#POOR KONATSU :(

[docholligay]

I had almost completely forgotten about Framing Device, incredible. So I guess Bon's heart did soften enough that this guy can work his way into a practically dead art form, but you know what? I suppose if he's happy, that's fine. Though it does annoy me that I assume poor Konatsu is going to get screwed completely, and I can understand that in life sometimes, thems the breaks and still be fucking annoyed by it.

New here? Forgetful? Please read my spoiler policy before commenting!  

#Doc watches Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju #Shounen Ragu Ep 13

[dzhukhe]

fic: Fulfillment

Ranma and Akane have something to tell their parents. The reaction is expected, but the reason for it…? A one-shot left open to the possibility of continuation.

Inspired by discussions in the Ranma ½ Fandom Discord.

[AO3 Link]

Akane looked over at Ranma and nodded. Under the table, their hands met, and she gave a squeeze.

“You’ve got this,” Akane said quietly, but steadily.

When Ranma had spoken to her in private a few months back and explained what had been going on between those bangs and that pigtail, it had been a shock at first.

But more and more, it made sense, as Akane looked back on every moment from the beginning to now.

The apparent sad, lonely girl first met that rainy day one August. The confusion and hurt, the lashing out when things went contrary to initial impressions, the feelings of betrayal from a girl who just wanted a friend like herself.

The insistence on sticking to presentation according to gender assignment at birth, even as options became apparent right from the moment of the so-called curse. Frustrations at how classmates responded, the confusing feelings of meeting Ukyō, Tsubasa, and ultimately Konatsu in a long line that almost felt like an increasing progression towards defiance of the assumption of binary cisgender presentation as the default.

The cask of water from Jusenkyō on the table, right in front of them.

“Ranma, son,” Nodoka said as she entered the Tendō family washitsu from the hallway, having been brought in along with Kasumi as the eldest sister’s contribution to the plan. “Kasumi-san says you and Akane-chan have something to say?”

“Yeah, just wanna make sure everyone’s here, first,” Ranma replied, as the sound of the two fathers came into the traditional Japanese-style central room as Nabiki led them in from out in the dojo.

“Akane-chan, Ranma-kun,” Tendō Soun said, his mustache twitching with pleased surprise as Saotome Genma started to grin.

Of course, to the two of them, it must have looked like this was the answer to their dreams: the only son of the Saotome family sitting so close to the third-born daughter of the Tendō family, shoulder to shoulder.

“Well now, what’s all,” Genma began with a chuckle, before pausing and looking down at the object at the center of the table. “What is… that?”

Ranma gestured towards it with a nod. “Present we ordered from the Jusenkyō Guide. For you.”

The bald old fool shuddered slightly with shock at the completely unexpected presence of what he correctly guessed was, “water from Nannichuan?”

Ranma nodded, just barely forming the word “yep” when Genma had already grabbed the cask, opened it, and poured it over himself.

The absolute dumbass. For all he knew, it could have been a trick.

Well, it kind of was, but the water was genuine.

Standing soaking wet and dripping water onto the tatami, Saotome Genma looked down at himself and wondered, “did it work?”

Nabiki waved towards the koi pond, long since free of koi after how many times it had been treated like a bathing pool. “Why not try it out?”

Of course, she knew it was real, too. And there were simpler ways to test it.

But the teenagers of the two families had all agreed that it would be more appropriate to see Genma throw himself into the pond, instead.

As he surfaced, patted himself down, and started laughing victoriously, it was clear that Genma wasn’t cursed any longer. Running back into the house and slipping on his own wet soles, the man who would hopefully never smell like wet panda ever again stumbled into the table and said with a manic grin, “RANMA! You’ve made me proud today, boy! Thinking about your poor old father before yourself like this!”

Akane’s father agreed in an amazed tone, “a truly generous gift, son.”

“But what about your own curse?” Ranma’s mother asked while trying to avoid getting sprinkled by the water falling off of her husband. Akane knew it wouldn’t be enough to curse her, but it wasn’t like anyone enjoyed getting splashed with cold water out of nowhere. “Surely you obtained some water from the Spring of Drowned Man for yourself?”

“Well, nope,” Ranma replied, and nodded to Akane.

That was the signal. Together, they lifted up the object that sat between them: another cask of water from the same source.

The three parents stared at it in unison, held aloft between Akane’s left hand, and Ranma’s right. Ranma’s mother said, “but if that is not the same water, then what is it?”

“Oh,” Akane replied as Ranma took the cask in both hands, “it’s the same water.”

“Nannichuan?” Akane’s father asked.

All four teenagers (actually, Kasumi was in her twenties by then) nodded in unison.

“I don’t get it,” Genma grunted, wringing out his bandanna.

“Yes,” Soun murmured, “It’s Nannichuan water, but it’s not for Ranma?”

The two old training buddies seemed to think about it for a moment, before Ranma’s old man let out a laugh and slapped Akane’s father on the back, saying, “of course! The boy’s already cured, must have tested it out himself!”

“That seems prudent,” his wife agreed. “How responsible of you, Son.”

Kasumi shook her head.

And Nabiki produced a small bottle of water from under the table, saying, “you want to guess again?” as she tossed its contents at Ranma, causing the transformation into a short, generously curvaceous girl.

Glowering at her from under a suddenly scarlet fringe, Ranma asked her, “didja have to do it that way?”

“No,” Nabiki said, “but it’s funnier this way.”

The adults in the room didn’t seem to agree; Nodoka said, “I don’t see the humor in delaying this; Ranma, go ahead and use the water to cure your curse.”

Ranma and Akane shook their heads, almost but not quite in sync.

“Can’t,” Ranma insisted.

“Why ever not?” Akane’s father asked.

“It ain’t for me,” Ranma said, undoing the lid of the cask.

“Of course it is,” Ranma’s father scoffed. “Who else would it be for? Akane?”

“Yes,” Akane said, and braced himself as Ranma upended the cask onto him, washing away the body that he had been born to and replacing it with what Akane knew would come after repeated experiments with the instant powder version.

Suddenly growing several centimeters of height and shoulder breadth were to be expected, now. It was more familiar, more welcome. The brown hair still took some getting used to.

And with a voice he’d come to love hearing from his own lips, he said, “a while back, I gave Instant Nannichuan a try.”

His father stammered out, “what? Why? When?”

“It’s been nearly a year, hasn’t it?” Kasumi guessed correctly.

“I wanted to understand Ranma better,” Akane said, smiling at the memory.

“Yeah, sure. You made a bet that you could handle it more easily than me,” Ranma laughed.

He looked over at the cute little redhead beside him, and leaned over to brush his cheek against Ranma’s hair. “Yeah, but the reason I made the bet was to understand you better.”

He didn’t need to be looking at her face to know Ranma was blushing as she said, “softie….”

Pulling closer to the girl he’d come to love more and more as they both realized the truth of themselves over the past months, Akane explained to the stunned adults, “I was scared of being judged, so I kept it secret. Wore disguises.”

“Almost a year ago,” his father murmured, while Ranma’s parents seemed stunned into complete silence. Genma looked like his soul had left his body. “Why, that would be about when you two started taking those training trips!”

“Sure, training,” Nabiki laughed.

“It totally was,” Ranma huffed. “Akkun’s a way better martial artist now.”

He gave her a squeeze, and said, “it helps that I had such a great sensei. And that I got the chance to understand why my skin always felt like it fit wrong.”

--------------------------------------------------------

Eleven and a half months ago, Akane stared at the little bucket into which she’d mixed the powder with water from a stream.

“You don’t gotta do this, dummy, bet or no,” Ranma insisted. “I toldja, I’m getting over that crud. I can train you just fine as a girl.”

She shook her head, more to clear way the nerves than to dispute it, but said, “it’s not about you training me. I said I’d do this, and I”m going to do it.”

Ranma frowned at that, and looked away for a moment. “I just don’t wantcha doing something you’ll regret, alright?”

“It’s just this one time,” Akane insisted, giving the water another stir with a stick, making sure the powder was dissolved and mixed.

“Sure,” Ranma said, turning away and adding something Akane couldn’t make out, that started like, “but, yanno….”

Well, if he was going to be like that about it—Akane took the bucket in both hands, and dumped it over herself.

And felt really glad they’d picked a day when the water wouldn’t be freezing cold. It was enough of a shock to, to….

Akane looked down at suddenly larger hands, from eyes that seemed to have lighter borders around her vision, and stood up.

This new body was taller than her real one. Broader, too. All the muscle that had been concentrated in her lower body seemed to redistribute; her gi felt tight around her arms, and the sleeves barely reached past her elbows.

Looking down at Ranma—down?

She was taller than his male form.

A wicked impulse struck her, and Akane tossed the bucket past Ranma while he still looked away, producing a, “huh?”

And from behind him, Akane said in deliberately rough, masculine wording, “you wanna repeat that, short stuff? I can’t hear you from all the way up here.”

The grin that spread across her face came naturally. It felt so good to talk and feel it come out so deep and low without forcing herself to drop her pitch. Ranma jumped back, turning around and staring at her wild-eyed and confused.

“A—Akane?” He asked. When that got a nod, Ranma came closer, looking her over. “Jeez, you’re huge.”

She frowned at that, asking, “are you calling me fat?”

Weirdly, Ranma didn’t look afraid of her temper in that moment, so much as awed as he whispered, “nuh-uh. I mean yeah, you’ve got some healthy mass there, ain’t too skinny or nothing, but, like… holy crap, Akane, you’re kinda jacked.”

She could swear that he was drooling a little as his eyes went to her chest.

She tried pulling the gi tight, turning away. “Perv! Staring at my—”

Wait.

She didn’t have breasts, like this.

Akane turned back to face Ranma, who was now red-faced and looking away. “What’s with you, Ranma? This isn’t anything you haven’t seen before.”

“Not that big,” Ranma mumbled, before somehow turning even redder and waving his hands in a panic as he insisted, “yer biceps! I’m talking about your arms!”

Looking at them again, she supposed it was true. They were more solid and thick than her thighs in her natural form, and flexing one sent a thrill through her. “I guess I am pretty big.”

Ranma nodded with a weird kind of enthusiasm. She wondered what—

Of course.

She looked bigger and stronger now, the jerk must have been excited about the challenge. Well, if that was how it was going to be, she’d give him what he wanted.

Akane settled into a ready stance, and said, “alright, you said we’d spar. Let’s spar, Ranma-chan.”

“Y—yeah,” Ranma murmured, still all flushed and panicked-looking even as he dropped into one of his loose, casual stances.

She considered her options.

She definitely had more reach now, so she’d have to pull back her strikes a bit. Still, if it was just practice, she didn’t have to worry as much about missing, so—

“Here I go!” Akane shouted, lunging forward with a feint that Ranma just barely dodged, moving in line to take the follow-up blow she’d been preparing as the actual strike.

Even so, it whiffed past him, his silk shirt rippling as Akane’s fist went clear.

She stared at it for a beat, as Ranma moved out of range again.

That had been a miss, but, “did I almost hit you?”

“Uh,” Ranma grumbled, “I mean, no?”

She shook her head, pointing with her free hand to the wrist of the one she’d struck with as she held up the arm, hand still in a fist. “I felt the fabric of your shirt on my skin, Ranma.”

Akane couldn’t remember ever coming that close without catching him completely by surprise.

