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pridewhatpride · 3 years

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ok so I read your view on GX rivalshipping and how things would get messy when johan shows up because I was curious about another GX rivalshippers opinion, and holy you and I have the EXACT same thoughts.

Ive went on and on about how manjoume as a rival (and as someone who could have had the ability to support judai) was tossed aside as soon as johan shows up + turned into the comedic relief chara and nobody ever really knows what the hell im talking about LOL. a big thing for me is just how DIFFERENT that would be for manjoume as well? in the seasons before johan shows up judai is so clingy towards him, always busting into his room and being in his personal space...

then mr. buff arms big smile shows up with his frilly lilac blouse and homo dragon and suddenly judai is like. smitten. which like youve pointed- out who could blame judai? johan is hard to hate and hes kind of perfect in every way. I always imagine what that would do to manjoumes self esteem in particular, because as we all know it IS a bit fragile at times, especially when it comes to being the best he can be.

I think having johan around would make him feel absolutely insignificant not only as someone who LIKES judai, but even just as judais friend. is he really so horrible at being a support that judai needs a stranger to lean on? even though he never asked for judais help much, is he really such a burden when he needs to be saved? why is judai acting like hes never been able to connect with manjoume, who can also see duel spirits, before? whoever said opposites attract obviously havent seen judai and johan! thoughts like that.

I could go on and on but I dont want you to have to read my 2746373 word long ask about them. id love to hear any thought or analysis you have on GX rivalshipping because its my favourite and the shippers are so rare, so I encourage you to post them whenever you feel like it!

Dear anon.

You can't ever know just how happy receiving this in my inbox made me. I can't fully express how grateful I am at the simple fact that you read my long rambles and reached out to me. I respect your anonimity if you want to keep it, but honestly, DM me whenever, if you want to. I think I'd like to talk to you if you're comfortable with it? I really do want to read your "2746373 word" essay on them. For the rest of my life.

I might get a little personal in terms of my view on this, so just... be aware.

The thing is that the way Manjoume is cast aside is just... a big fear of mine. "Sure, we might be friends now, but I'm not all that good and you know it. You won't mean any harm by it, but you'll find someone you like better and I'll be alone again." That kind of line of thought is probably something that goes through Manjoume's mind? He doesn't really... have friends outside of Judai. Maybe Fubuki. And Daichi? Except he disappears into nothingness very quickly. But that's it. And he certainly had none before that: just lackeys who pretended to like him because he was rich and perceived as promising. He lost that and suddenly found himself isolated.

It's nice to think that he bonded with the other members of the gang, but... he didn't. Shou certainly never really stops disliking/making fun of him. You could say it's meant as like... friendly teasing. But it doesn't read that way because there is nothing to indicate actual affection. Kenzan, Aster and the transfer students just... barely interact with him? Like have they actually ever spoken to eachother? I doubt it. Ryo is just the admirable upperclassman. Again, barely any interaction. Asuka is... a mess I don't want to get into, but again, she would probably file a restraining order if she could.

So yeah. Manjoume has one friend and the taller and cooler guy just kind of takes that away. Of course Johan is not aware of this! He wouldn't have been able to do much to change it, either way. It was Judai's own choice and that's what hurts the most, to me.

If shifting the focus and making minor changes to canon is something you like to do, here's a thing I think about a lot. "Teardrop", the Season 3 opening, except it's what Manjoume feels when seeing Judai's suffering and desperation. You know.

As you hang your head and smile, a single tear lands on your cheeks

You pretend to be strong, but underneath You’re hiding sighs; your smile is cloudy It sticks into me Like shattered glass

It’s OK to talk about the pain in your heart

Your smile Has always saved me You can cry now I’ll stay here with you

I can't bring myself to blame Judai or Johan for it, but I think Manjoume- if he'd been written like an actual character past a certain point- would have been quite devastated by this.

As you said, it's not just being abandoned, it's also being indirectly told that he was never truly someone worthwhile, that he is little more than extra weight. What of his supposed status of equal rival and all that? Nothing. Judai is just... on a different level than him. So Manjoume is simply left to stagger behind in a desperate attempt to chase after greatness. He wasn't good enough for his brothers and Judai stood up for him. But in the end he wasn't good enough for Judai either.

I like to think that Manjoume made an effort to get along with the others. He just didn't quite know how and couldn't just... switch off his more prideful persona. And he ended up paying quite the steep price.

I know I'm extra melodramatic when it comes to my favourites, but it's something that bugs me. I understand why the manga decided to approach Manjoume's character in a completely different way and it's the reason why I like to read Manjoume's personality as a mix of manga and anime canon. I really have to mention this- how can one even pretend that the writers gave a shit about Manjoume when they joked about how stinky he was in a scene that could have been... emotional in some way. Judai frees Manjoume from the influence of the Society of Light by reminding him who he really is (I don't want to talk about Kenzan being too strong to be manipulated because that is fucking stupid and besically the equivalent of saying "ahah, the light got you because you're not strong willed enough @ Asuka @ Manjoume. Get rekt"). And like... great! They are actually showing off how much they care for eachother as friends despite the rivalry! But no. Judai ends up basically saying: "You smell and your coat has stains on it!" and Manjoume's just: "Oh yeah, I'm goth I hate wearing white, nvm."

... I swear someone on the writing team looked at Manjoume and went: "Let's bully him!" Ugh ;; Can you tell I'm hyper biased towards Manjoume yet?

This was hilarious to read, by the way: "mr. buff arms big smile shows up with his frilly lilac blouse and homo dragon"

But yes, this mess is now officially over. I will be spouting gx rivalshipping nonsense left and right because we were robbed of their dynamic and I'll never get over that. Also I really want to draw them, so that helps.

Ending this post by saying that this ask made me feel like I didn't waste time writing all that, that someone can get something out of it. I'm really glad.

