#but very rare with rider cast | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mirai-e-jump · 6 months

Text

Beautiful Catalog Vol.1 ft. Kamen Rider Ryuki Cast Members Suga, Matsuda, Hagino and Ryohei Interviews & Photoshoot (pages and translations below)

Publication: December 16, 2002

Takamasa Suga (Ryuki) Interview

"We're enchanted by his soft and gentle smile~❤️❤️❤️. Maybe it's because he plays the role of a handsome man (?), but the image of Shinji Kido, played by Takamasa Suga-san in "Kamen Rider Ryuki" makes us feel relaxed when we see Suga-san~❤️❤️❤️. Shinji seems like an honest and hardworking guy, but we wonder, what does he and Suga-san have in common?"

Suga: For one thing, when I think like this, I really get into him, which I guess is all that there is? There are many things I can learn from him. Hmmm~, the same goes for his honesty, and also for his strength.

"Suga-san is also very laid back, yet he seems to have a strong core ❤️. You originally took lessons at a training school to become an actor, right?"

Suga: I've always loved and admired movies. When I was 18, I saw Iwai Shunji-san's movie "Swallowtail" in theaters, and when it was over, I was really shaken up. For awhile, I was in agony over what this feeling was. As time went on, it became clear to me that I wanted to express myself on that screen, and so I entered a training school to study acting. But, it wasn't interesting at all (laughs). I spent about a year wondering if this was the kind of expression I wanted to express. One day, I was sent to a movie set as an extra. I quit the training school because I realized that important things can only be learned on site.

"And? And? What happened after that????"

Suga: I had some free time, so I was given the opportunity to perform on stage. It was right around the time that I was introduced to my current agency, so that's how I ended up here (laughs).

"What was it like auditioning for Ryuki?"

Suga: I just wanted a job. I felt like I was grasping at straws. I was approached by my agency and accepted, but at first, Kamen Rider didn't really sound appealing (laughs).

"Eh~?! When you were a child, weren't there any heroes you admired?"

Suga: I only watched baseball, so I don't remember watching shows like that. I was a (Yomiuri) Giants fan, and it was around the time that (Masumi) Kuwata made his debut, so I think I remember saying, "Kuwata is the future!" (laughs)

"We wonder, what was Suga-san like as a child~?"

Suga: I was mischievous. My family owned a sushi restaurant, and I was always running around the store (laughs). There were many shops in the neighborhood. There was a grocery store next door, a soba noodle shop across the street, and a Chinese restaurant next door, as well as others. It gave off a downtown kind of atmosphere, you know?

"If you were to start a family, what kind of father would you want to be???"

Suga: In my family, both of my parents worked at the restaurant, so we rarely went anywhere as a family. That's why I hope I can create an environment where we can be together.

"Would you participate in the housework?"

Suga: I'll leave the housework to them!

"Would you cook?"

Suga: I don't do it.

"Cleaning?"

Suga: Not at all (laughs).

"Laundry?"

Suga: Well, when the time comes (laughs).

"I see. If it were Suga-san, I'd do anything for him ❤️. However, Suga-san is very fashionable and has a serious image, doesn't he? The outfits for this gravure photo shoot were also Suga-san's personal clothes, and even during talk shows, he wore a turban and a red western hat as his personality shines through⭐. Where do you find these Western styled clothes?

Suga: I'll wonder around Daikanyama, Harajuku, and Aoyama, and think things like, "Ah, I found something!" I don't decide what I'm going to buy today, I just go out on a whim and buy what I think looks nice. I'm not particular about brands either.

"Do you have any fashion references?"

Suga: There's nothing in particular. However, I do read fashion magazines. There's also alot of women's magazines, such as "Figaro," "Vogue," and "High Fashion"……I like women's fashion. The shapes and styles are beautiful.

"I see. The secret of Suga-san's cuteness may be because of the fact that he's honestly attracted to what suits his sense of style. His face is as beautiful as any girl's ❤️. I like girls who wear this kind of fashion when I walk with them! I wonder if he has any particular fashion preferences?"

Suga: That's not really true. I tend to dress up in various styles. But, I like girls who dress up and take care of their appearance. I think that's definitely more attractive as a woman.

"Well, who's your favorite actress?"

Suga: It's Kuroki Hitomi-san! My family loved Takarazuka Revue, and I thought she was beautiful from her Takarazuka days. I still admire her. She's both elegant and attractive, isn't she?

"I see, so older women are okay ❤️. I'm sure there are many mother fans whose maternal instincts are tickled by Suga-san, do you have any message for them?"

Suga: Please take care of your children! There's no exceptions (laughs). I think that Ryuki depicts a world that's truly profound even for adults, so please be sure to look at the content carefully.

"The show is coming to an end and the Riders are fighting a brutal battle. If it were Suga-san, what reasons would you have for fighting?"

Suga: Hmm, when I listen to the other Rider's reasons for fighting, I nod in agreement. It's a reason that only that person has. I think that's the theme of Ryuki as well. It's not about what's right and what's wrong, but since there's many different Riders, I think I've also asked questions like, "What is justice?"

"For example, would you fight for your family?"

Suga: I think so, if it were for family……I think I'd fight for someone I care about and want to care for.

"We know you're extremely busy right now, but what do you plan on doing after Ryuki is over?"

Suga: I'd like to try designing clothes. Also, I'm thinking of going to learn Japanese dance. After that, I'd like to get a license for a large motorcycle. There are so many things I want to do…..

"Finally, some words for the fans!"

Suga: I always do things at my own pace like this, so please continue to support me!

"Of course~ I hope you'll keep being Suga-san, and continue to move forward without losing that current freshness!"

Satoshi Matsuda (Knight) Interview

"A sharp gaze, and a tight body reminiscent of a wild beast. Satoshi Matsuda-san has a cool, wild, and mysterious feel to him, just like the image of Akiyama Ren (Knight) who he plays in "Kamen Rider Ryuki." However, he keeps quiet (laughs). When the hair and makeup artist said to him while setting his hair, "You have more than one whirlpool, don't you?" he responded with, "The official record is five." He also has an outstanding talent for winning the hearts of those around him! And when he smiles, it's so cute, your eyes will become dizzy~💙💙💙. There seems to be quite a gap between Matsuda-kun and Ren's character, but the actor himself feels no discomfort at all. He's an actor 💙. But still, it's tough having so much work, isn't it?"

Matsuda: I think one Kamen Rider is tougher on a schedule than having multiple jobs (laughs). Filming for the final scene of the movie version took a full 24 hours, starting at 6 a.m. and ending at 6 a.m. the next morning. After that, we were taken to a hotel, slept for 20 minutes, and then started filming for the TV version at 7 a.m. Filming would continue until 5 p.m. It really made me think that I was going to die (laughs).

"Normally, Matsuda-san is said to be the mood maker on set, and yet he was in such low spirits?"

Matsuda: No, I was in really high spirits. I was just going with the flow. I would fall asleep while in a standing position and wake up to the sound of "Test!" (laughs).

"Such a hard year is finally coming to an end, and we wonder what the end of Ryuki will be like~"

Matsuda: We don't even know if Ren will survive or die. But, even if the name of the show was "Kamen Rider Knight," I want to make sure that the story comes to an end, and I want to do my best to finish the story as Akiyama Ren.

"Despite his tough schedule, he made his debut as a singer with the maxi single "DISTANCE" on December 4!"

Matsuda: I was originally scouted as a singer. After 3 years, I was able to release a song with confidence. And, I think I did a great job~. We recorded 3 songs in 3 days, but we had to shoot Ryuki in the mornings, and the second day's shooting in particular was the scene where Knight screams in agony (laughs). There are no singers like that. Everyone was telling me to take care of my throat and use a humidifier instead of a heater (laughs). On top of all that, I couldn't even eat. I was told that if I put solid food down my throat, it would make my voice noisy, so I wasn't allowed to eat within 2 hours of it. I got through it with things like jelly drinks.

"Oh no~, you poor thing~!"

Matsuda: There's a bonus video on the CD that includes an interview with Manager Kawaguchi right after we finished recording the 3 songs. I was so careless with my manager that I was already dizzy. Since I was dealing with my manager, I let my guard down, so I was alittle unsteady~. I don't think you'll ever see such a burnt out look anywhere else, so it's quite a privilege (laughs).

"You released your personal DVD & Video "Colors" at the same time as the CD~. It also includes footage from the recording process. If you want to see Matsuda-san's true face, then there's his column "Matsuda Lab," which is currently being published on his website. It's a collection of hilarious and interesting writings, which set him apart from the plain diaries that are found on other talent's websites."

Matsuda: It's just for fun (laughs). When people who only know me as Akiyama Ren saw Matsuda Lab for the first time, they were shocked, and I still get emails saying, "I was surprised."

"It's certainly a surprising true face, and it's completely exposed. Apparently, he now types it on his computer, but before that, he'd write it on manuscript paper and have it retyped."

Matsuda: I would get very angry if I got even one punctuation mark wrong, so the person typing was very nervous (laughs).

"You pay attention to every detail 💙. If you join the fan club, you'll be able to see more in depth (?) columns and special videos. I'm curious. We heard that you used to always respond to fan letters and e-mails, but the support of your fans is a source of energy, right?"

Matsuda: Energy's also a big part of it, so I'd like to know what you are looking for from Satoshi Matsuda. There's another "me" who's controlling "Satoshi Matsuda," and he wants to know your opinions (laugh). These days, I don't have much time to reply, but I do read all the letters and e-mails.

"I think there are alot of fans who are older than you, but how old would your lover be?"

Matsuda: It doesn't matter if they're 30 or 35 years old. My grandmother is eight or nine years older than my grandfather, and because of that, every couple in my family has an older female member. I'm not particular about it either.

"Well then~💙. So, have you ever thought about what kind of family you want to have?"

Matsuda: I don't really feel like it. But, there are moments where I'd like to get married. I like seeing happy families at events. And yet, I can't imagine myself as a father. I wonder what it'd be like to become a second generation, when I myself haven't mastered anything yet.

"I think you're abit like Ren in that he's stoic 💙. When you were a child, who was the hero that you idolized?"

Matsuda: Hmmm, there was no one there. I was just a kid who fished outside all the time.

"Your hobby is still fishing, right~?"

Matsuda: To be honest, I want to hide a fishing rod with me on set. If they found out, they'll probably say, "Are you serious?!," but it's frustrating when filming finishes first thing in the morning and there's a good fishing spot right over there. But, my rod is long and stands out. It's a 50,000* yen rod with a reel that costs 40,000-50,000 yen, so it feels like a professional grade weapon for catching fish (laughs). (*over $300)

"He specializes in black bass, with his largest official record being 52cm (20.5in)! Ama~zing! When I asked him to give a final message for the fans, he thought for a moment before answering with……"

Matsuda: Some people seem to think that singing is a side job, but I'm doing my best in singing as well. I can't say which is most important, acting or singing. I hope that people will watch and listen to my performances and judge them for themselves.

