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dreamkidddream · 3 years

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hello!

can i request a hc on being best friends with dazai, chūya, oda and akutagawa (platonic and separate) and also maybe being in the pm or ada? thank you! :)

My first BSD request! When I tell you I fell in LOVE with the anime, omg. I binge watched the entire show and the movie within a couple days and can’t wait till they release more! So in these hc’s, I focused on both how you guys became friends and what you guys would do as best friends. Also, Akutagawa’s part got kinda long and more focused on how you guys became friends, hope that’s okay. Reader is gender neutral and hope you enjoy! Also after posting this, I saw that these got realllyy long. Hope that’s okay too!

Possible TW: mention of suicide, but nothing too heavy, and it’s in Dazai’s part

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2/DARK ERA ARC (I think it’s episode 13-16 if I’m not wrong, but if you haven’t watched it yet, skip Oda’s part)

Being Best Friends with Dazai, Chūya, Akutagawa and Oda HCs

Dazai

Can you say CHAOTIC ENERGY

Imagine just having a nonstop sugar rush

Actually, remember how he was after eating the mushrooms? That’s the kind of energy y’all radiate together

If you’re both in the ADA, you both goof off so much that you have to sit at separate desks alll the way on the other side of the room so that you can try to get your work done

The keyword being try

It doesn’t work

Poor Kunikida is going to pop a blood vessel at any second and everyone is so used to now that nothing even surprises them anymore

Oh, Kunikida is yelling at Dazai and (y/n) with smoke practically coming out of his ears? What else is new

Always going to the little cafe to slack off too

Messing with Atsushi also the highlight of both of your guys day

You guys have a mini competition going on which is: who can get/convince Atsushi to do their reports the most without getting caught?

You both get caught all the time (duh). Kunikida foams at the mouth for tricking poor Atsushi and the poor sap himself is ready to pass out

If you guys are both in the PM, imagine goofing and slacking off but on a darker scale

“Hey (Y/N)! Wanna know how many bones are exactly in the human body? ”

“Hm, I’m slightly disgusted but intrigued..continue.”

Also, pranking Chūya any chance you can get

You and Dazai together = the bane of Chūya’s existence

Surprisingly, no matter in the ADA or PM you don’t join him on the suicide attempts and you try to deter him from doing it in your presence at least

“Dazai, do you mind not trying to drown yourself in the river while we’re working a case? Besides, you already tried it before and it’s a pretty stale method.”

Cue dramatic gasps and antics from him again

He did try to convince you to join when you first met him, but changed his mind overtime when he started to enjoy your company

He’s smart enough to know what you’re saying, and he understands. At first, he wanted to leave this world by any means, but since you came into his life as once of the closest people to him since Oda, he perhaps doesn’t want to leave you just yet

He doesn’t stop the attempts but he does slow down on them

You still have to pretty much save him all the time still though

“Oh (Y/N)! My hero of a best friend, what would I do without you?”

And he wasn’t lying. He feel like he would be lost again if it wasn’t for you to help him keep grounded. Sure, you guys may create chaos together, but he would always keep you safe no matter what. He would put his life before yours, because you deserved it

You’re his best friend after all, and he’s not ready to lose you by any means if he can help it

And he’ll always have your back 100%

Chūya

Drinking buddies!

I mean seriously, you guys have left the bar or restaurants way past tipsy more than once

You guys definitely have impromptu fashion trips together (no matter how much he denies liking them)

“Hey! That was my last good vest! You’re buying me a new one, and I’m going with you to make sure you’re not being cheap with it either.”

Chūya if you just wanna spend some time together just say that lmao

If you’re in the PM, you guys are always working together. You might even be an executive working alongside him, but no matter what you guys are always on missions with one another

If you’re in the ADA: you guys bonded over Dazai. You were complaining about him while facing Chūya and he happened to agree and add on to the complaints

Boy was he holding onto some grudges

While you both understand that you have your own obligations and loyalties to worry about, it didn’t stop the friendship from growing

If you do have to fight him, he doesn’t go easy on you (he does have a job to do like you) but he doesn’t go out the way to try and kill you either

And you don’t let anyone try to kill him either

Low key turns into a competition

“You fight like an 86 year-old shortstuff!”

“Who are you calling shortstuff?! You weren’t saying that last time when I whooped your ass!”

Regardless, you definitely become like a diary to him, especially after you find out about Arahabiki (which he tells you about over time)

You make him feel human, and he’s forever grateful for that

Being best friends with Chūya can be difficult at times (if you’re on opposite sides) but regardless, you both look out for each other

No matter how annoying you are can be, Chūya cares for you. You’re one of the only people that he doesn’t have to worry about betraying him (what happened with The Sheep still gets to him from time to time)

He begrudgingly calls you his best friend, but never in front of you or other people because 1. If he did you would never shut up about it and 2. he doesn’t want to be seen as “weak” or “soft”

And 3. you don’t need to be put into anymore danger than you’re already in

But you already know that you’re his best friend, cause he’s yours and nothing is changing that

“You’ll be a dumbass if you think I’ll let anything happen to you. Besides, the only person who’s allowed to kick my best friend’s ass is me, and if anyone else tries to they’ll have to deal with me!”

“*GASP* you’re finally admitting that I’m your best friend?!”

“DON’T RUIN THE DAMN MOMENT (Y/N)!”

Akutagawa

Oh man, being his best friend is like a hard to unlock achievement

Congrats (Y/N) on even getting close to this man, let alone enough to build a bond

It’s easier on being friends with Akutagawa if you’re in the PM. Bonus points if you go on missions all the time

But I will say if you are in the ADA, the easiest way to bond with him is to show that you are a force to be wrecking with, and maybe if you hate Atsushi or something too lol

But: think of Pinky and the Brain, but with Aku threatening to kill you every day (spoiler alert: he never does)

The only way that I can see you guys building your friendship is if he sees you in action and how you constantly have his back

He hates it because he knows what he’s doing and he’s been doing it for a while. He’s not an incompetent child (Y/N)!

But as time passes, he slowly gets over it. Don’t get me wrong, he still claims that he hates you asking if he’s okay and telling to “watch out” and things of that nature. But he starts to realize that you know what you’re doing too, and that he also sees that you care about the other subordinates too

He still sees if a sign of weakness, but you came to the realization that he wasn’t purposely doing it to be an ass (but don’t get me wrong, he still has his moments) but that he truly didn’t understand. He never had someone show him that they care for him, and it made you heartbroken

So, you made it your own personal goal to become his friend. And he hated it

At first

It seemed like wherever he was, you were there like his shadow. Going to hunt someone down that didn’t pay his debt? You were there in the background. Walking with Gin to the dry cleaners? You were already there, holding their readied clothes. Going to try and kill the weretiger? You were waiting for him with the car ready to go.

Higuichi started to hate you, until you told her that you did not want him. You just saw that he needed a friend, and you even came to an agreement of sorts. Once you and Akutagawa become strictly friends, you could try and hook them up

You knew it wasn’t happening anytime soon but you didn’t want to crush her dream and you didn’t want a target on your head

You really had to pat yourself on the back, (Y/N). It took some time, but you finally did it! Akutagawa didn’t totally hate you anymore!

You came to this conclusion after one of your missions went south. Not only did you not get the information that Mori needed, but you came back with a bullet wound. Granted you got reprimanded, and after you got out the meeting, he was waiting outside. For you

“Maybe if you would stop acting so careless and focus on the mission, then you would have both succeeded and came back uninjured. It’s obvious that you need someone to watch over you like a child. Don’t embarrass me or I will end you myself.”

Shocked wasn’t the word. He was going to accompany you on all your missions now? Oh wow, is he finally-

“Stop standing there with your mouth open like an idiot (Y/N). You’re bleeding all over the place. Come, so that someone can dress your wound. We have more work now that I have to go behind and clean up your mess. And you’ll be coming with me, so hurry up.”

You smiled. Even though this bullet wound was hurting like hell, you were happy. Happy that, even in his own Akutagawa way, that he was starting to accept you and your friendship.

It would take a while for you to become best friends, but the way your partnership is now, you were fine with that. As long as he knew that someone was standing in his corner no matter what, you were happy.

And he would support you too, in his own Akutagawa way

Oda

(AGAIN: SPOILER ALERT FOR SEASON 2/DARK ERA ARC. SKIP ODA’S PART IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED IT)

Okay, this man is loyal no matter what

He has a good head on his shoulders, he’s understanding, doesn’t have a crazy temper like some people do, and he doesn’t kill anymore

Oda would be one of the best people to be best friends with

I personally believe that it doesn’t matter whether you’re in the ADA or the PM, he only cares about what type of person you are.

Curry buddies!

Also, just imagine telling each other book recommendations and just talking about books in general

You would even look at some of the writing he did have and just UGH

He just wanted to be a writer he deserved a happy ending

If you’re in the ADA, you guys met at the little curry spot he likes so much

You were on a case local to the area when you stopped to grab a bite to eat. You saw him eating the spiciest curry you ever smelt (seriously, you could smell it from where you were sitting!) without making a single face

When he saw you just gaping at him, he was...very confused. Until you finally asked how the hell he was eating that with no issues

“It’s not that bad, it’s pretty good really. If you want to try some I’ll pay for it.”

You took him up on the offer, cause it did look really good. And you have never made a bigger mistake than that

You had to drink so much milk afterwards

And the cook was damn near laughing in tears at you and Oda managed to crack a small smile at your exaggeration

“It’s not that bad.”

“WHAT- *COUGHCOUGH* EVER”

And that was the start of your wonderful friendship

He definitely is worried about the conflict of interest because of being in the PM himself and working directly with one of the most vicious executives to ever exist

Seriously, Dazai was still his friend but damn could he do some things that even he couldn’t stomach

And he couldn’t imagine what Mori would make him do if he found out he was being buddy buddy with the enemy

So he kept his distance at first until you saw the kids. His guard was up at first but when he saw how you interacted with them, it melted his heart (on the inside, he was still stone faced on the outside)

So you guys met up a couple of times each month in between jobs and missions

If you’re in the PM, you worked alongside him and related to his stance on not killing anymore. Granted, you both were working on the other side of justice, but if you guys could help it you wouldn’t create bodies if it didn’t have to be any

If you guys weren’t meeting at the curry spot, you were meeting about Bar Lupin

You supported him through and through, especially with his dream of becoming a writer. You even went out to the bookstore a couple of times to try and inspire him to write something for you to read

It didn’t matter if you were in the ADA or the PM, you encouraged him to follow his dream. And when he would look at you confused , and asked why you were doing this, you would always reply:

“I wouldn’t be a good best friend if I didn’t tell you to follow your dreams, now would I? You deserve it, Oda. You’re a good man, and that can’t be said about a lot of people, especially people in the Port Mafia.”

He really did care for you, and in his last final moments before Dazai got there, he thought about you, and how terrible he felt for leaving you behind.

He wanted you to know that he always appreciated you. You reassured him always, never doubting him, and there wouldn’t be enough thanks in the world for that

When you found out about his death, you were devastated. You didn’t want to believe it at first and you kept blaming yourself that maybe you could’ve convinced him more to leave the dangerous life behind and to pursue his dreams

Until you found a letter in your door, which was actually a short story written by him attached to a letter.

“Thank you for being the best friend a man could ask for. I will always appreciate you (Y/N), no amount of words can tell you how much I will. Thank you for letting me live out my dream, even if it was for a short time.”

It really confirmed it when Dazai arrived outside to tell you Oda’s fate, but he stopped once he saw you crying and clutching the letter in your hand

Much time has passed, and Oda’s death still haunts you. But, you continue to live for the both of your sakes. You even try to eat the spiciest curry at restaurants in his memory, but you can just see him shaking his head and cracking a small smile at your silliness

And you also remember his motto: limit to one curry meal per day (it’s silly, but it makes you feel better because it’s his silly motto and how serious he took it)

You even start to read more (and to specific, the series that he wanted to finish)

You see your life in brighter eyes now because of Oda. He was- actually still is- your best friend, and you will continue to live on in his memory

You just hate that you didn’t have the time to tell him how much you appreciated him being in your life, and how much of a positive influence he’s been as your best friend.

But that’s okay, because you think he already knows how much you do

#dazai x reader #bsd #bsd x reader #chuya x reader #bsd reader insert #akutagawa x reader #oda x reader #odasaku x reader #bsd odasaku #bsd dazai #bsd akutagawa #bsd chuuya #bsd chuuya x reader #bungou stray dogs x reader #bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs imagines #bungou stray dogs drabbles #bungou stray dogs headcannons #chuuya x reader

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chouetteffraie · 4 years

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The Inherent Romanticism of Headpats - Why Ship Dazatsu

I was scrolling through the dark corners of bsd tumblr and came across a few “Why I Ship (blank)” posts and thought I’d like to try and articulate my unending love for dazatsu in a similar fashion! Please note that I am in no way trying to steal the spotlight from other ships or trying to claim that dazatsu is “better” - it’s just my favorite and I wanna talk about them! Also, I physically cannot talk about them without a shipper’s bias - I’ve had them in my heart since like late 2016. This is ingrained into my spirit.

So, without further ado, let’s talk about why I ship dazatsu (and why you should too). yes i’m kidding about that last part.

warning for manga spoilers and headers that would make amazing fic titles. tag me if you use one. manga pictures taken from dazaiscans and easygoingscans.

1. The Promise to be Good

hehehe let’s start with maybe the most obvious one that is, arguably, the most canon fact about these two. Just because I choose to view it as romantic doesn’t mean it IS - but it is certainly a beautiful aspect of their relationship and yes it makes me soft every time I think about it.

We all know Dazai’s past and what inspired him to make the switch from the Port Mafia to the side that saves people - Odasaku. No matter what you say, it’s obvious that Oda and Dazai have a very close, meaningful relationship - and arguably, Odasaku had the biggest impact (and the most importance?) in Dazai’s life. When Oda told Dazai to leave the Port Mafia, to go make something beautiful with his life - he did. And it’s those words alone that keep him motivated to stay in his job and help protect the city - because he loves it, maybe, but because someone he loves urged him to.

Dazai, despite what his strange poetry may make you believe, is only human. As much as those words mean to him, he gets discouraged.

Along comes Atsushi, the starving tiger boy by the river. Atsushi is an orphan parallels to oda saving the orphans already, and he was in dire need of someone to save him. So, Dazai did. Whether it was because of the tiger or Odasaku’s last words, Dazai saved Atsushi and gave him life. He provided food, shelter, a means to provide for himself - even companionship. Everything Atsushi has, it started with Dazai picking him up off the riverbed and lugging him along. What’s more, Dazai didn’t just turn him over to somebody else - he presented a case to Fukuzawa to keep him and serves as his mentor. Further along in the canon story, he provides Atsushi with the emotional guidance that he needs (Portrait of a Father, anyone? Let’s cry over that for a second.) He doesn’t just give Atsushi a moment’s care - he helps him build himself up, he supports him, and together, they protect the people of Yokohama.

Atsushi is living, breathing proof that Dazai is living up to his promise to be a good man. Even better, he seems to be perfectly happy with confirming that yes, Dazai is good, whenever Dazai needs it.

In this way, they complete each other. They provide a source of comfort that nobody else has been able to. Atsushi is Dazai’s proof that he is doing the one thing he wants to do, more than anything - be what Odasaku wanted.

2. You Saved Me, We Save Each Other

Keeping that in mind, Atsushi is sort of Dazai’s reward for being good. Now, I’m not implying Dazai is owed Atsushi at all - to an extent, you could argue Atsushi is maybe even too good for Dazai. But Dazai is trying to be a good man, and Atsushi is the one who tells him and reaffirms his efforts and gives him that praise, that recognition, that reward for being good. Dazai’s main inspiration to stay on the light(er) side is Odasaku - but that doesn’t mean that Atsushi can’t become another huge driving force that makes Dazai want to stay on that path. Oda motivates him, gives him the reason to start. Atsushi can be the prize that makes trying worth it when he tends to forget.

Atsushi saves Dazai. He saves him from his self-doubt, and from the world that gives him every reason to believe he has failed in his promise. If anything, that promise might be Dazai’s strongest lifeline. By reinforcing the line, Atsushi is saving Dazai.

And of course, Dazai saves Atsushi. He did literally save him by the river, and he helps teach Atsushi how to Not Die by virtue of being his mentor, but it’s more than that. Dazai has been the one to save Atsushi from his own mind time and time again. He provides a reason for Atsushi to believe he has (or is) earned/earning the right to live. Atsushi isn’t entirely over his desire to prove himself worthy - but Dazai is always the one to tell him that he has succeeded in his goal. Dazai is the one to say “You’ve proven yourself. You deserve the life you’re living.”

3. You Learn Something New Every Day

As Atsushi’s mentor, Dazai naturally teaches Atsushi things. But beyond the simple strategic battlefield lessons, Dazai has been there for Atsushi multiple times to help him address and begin to overcome his trauma. Sure, some efforts are worse than the others (dazatsu stans just wipe our memories of the train station scene and that’s valid and sexy of us i think.) But in times when Atsushi is clearly distressed, Dazai has been there to help him through it. He’s helped Atsushi sort through his grief, and he’s helped Atsushi start to see that his feelings are valid and that he’s allowed to live a fulfilling life.

Atsushi isn’t the only one learning, though! That’s one of the best parts of the ship - Atsushi teaches Dazai, too. Dazai has spent a long time feeling as though nobody will understand him intimately, or as deeply as Odasaku did. But Atsushi is getting there. He’s one of the closest to it, I think. From saying things like Dazai is a good man, to picking up on Dazai’s feelings at Oda’s grave in Dead Apple, and even the end scene when Dazai asked Atsushi directly if he thought he was a good person and Atsushi said without hesitation “Sure, why?” Atsushi teaches Dazai that he is human. He teaches Dazai that he is capable of feeling and forming close, intimate connections. They help the other learn about the areas they need to, and in both cases, they’re becoming patient teachers and prized pupils.