#ygo #yugioh #ygo gx #yugioh gx #manjoume jun #jun manjoume #chazz princeton #judai yuki #yuki judai #jaden yuki #gx rivalshipping #marry me platonically anon #i will kill for your happiness

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asteroiideae · 3 years

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okay, so I don’t make these kinds of posts often because tbh I’m a little lazy and very tired like 24/7 lmao but I’ve been seeing a lot of Pride reading lists hit my dash (and they’re excellent, and I save them all!) buuuut reading books is still a roadblock I’m struggling to mentally overcome -- and audiobooks are great, but they take 84 years (sometimes literally???) to get through. so! I thought I’d share a (very tiny) list of the queer manga I’ve read this year that you might enjoy for Pride, with some descriptions/trigger warnings/thoughts to go with them. so here we go in no particular order other than where they sit on my bookshelf:

What Did You Eat Yesterday? by Fumi Yoshinaga

okay so I know I go on about this manga at literally every presented opportunity, but I honestly just can’t help myself??? as a thirty-something queer adult, I really love the quiet maturity of this relationship between Shiro and Kenji; especially when it’s highlighted by references to shenanigans of their youth, and the ways in which they are still growing as both individuals and a couple. I’ve only read the first six volumes but I’m OBSESSED.

Status: Ongoing (17 volumes; 15 translated) Summary: Shiro and Kenji are an established adult couple with separate careers and interests, whose relationship is depicted over the meals cooked for them by Shiro. This doesn’t have an overarching plot, which might be off-putting for some readers; each chapter can be compared to a fanfic one-shot, usually containing it’s own tiny storyline or theme. It’s literally just domestic moments and meals shared between these men. Warnings: While I didn’t personally have a problem with this, younger readers might find some of the dated terms offensive. If you’ve spent any time with older queer folks (older as in 45-50+) this won’t be anything you aren’t used to, but if your experience of queer folx skews younger or online, you might get taken by surprise. There’s also some internalized homophobia; and by some I mean quite a bit. Shiro’s personal arc (at least in the first six volumes) heavily revolves around how much he closets himself and tries desperately to pass as “normal” in Japanese business culture.

Boys Run The Riot by Keito Gaku

holy shit holy shit holy SHIT. this story is so good??? so VERY good??? I was a little cautious, and a little bit uninterested in a story about teens (only because I’m in my thirties and crave more adult representation,) but I was VERY WRONG to be. Boys Run The Riot is beautifully drawn, beautifully written, and probably my favorite work on this list. the mangaka is also trans so the inherent understanding and nuance of our protagonist’s experience is really lovely. Also featuring a fantastic brotp between a trans boy and his new himbo bestie; no seriously if you want a story about a trans boy getting to have good broships with other boys his own age I CANNOT stress this enough. Volume two is releasing next month; I have it preordered. I’m laying on my floor wishing for time to hurry the fuck up. I need more of this smol angry trans boy and his big soft himbo bff. PLS. Status: Ongoing (4 volumes published; 2 translated) Summary: Ryo Watari is a second year high school student who is trans and struggling to feel comfortable with his very rigidly structured life at school, at home, and among his friends (to whom he is not out.) By chance he meets Jin Sato, a cis boy who also feels outcast (often judged for his appearance without any deeper thought.) When Ryo comes out to Jin in a state of frustration, Jin accepts who Ryo is and makes an offer -- why not start a fashion line that subverts all the expectations that have been put on them both; why not express themselves even when they’ve been told they shouldn’t. Warnings: Ryo is struggling with gender dysphoria, and it is written by someone who has probably experienced it, so it might be a little real for any trans folks who deal with that. Also, while neither the narrative nor Jin misgender Ryo (at least, not once he expresses to Jin that he is a man), Ryo is not out to anyone else and so he frequently is misgendered at school and we see how badly that impacts him and the way he views himself and processes his emotions. Ryo spends a lot of time being angry and trying to swallow it down, and that can be very raw to witness at times. There is also a depiction of unsafe binding (though the mangaka has an immediate note about binding safety, and goes further in-depth at the back of the manga.)

Our Dining Table by Mita Ori

okay, so I was a bit on the fence about whether or not I wanted to include this as a rec, but I decided that it might actually been what someone wants or needs, so here it is! while I really enjoyed this concept, and I’m always a sucker for found family stories (let me tell you I’m queer without telling you I’m queer, much?) it feels like this story is a bit rushed at times, and the romantic relationship between our protagonists is very blink and you’ll miss it. I don’t even want to call it subtle so much as it is just not remotely the focus of the story so it’s a little startling when it happens. but! if you’re looking for a story about adults processing grief and trauma together, and learning how to care for another person (and as a result, learning how to care for themselves,) this is a nice read that isn’t too heavy! Status: Complete (one volume) Summary: Yutaka is a salaryman whose past experiences prevent him from reaching out to others, even through something so simple as sharing a meal. Despite this is REALLY loves to cook, and wishes he had a reason to do it more often. Then he meets Minoru, and his muuuuuch younger brother Tane (it’s like a 17 year age gap between the brothers?) and finds himself teaching them how to cook, and overcoming his fear of eating in front of others. Warnings: Good news, there’s no overt homophobia in this story! Bad news, the other trauma makes up for it! We have a lot of trauma surrounding parental death, childhood bullying, and adoption; in addition to an actual fear of eating in front of others.

Our Dreams at Dusk / Shimanami Tasogare by Yuhki Kamatani

this is the first manga series I collected, and I’m still very pleased about that. the art is ABSOLUTELY stunning? the use of visual imagery and surreal analogies to explain queerness is fucking on POINT. I cried so hard during a couple of these volumes I developed a migraine. I only have one piece of critique on the whole thing (addressed in the warnings,) and I intend to do another re-read when I’m ready for the catharsis of sobbing into my pillow again. Like Boys Run The Riot, Our Dreams at Dusk is drawn and written by a member of the queer community (a non-binary mangaka, this time,) and as a result it hits pretty fucking close to home in a lot of ways. while I really love this series it’s super not for the faint of heart, you WILL come out of this reading experience with some things to unpack. Status: Completed (4 volumes; 4 translated) Summary: We mostly follow Tasuku Kaname, as he is outted at school by a classmate as being homosexual, and his initial despair and subsequent journey of acceptance. In this process, Tasuku finds himself at a drop-in center, which seems to primarily function as a safe space for queer people; we meet several lesbians, an elderly gay man, a trans character, and a young character who isn’t ready for any kind of label because they are still ??? about themselves and their identity. Each of these “secondary” characters is given room to breathe and to work through difficulties of their own while Tasuku watches and learns that even though life is hard sometimes, there’s beauty to be found in one’s own strength. Warnings: hoooo boy; well there’s all kinds of homophobia and transphobia; a character is outted against their will (multiple times), there’s some really insidious transphobia covered by “concern”, there’s internalized homophobia everywhere, and a very complicated asexual character whose presentation left me (as an ace) with super mixed feelings and a lot of frustration (though I wouldn’t call it bad necessarily; just wanted to put that out there for my fellow asexual folks.) If you have read (or go on to read!) any of these, please let me know! I’d love to chat about the stories, and hear your thoughts on them -- because we’re a broad/diverse community and our own experiences shape us differently and give us different insights. <3 ANYWAY, for those of you who read this monstrous self-indulgent post, thank you! Feel free to add any queer manga you’ve been reading below - I’m always on the hunt for more recs!