“Whatever,” Ranma scoffed, shifting into a new stance and circling. His eyes kept moving around, taking in every bit of her altered body.

But he wasn’t focusing on what was important, and came close enough that Akane could take a long step forward and into his space to catch him—or not, as Ranma slipped out of the attempted grab.

Okay, she was overshooting a bit, mis-estimating more than she’d expected just how much difference it made to be even that much taller, have arms that much longer.

The pattern continued like that. Akane would try to adjust for the difference in proportions, Ranma would seem distracted or focus on the wrong area, and she’d almost catch him with a grab, a punch, a kick or a knee.

Somehow, it wasn’t as frustrating as every other time they’d sparred, even though he was doing mostly the same thing, dodging her instead of fighting back. As one fist sailed past his head, she let out a laugh.

“You know, I’m getting closer, Ranma-chan,” she teased, trying to get him worked up enough to make a mistake. That was his whole thing in a fight, wasn’t it? Taunt the opponent to get them angry, sloppy. “You might want to think about punching back, if you’re not scared.”

“Ain’t scared,” he grunted, hopping a good three strides away and wiping the sweat off his brow. “Just, yanno, trying to see what ya need to correct and junk, alright?”

She smirked. He was actually getting tired out! Overheated, flushed, nostrils flaring, eyes wide when they weren’t half-lidded, he was….

Actually really attractive, like that.

Akane shook the thought out of her head, and went for another lunging strike—but deliberately dropped lower to bound upwards and into a leaping kick. As Ranma moved out of the way, however, she let herself drop from the jump, and used the momentum to chase after him.

Ranma danced backwards and side-to-side, serpentining in reverse with each strike. It wasn’t totally a pattern, he knew enough to change things up.

But she also wasn’t letting him lead her in a spiral. Whenever Ranma dodged left, she let her longer legs overshoot on purpose to punch so that he was forced to move to the right again. When he bobbed to the right, she threw herself further in the same direction and brought in her legs to kick him back to the left.

It kept going like that, back and forth.

She was having fun! Not that she’d let Ranma see, of course. But this body, being shaped like this, it felt great! She masked that feeling to keep him from expecting anything, instead feigning tiredness, frustration.

The ways her usual body always made her feel, too short and shaped all wrong. Not feminine enough to be a real girl, but too girly to be a boy. She channeled that feeling outwardly, even as a core of joy built up in his chest at being shaped like a guy, being able to not just wish for masculinity but own it.

His fist overshot, flying past Ranma’s head once more, and Akane bared his teeth as he saw Ranma’s lips twitch into a smirk—just before those bared teeth resolved into a grin as Akane hooked his arm in to wrap Ranma up in a bear hug and slam him into the ground.

“GOTCHA!” Akane laughed, pinning Ranma in place.

Underneath him, Ranma stared up in shock, and squeaked, “yeah… you did?”

“Oh, yipes,” Akane said, moving off of him and looking down. “I’m not crushing anything, am I? Sorry, Ranma, this body is just so, so….”

Ranma’s lips moved, but the sound they shaped made no sense.

“What did you say?” Akane asked him, trying to come up with something realistic.

Ranma shrank in on himself a little, looking away just enough that he could still peek back at Akane out of the corner of his eye, and said, “I mean, yanno, if that ain’t a problem? I mean, still you in there, right?”

Akane nodded slowly, feeling dazed. “Yeah, I’m—huh?”

Twiddling his thumbs, Ranma leaned in a little closer, saying, “so, if I think… it’s okay, right? If I think you’re…?”

Sitting up and trying to find a position where he didn’t feel as inexplicably overheated all of a sudden, Akane asked, “if I’m…?”

“Really, uh,” Ranma said, breathing heavily and turning to face Akane, leaning into him and looking into his eyes with determination set in a deep blush, “hot?”

“Hot,” Akane repeated, trying to gulp down his nerves and finding his throat dry, licking his lips. “You think I’m hot? Like this?”

Ranma barely nodded, mumbling, “well, yanno, kinda always, being honest.”

“Really?” Akane asked.

Ranma’s hand was on his hip.

The other one settled on his shoulder, as Ranma asked, “that okay, ‘Kane?”

He nodded.

Yeah.

Yeah, it felt okay. It felt really good.

“You can say it,” he whispered, afraid to say the words himself, confused at how pretty Ranma looked in that moment, the way his sweat-damp hair clung to his brow, face, neck. The way his lips parted wordlessly as Akane reminded him, “it’s just you and me.”

“Just us,” Ranma repeated, and took a breath, looked down and back up, and asked, “Akane… ‘sokay if I kiss you?”

Akane didn’t have the chance to get out more than, “ye—” before Ranma pushed up and pressed their lips together.

He wrapped his arms around Ranma, pulling him close and deeper into the kiss. They’d had hesitant, nervous little kisses before. On the forehead, the cheek, once or twice while in private chancing a fleeting peck on the lips in the past few weeks before this training trip.

But this wasn’t just kissing, it was making out. Akane’s hands moved over Ranma, holding him desperately, needfully, more determined to do this than any moment of the spar, than any instant of overwhelming anger or annoyance.

In fact, he hadn’t felt angry at all throughout the match. He’d gotten worked up as they came closer and closer together, but even now, especially in the moment where Ranma’s tongue hesitantly slipped between his lips, he just felt a pure, deep contentment that kept spiking up into nearly ecstatic joy.

As Ranma’s right hand wrapped around and clutched the back of his head, pushing all of himself closer into Akane, he reached around to mirror the contact by putting his hand at the small of Ranma’s back.

Ranma moaned softly into his lips, and—stopped.

As the gorgeous pigtailed warrior on top of him curled inwards and pressed his face into Akane’s collarbone, the passion seemed to compress down into something that pulsed and shook.

“Ranma, what’s wrong?” Akane murmured into his hair. Could it be—“is it because I’m a man?”

He meant to say, in male form. In guy mode. Boy type.

But it came out, ‘I’m a man’.

Ranma shook his head.

“Nuh-uh,” he insisted. “That’s fine. It’s you, it’s—it’s not just you, I ain’t never admitted to anyone cause most guys are creeps, but… if we’re doing this, I gotta be honest, right?”

His voice came out so small, so scared.

Akane sat up, trying to look into his eyes. “Ranma, hey, no… I don’t think you’re lying to me about anything. I know I’ve been—there were times when I thought—look, you don’t have to….”

The words wouldn’t come out right.

Ranma shook his head, and planted a fingertip on Akane’s lip, backing up and taking a deep breath as he stood. Centering himself in a rooted stance.

“Akane, I shoulda told you this as soon as I figured it out,” he whispered, looking up with those big bright eyes full of tears and pain that Akane couldn’t understand. “But whatever you are, whatever we are, I’m still gonna feel the same about you after I tell you. I’ll still feel the same, even if you don’t. And if you want me ta go away after this, I’ll get it, but….”

He didn’t understand. Akane rose to his knees, looking up at Ranma.

Why was he so beautiful, even when sad? A boy shouldn’t be beautiful in this way, it was different for boys. He knew what a beautiful boy looked like, right?

“After what, Ranma?”

Ranma’s breathing was heavy, shaky, wild. Almost manic, as he looked back towards the stream and said, “after I show you… who I really wanna be.”

Before Akane could make sense of that, Ranma moved almost faster than Akane had seen him move even in a life-or-death fight and ducked into the water, curling up so that he disappeared beneath its shallow surface.

Running forward to the edge and reaching in to pull him out, Akane called Ranma’s name desperately, “Ranma, Ranma what’s going on, what’s wrong? Talk to me!”

A strong, small hand reached up and caught him by the wrist, and Ranma came up and out of the water with a pained smile, saying, “okay, Akane. I’ll talk to you.”

Atashi.

Ranma used atashi as a personal pronoun.

Not his usual ‘ore’. Not in a cutesy, fake way.

It sounded wounded and desperate and real.

“Ranma?” Akane gasped as the person below him in the water rose up and took him by the hands.

“This is me,” Ranma said, repeating the same pronoun. “I realized it—well, I dunno exactly when. Over time, again and again, backtracking and convincing myself for one stupid reason or another it wasn’t true. But, I’m so stupid, and I know this ain’t right, but when I saw you looking like that, when you touched me like that, I had to—I couldn’t….”

“Ranma,” Akane said softly, reaching out to touch a cheek over which dripping crimson hair hung.

“I’m a girl, Akane. I think I was way before Jusenkyō, and I’ll get it if that’s a problem, but when you started using ore and ending your sentences with ze and talking all macho and hot, I just, just,” Ranma said, starting to sniff and curl in on herself, “you made it sound so natural, so easy. That’s what I was trying to warn you about before, that it sucks being a guy, but… look at you.”

Akane looked down at himself.

Himself.

When did he start thinking that way? It wasn’t just the curse talking, right? This was temporary, it would stop when he took a hot bath, it would—

‘Why can’t I play with the boys, Mama?’

‘I don’t want to sleep over with the girls, they’re gross!’

‘Mama, Mama, come back, you still gotta start me over….’

Tears were falling down his cheeks, dripping from his chin.

“I’d forgotten,” he gasped, staring at his hands. His hands. “I forgot how much I wanted this—everyone told me I had to be a girl, had to be strong when my mother was—that I had to be what they said.”

Maybe it was just his mind making things up, excuses for the temporary curse making him enjoy this.

But it felt real.

And Ranma….

He looked up at her, seeing those eyes that were somehow simultaneously dark and bright, like a sunlit winter’s day when everything was cool and the sun felt so far away even if there were no clouds in the sky.

“Akane?” She asked, biting her lip as she leaned in closer, coming out of the water, “is it weird that I really wanna kiss you again?”

Akane didn’t give an answer out loud.

He was too busy pulling Ranma close enough to match the pace of their breathing.

--------------------------------------------------------

Of course, he didn’t tell his father all of that.

What Akane did say was, “Ranma and I spent a lot of time talking about this, trying things out in secret, trying being ourselves. And the more I got to be a boy, the more I realized just how much I hated being a girl. Because I saw how happy it made Ranma, and she saw how happy being a man made me. Do you remember when I chased after him back during winter break, after that fight?”

They would, obviously. He had made sure it was big, that it was public.

“We faked that,” Ranma said, clutching his hand above the table this time. “‘Kane and me, we planned it out, made some reservations out of town at a couple little hotels. Separate rooms, different buildings, stashes of clothes we ain’t never worn before. And we spent that week being….”

“Us,” Akane said. “The way we wanted. A man and a woman, not the girl and the boy everyone thought we were. It was so… freeing. I felt light, comfortable.”

Kasumi cleared her throat and nodded at that, catching his eyes with a look full of familial love. “When Akane came back and I saw what made my little brother truly happy, I didn’t understand why. But I could see in his whole being that something had taken place which filled him with a joy and a contentment that I had never seen in him.”

“You must have noticed they’ve been getting into less fights over the past year,” Nabiki added, piling on the evidence. “Not just with each other, but in general? I don’t know if you’ve realized, but I can see it: Akane’s been bottling things up less and going with the flow, Ranma-chan’s been happier and more easy-going.”

Kasumi looked over at her, and said, “to be honest, I have envied both of them that happiness.”

“Yeah,” Nabiki said in a tone that clearly communicated, me too as she looked over at him, before turning back to face their parents. “So, that’s it. I might be a miserable, selfish bitch, Daddy, but I’m putting my foot down and siding with my baby brother and the woman he loves.”

