#hoshino spoiled us this year!

[looniecartooni]

Owl House/D Gray Man Theory: Was one of the inspirations for the Owl House DGM?

Warning: Clunky theory with possible grammatical errors and spoilers ahead for the anime/manga series D Gray Man and the Disney show The Owl House including its finale. If any DGM and/or TOH may have noticed something I might have missed, feel free to (nicely) add on or argue against what I suggest. Also the pictures I use are not all that good and I kept a lot of DGM stuff private to keep any potentially new fans from being spoiled. Also also- it’s a lot longer than I thought it would be- so be warned!

So Owl House and D Gray Man have been near and dear to my heart and the most active fandoms I’ve been a part of for many years.While I’m sad to see the Owl house end and understand it takes time for D Gray Man to update (though it does feel like it may end soon), I’d like to somewhat bring attention what I thought might be DGM referances or inspirations in TOH.

First off- I am going to start off with the idea of brothers kinda Caine and Able-ing eachother for the greater good (yep jumping right into the dark stuff). So in DGM, it is revealed that Mana and Nea were “twins” involved inside a rather secret part of the 100-year exorcist war against The Millenium Earl. Long, confusing, spoiler-free story short, Mana started becoming the next Millenium Earl and Nea believes it is his destiny to destroy him and take his place in order to save him.

Phillip/Belos was also someone who believed he was liberating his brother Caleb from the witches that he thought took his brother from him and actually successfully unalived him according to flashback pictures (which I do not have on me a this second).

Nea’s memory also possesses the main character Allen Walker who is a poor boy that has been through so much trauma and devastation he did not deserve. Oh and since Mana adopted him, that technically makes Nea his uncle. (Allen might also be the reincarnation or something of another Allen- but as of now that has not been confirmed). Allen also has a scar on his eye.

In the Owl House, Hunter- the boy who is a clone/grimwalker of Caleb who has a scar on his cheek and way too much trauma from his Uncle Belos also gets possessed at one point. 

Both of Allen and Hunter also tragically lose their little companions that had originally belonged to someone else in the past (Flapjack belonged to Caleb and Timcanpy belonged to Nea and technically Allen’s alcoholic mentor). 

As for less tragic stuff/ TOH finale spoilers, here’s what DGM things I thought I noticed ...

When Luz was ripping Belos from the Heart, a bunch of tiny hands come out from behind to attack her.

Tiny hands also appear quite often in D Gray Man both by the power of the exorcists and that of the Millenium Earl’s clan.

Ironically- all the exorcists’ weapons (known as Innocence) originates from something called The Heart of Innocence which the Millenium Earl wants in order to destroy humanity (and possibly save it? It’s still a mystery.

And finally- we have these weird blob things that Belos also tried to use to attack King, Raine, and Eda.

They reminded me a lot of Jasdevi’s hatred.

There’s also a lot of immortal children, darker undertones than realized, ect. but it’s past midnight and this post is long enough so I’m going to say that this is all I could find.

If Dana Terrance was at all inspired by D Gray Man at all- I think that would be awesome. I enjoyed watching the show and I enjoy D Gray Man even though I don’t post about it as often as I used to. Thank you Owl House crew for such a wonderful show for all of us to enjoy and also thank you Hoshino Katsura for the amazing series D Gray Man. 

#the owl house #toh spoilers #toh #d gray man #dgm spoilers #dgm #dgm theory #toh theory

[oldmanmuffins]

Oshi No Ko

tldr; Recommended for anyone whose looking for something interesting and different but that can still be enjoyed casually.

Side notes: Its my favorite of the year so far. Beware that the first episode is a mini-movie.

What it is

This is a spring 2023 drama that's a bit hard to succinctly describe especially without spoiling anything. The background for the story is showbusiness, and most of our characters are engaged in that as starlets of acting, music, or streaming, or are otherwise involved in the production side.  

Our A plot revolves around Aqua Hoshino, who is using the connections of his budding acting career to pursue a mystery/revenge storyline with some paranormal elements. The story arcs of the main season build on this while introducing us to the rest of the main cast as they pursue their individual goals as performers.

What is it trying to do

This show has several different things going on. In the broadest stroke, a lot of the show could be described as a soap opera based in the entertainment industry. The setting gives us a cynical but not completely jaded view at said industry, which in turn gives us context for our characters and their motivations.  

Each character has their own goals and history and the drama stems from those elements playing off one another. There are romantic subplots being established in season 1 with some inherent drama that I hope pays off well in season 2. The cast isn't large, but it feels like the story wants to invest in each of them.  

I haven't taken the time to unpack it all myself, but there seems to be a layer of symbolism over the core story. Lots of details are scattered around like the way the eyes are drawn, character names, astronomy, and references to shinto mythology. Since I haven't done the legwork I can't say how robust or coherent it is, but there's more than enough that it does not feel coincidental and that there's an open invitation to engage with the show on that level if desired.

How ambitious is it

It feels pretty ambitous to me, largely because of trying to manage its different elements.  

Its production is by studio Daga Kobo, which, barring a few standouts, has mostly done mid-tier comedies. This feels like a fairly bold project for them since it requires a production quality above most of what they've had to put forth in the past.  

The two big risk factors I see are the tone and the characters.  