#happy pride #manga recs #gay representation #queer representation #trans characters #asexual characters #gay characters #everything in-between tbh

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anime-apparently · 4 years

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Hello, may I request both a female and male ( to be matched with, if that's alright to ask for) matchup please and thank you for Food wars . LINK - The first part is shortships (.) tumblr (.) (com) (without the parentheses). You can take as much time as you need to, I don’t mind being patient & waiting.

I match you with...

NAKIRI ALICE

- Alice took interest in you upon seeing you around a lot in her classes

- she may act childish but she sees through people really well

- she keeps on bugging you to be her friend (and honestly she flirts a lot but you never notice it huhu) and soon you give in

- there are tons of moments when she'll scold you on blending in with people and trying to act the way others do

- she hates that you say you're fine even if you aren't and she hates that you think people hate you if you act as you are

- so she slowy helps you out your shell

- she's surprisingly good with handling occasional anxiety attacks

- you two share the perfectionist attitude and it takes Ryo to stop you both once you two decide to perfect a dish

- she's so happy when you start being really comfortable around her (it took a couple months) and would often send Ryo away to spend time with you

- Kurokiba Ryo kinda scares you but he's a good friend too

- both of you get bored easily so i can imagine weird trips and activities

- you two match a lot- both of you are stubborn too and while you have the temper, Alice can control hers so she's like your anger management counselor

- you normally are more distracted than her and she gets grumpy when you get distracted and not pay attention

- it was by the second year that you two got together and it was Ryo who got you two together

- holy shit you didn't expect Ryo to give you a pep talk but he did, he asked you to put your worries aside and what others would say and put your happiness first

- Alice was the one who confessed (she had been confessing since last year but you can't really pick up the signs)

- she got annoyed (jealous *cough) in one of your rants about how your cat did something and you weren't paying attention at the dish she's serving so she just slammed her lips to yours

- "See you're a good kisser! That means you'll be a good girlfriend! Bye, Ryo-kun!" *proceeds to drag you to a five star restaurant for a date*

- she teaches you how to speak in Danish and you just fall more uwu

- the amount of romance novels she had recommended to you tho

- it's surprising to you that she knows how to play videogames but when you saw her and Ryo playing Mario Kart once you understood she knew more than should be for a Nakiri

- your sarcastic side is something she treasures a lot like the burn from you like damnnn "did you hit your head when your mom held you? Oh wait, she probably didn't." fuck when you said this to Erina's dad (albeit under your breath) she just burst out laughing

- she takes great joy seeing you be clumsy because despite her childishness she's still a Nakiri who's probs perfect in everything so she's not a clutz

- she enjoys seeing you tongue tied especially if she flirts with you "Hey, that top doesn't look good on you. I think I'm the top that would look good on you." "Alice- I- aaugjnskvfjdnz."

- you get insecure about you and her's relationship because of Ryo but she assures you that she belongs to you only

- you also get insecure what would people think of your relationship

- once there was a student who brought up your sexuality and Alice snapped (she made out with you in front of everyone thaz hot)

- Ryo is insanely protective of you two especially on dates (once -actually a lot of times- when you two had a rare PDA moment, he glared at everyone who tried to even look the slightest bit disgusted)

- she pushes you to think of yourself first before others

- she's a really sweet girlfriend who brings out the best in you

- you two really go well together and you're a power couple

I match you with...

YUKIHIRA SOMA

- this boy i swear asdfghjkl

- he doesn't really know how to read a mood so he'll just randomly pair up with you and talk up a storm

- he makes you panic because there are times where he's really messy and your OCD just kicks in

- but he's the sweetest boy

- you two get in trouble a lot for being distracted in class

- he's really persistent in being friends so after a few months, you give in

- like Alice, he urges you to be more open and to be more outgoing

- he doesn't mind that you're a human chameleon and he understands it takes time

- he's really patient with you and always thrive to make sure you're comfortable

- he laughs it off if you're temper goes up and calms you down

- you two didn't get together until end of second year

- you're both dense in romance anyways and it hurts to watch you both acting all sweet and shrug it off as a friendly thing

- "what type of friend cuddles on the same bed and sleeps spooning especially if you are opposite genders" is what yuki said and honestly she's right

- it started when Soma once saw you having a panic attack and now he occasionally slips in your bed to sleep with you and make sure you're safe in his arms

- he likes seeing you tongue tied and would often tease you about it

- he likes flirting with you too and see your red face (but poor boy is probably not that good with it)

- "you know, Peter Pan said if I think of all the pretty, beautiful things I'd be able to fly. But why is it that when I thought of you I fell for you instead?"

- *cue you turning red and tripping over your words but you managed to blurt out* "did you just call me ugly or told me you fell for me?"

- in this tho you are the one who confessed, it was the simple typical confession and he's so relieved (apparently he's crushing on you too)

- you help him create weird dishes especially when you're bored and you both laugh if it tastes really bad

- there are a lot of game nights

- he doesn't really like books so you're probs the one reading while he goes and just watch you read peacefully and scrunch up your nose in distate at parts where the characters annoy you (he finds this really cute)

- this little shite probably brings spiders to show you just to scare you

- he's your pillar to lean on and he knows perfectly when to intervene if you get frustrated trying to perfect something

- you are both sarcastic and quirky so there are a lot of childish banter

- he laughs at you if your clutz side kick in before helping you up

- there are really a lot of experimental dishes you two create

- while he's impulsive at times, you tend to carefully weigh out the options so it stresses you if he accepts/initiates a food war

- he breaks your insecurities and is a really supportive boyfriend

- he always says "you are the best girlfriend in any plane of existence."