"Never cutting corners! So cool~💙💙💙. What else would you like to do in the future?"

Matsuda: I'd like to try radio. With the same spirit as Matsuda Lab.

"We're sure it'll be fun! We'll warmly welcome your efforts that make use of your unique character, and of course, your looks 💙."

Takashi Hagino (Ouja) Interview

"His eyes, with their intense shine, are truly those of Ouja! Once you've caught a glimpse of him with those eyes, you'll be captivated~💜💜💜. Takashi Hagino-san starred as Akira Suzumura in the cult classic show "Choukou Senshi Changerion," and also appeared in "Kamen Rider Ryuki," which was produced by the same Producer, as Takeshi Asakura. His blonde hair matches the mood of his role, and with a leopard print shirt, and slim black pants……it's too intense, isn't it scary?"

Hagino: It's really scary. Nah, I'm kidding, I don't actually know (laughs). I don't mind if people think I'm scary.

"He has the sex appeal of a man, but also has the innocent smile of a boy~💜💜💜. That's how he attacks when his prey is distracted~ (laughs). We wonder if Asakura, a brutal murderer and escaped prisoner, has anything in common with Hagino-san."

Hagino: I think there's some. When you've been doing it for a long time, you become influenced by the role you play. When I'm tired, I'm like, "I'm irritated!" (laughs).

"There it is! Asakura's famous line (?), "I'm irritated!" How does it feel to play such an intense role?"

Hagino: Regardless, it's alot of fun. It's not a role I get to play very often, so I want to enjoy it even more until the end. I don't want to relax in my private life right now, rather, I want to finish the story in the same way that I've been doing it so far. I want to keep the tension, and perform with a sense of urgency. In the meantime, I try to watch the news and live a normal life.

"I guess you could say you've broke new ground as an actor, huh~?"

Hagino: As a job, I was enthusiastic and thought, "Let's do this!" But it was my first time playing such a role, and I didn't have any hesitations about how I was going to do such an amazing role, but strangely enough, I was able to play it quite naturally from the first day. So I'm not sure I can call it breaking new grounds.

"That's true, your performance suggests that you've had plenty of experience. Given your career, we wonder, are you like the older brother on set?"

Hagino: Until now, I've often worked on set with senior actors, and there weren't many people younger than me. That's why it was interesting to see where I stood on set this time around. Suga-kun and Matsuda-kun are really good kids, and I've become inspired by the younger people. I've learned alot from their youthful energy and the way they use it. In my role, I often interact with Ryohei-kun, who's the same age as me, so we have alot of fun together.

"As a fan, it's very moving to see Hagino-san, who used to play the role of Akira Suzumura with all his heart, grow like a snake, shedding its skin, and happily playing the role of Takeshi Asakura. What has the reaction from viewers been like?"

Hagino: There was an episode called "The Girl and Ouja," and since then, I've been getting an incredible amount of fan letters. Until then, I had received letters from people who said they liked, "scary things" and "bad guys" in a cult like way, but when they said, "I saw a different side of him, even though he is a bad guy," the number of letters increased rapidly.

"So, what kind of hero did Hagino-san himself admire during his childhood?"

Hagino: There was no one in particular, but I think I had a desire to become a hero. When I was a child, I genuinely thought that helping the weak was heroic, and I admired it. Doing things like helping girls even if they're elementary school students. In my role now however, I bully girls (laughs).

"Even so, for some reason, Hagino-san always plays "unusual" heroes, right? He's so handsome, that maybe he plays untraditional heros without any complaints?!"

Hagino: I think the roles I've been given to play are wonderful. Both Akira Suzumura and Takeshi Asakura are honest with themselves. I'm not saying that heroes need to be honest, but I think that it's very important. There's something in me that's attracted to that part.

"We wonder what kind of child Hagino-san was~?"

Hagino: I was naughty. But, I studied for entrance exams and went to cram school (laughs). I liked being called "boy." There are pictures of me studying until midnight, and of going to school with dark circles under my eyes. I'd get so excited when it came to studying, that I'd suddenly realize it was 2 a.m. (laughs). I was like, hey, I'm pretty amazing. I liked doing those kinds of things (laughs).

"Kya~! That's just like Hagino-san 💜. What kind of father do you think you'd be if you had children?"

Hagino: I can only imagine, but I think I'd really love it. After work, I'd feel like going home right away.

"Would you let your own child watch Ryuki?"

Hagino: That's……They can watch it, because it's their own father (laughs). If they complain, I'll just slap them. I'm just kidding about that last part (laughs).

"By the way, you also tried your hand at singing for the first time with the CD, "Kamen Rider Ryuki Song Collection", right?"

Hagino: It was alot of fun! I was able to experience recording for the first time in my life, so I was very satisfied with it (laughs). The voice training and the production process were also interesting. Also, I was really nervous. The engineers and everyone else were professionals, so I knew I had to do it right. But, I'm not a professional singer, so I had no choice but to do the best I could, but when I actually tried it, it was alot of fun.

"Does this mean, you'll debut as a full fledged singer?!"

Hagino: It's not like I said to myself, "I want to be a singer!," but it was an experience that I'd like to do again if I get the chance.

"As expected, you'll continue to focus mostly on acting in the future, right?"

Hagino: That's right. I want to play various roles in various situations. I want to play roles that I've never played before, and I want to play roles that I have played before.

"I see. If the current Hagino-san were to play Akira Suzumura, I'm sure we'd see a new side to him. Now then, some final words to the fans!"

Hagino: As long as you enjoy it, that's the most important thing. I'll do my best, so I hope everyone enjoys watching.

"We had a great time during the interview with him, with his skillful storytelling and sexy beams bursting 💜. We hope he'll continue to entertain us more and more as an actor and singer (?)~💜💜💜.

Ryohei (Zolda) Interview

"Kya~! He's sooo~ tall~! Furthermore, his handsome and chiseled face is so cool that it makes us dizzy~. That's because Ryohei-san, who plays the role of Shuichi Kitaoka, a talented lawyer known as Zolda in "Kamen Rider Ryuki," is an active fashion model with a career spanning about 7 years~💚."

Ryohei: In the modeling world, there are people taller than me, but in the entertainment world, I'd say there's only Abe Hiroshi-san (laughs). I don't mind it anymore, but I used to have a complex about it.

"He has long, slender legs, which we think is one of his charming points. Although he has experience from appearing in commercials, this is his first real acting job!"

Ryohei: I've always liked Kamen Rider and other heroic show, and when I was a child, I would wrap myself up in the curtains around my house and say, "Henshin!" That's why I was genuinely happy. You'd never think that you can become a hero, or that you yourself can transform, right?! When I got the role, I was just so happy, that I couldn't stop cackling.

"When he's silent, he looks just like Kitaoka, cool and mature, but when he speaks, he gives off a playful, boyish look that's very cute~💚💚💚. But, you couldn't "cackle" once filming started, could you?"

Ryohei: I think that acting is the same whether it's a regular drama or a tokusatsu production, the creators are always on site, and they're always trying to produce high quality work, so you can't go to a production site just to have fun. There was such a sense of urgency on set, that I felt my back tense up.

"Your schedule was tough, wasn't it~?."

Ryohei: There were times when I didn't perform, so it wasn't that tough. It was a relief for me since I had no experience in acting, but still, I was always nervous whenever I entered the set (laugh). If I go in every day, I can stay in the mode of my role for a long time, but after a 2 week gap, I'm back to my normal self. It was quite difficult to get back into the role. I also tried to imagine how Kitaoka would spend his time off screen.

"What are some similarities and differences between Ryohei-san and the lawyer Kitaoka?"

Ryohei: The movements and gestures are as close to mine as possible. I don't usually talk like him though (laughs). When I first received the script, I thought he was a lawyer, had money, and was a slick guy who could do anything. I hadn't heard that he was suffering from a disease, so I wanted to make him come off as arrogant, obnoxious and unpleasant.

"I see. Kitaoka, a confident man who carries the shadow of his illness, is attractive, but Ryohei-san, who is friendly and talks about many things, is also wonderful~💚. Did you ever feel confused on set?"

Ryohei: To be honest, I never ever knew what to ask. I saw various cast members coming in later and asking the Director questions about things they didn't understand, and that's when I realized that it was okay to ask questions. Since then, whenever I have a question or an opinion like, "Isn't it better to do something like this?," I'll say it as much as I can.

"The setting is that, "Riders are fighting each other!" There are alot of different actors in the show, which is interesting as a viewer, but isn't it also exciting when on set?"

Ryohei: Even though they're younger than me, there are some people who are my seniors when it comes to acting. There's so many different styles and personalities, and it's both instructive and stimulating. I realized again how interesting acting is, and I also realized how difficult it is. It's so deep that when you look up, there's no end to it. I always try not to make mistakes the next time, but when filming finishes, I find myself regretting something again, and the cycle repeats itself. But, I wonder if it'd be bad if that stopped.

"I wonder, what's the difference between modeling work and acting? When I looked at the gravure photoshoot earlier, I saw that your poses and facial expressions were so perfect, and I felt that this is what you'd expect from model!💚💚💚"

Ryohei: It's been a long time since I've done a gravure shoot, so it felt really good. Modeling is all about having fun in the moment. Once I enter the studio, I look at the atmosphere, the photographer's personality, and the clothes they're wearing, and I instantly think about how I want to act. It's an instantaneous decision. As an actor, you spend alot more time developing your character, so it's a great feeling of fulfillment after you're done. There's differences between the two, kind of like short distance running and long distance running, but the sense of accomplishment is the same and both are enjoyable.

"When it comes to future activities, we wonder, what are you thinking about~?"

Ryohei: Regarding roles, I'd like to play a variety of roles without refusing any that are presented to me. It could be a murderer or a comedian. I think that my current popularity was gained as a result of the popularity of tokusatsu, and not because of my ability. From now on, I want to work on closing the gap that has opened between my popularity and my ability. I don't want to let down my fans, so I want to do various things to improve my skills, and I want to acquire as many things as possible as an actor. In that sense, I'm very "hungry."

"Kya~! (starts clapping) Now that I think about it, Ryohei-san also has experience as a salaryman. Now that he's had alot of experience, his words carry alot of weight to them, anyway, tell us about the type of woman you like and your views on marriage~!!!"