The tone varies heavily, sometimes feeling like some characters inhabit different genres from others. Some characters have frequent comedic bits, while others are almost exclusively dramatic. Given the melodrama of the main plot, there's a lot of risk of tone shifts causing story elements to undermine one another.  

The characters are the other risk being taken. I feel the story requires that the audience enjoys and has sympathy for the characters, but the characters are allowed flaws that puts this in danger. Good drama often requires this, but it can be difficult to keep the characters both likable and flawed at the same time.

How well does it succeed

Its not perfect, but I find myself enjoying and admiring it a lot.

As a foray into a more serious story, it's a success for the studio. The production does not feel expensive, but its well done regardless. The overall animation quality is only a little above average but is boosted a lot by the strength of the character designs and how it uses color. The sound is similarly unremarkable, but is then carried by good voice performances and editing.

The characters work for me. They have flaws that I would probably find personally exhausting, but I love seeing how they play out in the story. As performers, they also have a lot of ego and motivation, which endears them to me despite those flaws.  

The tonal shifts gave me the most problems. Particularly, bout half of the comedy fell flat for me, feeling out of place within the context of the show.  

One thing the show does very well is build up and pay off important moments. The moment by moment storytelling includes a lot of details and quirks and I rarely felt myself spotting plot devices. When the big dramatic payoff happens, it hits all the harder. I can look back and see how it was established, even if it didn't feel obvious at the time.  

Special note about the first episode, which is about an hour and a half long. I see why they did this, and it makes sense. The show needs to have covered a certain amount of ground to hit its stride. That said, I hope this does not catch on.

It's my favorite so far this year. I feel it has a your-mileage-may-vary quality that makes it hard for me to strongly recommend it, but its interesting enough that its worth trying out at the very least.

#oshi no ko #anime review

[eclairia-monarch]

Haikyuu x Kambe!OC – Meet the family & future friends

Hoshino Aika

Kitagawa First’s Alumni

Aoba Johsai 1st year

Admires Kambe Daina since middle school

Was bullied in high school by Daina’s haters because Aika stands up for Daina

Kambe Kikuko

Current matriarch of the Kambe Family

Lives in a huge, detached traditional Japanese estate on the Kambe’s private land in Tokyo

Friends with Kageyama Kazuyo in their younger years

Disapprove of Daina playing in volleyball as she rather her granddaughter focus on academics

Kambe Suzue

Kambe Daina’s older cousin

Has a passion for mechanics

Suzue spoils Daina, in exchange for wanting to dress Daina up or using her as a guinea pig for her inventions, without penalty,

Has every tape recordings of Daina’s volleyball competitions and sends it to Daisuke

Kambe Daisuke

Daina’s older brother

Dotes on Daina and checks up on her despite being apart for years

Secretly watches Tobio’s and Daina’s official matches to keep up with their life

Doesn’t interfere with Daina’s choices in life unless he thinks it is unnecessary

Kato Haru

Ex-member of the [Redacted]

Is a fan of [Redacted]

believes [Redacted] is spoiled and only knows how to use money to solve everything in life

An incident in 2011 caused Haru to wish to become a proper policeman

Hoshino Ryo

Older brother of Hoshino Aika

Member of [Redacted]

Thankful of Daina for saving Aika from severe bullying

Secretly happy about Haru’s reasoning for becoming a ‘hero’ 

*this page will be updated in the future as the story progresses

Series Navigation | Main Navigation

#series: in our next life #hq #haikyuu #haikyuu x oc #balance: unlimited #kambe #hoshino #kageyama #hinata #tsukishima #nishinoya #iwaizumi #oikawa #matsukawa #yachi #kuroo #kozume #bokuto #akaashi #ushijimia #semi #miya twins #kita #suna #sakusa

[evilsmile99]

6/6 Happy birthday Kanda!!

Hoshino sensei posted this cute art on her Instagram to celebrate Knada birthday:

Translation:

Reever: Oi! what's that?

Lena: It's a present from Alma (it's handmade)

Allen: You have to wear it the whole day to show your gratitude (evil laugh)

Lavi: btw Allen is the one who suggested this present to Alma!

#hoshino spoiled us this year! #I'm getting my yulma feelings again and that's make me happy and sad at the same time :') #for personal reasons I'll be crying over yulma tonight #d gray man #dgrayman #dgm #kanda #kanda yuu #yuu kanda #yu kanda #kanda yu #alma #Alma karma #yulma #allen walker #lena lee #lavi bookman #hoshino katsura #katsura hoshino

[dgrayland]

★D.GRAY MAN ★ ANIME & MANGA RECCOMENDATIONS

So, you all knows how much I love D.Gray-Man (forever and ever and ever) but when you get at the point where you pretty much watched and rewatched the entire series - original & hallow and all - as well as read and re-read the manga you’re gonna need a breather to process all the emotions but yet still can’t seem to let go. Yet at the same time, ya need a breather with something familiar yet something new. Yule gotchu, fam (＾＾)ｂI’ve compiled a few recommendations that might match your tastes. 

The few below would probably have elements from DGM that you might like and find intriguing and probably fill up the time until Hoshino reveal more to us. 

Here we go!

GLOSSARY 

01. Claymore

02. 07 Ghost 

03. Pandora Hearts

№ 1 — CLAYMORE 

RECOMMEND : Both Anime & Manga ★★★★★ 

This is an oldie but a real goodie. I think it was way back when I was in middle school when I first watched Claymore but recently I rewatched it and it’s still very good. The action scenes were top notch and each battle is very interesting to watch especially when they really go at it. 