- like Alice, he might be childish but he's not ignorant

- he instantly knows if something is wrong, he makes sure your mental health is stable, he helps you express yourself more, he actually broke your habit of saying "i'm fine" when you're not

- he can see if a guy tries to flirt with you (apparently he's not daft when it's about you) and he scares them off

- he's a really caring boyfriend and knows when to cheer you up

- your fears slowly disappear because of him

- because with him you know he won't abandon you

- your relationship is built on trust and honestly you two are a power couple

A/N: Hope you enjoy it! I'm so sorry it's late but thank you for your patience. I really have the match ups lines up in my notes but I tend to procrastinate in posting them.

#food wars #food wars x reader #shokugeki no soma #yukihira soma x reader #nakiri alice x reader #one shot #imagine #match up

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illyrilex · 6 years

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For the KOF ones: 3: What’s your favorite line of narration? // 12: What do you like least about this fic? // 14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

Does this cover all four? Because holy geez LOL I’ll try to do this as best as I can, under the assumption that it does.3) What’s your favourite line of narration?MLS: “King pressed her lips together in a thin line; anger was starting to overshadow absolute terror. Who even was this asshole? She wanted to kick him in the face again, but she knew she had to focus on escaping instead of daydreaming about doing more violence.”HDYS?: “Mary’s friend, who went by the moniker ‘King’, leaned heavily on the door frame, clearly trying to keep from falling over. There was a lazy smile on her partially bruised face.”OtB: “King froze. All at once her face flushed a violent shade of pink; her stomach lurched as her former enemy, sometimes friend, sometimes rival, and-one-time-but- only - one - time -because-she-was- incredibly -drunk-masturbatory-material, Ryo Sakazaki, walked into the room, his face a mix between curious and aghast.”PS: “Jean held his pinky finger up and out, toward his sister. She hooked her own finger around his without hesitation.”12) What do you like least about this fic?MLS: Everything that happened to KingHDYS?: The fact that it’s largely unlovedOtB: I think I had a couple of weak chapters in there, particularly the last onePS: The fact that I had to cut it from the main narrative of OtB14) Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?This answer applies to all four: I wanted readers to get that this sort of shit is serious, and actually happens, and has long lasting effects. Recovery is a long, harsh road, and being supportive really fucking matters.

Okay, I hope I did that right. Thanks for the questions!! :)

#ask illyrilex #writing asks #kof #marionetteowl #my writing

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milkyetoile · 3 years

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here I am still dying because of Club Slazy. I'm screaming here bc why the heck not 😂 I've lost count of how many times I've rewatched bits and pieces of Luv Slazy II in the past few days.

if anyone is actually reading, pls note that there are spoilers for Luv Slazy II below this line!!! this is just me screaming about certain parts though so this is not a comprehensive summary

I have too many things to say??

like how this is where Zs disappears and Odds is called back to Slazy. it was kinda explained at the start of 4th, but the details hadn’t been clear to me and my limited understanding of Japanese until I watched Luv Slazy II.

and King!!! I didn’t even read the cast list properly before I watched so when he appeared, I just wanted to shout like Deep 抱いて～

my favorite parts were:

Deep and End mocking Cool Beans' cry for Bloom to return at the end of 3rd with the help of the badass live band. Ryo's exchange with the drummer, Izawa's air trombone, and CB's dying noises 🤣

The Curtain Song here was the full version!! I love the choreography and execution, obviously much improved from 2nd. This is probably my favorite version aside from the 2016 live version with V.P. and Reti. Nori was exceptional aaaaaaaa I miss watching him, I love Nori 😭

Odds and Reti meeting was just too hilarious and unexpected 😂😂😂

King's Midnight Parade. No explanation needed. Just death because Daichan's probably the Top Ace with the most overflowing 色気

Zs' shadow dancing Patient of Love bc Takeru is so amazing 😭❤️

Moshimo with King, Bloom, and Q holy shit my feels went out the window. Miura-sensei what was this foreshadowing?? I also need to appreciate Nori's harmonizing bless him. Is it obvious how much I love Nori? Because I adore him to bits until now.

Bloom repeating CB's "Q-chan!" and clinging to Q from behind??? I??? Am finished. Then he said 知らない、いらない〜 in such a cute way diwhlfnwlfjlwfbqlf hello? I would like to report a murder by Mokkun. Also the fact that Q didn't push him away and even raised his arms a bit to give Bloom space to cling??? It was so casually done. I am so dead. My OTP was shown this early on and it's fantastic. More foreshadowing 😂

In relation to this, how the fuck does Nori manage to stay in character amidst the chaos?? Keeping a straight face when your co-actors are doing comedy gold is fucking hard. Nori-sama, please teach me your ways. But then I prefer doing the comedy so. If I were to choose a role to act, it would probably be Deep 🤣

New Jack tarumono extended 🤣 I also loved the band joining in at the back with the original rules haha

Everyone's random antics during A to Z intro like wtf there was so much going on that every time I rewatched, I saw some interaction that I hadn't noticed earlier. Especially when Odds made CB lie down on the L box and CB not getting up until King started singing 🤣

The band solos!! They were so fucking cool!!! I wish there were studio recordings of the song arrangements here. Like Serenade with brass instrumentals instead of strings. Holy shit. They were just so good. *chef's kiss*

The final scene with Cool Beans, Bloom, and Q. Ohmygoooooood. The way Q said よろしくお願いしますね、代理トップエース I could not handle. And hearing the audience confused noises when Q laughed after since this was before the history between 8 and 9 was revealed. This was such a great ending hint like with the previous parts.

there were more bc honestly I loved the whole thing, which is not surprising as I am unashamedly Slazy trash.

anyway, I just needed to toss out my feels for this somewhere. pls feel free to scream at me about Slazy lmao

#Club Slazy #Luv Slazy II #butai

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italicwatches · 6 years

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Wanna be the Strongest in the World - Episode 12

Holy shit, last time. Just, holy shit. Let’s see if they can stick the landing. It’s the big finish, in Wanna be the Strongest in the World, episode 12! Here we GO!