Ryohei: I don't have a specific type, but my type is the person I'll fall in love with (laughs). Marriage is about your partner, so I hope to meet someone who has similar values to mine.

"We're curious, in Ryuki, what's going on with the relationship between lawyer Kitaoka and his male secretary Goro-chan?"

Ryohei: It's a mystery, isn't it? (laughs). Since we don't see much of Kitaoka's private living space, we can only imagine how they live together. Personally, I think that maybe Goro-chan is a live in worker, and that they each have separate rooms and are living a normal life.

"With some mysteries remaining (laughs), Ryuki is finally coming to an end, huh?"

Ryohei: I don't know how things will turn out myself, but please look forward to more drama towards the conclusion, as well as the future of Shuichi Kitaoka and the Kitaoka Law Office!

"We're really looking forward to what Ryohei-san will do after he plays Kitaoka~💚💚💚."

84 notes · View notes

biomic · 6 months

Note

Hi! I see a lot of screenshots and such from your blog for things like (I believe) Kamen Rider(?) I might be wrong please forgive me if so. I have always had a sort of vague interest in sentai media but never knew good hopping on points, do you have any personal recommendations for where an absolute beginner might jump in to watch shows like that?

if you're interested in tokusatsu, you can really start anywhere that looks cool or interesting to you! most seasons, aside from some anniversaries and the very rare sequel show, are pretty self-contained for the most part. diehard fans will make a big deal out of "good and bad starting points" but the truth is every show has been someone's first and hooked them on the genre, even the "bad" seasons (the poor quality of which is often exaggerated by fandom anyway) or the experimental entries not indicative of the wider franchise they're part of

but! if you want some real beginner friendly, you'll-probably-have-fun-with-this toku, my go-to recs for The Big Three™:

if you want to follow a team of heroes grow together as they fight evil in increasingly silly scenarios, super sentai's probably the series for you (and my favorite ^_^)

watch kiramager if you want a straightforward throwback to classic sentai. it's a back-to-basics season that gives you a good baseline of what sentai as a whole can be, while elevated enough by its stellar cast and infectious energy so as to never feel generic

shinkenger takes a more dramatic approach to the usual sentai formula, following a team of samurai recruited to serve under a lord who isn't telling them everything he knows. an incredibly stylish show that's almost sure to leave an impression

kamen rider began as a tragic hero, kidnapped by the villainous organization shocker and turned into a cyborg against his will, ultimately escaping and using his newfound abilities to put an end to their evil. since the original story, kamen rider has gone through a whole host of various different tones and storylines, arguably becoming the most versatile of the big franchises, though certain elements remain consistent like the near ever-present bug motif or our heroes using powers derived from evil for the sake of good

created in the wake of the 2011 tohoku earthquake disaster, kamen rider fourze was made with the goal to make children smile again, and that desire led to something really special. arguably The Power of Friendship™ show to end all others, and while its upbeat tone might not exactly be in line with Classic Kamen Rider™, it stands as a great entry point thanks to the passion behind it and its clear love for the genre

probably best experienced as blind as possible, kamen rider build is a rollercoaster of a series full of high stakes, mystery, intrigue, and Heated Drama Between Men™. if you want something more serialized that'll keep you on the edge of your seat throughout, build's one of the very best

i also wanna mention kamen rider gotchard, the currently airing series! we're only 8 episodes in at the time of this post, so you could catch up quick while still going through the backlog. very much a back-to-basics season, introducing pokemon-style creatures for our protagonists to catch in addition to the usual superheroics. it's been pretty cute so far :)

ultraman is a sci-fi series that typically follows a defense team created to defend the earth from aliens and kaiju, aided by the giant of light, ultraman. as opposed to the other two franchises where there's often a serial plot to follow and a centralized villain faction, ultra typically thrives with telling standalone sci-fi stories, usually aligning with a show's overarching theme and often compared to shows like star trek or the twilight zone, though recent seasons have been more willing to switch up the format

ultraman x is for anyone who's ever asked, "but... what if we could be friends with godzilla?" young XiO scientist daichi becomes bonded with the alien ultraman x and work together to protect the earth and fight for a future where humans, aliens, and kaiju can coexist. to me this is like, the platonic ideal of what ultraman is, and a perfect starting point because of it. also features several crossover episodes with past ultra seasons throughout the show, but it's all still very new-viewer friendly and could even entice you to check out some of those shows yourself!

ultraman orb, the 50th anniversary of the series, changes course by making the defense team a background component in favor of following amateur investigators and the mysterious, lone wanderer who's suddenly entered their lives (hint: he's ultraman). another iconic entry in the Heated Drama Between Men Cinematic Universe and a nice balance between ultra's classic status quo and a more modern ongoing narrative

i'd also be remiss not to mention the currently airing ultraman blazar, which i unfortunately have not been able to keep up with due to outside circumstances but have heard NOTHING but glowing praise for. it's simulcast on youtube every week with english subtitles AND an optional english dub!

pretty much all of these can be snagged over at nyaa(.)si, and x and orb can be watched legally over on tubitv(.)com!

#if you have any more questions feel free to ask!#anonymous #asks #kendrix morgan died for our sins #super sentai for ts #kamen rider for ts #ultraman for ts

81 notes · View notes

allwaswell16 · 1 year

Text

All the One Direction fics I read and enjoyed in November 2022. You can listen to my podcast to hear me talk about each of these fics (yes I talked about every single one of those trick or treat fest fics lol) as well as an overview of what was posted on ao3 including the fics on this month’s fic roundup which you can find here! Please let the writers know if you liked the fics by leaving kudos and comments! Happy reading!

-Larry-

These High Walls by LarryAlways28

(E, 68k, a/b/o) So... when the older, and wildly attractive Harry Styles offers him a deal in exchange for saving his family's legacy- how could Louis ever refuse that?

All Out of Love by SunTomato / @sun-tomato

(G, 32k, cupid au) While on a mission to match Liam and Zayn, the distraction comes in the shape of Louis Tomlinson – an overworked and underloved man trying way too hard to do everything himself.

Where the World has Come Together by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(M, 26k, fantasy au) For the crime of elven blood running through his veins, Louis Tomlinson spends his days protecting the human kingdom he’s been cast out of. Forcibly tied by magic to the very walls that encircle the city, he and the other guards do what they can to find some semblance of a life.

I Know You Rider (Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone) by @cyantific

(T, 9k, 90s au) The one where Louis hates hippies and roller coasters and Harry tries to fix that with lots of fun facts, terrible puns and perhaps one very life-changing moment in a dark tunnel.

kill my mind by StarryDay13 / @daydreaming-sunflower

(T, 2k, uni au, ficlet as part of series) Kind of a "the extroverted friend adopts the introverted one" scenario except they are in love.

dont let it break your heart by StarryDay13 / @daydreaming-sunflower

(T, 2k, emotional hurt/comfort, ficlet as part of series) Louis is a flirty bartender, and Harry just got dumped.

-Rare Pairs-

enough to make a girl blush by @disgruntledkittenface

(E, 22k, Louis/Niall) When Louis moves from her small hometown to the city, she runs into her childhood friend Niall. Despite her surprise at learning that Niall presented as an alpha, she’s immediately drawn to her.

over my shoulder by @nouies

(E, 10k, Louis/Sebastian Stan) The media thinks omega singer Louis Tomlinson is dating alpha actor Sebastian Stan because they bump into each other all the time.

Not Sure How To Say This Right by @wabadabadaba

(M, 7k, Louis/Florence Pugh) Louis had resigned herself to be Florence's best friend and watch from the sidelines as Florence gave her all to someone who didn't appreciate her. That was until she came home to Florence in her kitchen with a new hair cut, brownies and newly single.

As long as you're not afraid to feel by wordsnnotes / @quelsentiment

(T, 5k, Louis/Liam) Liam can’t help sounding a bit suspicious as he replies, “You want to co-host Phantom Tales? Do you even believe in ghosts?”

With This Wing, I Thee Wed by LadyAJ_13 / @ladyaj-13

(T, 4k, Louis/Niall) “Nando’s?” Niall crosses his arms and pouts, a little line appearing between his eyebrows. “I want Nandos. I like Nandos.” “And I like my dignity,” Louis mutters.

Next Door by @allwaswell16

(NR, 2k, Louis/Rob Pattinson) When a stray cat starts coming round Louis' garden and bothering his dog, Louis and his best friend set out to capture it.

-Trick or Treat Fest-

(all 666 words)

Accidental Love by Laziam (MItCheLlInE) / @guilty1dlove

An Apple A Day by @lululawrence

Bloody Squid by rainblou / @loubbies

fallin' all in (love with) you by eynap / @panye

Foreshadowing by @neondiamond

Ghost Ship by cherrylarry | @beelou

head all full of stuffin' by Lhhome | @lhhomefics

Holy Guacamole! by bluegreenish | @greenblueish

Hot Pumpkin Guy by downcamethelightning | @sxvedbyastranger

i've been looking for the missing piece by @dragmedown

Meet-Woof by @littleroverlouis

Needle by @nouies

Scare me, baby by TeamLouis / @teamlouis2022

Spellbound by yourlionheartx / @djtommotomlinson

Swallowpeen by yeah_alright / @uhoh-but-yeah-alright

Sweet Talk by wordsnnotes / @quelsentiment

the ghost of love keeps haunting me by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed

The Rescue by @haztobegood

there’s a house in english bond (somebody planned to stay) by safetyfilm / @larrieblr

What’s cookin’, goodlookin’? by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou

Who wants to snog a ghost? by @fallingdefenceless

You Really Should Keep Driving by @homosociallyyours

#28th appreciation #ficrec #trackinghome #tracksintheam #trackinghappily #1dsource #1dficvillage

100 notes · View notes

rz-jocelyn · 8 months

Text

[TRANSLATION] Kamen Rider Geats: Translations of Excerpts about Sato Ryuji as Jitto/Zitt (Kamen Rider Regad) in "Kamen Rider Geats"

SATO RYUJI'S OFFICIAL SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS

Personal Twitter: @ryuji7117

Official Staff Twitter: @satoryujiST

Personal IG: ryuji_japan

Blog: https://ameblo.jp/ryuji7117/

FANSITE: https://sato-ryuji.com

ABOUT RYUJI'S ACTION STUNTS (EPISODE 41)

youtube

Ryuji-san has made an impression with roles that have [a high level of] physicality, like "Touken Ranbu", "NARUTO", "HIGH & LOW" etc. Action director Fujita also has high praise for him, saying, "He understands how to make action look [good]!"

Jitto uses a baton! Fully utilising the high physical capabilities of Sato Ryuji-san, who is a master in karate, the action stunts have a powerful impact! There is a sharpness to each and every move [he makes].