Tendō Soun’s eyes were unfocused, gazing into empty space as his jaw hung slack. The sound that came out of it was, “but, Akane cannot be… Ranma must....”

Ranma slammed her hands down on the table, yowling, “aw, come on! Ain’t we just been showing ya that we’re head over heels for each other? What’s it to you if I’m a chick and Akane’s a stud? We keep at it like this and the two of us’ll be fulfilling yer stupid marriage contract before Tsukimi!”

“Ranma,” her mother said in a tone full of dread, “you cannot be—”

Akane rose up at that. He was sick of this from the parents of the woman he loved. “She can! You’re so obsessed with having a manly son who’s strong, confident, honest? Ranma’s all those things, except as a woman! She’s the bravest, strongest, biggest tomboy in the world! What’s more ‘manly’, lying about who she is or being the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with?”

“Akane,” Ranma gushed, gazing up at him.

Then, she turned to look as her father stood up from the table and walked over to the genkan, staring out into the distance.

“It’s over, then,” he grunted. “All of our efforts, and it’s come to this.”

Akane’s sisters took his side in more than just words, moving over to stand next to him and Ranma as Kasumi said, “Auntie, Uncle, Father, I cannot understand—no, I cannot forgive this! Little brother and Ranma love each other and are happy. Isn’t that what a parent should wish for above all else?”

“You don’t understand,” Nodoka said, rising to her feet as well, tears in her eyes. “How could you children understand?”

Akane looked down at his father, who was shaking his head, murmuring, “after all that we did, it was all pointless.”

He was about to reach down and yank the whiskered old fool upright to scream some sense into him, when Nabiki squeezed Akane by the shoulder.

“Hold on,” she said, moving halfway around the table to stare at the three parents. “Something isn’t adding up, and if there’s anything I hate, it’s bad math. Why was it so important that Ranma be a boy? What if she’d been born a girl like she wanted?”

Weirdly, it looked like it was getting darker outside than made sense for this early in the morning, as Saotome Genma turned back to face them with a defeated look on his face, almost a goofy ‘what can you do’ grin as he said, “well, then the prophecy would have been fulfilled. So much for defying fate, eh, No-chan? Tendō, old boy?”

“Prophecy?” Akane blurted out, in an accidental chorus with Nabiki, Kasumi, and Ranma.

The darkness out in the yard suddenly changed to a strange greenish light, as a void rang out as if spoken from across all of Tōkyo.

The darkness out in the yard suddenly changed to a strange greenish light, as a void rang out as if spoken from across all of Tōkyo.

“PEOPLE OF THE NATION OF JAPAN ON THE PLANET EARTH,” the voice intoned with an echo that kind of sounded to Akane’s ears like it was in many other languages, “SURRENDER THE WOMAN KNOWN AS SAOTOME RANMA, DAUGHTER OF SAOTOME NODOKA IMMEDIATELY.”

#ranma 1/2 #my writing #fanfiction

[runicmagitek]

Do you have any Natsuno/Keitaro's children head canon?

I most certainly do!! 😍 I've rambled about my thoughts on their kids on Twitter, but I'll share them here, as well. Thanks so much for the ask, anon!

I feel they would be one of the last couples to have kids. It's not exactly something Natsuno wants or ever cared for. That plus the nature of what they're "expected" to do post-canon, she has even more complicated feelings about it (lots of lack of agency and too much pressure when all she wanted was to make some alien friends and live a cool sci-fi life). Keitaro, on the other hand, was ready to have kids with her like two seconds after meeting her, but he's also a respectful polite boy, so he'd never ever pressure her about it. Whatever Natsuno wants is what she gets, in his mind.

They'd have lots of chats about having kids, mostly Keitaro double-checking with her. Natsuno has a few "I don't know if I can actually do this" moments; she worries she'll be a terrible mom and not be able to deal with it or whatnot. Keitaro, like always, is super patient and keeps reassuring her he's there to help and if she changes her mind? That's ok too. But also Natsuno keeps seeing him interact with the other kids and sees how amazing he is with them and is just like, "damn, he'd be a really good dad... if we had kids, they'd love him.... crap, I really want his kids now."

Anyhow, they wouldn't have kids until after they're married (honestly, she probably gets pregnant on their wedding night). They have two kids: a girl and a boy.

The oldest is Keiko. She has long brown hair and silver eyes. She's quiet and shy, hiding behind her parents a lot when others are present. She likes to hang out with her dad while he does his own quiet work. Her favorite thing is painting and drawing; she loves to show them to her parents and they love to plaster the fridge with her art. Of the other compatibles, Keiko likes Ryoko the most. Konatsu thinks Keiko is super cool and drags her around everywhere and Keiko is just glad to have an extrovert friend to cling to when social situations are super scary.

The youngest is Naoki (I imagine there's roughly a three-year gap between them). He's a spitting image of his mother. He gets excited about everything and anything and always wants to play outside. He loves bugs and animals and is always finding something he wants to bring home as a pet. Keitaro and Natsuno build him a treehouse at some point and he legit wants to live in it forever. He's perpetually the kid who is asking a million questions and always getting in trouble, whether he tries to or not. He loves it when his mom goes on nature explorations with the other kiddos and tries to show off a bit with all the neat things he can do (help this poor child, he has so many bruised joints). Of the other compatibles, he loves to hang out with Tamao and Megumi, because they cook up the best treats.

Keiko and Naoki get along relatively well, though Keiko is perpetually worried about her little brother running off all the time. Naoki also gets frustrated about Keiko worrying about seemingly nothing or just the fact she's an introvert and doesn't want to run around and play with him all the time. They bicker as siblings do, though they do care for each other. Naoki loves all the cool art she makes and is always asking her to draw up the random stories he comes up with. Keiko loves hearing about his bug facts and nature journeys. I like to think as they get older, they hang out in his treehouse whenever one of them is having a bad day and just vent and support each other.

Both Keitaro and Natsuno are extremely supportive in their own ways for their children. Keitaro is the more grounded of the two, having more patience than Natsuno when their kids are being... well, kids. He probably shoulders more parenting than necessary just so Natsuno doesn't have to stress about it. Natsuno wants her kids to enjoy life and pursue whatever they love, but also worries constantly, especially when Naoki starts taking after her and doesn't show up for dinner. She has bouts of "oh no I'm the worst mom ever" and "they must hate me for being so strict why am I like this", but Keitaro always reassures her and it always works out in the end.

And they love their parents a ton! Natsuno is actually a super cool mom, hosting weekly movie nights and telling the best bedtime stories. She wants to know everything about whatever they're interested in at the moment so she can supply them with everything they need to pursue said interest. Keitaro just rolls with the punches; he's firm, yet extremely compassionate. They don't have dad wrapped around their fingers like Natsuno does with him, but he does whatever he can so they can have the life he never had growing up.

I'm sure I have more thoughts, but this is what I got for the time being. Hope you enjoyed them and thanks again for the ask! 🥰

#keitaro miura #natsuno minami #keinatsu #13 sentinels: aegis rim #13 sentinels spoilers #runic rambles #i never give a crap about kid hcs but holy shit this game and pairing have made me bonkers #i care them very much #otp: i always worry about you

[sugar-stories]

Strange Bedfellows Chapter 5 Preview: the one where Konatsu takes out the garbage in the only way she knows how🔥 🗑️ 🔥

“Thank you, come again!”

The last of the lunch crowd filed out of Ucchan’s Okonomiyaki. Konatsu waved goodbye with a smile on her face, ever the cheerful and adorable mascot of the finest casual dining establishment in northwestern Tokyo. There had never been a more perfect day to be a waitress, she thought. The sun was gleaming like a topaz in the clear winter sky, the grill was firing at exactly 176.6 degrees Celsius, and Konatsu’s makeup was—if she did say so herself—perfect.

But something wasn’t right. Konatsu could feel it. There was an evil presence lurking nearby that threatened to ruin everything she’d worked for.

Fortunately, Konatsu had trained all her life for this moment.

“Goodness, is it time to dispose of the garbage already?!” she said to no one in particular.

She threw a lit match into the trash can and closed the lid, then clapped her hands together in prayer.

“Rest in peace, filth,” she said.

The trash can got very, very angry.

“What the hell’s wrong with you, you crazy broad?!” it said, seething and spouting smoke. It sprouted feet and began running around in a circle, desperate to stop itself from burning. “Hot, hot, hot!”

It plunged itself into the sink, and the fire sizzled out and vanished like a bad dream. A ponytailed head of hair wrapped up in a silken ribbon emerged from under the faucet, spitting out a mouthful of water.

“Eek, a cockroach!” Konatsu said. She reached for a fly swatter. “Don’t worry. I’ll grant you a quick and painless death, little one,” she said, preparing to strike a fatal blow.

The inhabitant of the sink grabbed hold of her wrist before she could properly smash it.

“You know damn well I’m not a bug!” it protested.

Konatsu looked down, perfectly feigning shock.

“Why, Tsubasa, dear! Is that you? What a surprise! Why didn’t you tell me you were planning to visit?” she said.

Tsubasa Kurenai lifted himself over the edge of the counter, the guise of the trash can discarded. He jumped out of the sink in a white tank top and shorts. His long, silken hair bounced along perkily behind him in a way that secretly made Konatsu seethe with jealousy.

…She’d find out what products he used someday, she vowed.

“Very funny,” Tsubasa said. He stuck out his bottom lip and leaned forward, fixing Konatsu with an accusing glare. “You’re a menace to society, you know that? You’re lucky my dearest Ukyo has such a kind heart, taking in gutter trash like you!”

“Oh, dear, I think you must be unwell,” Konatsu said, laying her palm across Tsubasa’s forehead. “You’re the one who was dressed up like garbage a minute ago, darling. Shall I call you an ambulance?” she said.

Tsubasa smacked her hand away. “Don’t get all cutesy with me! Where are you hiding her?!” he asked.

Konatsu leaned her elbow lazily upon the counter, plopping her chin into her hand and tilting her head to the side. “I’m not hiding anything. If you’re looking for Mistress Ukyo, I’m afraid you’ve missed her. She’s at her part-time job right now.”

Tsubasa took a mighty step back and gasped. “Part-time job?! Oh, my poor, dear Ukyo!” he said, lacing his fingers together and crying out to the heavens. “Has she really fallen on such hard times? Don’t worry, Ukyo—your knight in shining armor is here to save you!”

Konatsu couldn’t take it anymore. She slapped Tsubasa across the face with a spatula.

“How dare you doubt Mistress Ukyo’s business sense like that! I’ll have you know she’s doing perfectly well for herself—she’s only working at the Pantyhose Taro Dojo out of the goodness of her heart—for the sake of her dearest friends!” Konatsu said.

“Phantyhoshe Tharro Dhojo?” Tsubasa asked, his tongue protruding from his swollen jaw.

Realizing her mistake, Konatsu drew back and splayed her delicate fingers across her mouth. “Oh, dear, but I’ve said too much,” she said.

The phone rang.

“Coming!” Konatsu said, all but singing as she dove for the receiver.

“Ucchan’s Okonomiyaki. Konatsu speaking. How may I help you?…Oh…? Yes…yes, I understand. I’ll let her know right away…mhm….yes. All right…of course. Bye, then!”