The story takes place in medieval-esque time in a world that’s overrun by demons known as Youma who can disguise themselves wearing human skin. They’re difficult to get rid of and when a town found themselves infested, they have no choice but to contact and Organization in order to dispatch a Claymore warrior in order to deal with the monster. In this story, we follow a Claymore named Claire, one of the Silver-Eyed Witches as she is accompanied by her human companion Raki. 

The Organization is definitely the Order’s equivalent, Youma’s as Akumas and Claymore/Silver-Eyed Witches as Exorcists. 

Those who love D.Gray-Man would definitely find something to like in Claymore as they hit similar themes although Claymore is definitely a bit more darker and gory in nature so beware of that (A bit of warning on assault too. I think two scenes but it didn’t get far.) There’s definitely body horror and blood and guts but it’s mostly keep out of eyesight in the anime but the same can’t be said for the manga. 

The story is really intriguing and really led you to wanting to know more and wanting to know how it ends. The soundtrack is also absolutely fitting and gets you hype up with the scenes. There’s 26 episodes for the anime and the manga is complete with 156 chapters (give or take) Though I haven’t finished the manga yet so no spoiling me (;´д｀) Not that I don’t know the ending...what?! Sometimes I can’t help myself! 

I have so many things I want to rave about this anime but I’m gonna keep my lips shut and let you experience it by yourselves. (・ω<)

Not enough? Let these few gifs convince you! 

№ 2 — 07 GHOST 

RECOMMEND : Both Anime & Manga ★★★★

Same with the above, I was probably in middle school when I first stumbled on this anime. After completing Claymore for the second time, I instantly remembered and rewatched it. This focuses more on emotional point similar to D.Gray-Man where characters have their own arcs and lessons to go through. 

07 Ghost takes place in a fantasy realm with cultural influence from Germany, magic in forms of Zaiphon and even have Sky Pirates! Yes Sky Pirates! The story however follows Teito Klein, a battle skalve (slave) for the Empire but one day he starts to remember his past and flees from the Empire falling into the church grounds where the 7 Ghost are worshipped. And soon he have to deal with Kors and Wars who temps humans to grant their wishes before taking their souls and run into the 7 Ghosts as he tries to uncover his hidden memories of the past. 

I think out of the three recommendation, 07 Ghost hits most of the same notes as D.Gray-Man though I do prefer DGM in terms of story telling and everything but 07 Ghost is an interesting emotional journey of its own. In this series, the Church mirrors the Order though DGM order is much darker in terms of ambitions, Wars and Kors mirroring Akumas and the Clerics and 7 Ghosts can stand in the place of the exorcists. Allen and Teito have similar notes as well but I won’t say much more because it’d be spoilers but a clue would be in terms of identity, they’re not all they seem. Lastly, 07 Ghost have a beautiful melody called Raggs Requiem that would be Lacrimosa Lala’s song equivalent. 

The anime guarantees a good time having hit the same comedic and emotional points and for all those shonen-ai shippers, this is the series for you (o'ｕ≦o) though I have yet to see if the couples end up together (I’m still reading the manga. Gomennasai m(；∇；)m ) so no guarantees on that. For the first time viewers, you’re gonna need tissues for the anime. It’s not a long anime with 25 episodes that focuses on the church before Teito leaves for the journey but it’s a worthwhile experience. 

As for the manga...I was a bit disappointed by a couple of scenes as it moves at a fast pace and didn’t have as much of an emotional impact on the readers as covered by the anime but the story is fascinating and the characters have many layers and the deeper you go, the more you see their motivations aren’t surface level. The manga isn’t long spanning exactly 100 chapters (if you count the extra) and there’s enough mystery and emotional backstory as well as action to go around. I’m actually disappointed that they didn’t continue the anime as the story after Teito left the Church was very interesting especially when it comes to the identity of Teito Klein as well as the true identities and past of the 07 Ghost : (1) Zehel, (2) Fest, (3) Profe, (4) Relikt, (5) Vetrag, (6) Ea and (6) Lankarte as follows - 

Not to mention we have a younger less cynical perverted version of Cross, a less eccentric but still highly eccentric Komuii-like character as well as a cute mascot, Burupya! How could you say no to such a cute face?

№ 3 — PANDORA HEARTS 

RECOMMEND : Both Anime & Manga ★★★★★

OKAY, YOU KNOW WHERE I’M GOING WITH THIS. THOSE THAT KNOW WILL KNOW AND I KNOW THAT MOST OF YOU KNOW! This...This is probably the only anime and manga that can compete against DGM emotionally and story-plotting wise. They both will eff-ed you up emotionally, bawling into tissues as well as leave you screaming at books and screens at what will happen next. 

Oh gosh, I hope I do it justice. 

Pandora Hearts takes place in a fictional England in Victorian Era times in the age of noble houses and Dukedoms. On the very day that a boy Oz Vessalius is about to have his Coming to Age ceremony, he fell down and discovers a pocket watch upon a that plays a mysterious melody. Strange things happens and he was thrown into the world of Abyss - a twist on Lewis Caroll’s Wonderland filled of broken things, the Will of the Abyss and beings called Chains. There he meets a Chain and form a contract with her bringing him back to his own world but an Organisation have tracked him down and now he have to cooperate with them as he unravels the mystery about himself, the Chains, the Abyss and the dark secret that loomed behind the noble houses that affects their pasts, present and future. 

