to get through her life while dealing with her divorce proceedings, new slightly-run-down apartment, and the paranormal occurrences haunting herself and her daughter. This movie deals with familial issues, parental sacrifice and confronting trauma.

Dark Water deals with aspects of Japanese horror which fans of Ringu (coincidentally, also directed by Nakata) may recognize, so I’d definitely recommend fans of Ringu and people wanting to explore the way that different cultures portray horror to give this one a shot. I found this one so fun to analyse recurring themes and imagery in Japanese horror, and I’m more than happy to encourage others to fall down this rabbit hole too!

Content warnings: missing children, death (including that of a child), threat of death, drowning, abandonment, divorce

4. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女) directed by Makoto Shinkai (新海誠)

This 2006 sci-fi romance tells the story of a high-school girl who discovered that she has the ability to travel through time! Dealing with friendship, the pressures of growing up and romance, this movie integrates slice-of-life and coming of age themes into its sci-fi setting! Its your classic tale of fairly innocent time-travel shenanigans and trying to right some wrongs, and makes the the ultimate heartwarming story!

This one used to be pretty popular amongst anime fans a gooood few years back, but I haven’t seen people talk about it in a while and I wanted to mention it just in case it had fallen off the radar! With simple yet fluid character designs and beautiful scenery, this piece manages to portray grounded teenage characters and capture that warm summer feeling throughout.

Content warnings: threat of death, train accidents, minor violence and name calling

5. Tokyo Sonata (トウキョウソナタ) directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa (黒沢清)

This 2008 drama follows the disintegration of a middle-class family after the patriarch loses his comfortable salaryman job unexpectedly. This film tackles issues faced by many modern families as the sense of traditionalism and societal normalcy becomes strained under the pressures of expectation, unemployment, and inability to communicate your authentic self to your family.

This film is an incredibly grounded drama, depicting real issues faced by so many families. Take a look at the date on this film, and you’ll realise how true-to-home this story of societal and economic uncertainty is for so many. Despite it all, what seems on the surface to be a depressing story of a family at their worst, actually displays a message of hope throughout. I find it to be a very realistic and poignant film.

Content warnings: unemployment, financial struggle, communication issues, war, military, abuse, domestic violence, crime, robbery, kidnapping, themes of suicide and depression, sexual assault, car accidents, police presence

Bonus! Gohatto (御法度) directed by Nagisa Ōshima (大島渚)

This one was recommended by my flatmate for this list, as a quick shoutout because “its very good” so I don’t personally have much to say about it - but I’m never going to complain about a recommendation for a gay samurai film. :]

それで、おすすめを終わります！

Thank you all for reading through this list! If you have any recommendations of your own, please feel free to add them on!

#leo speaks #japanese #japanese movie #japanese movies #langblr #japanese langblr #movies #film #japanese cinema #japanese study blog #japanese studyblr #film recommendations

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mistninja · 10 months

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do you like reading fantasy? do you like magical swords, wizards and dragons? do you want to get into anime/manga but dont know how? well im a weeb and a fantasy nerd who has nothing better to do so here are some recs ig

Do you like the Cosmere for the convoluted magical systems and the creative ways the magic is used in fights? Watch Jujutsu Kaisen. First season has 24 episodes, there is one prequel movie (good place to start too) and a second season coming soon. You could also read the manga, but I personally think the anime is easier to follow and overall more enjoyable to me (on the other hand, the manga comes with Extensive notes on how the magic works so you might prefer that). Another good show is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (on Netflix, 64 episodes).

Do you like the Cosmere for the interconnected large universe and The Lore(tm)? Get into Fate. You know how Cosmere fans loooove talking about timelines and where to start with the Cosmere? You can do that again with Fate, even more complicated this time! A good place to start would be either Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works or Fate/Zero. Both are on Netflix, UBW has 26 episodes and Zero has 25. You could go straight to the source material, the visual novels, but I haven't played them so I can't talk about them.