Konatsu hung up. Her cheerful expression dissolved into utter seriousness.

“So,” she said to herself. “The day has finally come.”

“What are you on about…?” Tsubasa asked.

Konatsu shoved a spatula into her nemesis’s hands.

“No time to explain! Watch the restaurant for me!” she said.

“No time to explain! Watch the restaurant for me!” she said. She burst out of her waitress garb to reveal the ninja armor underneath and took off running into the shopping district, leaving Tsubasa to tend to the grill in his underwear.

#my fics #ranma 1/2 #ranma ½ #strange bedfellows #konatsu #tsubasa kurenai #i mean obviously they would have a fierce and hilarious rivalry right

[07-ghost-children]

Chapter 4: Aspiration | Page 114

#07 Ghost #07 Ghost Children #Konatsu Warren #my scans #my edits #my translation #Begleiter #poor child :( #I like the pun though XD

[latinozevran-archive]

i rly do need everyone to understand tho like the pinky swear scene? extended and made more serious. the callback to it when kikuhiko is alone at night and reaches out to hold onto his finger bc he misses his boy best friend? added. miyokichi telling kikuhiko on a date that shes jealous of him and sukeroku and he replies Thanks. ? completely new content. blowing off his date with miyokichi to let sukeroku sleep in his lap? sure doesnt happen in the manga! miyokichi finding them there and throwing a fit dragging sukeroku off his lap saying my turn now hehe? only found in sgrs 2016 my beloved. sequence of practicing a rakugo story about liking women -> leaving yosei saying i have another performance to get to -> running into miyo on his way -> going home to sukeroku after his performance? all added! playing a married rakugo couple in their performance for konatsu? anime onlyyyy. like the things that anime did to kumotas poor little ambiguously gay manga characters.................... while all being completely faithful to the story and adapting most panels word for word

#o #shouwa genroku rakugo shinjuu #there were just um. some extra bits they did throw in there .

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a S (Part 3)!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Shinsekai yori (From the New World):

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Sci-fi, SUpernatural

Synopsis:  In the town of Kamisu 66, 12-year-old Saki Watanabe has just awakened to her psychic powers and is relieved to rejoin her friends—the mischievous Satoru Asahina, the shy Mamoru Itou, the cheerful Maria Akizuki, and Shun Aonuma, a mysterious boy whom Saki admires—at Sage Academy, a special school for psychics. However, unease looms as Saki begins to question the fate of those unable to awaken to their powers, and the children begin to get involved with secretive matters such as the rumored Tainted Cats said to abduct children. Shinsekai yori tells the unique coming-of-age story of Saki and her friends as they journey to grow into their roles in the supposed utopia. Accepting these roles, however, might not come easy when faced with the dark and shocking truths of society, and the impending havoc born from the new world. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2013 with a total of 25 episodes. 

MY Thoughts: What a wild concept and execution. I feel like some bits were executed a bit poor but overall it’s an interesting anime worth at least a single watch in my opinion. 

Shisha no Teikoku (The Empire of Corpses):

Genres: Film, Sci-fi, Historical, Psychological

Synopsis:  By the 19th century, humanity has cultivated technology enabling the reanimation of corpses. Unable to experience individual thoughts or emotions, the corpses are programmed by humans to act as laborers in various occupations. This newfound technology, however, comes with a catch. Science may be able to restore the corpses' ability to move, yet it cannot return what every corpse loses at death: the soul. But Doctor Victor Frankenstein, who vanished shortly after his revolutionary work on corpse reanimation, is said to have revived the only corpse in possession of a soul. In pursuit of this scientific knowledge, London medical student John Watson hopes to fulfill his promise to his late partner, Friday. After being scouted by a government agency, Watson is on a hunt to obtain Frankenstein's notes, which he believes hold the key to the secrets of the soul. During his search, Watson uncovers the harsh realities of the developing corpse technology and the price he must pay to advance his research. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 5/10

A film released in 2015.

My Thoughts: Very clear Frankenstein influence. Pretty bleh. Nothing great. Not worth a watch. 

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu:

Genres: Drama, Historical, Josei

Synopsis: Yotarou is a former yakuza member fresh out of prison and fixated on just one thing: rather than return to a life of crime, the young man aspires to take to the stage of Rakugo, a traditional Japanese form of comedic storytelling. Inspired during his incarceration by the performance of distinguished practitioner Yakumo Yuurakutei, he sets his mind on meeting the man who changed his life. After hearing Yotarou's desperate appeal for his mentorship, Yakumo is left with no choice but to accept his very first apprentice. As he eagerly begins his training, Yotarou meets Konatsu, an abrasive young woman who has been under Yakumo's care ever since her beloved father Sukeroku Yuurakutei, another prolific Rakugo performer, passed away. Through her hidden passion, Yotarou is drawn to Sukeroku's unique style of Rakugo despite learning under contrasting techniques. Upon seeing this, old memories and feelings return to Yakumo who reminisces about a much earlier time when he made a promise with his greatest rival. Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu is a story set in both the past and present, depicting the art of Rakugo, the relationships it creates, and the lives and hearts of those dedicated to keeping the unique form of storytelling alive. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 10/10

Finished airing in 2016 with a total of 13 episodes. 

My Thoughts: A masterpiece, one of my favourite animes to date and it even has a sequel! Great artwork, music, story and characters. A very interesting experience. That being said... it may not be an anime for everyone but if it interests you I highly recommend this particular title! 

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen:

Genres: Drama, Historical, Josei

Synopsis:  Even after having risen to the utmost rank of shun'ichi, Yotaro struggles to find his own identity in the world of rakugo. Caught between his master's teachings and the late Sukeroku's unique style, his performance lacks an important ingredient—ego. And while his popularity packs the theaters, he is but one of the few; rakugo is under threat of being eclipsed. Meanwhile Yakumo, regarded by many as the last bastion of preserving the popularity of rakugo, struggles to cope with his elderly state. Even though his performances are still stellar, he fears that he is nearing his limits. His doubts grow stronger as an old friend creeps ever closer. Konatsu, for her part, attempts to raise her son as a single mother, which Yotaro is heavily opposed to. Instead, he seeks to persuade her to marry him and in turn raise her son as his own. In Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen, the curtains fall on Yotaro and Yakumo's story, tasked with restoring the near-obsolete art form as well as overcoming their internal conflicts. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 10/10

Finished airing in 2017 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Just as good, if not better than the first season. A perfect ending to a perfect story. 

Skip Beat!:

Genres: Comedy. Romance, Drama, Shoujo

Synopsis:  Bright, diligent, and yet naïve 16-year-old Kyouko Mogami works hard to support the career and dreams of her childhood friend, crush, and rising pop icon, Shoutarou Fuwa. Toiling endlessly at burger joints and tea ceremonies, the innocent Kyouko remains unaware that day in day out, all her tireless efforts have been taken for granted, until, one day, she finds out that her beloved Shou sees her as nothing but a free servant. Shocked, heartbroken and enraged, she vows to take revenge on the rookie star by entering the ruthless world of entertainment herself. As she steps into this new life, Kyouko will face new challenges as well as people who will push her out of her comfort zone. Based on the best-selling shoujo manga by Yoshiki Nakamura, Skip Beat showcases the growth of a young woman who slowly unlearns how to work herself to the bone for the satisfaction of others and takes her future into her own hands instead. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2009 with a total of 25 episodes. 

My Thoughts: I do not love the artwork... but that can be easily overlooked. Honestly I can’t remember all that much about this particular anime. I do know that it has a manga which is much further along than the anime.... so maybe you should check that out first if you’re interested and watch the anime as extra after?

#shinsekai yori #from the new world #anime #past anime #the empire of corpses #shisha no teikoku #films #shouwa genroku rakugo shinjuu

[bionicdragonguardian1]

Ranma 2/4

Part 3; Final: chapter 26-38

After this it’s on to good and proper timeline deliberation

These two are honest-to-God morons and I want to punch them in the face

*sigh* Ranma…

Y’know I almost had hope that this differed in the manga

Guess not

I DO NOT approve of alienation

However, getting emotional character development out of Ranma is like pulling teeth

So alienate away

Emotional Oof

THANK YOU!

*chuckles* Ryoga, you’re great

BREATHE

He’s dying don’t kill him early

FINALLY!

Ooo

didn’t see that coming

*tightly* I’m fine

okay, Ranma, you know what to do

*heaves giant ass sigh* RANMA!

*screams*

Look I know no chill, kay, shut up

RIP my shipping heart

*sighs* FUCK!

Not gonna lie, I’m Ranma

Careful, Akane might kill you

And with the way Hinako’s acting she deserves it

I’m actually with Nabiki on this one

I love how Ranma is rolling with this

Ooo that’s gonna sting

Those 3 are terrifying, honestly

Hinako, your timing is awful

STOP USING RANMA AS YOUR LANDING PAD SHAMPOO!

Ranma blubbering hurts WAY more than I thought it would

Ranma, you’re digging your own grave here

Someone call me when he learns his lesson FINALLY

*cringes* Yikes, tbh I can’t tell if she’s playing him

Ranma you shit

WHY

Why is it always Kuno?!

Oof this gonna hurt w Kuno’s understanding of Ranma’s curse

Expect all Ranma and Kuno- especially Ranko- interactions to hurt really bad

Ukyo, you’re an idiot

You too Ryoga

Honestly

Alright, that’s funny

Ukyo, you’re lucky they’re dumb

Oh God, you two are SO wrong, but I love it

Aaand what does that say about you two Akane?

Ooo I could make this really mean

It’s SO tempting

Well, that went nowhere

Poor Ranma

So many trans vibes, honestly

*screams* HOW? Who? WHY?!

Wha-wha-what?!?!

Ouch, that’s gonna sting SO bad

heheh

Ouch, that hurt surprisingly more than I thought it would

Further proof that Genma SUCKS

Just this once, gimme soft

PLEASE

Close enough…

Okay, this fight was AWESOME!!

*sigh* Why am I even surprised by Genma’s reasoning anymore?

If Ranma cries, Imma cry

Excuse me while I go scream

I literally don’t even know what to do with this

Chuck it in the fuck it bucket and move on, I guess

okay, the end was funny though

Soun, is that bird didn’t look out of it’s gourd I’d believe you

*Chucks whole birdhouse* “fair”

A+ pic of Ranma

In his defense, he can argue something else, they just won’t listen cuz Shampoo won’t go with the truth

Alright, so Shampoo is smart, but with Ranma she’s an idiot

Wouldn’t the smart idea be to send Ranma AND Akane in with all 4 objects at the start?

Ok, Shampoo Sleep-Fighting is funny

Ranma is so underwhelmed that he’s just not even caring anymore

How Kasumi the scariest one to be possessed

Alright, anything with Nabiki on the cover worries me

Holy Shit he played Nabiki

I’d be impressed if I wasn’t annoyed to hell

Let’s all be glad right now that Genma never mastered this

Where do you think he would’ve sent it?

My inclination’s the Tendos

If nothing else I’m impressed by Nabiki

Now play this man like a kazoo PLEASE

When Ranma lectures you on how you’re acting like kids, you done fucked up

I’m with Ranma

Are you sure Akane?