There’s so much I want to say and yet can’t say about this series because the amount of spoilers. It would be something that haunt you for a long time and once you get invested, you can’t quite get out. 

There’s similarities between characters such as Oz with Allen and I dare say Komuii and Sheril with Xerxes but both series have a strong character cast that you would fall in love with each of them and layered story where nothing is as it seems including characters. The Chains can stand as either Innocence or Akumas in a sense but it isn’t a typical monster hunting story, it’s rather focused on unravelling the mystery one string at a time. There are heavy elements on horror and a bit of warning of blood and a bit of bodily harm so take note of that.

The anime is 25 episodes long and serves as a good enough introductory to the series but the manga is where the story truly shines. The soundtrack however is wicked epic and worth listening to. Yuki Kajiura lends her talents creating haunting melodies that would haunt your mind and tug at your hear strings. The manga spans around 104 chapters and good news! It’s completed so no need to sit in agony for so long (gawd knows I have. I had to wait for years. I still have to finish up the manga thoughᕕ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ Yes, yes, I am a bit slow when it comes to mangas) But I think most of you are pretty acquainted with this. How I know? Well....when this happens. 

One last thing I need to mention - the art for Pandora Hearts is extremely beautiful and you will find yourself staring at a single page for more than a few seconds just to take in all the details. That’s it. 

CONCLUSIONS

That’s pretty much what I’ve been able to gather over the last couple of months. I hope the recommendations are helpful in some way. Even if it’s not, it’s fun to write about for a bit. I definitely know there’s more series to recommend and would love to hear if there are suggestions. I’ve heard about Demon Slayer being one of them but haven’t started on it yet. Anyways....

Happy watching and reading! 

#dgm #D.Gray-Man #07 ghost #claymore #pandora hearts #DGM anime & manga recommendations #yule's list

[lapetiteshippeuse]

To-fanfic list.

1. Lavi’s museum, the Carnival of Rust (Drama/Angst) : during the three months ellipse, after Allen Walker’s desertion, in the new Noah arc. In order to make Bookman speak about the fourteenth and Road’s relationship, Wisely Kamelot appears and decides to make some cleaning in Lavi’s mind to continue to use him as a pressure way for Bookman. Wisely is going to show him a place that this latter never knew before and which belongs to him and himself : his museum. This looks like old and dark place, no one ever came here since a long time ago ; a true carnival of rust nowadays. Nine chapters.

2. D. Gray Man Halloween Heist (Humor/Parody/Crackfic/Portenaouak) : in the TV Show “Brooklyn Nine Nine” way, all the characters organize heists every year when comes Halloween, hiding a valuable ; the winner receives the title of “best exorcist/Noah/bookman/trappers/scientist slash genius in the world”. Careful plans. Partners in crime. Teammates’s treasons. Several stories, “Rounds” of three chapters. Coming soon, The first round : Allen/Lenalee/Lavi/Krory VS Kanda/Marie/Daisya.

3. What Hoshino may never showed you (Friendship/Fluff/Waffy) : As a person, I really have a strong belief in the fictional power : in any kind of story (manga, movie, book, cartoon, TV show, etc.), as you find yourself in a fiction consciously, in a few words, nothing is real, so anything may be it. More precisely, anything can be plausible, and possible offscreen. Thanks to a McCann’s book, I learnt that any author may shows to the reader what he needs to understand the story, what is necessary to learn. What is not, may never be showed, for its uselessness. Or...maybe is it for save a secondary story arc for later ? Maybe is it for not to spoil and keep the suspense ? Now, is LaviLena ship canon ? Some DGM fans say that no ; others say that yes. But as anything can happen in a fictional story, did Hoshino have voluntary never showed us some LaviLena scene offscreen 

4. Allen and Road Walker Kamelot. (Humor/Parody/Crackfic) : XXIe century. Allen Walker and Road Kamelot decided to say yes to each other. But the wedding day comes with all its disasters : Allen’s uncle, Cross Marian finsihed all Romane Conti bottles and is now drunk, Lavi’s speech as the groom’s witness is full of sarcasm, and it is possible that Komui forgot the wedding rings...What will all the characters do to save this one very important day ? Ten chapters.

5. The Lady and the Tramp (Friendship/Fluff/Romance/Drama) : (Based on the Walt Disney Pictures first movie) XIXe century, London. “A Bookman doesn’t need a heart”. At less, that is what the young redhead apprentice tries to convince to himself. The atmosphere of this city does not seem so bad anyway... One day, Lenalee Lee, a young dancer studying at a prestigious dance school, goes to the library for a high school assignment. There, she meets the young man, not an employee but claiming to be a "bookman", and in the midst of all his books, a beautiful friendship will be born. But Lavi seems to have forgotten her role and her place in the world ...

#d gray man #fanfiction

[sweetestboi]

(D.grayman Theory) I was sitting in my lecture hall, listening to my professor, and then, suddenly, my mind exploded. That’s when I knew I had figured out D.grayman.