4. I’ll Listen When Nobody Else Will

Everybody knows how Dazai is often brushed off when talking about dying. People have brought up that the agency just has faith in his resilience, but that doesn’t meant that they aren’t acting without care towards Dazai. Atsushi does this too - in the very first episode, Dazai’s attempt at suicide is just taken with him being exasperated at his antics before pushing him down. But here’s the thing - it’s generally agreed upon that Atsushi is the one who is sent out to find Dazai. Atsushi is the one who knows where to find him. Arguably, Atsushi is the one that will listen to Dazai. He’s becoming the one who can not only pick apart Dazai’s mannerisms and slightest tells - he isn’t proficient, but he’s working on it - but he’s the one that treats them with care.

I’ve spent a lot of time noting similarities between the understanding Atsushi has of Dazai to the understanding Dazai’s truest friend had to him. Here’s one thing that separates Oda from Atsushi, and for me, it’s one of the major reasons why I personally ship one more than the other: Odasaku didn’t push Dazai the way Atsushi does. Both Oda and Atsushi have a way of laying out a field for Dazai to talk and bounce his thoughts off of, no matter how cryptically they come out. But Atsushi asks questions, he prods at the darkest corners of Dazai and he allows Dazai to question himself so he can continue to grow. Where Oda gave Dazai a place to feel comfortable in where he was, Atsushi gives Dazai a space to feel comfortable as he grows, which is what he needs in order to continue being a good man.

And please note, this isn’t me saying dazatsu or Atsushi is better than odazai or Odasaku. What I mean to say is this is where the difference lies, and Atsushi gives Dazai what he needs now - something he might not have needed without Odasaku’s urging to leave.

5. Guiding Light

When two characters are each other’s north star, where is there not romance? Dazai is very much Atsushi’s main source of guidance, a side effect of being his mentor for sure - but it’s more than just asking questions. Their relationship runs deep into Atsushi’s train of thought, to the point where Atsushi hallucinates Dazai’s presence when he feels uncertain. Any time Atsushi needs guidance or reassurance, he looks to Dazai.

This is more shipper goggle-y, but I like to believe Atsushi does the same for Dazai. I’ve said over and over again that above all else, Atsushi is Dazai’s proof that he is being good. I also like to think that Atsushi, in a way, is a ray of light for Dazai to follow. He’s selfless (although for some reasons that deserve to be readjusted), he’s kind, and he loves life - all life. He’s a sunbeam in action that provides a perfect example for what Dazai could be and is trying to be - and if this light is happy with keeping Dazai close, maybe there’s hope for him after all.

6. What Makes Life Worth Living

Atsushi and Dazai are opposites in once major aspect: Atsushi has a sort of reverence for life, whereas Dazai craves to escape it. These are two major points of their characters - but here’s the kicker. Dazai wants to get close to human emotion. He wants to understand what makes life worth living. Atsushi is quite possibly the strongest candidate to show him what he can do and how loving life can help. I’m not saying that Atsushi is Dazais’ fix-it-all elixir, but he has a good chance to gently prod at Dazai and get him thinking.

Atsushi can show Dazai what makes life worth living. And that’s something that I think would do Dazai a world of good.

7. Can I Change for the Better?

ATSUSHI! INSISTS! DAZAI! IS! GOOD! I will not ever diminish this point because it is so important! Dazai seems to have it in his head that his blood is mafia black, that he can play the charade of a good man but will never be more than an actor playing a part. Atsushi, though - Atsushi is constantly telling him that he is good. Atsushi, who probably couldn’t keep up a lie for that long because the poor boy has zero tact. Dazai even asks Atsushi frequently if he’s a good person, and Atsushi always says yes. Atsushi gives Dazai what he needs to hear.

Atsushi, however, has his own issues. He has his own trauma to tackle, and his own bad habits to reform to become a better person. Atsushi isn't’ a bad person, but he also isn’t the best version of himself. Dazai can help him become that. Dazai can give him the guidance he needs, as he did with sorting through his grief surrounding the headmaster. Dazai can help Atsushi start the battle against his past, and he has been there with him every step of the way, whether in body or spirit. They help each other be better.

8. I Trust You With What I Love Most

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again - the toast they added to the end of season 3 is one of the most tender moments Dazai has ever had with anybody. One thing Dazai never does is let people in on his past - not past the necessary details, anyway, and especially not the intimate moments he holds in his heart. But sharing that toast with Atsushi - inviting him in to the toast he shared with Oda and Ango, “To the stray dogs,” - it’s one of his most vulnerable times on screen. I don’t care what you say. Dazai deliberately letting Atsushi in, giving him this tiny piece of his past he’s had tucked away in a safe place - that was him offering up a piece of his heart. I’m soft just thinking about it again.

Other than that, Dazai has an enormous faith in Atsushi. He’s built entire plans trusting that Atsushi will do his job perfectly the way it needs to be done. Hell, towards the end of the Guild arc, it was his faith in Atsushi to bring the doll down to him that convinced Twain they were beat. Not to mention, Dazai has trusted Atsushi enough to form a new partnership without him in order to protect the city - and if that’s not one of the most blatant displays of trust and faith you’ve seen, I don’t know what is.

9. There’s a Softness Within Me I Didn’t Know I Had

Another thing that’s good for Dazai - Atsushi is comfortable. Dazai can let his guard down, just a tiny bit, around Atsushi, There was the graveyard scene in Dead Apple, or the toast scene at the end of season 3 - those are moments where Atsushi has given himself a moment to relax and show Atsushi how proud he is. This kind of emotion, this vulnerability that says ‘I’ve been hoping you’d pull through and look at how amazing you’ve become’ - there’s a softness that holds that Dazai doesn’t hold for anybody else. It’s a gentleness or pride, of trust, of somebody becoming more than you could ever imagine and coming back to you, even thanking you - it’s a sensation nobody else has given Dazai, because nobody else has been a protege as trustworthy and gentle as Atsushi.

(and, believe me, there’s a hundred other examples of the softness in the anime, manga, official art, and so much more. here’s a thread that you can still add to if you want)

Atsushi is also soft with Dazai. He wants to make him proud, sure, but there isn’t any fear once their job is done. Atsushi doesn’t have to fear horrible repercussions if he makes one misstep - Dazai allows him to learn, to grow, and to feel however he seems fit (or, it’s a skill he’s improving at as the series goes on.)

They give each other a safety to feel vulnerable. They are comfortable to each other. And, of course, they have a special softness for the other that they do not hold for anybody else.

10. My Mistakes are the Cracks You Have a Knack for Fixing

Again, Atsushi is always there to reassure Dazai that he can be a good man. One part of this is that he insist that Dazai’s past doesn’t have to affect his future. He’s one of the only people who tells Dazai that he doesn’t hold him accountable for what he’s done before - he’s Dazai-san now, and that’s what matters to Atsushi. Atsushi gives Dazai the most space to fix these mistakes, to move past them, and to learn from them, not holding them against him at all.

In the same way Atsushi is Dazai’s proof that he’s being a good man, he is also Dazai’s proof that he can fix the mistakes he made. (Of course, I’m not excusing the way he strings anybody along - but the first step to fixing a mistake is admitting you have made one and working on yourself, and that’s what Atsushi allows him to do.)

In conclusion, I think Dazatsu is so soft and amazing because it’s about the healing and acceptance. BSD is all about gray morality, and dazatsu is a soft ship that can take each other’s bad and accept them. It’s not only about seeing the darkest side of somebody - it’s about accepting those flaws but also giving them space to grow. They grow and they learn and they heal together. They ensure that the other never has to go through a drastic change alone. In a way, they can be home for the other, a refuge from the shitty cards life has dealt them and a steady lifeline to reach for a better tomorrow. That’s why I love dazatsu - because I can’t see another situation with nearly as much love and trust as they have. They are tender, they can be vulnerable, and they can heal.

Like the beautiful sunset hours the met in, they celebrated in, they console each other in, they allow the other to turn the page on their past and start anew, with a clean canvas for a dazzling display that they can make together.

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kaizoku-pirateking · 2 years

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One Piece 1000 Logs Thoughts/Moments of Cherishing - 1000+ word count for a masterpiece

I usually don't post stuff like these BUT One Piece took my heart and made me emotional in many ways after reaching the 1000th episode

The very first time I notice One Piece are from many posts about it, I don't pay attention to any of the posts back then. But, not until a friend of mine he said that I should watch One Piece as it was worth it

Episode 1; slightly had made me piqued my interest back then, I never had watch any characters as a pirate or have devil fruits so I was confused by Luffy's body, I even thought that devil fruits are very rare and only Luffy has eaten it XD

Being experienced to Naruto (which I had watched before One Piece), because of the old quality of drawing back then, I was used to the old animations considering it's made <2010's

My first love or the character whom I fell inlove first was Shanks! I just love his funny and comforting personality so much, Actually I had or coincidentally watched Episode 1 of One Piece was when it's Shanks birthday so I was definitely in shocked

As time and episodes goes by, I had always been excited and learning many information's and adventure Luffy are getting, I thought that maybe even if Luffy had only 10 crew members he and his teammates will go stronger. And I was correct

Seeing each of them backstory had made me cried so much on how much pain they experiencing through the past, Especially Sanji's as because on how his father and sibling treated him as such

In Marineford, I always believe in Luffy that he can save Ace, but it shocked me when he was killed. “Not everything will always be accomplished” by anonymous. I was left stunned, wide agaped when hearing Ace's last wishes and words. He can't even see his little brother becoming the King of Pirates

The best arc for me in the whole One Piece for me might be Dressrosa, first off is because of Corazon; even if he and Law aren't biologically or blood related he still treats Law as his son and it warms me up so much—He even protected the poor boy until he died by the hands of his brother, Doflamingo

On this episode, we had discovered so many things about them. They, The Strawhat Pirates and the Whole One Piece character's will always be in my heart. I knew Luffy can beat Kaido and once he do he will be more closer in becoming what he achieved of

But of course, Everything will always come to an end. But hopefully not yet and we can experience once more different feelings with them

I am grateful to Eiichiro Oda for making a masterpiece, Some people are still hesitating if they should watch the anime as because it's long. And I must tell you, you won't regret it at all after you finished the 1000 episodes you would feel like it's not enough. And that's how we feel too as a long time One Piece fan, I'm grateful to had met this amazing one piece community that lies in Tumblr. I'm happy I had met you all and One Piece.

One Piece will always be here with me even when the time comes. Someday, If ever One Piece are finally gone IT won't be gone or vanish forever. It's always will be marked in out minds

I had fallen inlove for many of these characters and their dedication towards something they want to achieve in the future

The rivalry between Kid, Law, and Luffy is something I fancy or like. They despite being enemies they still trust each other and knew after their alliance they would be back becoming an enemy.

[SPOILERS!! I'm worried about Sanji's wellbeing and hoped he will be fine by the end of Onigashima, Despite wanting to be killed and asked that to Zoro for a favor I don't think Zoro will do it—Even if he hates Sanji he's still a nakama and something Luffy doesn't want to happen.]

I laughed many times with them and their good and gold moments.

As I watch the One Piece Episode 1000 I'm happy to able to reach the impossible along with you all and the crew. Everything Luffy did and his crew are just in whole 2 years. I'm excited to know what will he and his crew will do more for the following episode.

When the “We Are” Re animated version play I smiled and sense of great adreline rushed on me. It had been long since I last feel something excitement like this. The opening change a lot

But even if it change there's one thing I noticed about it being played, It's not just about reminding the episodes back then, but to tell us that we will restart. That we are all back to Episode 1 after Luffy had beaten Kaido and more ferocious enemies will come after them especially the new marines

I hope this will last forever but it won't, I'm ready to accept the fact that every episode/chapter we take the closer we are to the end. Thank you once more Luffy snd your crew for bringing me so much memories to always remember. I'm indebt to you forever

And for the last time I love their goals. Luffy wanting to become a Pirate King, Zoro as the greatest swordsman but In order to become one he must defeat Mihawk, Sanji who dream to find the All Blue

Nami who wants to travel across the whole world and draw the whole One Piece Map, Usopp being the greatest man in the sea, Chopper who wants to be a great doctor, Franky who wants to build the best ship, Brook who wants to meet Laboon once more, Robin who wants to be free like everyone else—and Jimbei the newest recruit he wants humans to become and live the same ranking as the fishmans

#anime #one piece #writers on tumblr #90s anime #shounen #pirates #kaizoku posts #kaizoku pirateking #one piece 1000 logs #one piece 1000 #One piece episode 1000 #We are one piece

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dereksmcgrath · 3 years

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In order to talk about this episode, we have to talk about how manga publishing and anime production does (and does not) work.

And before we can get into this episode, and its originating storyline that comes not only from the My Hero Academia manga but also its spinoff Vigilantes, I have to talk about three things:

The challenges of adapting more than one manga series.

An imaginary Vigilantes co-production (an “Imagine If,” to steal a phrase from a writer better than I) between Studio BONES and Studio Trigger.

But first, another franchise Studio BONES adapted the same year as MHA: Bungo Stray Dogs.

(Bear with me–this is all going somewhere.)

“More of a Hero Than Anyone,” My Hero Academia Episode 107 (Season 5, Episode 19)

An adaptation of Chapters 253, 254, and 255 of the manga, by Kohei Horikoshi, inspired by My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Chapters 59 to 65 by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court. All translated by Caleb Cook with lettering by John Hunt and available from Viz.

My Hero Academia is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Funimation.

Spoilers up to the My Hero Academia Chapter 324, Vigilantes Chapter 108, and the film World Heroes’ Mission.

There are also spoilers for Bungo Stray Dogs and Gurren Lagann.

Created by writer Kakfa Asagiri and illustrator Sango Harukawa, with additional spinoffs illustrated by Kanai Neko, Ganjii, Oyoyo, and Shiwasu Hoshikawa, Bungo Stray Dogs is about a world where characters, who happen to have the names of real-life authors of Japanese and other literature, also happen to have superpowers based on the titles of works by those same famous authors. For example, Herman Melville can summon the giant battle fortress Moby-Dick, Nikolai Gogol can transport items through his overcoat, and Motojiro Kajii has the ability “Lemonade,” which prevents him from being harmed by bombs shaped like lemons.

(…Bungo Stray Dogs is weird. The first anime doesn’t even have dogs in it.)

Studio BONES premiered an animated adaptation of Bungo Stray Dogs in 2016, the same year the studio premiered the MHA anime. What makes Bungo unique compared to some other anime is that each season adapted from not only the manga but one of the franchise’s light novels as well. While some of the light novels take place concurrent to the manga, most take place in the past–which made Season 1 awkward, re-setting some events from the Azure Messenger Arc in the present and hampering some characterization for what was supposed to be the very first meeting of the characters Osamu Dazai and Doppo Kunikida.

The next light novels adapted for the Bungo anime all take place in the past, with Season 2 giving what I think is the best of the adaptations, The Dark Age, as we learn more about Dazai’s time with the Port Mafia and his relationship with fellow mafioso Sakunosuke Oda. This arc set a high standard that I don’t think the next light novel adaptations have reached, as it not only fleshes out the characters and builds the world, but it also has two important accomplishments. First, on its own, you could watch the entire four-episode arc as its own movie. While some details will gain more significance if you watched the first season, and will become more important as you watch the rest of the series or read the manga and light novels, by itself, The Dark Age is a thrilling narrative of intrigue, deception, betrayal, and heartache. Second, thematically, The Dark Age ties in very well to the rest of Season 2. Some of it is cheap shorthand: the Lupin Bar matchstick container becomes a visual indicator for Dazai helping Atsushi Nakajima save an ally when Dazai couldn’t. But even as cheap as that may seem, it enhances the overall season, giving Dazai more to do in a story where he is otherwise on the sidelines and playing everyone like chess pieces. Plus, you kind of needed to see The Dark Age to understand who Ango Sakaguchi is in Season 2 and why Dazai hates him.

Season 3 gave me high hopes for where the next light novel adaptation could go. This season focuses on a third party attempting to destroy Dazai and Atsushi’s organization, the Armed Detective Agency, along with the Port Mafia. When Agency founder Yukichi Fukuzawa is poisoned, we see the usually lighthearted and arrogant Ranpo Edogawa become momentarily silent and devastated by Fukuzawa’s hospital bed. I blame myself for reading theories online that this moment would lead the season to do a flashback arc to one of the light novels, one that shows the origins of the Agency, how Fukuzawa first met young Ranpo, and explains what that cat was doing all throughout The Dark Age and Season 3.

Instead, as soon as I started Season 3 and saw the premiere was beginning with a lengthy adaptation of a light novel centered around Dazai and his former Mafia teammate Chuuya Nakahara, my heart sank. Nothing about that story thematically tied into the overall season as well as would Ranpo and Fukuzawa’s light novel, a story that reveals how much Ranpo has lost in his life and why he clings onto Fukuzawa for approval and why the dissolution of the Agency would not only deprive him of family and friends but also the very meaning to his existence. That is a heavy story to tell, one that would make the audience better appreciate the lengths the Agency goes to for Fukuzawa. By comparison, there is next to nothing about Chuuya’s back story that accomplishes the same. If anything, all that light novel adaptation tells us is that Dazai and Chuuya’s partnership mirrors that of Atsushi and the Mafioso Ryunosuke Akutagawa–and that detail was already established well enough in Season 2, so we’re just retreading the same old material.