Cuz I’m not

Heheheheh

Thems the breaks Ranma

You deserve it

Holy Shit Ryoga, nice

Now, I understand that Pigs are your life, but you might be dead

And honestly, I don’t blame him

Okay, that one’s gonna hurt

No matter how you slice it

Morality, Ranma, I know you have it

I hate this

Ok, that was uncalled for

Ranma he’s gonna kill you

Also WTF are you thinking?!?

Oof

Wait… what?

I’m officially concerned

Ok, I actually kinda like this interlude

Akane… seriously, trust is a thing you need to learn

One would think she’d learn…

Okay, that is actually creepy

I would too Ranma, I would too

Jesus fucking Christ, you suck Happosai

LetRanmaMeetHisMomCOVID19!

Gemma you shit

Happosai, go fuck yourself

Nevermind, don’t let him meet her, this is ridiculous

“Where’s the fridge?” “Akane wanted it”

I shouldn’t’ve laughed as hard as I did

*sigh* I just want Ranma to have ONE normal parental figure in his life, is that too much to ask?!

I already hate this idea

He comes back Imma scream

Since when?

On what planet does penpal = boyfriend/girlfriend?

Ryoga, PICK ONE!

I’m getting annoyed with you Ryoga, which sucks cuz you’re one of my faves

Ryoga, how are you this gullible?

You deserved that Ranma

I would wish the fate of being Kuno’s wife on no one

Ever

Congrats Ukyo you’ve actually made me freak out

I don’t appreciate it

At all

*shudders*

Oh this is SO weird

Of y’all keep making comments like this WHY do you keep trying?!

Nevermind it’s Hiroshi and Daisuke, they’re in the know

I’m going to say it again

AKANE LEARNS TO SWIM LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!

This is why you don’t buy cheap food people

I can’t lie, I’ve been waiting for Akane to get possessed

That moment when the ghost is honestly being a bit too sensitive

Actually, he didn’t, so shut up

I could make the Hawaiian thing so Explicit

But I won’t, cuz y’know consequences and stuff

I’m not going to ask how Ashura drowned at Josenkyo

Taro, quit being a dick, you turn into a Minatour-like thing

God he’s dumb

When Crazy and Crazy wanna duke it out, Ranma’s got the right idea

Excuse me, what?!

Ooo, now you’ve made Akane mad, run

Wtf is wrong with you, Kodachi, he’s literally unconscious!

I think that was almost character development?

I can’t tell

Ranma should not look that good in a suit

Whoa, she actually like… said it

Damn

Everyone’s got 4 sec to start treating Ranma like a person

Oof, right in his pride

Akane, I need you to stop being cute for 3 sec so I can focus

Yeah, I ain’t making it dormant

Ranma, I can’t tell if this is sexism or jealousy, either way it looks ugly on you

“At least he’s scaring the cats” harsh Kasumi

Okay, so I’m 90% sure it’s just jealousy, which better but still ugh

Ranma, you can be kickass when Akane is too

Ya goddamn moron

I’m going to beat that into him

There will probs be some angst about that

Not gonna lie

Look I’m good at it

Sorry

Ranma, if you want to get MURDERED that’s the way to do it

Smooth one, idiot

Called out

You better do this right or I swear, I’ll kill you myself, Ranma

I believe that is a fail

Of epic proportions, congrats

You NEED to learn to keep your mouth shut Soun

Awww

But he’s not lying!

Ranma, just run, she’s actually pissed this time

FUCKING RUN!

Alright, Akane, NO

You’re playing into the patriarchy

Oh, right… 80’s...

I’m changing that!!

Oh My God PLEASE tell me Ranma gets deaged!! Please!

Ranma’s got more patience for assholes than I do

Jesus

Hah

He deserved that

Part of me wants to see Kasumi actually get pissed off

YES!!

I LOVE degaging plots!

Ranma, I want you to math that one out, just a little

YES!

I am LIVING for this!

There is so much wrong with that sentence Kodachi

Ok, that was a little too cruel Akane

Someone either get Mousse recognized as Legally Blind

Or someone get him glasses that work!

Either one, but PLEASE

I just got a “draw me like one of your french girls” joke from a horse

Even though the widespread joke is LITERALLY at least 30 years later than this image

OOF

Ice Cold

We’re running out of chapters for her to find out

She better have a canon way of doing it otherwise I’m gonna be really mean with it…

Bean… Gun… Plant…

Eh Seen weirder

Aww Valentine’s Day chapter!

Yes!

Poor Ranma

These two are blind to each other

Heheh

Aww

I love these dorks

Heheh oops, busted

I still just find the principal an honest annoyance

Wait… when did Ranma start wearing a school uniform?

Congrats Miss Hinako!

I just now realized that I’m going to have write someone who is ok with having a female chest

Gag me with a spoon

Bleh

I’m bad at that

I really do want to give Ranma clothes that do actually fit his female form

Ranma needs to look at the terms and conditions of good curse

Cuz this is getting creative

Uh oh

Ranma you have a brain, please use it

Hehe, she’s doing her body laundry

Oh shit

THANK YOU SOUN!

Fucking Happosai

Why are you the actual worst!

Oh shit

Goddammit Nodoka

That one was ALL on you

I expected this from Nabiki, but wtf Nodoka?!

Happosai you twisted fuck

Heheheh alright that’s funny

If nothing else Shampoo is sneaky

WHY is that the only way to undo it?!

Poor Akane she is so lost

Aw, poor Ryoga

Definitely not, Akane, but thank you for posing that question

Thank you for calling him out on his ego

This would be hilarious to see this before anyone had any bit of a clue about Ranma’s two forms

Also, Ranma, you need to keep her safe from the Kunos 

 *sigh* Akane, you’re wrong 

 Ooo, not good 

 And that is what no self control looks like folks 

 What is with that ending? 

 And this is what manipulation look like folks 

Also, y’know, robbing someone blind 

 I’m assuming this is Konatsu and I love them already 

 I’m using they/them cuz I’m unsure of what pronouns to use 

 Y’know I thought the Cinderella thing was a joke, turns out I was wrong 

 I do not understand Konatsu’s thought process w Ukyo at all 

 Also, can you not knock them out? 

 I am forgetting the name of that one Hero from Supergirl but if my understanding Konatsu is correct I’m DEFINITELY going to do that

Yeah, that’s NOT how that’s gonna go over 

 Okay, can we all agree that the trick Kuno used on Ranma is HORRIBLE, right? 

 Wholeass mood for Ranma 

 Like you two need to shut up 

 I just want Ranma to wear a sun shirt and trunks to the beach ONCE 

Ryoga… how are you so lost that you came up through the ground? 

Ranma, how are you both a dick and a good friend at the same time? 

 Just tell me How on Earth did Akari justify the hot water for Ryoga with revealing that he’s Pchan 

 I’d like to think that’d be something they wouldn’t skip over 

 No questions, just punches a grave 

 Why does that grave hit back? 

 Honestly Nodoka almost finding is stressing me out 

 I could be SO angsty with the Neko-ken Fear thing 

 Someone tell me not to I’m that much of an asshole 

So glad that she’s apparently gonna learn bc I would’ve been SO mean 

God, Genma you actually suck 

 Oh, thank God she’s not too smart 

 The fact that he’s 300% ready to die is actually depressing 

 That was actually quite touching

If we ignore the way Ranma phrasing that is just plain wrong

Uhm… what?

 C-can she do that?

I hope not

God, you two are so dumb!

Is her definition of “manly” emotionless?!

Bitch, have a heart!

Oh God make them ALL leave! ALL OF THEM!

You feel? You said “you’re leaving”

 Ranma, the fact that you didn’t put that together I can’t help you Like my dad says “I can’t fix stupid”

The fact that he feels the need to run screaming from his own house…

Nabiki, WHY

I’m convinced at this point that there is something Nabiki HATES about Ranma and that’s why she’s making his life a living hell

Cuz you do realize at least ⅓ of his problems are because she told someone something that was private

I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a backhanded comment

Either way, RUDE

I can’t tell, is that Konatsu or is that Tsubasa?

Must go back and check cuz Akane’s comment about “trasvestite and a homosexual” confused me since Ranma mentioned being “the first male kunoichi”But then who HAS TO BE Tsubasa says they’re a straight guy

*sigh*

 Yep, nope, that’s Konatsu

My understanding was that Konatsu was like actually trans in canon

Apparently I mixed that up

I’m making it canon

 MtF Konatsu

 Bisexual Konatsu

One of these days someone is going to teach people to cook before assuming they know what they’re doing

 Seriously It’s not that hard

Did they seriously just try to marry an unconscious Akane to Ranma?!

What The Fuck?!

Aww, she’s cute

Ryoga has a bad sense of direction, but he’s never missed before…

Okay, that’s a little strange

Why is she hatching?

Poor Mousse

Lol, that was so sweet until Ranma was dumb

It’s still sweet, who am I kidding

“Do I look like I wear Totoro underwear” oh that’s GOLDEN

Le shit

 Firstly, Genma is still and idiot

Second, how is he already in Moscow?!

Third, why do I find this hilarious

Oh fuck

YES Kick her ass Akane!

I’m confused

Ok, was heralding back to the first chapter intentional?

Why does he have the staff in the bath?

Ok, I THINK I know what’s happening here…

Oof Can you two leave?

Ok, I was DEAD wrong

Wait…

If she…

If the DROWNED AKANE Imma commit murder

Damn, if you wanna piss off Ranma that’s how you do it

I don’t know why anyone would think pissing him off is smart

Oh, thank God, she’s okay

What is with this kid?

Why is he such a pain in the ASS?!

So I know she’s not dead

Unless SEVERAL DOZEN Fanfics have lied to me

Which is entirely possible since they were all listed as AUs

Uhm… Ranma… you okay?

Good, get him out cuz he’s clearly in shock

 This hurts

Okay, hate to be the one who complains that Akane’s not dead, but that doesn’t track

At all

Can I rescience this?

Please?

Am I going to be an ass about it, probably, but it’s me no one should be surprised by that in any way

“Honored and crazy guest” I mean, accurate

Alright, Shampoo you’ve got exactly 1 chance

Then I’ll maybe apologize for calling you names constantly

Oh I am gonna be such an asshole in this scene

Also extend it some

Oh, God I could be such a dick

I’ll restrain

I’ll just write one-shots instead

Mousse do the right thing

You have a Moral Compass I know that!

“Anytime THIS YEAR!” Damn the witty quips

Yeah, but you won morally

That’s what’s important

Why the Scooby-Doo line?

Go Ranma!

Ok, so that comment about Ranma basically fighting a God is NOT an overstatement

Noted

Congrats Ranma you made me Google a word

Turns out it is a word that had its height of use in the 80s

Neat

Explains why I had no clue what it meant

Someone shoot those damn chicken brains OUT OF THE SKY!

 “Only rocks”, rocks Ryoga just confirmed are 3 Tons

*sigh* I’m gonna have to physics the shit out of that

Joy

I cannot tell you the amount my heart dropped when I saw a full color double spread

Jesus Christ

DAMN

You’re gonna make me cry, dammit

Aww

YAY!

Heheh poor Ranma

Chill, hun, you’re good

Aww he’s tiny!

WHAT IS WITH YOU 2?!

STOP trying to marry your kids while they’re unconscious!

I’m not crying you are!

*tightly* I’m fine

Kodachi LET IT GO

 Literally everyone else too! I hate you all

Just so it’s on the record I’m pissed

Ok, so “back to the start” is definitely an oversimplification because Akane knows Ranma loves her Ranma knows she knows

Akane! Your turn!