Do you like Realm of the Elderlings, or historical fantasy? Watch Vinland Saga. The first season has 24 episodes, second one is currently coming out weekly (close to finishing), and it is on Netflix. Haven't read the manga but it seems to have some really good art. Another option would be (I think) Berserk, but since I haven't read/watched that, I can't really say. SIDENOTE but if you like Black Sails you should also check out Vinland Saga im so serious. BS isnt fantasy but i needed to get that out there.

Do you like The Locked Tomb? This one is quite obvious but watch Revolutionary Girl Utena, it inspired the books *a lot*. It has 39 episodes, a movie and a manga, general consensus is that the manga is not very good so just watch the show. Look up trigger warnings. And you might also want to check out Puella Magi Madoka Magica (the original show has just 12 episodes, theres a lot of extra content but I have not seen/read the rest so i would say its not necessary).

Do you like an epic adventure and a giant world filled with amazing places to explore? Completely unironically you SHOULD read or watch One Piece. Fantasy fans already get into gargantuan book series with thousands of pages what is a thousand episodes to you? I assure you it is worth it. Hunter x Hunter is also good, I can't say much about it because I just started it recently.

More general recs under read more.

Little Witch Academia. Cute fluffy show about teenage witches. Some similarities with The Owl House on Disney.

Witch Hat Atelier. Manga only for now, follows a young girl who gets taken in as a witch's apprentice, has some darker elements.

Re: Zero. Guy from our world gets sent to another world and then dies a bunch of times. Psychological horror in a fantasy setting.

Akatsuki no Yona. Princess goes on an adventure to find legendary dragons and save her kingdom. Some romance.

Vanitas no Carte. Vampires in a steampunk setting. Gay (?)

Black Clover. Basically whatever you think Naruto is about, but shorter and more goofy. Boy with no magic wants to the greatest wizard of all time, gets beefy.

Ghibli movies: Kiki's Delivery Service, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, The Castle in the Sky, The Cat Returns, Spirited Away. These movies are more on the magical realism / low fantasy side.

Noragami. Supernatural. Gods and spirits are real and walk among us, the story follows a god who has no followers and a girl who accidentally becomes half-spirit. Some cool fights. Really great music.

Shadows House. Creepy house where shadow people live, along with their "living dolls".

Dungeon Meshi. Manga with upcoming anime, havent read it but seems like a fun adventure with some horror elements (?) but mostly about cooking and monsters.

#welp #i wish i had more interesting recs sadly im basic #take these with a grain of salt i made this out of boredom and a need to distract myself so i didnt spend too much time on this

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illcamp · 5 months

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As someone who got slightly noticed by the Zelda community for drawing Zelda x Ghibli fanart I have to say I don't think Zelda would fit Ghibli's standards.

I love tloz and I love ghibli movies probably with the same intensity and because of that I keep thinking that Ghibli is too serious and arsty for Zelda lol like, besides the aesthetics, there's nothing in tloz franchise that resemblance a Ghibli movie, Miyazaki and Takahata (may rest in peace) are well known for portray their views in politics and society through their films, Miyazaki loves to talk about anti capitalistic, anti war and pro environmental consciousness topics in his stories, while Takahata liked to explore the every day life of common people, the humanity in his characters and usually portrays deep, strong female characters going through a coming of age/growth journey (also had anti war messages with Grave of the Fireflies and fictional stories with The tale of princess Kaguya, both with a strong focusing in their main characters and their personal journey, with a very sad ending I must say)

On the other hand, despite Zelda's lore being a little confusing lol I like the overall construction of its universe but at the end the overall lesson of its stories is kinda bland, there's nothing wrong with a good old fashioned tale about the chosen one, good vs evil and the brave knight saving the princess, but it's like… pretty much all? I don't think Zelda's development team ever wanted to focus in go deeper than that, like questioning the role in the monarchy like with the clan Yiga there were just a bunch of losers being annoying in your traveling, they told you they rebelled against the Sheikahs and the royal family but why? Did they have a valid motive? There was nuance there that made you think "well… I get their point, I don't think their actions have justification but I understand where they come from"? Idk give me complexity!!! I want to reflex, I want to see not only a villain and a hero but complex people that make choices and make mistakes and you see the complexity of their decisions. The only moment similar to that in the history of Zelda that I can think of is in Wind Waker where Ganondorf told us why he want Hyrule, it was for his people, it was the wind that he coveted, THAT WAS DEPTH, THAT WAS AN ACTUAL CHARACTER WITH ACTUAL MOTIVATIONS, what he did was wrong, but you get to actually empathize with his feelings of just wanting a dignified life for his people, I can't think of any other moment like that in Zelda…