-Start right where we left off, with Sakura in a vicious sleeper hold and trying to keep awake, when she goes unresponsive…!

-Opening!

-Episode Twelve: To the World!

-Elena keeps on the hold, as Sakura goes utterly limp…When Misaki slapping the mat snaps her awake! You’re not through yet, kid! A flash of adrenaline hits her and she’s up like a rocket, standing with Elena still hanging off her neck and shoulders! One hard drop manages to put them both flat on the mat and get Sakura free of the Spider’s Web…

-But with both of them so exhausted, the match just turns to big, messy throws, Elena managing to get a pin…A pin that Sakura forces her way out of, countering Elena in a move that she barely escapes…Only for Sakura to flip it back against her, slamming her into one of the corner posts and then giving her a ferocious jump-kick that sends her right over the ropes and to the ground! She hits hard, and finds Sakura looming above her, perched like some vicious predator atop the post…

-And she comes down on her hard, both of them left sprawled out just outside of the ring as everyone watches! The hype is unreal, the drama is overwhelming, and Jackal is eating this shit up. These two have an instinct for this, their story is for real…God, it makes you wish Elena hadn’t put her career on the line, because this rivalry could’ve put asses in seats for a generation…

-So they get back into the ring, where they’re both just exhausted enough that they’re too easy to get open, as Sakura eats a vicious series of throws, and gets her left leg put into another agonizing hold! Elena’s reading her, now, she can see the fire in Sakura, that core yearning to win that drove her here in the first place…It’s overwhelming, it’s awe-inspiring, but it’s that fire she has to snuff out!

-Sakura manages to get the rope, but Elena’s right back on her, picking her up to do a drop right onto her head! Sakura’s left upside down, forced to flail her way out of a pin…But with her left on the mat, Elena races for a corner post, going for an amazing leap…

-One that Sakura reads, and brings her legs up so Elena hits them hard. But not just Elena…The sheer force that it puts through Sakura’s legs puts her knee into agony. At this rate, there’s a very real chance she’ll cost herself both her careers by trying to protect this one… (Well, look on the bright side, Kanae could totally use an assistant and then we could do a season all about sports reporting and cute girls with cameras! …Okay that’s only really a bright side for me. Shut up.)

-So instead of it being a perfect counter, both of them end up actually rising at the same time…Elena eats a pin and escapes it, and both have to stop to recover…But it’s Sakura who rises up first from that one and starts pulling on her influences! She puts Elena through one of Rio’s specials, the Northern Lights Bomb! And she does it so smoothly that even Rio is fucking impressed, and do you have any idea how hard it is to impress a Rio type?

-Somehow, Elena manages to get out of it, but the moves keep coming, back and forth, back and forth…The crowd is going nuts, the cheers are wild, idol fans are being turned into wrestling fans live here on this stage…

-And then Sakura ducks down hard for the Somersault. One that she puts it ALL into…But it’s not done yet, either! Elena doesn’t take enough force to flip and eat the mat, so Sakura springs herself up onto the corner post, and while Elena’s still flat, Sakura comes down with a whirling, corkscrew drop into the PIN! One, two…

-THREE!!!!

-It’s OVER! The bell rings, and Sakura claims victory! She comboed out of her Somersault into a triple-twist press that put Elena down for the COUNT! It’s done, it’s decided, and the audience explodes into cheers, Kanae just has her camera shooting on full-auto bursts like a goddamned machine gun so she doesn’t lose a second of this…And off on the sidelines, Ryo is the only one seeing these two have some shit they need to sort out, and just the ring isn’t gonna be enough.

-But back in that ring, Sakura manages to rise, and helps Elena up in turn…But an honorable defeat, a failure of everything she was striving for, leaves Elena standing there quietly sobbing, unwilling to lose Sakura after everything…She’s left just begging, despite the terms put out, begging her longtime partner to come back to the stage, to come back to her! She’s only half a soul without Sakura there to fight with and against, she doesn’t know how to achieve her dreams without Sakura there…She NEEDS her!

-Everyone goes utterly silent…And then, the cheers start, as this heartfelt display of emotion has people taking Elena’s side…Especially when the rest of the core Sweet Diva crew show up…!

-And thus is their heartfelt plea, begging Sakura to return to them…And Sakura finds herself at a crossroads. There are two core groups of fans in this audience. The set that want Sakura to return to being an idol, and the set that have fallen in love with her as a wrestler. There are not enough hours in the day to do both, not if she wants to achieve either dream. No matter what she does, she breaks someone’s heart. Her friends from Berserk cry out to her in turn, wanting her to stay in the ring, to chase her dream of reaching the top…And through it all, the only one to really know what’s going through Sakura’s head, Misaki, stays silent…

-Up in the stands, Sakura’s longest-time core fans ask themselves what to do, looking to their most dedicated leader…And all he can say is that it has to be her decision. He won’t try to sway this girl who inspired him so much, because the only right answer is the one that comes from her heart!

-And that’s when the doors open…And Jackal Tojo steps down into the arena, a microphone in hand!

-The audience goes silent, and Jackal throws more shit into this, because she thinks Sakura proved herself…You don’t belong in the Japanese women’s wrestling circuit, Sakura, you belong in Shangri-La, wrestling women from all around the world! Come with her when she leaves this place, and make your world debut!

-God dammit Jackal.

-I know what you’re doing but god dammit Jackal.

-So yeah the audience is losing their fucking minds because now there’s three factions. The ones who want Sakura to go back to Sweet Diva. The ones who want to see Sakura rise up through Berserk and top the Japanese women’s wrestling circuit. And the ones who want to see her skip a grade and go up to the big leagues of Shangri-La.