Ooo, IDEA!

#ranma ½ #ranma 1/2 #ranma #ranma saotome #akane tendo #kasumi tendo #nabiki tendo #genma saotome #nodoka saotome #soun tendo #happosai #80s manga #90s anime #COVID19 binge watch #COVID19 binge plotting #full series au #shampoo #mousse #ryoga #ryoga hibiki

[glimmerclouddragon]

Ukyo

Damn this took a while for me to answer. Sorry! Q.Q

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would banghogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuffbest quality: Straightforward and says what she feels. worst quality: How she treats Konatsu please give that poor child a break ship them with: Shampoo brotp them with: Ranma, Ryoga and Akaneneeds to stay away from: - misc. thoughts: She used to be my favorite girl in Ranma½, but now she’s more of a character I like. of all of Ranma’s suitor(except for Akane) she’s my favorite. 

[deliciousgears]

Ukyo/Konatsu?

• when or if I started shipping it. I kind of started shipping it as soon as I found out about Konatsu, which is some years ago, especially after finding a shrine on the web to Konatsu with a lot of scans of the manga.

• my thoughts: I think they would be cute together, though sometimes I wonder if Ukyou actually does show poor Konatsu any romantic interest in canon. It does seem that they do care for each other, though.

• What makes me happy about them: I love it when Konatsu dotes on Ukyou, or starts fawning over her like a schoolgirl. I like it when Ukyou is appreciative of Konatsu and tries to support her.

• What makes me sad about them: That Konatsu is introduced pretty much at the end of the manga, and so only had a couple of stories that focused on her. So many people ignore Konatsu and leave her out of group pictures, even the Japanese artists who would know about her! Tsubasa Kurenai gets more fanart and fanfic than Konatsu does! Even Inaba from UY gets more appreciation than Konatsu does!

• things done in art/fic that annoys me: When writers try and make Konatsu more manly, or “give up his feminine ways” in the stories that include him. I don’t think Konatsu should learn to be manlier.

• things I look for in art/fic: Giving Konatsu a major role and getting into how she thinks, and how she deals with femininity.

• Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Since Hayate is an OC, so he probably doesn’t count, I think Konatsu could match well with Kodachi, ridiculous as it may seem. As for Ukyou, I’d probably pair her with Ryouga, because everyone does.

• My happily ever after for them: Konatsu and Ukyou marry each other and run Ucchan’s, eventually turning it into a chain across Tokyo. Then end up having several kids of varying gender expressions.

• what is their favorite non-sexual activity? I think they would just be content running the shop together, or trying to come up with ways to attract new customers.

#Ranma 1/2 #Ukyou x Konatsu #Anonymous #Asks

[glorioblog]

Some Thoughts on “That Part” of the Rakugo Finale

We’ll probably have more general final thoughts up on the site in a few days but wanted to get this hot take off while it’s still relevant - Jel

It seems most people’s initial reaction to the likelihood that Yakumo is Shin’s father, myself included, is to try and rule out the possibility. It’s a natural defensive reaction, trying to purge something so weird and creepy from what has otherwise been a virtually flawless masterpiece. As I’ve had a few hours to let it settle, I think that’s the wrong way to go about it. Rather than try to pretend it’s not the truth (because there’s a mountain of evidence that it is), we have to to try to understand how it fits into the overall message of the series.

Perhaps the single most fascinating thing about SGRS is how deeply flawed the characters are but you can’t help but love them anyway. Look at any cast member besides Matsuda (he’s perfect) and you can find them making poor life choices. Yakumo led on Miyokichi and pushed everyone away, Sukeroku was stubborn and ruined his career, Miyokichi had a baby out of spite, Yotaro got mixed up with the Yakuza, the list goes on. The reason we don’t condemn them though is summed up very succinctly by Matsuda in the final episode: they were kind. That is perhaps the most universal message of the series. The truth is people are imperfect creatures that often hurt each other with their bad decisions, but we can almost always be forgiven if our heart is in the right place.

In that context then, it’s safe to assume that Konatsu has also made some questionable choices in her life. As her response to Eisuke’s question highlights though, it doesn’t really matter. You can draw a parallel between her secret and the truth about her parent’s death that Yakumo took to the grave. Konatsu was protected by Yakumo’s secret and now it’s fitting that she can protect her family in a similar way. It’s a kindness to Yotaro and her son that allows us to accept whatever she did and if she is happy with that decision, who are we to judge?

I think ultimately the initial feelings of disgust I felt stem from comparing similar situations from other anime and manga. In those scenarios though, it’s often presented as a 100% positive and natural outcome and that’s what make it feel unacceptable to me. Fortunately, SGRS is not your average anime or manga. It’s not saying the situation isn’t weird or creepy, it’s asking you to understand Konatsu as a whole person and not define her by one decision she may or may not have made. When I think about it that way, i think I can make peace with it.

#showa genroku rakugo shinju #shouwa genroku rakugo shinjuu #spoilers #anime

[yotarohen]

Sorry if this been asked before! I would like to know of your interpretation when Kiku says women don't understand rakugo and why he was denying Konatsu the chance to learn rakugo. Thanks!

He doesn’t really say they don’t understand it, he has a very traditional view in it where he believes men and women have a role to play in rakugo together (men to perform and women who inspire them, essentially). I don’t really agree with the mindset of course but I am trying to consider the country/culture and the time period here. Also historically very few women became rakugokas (Kimie Oshima being the only current one I can think off the top of my head) So it’s not IMPOSSIBLE especially for older Konatsu but during the time it was entirely unheard of, also rakugo was sorta dying so the interest wasn’t really there and traditionalists, like Kiku to a point, weren’t really bringing anything new or different to the table with rakugo so why would they introduce women? The ones who wanted to freshen up rakugo (like Eisuke) were kind of seen as eccentric and brushed off.

Anyway back on topic; Kiku himself feels restricted in his role as a man and kinda pushes it on to Konatsu in the same way everyone else did to him. (i.e “you can’t be a dancer because you’re a boy” “you can’t be a rakugoka because you’re a girl”) I feel like, especially the first time he says this to her (when she’s a child, cutting her hair), he’s doing it in a way to protect her. His dreams of being a dancer were cut short not only because of his accident but because he was a boy and it was just an art men didn’t do or succeed far in.

Also remember for like 20 years this poor dumbass has been trying to DIE WITH RAKUGO….he knows Konatsu is good at rakugo but he’s like “whatever fuck this I’ll die with this stupid art and no one will have to see it again” I mean look how long it took him just to accept Yotaro as an apprentice lol

Over time Kiku definitely understood the world was changing and that rakugo would have to change to continue to survive and that women could do anything they wished to do just like men, he was just a stubborn depressed dude trying to die dramatically with his art.

I mean he is a theater kid it all makes sense

But yeah anyone concerned about this topic, I think, will REALLY like the epilogue episode on Friday! :)

#this one is a hard one so i'm mostly speculating out loud #long post/// not as long as the others #Anonymous

[thethoughteater-blog]

Dick Reviews Stuff: Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu

This post only covers the first season of the show. I’ll cover Sukeroku Futatabi-hen in it’s own post once all of it is out and I’ve seen it all.

Have you ever watched a show that’s filled with things you really like, but the show almost seems like it’s trying to keep you from enjoying them? This show is the most recent example of that for me.

It should be the perfect show for me. It’s a show about a young man who loves his craft and wants nothing more than to become great at it, despite his own belief that he’s not any good at it, all while he grows up around his best friend, who outstrips his ability in the craft in every way. Even if that wasn’t essentially a description of my life, stories about people who are truly passionate about something and dedicate themselves to it make up a sizable portion of my favorites. The narrative structure of this show keeps me from enjoying that as much as I should be able to.

The show begins with a double-length episode, where we’re introduced to an unnamed protagonist who has recently been released from prison, where he developed an infatuation with the storytelling art of Rakugo. He sets out to become the apprentice of the last remaining rakugo master, Yurakutei Yakumo. Yakumo doesn’t take him on at first, but he’s persistent, and Yakumo allows him to live in his house for a time. There, he meets Konatsu, a young woman who has been the ward of Yakumo since her father (another Rakugo performer, Sukeroku) died years ago. She shares his love for rakugo, performing it for the him and helping him to practice even though Yakumo won’t take him on. Eventually, in an impassioned plea, he convinces Yakumo to be his master, In that plea, however, he also says he thinks Konatsu wants to be an apprentice, too. This leads to a dramatic moment where Konatsu announces her hatred for Yakumo, and accuses him of having killed her father.

The show was off to a great start. There was an immediately relatable and likeable protagonist, and an interesting mystery- what happened with Yakumo and Konatsu’s father?

Then our hero (who has now been given the stage name of Yurakutei Yotaro)’s old boss shows up to Yakumo’s house. Yotaro wants nothing to do with crime anymore, he just wants to study rakugo. His boss ridicules him for this, thinking rakugo is a silly pursuit. He wants Yotaro to come back. Yakumo stands up for him, proving himself not merely the cold-hearted old man he me seem to be, and to prove the worth of rakugo, he invited the boss to watch Yotaro perform. He tries to refuse, but Yakumo pressures him into accepting.

Here we have a great scene. Yotaro performs a hilarious rakugo story about a bumbling thief. His boss starts out not reacting, but by the end he’s having a great time. He laughs, having seen Yotaro’s personality in the story, and shows himself as someone who legitimately cares about Yotaro, not just a one dimensional criminal. The show had sold me on every one of these characters, and maybe most importantly of all, it had sold me on rakugo.

Then we get to episode 2. We go back in time to when Yakumo was a child. I was interested, an episode or two of backstory to give the show more context seems like a cool idea. What it doesn't’ seem like, though, is the makings for the rest of a whole season. That’s what we got, though. We followed Yakumo as a child (Before taking that name, as rakugo performers pass on their names to apprentices, and the previous Yakumo is still alive at this point. He’s mostly called Bon at this point, but that’s not a name, it means “Young Master”). We see him become an apprentice to the current Yakumo, alongside another child (who would go on to be Sukeroku, Konatsu’s father). We see them grow up. They get their first stage names, becoming Kikuhiko and Hatsutaro, We follow both of them through the early parts of their careers.

Unlike Yotaro, Kikuhiko wasn’t immediately interesting to me as a protagonist. At first, he doesn’t even really have an interest in rakugo. The story of someone falling in love with a craft can be as great as the story of someone with a passion in a craft pursuing it’s perfection, and it was, here, but there was a lot of time between Kiku as a child being introduced and the moment he realizes he loves rakugo. It took until about there for my interest in the show to rekindle, after it snatched away the story I actually cared about.

Hatsutaro was a fun character, and his brotherly relationship with Kiku is endearing, but this area of the show is filled with annoying levels of repetition. There are only so many times you need to demonstrate to me that Hatsutaro is a lazy alcoholic and that Kiku doesn’t like that before I get it and you can just move on. There was an interesting aspect to their relationship, though. I touched on this at the beginning of the post. Kikuhiko idolizes Hatsutaro for his amazing Rakugo, even though he looks down on him for every other aspect of his personality, even though he thought so little of him when they first met for being a poor orphan. He idolizes it to the point his own rakugo suffers from his trying to emulate it instead of finding his own way of doing it. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard the advice that you need to find your own voice (albeit it was in the context of writing, not rakugo), so seeing it used as a conflict in a narrative is pretty cool.