Hello everyone! Just wanted to put this out here that this was originally a theory that I posted on reddit. After it got a bit popular, I decided to post it here. Many people have already asked questions, but, I’ve answered them on the reddit page if you want to look it over. Anyways! I just wanted to let you all see it, as I am VERY happy with this theory: 

Okay, so if you can’t tell by that title, I feel like I figured out D.Grayman. And this isn’t like my other posts where my theories may have one or two leaps of faith, this is a post that literally fits with EVERY clue given throughout the ENTIRE manga and makes more sense than any of the other theories I came up with. Are you ready? You better be, cause I’m fucking certain that I’m about to spoil the entirety of D.Grayman for you. Oh yeah, and I’m not lying, this theory is THICC, so be prepared for a read. … Are all the spoiler-ees gone? Are ya’ll ready to hear this bombshell? If the answer is yes, then let’s get started. Okay, so the entirety of this theory revolves around a character that is INTEGRAL to this series. And I’m not talking about Allen, I’m talking about Road. Road is a character that Hoshino has stated herself that “If Road told everyone everything she knows, D.Grayman would end.” She’s important, and here’s why: Road has been around since the beginning of D.grayman, before even MANA, as she is stated to be, and I quote, “the eldest Noah.” Which means that she has been around since before Mana became the Earl. You know what that means, right? It means that she has been around since the time Past!Earl touched that tree. “But Sweetcreems!“ you say "What does that matter?” Well I’ll tell you. It has been established since the very beginning that Road’s relationship with both Nea and Mana is a bit different than that of the other noahs. As Tyki said himself, she was the one who guided the Earl through it all, and, that she has ALWAYS been there for him. So we know that she cares deeply about the Earl, but, we also know that she cares deeply about Nea. As she is the only one besides Mana, who killed Nea, that survived Nea’s slaughter of the rest of the Noah clan. And that’s no coincidence, that is because Road is someone that means a lot to both Mana and Nea, beyond just the typical Noah relationship. “Oh, I know what you’re going to say, Sweetcreems.” You start with a huge smug grin across your face. “You’re about to say that Road and Nea were lovers. After all, Sheril has been pulling his teeth out to figure out Road and the 14ths relationship.” “Haha,” I laugh, “sorry but you are completely wrong.” You want to know why? It’s because Road is much, much, older than we think she is; of course, this has already been stated numerous times in the manga. During one of their gatherings, she even admits that she has stayed in her little-girl form for over thirty years. But, what that implies is that she is still far, far older than Nea or Mana. As we see that she served as an integral figure of support in both of their lives. When Nea was standing over Mana’s body, she stepped in and protected Mana, cradling his head. Sure, you could say that she was doing this to protect her family. But, if she and Nea were lovers, you’d think that she’d be a bit more hesitant about jumping into the fray. After all, wouldn’t she care more about her lover than just another member of the family? “But…but… she loves Allen, who has Nea’s genes inside of him, so that means they MUST be lovers, right?” Sorry, detective, but again you’re wrong. As Road was never attracted to Allen because he acted like Nea. Ever since Nea was first introduced, it has been made painfully obvious that he is a far, far different character personality-wise than Allen ever was. He’s crueler, still hates humanity, and is willing to kill his family to get what he wants. Does that sound like Allen at all to you, because it shouldn’t. Heck, Cross even admits that, since Mana’s death, Allen has been wearing “Mana’s mask.” And that he “Has started talking like Mana.” Allen was NEVER like Nea, but it’s also obvious that he isn’t exactly like Mana either. From the few scenes we’ve seen of Mana, and of Allen, we know that Mana was still a far-more goofy (obviously, because he was insane) person. Allen still carries some of that toughness as his time as Red with him, as Hoshino has shown us numerous times with both his stubbornness, and his high temper when it comes with his friends. So Road doesn’t like Allen because he acts similar to Nea, hell, if that theory held any ground, it’d be more likely that she was lovers with Mana, and it isn’t like she’s attracted to him because she knew that Allen was Nea’s host. As, when she hallucinates Allen as the Earl in the ark, she had already kissed him. Up until the ark, she had no idea that Allen was Nea’s host. It wasn’t until after he finally started piloting the ark that she finally started piecing things together. So, if she isn’t Nea’s or Mana’s lover, then what the hell IS Road? Well, are you ready? Come closer. Okay, so here’s the kicker, Road IS NEA AND MANA’S MOM! Now, don’t leave yet, because that isn’t really the case. In reality, her true identity is none other than Katerina Eve Campbell. The woman who has been heavily implied to be close to Past!Earl, and the same person who adopted Nea and Mana when Past!Earl split into two. This would explain why Road cares so much for both Mana, and Nea, it’s because she was the person who raised them! To further prove this theory, let’s take a look at some of the things we know: (POST REDDIT EDIT: A friend on reddit told me that, according to the Gray log, KEC and Road have different birthdays. However, with how well the rest of this fits, it could very well be the two different birthdays are: 1.) when KEC was actually born, and 2.) was when she created Road. Which would make sense given how completely obscure Road’s past actually is.) -Road has maintained her same girlish form for over thirty years. However, we know that it isn’t her TRUE form. She states herself that the reason she kept this form is “because she liked it.” And that’s it. -We also know that Road Kamelot isn’t her true name. The Kamelots, and her as a result, is a fabricated family to serve as a cover for the noahs. And while Sheril and Tyki both have accurate first names at least, that doesn’t mean jack for Road. Who we know for a fact had her name completely changed when she joined the Kamelots. -When Katerina Eve Campbell was killed by the Earl, it was HEAVILY implied that she did, in fact, survive. If you don’t believe me, go onto the wiki page, follow the link to the corresponding chapter, and read it yourself. -In one of the more recent chapters, Allen has been told to “visit the Campbell mansion and to find Katerina.” There, he was told he would find answers. And remember what Hoshino said? That it was ROAD who was the person who had all of the answers? -Sheril was even told that Road didn’t die. Tyki states that it was more like Road’s dreams just broke. Which would make sense, given that Road’s true body isn’t the little girl persona she uses, but instead, is Katerina’s who I’ll bet anything is LYING IN A BED DREAMING. Road is the only one that we know for A FACT isn’t using her true body. Even when Lavi wins her game and stabs her, she doesn’t die. And when Apocryphos punches her, all that happens is her dreams get disconnected from her main body. That would explain why, when Wisely talks to Road in the carriage, she says “this is the best form I can maintain right now.” That doesn’t sound like she’s talking about her actual body, because her actual body, the Noah of D-R-E-A-M-S is in the Campbell mansion. So, now we know that Road is - in all likelihood - Katerina Eve Campbell, the woman who raised both Mana and Nea. Who, after she was injured by Mana when the dude went insane, retreated her actual body back into Campbell mansion. That’s the relationship that Sheril is trying to wing-out of Bookman. As, during his stay with the Noah family, Bookman WAS THERE during that scene where Nea was standing over Road and Mana. In one of the chapters, we see a younger him in the mansion. During that scene where Nea was obviously trying to kill Mana, Road cradled Mana - a person she had raised - like a baby. Protecting him like a mother would do for her child. That’s why she seems to be an outlier where she is both on Mana’s side and Nea’s side. It’s because she is, it’s because she had been there since the beginning. When Tyki told Road that she “had been with the Earl since the beginning.” That was Hoshino foreshadowing that Road is Katerina. For, as we obviously have seen, she knew Past!Earl before he separated. ———[PART 2, why the hell does Nea want to kill everybody?]————–