Source: ( x )

ABOUT RYUJI'S PERFORMANCE AS JITTO/ZITT (EPISODE 41)

Sato-san's line delivery, which overflows with the composure that only someone strong could have, also made an impression, and his coolness ("kakkoii") became the talk of the town even amongst the regular cast members.

For Jitto, whose strength in battle has been pushed to the fore even amongst the GM, violence isn't his only thing. There is the feeling of fear from the way his strategy insidiously unfolds.

Source: ( x )

ABOUT JITTO/ZITT VERSUS HARERUYA WIN (EPISODE 45)

youtube

In Geats, Sakiyama-san and Ryuji-san are constantly fighting (LOL) It's exactly because there is a mutual trust between them that has been built up through their years of extensive co-starring experience! Their intense clash adds depth to the story!

NOTE: The person Ryuji flipped is Tsutamune-san (Kamen Rider PunkJack's suit actor).

Source: ( x )

ABOUT JITTO'S/ZITT'S TRANSFORMATION INTO KAMEN RIDER REGAD (EPISODE 47)

A new Rider with a tasteful red colour appears = Regad. The action stunt [for the Rider] is also fierce and brutal, traced from Jitto.

That Jitto is regrettably leaving.

He increased the tension for us in the final stage of 'Geats'. 'It would be nice if I could make an impression,' said Sato Ryuji with a smile during the costume fitting. (His true self is someone who is mischievous and playful.)

Thank you for being the best Game Master!

youtube

The long-awaited transformation of the person who is strong even without needing to transform.

(The core of Ryuji-san's body is strong and the sharpness of his turn is hot damn…!)

We part ways with Jitto-san here. Because he appeared from Episode 39, the he's appeared fewer than 10 times, but with that expression and performance overflowing with a commanding presence and dignity as well as his gorgeous action stunts, he really brought us a lot of fun and excitement!

The episode of Ryuji's appearance in "Fourze" (2011), the first episode that Jitto appeared in, and this episode, he has a deep connection with Director Shibasaki, who directed the various episodes! Let's meet again somewhere someday!

And so, the reveal of his transformation is limited to [this] 1 time! Jitto-san, whose transformation became a very rare thing!

Source: ( x )

[BONUS] HIDEYOSHI KAN AND SATO RYUGA ABOUT RYUJI AND JITTO/ZITT

Question: Another character you'd like to try playing?

Hideyoshi Kan (Ukiyo Ace, Kamen Rider Geats): Jitto! I love Jitto so much that whenever he appears onscreen, I get heart eyes. Sato Ryuji-san, who plays Jitto, is cool. Also, he [Ryuji] smells really, really nice. Even when he's walking 50 meters in front of me, he smells nice. That's how nice he smells.

Sato Ryuga (Sakurai Keiwa, Kamen Rider Tycoon): Ryuji-san smells nice, doesn't he?

NOTE: Ryuji having a nice smell is an observation that other people have made before, such as during this episode of "Bokutachi no Asobiba": HERE

#Kamen Rider Geats #Sakiyama Tsubasa #Sato Ryuji #Hideyoshi Kan #Sato Ryuga #Lyn Translates #Translation

20 notes · View notes

ducatif1 · 9 months

Text

Was listed for sale on FB Oct 2022;

“ 1981 DUCATI TT2

FRAME NO. DM600SL 000022

ENGINE NO. DM600SL 700128

US$ 50,000 - 60,000

£ 39,000 - 46,000

· One of Ducati's best-looking V-twins every built

· A great example of perhaps the world's most successful TT2 formula bike

· Now very, very rare in this condition

Previewing in Los Angeles, California by Appointment. Please contact [email protected] for scheduling.

As a racing machine, the Taglioni-designed TT2 was light and athletic, and had a wide powerband. It was a nearly perfect balance of power and weight. The ultra-light chromoly trellis frame weighed only 16 lb. It was heavily triangulated for strength and very compact. Nimbleness came from a wheelbase so short that riders of a taller stature found the TT2 somewhat of a challenge to ride effectively – not that anybody complained too much after their first ride on the landmark machine. That the bike was fabulous-looking in its yellow-and-red livery was a bonus. Originally street-based, the TT2's 81 x 85mm Pantah engine was made over as a pure factory racer. While the compression ratio was a moderate 10:1, larger valves operated by Ducati's desmodromic camshafts provided improved engine breathing. Additional weight-saving features included exposed camshafts belts, a magnesium primary drive cover and a hydraulically operated clutch; plus a Marzocchi magnesium front fork and a cantilever Paioli monoshock at the rear, Campagnolo cast wheels, twin 280mm Brembo front discs and a single rear. Most of the gears were also drilled for lightness.

More so than any other American motorcycle magazine, Cycle was clued into Ducati. In the TT2, the editors correctly foretold a bright future for it: "More than anything else, the TT2 is fun to ride fast," they wrote. "It's a crime you can't ride this motorcycle on the street – and it would be a crime if you did. There's one hell of a supersport motorcycle here, lurking about a millimeter below the surface of that red paint. What this motorcycle needs is a 750 engine and street equipment." The TT2 played a significant role in Ducati's racing heritage and authentic examples are rarely available for sale. In addition to being eligible as the centerpiece of any serious Ducati collection, the TT2 is eligible for vintage motorcycle events worldwide.

TT2 no. 022, this machine, was on display at the factory's Museo Ducati in Bologna for years until purchased in 1998 by Daniele Casolari of Feel Racing srl, who was then working with Ducati Special Parts. He maintained the bike at the Museum in Bologna until it was purchased in 2012 by the vendor. Of note, at that time, the bike was delivered to Rino Caracchi (the "C" in NCR) who recognized the bike as one he was contracted to produce for the Ducati factory racing efforts in the 1980s. The bike comes with a signed statement from him testifying to that fact. Caracchi then did a final service and basic restoration on the bike at that time. Since 2012 it has been maintained in a private collection. It is featured in the book, Ducati: The Official Racing History by Marco Masetti. It is an amazing example of an important bike in the history of Ducati's racing efforts.”

21 notes · View notes

shinneth · 4 months

Text

The Sailor Moon AU born from my saltiness towards the manga

Read this for context. tl;dr: basically my love for Sailor Moon's 90s anime and 2003 tokusatsu has only grown over the years, while my feelings for Crystal remained at pure hatred whilst my feelings for the original manga has taken a sharp decrease.

In other words, I seem to work backwards from most other Sailor Moon fans.

Over a year ago, I had written out a hypothetical of how Sailor Moon's manga would play out if Naoko Takeuchi rejected the Super Sentai concept and made Usagi a (mostly) solo hero, sort of in the vein of Sailor V but much less fun with even more tragedy. I guess you could say it's a Sailor Moon but with more of a Kamen Rider motif?

Either way, I never released it anywhere until now. Mind you, it's not really a story so much as it is a gathering of ideas for a story...

THE SAILOR MOON MINIMAL SENSHI AU

One nagging sentiment I felt while rereading the manga is how it so often felt like Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibi-Usa were the only characters who mattered, and on several occasions the only characters who were able to get anything done. Even on the rare occasions where other characters got a chapter named after them, oftentimes the Moon Family still had more pages dedicated to them, and/or the non-Moon Family character's power-up ultimately became more of a battery to beef up Usagi and the character development was often minimal and inconsequential.

Crystal amplified that feeling many times over, but it was disheartening to realize one aspect of the source material it did justice was marginalizing the rest of the main cast. If I were to look at this in a super-cynical light, I'd hypothesize the likelihood that Naoko never wanted a big cast, or even the Core 5 team. If she did care about the non-Moon Family characters, perhaps it was out of obligation.

I'm willing to bet that the main reason Naoko Takeuchi bloated out her cast was due to mandates from TOEI hoping for more toy sales if more heroic Sailor Senshi existed. But that's just my headcanon on what must have been a nightmare production behind the scenes.

So it made me wonder about how the manga would have been if it “trimmed the fat”, so to speak. For all of Usagi’s protestations about how she “can’t use mist, fire, or lightning” to be useful… well, let’s face it: she already had a higher kill count than all of her friends even that early on in the story. Mamoru often had little episodes later on in the manga where he felt oh-so useless and powerless even though he’s killed monsters/notable antagonists plenty of times AND regularly takes part in killing off the main antagonists WITH Sailor Moon (while her friends were benched, even when they weren’t ragdolled into submission).

So, how much would really change in the manga if Sailor Moon was largely by herself with very few allies who could help her in battle? I can easily picture Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter being snipped from the story entirely.

Believe me, it KILLS me to say that. Mercury was my favorite since the beginning. But if I'm being honest with myself, it'd only take a few tweaks of the story beats to make Sailor Moon's first three allies completely superfluous.

For story purposes, Sailor V/Venus would have to stay in since she does play a vital role as a princess decoy, but otherwise… what if she lost her power entirely after the reveal of the true Princess Serenity? Or dies soon after? Without a team to lead, Minako wouldn’t serve much of a purpose. Heck, in this AU she wouldn't necessarily even need to wield Venus' power (since so few other planet powers are getting represented here) so much as a bootlegged copy of Moon Power.

We have a canon example in the Black Moon arc of how Venus was just “there” for much of it, even when she didn’t have to contend with her three teammates for spotlight/exposure. Hell, I recall her complaining in the manga that she’s bored and frustrated because she can’t do anything.

Luna and/or Artemis can easily substitute the exposition given by Venus.

Chibi-Usa would stay on and become Chibi-Moon; as previously stated, she’s a consistently focused-on character in the manga. In fact, she's highly integral to 3 out of the 5 story arcs. Definitely enough to the point where most of the manga would have to be changed if she was denied Senshi-ship.

Sailor Pluto… is tricky, but not impossible to write around. She’s heavily tied in with Chibi-Usa’s backstory and character growth. As Chibi-Usa’s friend and Time Gate guard, that much would stay the same. I would argue that Pluto needn’t be a Senshi to serve either role (she’s succeeding her father Chronos iirc, and Takeuchi is firm in her stance that men can’t be Senshi). So it can be arranged that she can maintain her duty as plain ol' Setsuna. It's heavily implied in the manga that she's not a reincarnation like the other Senshi were... at least, prior to her canon death. It wouldn't be too crazy to say Setsuna has beyond-mortal powers that give her extended life even without being a Senshi.

Hell, Queen Serenity basically enlists this child to duty saying "Here's all these awesome powers that you're not only not allowed to ever use, but if you DO use them, it'll end up killing you!" - Setsuna shouldn't need her powers to guard the Time Keys, and we've seen the Talismans can be held in civilian form. Though I'd argue her Garnet Rod needn't be a proper Talisman if she isn't to transform; it'd just be her means of self-defense.