Sadly, I see how Nintendo is really focused on get the money (that's why they carefully chose to make a live action instead of an animated movie) so even if there was a slightly interest in Ghibli to make a Zelda movie Nintendo would have to let the creative direction entirely to Ghibli so Miyazaki would do the thing he knows how to do which is got slightly inspired by a story of other author and then just do whatever he wants with that, and of course Nintendo would never agree to do that.

Basically what I am trying to say is that a Ghibli x Zelda movie was a dream that it born dead

#beefing with the zelda team #spreading negativity #throwing shit at my favorite videogame franchise #i love ghibli #i love zelda #controversial opinion but takahata was better than miyazaki lol #zelda ghibli

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bohemiandeer · 11 months

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ALRIGHT BITCHES, NEED HELP DECIDING

#lifeweaver #niran pruksamanee #overwatch #overwatch 2 #overwatch lifeweaver #ow2 #ow #overwatch niran #ow2 lifeweaver #ow lifeweaver #fan skins #fan skin poll

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sakukaguxxi · 9 months

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Yakult and Tobacco | Gintama

Word count: 3.4k

C/W’s: none really except for a tiny bit of blood

Summary: a story about what happens to Takasugi and the Kiheitai after ch. 704

a/n: This is my first time writing for Gintama, and I wanted to do something like this for a while but didn’t think I was a good enough story writer. But I really felt passionate about this topic and tried my best. I was inspired by various ideas from fandom and combined with my own random ideas. I hope this isn’t too bad. Likes and reblogs are appreciated!

______

The long search hadn’t been for nothing. It wasn’t a pipe dream, it wasn't a dead end. This couldn’t be a coincidence. After investigating the dragon holes for several months, Matako finally found him.

She was overcome with tears of joy and relief as she held the reborn Takasugi in her arms. The local villagers who had gathered around upon getting word of a mysterious baby appearing in the dragon hole looked on in mild confusion. What does this baby mean to this woman? they must have thought. Was it really born from the dragon hole or just abandoned? Is it the divine wrath of Ryujin-sama?

Matako didn’t really care how this scene looked to anyone else at that moment. It was just so personal. Feeling like a big weight had been lifted off her shoulders finally, she decided she was ready to leave after she finished crying and wiped away her tears. Wherever home was, they could now return.

Matako turned to the crowd. “I will take this child,” she announced.

Nobody else was racing to volunteer, but there were a few murmurs among the crowd. Then one man pointed at the infant, shouting, “This could be an attack by the Dragon Vein God! You shouldn’t keep it!”

“I can handle this,” she responded firmly. “You don’t know the whole story, because this is actually my friend who I’ve been looking for, and now he’s been revived. It probably sounds crazy, but even if you don’t believe me, I have to do this.”

Now that she found Shinsuke, it was time to embark on the journey to regroup with Takechi. Some villagers were actually kind enough to help her by lending her some baby supplies and giving her directions, even if they didn’t fully understand the background.

……

Matako met Takechi at a small house on the outskirts of Edo that the Kiheitai had used as a hideout. It would make a decent place for someone who wanted some privacy away from the city. There was a dirt path leading to it with a hedge running along one side.

When Matako arrived at the house, Takasugi still looked like a baby. She and Takechi decided they would take care of him together. The two Kiheitai members smiled down at the infant. Takechi, normally less sentimental, was still happy Takasugi had been found. He was also proud that after being told there wasn’t the slightest chance of Takasugi being resurrected like Utsuro, their intuition had actually worked out in their favor.