Another character is introduced, a geisha named Miyokichi. At first, I found little of interest in her, just thinking she was a love interest for Kiku, but later, when her desire to have a normal relationship starts to conflict with Kiku’s rakugo, she has a moment where she says something that gave me a lot to think about. Though it’s presented in kind of a bullshit patriarchal way, her goal to just sort of be a housewife is as legitimate a goal as becoming a master of rakugo, Had they parted on better terms, the two of them separating might have actually been a fairly healthy thing. As someone with creative goals, it can be really easy to think less of people who don’t- I’ve definitely done that before. It’s really not any different, though, It’s just trying doing the things that make you happy. That’s all there is to life,

So after they break up, Miyokichi rebounds with Hatsutaro and they move out to the country, while Kikuhiko continued with his rakugo career. At this point, Hatsutaro and Kikuhiko have pretty much ended their relationship as well. Time passes.

At this point in the show I wasn’t really feeling it anymore. Even though I managed to get attached to this new set of characters, I had to suffer through all of that repetition I mentioned. I was happy to see the plot moving forward at least. Then, in the preview for the next episode, I saw this face:

Finally I was going to see the story tie back in to what was going on in episode one, and it’s with Konatsu, who I’d say was the most interesting character from all the way back then. Even though I was starting to forget the details of what was even happening then at this point, I couldn’t help but be excited. It also helped that child Konatsu is adorable.

Kiku goes after Hatsutaro and Miyokichi and finding out she apparently stole money from the geisha house she worked at when they left. When looking for a rakugo theatre, he’s pointed toward a restaurant where rakugo is performed. There he enters in the middle of young Konatsu doing rakugo. Here, the show was finally great again- not only was it finally returning to the plot threads I was interested in, but the show was reminding me what’s so awesome about rakugo, what the point had been this whole time.

He talks to her, finding out that Miyokichi has left her and her father for someone else, and that Hatsutaro has no job, not even performing rakugo, with only Konatsu providing the money they need. She takes Kiku back to their house, and the reunion between Hatsutaro and him is actually heartwarming. Kiku hits him with his bag for being lazy, and he gets back up and hugs Kiku anyway. The strike was just proof nothing had really changed. It almost made up for the show beating their relationship into my head over and over again earlier on.

Kiku gets Hatsutaro to start doing rakugo again, and he starts doing it there as well, so they can save up money to all move back to tokyo together. Kikuhiko falls in love with performing in small theatres, all of the joy having been drained out of performing since breaking ties with Hatsutaro. At this point I was legitimately loving the show again.

Then Miyokichi comes back. She secretly watches one of Kiku’s performances, and comes to see him in his room at the inn they perform at that night.  Hatsutaro sees them and walks over to the balcony in the room where they’re sitting, and there’s a dramatic moment, and then the balcony starts to break. That’s right, the answer to “what happened with Yakumo and Konatsu’s father?” is “Gravity”. Sorry, I’m being glib. It’s more like “They were idiots, and so was Miyokichi, and no one in this show can just talk to each other.” Afterward, Konatsu hates Yakumo thinking she killed her dad, and seemingly he never tries to just explain it to her. Then, when she says she wants to be a Rakugo performer, he says she can’t, because she’s a girl, and he’s just a dick, I guess. There’s a parallel to earlier when the geishas told him as a child he couldn’t be one, but the show never actually draws it itself, and at no point are we shown him thinking they were right to tell him that. I don’t know if it was just unrealistic to think a girl could become a rakugo performer in that time period, I’m not expert, but it wasn’t justified narratively. After that, they go back to tokyo.

At that point, I was just deflated- but wait! We’re going back to the present!  However, we didn’t get to just go back to the present, the situation I was actually invested in, we had to skip forward a huge chunk of time. Konatsu is pregnant, Yotaro has been promoted and given Sukeroku name, and I had a third set of circumstances to get invested in. This show left me exhausted.

My hope for Sukeroku Futatabi-hen is essentially that unlike the first season, it decides to just be one show instead of 2, or 2 ½, or however I should put it. I’m excited to see Yotaro/Sukeroku again, but I have no idea where the show is going to go with Konatsu’s pregnancy or how that’s going to tie back in to rakugo.

I give this show a 7 out of 10. It’s got bits and pieces of good ideas, and I like every one of it’s characters to some degree, but it lacks focus, and it’s structure is too awkward for it to be great. I apologize if my writing came off as amateurish, this is my first review. I’m going to leave my ask box open for any and all feedback you have. Follow me if you want to see more reviews like this/ I’ll cover more anime in the future but I’ll review other media as well.

#anime #review #anime review #shouwa genroku rakugo shinjuu #josei #blog #long #long reads #drama #rakugo #historical #history #japan #2016 #2016 anime #2016 anime review #drama anime #anime drama #animation #descending stories #descending stories; shouwa genroku rakugo shinjuu #first post #Showa and Genroku Era Lover's Suicide Through Rakugo #ishida akira #kobayashi sanae #yamadera kouichi #kobayashi yuu #hayashibara megumi #megumi hayashibara #studio deen

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Morose Mononokean 3 – 13 (FINAL) | Nanbaka 19 | ACCA 5...and anime from 2016, ranked.

(Morose Mononokean ep 3)

LOL, the kaomoji scroll.

Hopefully your handwriting won’t be illegible, Fusshi.

The Japanese place a lot of emphasis on independence, hence th errand running comment.

It’s so threatening to get pointed at with a stick.

I didn’t quite get the “five years again?” joke, but the jokes were going pretty rapid fire there. I might’ve just missed one and that’s OK. *shrugs*

Technically Ashiya lied when he said “you don’t have to believe me” because she believed him in the end…kinda sorta…?

Oh, to grandstand means to be showy. I don’t think I solidified that into my brain until just then.

Are those weeds or onions?

…Oops, not onions at all. Close enough (since they’re blub plants), though.

Where’s your dad, Ashiya?

Zenko’s not crying, you’re crying, I’m crying. Everyone’s crying!

…Oh, that’s the punchline of the joke…but Abeno’s scary when he’s really angry.

(ep 4)

I think even lil’ Fuzzy nods in the OP near the end.

The d and b thumbs are very inventive in regards to kaomoji. I like inventiveness.

Exhibit A of how Comic Sans ruins a mood, CR subbers.

So that’s Abeno’s writing (and not Comic Sans)?

Ashiya and Abeno have really creepy eyes on the eyecatch.

Shizuku means “water droplet” IIRC.

Ashiya, Super Sentai!...or something like that.

The Fuzzy Ashiya knows has 3 tails. This one only has one.

Ashiya, getting coerced into deals he can’t handle. *sigh*

(ep 5)

Fuzzy’s basically a Pokémon now.

What happened to Abeno’s jar?

Where I am, there’s three arms to the government: the legislative arm, the judicial arm and the executive arm. This show must run off a lot of the same principles.

Fuzzy seems vaguely unimpressed when Ashiya learns he doesn’t have to die.

How is that communicating with a fuzzball? Sad life for Abeno-san.

The sad thing about Abeno is that he’s very grumpy. While that does make him basically a male tsundere, his grumpiness isn’t something everyone can live with. Rippou (Legislator) included.

(ep 6)

The Ring? Like a horror movie? (This is the last of the Mononokean episodes I’ve seen before, so it’s not a horror movie, but I had to make the joke while I was at it.)

Fuzzy looks like an offering to the ancestors there on that cushion.

The Mononokean went “If you’d followed my instructions [yada yada yada] but…” Note the “but” – that wasn’t in the translation.

Where does Abeno sleep?

Fuzzy wrapped up is like a fuzzy sushi roll. I wouldn’t like to eat a fuzzy sushi roll, though.

Edo = old Tokyo…so are all Edoites (or whatever you call them) meant to be non-honorific users?

Manjiro must’ve been easy to draw if this were in the source material. However, since this is obviously a CGI Manjiro, it must’ve been easier to animate than, say, Fuzzy. (Apparently fur is hard to get right in CGI.)

“15 whole minutes”…hardly anything impressive…LOL.

Ashiya will never give you up, he’ll never let you down, he’ll never run around and desert you…

Even Fuzzy’s sweating up a storm just thinking about how to return the ring.

Ow. Getting headbutted by an eel is not the way to go.

The salve on Fuzzy looked like a box for a frame or two.

The irony of an eel shop with an eel youkai…

(ep 7)

It’s fresh impressions from here on out.

Butterflies don’t fly like that…

Since middle school is years 7 – 9…okay…Ashiya is that childish? *laughs awkwardly*

I just realised this show doesn’t do flashbacks very well.

I saw a grave in the back that said “Abe Family Grave”. It’s not the kanji for Abeno, though.

Don’t be so proud of your status as a hide and seek veteran, Ashiya.

“Yoko” is the word for a fox spirit. it’s why, in Tactics, the fox spirit is called Youko. Even I knew that much and Ashiya didn’t, LOL.

Oh right! Abeno calls Fuzzy “hairball”.

Abeno is 15?! I’m absolutely positively flipping out!...Abeno and Ashiya look like they’re 17!

(ep 8)

I thought something was up with the subs. Turns out “Haruitsuki” was spelt wrong.

Remember “–sama” is of more respect than “–san”.

I think Mr Chips from Eldlive was like this critter. Gets drunk on green tea.

Tsundere flying green youkai. That’s probably better than an annoying, possibly tsundere fairy (<- reference to One Wish They Never Wanted).

Benkei? I’ve never heard anyone yell “Benkei!” when they stubbed their toe. I get that it’s Standing Benkei though.

Aww. Even if it’s a youkai proposal, it’s so sweet…

(ep 9)

How do you spell “dispirited”? Two Ss? One?

Dangit, Ashiya would do well in job interviews…

The eyecatches always look unnecessarily dramatic, don’t they?

Does Abeno’s question about amateurs include Ashiya?

Abeno must’ve gotten a “Don’t come near my daughter again!” sort of thing a lot.

Fuzzy’s body went “boomph!” when he jumped on to Ashiya’s shoulder.

Fuzzy absolutely fails at rolling on balls, LOL.

(ep 10)

Why did I think of “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” when it came to large!Yahiko?

The title of this episode is “deku”, like Boku no Hero Academia Deku.

Rakugan.

How did the eyecatch manage to put shojo sparkles on Nobou and turn him into something that’s vaguely appealing (in a handsome sense)? It must be the magic of the shojo sparkles…Also, henohenomoheji scarecrow.

“Phantasmagoria” aka “fantasy” or “illusion”.

Wow, basically this show is an ethics lesson…

Who knew a mutant scarecrow could cause such a heartfelt story? Also, please stop hitting yourself with a potato.

(ep 11)

I don’t think I’ve seen the character for “purple” being read as shi before.

Stop using Fuzzy as a shield for your words, Ashiya.

Fuzzy jumped on to Zenko’s head. It’s kinda funny to see Fuzzy acting like a Swablu.

Fuzzy with a leaf hat is aesthetically pleasing. It soothes the soul. (Uh, hey. Come to think of it, Mononokean’s a lot like the works I’ve done on Honeyfeed, eh? Light comedy and a lotta drama.)