-And through it all, Sakura is frozen…Because…She, she can’t just abandon everyone. No matter what she chooses, she hurts someone, and she can’t allow that. The one choice she can’t make right now, is Shangri-La. No matter how tempting it is, that means abandoning Sweet Diva and Berserk, and nothing is worth that. But, to wrestle or to sing…

-Jackal, thus, decides there’s only one answer…Stand at that center, Hagiwara Sakura! You’re an entertainer, a star, your heart is already fully devoted to putting on a grand show…So live it, breathe it, squeeze yourself dry to have enough to fill both vessels! She knows you, Sakura, and knows who and what you are. The choice was made the moment you fell in love with wrestling…There was no path for you but to find a way to stand atop two worlds, to become an ICON! The strongest wrestler, the most heartfelt idol, the queen of Japan’s culture is your fate…If you can become great enough to grasp it in your hand!

-And the audience goes WILD at the idea, cheering for her, chanting her name…And Elena, Elena wants to see Sakura do it. If anyone can, it’s her…

-Who the hell said anything about you getting out of this?

-Cue Juri, who’s made a decision. The Blue Panther retired this day…Not Miyazawa Elena. You’re nearly as good as Sakura, and your gap is entirely because of lack of time in the ring. You have the potential to both be world-class, and you proved yourself able to live the double-life. Represent Miyabi to the world! You would never have gotten this far here if you didn’t have the fire, the love for the ring…! You’re a pro in your heart!

-The only way they can do this, is together…Rivals and comrades across two worlds, each able to help the balance of the other…And Elena once again breaks into tears, as the audience chants her name, and Jackal whips them up into a frenzy…!

-So, they both face that impossibility…And grasp it with both hands! Two souls who love nothing more than to inspire those before them. Two who have fallen in love with the stage and the ring. Two who will live both lives, for as long as they possibly can…To become legends.

-And when Juri goes to take her leave…Misaki and Kanae are there. Three who once stood together, who have some long-standing issues to clear up themselves…

-But before that, Jackal brings in the Sweet Diva group, and they do the credits song and dance live right there for Sakura and Elena’s incredibly hype fanbase! Oh, and Moe’s pretty hype too, seeing how amazing her mentor truly is.

-Aftercredits! So several months later, it’s a brief shot of their life a few months later…Literally seconds after the curtains drop on a Sweet Diva show, Sakura and Elena are sprinting off to the arena a few blocks away, having a big match…And then their encore concert after that good god. But they’re somehow, making it work!

Well, I suppose there was only one way it could end…I don’t know how long Sakura and Elena can maintain that kind of lifestyle, but that’s bringing perhaps too much realism to a feel-good tatty-wrestling anime.

And in the end, this was definitely really fun. While of course it had to present wrestling as unscripted, because a story about scripted wrestling would be very different, it still got a lot of the…Heart, I guess, of that world across. Even if it perhaps sometimes spent too much time on women screaming while we zoom in on chests and groins.

But is it all over? Not quite yet! Tomorrow I’m gonna try and track down all the OVAs and burn through those…And then after that, well, I’ve got some big shows planned! Just you wait!

#where I watch #recap #anime #wrestling #wanna be the strongest in the world

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thesinglesjukebox · 7 years

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21 SAVAGE & METRO BOOMIN - NO HEART [7.29] Nothing wrong with that score though...

Joshua Copperman: Every time I've put "No Heart" on I've been riveted, and rarely skipped it. I've never been one to value authenticity over everything else, but I think that's what draws me to this particular song. There isn't even much to "No Heart" -- just sleepy delivery of lines like "young Savage, why you trappin' so hard?", and what's apparently a reference to a real killing that actually happened holy shit. It's difficult to imagine what must be going on in 21 Savage's head when he raps -- something like Max Rockatansky's hallucinations, I'm assuming. Metro Boomin does his best to capture it with that soundscape, and that's justice enough, but it's still hard to comprehend anything about Savage himself. This song has such a bizarre internal logic that I would almost compare it to Wesley Willis, though Savage is still more lucid. Other verses and songs I've heard from him are closer to generic trap, which is worrying, but I still find it hard to look away from this song in particular. In conclusion: Rock over London. Rock on, Chicago. [7]

Ryo Miyauchi: 21 gives threats with a stony coldness of a statue while Metro's equally chilly beat barely shows a pulse. It's not a lack of energy as much as it is a lack of humanity -- a remove from violence reminiscent to Chief Keef's. His heartless description of bloodshed is frightening, but what really runs a chill down my spine is his brief autobiography from 7th to 9th grade. Safety, dreams, ambition: the death of each turn 21's heart blacker and blacker. [8]

Iain Mew: No heart, no hope, and the doleful bell toll of the production makes carries through grimly and compellingly. [7]

Alfred Soto: Metro Boomin beats aren't infallible; they require performers who can fill the spaces between the percussive whirrs and clicks. Rasping and mumbling like an Isaiah Rashad without a single concession to likability or consensus, 21 Savage sketches a life of unrelenting grimness. It does go on a bit, the darkness at the edge of town all-pervasive. [7]

Jonathan Bradley: 21 Savage has some questions, some not worth answering (pass on discovering the real reason why he's pulling all these rapper's cards), and some of which enquiring minds really do want to know: why does he have a twelve-car garage? "No Heart" is an origin story for this up-and-comer, taking him from Cat in the Hat to Stuart Little to Nintendo to seventh grade gun-charges and a brief stint on the gridiron. Especially as smothered by Metro Boomin's typically languid beat, the drama is dulled by the recitation. I like the argument he has with an unidentified rival, which builds in intensity before Savage realizes he can't be bothered anyway: "fuck all that, ask your bitch how my dick tastes" is his intentionally lazy parting shot. His performance, however, is filled with effort, and I wonder why it doesn't pay off better. With his personality better established, he might find better use for his talents (there's a lot of weighing dope and designer label accessorizing in the gaps between his more creative images), but I wonder also if he might be the trap J. Cole: a rapper with some smart lines and none of the presence to sustain them. [6]

Anjy Ou: Savage delivers his lines with cool confidence and restraint, as if he almost couldn't be bothered with his haters, but there's a thin line that they're in danger of crossing and he's just reminding them where it is. Matched with Metro Boomin's hazy production, it's a chill track with a hint of danger lurking beneath it -- you can't afford to get too comfortable here, no matter how tempting. It's a walk along a knife's edge, but they do it skilfully. No wonder the internet loves this. [7]