“The dark purple hair is definitely the same,” Henpeita observed.

“And now he has two functioning eyes again,” Matako added. She gazed at the baby, whose eyes were open and was looking up at the two of them. “I wonder if he recognizes us yet even in this state…”

Henpeita put a hand on her shoulder. “We can’t know yet, so you shouldn’t worry right now.”

……

Takasugi had reached a new stage of growth within a couple days of arriving at the hideout, looking around preschool age now. Despite hearing what happened to the reborn Utsuro from Gintoki and knowing what altana was capable of, Matako and Henpeita were still amazed to witness Takasugi’s growth first-hand. It reminded them of Princess Kaguya. Altana truly was a powerful energy.

Henpeita went and bought more clothing for Takasugi in a couple different sizes since they didn’t know when his next growth spurt would be. As the strategist of the Kiheitai, he was trying to think ahead. He also bought Yakult, which Takasugi had gone absolutely nuts for in the past. He thought it might even help spur on his memories.

There weren’t many other people in the close-by area to worry about, but Matako felt a sense of protectiveness towards Takasugi during this sensitive time. She didn’t want people to think he was a monster if they noticed his fast growth. She was glad she’d found him when she did instead of him falling into the wrong hands. For the time being, he had to stay near the house at least.

The interesting thing about Shinsuke growing up at an accelerated rate was that he still couldn’t speak, but seemed to understand basic communication in a way. He also easily regained his ability to do certain things such as walking and using chopsticks with only a little instruction if any. He mostly followed the other two around quietly like a puppy and went with the flow of whatever they were doing. Being like a little kid, he could still get into mischief. Gintoki had mentioned that the reborn Shouyou started speaking fully when his memories were unlocked. However, Matako didn’t know if or when Takasugi would regain his memories and return to his old self.

……

On the second night since Takasugi’s new growth, Matako rolled to her side and smiled softly at him as they were about to go to sleep. They slept in the same room on their own futons since he had his first growth spurt out of babyhood. But Shinsuke was given the one regular-sized blanket in the house. Takechi hadn’t gotten around to shopping for more of those yet.

For the first time since being reborn, Shinsuke had a dream of various people crying or looking like they’re about to cry. There was the blonde-haired woman called Matako, a man with curly silvery-blue hair, and another man with long light brown hair. In the dream, Shinsuke thought, No… please don’t cry, everyone…

Shinsuke woke up again early in the morning and turned toward Matako out of curiosity and instinct. She was still asleep but looked cold and exposed from not having a decent blanket. Despite still being tired, he felt an urge to help her, so he dragged his blanket across the room and covered her. Then he laid down next to her on top of the blanket and pulled one edge over himself.

Like a lot of dreams, most of the contents of Shinsuke’s had faded from his mind within a few minutes of being awake, leaving only vague bits and pieces. The details of most of the people had become blurrier, and he wasn’t aware yet that it was based on real experience anyway.

A few hours later, Takechi stepped in the doorway to the others’ bedroom, asking, “Matako, are you awake yet?”. He had returned from a short visit to the city and was surprised to see the little Takasugi sleeping next to her on top of the blanket.

Memories of the first time Takechi officially met Matako flashed in his mind: despite the Bakufu confiscating her gun, she did whatever she could to try to save the imprisoned Jouishishi, such as threatening Takechi with a dagger to the back. More important to her than Takasugi acknowledging her or letting her join him was preventing his death, because she believed the country needed him. No doubt, being saved by him personally had also cemented her loyalty and belief that he had a good heart. Takechi had handed back her gun and told her she would do well to take revenge herself. He recalled her surprised face at the end of the battle when Shinsuke simply said, “Let’s go,” letting her know she was included.

I never thought I’d see them as roommates, Henpeita thought.

……

Later the same day, Gintoki was walking towards the Kiheitai hideout when he came upon a little boy standing on the path. Despite looking young, Gintoki could recognize that face anywhere, having grown up with him. Shinsuke stared up at him like a deer caught in headlights.

“So we meet again, huh?” Gintoki stated calmly, his eyes at half-mast.