I keep stumbling upon spoilers for shows I’m not caught up on, this show included. So I technically knew about Yahiko and never mentioned it, and I’m going “oh no” here because I know what will happen to Ashiya…

Tomori. That was the name from the spoilers…oh no!!!

Fuzzy looks particularly round in the eyecatch.

Apparently Ashiya began as a doodle in the margin of Kiri Wazawa’s sketchbook, but he became the protag of Morose Mononokean. That’s the ultimate upgrade in life for a character, eh?

Abeno’s logic…I get it, but I guess it was played for hilarity. Well, it worked. Really well.

A 9-11. I thought it was funny at first, but now it’s scary and solemn.

Simultaneous equations? I want nothing to do with them anymore.

Come to think of it, Aoi may have been a woman due to the woman’s cloak.

(ep 12)

Oh? A sister? I’ve haven’t seen her in the show yet. I wanna see her.

One of the lil’ pine cones is sleeping. It’s strangely adorable.

(ep 13)

Yahiko’s so spoilt by Zenko.

*squints at Ashiya’s book* Oh hey. I haven’t done this in years! Yeah, that sort of stuff is “first year of high school” stuff, but speaking from experience as an advanced maths student, I have a skewed perspective of what “normal maths” is for a year level. Add that to the fact Japan has the idea that they have to push their geniuses to the limit by being ahead of their years (sometimes going up to one year ahead of the “usual” standard) and…yeah.

From the lip reading, the word could’ve been tera (Buddhist temple) or jinja (Shinto shrine). Knowing how Zenko is built off the ideas of Buddhism anyway, it’s tera.

Well, out of sight, out of mind, as they say.

Abeno looks like such a bad boy in that eyecatch, it’s hilarious.

Seriously, how does Nobou talk with no mouth?!

I thought the hand was Yahiko. Turns out it was Abeno.

Fuzzy looks downright ill when Ashiya’s scared.

A boss normally doesn’t bow his head to his subordinates, let alone call them “lord” (dono), which is the highest type of honorific one can give to a person.

See, the kaomoji scroll really is fun. If someone could make one for me, I’d love to play with it for a little bit. Maybe you could make a (computer?) program that could function mostly the same way…huh. That’s a good idea, actually.

Notice the Mononokean uses “watashi”. I guess it doesn’t have much of a gender anyway.

Nice hat, Ashiya. (LOL.)

Welp, that’s the final episode of all my 2016 anime. I moved the top 10 anime of 2016 to the bottom of this post for the surprise factor, but knowing my reactions to the anime means you can’t be too surprised by the results.

(Nanbaka 19)

Honey’s still on arrow mode.

The scream. It’s like a horror movie, but so funny because it overlays the OP.

The sparkles actually helped viewers see something for once.

Rokuriki. So that’s the guard’s name. It has “six” in it.

Deer hook swords. I’m not quite familiar with them but they look cool.

I only just realised, but they left Nico behind in the supervisor’s office.

The rubble is so beautifully rendered.

What was Jyugo doing behind the pots? Something for humour, I suppose, because I laughed.

“Hachiman” can mean 80000.

Kawaisouni… translates to “unfortunate” or “how unfortunate” but I probably wouldn’t peg it as “poor baby!” like the subbers did. It’s probably the tone Uno used that caused them to sub it the way they did.

Here we go again with this Jyugo comeback from episode 1…

It’s around the part where Upa’s trash talking Hachiman that you can identify Upa’s VA is Yuu Kobayashi (SGRS’s Konatsu’s VA). Even Nico is voiced by a dude and yet Upa is not.

(ACCA 5)

Seriously, this blue haired guy (Magie) reminds me of Japan from Hetalia. Must be the haircut.

How does a guy not remember toast? Probably because this is of Japanese origin, where rice and fish are more common than bread.

I still think his name should be Gene Otus.

CGI fits flawlessly into this style, and if you’ve been around these parts long enough, you know I don’t like obvious CGI.

Dowa Travel.

Hotel Akevitt. They have some weird names in this show.

Reindeer…? I’m not very good at identifying deer vs reindeer.

I heard you like wheat bread, so I put some wheat bread in ACCA to keep you happy, Jean. (insert more memes about wheat bread here)

Lotta really likes walnuts, eh?

Crow/Nino’s a free agent hired by Grossular, right?

Ah. I get it. Lotta’ll keep an eye on Nino for Jean.

Isn’t a sandpiper a bird?

Oh. So that’s why Grossular has such long hair.

Lilium’s bro? Gotta remember him for later.

Grossular’s an older Kyosuke Kuga, LOL.

 Anime of 2016, Ranked

Since I have 17 entries this year and it took a lot of shuffling to get right, I’ve decided to show my entire 2016 rankings. Only shows I saw in their entirety at least once over in 2016 (with the exceptions of D Gray Man Hallow and Morose Mononokean, which are applicable through the simulcast commentary process but were only watched to episode 6 before 2016′s end, and fall anime, which due to being AFK at 2016′s end were unfinshable until 2017), and had at least one new seasonal entry in 2016, apply:

17. Prince of Stride Alternative

16. Mr Osomatsu s2

15. D Gray Man Hallow

14. Kiznaiver

13. Morose Mononokean

12. Nanbaka s1: can’t talk about this yet because its s2’s not finished!

11. Classicaloid s1: can’t talk about this yet because it′s not finished!

10. Flip Flappers: The art style and fight scenes really make this a show worth watching. However, it did get somewhat confusing at the end so that’s where most of the drop in the rankings comes from.

9. ReLIFE: While the themes were pertinent and the art style on point, it was a bit plain and there wasn’t much of an explanation as to why the pills work (even if that isn’t Yoake or An’s role). I guess I’m still used to it living in the shadow of Detective Conan, after all.

8. Boueibu s2: This was a step up from s1, but unfortunately there were prime contenders this year that knocked it out of higher places. Also the fact that it does seem more rushed than s1 due to the time constraints does give it a bit of a toll.

7. Bungou Stray Dogs (overall): 2 seasons makes this show stand out as a strong one, especially near the end when it really hits its stride. The fact light novel stories took up up to 4 episodes did make me worried, but the fans definitely have more than enough material to work with as a result, right?

6. Yuri on Ice: I don’t mind the off model in this one if it means the good stuff can come with it, but the fandom is quite intimidating and it was a “show of the year” in ways some people now consider to be a negative thing, so it did suffer a bit from that. I give it merit for the things it does well, but it’s not the saviour of anime the talk of the town can make it out to be.

5. Boku Dake ga Inai Machi: Stunning visuals, a Sayuri ED and good thrills with well executed cliffhangers. My only gripe with this one was the very end, but you’ll have to see the relevant posts for why that is.

4. Boku no Hero Academia s1: Even if it is repetitive, it rises above (Plus Ultra!) to become something more than just a fusion of East and West like I always try to strive for. It’s an emblem and it’s definitely something Horikoshi should be proud of after what happened to Barrage and Oumagadoki Zoo.

3. Sakamoto Desu Ga: This show also managed to go above its repetitive trappings with inventiveness and humour. The fact it’s also touching at exactly the right points shows you why Takamatsu is one of my favourite directors.

2. ConRevo s2: Colourful and politically striking as always, ConRevo was one of the shows I always looked forward to watching, even if it meant staying up past midnight to document things on the wiki. Even if I’m not that fond of the Urobuchi episode, this show managed to reach awesome highs without losing the fans it got from s1.

1. SGRS: With a soundtrack that brings you to the past, humour that can make you laugh no matter how many times you watch it and visuals to wow even the most serious of artists, you can tell SGRS is a labour of love in every aspect. Its second season has already surpassed its predecessor in only 4 or 5 episodes, so...only time will tell whether anything can challenge SGRS for the throne.

 Total:

winter 4

spring 5 (incl. Bungou Stray Dogs s1)

summer 4

fall 5 (incl. Bungou Stray Dogs s2)

#simulcast commentary #anime #winter 2016 anime #spring 2016 anime #summer 2016 anime #fall 2016 anime #2016 anime #ACCA #Chesarka watches ACCA #acca 13-ku kansatsu-ka #nanbaka #nanbaka the numbers #nanbaka - the numbers #Chesarka watches Nanbaka #the morose mononokean #fukigen na mononokean #Chesarka watches Fukigen na Mononokean

[gurayura]

quetzalpapalotl replied to your post “[[MOR] my poor child yota doesn’t deserve all the shit he’s getting ”

TUUUUUULI, ¿POR QUÉ? Yota debería ser siempre feliz, nada malo nunca debería pasarle.

Se ofrece a ser el papá de un niño que no es suyo, le promete a Konatsu que la hará reír todos los días, trabaja duro en vez de irse por ahí de juerga, es un alumno diligente... ¡y aun así le pasan estas cosas! Menos mal que Kiku se mostró comprensivo, pero aun así me ha dolido ver lo mal que lo han tratado en este capítulo :’(

#quetzalpapalotl #yo te respondo #lloremos juntas por este pequeño ángel #rakugo spoilers //

[recentanimenews]

Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu 2 – 01

SGRS doesn’t miss a beat in its return after a year, recapping its first season in a very clever and entertaining fashion: rakugo-style, with Yotarou as the storyteller. His enthusiastic description of events are as vivid as any montage of footage from those events would be. While it certainly stood on its own outside the framing of the present day, last season’s epic flashback is essentially serves as a prologue to this one, imbuing it with emotional weight and significance.

It’s been ten years since Yakumo VIII took Yotarou under his wing. Now Yotarou is a shin’uchi, the third Sukeroku, and wants to be a father to Konatsu’s newborn son, something she’s reticent about, since Yotaoru is “poor, stupid, an entertainer, and has no future”. The future of rakugo itself is in doubt too; Yakumo is seemingly the last extant great master, and the theater in Tokyo is also the last, with Kyoto’s last having closed.

One could call these “Dark Times” for rakugo, but Yotarou/Sukeroku has other ideas, thanks to a productive encounter with cultural writer Higuchi Eisuke, who is eager to back him as a patron. The catch? Be open-minded to the fact that for rakugo to survive, it must change, and Yotarou must be the one to change it. Higuchi clearly expresses his passion as the two drink together, and much of what he says makes a lot of sense to Yotarou, who needs only to clear it with his master.

Yakumo has, like a fine wine, only gotten better at rakugo in the twilight of his life. That’s not too surprising, as rakugo is about gaining and maintaining empathy. It’s a live performance in which the teller must draw the crowd in by turning words, voices and gestures into images in their minds. He’s been in front of crowds most of his life, and knows instinctively how to utterly capture them…and me! Both performances and conversation in this show is simply a joy to watch, especially when the jazzy score kicks in.

Yotarou, who became Yakumo’s apprentice out of adulation, naturally believes he will never surpass his master even if “hell freezes over”, but for rakugo to survive the future – and Yakumo’s partially-hearted efforts to snuff it out lest it become “corrupted”, Yotarou will have to think beyond surpassing his master, and find out how rakugo will have to change.

Yotarou believes fulfilling the “3 conditions” Yakumo gave him requires that he not only learn all of his master’s rakugo, but also find a way to keep rakugo alive, all while taking care of Konatsu and her child by moving in with them to create a family. It won’t be an easy path, but it’s the one Yotarou wants to be on, and I look forward to watching how he walks it.

By: sesameacrylic

#Anime #News #RABUJOI – An Anime Blog