Now it’s time for the fun stuff to really begin. So, now that we know that Road is Katerina Eve Campbell (I’m just going to call her KEC for short now) what does that get us? Well, to answer that question, we first have to understand why Nea is trying to become the Millennium Earl. We know that he still hates humanity, as he only worked with Cross out of a feeling of necessity, and still wants to carry out the Millennium Earl’s mission. However, for some reason, he still wants to kill Mana, but why? The answer to this question is honestly quite simple, it’s because he’s the one that actually wants to complete the Earl’s true mission. But what do I mean by that? Well, the answer for this comes in the form of Nea’s disciples, and, in his mirror - Tyki - who we’ll get to later. Before we get into that, however, I’m going to remind you all of what Road said before she disappeared in front of Allen. “Nea… fought for Mana… but that’s, supposed to be, a secret.” Why did she say that? How could Nea be fighting for Mana when he so obviously wants to kill him? And also, why did he have to kill the majority of the Noah Family to try to do whatever it is he needed to do? Well, since we now know that Road is - in fact - KEC, we can assume that the reason Nea is trying to kill Mana is to free him from his suffering. We’ve seen since the very beginning that Mana was the weaker out of the two of them, he was always the weak one, the one who was sick. And therefore, also had the weakest mind. It’s obvious that, when Mana started to become the Earl, he went insane and became - as Nea puts it - a puppet of destruction. To free him from his suffering, Nea wants to kill Mana and become the Earl. And, by doing so, fulfill the Earl’s true purpose. What is his true purpose? Well that’s where his disciple Cross, and his mirror Tyki, come in. Let’s start with Tyki: -Hoshino has laid it on pretty thick that Tyki is similar to Nea in almost every way. In looks, the way he talks, everything about him just SCREAMS Nea. But, if that’s the case, then that has to mean that Nea is similar to Tyki. And, that therefore, both of them share a “light and a dark side.” Nea, even though we’ve seen him as cruel, we know can be a caring person. As he was for Mana and KEC in the past. -Even though Tyki also wants to see an end to humanity, he also seems to care for them, as he has his own little troupe of friends that he hangs out with frequently, and that he obviously cares for. Now it’s time for Marian Cross, how does he fit into all of this, and why is it that he wants to see Nea’s dream fulfilled? The answer to this question comes in the form of his innocence. In which I’ll just put one word: -Judgement As we have seen before, innocence - and especially the anti-akuma weapons name - reflect their wielders. Allen has the Crown Clown as he used to be a clown, Krory was seen as a vampire, and got a weapon to reflect that. Mugen is a Japanese term for dream ( 夢幻 ), which reflects Kanda’s never ending dream of the Lotus. The dark boots, while they fly like butterflies, are also repeatedly referenced earlier in the manga as “heavy, and not at all comfortable.” Which reflects Lenalee’s earlier view as innocence being the chains which bound her to the Order. So, with all of that, we come to the question: why is Cross’s innocence called Judgement? The answer is it directly aligns with Nea’s goal. Both Cross, and Nea, both have seen the dirtier side of humanity, and want to fix it. And Cross wants to help him achieve that goal because, what Nea wants to do, is not completely destroy humanity, like Mana does, but reform it instead. By having Cross’s innocence be named Judgement, Hoshino is trying to show us that Cross agrees with this sentiment. And that, he too, wants to get rid of the bad side of humanity. This could also tie into why Bookman seems to have allied himself with Nea in the past, for, throughout his entire life all he has seen is never ending war. Let me explain, when the Earl tried to destroy humanity all of those years ago, he caused Noah’s flood, which destroyed most of the planet but, as we all know, beget the Noah family. If his plan really was to completely destroy humanity, then why is it that the NOAH FAMILY, who SUFFERED DIRECTLY FROM THE FLOOD, chose to HELP THE EARL? Wouldn’t it make more sense if the only human survivors decided to, you know, fight the dude that tried to kill them all? The answer is no. As, if we refer back to what Road said all the way back in the beginning of the series: “God also wants humanity to be thrown in the pit of fire.” and, that they were “the true apostles chosen by God himself.” Based on those lines, we can safely assume that the noahs goal is not to drive humanity to extinction. But instead create a new race of sinless humans, like noah in the Old Testament. This would also explain why there are several noahs, like Tyki and Sheril, who - even though they say they want to destroy humanity - still have humans they care about. For Tyki, it’s his troupe. For Sheril, it’s his faux family and wife. What the noahs always wanted to destroy was not humanity as a whole, but just the sinful humans. This is where Nea’s “puppet of destruction line comes in.” He refers to both Mana and Allen as “puppets of destruction” because they both can’t see that each side