Meanwhile, Matako was in the house, expecting Gintoki any minute. The Kiheitai had contacted all of Shinsuke’s old friends, and Gintoki was the first who was able to visit. She was suddenly alerted to a child whining, “Let me go! Put me down!” followed by a familiar male voice saying, “Excuse me.” She went into the genkan to see Gintoki holding Shinsuke under his arm

“Let me go!” Shinsuke repeated, trying to wriggle free.

“Is this your kid?” Gintoki asked sarcastically. “He made an impudent face, and I knew right away.” He finally released the boy from his hold.

As Shinsuke went forward to climb over the porch step, kicking his sandals off behind him, Matako grumbled, “...It’s obvious.” Shinsuke dashed past her into the house. “Come in,” she offered to Gintoki.

……

After setting Shinsuke up with a game on the other side of the room, Matako and Gintoki sat across from each other with their own cup of tea. Gintoki eyed him for a bit before focusing on Matako. “How has taking care of him been so far?” he asked.

“It’s been relatively good. It’s not like I have much experience taking care of babies or little kids, but this isn’t a regular situation. Takechi-senpai has also been a big help, I hate to admit…”

“When did he start talking, anyway? He still seems pretty quiet otherwise…”

Matako frowned slightly. “Just today when you showed up carrying him… He never said anything before, so I guess this is progress. I thought you meeting him could change things…”

“Well, yes, I am very influential,” Gintoki joked. “I’m not the main character of my own series for nothing.”

Matako looked downcast, so Gintoki snapped back into seriousness, waiting for her to continue. “I can’t help but compare your situation with Shouyou to ours,” she explained. “I want Shinsuke-sama to be happy no matter what happens, but deep down my hope is he’ll regain his memories and return to being the person we know and love. Am I selfish for this? Would he be better off starting a different life and forgetting Shouka Sonjuku, the Joui War, the Kiheitai, everything?” Her eyes stung with tears. “I won’t abandon him, but I can’t deny there’s still a void from losing a loved one. Not only could we not prevent it, we weren’t there for him during that time. We had no idea he was dying. I thought we were doing the right thing by giving him some space, but it didn't work out for us in the end. We shouldn’t have left him alone…”

Suddenly, Takasugi scurried up next to Matako to hold her hand. He noticed her looking and sounding like she might cry and wanted to comfort her somehow. Matako was surprised by his action, but it made her smile. “Don’t worry, I’m alright,” she reassured him, giving him a one-armed hug. He stood back for a few seconds like he wasn’t sure, then returned to his area.

Gintoki drank more tea with a pensive expression. “You don’t know this, but I actually had amnesia once from a car accident and lost my identity,” he shared. “Yeah, I became a productive member of society and didn’t remember bad memories from my past, but it wasn’t me. My friends struggled to get me back, and while it didn’t happen right away and I left them to start a new life, they still came to get me eventually. So the way you feel is natural, Matako-san. And although I can’t make any guarantees and can only go by my one experience, I’d say you shouldn’t give up… Just be honest with him.”

……

Matako saw Gintoki off at the entrance when it was time to go. “Thank you again for coming, Shiroyasha,” she said.

“No problem,” Gintoki replied. “And like I said, I’ll also see what else I can do. I’ll talk to Zura and Tatsuma about it too. So, see you guys later.”

“See ya.” That came from Shinsuke, who had come out to the front. Matako and Gintoki were still a little stunned to hear him speak again at all, but Matako did a double take because his yukata was now up to his knees. He definitely looked taller than he was even less than twenty minutes ago! Now he had an elementary school-age appearance.

Gintoki also noticed and smirked. “Take care now,” he said.

On his way down the path, Gintoki encountered Takechi coming from the opposite direction with a bag in hand.

“Were you in a hurry?” Takechi asked, stopping.

“I had some barley tea and we talked for a bit,” Gintoki replied. As he walked past Takechi, he continued, “I don’t know what’ll end up happening, but… he definitely doesn’t need diapers anymore,” and waved back.