Adapting Chuuya’s story is like explaining Aizawa’s back story: as I’ll explain in the moment, all you really learn in either case is why Chuuya hates Dazai and why Aizawa is a lone wolf–and it’s the reasons you already see in the present day, Chuuya hates Dazai because he’s annoying, and Aizawa has always been a loner, end of discussion. The choice to give these two characters the spotlight doesn’t really do anything new for the audience. I’ll say more about Aizawa later, but for now, I’ll say, nothing against Chuuya as a character, but the decision to adapt his light novel seemed very much like a marketing strategy by manga/light novel publisher Kadokawa and Studio BONES: Dazai and Chuuya’s relationship is popular with fans, there’s a lot of back story to mine, and the light novel that gave us this anime adaptation already set up a sequel that itself could serve as a Season 4 adaptation or even a feature film.

(Honestly, that Chuuya sequel novel in Bungo is more entertaining: there’s a cyborg named Adam Frankenstein. Re-read that sentence: a cyborg named Adam Frankenstein, who treats Chuuya like a little kid, offering him candy because he read that young people like candy and the serotonin from sugar can help with dealing with times of stress. Chuuya’s babysitter is Frankenstein: it’s so absurd that it just works.)

So, why am I talking about Bungo Stray Dogs instead of the other anime Studio BONES makes, My Hero Academia? Because I’m seeing a set of mistakes and Band-Aids repeat themselves all over again.

I profess ignorance about how the anime industry works: there are better people than I who can speak to it. As far as I can gather, just by looking at the evidence in that industry, and the evidence of just about any industry, the goal is to make money. I don’t think the goal to make an anime is necessarily to get people to watch it, especially now that streaming makes the cost of entry very low or even free if you wait long enough for Crunchyroll and Funimation to put it up with commercials. I don’t think it’s to get you to buy the manga: even if you get hooked like I am to read ahead to see what happens next, why read something you just watched? Instead, I think the goal is to buy merchandise, like how musical groups have switched from record deals to selling individual songs online and getting merch sold at concerts (pre-COVID). The conundrum for the anime and manga industries are not dissimilar from those in comic book publishing in the United States: DC and Marvel can have all the crossover events in the comics that they want, but those don’t always get someone who to read a new series just because Spider-Man or Wolverine pop up in it. I have not looked at sales for Vigilantes, so I don’t know whether Aizawa, Midnight, and All Might popping up in there boosts its sales. Rather, the comics are testing grounds for what works. Marvel uses its comics to test what can work in films and streaming, where money now is, while maybe Vigilantes was testing the Oboro story to see if there was something there to put into the anime. Sure enough, the fan art out there for Oboro has increased since the episode, merchandise can’t be far behind.

But let’s move on to actually looking at the episode itself. “More of a Hero Than Anyone” centers on Aizawa and Present Mic being brought to the prison Tartarus to interrogate captured League of Villains member Kurogiri. As I have complained for most of this season, BONES has made confusing choices regarding which chapters of the MHA manga it is adapting first: this story comes from manga chapters that were the last before the big Pro Heroes vs Paranormal Liberation Front Arc, and we haven’t even gotten to the Meta Liberation Army Arc yet. True, this episode ends in a way to set all of that up, showing us Shigaraki getting his power boost, but it has been a befuddling choice of what to adapt first. Making matters more confusing is that, while this episode introduces Aizawa and Present Mic’s classmate Shirakumo, someone alluded to during Shinso’s arc this season, that story doesn’t really originate in the main manga: it started in an MHA spinoff.

The manga My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is to My Hero Academia like the Bungo Stray Dogs light novels are to its main manga: it is largely a prequel that fills in back story for major characters and some worldbuilding details while telling its own story with its own protagonist and plot. Chapters 59 to 65 are the first major departure for the series, as it shifts from the usual protagonist to a plot about Aizawa, showing his time as a UA student and setting up why he ended up returning to UA as a teacher.

The first time I read Aizawa’s arc in Vigilantes, I hated it: it is a cynical attempt at giving us an origin story to explain how Aizawa got to be the way he is–without actually showing us anything we could not have figured out ourselves. It tries to set up this idea that, if Shirakumo had not died, Aizawa would not have been the lone wolf.

That idea butts up against two details. First, we already see Aizawa keeps up the lone wolf appearance anyway in the present, so imagining an alternative timeline doesn’t make sense, especially when, in its own flashback arc, Aizawa was already a lone wolf–that was his entire dynamic with Mic, Skirakumo, even Midnight, so it’s less that Shirakumo’s death made him this way when he was always this way. Hell, this was a gag in the supplementary material of the manga that got adapted into the anime, when Mic had to come up with a Pro Hero name for Aizawa because he was that checked out–and, again, that was before Shirakumo died.

Second, we know Aizawa’s lone wolf persona is just that, a front he puts up that belies his pragmatic willingness to work with others. Just because he is annoyed by the antics of friends like mic and Skirakumo, just because he bristles at Midnight trying to rope him into teaching at UA throughout most of Vigilantes, and just because he is overly serious when dealing with his students or with newbie heroes like Vigilantes’s protagonist the Crawler, none of that ignores that, despite everything, Aizawa, maybe more than anyone else, fulfills the collaborative spirit of Pro Hero work that other characters do not.

Aizawa’s strengths as a teacher center around his understanding that people have to work together. That detail fails when remembering he is still the one who is not properly reprimanding Bakugo to stop being a bullying, violent dick to Izuku. (Seriously, this episode is yet another moment of him being awful: how many times in the anime alone has he kicked the shit out of Izuku for no reason, as if any reason would justify it?) But otherwise, Aizawa understands how to work with others, and that has set him apart for so long from other prominent Pro Heroes. All Might doesn’t really collaborate–he’s been trying to hold up the peace of the world on his own. Endeavor may run an agency with sidekicks that enhance his abilities, but as seen in the Endeavor Agency Arc he would rather rush ahead to save the day on his own, in this pathetic desire to catch up to All Might. Aizawa, though, knows his limitations and is willing to work with anyone else to help him achieve his goals, something we have seen him learn to embrace more and more, whether hanging back to be the face in front of the camera to distract the League while the other Heroes rescue Bakugo, or when he accepted Izuku joining on the Shie Hassaikai mission. And you can pick up on all of this from just reading the main manga–so why bother reading Vigilantes if all it’s going to tell you is,”Aizawa’s friend died and that’s why he’s sad”? Even little details get lost in the shuffle: while I should appreciate Aizawa bringing up the cat Oboro rescued, that’s such a big part of the Vigilantes plot that it feels like a nod to the story rather than getting fully into it. (Trivia: That cat, Sushi, is adopted by Midnight. Enjoy feeling awful that Sushi may have passed away by now or is going to be without an owner when Midnight dies.)

I had thought I could put that frustration with that Vigilantes arc behind me. Then the main manga revealed Shirakumo’s corpse was used to create Kurogiri–and I rage quitted. Okay, that’s exaggerating: I didn’t stop reading the manga, but I did take a long pause in keeping up on it, seeing as the next arc got to be so bloody and depressing that, on top of enough real-world concerns, that wasn’t the kind of escapist reading I was looking for. I needed some time to sit back and process how annoying this revelation was. That means, for all of Vigilantes, this detail, that Kurogiri was Shirakumo all along, was just waiting to be revealed. To again repeat the SpongeBob meme I used last week, this series used me for plot contrivances.

(Vigilantes also seems like one long troll. After the main manga shows the Hood Nomu used to be an underground fighter, he gets a backstory in Vigilantes. And Vigilantes give you the last bit of Midnight you’re going to get before she’s killed off–which, now that I think about it, makes her exclusion from this episode even worse: she was friends with Shirakumo, too, so bring her into this episode before we fridge her!)

It doesn’t help how ignorant I feel for not realizing this sooner: Skirakumo’s name and abilities are the white-and-black opposite of Kurogiri’s. The cover to a collected volume of Vigilantes made that all the clearer. But if that’s the case, why wasn’t this hinted at when Aizawa and Kurogiri first encountered each other way back in the USJ Arc? I know it’s a lot to expect the audience to track throughout the series, and I appreciate the story trying to explain that away by Aizawa asking the same question I have, before someone tells him that maybe Kurogiri’s reprogramming made Oboro’s personality disappear. But Horikoshi’s creation of Shirakumo seems more like a late addition rather than something always there since the earliest chapters. And that’s fine–it’s just disappointing compared to other comics creators like Oda who sets stuff up years in advance before payoff in One Piece. And it’s more disappointing it didn’t come up in the anime adaptation: I would have hoped, if Horikoshi had that idea so early, he would have told BONES so they could throw in a hint early in that fight. I don’t know, maybe Aizawa has a flashback to the last words Shirakumo told him and that motivates him to use his Quirk one last time to save Tsuyu and Izuku, or maybe Kurogiri pauses before Aizawa just long enough that you think that’s a weird choice, then upon rewatch now you realize, “Oh, shit, Kurogiri was remembering his classmate and trying to process that information!”

It doesn’t help that the Shirakumo story doesn’t feel like something Studio BONES should handle. Granted, that story is from Vigilantes, not the main manga, so I anticipated BONES would not adapt it here–even as I held out hope for an OVA or, as I hinted earlier, something akin to Bungo Stray Dogs: start the season with this three- to four-episode adaptation of Aizawa’s back story to introduce this season. I’ll say more about why placing that story at the beginning of the season in a moment, but there was another reason why I didn’t think this was a Studio BONES story: it always felt like a story suited for Trigger, the studio behind Kill La Kill, Little Witch Academia, and more, built by people from Gainax of Evangelion and Gurren Lagann fame.

The Shirakumo arc in the Vigilantes manga felt like a visual love letter by Shueisha to Trigger saying, “Please adapt this!” Betten Court’s illustrations for Vigilantes emphasize diagonals, even when adapting MHA characters originally designed by Horikoshi, as well as facial expressions with sharp lines rather than curves, all visually reminiscent of some Trigger and even Gainax anime. Characters’ facial expressions look more like Panty and Stocking than Studio BONES. Aizawa’s final fight in the arc is against a stories-tall behemoth with laser powers that, if not visually, then narratively invokes similar fights in Gurren Lagann, Gridman, and Evangelion. Speaking of Gurren Lagann, in this arc Midnight is sporting Kamina’s shades, and Skirakumo’s last words to Aizawa come through an intercom, after he supposedly died, similar to Kamina’s death. Also, Midnight is running around in a nudist beach outfit from Kill La Kill–so, yeah, the Trigger allusions are that in your face, in all senses of that phrase. Again, I’m not saying I personally would like Trigger to adapt MHA: it’d be different, they are not the first studio I would go with or one whose output I would like, given a lot I don’t like about their output, but when you look at the manga-based evidence, going in that direction makes sense.

I don’t know what plans Shueisha, Toho, and BONES had for this episode, but the style of it already feels so different and off-kilter anyway, due to Aizawa’s nostalgia, that I can’t help but think that someone at some point did have an idea to go with a different studio to animate it, or at least a different approach. I appreciate how much they changed Chapter 254’s opening, re-staging Oboro’s agency talk to be outdoors instead of a walk-and-talk scene as in the manga. Even if I can’t quite say the street walking and outdoor sitting under a bright sky is indicative of Trigger exactly–if anything, the fixation on centering the scenes Wes Anderson-style (the hallway walking in Tartarus, Aizawa and Mic and Oboro hanging out under the blue sky) looks more like something out of Shaft or BONES’s Bungo Stray Dogs–that difference tells me there was something more ambitious in mind than what we ultimately got. It’s the same when we get Kurogiri’s point of view as Aizawa and Present Mic get through to Oboro.

Imagine how gutsy it would be to start Season 5 with an entire Oboro flashback arc. Imagine moving forward in time to this moment of Aizawa and Present Mic interviewing Kurogiri, disorienting the audience asking why we’re skipping the Classes 1A and 1B fights, the League of Villains vs the Meta Liberation Army Arc, and the Endeavor Agency Arc, to show this moment that was supposed to come later. Imagine how gutsy it would be to start with Aizawa and Present Mic learning all of this at Tartarus, setting up the finale for this season, the Pro Heroes versus the Paranormal Liberation Front–then not actually showing that fight start until next season. Why do all of that? Because, if you’re going to delay the LOV vs MLA Arc for that long, you might as well start your season assuring the audience that, no, we have not forgotten the Villains, they will be relevant this season–because, since Aizawa and Present Mic’s high school years, they have been the Big Bads all along and were toying with these two for so long. Imagine how gutsy all of that would be.

Instead, all of that is reduced to just one episode. It’s all so cliche. Aizawa points out, towards the beginning, that this power of friendship trope won’t work–then it does work, negating the entire point of calling it cliche. (Well, it does work, for now: given often we’re told rather than shown how All For One is a chessmaster, it wouldn’t surprise me if he let Kurogiri spill the beans like this knowing it would help him break out of prison later when the Pro Heroes foolishly take on the PLF all at once with little back up plan.) If we had had the full story of Oboro, like did readers of Vigilantes, the slow revelation that Nomus are hardly puppets but, more than that, are reanimated Frankenstein’s monsters capable of agency and personalities, would make this hurt more. We would have seen Oboro, we would have been as horrified as Aizawa and Mic are to learn he was resurrected–but, instead, it is already upon our first meeting with Oboro that suddenly we learn he is also Kurogiri, and it’s just too fast.

How disappointing, but sadly realistic.

It feels like BONES has made a lot of safe choices this season, and while that helps sustain the studio during the unpredictable times of COVID and does what works already for MHA, it doesn’t feel very adventurous. It makes me wonder whether BONES should have put in that time improving Season 5 than trying to make another MHA film. I have not seen World Heroes’ Mission, and while I’ll reserve my review of it until I see it, and will limit as many spoilers as I can, based on just the plot summary I have read, I fail to see how putting in the budget on that film makes sense in terms of narratives, even as I understand how it makes sense in terms of increasing an audience and getting box office sales (in a pre-COVID model, of course).

But speaking of COVID, yeah, I do see why World Heroes’ Mission is necessary right now: it is a globe-trekking film, from what I read it includes beautiful scenery as characters travel vast distances–it is a film needed right now when many of us are still social distancing and still staying at home in the hope that our contributions limit the spread of this deadly virus. (Get vaccinated, mask up, stay at home when possible, and stop being a jerk, people.) Still, I can’t say I’m not disappointed that, with a season whose animation has depended a lot on flashbacks, even if that makes sense given how much ground to cover and how far along the story has come over more than 100 episodes, it is disappointing to not get something more stylistically out-there.

I’m also not saying it’s realistic that Trigger would ever animate this arc. I don’t even necessarily want them to: I find most of their productions to be so light on story while heavy on themes, message, and the animation that, while I appreciate people getting into how visually stunning the artwork is, I find the story so empty that I just can’t get into it. And I’m not expecting Shueisha, Toho, or Studio BONES to cut some kind of deal with Trigger to give them the rights to adapt part or all of Vigilantes: Trigger is animating Star Wars stuff next, that’s a wider market than My Hero Academia (regardless how many Star Wars references Horikoshi puts into his series).

I know I’m being very critical of the production choices behind the episode. Granted, the recap to the last episode was needless–and seems like it’s just there to remind us that we’re somehow supposed to see Aizawa, Mic, and Oboro as analogous to Izuku, Bakugo, and Todoroki–which does not work at all. And somehow BONES made the unfunny All Might part from the manga even longer and even less funny: we already got comedic relief off Iida to accent how much a contrast there is to the Aizawa stuff, and that has a more personal connection as he is Aizawa’s student, while All Might’s Dad Joke is as painful a pun as it looked to be for the students.

Otherwise, I thought the episode was good, just not meeting expectations I set that are not fair. Present Mic’s extended pause, then the long pause before Aizawa has to hold back from crying, when realizing Kurogiri’s concern for Shigaraki means he is indeed Oboro, is more powerful than it was in the manga. Aizawa letting loose the tears at the end while claiming he has dry eyes is very much Roy Mustang complaining about the rain. I do think the ambition for the storyboarding hints at something bigger they had planned, and largely the animation and tension, especially trying to reach Oboro, did work. Wrapping up this episode showing that Kurogiri was just the start of an experiment that would lead to Shigaraki’s transformation only creates a more foreboding tone.

Furthermore, the voice direction and acting in the English dub was very good. Ever since David Trosko replaced Sonny Strait as Present Mic, he has upheld all that works in the character, and while I feared that kind of loud acting would disrupt any pathos for this episode, it worked incredibly well, putting up so much bluster that shows how powerless he feels facing this madness and how this is as heartwrenching for him as it is for Aizawa. I especially appreciate, in the English dub, how much Oboro sounds like Izuku: while the series has never made Aizawa see a bit of Oboro in Izuku, that casting lends a new way of interpreting why Aizawa sticks with that masochist after everything he lost when Oboro died.

(You know that if things had worked out differently, Vic Mignogna would’ve ended up cast as Oboro, given his roles already as the dead friend of the hard-ass teacher in Naruto, and the presumed dead Sabo in One Piece, and his dynamic acting against Kurogiri’s Chuck Huber in other productions).