Perhaps she never gets revived/reincarnated after her death? Because her connection to Chibi-Usa greatly diminishes from Infinity (and beyond).

The rest of the Outer Senshi… well. If one tweaks the Talisman prerequisite for the Holy Grail, such as make it LESS than three needed…

That’s all you need to cut Sailor Neptune and Pluto out entirely of the manga for sure. As much as I love Michiru, I can’t deny she is the epitome of “just there” in the manga. Pretty sure no one’s gonna contest this.

Even her relationship with Haruka is a side-note compared to Haruka’s constant pining/angsting over Usagi. I just kept getting this sense of Michiru being Haruka’s silver medal.

Haruka and Hotaru are the hardest ones to write around for this concept. That much I will admit.

But, one running theme for this AU is that, Moon and Chibi-Moon aside, no one else can wield the power of a Sailor Senshi indefinitely. Well, technically Mamoru is still there representing Earth, but only so much as he's able to in his canon iteration due to that pesky Y chromosome. I slated for Minako to permanently lose her power, and possibly even die for it once her narrative purpose was fulfilled.

Even if Setsuna remained a Senshi in this revision, it’s a similar outcome for her. In a best-case scenario for the latter, a reincarnated Setsuna likely would have no memory of her lonely past life and possibly come off as an entirely different person from who Chibi-Usa knew. She'd finally be able to live out a normal life no longer bound to duty and that's about as happy an end I could imagine for her.

(And hey, that’s all the more impetus for Chibi-Usa being drawn to Hotaru!)

Going back to Hotaru, then, her being a cyborg in this iteration of the story lends well to a tweak in the narrative: Pharaoh 90 attempting to artificially replicate the Moons’ Senshi powers, possibly referencing the means in which Minako was temporarily able to wield her power, to create a Sailor Senshi exclusively to realize its desires. One might say it's a perversion of the Moon Power itself.

But tampering with this dangerous power ends up corrupting Hotaru, of course, and retaining how Hotaru becomes Mistress 9 works nicely with this tweak. A Silver Crystal could sustain her powers without destroying her, or at least that's the running theory.

Whether or not Hotaru becomes a Sailor Senshi proper… I’m 50/50 on that. Mostly due to Saturn’s canon role as cleanup duty following the fall of the Silver Millennium. If any non-Moon Senshi were to exist for the long haul, it should be Saturn. Their powers are polar opposites, so it’d be a neat yin-yang deal, with Saturn still being dormant until an equalizer is needed.

Although I'd probably not call her Sailor Saturn, as it is arbitrary to include some planets (Venus, Saturn, Uranus) but not others. In general, I think the names of the non-Moon Senshi that have to be kept because removing them would completely upend the story would have to be a little more generalized than that. The Moon is often paired with the Sun and the Star(s), so that might be a safe bet. Even though the Sun itself is literally a star-

Anyway, keep Hotaru's rebirth a thing, but possibly end her role in the story once she becomes babby. So that Chibi-Usa, as canon manga mandates, seeks horse-boy as her rebound.

Alternatively, we could stay the course of the “Moon only” team narrative and have Sailor Saturn be little more than an artificial Senshi, not unlike the kinds we see all over the place in Stars. Between Dr. Tomoe, Kaolinite, and Pharaoh 90, I can buy them creating what is essentially a bootleg Senshi. Heck, that might even be the intended evil purpose of the Holy Grail once Uranus unlocks it with her Talisman.

Speaking of Haruka... Honestly, as far as the manga goes, she can single-handedly represent the Outer Senshi and their credo by herself.

But in the context of this AU, that doesn’t amount to much, lol. Honestly, I’m picturing Haruka as a darker counterpart of Minako. A temp Senshi at best, but one who’s using her powers for morally questionable reasons. This can range from romantic rival… (with no Michiru in the AU, that at least partially makes Haruka less awful - I’d nix the non-consensual kiss on Usagi, but in the spirit of a manga LITTERED with suchlike kisses, it’d probably need to stay as-is)

…. to embittered and vengeful foe who fully recalls her past life and blames Usagi+Mamoru for their failings. It was kind of a shit deal for the Outers to be permanently stuck in their post in the outer solar system, never getting to enjoy any of what they're dedicating their lives to serving. Perhaps she now perceives the practices of Queen Serenity as morally dubious at best - and tyrannical at worst, now believing, maybe, that the Dark Kingdom was RIGHT to end the Silver Millennium. And irony ahoy, Haruka - like Minako - can tap into her former life’s power. Make her take up Michiru’s role as the one who awakened as a Senshi on her own thanks to her Talisman.

Hell, one can have Haruka play both sides during Infinity. Tomoe can use his twisted science to amplify the "Uranus" powers to bypass the limitations of Venus’ powers. Probably at a deadly cost down the road.

As for the prerequisites for Super Sailor Moon? The whole “all Senshi aligned + grail” deal? Well… y’know, the Cutie Moon Rod came into existence as a trial run of how UsaMamo’s love is so potent that they don’t even need to do a WooHoo to procreate shit. Do that again, just add the actual product of future WooHooing. Chibi-Usa is familiar with the Holy Grail prior to its creation. Not a stretch. As far as this AU is concerned, Moon, Chibi-Moon, and Tuxedo Mask are the only "valid" Senshi to begin with.

Despite the amount of non-Moon Senshi chapters in Dream, I don’t see much changing in a setting where only two Moons and a Mask are fighting. For pretty much every arc, Usagi gets the lion’s share of killing blows. Mamoru and Chibi-Usa canonly have several as well - so what’s a few several more?

After all, the manga’s focus was always first and foremost on Miracle Romance. More often than not, when other characters got panel time, Usagi, Mamoru, and/or Chibi-Usa were the topics of discussion.

At the end of the day, the antagonists of Dream are squarely focused on screwing over the Moon family; the other Senshi were mere chess pieces for them to knock over. And they only became an actual threat when they literally handed over their newfound powers over to beef up Super Sailor Moon to Eternal Sailor Moon, so... there you go.

And for those few times Usagi was just hanging out with gal pals at school? Well, that’s what Naru is for. Hell, add Yumiko+Kuri too; they might end up with some degree of characterization! Usagi never not had the benefit of company during downtime! There just... tends not to be a lot of that in the manga; that's all.

Really, the biggest question in handling Dream is wtf to do about the Amazoness Quartet, considering they eventually become Senshi themselves - namely the equivalent of Inners for Chibi-Moon to have in the future. Since Usagi wouldn't have Inners in this AU, it stands to reason the Quartet are likely not gonna be redeemed and likely one-shotted much like their Trio predecessors.

As for Stars...? Well, it's basically this entire AU but dialed up to 20. The running theme of this arc is fake Senshi running around parading as the real deal while they kill, conquer, and pillage for their tyrant, who'd be the culmination of all the worst aspect of not just past antagonists, but past attempted would-be Senshi like Minako, Haruka, and Hotaru who would all either be permanently powerless at best or dead at worst.

But a worst-case scenario just might make them come back for one last go, and this time, there's be no blurred lines or moral greys: if Venus, Saturn, and/or Uranus made a return in this iteration Stars, that would be their permadeath. Unless, you know, this series still ended with Usagi yeeting herself into an automatic happy ending. And even then it's a big maybe. It'd be in Galaxia's hands, and you know Galaxia don't give a damn.

Chibi-Chibi/Chibi-Chibi Moon would still be a thing, as would Sailor Cosmos, obviously, since they're technically a form of Usagi and all. Their stories would largely be the same, I'd imagine.

I honestly can't think of where I'd put the Starlights and Sailor Kakyuu as good guys in this AU, though. I think the only way to make them work in the story and not be killed as quickly as possible like the Sailor Animamates is to have them allied with Galaxia and be functionally identical to Animamates (aka they're all fakers), but function as undercover agents to identify the holder of the Milky Way's strongest Sailor Crystal (Usagi's), find her weaknesses and the best ways to corner her, then coordinate a strike.

Alternatively, pull inspiration from the 90s anime where they ARE legit Senshi (they just come from another galaxy and all, so it wouldn't break the AU if they're more just reflections of the minimized Sailor Team) - but make them willingly surrender their Sailor Crystals in exchange for bracelets that will keep them alive, so long as they do whatever Galaxia says. Then they become reflections of Usagi and her family, and even perhaps make analogies between the three Starlights and what Venus, Uranus, and Saturn tried and failed to be for Sailor Moon.

The other elephant in the room is whether or not Mamoru gets killed off in the very first scene of this arc like he does in canon. It's a no-brainer that he'd have to die by Galaxia's hand eventually. Usagi just won't have nearly as many buffers to block her PTSD and be in total denial like she did in canon. Naturally, Chibi-Usa will be even less effectual than canon since she won't have her own personal underlings to pretend she's BFFs with and add firepower, so if only to balance that out (since the Sailor Quartet are literally the only ones who didn't die at any point in canon), Mamoru might be allowed to live a bit longer and make his love-forged bond with Usagi not quite so easily broken. But it will still break by force, one way or another.

Of course, because Galaxia's intent will still be to break Usagi, no one's getting spared at this point in the story. All of Usagi's normal civilian friends will end up biting it one way or another throughout the arc. Stars is clearly meant to be a depressing af climax to the series - at least that'll kinda deter people from hounding the mangaka into yet another arc for money's sake.

Usagi would ultimately jump into the Galaxy Cauldron at the end, though I imagine it'd be somewhat a different experience than how it was in the manga, given most of her friends don't exist in this AU, and the few that do either left/died on bad terms, or fucked off entirely without remembering Usagi or her family at all.

Maybe, if we're being generous, Usagi reunites and the temp/fake Senshi she encounters here actually make amends and promise to work for a better future? There's a lot of variables here.

It'd still end in a wedding because this is the Miracle Romance Supremacy AU, after all. Guess it depends on your mileage whether or not the ending is worth it.

So yeah, that's the long and short of the really fucked up AU I thought up inside my head because friendship and comradery always came off so hollow in the manga to me. Especially with ~Miracle Romance~ being so infuriatingly inflexible in the manga.

Hope you got some sort of entertainment value out of that. Highly doubt I'd write this proper - it wouldn't be worth the backlash, and I'm not nearly invested enough in UsaMamo to do this concept justice.

Feel free to leave your thoughts or whatever.

12 notes · View notes

dailycharacteroption · 6 months

Text

Prestige Class Spotlight 12: Asavir

(art by Karen Gillmore on karengillmoreart.com)

We’ve had a few options involving being a character with a mount before on the blog, and some of them where the mount was an exotic magical creature. But not before have we covered one in which the rider is astride a horse blessed with elemental powers from genies!