……

Gintoki, Katsura, and Sakamoto met at a local restaurant and sat at a booth together, with Gintoki on one side and the other two across. He was catching them up on his visit to the Kiheitai from the day before.

“I admit that I was initially skeptical and didn’t think it was possible for him to be resurrected,” Katsura said. “I admit it, I was wrong.”

“Aren’t you glad things are starting to work out, though?” Sakamoto said.

“Yeah, but there’s still the issue of him getting his memories back, which the Kiheitai care a lot about,” Gintoki pointed out. “Matako-san seemed upset when I talked to her. I think we should all do our best to help in some way. Takasugi was our friend too, so we want him to get his memories back, right?”

Sakamoto turned to Katsura with a smile and said, “Well, since it’s our turn to visit now, let’s go together. We should do it soon this week.”

“Let’s bring presents,” Katsura suggested excitedly.

……

After Gintoki left the Kiheitai hideout, Takasugi didn’t try to speak the rest of that day or into the next. Matako and Takechi weren’t sure why, but hypothesized maybe his mind was still settling in and it was part of his development. They asked him at one point if he could remember his past, but he shook his head in confusion. So they tried to tell him some more about his background, and he seemed to be listening, but his reaction was calm, almost unreadable.

It wasn’t until after going to bed that more peculiar things happened once again. Takasugi had another dream where he was standing by a river at night with fireworks going off. It was a beautiful sight, and he watched in awe as different colors and even shapes soared across the sky. There were other people around him watching, including three people right in front of him. Then those three people turned around and smiled at him. There was Matako, Takechi, and a green-haired man wearing sunglasses… Bansai. By the way they were looking at him, it seemed like they were happy he was having a good time and enjoyed being with him.

The scenery changed somehow seamlessly to a man standing in front of a nondescript background. He had long, light brown hair and wore gray and beige clothing, with his arms crossed and tucked into the opposite sleeves of his haori. He was smiling and had a strong aura like a wise and kind person. He said, I’m proud of you, Shinsuke, so don’t give up.

Shouyou-sensei? Shinsuke thought as the recognition completely dawned on him.

Takasugi didn’t get to hear a response as he woke up soon after that in the morning. Not only had he grown to adult size overnight, he now finally had a realization about himself. That dream had made everything clear.

He sat up cross-legged, the blanket falling over his lap. Since he grew a lot over night, his yukata had opened up and became more like a shirt, revealing his bare torso and obviously not long enough anymore to cover his bottom half if not for the blanket.

Matako groaned slightly as she also started to wake up. She tilted her head to look at Takasugi and was met with the grown version of him staring back at her with his mouth slightly agape.

“Wha- Huh?!” Matako gasped, sitting up and pulling her blanket further over her chest out of reflex. She honestly hadn’t expected to wake up that morning and suddenly see Takasugi look basically like the person she’d known for 12 years. Out of awkwardness, she shifted her position to slightly face away from him while her eyes were still pointed his way. She trembled a little as she reached to push some hair out of her face.

Takasugi put his hand over his left eye. “Hey… It’s me,” he finally said.

In a flash, Matako went forward to kneel in front of him as he lowered his hand. She looked up right into his eyes. “You can see, can’t you?” she asked with concern.

Takasugi looked down and took in her expression fully, which conveyed intense emotion. “...Yes, I can see …” he answered. “It’s just that I only noticed now that I got it back…”

“How do you feel now?”

“I’m still trying to process everything and let the fact that this is real settle in… But I know how and why I came back and accept it. On that day, Shouyou-sensei actually told me his plan to sacrifice himself by using up all the altana in his body to cancel out the terminal’s altana. And he was distraught at the time because he didn’t think he could save me as well…” He raised one side of his mouth in a half smile. “I feel like Sensei was by my side until you came to pick me up again. And he still is here in a way…”

Takasugi took a scan around the room, then continued, “And even before I got my memories back, I’ve seen over the past couple weeks how you and Takechi have taken care of and protected me, so I’m also grateful to you. Also importantly, I’ve wanted to say I’m sorry for leaving the Kiheitai behind without a word and any hurt caused by my absence. I couldn’t tell you what was going on and I didn’t know how much longer I’d have to live or if I’d see you again at all. But thank you for not giving up on me.”