So that takes care of all the stuff about Aizawa: what about his students? I don’t just mean the class he failed–which, no, that detail doesn’t really work for me, that Aizawa failed a class as we were told upon his initial introduction, and now we reveal it was an empty threat since, while that is on their record, it was to reset matters with his class, not so they would take him seriously but so that they would value their lives. That’s not how that works. I don’t pretend that students, myself included, took our education so seriously that a failing grade or a career setup felt awful–but not the same kind of life-threatening that is literally dying. A poor mark on your report card does not typically result in that kind of same mortal fear, and I hate this story for trying to compare the two, especially when it positions teachers like us to have a fatal power we don’t have: we’re not the Grim Reaper, this isn’t Soul Eater, this is real freaking life. I can’t imagine any good teacher wanting that kind of power to think they are the difference between life and death. We don’t want our students to think these are mortal matters–especially right now, in this context, where I don’t think it’s at all appropriate to re-start in-person teaching and learning (without masks and without social distancing or remote learning opportunities) at a time when not enough of us are vaccinated and the threat of COVID remains too dangerous even when vaccinated. This takes me out of the story. Granted, it’s not the rest of this story is somehow like real life: this is a school where Nezu somehow has a ton of money, so applying real-world matters to a work of fiction is foolish. The only bar this story needs to clear is believability, and it’s not unbelievable that Nezu made that money and overlooked Aizawa’s behavior.

(It’s also why I wish Midnight was in this episode: she recruited Aizawa to UA as a teacher–it would be fascinating to hear her say she chose him for these reasons, that she knew the school needed a hard-ass like him.)

But like I said, I don’t just mean the class he failed: I mean his current students. Re-reading Chapter 253, I now understand why Iida doesn’t pop up in the third film: if he had his new desire to loosen up, then it would make a lot less sense seeing as he just came off a mission to save the world like Ochaco and his classmates did.

And that again leads to a paragraph of me repeating that I don’t give Ochaco enough attention. I promise, I will say more about where her character stands in this series at some point, if not when talking about Chapter 324 tomorrow. But even as this story keeps insisting she is important, it feels like it’s hanging her up like that All Might toy from Izuku. I appreciate putting in the budget to animate her dive-and-hide on Izuku’s gift, something not as obvious or visually impressive in the manga–but we couldn’t have put that budget into doing something more creative with the Aizawa story? Building her characterization around Izuku, at this point in the anime, remains frustrating–until the manga gives that a good payoff and seems to be sticking the landing on it. That’s one of the challenges of reviewing the manga as it goes on, and why reviewing the anime is in some ways easier: I can see where the pieces fit in and what is being set up. It doesn’t change that it’s annoying right now in this moment, but it fits in the overall scheme of her and Izuku’s story. But When it comes to how Toga is going to tie into this, I’m less convinced, but we’ll get to that in the next few episodes and in tomorrow’s manga review.

Oh, and Bakugo remains the worst. I’m so grateful he is tolerable in the manga right now, because the fact that he was getting away with this nonsense up to Chapter 253 is an indictment against teachers like Aizawa and All Might.

I apologize for how much this post seemed like a long college lecture (a college instructor leturing–shocking), or a Rachel Maddow monologue–only far less repetitive than Maddow’s condescending “I’m going to repeat the same point five times and treat you like you haven’t been paying attention”–and far less financially profitable. This is basically a joke I told a friend after posting last week’s review:

“Show me you’re an academic without telling me you’re an academic.”

“I wrote nine pages reviewing an episode without actually reviewing the episode."

#my hero academia #shoto aizawa #oboro shirakumo #long post

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redxblueihateloveyou · 4 years

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Hi! I really like your blog. Your analysis posts about ships or other things are really interesting and your gifsets are super cute! I have just finished reading your two anime recommendation posts and I was wondering if you plan to write a third one about the remaining animes you like? I would LOVE to read it.

Hi:) Thank you so much! Haha these were more like “bromance anime recommendations” lists. I’m glad you liked them romances. Here’s part 1 and part 2 :)

14. Hakkenden Touhou Hakken Ibun.

The relationship of the couple in this anime are one of the best on so many levels. They’re one of those “even the darkest part of me can’t hurt you” superior ships. They’re two of the main characters, 2 out 8 of the reincarnated warriors (who are all handsome af haha) that are meant to.. you know… save the world.

They’re both on the verge of death at the beginning and one (Shino) in order to survive agrees to live with a demonic sword inside of him which prevents him from growing old and growing per se (which is really sad for many reasons plus you’ll see him once in his 18-year old body and he’s so gorgeous), the other (Sousuke) takes half of a life from a dog, so he can tranform into it whenever he wants.

The problem is that during all of that Sousuke has split and lost his shadow aka the dark part of himself. His shadow works for the dark side, but all he really wants is Shino. The most amazing thing is that Sousuke loves Shino so much, that even his dark part would never ever hurt him. Like his shadow does some pretty terrible stuff to others like once he has made a deal with a girl so she would gave him her eyes just because Shino has said that they’re pretty lmao (I’m sory but its kinda funny), but he gets so pissed when Shino is hurt. So it’s the same as Akashi & Kuroko and Gauche & Lag: even for the darkest part of him the other one is his weakness.

Also this is one of the animes where LITERALLY the power of gay love saves the world by the end. (p.s. sorry, Genpachi, I love you the most and I know you like Shino too, but your flirting can’t beat such deep feelings lol).

15. Assassination Classroom.

Not gonna spoil anything about plot, so I’ll say it’s about “problematic” kids trying to kill their teacher who has superpowers and that’s it. This anime is full of controversial stuff, like I really questioned things and what’s right or wrong, but one thing for sure is that no matter of what you think about the situation, you will 100% cry at the end. I personally think it’s a kinda happy ending considering all the stuff, but opinions are very different when it comes to this anime.

Now for the ship. Let’s just start with the fact that both Karma and Nagisa have ehhhh… psychological problems haha (but who doesn’t in this anime? lol). So Karma is a sadist (like for real, he likes to get creative with torturing) and I think he’s also a yandere when it comes to Nagisa. He threatens to kill those who even talk bad about Nagisa and once has almost beaten to death those who bullied him (which I didn’t mind tbh lmao). He never does anything if others ask, but when/if Nagisa says “please”, he immediately says yes (which is also funny).

They both are in awe with each other and think the other one is absolutely incredible so it’s like a two-sided fan club. Karma is really scary, but when it comes to Nagisa he can be fluffy af. He also doesn’t care about people much, but Nagisa is his everything. Like the “I give up” moment will melt your heart, that was so cute.

So this is one of those “you’re the only exception” ships. Bc Karma is a person who will enjoy skinning ppl alive, but when he’s with Nagisa he likes to hug, pick him up and coo about Nagisa’s height, play tag, discuss his fav movies and tickle fight. I’m like… I’m just… this is great.

16. Bungou Stray Dogs.

This one is about a detective agency where everyone has superpowers who are “enemies” with the mafia group where everyone has superpowers, but actually they’re all friends and half of the detective agency date the mafia xD (I’m sorry, but it’s the truth). Like I still don’t get why they won’t just make one organization, this is getting ridiculous.

I’m not a huge fan of the anime per se tbh, because like it has way too many characters who I can’t even feel for cause supposedly they’ve had a dramatic past, but what past nobody tells, so I like can’t empathize to someone who’s an asshole without knowing why he is that way. Plus there’re many characters in animes who have had a horrible childhood/past but are incredible people (hello to Todoroki and Levi). And some characters there for some reason are degrading instead of progressing which is the worst for me. But it’s pretty entertaining to watch if you won’t think much about stuff, powers are cool and it’s drawn beautifully (but there is one scene that was repeated 28 times 28 TIMES!, we’ve counted just for laughs, guess which xD, that’s like.. they could’ve made time for a whole new episode instead of this)

There’s one character whose progression is so incredible though that I’m happy to watch just for him. It’s Akutagawa. He’s like grown so much and I love everything about him, how he went from trying to kill Atsushi to risking his life for him and letting him use rashomon, how he’s homey with his sister and how he’s so good with feeling his powers, how Kyouka tried to kill him and he was like “I’m so glad you’re happy now”. Bitch, like that’s the character progression I’m asking for! Man, he’s just… he’s my favorite, I love seeing many sides of him. He made me so happy in s3 when I was ready to turn it off lmao

So there are two main ships in this anime. Dazai and Chuuya. They are one of those perfect combinations. But not in a usual way you think.. like characteristically. Chuuya’s full power is uncontrollable and the only one who can stop him is Dazai, cause his ability is to nullify other’s abilities, so he’s the only one who can stop Chuuya and also save him from being destroyed by his own power. So basically Chuuya trusts Dazai with his own life when they work together (which is.. I’d be scared if I was in Chuuya’s place lmao). It’s not like I’m scared that Dazai’s gonna let him die or anything, but stuff like “let’s watch a bit longer how Chuuya is going nuts cause it’s funny” doesn’t seem funny to me.

Let’s just say, I do ship them, I think they’d be perfect together if Dazai was like a fanfiction Dazai, you know. But the truth here is firstly their relationships progression is zero to none, like yeah, it’s fun to watch them bicker, but it like won’t give you any deep feelings. Plus Dazai was the most humane and emotional when he was with Oda (which I really don’t get, Oda was a dumbass tbh, like who makes a children shelter while working in MAFIA???! ofc they were fucking killed). Like Oda’s so special for him but then he treats Chuuya and Akutagawa like shit. And he had more feelings for Oda’s matchbox than for Chuuya in the last season. So my heart just won’t lie there fully, you know. Because there are no moments there that indicate like he’s the one for him.

Now to Akutagawa and Atsushi. This is a classic enemies to lovers stuff. Like they go from trying to kill each other to risking their lives for each other. They warm my heart on so many levels. So they’re both struggling to get over of their past and can’t. But then by the end they help each other to let go of their demons, they give each other what others couldn’t. Like I still can’t believe Atsushi came in like a wrecking ball and said the words Akutagawa wanted to hear for ages (his face, his face lol he was like “w-w-what?”). Atsushi himself admitted that Akutagawa is his cure in the last season.

These two are like also hilarious bc they both think that they’re trash so their arguments are like “you’re the best��, “no, you’re the best”. Like Atsushi literally goes “Akutagawa is so strong and amazing, but he still thinks he’s weak” what a bae xD and Akutagawa thinks that he’s nowhere as good as Atsushi so it’s really funny. The relationships progression is like insane. They went from beating each other into a blood puddles to covering each other from bullets and being like “honey, don’t you dare die, I was going to kill you myself” lol

I still can’t believe Akautagawa gave Atsushi rashomon… he was wearing rashomon. I mean his ability, which is a part of him was okay with Atsushi using her. I mean.. maaaaaan fanfiction does come true! And they’re like the representation of yin and yang characteristically and even appereance-wise and I think it’s super cool. Plus the “lawnmower” is the cutest pet name I’ve ever heard lol

Anywho, this anime has like 20 bromances, so pick whichever you like.

Damn, that got long and I’ve only mentioned 3 haha, sorry. That way it’s gonna be like 50 parts xD

#answered #saku0015 #anime #Hakkenden touhou hakken ibun #assassination classroom #bungou stray dogs #karmagisa #ansatsu kyoushitsu #soukoku #akuatsu #akutagawa ryunosuke #karma x nagisa #sousuke x shino #dazai x chuuya #akutagawa x atsushi

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yeonchi · 4 years

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Kisekae Insights #6: Kyōko, Katsuki, Natsuki and the Lucky Stars

At the time of writing this, it has been one year since the Kyoto Animation Studio 1 fire. This instalment, together with the last one, can form part of my tribute.

Lucky Star was the first anime I took significant interest in after seeing episodes of the Cantonese dub on YouTube a decade ago. The characters became part of my Dynasty Warriors parodies and general delusions, but when I started writing them into the Doctor Who portion of my personal project, some retconning was likely involved due to complicated timeline stuff.

Unbelievably, I made three Lucky Star OCs for the project. I’ll get to them later because there’s some background stuff I want to explain first.

Also, from this point on, I’m going to use Hiroki’s name to refer to his (the protagonist’s) past self as well because it’s starting to get confusing. Once again, Hiroki is the final incarnation that made his debut from 2014 onwards; anything about him from before then refers to his past self.

As the Fourth Doctor’s companions (first timeline)

The events of 2007-2010 are split into two timelines. In one timeline, the Doctor was helping around the events of the Parallax War while not actually fighting in it himself (for the most part). In another timeline, the Parallax War is invisible to the residents of that timeline while another war happens around them; the Last Great Time War on Earth. I’ll explain more about them in a later instalment.

During the first timeline, most of the characters were companions of the Fourth Doctor at one point following Fifi Forget-me-not’s departure. Konata was a companion for a full series, while in another series, the companions switched every few episodes, namely Minami, Misao, Kagami and Tsukasa. Tsukasa would later return as the Fifth Doctor’s companion in Series 6 Part 2 and Series 7 Part 1.

Once the first timeline ended, everyone would be de-aged and returned to the past to relive those years again in the second timeline.

As various armies (second timeline)

During the second timeline, the characters formed or joined armies as they fought in the Time War. The respective armies are as follows:

Oda Army (Konata, Yutaka)

Shimazu Army (Kagami, Tsukasa)

Chōsokabe Army (Miyuki, Minami, Misao, Patricia)

Azai/Asakura Army (Hiyori, Ayano)

The four armies were conquered and absorbed into Parker and Hiroki’s army in 2010. A year later, the mega-army split up and Parker eventually united them all again, starting with Minami and Yutaka, who joined him after he saved them. The year after, the armies split up again and the story continues from there.

Kyōko Izumi: The Genesis Prototype

Kyōko is known as the “Genesis Prototype” because he is the first character to be created as a “prototype” back in 2011. He emerged from Hiroki’s fifth incarnation after suffering a broken heart. No, it wasn’t because of Akari, it was because of someone else.

Around the time of his regeneration, Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa and Miyuki, who were acting undercover to counter an enemy ambush, while the Fourth Doctor was nearby in the TARDIS, waiting for Sycorax and Hoix ships to attack. Once the enemies began their attack, the Doctor and Konata’s group sprang into action. They found the recently-regenerated Kyōko, who still had his archetype’s face and was trying to fight off the aliens, and took him to the TARDIS, but he accidentally drops his sword.

A Sycorax took the sword back to his ship and used it to power their ship’s laser beams. At the same time, they took the TARDIS as well. As the Doctor and the others go out to confront the Sycorax, the heart of the TARDIS opens and speaks to Kyōko, giving him the power of the Time Vortex along with his new name and appearance. He then proceeds to snatch his sword back and duel the Sycorax leader, leading him to retreat.

After giving back the sword to his archetype, Kyōko begins suffering from a mental breakdown, like Donna did after her meta-crisis. The Doctor has the TARDIS take back the power it gave to Kyōko, reverting him to his previous appearance and wiping his memory of what happened. He is then left in the care of Konata and the others, warning him that until his regeneration stabilises, he cannot be reminded about the Doctor or he would die.

At some point following this, Kyōko’s soul was brought through time (or not, depending on the timeline) and merged with the Fourth Doctor’s by Yuki Nagato. He would be separated following the latter’s regeneration, with the former having no memory of what happened.

Kyōko’s regeneration was still stabilising by the events of The End of Time. When the Master turned all the humans into his image, he was the only human (apart from Kagami, who was with the Doctor at the time) to not be affected by it. Some time after, he married Konata, having become a couple soon after being left in Saitama.

Sure enough, Kyōko’s regeneration stabilised to the point where he could meet the Doctor again without having a mental breakdown. In the year following his regeneration, he would gradually turn back into the shorter blue-haired man he was during the duel with the Sycorax leader. It may also interest you to know that Kyōko Izumi wasn’t even his original name when I created the character; I gave him that name in 2013, right at the start of the 50th Anniversary Series.

Katsuki Hiiragi: The Adopted Sibling

Katsuki is a meta-character for my actor persona; he wasn’t introduced in my project until 2014, before getting a proper introduction in 2017. You may know him on the Waifu Network as Philip Zhou (周琮平).

In August 2006, Hiroki and Parker were lured into a trap by one of Antoni’s nephews and analysed their DNA to create a clone. The clone was quickly subdued and after Antoni’s nephew was defeated, he was put into UNIT’s custody and was later adopted by the Hiiragi family, becoming their youngest and only male child.

As the years went on, he became a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, having taken up jobs as an actor, singer and presenter of news, sports and other shows. He also became a YouTuber under the name “Myzhouji”, with one of his famous videos being “My Crazy Sister”, showing his own depiction of his sister, Kagami. If you think this sounds like Mychonny (before 2016), then you’re right, because this character is partially based on him. He’s also planning on retiring soon so he can live life out of the spotlight.

His first appearance in Doctor Who was in the series 9 finale, where he, Kagami, Minami and some of their friends (except Konata) sided with the Western Army at Sekigahara against Hiroki and the Eastern Army. When the Girl Power forces on Mt. Matsuo surrendered, Katsuki and the others turned against the Girl Power commanders.

Natsuki Takara: Surrounded by well-endowed airheads

Natsuki was a character during the early stages of my project, but he wasn’t defined as a prototype until late 2013.

When Hiroki’s fourth incarnation was killed trying to save his future girlfriend in a city being attacked by enemy missiles, he was briefly resurrected by a different Sisterhood of Karn. When they told him that he was the key to stopping the Parallax War, he decided to become a warrior and so, Natsuki Takara was born.

Until his archetype could return, Natsuki briefly took over his life for a while as a soldier with the Tongmenghui, made up of young children rebelling against their parents, who had formed a tyrannic empire. He was adopted by the Takara family, who allowed him to see the Tongmenghui’s mission to the end before moving to Tokyo.

Natsuki attended an international school in Tokyo. He later found work at the Yamadori Restaurant in Midori City, home to the Hidamari Apartments. It was also at that restaurant where he met Miyako, a frequent customer there, and became fast friends with her. They would eventually begin dating.