has its own merits. What the current Earl, Mana, wants to do is completely eradicate humanity and cast God out to the darkness (which, as I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you, wouldn’t make any sense considering Road has stated that she sees the noahs as God’s true chosen apostles.). In that case, the Earl is a puppet of destruction because, in his insanity, he’s taken his drive to destroy too far. And now wants to destroy everything, including God. The reason Nea calls Allen a puppet of destruction is for a similar reason. As his purpose in life is, technically, to destroy akuma, even though he doesn’t really know what the akumas true purpose is. All exorcists and the Order see akuma as creatures to be destroyed, even though that isn’t really the case. As we’ve seen with Eliade, akuma can have feelings - if they want to - for other people. They can love, hate, fear, and detest other people. They are, in affect, humans. As Kanda has stated earlier in the series “suffering is the path that will lead us to salvation.” (which seems to be an extremely common theme in D.Grayman) Akuma serve a different purpose than just being mindless murder machines. As, the true purpose of akuma is to be an integral part in humanity freeing itself from sin. Just think about the process: -Akuma start off as EGGS, with a chain tying the soul to them -They then slowly morph and change, with every iteration having the soul they were made with becoming more and more fused with the akuma body. -Then, in the forth iteration of an akuma, they grow wings and a halo, and the soul is now almost completely part of the machine. And, as several people have stated, they look angelic. It’s very possible that akuma are supposed to be the next stage in the ascension of a human. And, by mindlessly destroying them, exorcists are freeing the souls from the suffering that will lead to their salvation. So, in summary: -Nea wants to kill Mana to free him from insanity, this is what Road means when she says he “fought for Mana.” -Nea wants to fulfill the Noah’s true purpose, which, as Road alluded to herself, is to undergo another purging of sinners, thus ushering in another era of humanity. They are God’s true apostles, and the ones who will expunge the sinful sub-humans from the world. Mana, the puppet of destruction who is insane, just wants to destroy everything, including God. -And finally, akuma are definitely an important step in this “ascension process.” ———[PART 3, who the hell is Allen? And what’s the deal with Tyki and Sheril?]———————- Now this is the part of my theory that I am most proud of, as, even if some segments of this theory are proven to be false (in which case, I’d be shocked) I am almost certain that this is completely right. As Hoshino has foreshadowed every single part of the theory that I am about to describe. Before we cover Allen, however, we first need to focus on the two black sheep in the noah family, Of course, I am talking about Tyki and Sheril. These two have been repeatedly shown as parallels to the two halves of Past!Earl which Road (KEC) raised. However, there is an issue that I am shocked nobody has noticed by now: and that is, Tyki and Sheril are BROTHERS. Like, actual brothers. They didn’t just meet after becoming noahs, they are both actual siblings. However, in that case, how in the world are they both so damn similar to Nea and Mana? For continuities sake, let’s get the parallels out of the way first: Tyki: his parallel is obviously Nea. -They both look the same -Have been stated multiple times by Road and Wisely that he “reminds them” of Nea. -And, as I’ve established above, both share a different view of humanity than the Earl (Mana) does. Now Sheril: Who’s parallel is Mana. -First, he has long hair similar to Mana’s. -He’s much more crazy than his brother Tyki, which is an excellent parallel to Mana and Nea’s relationship. -And he is obviously attracted to Road. Which would make sense, as, in the past, Road seemed to serve as a crutch of sorts for Mana. There are numerous panels where we see her cradling Mana, which suggests this. And, as I’ve already established above, she’s KEC. But this is where things get weird. The thing is, Hoshino has established that these similarities are important, and not coincidences. As Tyki, with every passing chapter, seems to be becoming more and more like Nea. However, there is also another factor to this that really drives these strange similarities home: that Road seems to care for Tyki and Sheril a LOT. -When Allen sliced Tyki in two, she went ballistic, and nearly skewered him and everyone else. Even when Skinn died she didn’t go THAT crazy. And, since the very beginning of the manga, it has been established that she has been close to Tyki. Oh yeah, and did I mention that, when she was cradling Tyki in the ark, she was holding him in the EXACT SAME WAY she held Mana all that time ago in the Campbell mansion. -When it comes to Sheril, however, the connection is a bit less obvious. However, she definitely has a soft spot for Sheril, as she agreed to become his adoptive daughter. Remember, she didn’t have to do this, she could’ve just changed forms and live by herself. But she didn’t do that, instead, she literally joined Sheril’s faux family. The more important facet of this is Sheril’s unnatural attraction