Matako felt her heart swell and couldn’t help herself, leaning forward to give him a big hug. He was momentarily stunned but formed a small smile and reciprocated. “It really was no problem,” Matako said. “You know the Kiheitai will be there for you. And we may not have had the chance to meet your master, but we can’t thank him enough for making this possible...”

……

Once Shinsuke was fully dressed and had gotten his bearings, he said to Takechi when they were outside walking, “Could you hand me your sword? There’s something I want to see…”

Takechi unsheathed his sword and handed it over without a word, his eyes fixed on Shinsuke’s face the whole time.

Shinsuke raised his left hand and carefully pricked the pad of the middle finger. There were some tiny beads of blood, but nothing else happened. After sucking the blood off his finger, he resumed, “I actually don’t think I had to do that to know I’m still mortal, but I just felt like making a point for myself.” He gave Takechi back his sword.

As Takechi put it away, he responded in an amused tone, “I figured that’s why you wanted it.”

Shinsuke chuckled. “I wanna get a new sword sometime soon, though. It doesn’t feel right not having something at my waist. And I might need it anyway if the Kiheitai has plans.”

……

Later that day, Katsura and Sakamoto came over. “Sorry it’s been a while since I last wrote,” Katsura told Matako as they stood at the genkan with him in front of Sakamoto. He held up a paper bag. “This is a gift for you, Matako-san. It’s one of those new-fangled robot vacuums.”

“Oh, wow,” Matako remarked.

Katsura stepped a little closer to her like he was giving her some topic secret advice, but said in a louder voice with his finger pointed up, “For the little one’s sake, we need to make sure we take care of dust in even the nooks and crannies…”

“It’s really nice, but why are you so loud right now? And anyway, Shinsuke-sama is already…”

“Oi,” came a baritone voice from inside, which got Sakamoto and Katsura to crane their necks around Matako. She led them forward so they could see in the doorway.

Takasugi was sitting on the floor holding a kiseru. “You guys are as loud as ever,” he said with a grin.

______

a/n: Thanks for reading! Please like and reblog!

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kuzann · 1 year

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Crack Perfectworldshipping Alien Hunter AU that takes very loose inspiration from that rumor that XY had an aliens-themed plot and plays it for comedy cause I thought of it last night and have been giggling over it ever since.

Lysandre isn’t the villain, he’s just a super intimidating-looking very eccentric rich guy who really wants to discover the truth about aliens. He’s like a smarter version of Jack Fenton from Danny Phantom, but instead of ghosts it’s aliens. He made most of his money through a bunch of patents from failed alien hunting devices that ended up being super useful for other, more mundane things. Has a deoxys named Brinklehoff as his ace. Actually able to identify alien hoaxes pretty well and thinks stuff like Ancient Aliens is bs. The true villains probably try to frame him as the main villain at some point in the story, but that falls apart pretty quickly because no one believes Lysandre would do such a thing, no matter how scary he looks. Team Flare is basically a bunch of people who are either willing to put up with his goofy antics cause the pay is really good, or they’re alien enthusiasts too. No one knows where the uniform design came from.

Augustine is still Kalos’s Pokemon Professor but is also a Moon Prince sent to Earth to keep an eye on humanity, particularly on that alien hunter guy cause he might discover stuff he shouldn’t. They start dating a week or two after Augustine takes up his assignment cause Augustine found out he has a type and the type is scary-looking himbo with boundless enthusiasm and a heart of gold. Diantha(who is a Moon Princess) teases him endlessly over this and over the fact that Lysandre still hasn’t figured out he’s dating an alien. Brinklehoff knows Augustine is a fellow alien but doesn’t tell Lysandre out of respect, but still wants Augustine to tell him the truth eventually. Augustine feels terrible for keeping the truth from Lysandre but fear of rejection--either due to the lie itself or due to Augustine being an alien--keeps him from telling him. (In the end Lysandre doesn’t care that Augustine is an alien and loves him anyway, and he’s more worried that Augustine didn’t tell him the truth because he was scared of him than he is mad that he was lied to.)