Later, during the 50th Anniversary Series, Natsuki would be known for making his “500 Year Diary” videos in a similar vein to Strax’s field reports.

There are two additional members of the Takara family. Shown below are Toshiaki, Miyuki’s boyfriend and later, husband, and Toshio, Miyuki’s father. Toshiaki was introduced in the Moushouden Series, while Toshio made his debut in the 5115 Specials. Toshio would look older, but at the time, I couldn’t Kisekae for shit. I got inspired to add Toshiaki when I found out that he was a meme (well, not exactly).

Superhero Luckies

By some miracle, the girls stayed in contact a decade after graduating high school. Just as the K-On girls joined the Superhero Project, the Lucky Star girls joined as well. By this point, everyone’s got boyfriends now.

Natsuki, Yutaka, Minami and two non-Lucky Star characters, Hayato Kisaichi (prototype 2.5) and Yui Ichii (Yuyushiki) moved to Auckland, New Zealand to join UNIT NZ, led by Richard Yang (the first prototype). It was also there that the Go-Busters were formed:

Natsuki Takara (Red Buster)

Hayato Kisaichi (Blue Buster)

Yui Ichii (Yellow Buster)

Yutaka Kobayakawa (Beet Buster)

Minami Iwasaki (Stag Buster)

Here’s some trivia. The Go-Busters being based in New Zealand is a reference to how Power Rangers seasons from Ninja Storm onwards were produced there. No, they don’t use any Beast Morphers-exclusive weapons because my version of Gokaiger was made just before Hasbro announced that they would adapt Go-Busters.

The rest of the Lucky Star characters remained in Saitama and became the Kyoryugers:

Kyōko Izumi (KyoryuRed)

Toshiaki Takara (KyoryuBlack)

Konata Izumi (KyoryuBlue)

Hiyori Tamura (KyoryuGreen)

Kagami Hiiragi (KyoryuPink)

Patricia Martin (KyoryuGold)

Ayano Minegishi (KyoryuCyan)

Misao Kusakabe (KyoryuGrey)

Tsukasa Hiiragi (KyoryuViolet)

Katsuki Hiiragi (KyoryuSilver)

I wanted to put in Konata’s father, Sōjirō, as the original KyoryuViolet before he had to pass on his powers to Tsukasa, but I didn’t want to waste time on that storyline. I didn’t put Miyuki in as a Ranger because of her clumsiness – somehow, I think she would probably agree.

#kisekae insights #lucky star #doctor who

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neverwatchedonepiece · 5 years

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617: "Caesar's Defeat! The Powerful Grizzly Magnum!"

Basically Caesar: “REEEEEEEEEEEEE, SCIENCE!!!”

Only had time for one episode today but caught a snippet of the preview and it seems like posting for one episode here will fit in terms of the story arc.

Caesar is down and out, Law has done what he came to do, and Luffy has executed step one of his plan to kick ass and kidnap! Now all he needs is the fantastically badass Usopp to come through with the cuffs and step two will be on the cards!

It’s all a matter of escaping Punk Hazard with Caesar in tow, plus Law, the Strawhats, a bunch of kids and maybe some surviving Minions and the G5 and Smoker and Tashigi and Foxfire and Momonosuke and Brownbeard.

Yeah, I hope Franky has some extra bed rolls hidden away in storage because that is a lot of extra bodies on Sunny.

Sanji will be fine. He worked at Baratie. He’s used to mass catering.

Law Tries Out His Stand Up Material On Vergo

In other news, Vergo is still alive. I kind of hoped Law might have taken him out but this is One Piece and you guys have always said that Oda sees a future for most of his characters. (Even Wapol. Yes, I am still salty about Wapol.) Smoker was on the ground, breathing hard. Getting fresh air for once, instead of dat tasty tobacco.

Vergo is also still shit-talking. “You broke the gear? There’s no turning back? That’s hysterical.”

Brave for a guy who was (at that point) in two pieces with a building crumbling rapidly around him. Not to mention the noxious clouds of gas.

Then he used his hands to spring from the ground and attack Law. He was Roomed and doomed in two seconds, chopped into fractions and hung on the railings. (Approaching Nightmare Fuel territory if you think too much about it.)

Vergo totally reminds me of the Black Knight from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. If you’ve never heard of it, he’s basically this dude who keeps getting up and shit-talking his opponents even after the removal of all his limbs. It’s funny. Vergo even made a joke about it. “How will I eat breakfast tomorrow?” Yeah, he almost went full Black Knight there.

Except for the little serious turn when he threatened Law with Doflamingo’s past.

“How dare you, Law? This is an upset. But I know you’re going to regret it. Keep that in mind. You don’t know Joker’s past and that will cost you your life. Upstarts like you can’t hope to take over the world. It’s filled with those who are much stronger. Tell him, Smoker!”

First of all, why was he appealing to Smoker to back him up like a kid in a playground? The brazen cheek of it. As if. I’m glad Smoker blanked him and sparked up a fat Cuban cigar.

Secondly, what is all this about Doflamingo’s past? Why would that matter to Law? I’m trying to think what could possibly affect Law as much as Vergo says and I’m drawing a blank.The only thing that might be a bit meh is if Doflamingo was once a Marine. We already had that twist with Vergo.

At any rate, Law had had enough with Vergo running his mouth, and chopped his head into two pieces.

“Don’t worry about me. Just worry about yourself. This room will explode soon. Goodbye, Vergo the pirate.”

I ain’t bothered about Vergo. That guy is too arrogant for his own good and Law gave him a well-deserved taste of defeat. I just hope Law took Smoker with him.(It’d be hilarious if Law carried Smoker over his shoulder and they ran into Zoro carrying Tashigi over his shoulder. xD)

Speaking of Well-Deserved Tastes of Defeat...

This guy...

I love a charismatic, melodramatic, total piece of crap villain, but Oda did a great job of making me loathe Caesar here. I think Luffy lamping him square on the chops unhinged him a little. Law destroying the SAD factory and the labs as a result probably finished Caesar off. His arrogance and cruelty was off the charts! I thought Spandam was bad. Caesar makes Spanda look like a playground bully.

I loved how when he realised Law had unleashed merry hell, Caesar’s reaction was, “Damn! Who caused that? I bet it was Law. What is Vergo doing? You Strawhats RUINED MY PARADISE!”

His paradise. Wow, that sure does give you a little peek into this dude’s mind.

And it gets better.

Caesar had a last-ditch plan to defeat Luffy. He called his Minions in the Secret Room. “R-Building, can you hear me? Secret Room, come in! Open the air vents now! Let Shinokuni flow into this room.”

The Minions, understandably, were reticent to do this because they are the kind of people who, like the Strawhats, look after their own. They asked, “but wouldn’t it kill our guys?”

Caesar was like, “Well, I’m a gas man. I’m not gonna die. You’re just guinea pigs. No one would care if hundreds of you died. You are just the dregs of society! What are you doing? Hurry up. I can find replacements for you fools so easily.”

Uh oh.

The mask came off. Caesar must have been so riled that he didn’t care if everyone saw his true nature. The poor, deluded Minions still clung to their vision of Caesar as their benevolent Master, their saviour.

“Oh, the Master is trying to fool the enemies. He must have a plan to do with the gas. It would hurt him to know we suspected him.”

Hurt him? Mate, Caesar has no feelings to be hurt. He has an ego the size of Laboon. That’s not the same thing.

So, of course the Minions pulled the lever. Shinokuni flowed into the room. And I had a facepalm moment at those poor, brainwashed Minions.

Caesar Does A Moria

“Yes! About time,” Caesar shouted. “Dregs shouldn’t think. Now, become my power, Shinokuni. Look, Strawhat! Look at his amazing appearance. This is my scientific power. Through this experiment, two countries have already expressed interest in the weapon. They are both quite peaceful but when humans get serious about defending themselves, they’ll look for any way possible to kill their enemies. Everybody needs me! I’ll spread weapons all over the world and become King of the Land of Death.”

There are a couple of things to unpack here.

First of all, Caesar is completely demented. I mean, that was always obvious. But that ambition of his is twisted and terrifying. Worse, that Doflamingo gave him the traction to actually make it happen.

Secondly, he’s insane but he’s not stupid. Caesar has an eye for business and is, weirdly, able to charm people into believing his bullshit. He also knows the darker side of human nature and how to exploit it, like he has done with those peaceful islands. He is also smug in the knowledge that big shots in governments everywhere will always want him in their corner, so there will always be a place for someone like him. That was a definite Art Mirroring Life moment right there. Harsh but true, I guess. The guy who first split the atom and invented the atomic bomb was a hot commodity, right?

Third, Caesar basically did a Gekko Moria. Caesar took it a step further because he actually gleefully killed all his Minions. Moria just took the shadows back from already dead bodies. This was the logical conclusion of Caesar seeing other people as objects or commodities to be manipulated, used or destroyed as he sees fit. The way he happily killed them all was just nasty. “It’s amazing, if I do say so myself. Look at how fast it acts on their nerves. It’s almost an art!” And when they begged him to stop, “I am your saviour and I can make efficient use of you good-for-nothings. You are just crumbs. You should not stand against your Master. Die like dogs!”

Crumbs. Dogs. Guinea pigs. Caesar always uses dehumanising language on his poor Minions. And everyone else for that matter. He really is a psychotic, nasty piece of work. If this guy is working for Doflamingo, I cannot wait to see what a horrible bastard Doflamingo turns out to be. xD

Caesar’s Off The Deep End Behaviour and his treatment of his own people caused Luffy to have the veiniest, super frown I have seen on his face so far. Luffy does not like people who betray and used their own crew/soldiers/comrades.

Luffy said to Momo, “Look after Brownbeard.” Then ran in the opposite direction. Of course, I knew Luffy was just looking to gain some distance. Caesar, of course, mistook it for Luffy chickening out all of a sudden.

There was one person who knew with absolute certainty that this was not the case.

Usopp Was Awesome Here

Can I just talk for a moment about how awesome Usopp was here?

All through this arc, he’s been ridiculously brave. He volunteered to split up with Brook and Foxfire so he could work on his own to find the Sea Prism Stone cuffs for Luffy. He was creeping round the labs on his own and when he found the Secret Room, he did not run upon being confronted with a full squad of Minions. He simply used his smarts to evade capture. Because he knew there was something in there of value and Luffy needed his help.

When the Minions saw Caesar’s true nature over the DDM feed and were finally like, “OMG this guy is awful.” Usopp just walked up to them and said, “I know you’re all broken hearted here but could I sit in that control seat for a second? I wanna save my friends from the gas.”

See that? Usopp’s loyalty to his friends trumps all sense of fear.

When the Minions tried to shake Usopp by saying, “Yeah, you’ll never escape because your Captain just cut and run. He left you guys behind.“ Usopp was Not Having One Bit Of It.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa... Are you dissing our captain right in front of me? If he were the kind of person who’d betray us, this whole thing would’ve been much easier for me. I would’ve just run away with my tail between my legs. But he never, ever stops believing in us. So we have no choice but to support him. We pledged to live up to his expectations as long as we can breathe!”

There you have it. Right from the horse’s mouth. Luffy’s faith in his crew inspires them to greater heights. And in Usopp, this is bravery. Absolutely beautiful.

And when the Minions said, “But what can we do? We can’t beat such a powerful man?” (Referring to Caesar) Usopp replied, “Yes, you can. You guys should just believe in our Captain. Caesar is the type of person that Luffy hates the most. Luffy won’t forgive Caesar.”

Usopp knows Luffy pretty well.

That Grizzly Magnum was really something else. I was expecting it to take out Caesar straight awayt but I liked that it didn’t. Caesar is the kind of villain who needs to have his pride thoroughly broken and to taste bitter, bitter defeat. If not, he’ll just tank the hit, pick himself up again and it’s back to his same old tricks.

The best portrayal of that was when Caesar was wrestling with Luffy, the Shinokuni slowly turning his hands to white powder, and he screamed, “Kneel before my power!”

Luffy will never kneel to anyone. Now, I’m not sure what those pulses of power were that drove Caesar back (Conqueror’s Haki?) but Luffy’s hit finally landed and, in a perfect moment of symbolism, Caesar’s self-made crown shattered.

He is no longer the tyrannical ruler of Punk Hazard. Caesar’s reign has come to an end.

And I can’t wait to see what happens next, because Doflamingo sent one of his lackeys to help him out.

The plot chickens.

Well, you’re gonna kidnap him, so that might be a tough one to get round.

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monkeydluffy19920 · 5 years

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“I don’t need a parachute, baby if I’ve got you Baby if I’ve got you, I don’t need a parachute You’re gonna catch me, You’re gonna catch if I fall”

- Ingrid Michaelson - Parachute

Sannami week 2019 Day 7: Protect

Alrighty-o! Here is another prompt for @sannamiweek ‘s amazing event!

Parachute is probably better known from Cheryl Cole’s version but as far as I understood, it’s originally made by Ingrid Michaelson but they are all good in my opinion but for this project, I used her acoustic version of the song because well, it kind of fit plus ever since that bridal carry panel and the reunion hug, I wanted to add that scene to the end of the acoustic version. So this has been a thing in the to do list for a while so Sannami week and a few day offs was perfect timing because otherwise it would’ve taken forever because procrastination, trust me. The publicication schedule kinda failed but at least it’s done *thumbs up*

So, in last prompt (passion) I pondered about how their pasts have affected on their view to love in general and that both might have fear of loss and rejection which can strongly impact them in their own ways. Nami especially seems that kind of person who really would want to be more open about her feelings (she is pretty open in general but when it comes to romance, she might be really private about it) but for some reason, she is very private about these things.

Although both of them have done lots of sacrifices for each other and helped in the tight situations, I think this song is more from Nami’s point of view because of her way to keep certain feelings inside her whereas Sanji is very openly having a crush on her and he admires her in all ways. Well, One Piece is mainly about adventures and friendships and chasing dreams so if there was going to be some canon romance in the end, Oda-sensei wouldn’t give direct hints about them.

don't tell anyone about the way you hold my hand I don't tell anyone about the things that we have planned I won't tell anybody, won't tell anybody

Well, if they started to date Nami would probably want to keep low profile first because well, becoming an official couple would be quite a step whether they were still on the middle of the adventures or after them. Headcanonish thinking but Sanji would try to keep their dating as a secret but of course, he would be all hyped up so it would probably not be a secret long enough *laughs*

They wanna push me down, they wanna see you fall down

This was a direct reference to their own arcs where they fought with their demons because well, the Fishmen practically wanted to keep Nami forever as a hostage before the Straw Hats came to save her and then Sanji had to face his disrespectful family after years of abuse so both of them have the ghost of their pasts that probably still gives them nightmares and insecurities at times.

Won't tell anybody how you turn my world around I won't tell anyone how your voice is my favourite sound Won't tell anybody, won't tell anybody

More things she only can admit to Sanji, like how his smooth voice can calm her down and how she enjoys him pampering her. I think fellow Sanami fans are familiar with @sanjiafsincedayone ‘s post where was ponders about how Nami might get relaxed from Sanji’s continuous smell of cigarettes (because it reminds her of Bell-Mere).

Don't believe the things you tell Yourself so late at night and You are your own worst enemy You'll never win the fight Just hold on to me, I'll hold on to you It's you and me up against the world It's you and me

The second verse reminded me of he Zou/Totto Land arcs and it would’ve been shipwise very remarkable if Nami saw him on his weakest moment (when Sanji realized that the marriage wouldn’t have solved a thing) but it’s understandable that Oda-sensei wouldn’t make anything so obvious. I’ve said this a lot when the chapters were fresh but it’s still a fact that taking care of the crew mates and taking a share of the huge emotional burdens of theirs is part of Nami’s personality. She was distressed from Usopp’s and Luffy’s separation and worried to death when Robin suddenly disappeared so Sanji’s case would stress her as much as it did and probably even more because she was literally witnessing it and couldn’t do a thing since Sanji wanted to solve it all by himself.

I don't believe anything, don't trust anyone any more

This part of the lyrics reminded of Nami’s past again, how she fought all by herself to save a whole village. Wherever she robbed, she was hated and she had to learn to survive in order to gather the money and she also hated pirates because Arlong’s era made her very cautious.

But I believe you when you say we're never gonna fall Hand behind my neck, arm around my waist Never let me hit the ground, you'll never let me crash (Down)

With the power of friendship, they managed to free Nami and ever since that one building (that had her “office” and maps there) was put into pieces, she finally felt the freedom. Sanji has always shown interest in her and he has always shared compliments to her for example, he keeps telling her how talented she is with navigation and how beautiful she is. So, definitely, he has been a big emotional support to her. Well, others have been too but Oda-sensei has given interesting parallels that give us the feeling that they’d have potential to end up becoming canon, just like the other shippers see other details a significant. Of course, it’s again all about interpretation but there are similarities (for example, they are temperamental but deep down in their heart they are sensitive and emotional persons who are very compassioned and who put others’ need in front of theirs. Also, both of them share a soft, maternal/paternal side which is seen when they act like big siblings to younger crew members. They both remember flashbacks where their pasts have been mentioned (Sanji in Fishman Island, Nami in Zou). Also both of them grew in foster families, both lost their mothers who were dedicated to their children although both fought with their own problems (Sora fought with her health and Bell-Mere struggled with money), both become invisible prisoners and craved for freedom.

Then as said, there are lots of parallels many sharp eyed SaNami fans have pointed out and analyzed. For example, their childhoods were pretty much opposite, Sanji was rich and despised whereas Nami was poor but loved and encouraged to hone her skills. Then there is this theory that All Blue is a place which means their dreams might have a link (which would mean they’d need each other to fulfill their dreams).