Hailing from the desert regions of Qadira, the Asavir’s are rare individuals trained not just in mounted combat, but in the keeping of these extraordinary mounts, swift steeds descended from lines blessed by genies in the past, and through their training, they bring out this elemental power in both their mount and themselves.

As an aside, it should be noted that the recent Rage of the Elements books have given the various genie subspecies different names, reflecting not just an attempt to move away from D&D lore-wise, but also better tap into actual middle eastern djinni lore rather than keep the haphazardly borrowed names of past games and editions. (I and others are probably going to still sometimes use the old names for a bit until we memorize the new ones, of course)

In any case, these Asavirs represent a select few, defenders and commanders in times of conflict that clans and tribes can band around when trouble comes calling.

As rare as they are, the actual requirements to become one are fairly simple, revolving around being trained riders and mounted combatants.

Traditionally, asavirs are pillars of the community that others look to, and as such, their advice is considered very helpful in a pinch.

They also gain a mount, typically a horse, though other mounts are possible at GM discretion, and their training with other classes that grant them a mount carries over, though if they lack such training from another vocation, their mounts are a wee bit stronger to compensate.

Blessed by the genies of the earth, their mounts become resistant to fear and mind-warping effects, gaining surprising resolve and loyalty to the rider.

Drawing upon elemental power, their mounts make their very ground shake with their hooves, allowing them to make foes stumble and fall as they charge forward.

As beacons of hope for their people and other allies, these riders inspire allies to stand strong against fear.

Aiding and protecting their allies is not just emotional support though. Indeed, they have a knack for rushing in to disrupt foes that try to flank their allies, keeping the pressure off of them.

They are also exceptionally accurate with their mounted charging attacks, and shore up any holes in their defense after such a charge.

Blessed by the genies of air, their mounts also become supernaturally swift and able to carry greater burdens without slowing.

The blessing of the water genies also makes their mounts movements supernaturally smooth, allowing spellcasters and other allies that might be riding on the beast with the asavir to cast or perform complex actions without fear of disruption.

The mighty footfalls of their mounts are particularly punishing, and these riders train their mounts to overrun and crush foes under their hooves.

A lone horse rider among your foes certainly draws attention, and these warriors can challenge their foes to provide further distraction to give their allies an edge.

With the blessing of the fire genies, their mounts become something more than mortal, gaining a resistance to fire and superheated hooves to burn foes.

They can also call out and encourage a single ally directly to briefly inspire them greatly.

Finally, the most skilled among them receive the blessings of the genies of all elements, giving both them and their mounts a bit of supernatural luck.

With a focus on charisma and mounted combat, this prestige class is begging to be paired with cavalier and paladin to a lesser extent. However, it is also possible to play them with fighters, gunslingers, and other martial classes. In any case, this prestige class offers some good upgrades for mounted combat and a selection of ally-buffing and supporting abilities, so a build that focuses on rushing around the battlefield to support allies in need is certainly very appealing here.

While the horses (or other mounts) of this prestige class remain otherwise mortal creatures, it’s interesting to consider how the animal reacts to these supernatural changes in their abilities. Is the beast frightened by it’s flaming hooves? Does it know why it is faster? Do other animals realize when they have been blessed with magic? It’s interesting to think about.

While it is true that the asavir’s of Eshauva draw upon the power of genies to empower their mounts, the actual broker of the original deal was not a genie at all, but a yaddithian, the ancient alien exile offering their magical services to make this alliance happen. None know what happened to the elder being after that, however.

In the wastelands of Kafa, a mount is of utmost importance so one can make it to the nearest outpost should you find yourself in the barrens without supplies. As such, the people living there made ancient pacts to bless their beloved horses and camels with the power of the same harsh elements the region is known for.

The Valley of Ghosts is filled with the fallen, quite literally, for it is teeming with the spirits of an entire army that was buried under a landslide travelling through the pass. Their bodies may be ghostly, but their weapons are all too real, and they are too many for most to handle. Therefore, the only ones who dare make the trip through the valley are riders atop the fastest horses blessed by the spirits of the wind and earth to move swiftly and ignore fear.

#pathfinder #prestige class #asavir #yaddithian #fallen #Adventurer's Guide

8 notes · View notes

stupidsharkthing · 5 months

Text

Ezza-Zoraht.

She was the first of the dragons, and the largest. Her ravenous maw was the last sight of thousands.

She did not know reason.

She did not know rage.

She only knew hunger.

A black pit in her stomach that only others could fill. She murdered and devoured in droves, and then ate some more. She grew, and grew and grew to the size of a mountain. Her teeth were lances, and her claws were larger than the cleavers that lesser dragons used in battle. She ate and ate, but her hunger could not be sated. Nothing, at least nothing of this world could fuel her. She ached, and starved for the longest of hours, until she sought a new prey to devour.

The sun.

She set out to eat the sun, but the full brunt of it's heat was too great for her.

She would just have to settle for a small portion.

But even a small fragment of the sun's fire was fatal. While her very soul burned, she gave the fire inside of herself to all of her kin, setting their own souls ablaze along with hers. She had hoped for the fire to lose it's effect and burn out, but it did not. She could sunder and divide the sun's flame, but she could not put it out. In her last throes of agony and death, she cried out a final roar that echoed seven times throughout the world. She used the last of her life-force to cast a hex to halt the portion of the sun's flame that she had devoured, but in doing so, she had sealed her own fate. Her children, who had been smouldering for several hours, stopped burning. They all cried out at once, this time spitting something other than acid from their throats. The sky was lit with something other than stars that night. Cinders blew in the wind, and with it, a new revelation.

The dragons have fire.

The great dragon's corpse lies in the mountains, and is easily mistooken for as one. But those who are aware of the land's history do not dare tread it, for even in her death, her shadow still casts terror. Those who journey near or even on her corpse claim to hear echoes of inhuman bellows and screams, and some say the very air stands still where her corpse lies, as if the winds themselves do not dare go near her, even in her lifeless state.

- Excerpt from Mhv's'trayhia's (mmh-ve-stry-ah), Grimiore.

Strayhia was a both a dragon hunter and researcher of Naslo origin. She adored drakes, and hated dragons. She was described as an odd fellow, but one that got jobs done. Her grimiore is full of ballads, folk tales, accounts, and legends involvng such creatures, so it's important to take into account that most of these descriptions are only mere exaggerations, made to impress weary children or listeners. I mean, there's no way something that big could exist, right?

//:Personal Interjection:

Most (pureblooded) dragonfire comes directly from the sun, which means they have nuclear fire. If you wish to slay one, you're going to have to wear more than just basic fireproof/plate armor, if you wish to keep your flesh attatched to your bones. They will also irradiate their surroundings, which means most of their riders are half-melted husks, only kept alive via their lifelink. Some dragons may use small contained fission events offensively. Thank god true dragons are rare.

Drakes will spit acid as a default, if not adapted to any particular environment. Their breath will change depending on their surroundings. Drakes =\= dragons, just like frogs and toads. Dragonhood is a spectrum, with the more pure blood a dragon has, the more dangerous they become.

Also, Yes, our dragons use weapons. They're smart enough to use them, aren't they?

Will make tapestry of Ezza-Zoraht and the Burning World later.

#the lore for the game #game project #dragonposting

5 notes · View notes

raven-at-the-writing-desk · 2 years

Note

I kinda want to know about really random things in the twisted world, like basic household appliances, etc. I'm probably wrong but the blastcycle (?) that Deuce owns runs on magic right? What about other vehicles and/or technology? Is there a magic toaster out there?? Do they still have plumbing issues or can that also be fixed with magic? It's very useless, mundane stuff but I'm still curious

I do think it's fun to think about how things might be different in another world, but I actually don't think some world lore is as mystifying as we think it may be 😅 Twisted Wonderland may be a world of magic, but I'm pretty sure they have (mostly) normal household appliances and objects.

There is definitely a cross that exists between magic and engineering (something Ignihyde students sometimes mention), but it seems to be a specialization and not the norm or the replacement for normal tech. Some items, like phones and cars, seem to work the same as they do in the real world (without magic), as Malleus, a creature who struggles with using technology and predominantly relies on magic to get by, has issues getting accustomed to them. He mentions in the Scalding Sands Fireworks event that he is shocked that people use cars to travel instead of flying, which seems to imply that little to no magic is used in the operation of cars.

Keep in mind that it seems that a vast majority of the human population isn't capable of magic (I believe only 1 in 10 people can use magic), so it's likely that most products and services made are to cater to the magicless rather than those capable of using magic (ie they wouldn't require magical input to be of use). Yes, items can be enchanted in advance by actual magic users to grant magical properties so that even non-magic users are capable of using them (think of magicless MC's ghost camera or NRC's talking portraits), but it seems that these items are considered rare or antiques. In other instances in which magic is cast upon inanimate objects, it serves a certain purpose that usually wouldn’t be possible without magic (ie harvesting mandrakes, changing the color of apples, etc.).

In the case of magical wheels (not going to use blastcycle, I don't like the localization name 🤡), they are stated to run on magic, but they also contain magic-infused batteries so that even non-magic users can ride them. However, some features (it’s not explicitly said which features) are limited if the rider does not power the magical wheel with their own magic. Deuce says in episode 5 that it is dangerous for beginners to ride a magical wheel, which implies that a certain degree of skill is needed for it.

I think here, this rule applies: “just because you can doesn’t mean you should”. What’s the point of making lots of products which require magic for its full potential to be realized? It doesn’t make sense if most of the people you’re marketing this product to cannot make use of it. Another thing to consider is that it would be... plain unwise to just slap on “you need magic to use this”? That alienates a large part of the customer base and adds an unnecessary production step that may overcomplicate things. Like... what exactly makes an enchanted food processor better than a non-enchanted one??? Or an enchanted toaster from a non-enchanted one??? They perform the same exact function, and they’re both technically “automated”.

ASDHYUBASDBASIVDSA ACTUALLY, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT????? I-Is magic here actually a metaphor for companies in the real world that needlessly add Wifi/Bluetooth capabilities or an app to everything... even the things that don’t need it?????? (I remember seeing that one high-tech saltshaker that needed to connect to Wifi to play music as it measured out the exact amount of salt you needed it to dispense for your meal????)

As for professions... I think there would definitely need to be some specialties to account for magic (like I’m sure there are lawyers that specialize in magical malpractice or whatever, and there are confirmed to be magical healers, which I assume are like real world doctors, PAs, nurses, etc., and magic policemen that work on specialized cases). However, I don’t know if there would be magical plumbers, simply because plumbing problems don’t necessarily need magic to clear up. There probably are plumbers that happen to be able to use magic, but I don’t think resources would be dedicated to making a specialized magic plumbing squad (unless you’re telling me that Twisted Wonderland has plumbing issues that can only exclusively be resolved WITH magic). I think part of the problem is that magic is hinted at to be very “temporary”/not long lasting (especially in episode 5), so it’s not like it’s a quick or a permanent fix for every issue people might have.