Maxwell Cavaseno: One of my favorite debates I ever saw was occasional TSJ contributor Tara Hillegeist (one of my favorite current writers and a gem of a person) on the merits of deathmatch wrestler Nick Gage being the subject of a hypothetical film by Lars von Trier. A key concept mentioned was that Gage, a man who commits brutal acts of self-mutilation and reciprocates damage to a "combatant" who may do likewise to him, possessed a lack of self-awareness and shame when committing to this untenable way of life. He appeared, in many ways, like the void that threatens to consume protagonists for von Trier, or Rob Zombie's conception of evil, in that despite everything, he isn't broken; he breaks everything else. I don't enjoy the trope that rap producers (or any musical figure) should be beholden to auteur theory, but given a remarkable stretch of work this decade, I could recognize Metro Boomin's ability to complement the subjects for whom he provides trappings presents 21 Savage's cruelty in the way von Trier might present Gage. The greater irony is both subjects often remain for people blessed by internet voyeurism's eternal hunt for new fantastic curiosa, proven by Vice documenting deathmatches and trappers with equally perverse detachment. Perhaps they thought they kept their audiences safe from the undesirables who actually consider these people who thrive in the cruelty their personal champions and give the absurdity of their subjects a "freak appeal." But while the sadomasochistic shock and awe of those deathmatches remain fringe, the maudlin notes of "No Heart" have become a particular anthem for those looking to drape themselves in unmistakable malice to a frightening turn to power in such a dark time. To turn another phrase from Hillgeist, "No Heart" is a song that lets you know that "the wolf is never far from your door." [9]

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#21 Savage #Metro Boomin #No Heart #TSJ Best of 2017

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recentanimenews · 7 years

Text

My Week in Manga: January 9-January 15, 2017

My News and Reviews

Last week at Experiments in Manga I posted the Bookshelf Overload for December. It includes a pretty big list of things, in part due to massive holiday sales, so hopefully future months won’t be quite as ridiculous. Another thing that happened last week that was kind of cool was related to a post that I wrote back in 2014. My Spotlight on Masaichi Mukaide is probably one of the most noteworthy things that I’ve ever written and it actually got quite a bit of attention when I posted it. Well, Masaichi Mukaide himself apparently came across it recently and even left a comment.

Probably the biggest manga news from last week was the slew of licenses and other announcements made by Seven Seas. Here’s the list of manga:

Absolute Duo by Takumi Hiiragiboshi and Shinichirou Nariie Alice & Zouroku by Tetsuya Imai Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage by Leiji Matsumoto and Kouichi Shimahoshi The Count of Monte Cristo by Moriyama Ena Cutie Honey a Go Go! by Hideaki Anno and Shinpei Itou Devilman G by Go Nagai and Rui Takatou Dragon Half by Ryusuke Mita Hatsune Miku: Bad End Night by Hitoshizuku-P x Yama and Tsubata Nozaki Hatsune Miku Presents: Hachune Miku’s Everyday Vocaloid Paradise by Ontama Magical Girl Special Ops Asuka by Makoto Fukami and Seigo Tokiya Sleeping Beauty by Yumi Unita Spirit Circle by Satoshi Mizukami The Testament of Sister New Devil Storm by Tetsuto Uesu and Fumihiro Kiso Unmagical Girl by Ryuichi Yokoyama and Manmaru Kamitsuki Wadanohara and the Great Blue Sea by Mogeko

Seven Seas is getting back into translating novels and has a deluxe edition of Ryo Mizuno’s Record of the Lodoss War: The Grey Witch with illustrations by illustrations by Yutaka Izubuchi in the works, too. Also announced was a full-color edition of Madeleine Rosca’s Hollow Fields and five more illustrated literary classics. (I found Seven Seas release of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass to be quite enjoyable.)

It’s a pretty interesting group of announcements with a fairly wide range of titles to choose from. There’s even a manga from the late ’80s (Dragon Half), and not many of those are licensed any more. I’m particularly curious about Moriyama Ena’s adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo (the cover art is gorgeous), the josei manga Sleeping Beauty by Yumi Unita (whose Bunny Drop left me with extremely conflicted feelings), as well as the number of titles which are part of classic franchises.

Quick Takes

Devils’ Line, Volumes 1-2 by Ryo Hanada. I actually didn’t realize it at first, but Devils’ Line is the second work by Hanada to be released in English. The first was the doujinshi Good-bye Geist which overall I enjoyed. However, Devils’ Line is Hanada’s first professional series. In general, I’m liking it, too, except that the artwork is terribly inconsistent. At times it’s absolutely spectacular (the cover illustrations are especially great) but within a few panels it may have lost all sense of scale an anatomy. I can’t quite tell if this is mean to be deliberate or not; if so, the execution is unconvincing. The story isn’t as tight as it could be, but it does have a nice blend of genres, including romance, horror, action, crime, and thriller. And, like Good-bye Geist, the series has a marvelously ominous atmosphere. The plot centers around Tsukasa, who unfortunately seems to be a magnet for both vampires (or “devils”) and sexual assault, and Anzai, a half-vampire working for the police in a unit specializing in devil-related incidents. Vampirism in Devils’ Line has an intensely sexual component to it; the eroticism often associated with vampires in other stories is in this case incredibly dark and violent.

The Ghost and the Lady, Volume 2 by Kazuhiro Fujita. Admittedly, The Ghost and the Lady is kind of a strange manga series. In part historical fiction and in part supernatural drama, the manga’s disparate elements don’t always perfectly mesh, but I still enjoyed the series a great deal. In The Ghost and the Lady, Fujita mixes together historical facts and legends, reimagining the life of Florence Nightingale and her accomplishments during the Crimean War with a distinctly supernatural flair. It’s clear that Fujita has done a tremendous amount of research for the series; and as the afterword by the series’ translator Zack Davisson points out, more or less every named character in the manga has a historical counterpart. There’s Nightingale herself as well as the people she knew, Grey is based on a famous ghost of the Drury Lane theater, and even historical figures like the Chevalier d’Éon have prominent roles to play. (Speaking of whom, I really need to find a good biography of d’Éon to read.) Despite the presence of the ghosts, the supernatural aspects of The Ghost and the Lady seem to come and go; I do wish that the eidolons had been utilized a little more in the series’ second half because it’s great when they are.