One of the biggest parallels so far is that both have been dealing with the marriage in their own ways, both were forced to get married and both made huge effort to prevent it to happen. Also, both have been unconscious when the other was coming to save them or thank them (Sanji in Skypiea, partly also when Nami fought Kalifa and Nami didn’t have a clue of what happened in Thriller Bark when Absalom tried to steal a kiss from her). On top of that, Oda-sensei gives ship-tease with their “Do you love me”- gag where Sanji goes all mellorine and Nami is like “yes yes, focus!” but on the other hand in the later happenings, she hasn’t been as ignorant with the reply as she could be. Perhaps she won’t say it out loud in front of everyone but maybe she starts to develop deeper feelings (or has done it already) but well again, it’s all up to what we fans see and in the end, it’s Oda-sensei who makes the final decisions about their futures.

By the way, it was very nice from Toei to add some more shippyish scenes to the let’s escape from Big Mom-episodes because as far as I remember, when Prometheus attacked them (before Nami made Zeus attack Bg Mom) , there wasn’t this kind of scene or when Big Mom attacked them with sword, there wasn’t the scene about it either so the animation team deserves a big high five.

Frankly spoken, had to edit quite a lot the length of the song so it would be shorter because the last part is basically just repeating the same lyrics but anyway, maybe the main point of this video project was to add as many shippy moments as possible to the choruses to demonstrate where Sanji has been with her and what if those moments have affected her view on him.

Well, like said, she wasn’t aware of Thriller Bark but she has seen so many sacrifices so she is at least impressed probably and they both definitely share huge respect on each other and who knows, maybe this song will become canon? If not, then at least in our headcanons, fellow shippers :)!

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makeste · 6 years

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BnHA Chapter 003: Superhero Academy Entrance Exam

Chapter 3 of my not-actually-live liveblog of Boku no Hero Academia! And I have to say, this one is my favorite chapter so far. We’ve got new characters, we’ve got weird video game point challenges, and we’ve got a new crowning moment of awesome for our protagonist! All this, and a guy with the power of jeans. What more could I ask for in life.

Notes: As of posting this I’ve read up through chapter 6 of the manga and watched episodes 1-5 of the anime. My comments (aside from ETAs), however, are from my initial readthrough of the chapter and are unedited. And despite residing here on tumblr where BnHA is a trending tag like every week, I somehow continue to remain almost totally unspoiled (boy that feels like I’m jinxing it).

hey it’s some random speech bubbles just spitting out facts about U.A.! how convenient and helpful

damn, they only accept 1 in 300 people... that’s a 0.33% acceptance rate. I’m pretty sure even Harvard accepts like 5 or 6% of its applicants, so this is... yikes

All Might magnanimously declined the People’ Choice Award lmao

“Best Jeanist.” oh my god. for years I’ve thought Eiichiro Oda was hands-down the best mangaka when it came to creating off-the-wall new characters. but this character’s name is Best Jeanist and he’s wearing a turtleneck denim jacket and has onion hair and I just. I don’t know anymore. my world is shook

what makes it better is the implication that there are other jeanists out there. but he is the best

so much the best that he’s won the best jeanist award eight years running

what is his power?? jeans??

shout out to this other guy Endeavor who I’m completely ignoring because he had the misfortune to be standing next to my homeboy Best Fucking Jeanist

Deku actually went home and took a shower and packed and then got on the subway for a forty-minute ride. holy shit this kid is cool under pressure. probably took a fucking nap on the train too

DID HE EAT THE HAIR??? I ASSUME YES? GODDAMMIT THIS IS BULLSHIT TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED RIGHT NOW

is this the school? I like the trees just chilling out in the entrance lobby there

“there was no time to test out the power All Might had given to me” -- fjkalsjdfj ARE YOU SERIOUS

THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU IDIOTS DO THIS LAST WEEK

YOU COULD HAVE PACKED THE NIGHT BEFORE

THE SHOWER IS FINE, SHOWERS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT YOU COULD HAVE DONE IT FASTER

HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW IF THE HAIR ACTUALLY DID ANYTHING?? YOU SPENT THE PAST 10 MONTHS BUILDING UP TO THIS? YOU WERE CARRYING THAT BALL FOR TEN FUCKING MONTHS ONLY TO DROP IT THREE FUCKING HOURS BEFORE THE EXAM SFKSHLHK I’M FUCKING LOSING IT

I DON’T CARE IF HE’LL OBVIOUSLY BE FINE, I NEED SOMEONE TO GO AND SMACK HIM PLEASE

-- OH LOOK IT’S MY PROBLEMATIC FAVE

HOLY SAVAGE FUCK THAT “IGNORE + WALK PAST” WAS OFF THE FUCKING CHARTS

“ever since that day, Kaachan never tormented me again”

the answer is yes, right? no? are you sure?? damn

wow they still remember the sludge monster and call it the “sludge incident”

here I was thinking this kind of shit happened on the daily in this crazy superheroes&supervillains society, but I guess some incidents are more memorable than others

also it’s nice that he stopped harassing Green Tsuna, but when my previous (I shouldn’t say “previous”, actually... more like “still current”) favorite Gokudera “GOAT” Hayato had his life saved by his protagonist, he not only stopped tormenting him, but he immediately swore his eternal fealty and dedicated his life to serving him, so that’s a pretty high bar. I will give Baku the benefit of the doubt, though

I’m still obviously on board this ship, as evidenced by the fact that Deku thought “I gotta stop flinching instinctively” and I was like “aww they’ll be lovers any day now”

I don’t understand it either

hey hello I’m cracking up in real life here

wow I thought he was gonna fall and that was hilarious, but instead he’s somehow just... floating there? which is somehow even MORE hilarious

HEY A NEW CHARACTER. [takes notes]

WHY ARE YOU SORRY FOR STOPPING HIM IT WAS A NICE THING TO DO

“[SMILES BROADLY] THIS SURE IS NERVE-WRACKING!” HEY I’M SORRY, BEST JEANIST, BUT YOU CAN FUCK RIGHT OFF, THIS IS MY NEW NEW FAVE

HIGH FIVE, GREEN TSUNA. YOU’RE DOING GREAT

“Everybody say hey” this motherfucker better be saying this in fucking English goddamit. (ETA: he is!! yessssssssss)

nobody said hey

“well that’s cool.” nice recovery! gamfuckingbatte you funky boombox man

YEEEEEEAH

nobody said yeah

my god this is a tough crowd. the practical test could just be warming these stone-cold motherfuckers up and it would 100% explain the abysmally low acceptance rate

I love how Deku talks to himself all the fucking time. I want to watch movies with him. we’ll both talk quietly while trying not to annoy people and probably not succeeding.

they’re sitting next to each other oh my god they were roomaaaaates

no but it’s seriously so cute??

there are probably thousands of people there, they didn’t HAVE to sit with each other. (unless seating arrangements are determined by school)

ETA: which they probably are come to think of it. hahaha)

they can’t take the test together though, aw

look at these fucking Mario silhouettes. did Nintendo sign off on these?

is it allowed because they’re blacked out? how fucking sneaky

(ETA: actually in the anime they didn’t make any Mario references at all, which makes me think there actually was a copyright issue)

these rules seem simple enough. actually seems almost too simple. the amount of different quirks they’re dealing with and the lack of guidelines on how not to use them seems to be asking for trouble. but I guess they probably know what they’re doing by now

I thought this was a high school, why is this 40-year-old man here asking questions about the exam

OH SHIT DEKU HE’S CALLING YOU OUT FROM TWENTY FEET AWAY

we would so get kicked out of movies together

now they’re literally referencing Super Mario Bros by name huh

and calling it an “old retro game”... sob

I actually love the pop culture reference so much and hope that more of these follow. this is how people talk in real life. none of that coming across a zombie and not actually calling them “zombies” because that concept somehow doesn’t exist or any of that bullshit. no sir. “you guys know thwomps from Mario? this thing is like a thwomp from Mario”

here we go. this set-up reminds me of Choice from KHR. please dear god don’t actually be like Choice from KHR

yeah, come to think... how big is this school

there’s a guy whose arm bone is sticking waaaaaay out of his elbow and it’s making me so fucking uncomfortable

please go away

THE GIRL IS HERE

AND THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD MAN IS HERE TOO DAMMIT

all these people who don’t even fucking know Deku are still picking on him for some reason. ugh. just more people to show up, Izu. you got this dude

I’m getting strong Hunger Game vibes here

oh damn they sure did run

thd thd thd thd

relax, Deku, I’m sure there are plenty of monsters to go around. plus most of those guys appear to be morons and I’m sure the smiley girl and the forty-year-old man are the only ones in the group who’ll actually pass somehow

oh fucking FINALLY a flashback to him eating the hair!!

he’ll START to feel SOMETHING in A FEW HOURS?!!!

and there he is running off to take a shower as previously established

I am glad he is confirmed as having good personal hygiene, though

“prepare for some real kickback” noooo I’m getting nervous

when you use One for All, clench up your butt

ssshhf this giant fucking robot literally interrupted his flashback right before we got to the good part??

DEKU. CLENCH YOUR BUTTTT

“why can’t I move?” MAYBE YOU CLENCHED TOO TIGHT. SHIT

some bishounen with a crotch laser just appeared out of nowhere and blasted it!

whew

“merci!” you’re welcome, Tuxedo Mask

wow he’s been standing around for four minutes already?? I take back what I said before, Deku. fucking run

everyone else has killed basically all the enemies. fuck why do I feel like he’s about to face a fucking thwomp. how many points were those again

...lmao zero. well shit

these Ender’s Game test-makers have deemed Yuri on Ice over here a “decision maker”

who am I to argue

BAKUGOUUU

YESSS MY ANGRY SON WHOM I’VE ADOPTED FOR REASONS THAT STILL CONFUSE ME HAS GOT THAT .3% ACCEPTANCE RATE LOCKED UP

OH NO IT’S THE YARUKI SWITCH

WHAT’S A YARUKI SWITCH

now feels like a good time to speculate on just how fucking expensive this fucking test is with the giant robots and the entire fucking city built for the sole purpose of being leveled in ten fucking minutes all for the sake of a test which only 1 out of every 300 people will even fucking pass

somewhere out there I hope there are people whose quirks are just “building lots of things really cheaply and effectively”, otherwise this feels like such a waste

haha now everyone is running again but in the opposite direction this time

and so is Deku. NOW he can move, huh

aaaaaand he’s crying again

something better happen or else he’s screwed

oh fuck me, the girl fell, of COURSE it had to be the girl

(ETA: actually upon reflection I think they redeemed this due to two things: (1) tying it back to her not letting him trip and fall earlier, and (2) the fact that she’s not the first person that Deku has had to heroically rescue, and the person who WAS first was not only a guy, but the angry explosive prodigy character. so I’ll give them a pass here)

(ETA 2: after watching it in the anime, a bunch of debris fucking fell on her, so I take back all of my complaining. good show)

AHHHHH HE’S RUNNING BACK TOWARD THE GIANT MONSTER DOING THE HEROIC “I JUST ACTED WITHOUT THINKING” THING AGAIN AHHH

AHHHHHHHH

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

THIS IS THE COOLEST THING I’VE EVER SEEN

HOLY SHIT WAY TO BRING ME BACK DOWN

-- AH?! NOOO WHY IS IT OVER

I’M GONNA GO READ THE NEXT ONE RIGHT NOW

(ETA: and you better believe I did)

BUT FIRST

BONUS:

”I’m glad he came out so unlikable.” HAHA JOKE’S ON YOU

”his face just screams ‘I’m a rotten thief’” LMAO SOB WHY IS HE MY FAVORITE

GOOD CALL CHANGING HIS PERSONALITY THOUGH BECAUSE THIS VERSION NEEDS TO BE PUNCHED IN THE FUCKING FACE:

I HATE HIM

AND THAT’S IT THAT’S THE CHAPTER????

holy fucking shit.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #makeste reads bnha #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #uraraka ochako #and I forgot the forty-year-old man's name again so I can't tag it unfortunately #you know what let me go look it up #...#tenya iida #heh #he's so old

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jollyinha · 6 years

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Soooo... I saw an One Piece tag in Reddit, and for some reason I really like doing tags, even though no one gives a fuck about it. Since I have nothing better to do, LET’S ANSWER IT!

1 - Who is your favorite character and why? (Additionally, who is you fav Straw Hat?)

Most people would guess that it’s Sanji, since I’m crazy for this boy literally since I put my eyes on him... But my favorite character is Luffy, because without him, I wouldn’t stay interested in One Piece for much time. I kept watching the anime because I thought he was a funny and interesting protagonist, and it changed my life.

Besides, he is everything I love in a character (Especially in a protagonist): Dreamer, determinated, funny loyal and dumb. He inspired/inspires me in many, many ways, and I just love this strawhat boy.

2 - Who is your favorite villain and why?

That’s a tough one... Arlong impacted me the most (I hate, haaaaate his guts!) and Lucci akuma-no-mi is pretty cool. But I’m saying Crocodile. I mean, c’mon, the guy tricked an entire kingdom, defeated Luffy TWICE (I think it was twice, correct me if I’m saying shit), had an entire organization... And had banana crocodiles and a cool casino. And his akuma-no-mi is badass too. I kind of hope that he appears again in these recents arcs, even if it’s very unlikely!

3 - What is your favorite quote or statement?

Oh man, there’s so many of them... Screw that, I’m making a small list.

- "When does a man die? Does he die when he's been shot? No. Does he die when he's ravaged with disease? No. Does he die when he's been poisoned? NO! A man dies when, and only when, he is FORGOTTEN! “

- "A man's dream will never die!"

- “The government says your existence is a crime, but no matter what kind of weapons you may hold, just being alive isn't a sin! THERE'S NO CRIME IN LIVING!!!''

- “Don't start a fight you can't finish.”

4 - Who is your favorite female character?

Urgh, I love all my girls! I love Robin, Vivi and Nami nearly equally, but I’m saying Nami. Her backstory was the first one that actually made me cry. It’s amazing to think that he was stealing from pirates that could kill her, even though that she was just a child! That moment when she asked for help... Damn, it brings me chills.

And I also love how even though she was already extremely important for the crew while being only the navigator, she still wanted to become stronger, and asked for Usopp to create the Clima Tact. She uses her intelligence to fight, fights for her friends when it’s necessary and still saves everyone’s butts by being the amazing navigator we know!

5 - What is your favorite fight?

I gotta say the fight against Lucci. Not only was a very intense battle and it was the first time Luffy used a Gear, but I love its meaning. If he needs to kick the World Government’s ass to save a crewmate, he will absolutely do it. Nothing shall stand in his and his nakama’s way!

6 - What is your favorite episode?

Well, I don’t ACTUALLY watch the anime since Alabasta. After that, I’ve only watched a few loose episodes, so I don’t know a lot about the anime. But I’m saying the episode that Brook joined the crew. The expressions and the voice acting are just on point!

7 - What is your favorite One Piece opening?

We Are!, of freaking course. It’s the only opening that I never skipped while I watched the anime. Although We Go! comes in a close second. Believe in Wonderland is good too.

8 - What is your favorite movie, special or "episode of"?

I did enjoyed Strong World and 3D2Y a lot, but Gold was amazeballs, starting with that freaking catchy song in the beginning. The animation is GORGEOUS, Tesoro is very interesting in my opinion, the outfits are amazing, and the final battles were pretty cool too. I didn’t liked Carina very much, tho

9 - What is your favorite arc in One Piece?

Alabasta, without any doubt. Baroque Works was freaking charismatic, the scenarios were interesting as hell, Vivi was an amazing character in general, the battles were intense and fun, and it’s such a funny arc! I really like the filler were Ace spends a while with the Strawhats too. Water 7 comes in a close second place.

10 - What is your favorite One Piece videogame?

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3. It’s so much fun to play with characters like Hancock, Ace, Law and Tashigi! The story log is very nostalgic and the dream log is addicting as hell.

11 - If you were in the One Piece universe, who's crew would you join and why?

What kind of question is that? Strawhat Crew, of course! They all have this sense of one for all and all for one, and they really look like a family, and this is very heart-warming to me.

12 - What is the saddest One Piece moment?

Weeeeeeell... I’ve been stuck in Dressrosa for a while, and the saddest moment in my opinion is at Whole Cake. I took EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE SPOILER of this arc, though. Without hesitation, it’s Sanji’s backstory. I feel like crying when I only see PICTURES of his backstory... I don’t even want to think what I’m going to feel when I actually get in Whole Cake. Sanji occupies a very special place in my heart, so it hurts a lot to see that this was his past. Congratulations, Oda, you completely broke my heart once again. Also, Pudding can stick her finger in her third eye and go to hell

13 - What is the most shocking moment?

The third scene that made me cry in One Piece: Usopp VS Luffy in Water 7. These two are such good friends! That’s why I remember that I was freaking out when they began to fight.

14 - What is the funniest One Piece moment and who is the funniest character?

There are plenty of funny moments in this beautiful story, so I’m going to say more than one. Zoro getting lost, Luffy’s impressions, Robin’s imagination and all the “Can you poop?” moments. And of course that Luffy is the funniest character.

15 - What is the most memorable moment?

That moment when Luffy gets Zoro’s swords, and he defends his captain for the first time. C’mon, it’s the beginning of the crew!

“Nice, Zoro!”

“It was no trouble, Captain.”

16 - What is your favorite ability in One Piece?

Hana-Hana No Mi. It’s elegant, has many uses and it can be powerful as heck. I totally want it! Emperor’s Haki is a close second, tho...