Twisted Wonderland probably experiences a lot of the same problems we have in the real world. It’s just that some of those problems are more quickly resolved or addressed using magic, while other things (again, like magical medical ethics) are further complicated by it.

#twst theory #twisted wonderland theories #twst theories #Malleus Draconia #Deuce Spade #twisted wonderland theory #notes from the writing raven #question #spoilers #Kalim Al-Asim

67 notes · View notes

asknarashikari · 2 months

Note

How chaotic would it be if the babies of the riders, actual children like:

Haruna (Terui’s daughter)

Eiji (Shinnosuke’s son)

Ayumu (Takeru’s son)

Isse (Saber OT4’s Dragon Baby)

Sora (Ryo’s son)

are on a play date… And who’s the poor sod who babysits them while everyone is away on Rider business)

Well, you have to remember there's quite a few age gaps here and there between the kids. Haruna and Eiji are quite a bit older than Ise, for example. Naturally the kids who are of a similar age would stick together, and the older ones would corral the younger kids to some degree.

There's also the physical distance between them- like the ones who live out in Tokyo (like the Tomari sibs) would rarely spend time with the ones who live out in Fuuto (like Kentaro, ShouPhil's kid, and the RyuSen kids). The playdates do happen, just very rarely.

If the parents are away on "Rider business"...

Well the only reason that all of their parents would be away all at once would be for Shit Going Down. I don't think they'd think about bringing all the kids together somewhere, they just leave their kid with whoever's the most convenient (usually a member of their own rider group, i.e. their supporting cast) before running off to save the world.

#kamen rider #ask #pulaasul

2 notes · View notes

wetsteve3 · 1 year

Photo

Old school Bob jobTwin cylinder 74 CI engine

Pre 1940 leaf spring front end

Flanders handlebars

Aluminum fuel tanks

This 1947 Indian Chief is an old-school bob-job built up from the best-looking Indian parts. The engine, gearbox and frame date from the postwar era, with a plunger frame and the upgraded 74 CI Chief motor with standard 3-speed gearbox, hand shift and foot clutch. The machine has been modified with a pre-1940 leaf-spring front end and a pair of cast aluminum tanks from the 1930s. It’s all been assembled as a period postwar bob-job, which was the hot setup for many motorcyclists in the era, with as much sheet metal as possible discarded for a massive weight reduction, a bobbed rear fender, cowhorn Flanders handlebars and a solo seat completing the style.

The stance in this instance is long and low, with a prewar vibe given the leaf-spring forks, although the plunger rear suspension gives a more comfortable ride. The inspiration for the bob-job (now called simply ‘bobber’) began even before the advent of Class C racing in the mid-1930s, all the way back to the mid-1920s, with the California Cut Down style, which used the same formula for increased performance: ditch weight, open the pipes, raise the handlebars, lower the center of gravity. The Cut Down style was the original American custom motorcycle style, and the first widely-replicated custom look from any region.

The Cut Down saw its peak with the Harley-Davidson JDH, and a few were even commercially produced by independent motorcycle shops, with instructions on shortening/lowering the ‘J’ frame published in magazines like Popular Mechanics. With the introduction of Class C production racing in 1936, the style was given a new life as the bob-job, as riders customized their street machines to look more like race bikes. This 1947 Indian Chief Bobber is exactly such a machine, modified to look like a racer, but fully street-legal. It’s as old school as it gets, and Indian bob-jobs are much less common than Harley-Davidson customs in the early postwar era, making this bike very rare.

15 notes · View notes

mirai-e-jump · 8 months

Text

Hero Vision Vol.15 (2004/Summer) ft. Kamen Rider Blade Cast Interviews Ryoji Morimoto x Terunosuke Takezai Segment (translations below)

Publication: August 20, 2004 (between episodes 29-30) Ryoji Morimoto (Hajime Aikawa) x Terunosuke Takezai (Kotaro Shirai)

"Currently, It appears that the two of you are not getting along within the drama."

Takezai: Hajime is reluctant to reach out, while Kotaro is. Kotaro wants to protect Amane-chan and Haruka-san, but can't even protect himself, and Hajime is the one to always protect us, which frustrates Kotaro……So now, he's taking it out on Hajime?

Morimoto: When he sees Kotaro like that, I feel that Hajime finds it very interesting.

Takezai: There's a part of Hajime that Kotaro admires, but he won't allow himself to feel that way. It's a complicated feeling.

Morimoto: Hajime is uncertain too. Being around Amane-chan makes his heart feel at ease and warm inside, but he still doesn't understand what it means "to be loved," and he doesn't even understand why he wants to protect her. As his human side develops, so too will the number of his problems, and I think Hajime is going to have a much harder time from now on.

"So, apart from your roles, what do you like about each other?"

Morimoto: He has good intuition, can immediately grasp the situation, and he's also very tolerant and considerate.

Takezai: I don't have anything to say about his performance, other than that I've learned quite alot from him. Usually, you act pretty silly, don't you? And when everyone's together, the tension really rises. But, when it comes to acting, he changes completely. I think, "Is this really the same guy?" The range of emotions, and the way in which he switches between them is amazing. I'm usually very reserved.

"Kotaro's becoming more and more quiet…or rather, it's more like he's becoming serious."

Takezai: There's alot of emotional ups and downs. Every time we get a new script, it's something new. I'm like, "Ah, so this time it's this emotion." I used to play Kotaro, but the range has become so narrow, that now, I'm pretty much playing the role of Terunosuke Takezai.

"Would you ever consider switching roles?"

Morimoto: I don't get to smile much, do I? Kotaro is a really cute guy, and he has a charming smile, I'd like to be able to laugh too.

Takezai: I'd like to try being Chalice. I rarely get to show my emotions. If you think about it, we're the complete opposite in terms of personality.

Morimoto: Yeah. I think Hajime is jealous of Kotaro because they're complete opposites. Hajime wants to smile, but his smile continues to be rather awkward. I want to hurry up and become human…..

Takezai: Then you'd be a monstrous human (laughs).

"What's the most interesting part about Chalice?"

Morimoto: Because I don't have many lines, the lack of dialogue makes it much more difficult to communicate through my eyes and facial expressions. That's why I'm looking forward to seeing how I'll show the process of becoming human.

"Come to think of it, have you been working out recently?"

Morimoto: When I watched 555's movie, there's a shirtless transformation scene, so I was worried that something like that would be in our movie, so I just thought......I don't want to look like a matchstick if I have to take my clothes off (laughs). I do think Hajime is strong, even in his human body.

"What about Takezai's role in the film?"

Takezai: The movie takes place 4 years after the TV show, and I've become a stuck up guy after selling my books and becoming rich……

Morimoto: Kotaro seems to be much more active in the movie.

"Do you ever have time to go out drinking together or just hang out?"

Takezai: Now that you mention it, we've never gone out drinking together once, have we?!

Morimoto: We all go out to eat together, don't we?

"Do you share any common interests, like soccer or motorcycles?"

Morimoto: We do. We both like comedy.

Takezai: I like to laugh. Although, I'm better at being laughed at than at making people laugh.

Morimoto: I'm more of Tsubaki-kuns type.

Takezai: I think you're right

Morimoto: It's better if no one notices me doing it. So I try to do it secretly.

Takezai: There are times where the audio crew picks up on it, and then they'll suddenly start laughing. It makes me happy when they laugh.

Morimoto: I can't help but sometimes joke in front of everyone! Sometimes I do it too much and get pulled aside.

Takezai: Lately, no one comments on your jokes, so you've been forcing them.

Morimoto: I'm like, "…wha, hey!" (laughs).

Takezai: That's…it's alittle bit funny.

"You share a similar hobby, but do you have any differences?"

Takezai: Yeah, I love soccer, but I'm more of an indoor type of person. I recently had 3 weeks off, but during that time, I stayed inside for a whole week. It was tiring, but I do like to just space out at home.

Morimoto: I'm about ready to get out of here! (*he can't imagine being indoors for that long)

"Well then, finally, for you two complete opposites, please give a yell of support to each other."

Takezai: Yell? Support? Don't want to.

Morimoto: No (firmly).

Takezai: With Ryoji around, I can focus on acting with a sense of ease. I trust him.

Morimoto: I'm at ease too. I feel he gives off alot of confidence.

Takezai: The truth is that I have alot of work to do. And yet, everyone says it doesn't look that way…..

Morimoto: I can see you're nervous. Your tongue tends to do this, right? (he licks his lips)

Takezai: Yeah (laughs).

"Well, we're looking forward to it!"

Takezai: Please look forward to watching Chalice this August!

Morimoto: That's right! From now on, the relationships will continue to be very interesting!

97 notes · View notes

vermilionvector · 1 year

Text

Digimon Ghost Game EP. 62

Now this. THIS is a quality episode. Ghost Game never failed with its sound design and this episode just cemented that even further. The visual and direction with subtle camera shake and perspective made it even better.

Espimon, who has now lived with the "fake" Hiro for more than 30 episodes, finally decided to move out because staying with this Hiro wouldn't help him find the real one. And while Gammamon cried his heart out and begged him not to leave, Hiro was indifferent. (Probably thinking: "We're all grown-ups so do whatever you want IDGAF.") Also, Gammamon is not wearing his muffler here, probably because he's indoors.

Meanwhile, Aoi's apartment had an unnatural phenomenon where its residents occasionally wandered into a strange space before being haunted by dominating voice and their bodies being punctured with keyholes. Again, the sound effect made this even more terrifying. After her neighbors moved out and warned her of the incident, she contacted Ruli to investigate. I really loved the transition between her neighbor moving out and Espimon mentioning he's leaving. It's very natural.

But before they could reach her floor, the elevator stopped at the 13.5th floor and Aoi was isolated in it, surrounded by numerous Digimons. (Also appreciate Impmon's cameo here). And soon her body was also punctured by keyholes as well.

Ruli brought the rest of the gang here and tried to rescue Aoi with Kiyo bitching around as usual, only to be faced with a group of Digimons who claimed they're trespassing their homes and were purged from the apartment by the same dominating voice. Kiyo jokingly said that they're in heaven, and in retrospect, I really loved this line considering who's behind all this. Then, the voice purged all other residents and isolated the floors from the building.