Additional stuff under the cut:

AZ is probably the villain I guess? Maybe he’s trying to target the Moonfolk rather than going after the humans of Earth, and it’s going to cause massive collateral damage that no one wants. Could be a banished Moon King(rival dynasty to Kaguya’s) who has become resentful toward them and wants to get revenge. If Lysandre is still a descendant of AZ’s brother that’s an opportunity for some comedy cause the alien was you all along, Lysandre! AZ would be using either Xerneas or Yveltal to kick off the war between Earth and Moon, and would have to be stopped by the protags. Augustine would have whatever legendary AZ doesn’t have and show up in the finale along with Lysandre to stop him.

The protag friend group is basically in for the most “magical” Pokemon journey ever cause there’s Moon people and fairy tales(current Moonfolk royalty are descendants of Princess Kaguya from the fairy tale) and aliens and all this other fun stuff. Sometimes they’re helping Team Flare uncover an alien hoax(and unmasking whoever was trying to profit off of scaring people or stirring up trouble), sometimes they’re helping Professor Sycamore with Pokemon research(that also accomplishes some sort of Moonfolk goal on the side). Yes the kids find out Sycamore is an alien before Lysandre does.

Lysandre Labs and Lysandre Café have those names not because Lysandre has a big ego but because he’s really, really bad at coming up with clever names. So he slapped his last name on both of them with the promise to himself that he’d come up with something better later but then he forgot.

The traffic cone uniform for Team Flare actually came from Augustine. He wanted fellow undercover Moonfolk to see Team Flare coming from a mile away so he used his connections to Lysandre and some subterfuge to implement the uniform without anyone knowing. Lysandre came to HQ one day to find everyone in the uniforms and was deeply confused about where they came from. He has a reward available for anyone who can figure out how the uniform happened(with solid proof), but figures they were implemented for a reason so hasn’t changed them yet. Dress code isn’t enforced, but a lot of Team Flare’s members just think it’s fun to wear them and ham it up as much as possible while on the job.

Team Flare is actually pretty competent at their job most of the time(though they still can’t figure out that Augustine and Diantha are Moonfolk) and usually get called in when something weird is going on. They also keep tabs on social media and news so they can show up even before the public are aware that something’s up. Their science division is also working on better anomaly detection equipment. They end up proving that Ultra Beasts can appear outside of Alola.

Valerie isn’t an alien at all, she’s just really into cosplay. Team Flare keep having to tell people to shut up about Valerie because she’s not an alien and it’s really rude that they keep accusing her of that just cause they think she’s weird.

Olympia is also not an alien, but she’s a secret ally to the Moonfolk and helps them out on occasion. Also thinks it’s super funny that Lysandre hasn’t figured out that Sycamore is one of the Moonfolk yet.

Brinklehoff is named after the mnemonic for the 7 diatomic elements(BrINClHOF). It chose the name itself because it really liked the way it sounded and it loves hearing people say its name aloud. It also chose its own Poke Ball after it became friends with Lysandre, it picked a Dream Ball because the color was pretty.

The Moonfolk and Earthlings aren’t even separate species, they’re all humans. The Moonfolk just have their innate power awakened from the get-go while humans have to work to awaken theirs. All of humanity are aliens to varying degrees, but also not aliens cause if everyone’s an alien then there are no aliens.

Moonfolk were just regular Earth humans a long time ago(thousands of years ago) who were sent to the moon by Arceus to fulfill some arcane duty that would help protect Earth from outside threats. (Our moon is a protector, after all.) Their greatest protectors are given the title of Guardian Moon. AZ and his faction forsook their duties as protectors and instead made war on Earth because they saw earthlings as beneath them, only to be stopped by a combination of Moon and Earth forces.

#Pokemon #Perfectworldshipping #Professor Sycamore #Lysandre #I want a crack AU where Lysandre is allowed to be a complete goofball

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