17 - Do you own any One Piece merchandise? (Official or not)

Many of them! All the mangas that were/are being released on Brazil, the special editions (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green and Wanted!) an giant wallpaper, plenty of posters, many figure actions, an Sanji cosplay, a flag, a strawhat, a keychain and a notepad (The last two actually came from Japan!), a necklace and a shirt.

18 - Do you prefer watching One Piece in sub or dub?

As I said up there, I’m brazilian... So I never actually had acess to the english dub, and the portuguese dub (It’s a very good dub, btw) came out before I knew One Piece. So, it’s sub.

19 - What is the #1 thing you love the most about One Piece?

I’m a sucker for this kind of thing: The whole dreams, freedom, friendship and bravery message that it passes. I keep the lessons that One Piece gave me deep in my heart. They give me hope and happiness in hard moments.

20 - What is the #1 thing you hate the most about One Piece?

There’s two of them: The brazilian fandom and what they did to Sanji after the timeskip. Brazil’s fandom is full of toxicity, arguing, homophobia and sexism. And Sanji was so smooth and serious before the timeskip, but I feel like he became a gag after the timeskip. Where’s the suave Sanji, goddamnit?!

21 - Does One Piece take your number 1 spot in your top 10 animes? (If not, where?)

Absolutely yes. One Piece saved me from dispair countless times. Its jokes, its lessons, its characters... And if it weren’t for One Piece, I wouldn’t have known half of my friends, and honestly, I don’t know where I was going to be nowdays if I didn’t had them. In many aspects, One Piece saved my life. I’m eternally grateful to Oda. One Piece is a huge inspiration to me in both emotional aspects and in a writer’s point of view. Watching One Piece was the best choice I ever made, because that silly strawhat boy changed my life and took me out of the darkness many times. I love this masterpiece with all my soul.

#one piece #tag #tags #reddit tags #this last part was actually very deep #but 100% truthful #i got a little emotional tbh #but i have no regrets

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neverwatchedonepiece · 5 years

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611-612: "A Small Dragon! Momonosuke Appears!" and "A Deadly Fight in a Blizzard! the Straw Hats vs. the Snow Woman!"

Caesar’s Minion: “Wait... Didn’t Vegapunk leave a man made Devil Fruit here.”

Felt the pace across this pair of episodes was a bit slower. Not a problem, though, because all the loose ends must be tied up. To to this, all plot threads must be lovingly prepared and set in place before the final, arc-ending knot is tied.

So far, Oda’s been great at that, so I’m not worried. Even if some threads are left loose, they’ll just be woven into a future plot because he planned it that way. At least Momonosuke, the last outstanding plot point, has finally wound his way onto the stage. All that remains are those elusive sea prism stone cuffs.

But there was one Huge Reveal here...

MAN MADE DEVIL FRUITS.

THEY ARE A THING.

WTF?

Your Dad Talked Through His Farts

I loved this weird little meeting between Luffy and Momonosuke.

Luffy worked on his past experience with talking dragons on Punk Hazard. First, he thought Momonosuke would be edible (nooooooooo!) Then, he figured the child’s voice was coming from someone who was stuck on the dragon’s body and maybe Momonosuke was talking with his farts.

“How rude!” Momonosuke seethed. These samurai are very proper people, Luffy. Gotta show some class around them, I guess.

Then little Momonosuke’s tummy rumbled and Luffy realised the dragon kid was starving. That was sad. Instant empathy for dragon child right there.

But Momonosuke was a samurai child. They did not get hungry after only ten days of fasting. (Only ten.) He asked who Luffy was and why he was there. When Luffy introduced himself, Momonosuke didn’t think he could be a pirate, as pirates were “all big, heavyweight men. More violent and strong-looking.”

I guess he is from an isolated island and has never seen Buggy the Clown and Galdino: the Dream Team.

Once they talked a bit more, Momonosuke said he wanted to get out of the garbage dump to help save the kids trapped in the labs. Why? He overheard Caesar saying something shocking.

On the kidnap ship bound for Punk Hazard, the other kids tried to make friends with shadowy Momonosuke. But he was a samurai type and didn’t appreciate their attempts to “give alms”. Crucially, this meant Momonosuke did not take any of the candy Caesar and Monet offered. (Nice one, Momonosuke.) In fact, he escaped and wandered the lab corridors, looking for an exit, because he had something he needed to do in his home land.

He happened to wander into the Secret Room (that everyone knows about, lol). Starving, he spotted a suspicious looking fruit in a glass cabinet. He took one look at it, smashed the glass and scoffed the fruit.

I knew it was a Devil Fruit. It was purple and had those spots on it. But I was not prepared for what Caesar’s minions would reveal. It was a Man Made Devi Fruit constructed by none other than Vegapunk himself! The minions heard it was a failure. Obviously, that wasn’t the case, as Momonosuke morphed into a dragon, freaked out and scarpered. Maybe like Caesar’s drug, the man made DFs only work on kids? Or Caesar was lying about the fruit being a failure (seems more likely, knowing Caesar).

But... this is huge.

Man made Devil Fruits. This could turn the whole power structure of the OPverse upside down. Rich pirates could demand and receive whatever power they want. Hell, the WG could have whatever power they wanted at their disposal.

I imagine a man made Devil Fruit could go pretty wrong too. Maybe some wicked side-effects.

Caesar has some world-shattering stuff in that lab. Now I get why he has such a great booze collection. He’s probably swimming in cash from Doflamingo, who is the one who’s managed to secure his services.

And now I know what you guys were talking about when you said to look at the texture of the fruits. Momonosuke’s man made fruit was SMOOTH. The true Devil Fruit, the one Smiley had eaten, was swirly and textured.

Luffy listened to Momonosuke’s fruit tale and was like, “You’re a Zoan type. Why don’t you just change back?”

Momonosuke didn’t know he could do that. (Maybe he can’t with the man made type?) Still, it wasn’t a priority. He had to get out to tell the other kids what he’d heard.

Caesar Makes People So Angry They Morph Into Popeye

As Momonosuke was skulking about in his new dragon form, he walked past an open door and heart Caesar and Monet talking.

“We have another group of obedient kids. The others are growing bigger without problem. But after all, this is an experiment to see the limitations of drug dosing. I don’t think they can take it that long. I assume they’ll all be dead in five years.”

“So we’ll need more kids?” Monet asked.

“Well, experiments come with failures. It’s a necessary sacrifice. Those stupid kids can help the world’s greatest scientist and do good for the world. Even if it’s a short life, they have to be happy with it.”

Holy. Moly.

Those poor kids. It’s lucky Chopper and Nami met them when they did. Hopefully, Chopper will help them get off the drugs and they’ll be well enough to go home. I wonder about the giant kids, though. Will they be giant all their lives? Probably.

Flash forward again and Momonosuke finished his tale. All he wanted to do was save the other kids. He thought Caesar was a doctor but he was a bad man who would let kids die. Momonosuke was on his way to save the kids but fell into the trash heap. It would be a disgrace to his honour as a warrior to not help them.

Luffy’s eyes were shaded. You know when that happens, he is maaaaaaaad.

He decided to climb out of the garbage dump and take Momonosuke with him.

Luckily, he didn’t have to climb anything. Momonosuke had a weird, triggering moment when Luffy said, “Stay with me...” which unleashed a Goku/Monkey style golden cloud power. (Everyone knows from DB and Monkey that you can walk on golden clouds. “Born from an egg on a mountain top. Funkiest Monkey that ever rocked. If you’ve never watched that show, hook yourself up with an episode. It’s hilarious.)

The luck, alas, did not last. Momonosuke came to his senses and they fell back down into the heap. At least Luffy is stretchy, right?

BREAKING NEWS: Caesar Sets Morality Bar Even Lower!

Meanwhile, Caesar had kicked back in his lab, waiting for the bottleneck gas chamber carnage to unfold. Little Mocha was tearing away from the other kids, who wanted to attack her for the candy.

Naturally, she was distraught. The people she had thought were so nice: Caesar and Monet, turned out to be the worst pieces of actual shit ever.

The flashback of Caesar from Mocha’s point of view actually made my jaw drop.

Every time I think, surely Caesar can’t sink any lower? No, it’s not possible.

In true scientist fashion, Caesar continues to push the boundaries of possibility.

Mocha was one of the first kids to be transported to Punk Hazard, including the blonde kid who’s name I forgot. (Sorry, blonde kid.)

Caesar came to meet them personally when they arrived. He ramped up the charm and faux-concern, of course. “I’m glad that you made it! Good to see you. My name is Caesar Clown. Call me Master. (First red flag right there, imo.) You two are a part of my first generation of patients. I’m looking forward to working with you.” Brief interruption for a hug. I cannot believe he even hugged those kids. He is such a SNAAKE. xD “I bet you were scared and worried when you heard you were sick out of the blue. But everything is okay now. You don’t have to worry about anything. I will treat you at any cost!” (Technically true but, kids, you will not like the treatment.)

Then he dropped the bomb that actually made me gasp.

“To tell you the truth, I lost my only son to this disease. I never want to see another child suffer from it. I don’t want to see another parent lost their child and have to grieve like me! Oh... Oh, I’m sorry. How embarrassing. I shouldn’t cry in front of you.”

I just...

I can’t even.

I mean, Caesar is a great villain and all, but damn, Oda, that is low.

The morality bar has not only been lowered. It is buckling under the sheer weight of Caesar’s evilness and will snap at any moment.

Why Has Zoro Not Yet Kicked Ass and Taken Names?

Monet pretty much said what I’m thinking right now. She wasn’t sure she could beat Zoro: a swordsman who uses Armament Haki trained by Dracule Mihawk himself. But for some reason, Zoro hasn’t made a move. All he’s done is parry and protect the other Strawhats.

Then again, it is a dangerous environment with a lot of friendly fire concerns.

The Biscuit Room has devolved into a freaking riot. There are crack-candy addicted kids charging about. Mocha, the one kid who is off the candy, is an ally, so they need to be extra careful around her. Sure, they’re not in the Biscuit Room any longer, but collateral from the fight could take them out. Sanji and his G5 army of fans have appeared. Nami, Robin and Chopper are still around and have been sealed in the room by Monet’s ice wall.

Plus, Monet is no slouch. She has some blade skills and a good logia fruit to boot.

Nami could be an asset in this fight. The Heat Egg attack has been the only one that’s really put the hurt on Monet so far. (Zoro, use that haki please.) If Nami could power up a strong heat attack, she could take out Monet.

I loved it when Monet was monologuing, debating with Chopper about her being responsible for the kids. Who planted that rebellious spirit in Mocha’s mind? Then Zoro mercilessly cut her short. He does not respect villain speeches. xD

Monet called out the Strawhats for acting like pirates. “Every day we treat the children nicely and allow them to live in great comfort. What you people are trying to do is take away these treasures from us foster parents. You people are like pirates.”

Laying aside the awful issue of gaslighting children, experimenting on them and claiming you are anything like a foster parent (that could be an entire post in itself), Zoro’s reply was ice cold and straight to the point.

“So you have no problem with it, right?”

There’s the awesome main-character grey morality again. I really do love that about One Piece. Zoro is like Luffy in that regard. The Strawhats are pirates. They will “kidnap” kids if they have to. Though this time, the Strawhats are on the right side of the moral divide. They’re counter-kidnapping the kids to return them to their parents.

But Zoro had better hurry up and make that move against Monet if he wants it to happen any time soon.

The G5′s Grand Entrance

And I totally was not expecting a comedy gold moment to interrupt a boss battle.

Just as things were getting serious, Zoro heard the sound of Sanji’s voice in the distance. Obviously, this turned Zoro’s head and he was greeted with the sight of Sanji leading a charge of G5 soldiers.

“WHY ARE YOU LEADING THEM?” Zoro yelled.

“Oh, there’s Zoro!” Sanji shouted. “Alright guys, stick out your lower lip and make fun of him.” xD

But Zoro knows Sanji inside out, so he said, “Oi, Nami and Robin went that way.”

Unfortunately, Monet, the feathered siren, proved a distraction. Monet’s flirtatiousness is a big part of her character (she flirted with Law and Luffy for fun). It must be pretty lonely being stuck in Punk Hazard with Caesar, so it made sense that she enjoyed the attention for half a second before getting back to business.

She burned through a couple of fodders with her Ice Form (freezing and biting a chunk out of one’s shoulder was savage).

Then Tashigi made *her* grand entrance.

And she can use haki.

That was a revelation.

She has always been several steps behind Zoro. Teaming up with him to take down a villain might boost her confidence. I sure hope so, anyway.

Meanwhile...

Usopp, Foxfire and Brook (or should I say “Corpse-dono”) are still charging about, hunting for sea prism stone cuffs. Shinokuni gas is now following them, so they’ll be caught up in Caesar’s bottleneck gas chamber plan.

I’m guessing that’s where they’ll find the cuffs. If Tashigi and the G5 also end up there, Usopp could pilfer or borrow some cuffs from her. I’m just assuming captain-level Marines carry cuffs on them here. The fact Usopp willingly initiated a “let’s split up” plan and offered to work alone was pretty brave of him. Usopp definitely has got stronger and more confident in his abilities.

Must also say there was some really nice art in the Smoker vs Vergo short update in episode 611. Not an artist myself, so I don’t tend to notice or be very good at critiquing these sorts of things. But even I noticed the quality this time. Good job, whichever team worked on it. :)

There goes the morality bar again, slip slidin’ right into hell...

#one piece #neverwatchedonepiece #nwop #never watched one piece #monkey d. luffy #momonosuke #caesar clown #monet #roronoa zoro #sanji #usopp #nami #tony tony chopper #nico robin #brook #mocha #foxfire kinemon

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neverwatchedonepiece · 5 years

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551-552: "The Battle Is On! At Conchchorde Plaza!" and "A Surprising Confession! The Truth Behind the Assassination of Otohime!"

I KNEW IT!!

I knew that scumbag Hordy was behind Otohime’s assassination! Oh, I only wish I’d been a fan while these chapters were being released so I could have made a bet with someone. Then again... everyone reading at that time probably knew too. I mean the flags were vast and red.

As soon as I saw the title for 552 flash up, I thought, “Yes. This is it. Hordy is gonna confess.”

Was not disappointed.

And that wasn’t all. The reveals kept coming. The circumstances of the assassination? Check. Madame Sharley’s family? Check. 30,000 hidden human slaves? Double check. Plus, I finally know what Noah is (yes, it is a “what” and not a “who”). And it is currently being controlled by Decken who has finally gone off the deep end.

Why Does Hordy Look Like He’s About to Judge Someone on a Talent Show?

Have to say, I forgot to mention something in the last post. Neptune brought up an inconvenient truth about the Fish Roids. Those rad pills that grant you super strength? They come packed with horrendous side-effects. Namely: they take years off your life.

Maybe that’s why Hordy has snow white hair now as well as a water shoot attack that can fell buildings and destroy royal army squadrons.

Episode 551 served pretty much to build Hordy’s threat potential as a villain. And boy it was done in quick time. By the end of 551, he had strung up Neptune, decimated the royal army, the royal ministers and had defeated all three princes.

I kind of hate Hordy’s guts right now, so it was nice to see the islanders so concerned for their beloved king, shielding children’s eyes as the execution convoy flew past. Neptune’s guard tried to take a stand, but Neptune told them to run, not to die a meaningless death. See, that’s the difference between a good king and Hordy (I refuse to call him a king. He ain’t crowned yet). Neptune cares for his people and they respect and care from him in turn.

At the plaza, Hordy’s Head Goons assembled. Brave islanders climbed the walls because they wanted to rescue Neptune. They had prime seats for the upcoming show.

By the time they had scaled the fence, Hordy had cleared out the royal guard and installed himself on a giant pink beanbag throne. Neptune was trussed up to a St Andrew’s style cross. No idea if there’s any symbolism there, but Andrew was called a “fisher of men”. Maybe it’s just the whole martyrdom thing. Being willing to die for the peaceful ideals of Otohime. Or maybe Oda just thought, “Yeah.... saltire crosses. That’ll do.”

One poor soldier tried to pull off a suicide attack. If he could just take out one of the Head Goons before the princes arrived, it would aid the rescue effort. But the merciless hype machine ground its gears and the solider became fodder for Hordy’s power up.

It was an impressive power up. Just the normal water shoot bullet but ramped up to eleven. BOOM! It blasted through walls, buildings, rock formations and only lost momentum miles away at Mermaid Cove. I thought, “This guy really is a scumbag. He’s just wreaking havoc and destroying things because, lel, this is fun and I have the power now.”

Then the princes arrived. I finally remember all of their names! Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi and Manboshi. Better late than never. The spectators on the wall cheered. The princes were here! King Neptune would be saved! Hurrah! The princes declared, “WE WILL SAVE YOU, FATHER!”

I felt like Madame Sharly. I could see what was coming a mile off.

Fukaboshi, because he’s going to become king someday and be fucking excellent, gave another good speech. “Why don’t you understand, Hordy Jones? You people are the weakest on this island [Hordy was triggered by this]. The other islanders were trying to ignore the history of discrimination by humans and to forgive the murder of their hero and their queen who died at the hands of a human [oh, Fukaboshi...]. They endured their pain to change their future and sign their names. Why can’t you appreciate the boldness and kindness of their decision?”

Because he’s Fishler, that’s why. You can’t reason with Fishler types. You could say, “Well, remember that chap Whitebeard? He was an alright human, wasn’t he?” and a Fishler would shriek, “NO, HE WAS JUST PRETENDING! WHITEBEARD WAS FAKE NEWS!” Or, “Have you ever been to the surface, Fishler?” and they would reply, “NO, BUT I DON’T NEED TO.” (I think Hordy has because he’s a pirate, but the attitude’s the same).