Holy Corpse Rising, Volume 1 by Hosana Tanaka. As can be safely assumed by provocative cover art, Holy Corpse Rising is a manga series that includes a fair amount of nudity and scantily clad women. However, despite the occasional ridiculousness, the fanservice is largely keeping with the style and tone of the series as a whole, so it doesn’t feel out-of-place; a significant portion of Holy Corpse Rising is intended to be titillating. In general, Tanaka’s artwork is quite attractive, though the women in the series are the most beautiful. They’re also by far the most powerful characters, both in ability and status. The first volume of Holy Corpse Rising serves as an introduction to the war between the Credic Church and the witches. Nikola, a monk who is a specialist in witch lore, is charged with securing the aid of the coven of first witches in the Church’s fight against their descendants. But first Nikola must resurrect them and in the process manages to put himself in some rather compromising situations. So far the first witches each seem to gain their power from a different bodily fluid (tears, blood). And since there are twelve of them, Holy Corpse Rising has the potential to enter some pretty kinky territory.

The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg. I don’t recall exactly what it was that brought The One Hundred Nights of Hero to my attention, but I’m so glad that I read it because it is marvelous; I loved the comic. Greenberg takes inspiration from existing stories and even provides retelling of folktales over the course of the graphic novel. The framework is deliberately similar to that of One Thousand and One Nights and there are stories within stories within stories. In fact, The One Hundred Nights of Hero is about the power of stories and storytellers. It’s also about love and “brave women who don’t take shit from anyone.” At the center of the comic is Cherry and her maid Hero, two women who love each other dearly. Night after night, Hero spins tale after tale in an effort to save their lives. The world of The One Hundred Nights of Hero is an incredibly misogynistic one. While different from our own, in some ways it is also tragically reminiscent. The One Hundred Nights of Hero isn’t always particularly subtle and can at times feel somewhat heavy-handed, but it’s a wonderfully powerful and unabashedly feminist work. I definitely plan on seeking out more of Greenberg’s comics.

Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto. Despite being an extremely prolific author and one of the most well-known Japanese novelists translated in English, I haven’t actually read any of Yoshimoto’s works until now. The story of Moshi Moshi is told from the first-person perspective of Yoshie, a young woman whose father has recently died. A successful musician, the circumstances surrounding his death are somewhat unclear, but it’s believed that he committed double suicide with a woman who neither she or her mother knows. The novel follows Yoshie as she tries to come to terms with the unexpected loss of her father by reinventing her life in the chic neighborhood of Shimokitazawa. Her mother joins her there, feeling that the ghost of her husband is haunting the family home, and Yoshie herself is plagued with recurring dreams in which her father appears, searching for his phone. Though Moshi Moshi does tend to drag a little in places, I really liked how Yoshimoto handles the themes of love, loss, and the inevitability of change in the novel. I suspect that Moshi Moshi likely isn’t the best introduction to Yoshimoto’s work, but for the most part I did appreciate it.

By: Ash Brown

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf

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thesinglesjukebox · 7 years

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SOULWAX - MISSING WIRES [5.29] 2 many years away?

Alfred Soto: Released a dozen years ago, this compendium of bass synth and squeals and diffident vocals might have impressed Holy Ghost! Turns out it's been that long since Soulwax released an album. [5]

Tim de Reuse: Soulwax's dramatic return to the album format after 12 years of gargantuan, back-to-back live shows and the compilation of a 24-hour mashup megamix is strangely restrained; on this bouncy lead single they explicitly refuse to let anything really happen. They show off some very expensive-sounding analogue synths and a few nice grooves and then politely step out of the room in observation of some unspoken tenet of Belgian dance-rock purity. It all sounds positively delicious -- these guys are still some of the best-sounding producers out there -- and I have to respect their refusal to really build into anything grandiose, but there's a whole lot more garnish than there is meat. Also unfortunate: since their last batch of original music their lyrics haven't gotten any less stilted, and the rhyme between "truth" and "truce" walks a very fine line between charmingly obtuse and just plain ugly. [7]

Edward Okulicz: Soulwax once wrote really good pop songs, now they just dance around them. As a band they're still stuck between their guitars and their turntables and not quite able to pick a side and commit, and as such, the major flaw of their last album, Any Minute Now, is repeated here. Lots of cool noises, but I miss those big catchy choruses enlivened by Stephen Dewaele's sour delivery; this is formless and sprawling which works well in a dance track, but they don't play it as a dance track, it's like an empty rock song that doesn't quite work. Bet the remixes are good though, because I would definitely listen to a Nite Versions version of this. [5]

Maxwell Cavaseno: The myth of "dance/indie" is one of the strangest persisting ones in music. This alternate world that once overwhelmed reality: a place where losers did the awkward pilgrim 2-step in shitty loft parties across the world to unfunky tunes so persistently obsessed with their funkiness that were best suited for Premium Channel TV Series scores. Soulwax, creators of the only unlistenable early Klaxons remix, are one of those acts who were stalwarts of that era and as per usual this shit is boring me to tears and has not advanced because they're a group who are stunted. They do not acknowledge what's really going on in dance, nor do they work on developing any of their (supposed) unique characteristics. No, they're just gonna stick with the same cowardice they and their peers all reek of. [4]

Will Rivitz: Soulwax's style of industrial electro-rock, at best, uses its mechanization and quantization to sound alive, machines getting down in such an odd and jarring way that they approximate the oddness and jarringness of actual dancing. This song is robotic and steely, but it's so straightforwardly artificial that there's little by way of life. It's the sound of a factory running smoothly, not one going haywire -- and Soulwax needs that chaos. [5]

Ryo Miyauchi: "The world's a mess, so I'm gonna create something new to better it!" has been a conceit better explored in a span of an album than the compact length of a pop single for Soulwax, and it's true here: the patience in the bass lines of "Missing Wires" works more as an anchoring motif few songs down the line. Though, the difference here is that Soulwax in the past was nowhere this careful -- a blessing in disguise that has made for some of the best moments during one trashy decade. And with so much care to their next steps, they make it sound like a chore to create music. [4]

Iain Mew: The most I've ever enjoyed a record while being predominately occupied by its stereo seperation. [7]

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#Soulwax #Missing Wires

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