Back in the digital space, Aoi met Espimon, whom she recognized as Hiro's AI hologram, he offered his key to Aoi to let her out. They reappeared before the gang with the key still in the keyhole on her forehead. Enraged, the voice manifested itself as ClavisAngemon, a Digimon who can manipulate space. Ruli activated AR field, but since Aoi still got affected by ClavisAngemon's power, she was transported there as well, much to Ruli's dismay.

A fight ensued. Lamortmon was first captured. Canoweissmon and Thethismon evolved to Megas with MAKUAKE playing but then snapped out when ClavisAngemon tuned the tide. Amphimon was taken out next. With only Siriusmon left and got greatly handicapped by ClavisAngemon's power, Espimon, as rarely as it ever happened in Ghost Game, recalled his desire to evolve from the last episode and frustratingly shouted to Hiro that if he was the real Hiro, then he could evolve him. Hiro answered his call and evolved him to HoverEspimon, with a triumphant return of First Riders. We got used to having only one insert song playing once per episode, so having two, and not only that, the insert song for a Champion/Ultimate form at that, to accompany the climax of the episode was extremely fulfilling.

HoverEspimon and Siriusmon cooperated to defeat ClavisAngemon, then Hiro used talk-no-jutsu as usual to resolve their misunderstanding. Hiro, with a smug grin, teased Espimon for finally proving that he's been the real one all along, while Espimon reluctantly admitted it. I hoped this finally moved the plot forward about why he's looking for him in the first place.

Nevertheless, everyone thanked him for saving the day. Aoi, who witnessed everything didn't mind keeping this a secret and offered Espimon to stay at her place. Finally, we have the main cast's friend in the inner circle. And even though Hiro is Espimon partner, I hope he developed some bonds with Aoi during his stay and she could fully attain official partnership (and a Digivice) with him.

Normally, I'll end the recap at the end of the episode, but the preview for the next one is so cute that I have mention it. Ruli is afflicted with insatiable hunger and the way she's eying on Gammamon's wiggling tail like it's dessert is hilarious. (Anyway this scene is very cute. Hope can make a GIF once it comes out.)

#digimon #ghost game

14 notes · View notes

over-the-time-flow · 5 months

Text

Super Robot Rollcall - The Photon Power Lab Crew

Koji Kabuto

"Mazinger Z is a god! It won't just break down over something like this!"

Source Material: Mazinger Z Age: 16 Hobby: Motorcycling Voice Actor: Hiroya Ishimaru Character Designer: Go Nagai

A young man who was burdened with enough power to become a god or a devil, Koji Kabuto is a cocky yet ultimately good-natured kid.

When the wicked Dr. Hell marched upon Japan with his army of ancient Mycenaean Mechabeasts, the tremors caused a cave in within Koji's grandpa's secret underground lab. With his final breath, he told Koji to wield the Mazinger Z's unmatched power to change the world...

After many tough encounters against Dr. Hell, his minions, and their Mechabeast Army, Koji and the Mazinger came out victorious... or so it seemed. From within the Earth, the Mycenaean Empire merely laid dormant, and awakened not too long after Koji's final battle with Dr. Hell, they were also intent on world domination.

Though Koji bravely fought them back even when clearly outmatched, he and the other members of the Photonic Power Labs crew only barely made it through thanks to the intervention of Tetsuya Tsurugi and his top-secret successor to the Mazinger, created by Koji's own (once assumed dead) father; the Great Mazinger.

Now, Koji, Tetsuya, and their respective teammates work together to thwart the ambitions of the heartless Mycenaeans.

High Melee, VERY high Defense, and a Potential skill that can reach even the max level 9. Koji is one hell of a defensive behemoth, and his Spirit Command learnset matches that. Not much else to add.

You can swap him (and all the other Mazinger pilots) around to other machines, but there's hardly much point in doing so when the side cast's machines are so bad. I suppose you could put Koji in the Great Mazinger in case you really really liked Grendizer vs Great Mazinger.

Fun Fact: Koji was originally to have a scarf, but Kamen Rider came out and became explosively popular around the time Mazinger would come out, and Nagai decided to cut it so as to not look like he was just riding the trend.

We were robbed.

Mazinger Z

Source Material: Mazinger Z Height: 18 meters Energy Source: Photonic Energy Real World Designer: Go Nagai

The sky-soaring fortress of steel that grants its pilot the power to become a god or a devil! The mechanical devil god itself! Mazinger Z!

Designed by Koji's grandfather, it both grants Koji the power to shape the world and burdens him with the tremendous task of controlling its power.

A mainstay of Super Robot Wars, with a nearly perfect track record.

High-ish Armor, decent HP. It's not unfitting for Koji, but it's hard to say it truly lives up to his stats. On the attacking front, it's decent as well, but has the usual issue that Mazinger has in a lot of games with Great and no Mazinkaiser; Great has better finishers on top of having the Great Booster, a one-use only finisher that serves as a proper nuke.

If only Mazinger got its own high damage one-use finishing move... Alas, that is but a dream. Unless...?

youtube

Sayaka Yumi

"Don't you know an angry girl is MUCH scarier than an angry guy? Huh? C'MERE!!"

Source Material: Mazinger Z Age: 16 Voice Actress: Minori Matsushima (among others, but she's the one who voices her in SRW) Character Designer: Go Nagai

Daughter of Professor Yumi of the Photonic Power Labs, pilot of the Aphrodite A and Diana A, and Koji's rival/love interest/comedic foil.

As she's rather short-tempered, Koji often picks on her by saying crazy misogynistic stuff. From how he acts around other women in the show, it seems like it really is just to pick on Sayaka. In any case, Sayaka rarely chooses to be the bigger man and instead beats the everliving shit out of Koji. Kids anime in the 70s was not here to give you healthy relationship role models, it was here to make you watch Koji and Sayaka throw furniture at each other, scratch and hit each other, and make the rest of the cast visibly worried.

This relationship might have been a bit more palatable if Sayaka ever got a single W against a mechabeast, but she's below Boss in that regard. Still, she does get her own mini-arc later in the series where Koji apologizes to her for a lot of his past deeds, which is surprisingly nice for a show of its age. She still continues to job afterwards.

In SRW, Toei Koji and Toei Sayaka's love-hate dynamic is usually very toned down if at all present, which is an understandable approach, even if it makes her less distinct than other versions of Sayaka.

No way around it, Sayaka is terrible. Awful stats and absolutely nothing good for her to pilot. That's right, you can't even fix her by shoving her in the Mazinger or the Great, because if her other stats are terrible, her Melee is ABYSMAL.

At level 40 she does learn one of the best support Spirit Commands in the game, but that'll be a LONG while of dragging Diana A around the battlefield to Repair to slowly crank up those levels.

Diana A

Source Material: Mazinger Z Height: 16 meters Energy Source: Photonic Energy

After the Aphrodite A gets destroyed by Harpia π7, Diana A rises from the ashes! Even Koji, who once advocated for phasing out Aphrodite A altogether, ended up being in support of the Diana A's construction after seeing how hurt Sayaka was to lose Aphrodite.

Born from Sayaka's determination to keep on fighting, Diana A will never die! (but it WILL endlessly job)

Decent Armor, but pathetically low HP makes Diana hardly fit for even its Repairbot role. As a Super (even if only nominally), it also has no Mobility to speak of. To make matters worse, it's got a Movement Range of 5.

If it has any upsides, it's that it's a version of Diana A that actually has its Ranged-attribute attack be its strongest move, to go with Sayaka's higher Ranged stat (even if it's technically only tied with the Melee-attribute Scarlet Beam).

Even the Methuss is a better pick. Don't bother unless the Diana A episode moved you so much it made you cry. Which i wouldn't judge you for. It's rather earnest and truly makes you feel for Sayaka's pl- huh? N-no, i didn't cry at it. Shut up.

youtube

Boss

"If it means I can buy time for even a few of the kids, I don't mind getting chopped into pieces. And if i die... tell Kabuto he was my best friend in the whole world."

Source Material: Mazinger Z Real Name: Not Even The Author Knows Age: 17 Character Designer: Go Nagai

Delinquent with a heart of gold, Boss is the mysteriously-named gang leader in Koji's town. Though initially they fought over Sayaka's affections, they would eventually become closer than even brothers.

Between the line quoted above, Boss' constant dreams about being saved from the clutches of the heartless Tetsuya by Koji in Great Mazinger, and following Koji to bumfuck nowhere, Japan, to fight literal aliens in Grendizer, Toei Boss is likely the incarnation of Boss that is most fanatically dedicated to Koji.

He's often followed by his two incompetent lackeys, Nuke and Mucha, but most SRW games featuring Toei Mazinger cut them for one reason or another.

Statwise, Boss is... alright, all things considered. He's completely outclassed by Koji and Tetsuya both, but he's still a few degrees of magnitude better than Sayaka.

Of note though is that his Spirit learnset is very underwhelming. He starts out with Daunt, letting him lower enemies' morale and helping with boss slaying, but other than that, he doesn't get much of interest.

Not really much of a point to using him, unless you hate Tetsuya for some reason like i do but still want the Mazinger combo moves.

Fun Fact: Not even the author knows his real name!

Boss Borot

Source Material: Mazinger Z Height: 12 meters (20m in Great Mazinger, inexplicably) Energy Source: High-Octane Gasoline Real World Designer: Go Nagai

Dan-da-daaaan!!! Lovable lug and friend to children all over the world, the Boss Borot is here! It's made out of scrap, it's a miracle it even moves, it's falling apart at every seam, and yet it somehow jobs less than any of the girl robots. Thanks, 70s Toei!

Well, you can't complain much because the Borot is such a perfect design.

Originally designed by the (then) trio of brilliant scientists from the Photonic Labs, who were kidnapped coerced convinced to make this thing at Boss and Sayaka's request. Since they made it in secrecy in a dumpster, this is the best they could come up with.

Boss is always coming up with convoluted plans to make the Borot fly... it rarely works.

It's bad, even for Borot standards. 5 movement, Boss has no sub-pilots, all of its moves are 1-range, until it gets upgraded with a 1-3 range move (which is also its only option to attack flying foes). It doesn't even have high HP to make use of Boss' Self-Destruct Command and its Repair Cost of 10.

Making matters even worse, it is completely outclassed by later Resupply machines. Diana A might be outclassed by the Methuss in terms of Repairing, but at the end of the day they're both pretty meh. You get actually decent Resupply-capable machines in this game.

Do not bother.

Fun Fact: In Mazinger Z VS The Great General of Darkness, Boss Borot is the only Photonic Power Labs machine to successfully down a Battlebeast... though it did destroy itself in the process.

Also, sometimes this thing is fucking sentient. Eva-01, eat your heart out.

youtube

#srw r #super robot wars r #lets-play #rollcall

2 notes · View notes