I don’t know why they talk in caps. But

Now, the annoying thing about Hordy’s goons beating down the princes was that those boys are actually no slouches. Were it not for the Roids, they could easily have kicked ass.

But Hordy claimed they would never lose, as the had been, and I quote, “given great power from above.” From above? As in the surface? Now that’s suspicious. Who has been supplying these Fishmen with Roids? I half expect Vegapunk to be involved somehow.

At any rate, the Head Goons showed their stuff. Roided up, they were faster, stronger and crushed the princes. And they were strung up alongside their dad.

And It Gets Worse

No, not just because of the crowd of Hordy’s followers baying for blood.

Back at the Sea Forest... the fight between Jimbei and Luffy had been off-panelled.

This, I think, is weird. We did not get to see Luffy in a mangled, defeated state. We never got to see Sanji, Nami, Chopper, Robin or Franky. All we heard was Jimbei saying, “Phew, he gave me a hard time,” before he escorted Shirahoshi back towards the palace.

Except that didn’t work out because they thought a balloon version of Neptune was the real thing and were netted and dragged off to the plaza. (I am suspicious of the lack of Luffy, so I kind of hope this is a roundabout scheme from Jimbei. Schemes wouldn’t work with Luffy but maybe Jimbei’s clever enough to steer him in the right direction and count on Luffy being Luffy to sort things out in the end).

Hordy was pleased at the special delivery of Jimbei, Shirahoshi and Megalo. Before that, he didn’t want to kill his hostages until Shirahoshi was lured to the plaza. It’s her power to call Sea Kings that he feared most and other than Neptune, she is the one he wants dead most. It was also the only reason he teamed up with Decken. (Now it makes sense! I thought Hordy only wanted a way into the palace.)

The poor audience of islanders on the walls, though... they were distraught. It was like a quadruple whammy of gut punches. First Neptune, then the princes, and now Jimbei and their beloved princess Shirahoshi. I mean, I’d wager Jimbei is almost as much of a legendary figure as Fisher Tiger nowadays. To see him brought so low must be truly shocking (still hoping it’s a ploy).

Now Hordy’s only concern is what the Strawhats will do. He guessed they’d return to the palace, free Zoro, Usopp and Brook. But he had some surprise guests waiting for them...

Yes, that’s right! 30,000 human slaves Hordy caught! Plus another 70,000 armed thugs (fodder for Strawhats). “One hundred thousand outlaws together!” he crowed. I guess this proves Hordy can perform basic addition.

I mean, there were a few female and child slaves along with the male ones, but they would be taken care of later. And I don’t think he means given a hot meal and a roof over their heads. :|

Madame Sharly Steps Up

This is when the episode got Extra Juicy.

Madame Sharly stepped up, spoke up and got Hordy so wound up he snapped and went completely off the rails in public.

“You fools are a dishonour. Horsing around in public. You kids have no class at all. Don’t push your luck. I just wanted to say one thing to you since you’re at the height of your glory: a man will destroy Fishman Island.”

“Wasn’t it me you saw?” Hordy said, modestly.

Bad news, Hordy. “No. The man who will destroy it is Strawhat Luffy. I can’t tell what he’ll do specifically. But it is not you. The one who will determine the fate of Fishman Island is not you, Hordy Jones.”

Well...

Let’s just say this news was not received positively.

As Madame Sharly is another legendary figure in Fishman Island, her not backing Hordy’s rise to power was disastrous PR. Even the goons were freaking out. “Omg, that means Hordy will never gain control of Fishman Island. Her predictions are accurate!”

The Hordy stepped up and slapped the crap out of Madame Sharly.

Forget what I said last post about not wanting Luffy to come and sort shit out.

Get down here now because this guy needs taken down a peg.

I was so enraged by Hordy’s obvious threatened response to Madame Sharly that when he revealed she was ARLONG’S SISTER (WTF??) I barely heard it and had to rewind and watch it again. He also bare face admitted to her he was only using the Arlong Pirates name to unite people under his banner.

Properly triggered by Sharly’s lack of support, he went on a mad, Roid-Rant, yelling that HE was the ONLY ONE who could take over Fishman Island. His scheme is ten years in the making! He had the power to do it. ONLY HIM. OH, AND BY THE WAY, YOU KNOW THAT QUEEN YOU ALL LOVED SO MUCH?

I think this is Hordy’s biggest mistake. Some of you guys in the comments for the last post talked about Luffy sorting out Fishman issues not being a problem because would Hordy really have many supporters to resent Luffy?

After this, I am convinced he won’t have any. Because those islanders on the wall? They were enraged.

While Hordy had his villainous, “YES, IT WAS ME!” moment, a flashback revealed he did pay a human to be involved in the assassination. At first, I thought Hordy just paid the human pirate to shoot her. Was shocked but no surprised to learn that he hated Otohime so much that he wanted to pull the trigger himself. The human accessory only set fire to the petitions.

Hordy has gone so far off the deep end with the lack of Sharly support that he forgot that triggering Shirahoshi has geological scale consequences.

“Don’t you think she was annoying?” he said straight to Shirahoshi’s face. “She begged everyone not to seek revenge against humans but to be friends with them instead. She was bugging me because she’d almost accomplished her goal. I wasn’t satisfied with just killing her. [No of course you weren’t...] To me, your mother was someone who deserved death. I came up with the idea to make the best of her death, that would allow me to stoke the fire of hatred towards humans, that Fishmen citizens once had, and destroy the islanders’ stupid dream once and for all! I’d frame a human for killing her. You were all fooled exactly as I hoped. She was worth killing, right, Shirahoshi? She wasn’t killed by a human. She was killed by me. I, a kinsman, did it.”

I thought the earthquakes would start and the Sea Kings would begin, slowly, to stretch it out over several episodes, to swim towards Fishman Island.

But no.

The twist was even better!

Shirahoshi turned to Hordy and said, “I already knew.”

WHAT THE---?

Honestly, I was as shocked as Jimbei. Even Hordy was dumbfounded.

I cannot wait to find out how Shirahoshi knew. I mean, if she knew and didn’t tell anyone, that’s a pretty big ball to drop, you know?

Oh, and I forgot to mention this guy...

Decken: King of the Incels

This is some next-level creepy madness, let me tell you. Especially when the news only a couple days ago reported that some incel just shot up a yoga studio because “women”.

I mean, Decken has a neckbeard and is even wearing a Fedora. It’s like Oda had a vision of the future and turned it into a pirate because the reality was just too weird.

Anyway, Decken has also gone off the deep end, and has adopted a: “If I Cannot Have Her, Everyone Will Die” mindset. To achieve this, he has brought to life an ship called Noah built by Fishmen “a while ago” (hmm.... seems older than that, but I’ll run with it.

I’m half thinking Noah could it be one of those Pluton-like weapons because the ship is half the size of Fishman Island, apparently. Great for ramming into a protective bubble and killing everyone in it, eh? Woo hoo! What a great guy!

*whistles innocently*

#one piece #neverwatchedonepiece #nwop #never watched one piece #fishman island #monkey d. luffy #jimbei #hordy jones #princess shirahoshi #neptune #fukaboshi #queen otohime #fisher tiger #captain vander decken #madame sharly

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neverwatchedonepiece · 6 years

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523-525: "A Surprising Fact! the Man Who Guarded the Sunny!", "Deadly Combat Under the Sea! the Demon of the Ocean Strikes!" and "Lost in the Deep Sea! The Straw Hats Get Separated!"

A New Challenger Appears...?

These were good episodes. There was world building, with all the underwater scenes and explanation of how the OPverse and its technology works. There was action (the Caribou pirates ramming Sunny and the Kraken fight). There was comedy (Franky’s nipple lights, anyone?) and there was genuine tension (would the air inside the bubble last? Where have Luffy, Zoro and Sanji gone?)

There were also two big reveals.

And this was one of them.

Oh. My. God.

While Sentomaru got his ass burned by Marine HQ over letting the Strawhats escape, Rayleigh had found a comfortable grass tussock. The perfect place to sit and let a fit of nostalgia wash over him.

Could not believe it when I saw that straw hat on young Roger’s head. Luffy’s beloved hat not only belonged to the infamous Yonkou, Shanks, but has sat on the head of the Pirate King himself. I wonder if Roger and Shanks had a moment when the straw hat was passed down, like Luffy and Shanks did at the start of the story?

Rayleigh and Roger’s first meeting was great too. Luffy really does have a similar personality to Roger. He never cared that Rayleigh stole the ship. He just wanted a ship and someone chill to sail with. And Roger had Big Ambitions.

“Hey. Nice ship,” Roger said to Rayleigh.

“I stole it. My house burned down so I live here now.”

“Cool. What’s your name?”

“Rayleigh.”

“I’m Roger! I think we were destined to meet, Rayleigh?”

“Destined?”

“You wanna turn the world upside down with me?”

At the time, Rayleigh reacted like most of us would in that situation. Who was this madman and why was he trying to convince him to set sail.

But Rayleigh must have crumbled.

And the rest is history.

The tear in Rayleigh’s eye as he remembered his old friend was touching. Roger’s death and the break up of the crew must still affect him. But here he is, still alive, happy living with Shakky, coating ships for a living and ensuring the succession of the next Pirate King, who was at that very moment, heading for Fishman Island on his long-awaited journey.

Good job, Rayleigh. :)

Cyborgs Understand Cyborgs

Have to say, the underwater scenes were beautiful. It really did feel like the Strawhats were leaving the real world behind and passing into a fantastical realm where slow rays of light slanted through clear blue water and the enormous roots of Sabaody’s mangroves dug deep into the bed of the shallower, warmer sea. All the Strawhats were awed by the beauty.

Then, as Sunny submerged and the shadows grew longer and the water colder, Chopper and Usopp began to freak out a little. Didn’t blame them in the slightest. I kept thinking about pressure and what that would do to them if the bubble popped.

But Oda had thought of that and had it covered! I can happily report that the coating bubble is not that easily popped! Sanji demonstrated that the bubble will not burst even under tremendous deep pressure. Objects, like cannon balls and Luffy’s hands, can pass through the coating (not sure what that would do to the pressure inside the bubble, but I’ll go with it).

HOWEVER, sharp objects like sea king fangs or, say, one of Zoro’s swords would pierce the bubble. Similarly, if the Sunny crashed on rocks and the mast or planking shattered and burst the bubble from inside, it would be Game Over.

Apparently, seventy percent of ships heading to Fishman Island do not make it. Luffy and Zoro nearly made the Strawhats a statistic by trying to catch fish because they forgot they were inside the air bubble! Chopper and Usopp smacked some sense into Luffy and he broke out Hancock’s bento boxes instead (because Sanji had almost died from blood loss and was in no condition to cook. xD)

But, as I said earlier, Franky was a shining star of these episodes.

This was one of his crowning moments. He had an announcement to make concerning the identity of the one who protected Sunny with Hatchi, Duval and the Flying Fish Riders.

It was none other than Bartholomew Kuma, the one who spirited them away from Sabaody (and danger).

Franky must have got to Sunny first, as a battered, singed Kuma was waiting for a Strawhat - any Strawhat - to return. There was no ceremony about it. He simply stood, said, “I’ve been expecting you. Mission complete,” and walked off.

Franky told the others what Rayleigh already knew. Kuma was a member of the Revolutionary Army, like Luffy’s dad. He didn’t have much time left, but he had saved their lives at Sabaody. He had agreed to be turned into a World Government cyborg and has now lost his personality. Chopper asked the question I wanted to ask: how could he wait at Sunny if he was completely drained of sentience?

Franky, who is a cyborg and spent two years in Vegapunk’s lab, probably understands Kuma’s predicament more than most. He said that Dr Vegapunk, who modified Kuma, agreed to Kuma’s request to program a mission into his mind: “Defend the Thousand Sunny until one of the Strawhats comes back.”

Kuma has sacrificed so much. It’s good to know that the Strawhats now appreciate what he did for them.

“I don’t know my dad that well, but that Bear guy was a good guy,” Luffy said.

“Make no mistake,” Franky said. “He’s the one who gave us these two years. We can’t ask him why, but only remember that he did it. Bartholomew Kuma turned out to be our greatest ally. But remember, if we meet him again, he’s a killing machine.”

I like Franky. He can be silly sometimes, but the guy is articulate and intelligent. He has a good turn of phrase. I like the way he speaks.

Zoro believed Franky but wanted more. What was Kuma’s motive for all the weird shit he’s pulled over the years? Why would he agree to become a WG killing machine?

Kuma is still a mystery. I don’t think I’ll find out more about him until more is revealed about the Revolutionary Army.

A Familiar, Bovine Face In The Briny Deeps

While the Strawhats talked about Kuma, something approached in the shadows. Sunny was sinking fast. The silence of the deep ocean was unsettling. Whitebeard whales drifted past. Usopp was on alert. Seventy percent of ships sunk was not good odds in his book. It was just as well he was on the look out because he spotted the Caribou pirates’ ship approaching at speed!

Then they rammed Sunny!

(Honestly, that was dumb. It could have taken out their ship too. Do they even know how bubble coating works?)

But how had they caught up so quickly.

Turns out the Caribou Pirates had Mohmoo to help pull them through the water.

How cute is Mohmoo, though? (The subs called him Momoo. Is that the correct spelling?) Nami instantly recognised him, ran up to him and said, “I’m Nami! Remember me? I was there at Arlong Park!” I’m not sure how Mohmoo felt about Nami but he definitely saw Luffy and Sanji (and he cried and fled. Poor Mohmoo. Can’t the Strawhats just adopt him?)

Oh, and I was so blinded by Mohmoo’s cuteness, I forgot to mention that the Caribou Pirates tried to board the Sunny but got dragged away by Mohmoo, leaving Caribou himself alone on board the Sunny with the Strawhats looking at him like this.

You Were Saying...? Part I

Look at them. Even Usopp is like, “Dude... you fucked up.”

Once he was tied up, Nami asked where he’d found Mohmoo. Apparently, they just caught him. Lots of experienced pirates have sea cows to pull their ships.

Of course, this was like a red rag to a bull. Luffy decided then and there that he wanted a pet sea monster.

Only you, Luffy.

Luckily, as the ship sunk further, a prime candidate stared out of the murky depths with huge yellow eyes.

Luffy Just Punched Out Cthulhu

Lord Cthulhu A Kraken emerged! A vast, tentacled abomination with fragments of whole ships stuck between its teeth.

This was the point Caribou must have thought: I am trapped on a ship with absolute lunatics.

For Luffy had set his heart on that evil Kraken to pull his ship.

“I have a good idea. Let’s tame him. He can pull our ship!”

Usopp, Chopper and Nami were not for the idea.

Brook just looked at it and thought, “It has not bones. I have bones. We’re opposites, ehehehehehe...”

Robin sketched the tentacled abomination. Franky complimented her drawing.

Zoro said he didn’t mind helping Luffy, as long as he had a plan.

“Yes,” Luffy said. “I have one. But our problems is that we’re in the sea.” (lol)

For a horrible moment, I thought something bad might happen to Mohmoo. But no. Everything was fine. Well, for Mohmoo and everyone on Sunny. The Kraken popped the Caribou pirates’ bubble and wrecked their ship. I was like, damn, those guys are all dead. (And Zoro made his “too soon” jellyfish joke. Mihawk would be proud.)

Luffy decided he would fight the Kraken. Coribou showed them how to use individual bubbles so they could fight outside the one protecting Sunny. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji leapt into the bubbles and the fight was on!

I liked how Oda used Franky (rocket launcher), Chopper (guard point) and Robin (gigantic hands) to protect the Sunny. Oda is good at inventing clever ways to have as many Strawhats participate as possible. (It also shows their teamwork is as solid as ever!)

Wasn’t sure about Luffy and Robin’s DF techniques working underwater, or Sanji moving out of the bubble entirely (mainly because of the extreme pressure. At that depth, they would have been crushed) but Oda’s Universe, Oda’s Rules.

Plus, Zoro got carried away and slashed the Kraken (I wonder how much the bubble restrictions will impact their fighting styles?)

Then a cute little shark wearing a jumper (yes, a jumper) popped out of its severed tentacle, thanked the Strawhats for helping him and swam off.

WTF... XD

Oh, and the ship hit a downward current and all hell broke loose.

You Were Saying...? Part II

Usopp woke up to darkness and freezing cold. Nami, Franky, Robin and Chopper were all awake, fine and still on board. But Luffy, Zoro and Sanji were nowhere to be seen.

Huge fish with glowing eyes stalked the Abyssal waters. Searching for Luffy, Zoro and Sanji, they encountered huge poisonous jellyfish, carnivorous tubeworms, faceless crabs, huge blob fish, dodged undersea volcano vents (Oda has done his research!) and were almost munched by a massive angler fish.

Then, as if cute a shark wearing a jumper wasn’t weird enough, a Sea Bonze (?) which is a deep sea monster that looks like a man, bopped the angler on the head and told it off!

“Ankoro! How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t eat ships! Captain won’t be happy.”

Then an ominous, shadowy wreck sailed towards the Strawhats. Holy crap, I thought, that’s the Flying Dutchman. (I remember reading about that when I was a kid. The ghost ship doomed to sail forever and never make it to port). Then there was a teaser of an oddly familiar fanged face.

That isn’t Arlong, is it?

“What’s wrong? Snake? SNAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!”

#one piece #neverwatchedonepiece #nwop #never watched one piece #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro #sanji #usopp #nami #tony tony chopper #nico robin #franky #silvers rayleigh #dark king rayleigh #shakky #gol d. roger

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