to her. As far as we know, there haven’t been any other mention of Noah’s falling THAT-HARD for another member of the family. Hell, when he was interrogating Bookman, Fidra and Tyki were both shocked by just how much Road’s disappearance affected the man. He sees Road in a similar way that Road sees Tyki. Granted, Road doesn’t love Tyki like Sheril loves her. But all of this establishes that there’s a connection between the three of them that simply makes them closer than the other noahs. Except for one person, of course, and that’s the Earl. And this is the reason why: Now, when you read this, I want you to keep in mind Road’s age. And, even when Nea and Mana were young, she was KEC, and was far older. Old enough to have kids. Now, I want you to keep in mind that Sheril and Tyki are both relatively-young. Both of them HAVE to be thirty or less as the Noah family needed time to rebuild after Nea killed all of them. And, after just looking at them and their actions, it’s obvious that they’re both thirty, or under. (POST REDDIT EDIT: A kind soul on reddit told me that Sheril and Tyki are both thirty-four and twenty-seven. However, that changes nothing, as it would still put them within the thirty-five year gap between Nea’s death and the present) Which means, they were both born at the same time, and then both just HAPPENED to become noahs who are just like the two halves of Past!Earl. And they both have a strangely-closer connection to Road than the other noahs. You want to know why? It’s because Tyki and Sheril are Road’s actual kids. Nea and Mana weren’t her kids, they were just the two halves of Past!Earl. And, as we already know, Road is definitely old enough to have children. Especially during the time after Nea’s attack. This would explain: A.) Road’s connection with Tyki, why she held him exactly like she did Mana, and why she went near ballistic when Allen cut him in two. B.) Why Sheril is so attracted to her, because, even though he’s the noah of desire, he’s being affected by Mana’s own feelings of admiration towards Road, who has been with the Earl since the very beginning. And, as I’m sure you all can remember, why he seems to be so batshit crazy. Just like Mana. “A-ha! I’ve got you now, Sweetcreems!” You yell as you rapidly start to type your response to disprove this theory. “You said yourself that it’s almost impossible for Nea and Road to be lovers, since she is KEC. And, since - if Tyki and Sheril were her kids - they’d have to be born after Nea’s death, there’d be no way for her to actually have kids.” “Ha! You just sit down you uneducated swine!” I scream as I pimpslap you. “Because there IS a person who is the proper age to be Tyki and Sheril’s father, AND who was around after Nea’s death!” You want to know who that is? Well I’ll tell you, it’s Past!Allen baby! Past!Allen, for those of you who don’t know, is a person who looks like Allen that Nea referred to in one of his flashbacks. He was also heavily implied to be a close personal friend of Nea’s, one of the few that was actually human, and was a person who was almost definitely Bookman’s dead apprentice. Past!Allen is also the one who agreed to take Nea’s memories upon his death, and, after some lines spoken by Nea, is almost confirmed to be Allen before he became, well, you know, Allen. We know that Past!Allen was exceptionally close with the noah family. As he managed to convince Nea to give him his memories, and it is Past!Allen that Mana eventually named his dead dog over. We also know that, given his level of education and other clues, that he was Bookman’s dead apprentice. And was there with Bookman when they were tagging along with the noah family for records. Now, all that stuff above is information pretty much already known by the community. However, this is where my theory comes in. Remember, earlier in this post when I was discussing how the “Road and Nea are lovers theory” doesn’t hold ground? Because she could have no idea, at the time, that Allen was the 14ths host? You do? Good. Because the reason why Road loves Allen is because he reminds her, obviously, of Past!Allen. Think about it: -Their personalities are very similar, as Past!Allen was a massive influence on Mana, who then passed those traits down to Allen when he was traveling with him. -Both Allen and Past!Allen have similar white hair.

(((((POST REDDIT EDIT: Hey, last edit of this theory.  Before any of you hound me about Past!Allen’s hair color, let me say that Past!Allen’s hair color depends on the format you’re reading.  Me and a few buddies on reddit did a deep dive into the manga and physical versions, which I have, and found the following:  In the magazine version, Past!Allen has slightly darker hair.  However, in the volume/other versions, he has lighter hair with a slight etching.  Basically, what this is telling us is that Hoshino isn’t consistent with Past!Allen’s hair color.  However, after a bit of talking and going through alternate versions and the majority of the panels in which we’ve seen him in.  All of us agreed that Past!Allen’s hair color was light, but not snow white.  Note that this would still work with this theory.  As Road would’ve been attracted to someone with light-colored hair, which would still fit with Past!Allen and Allen.  As Nea, Mana, and the current Earl all have black hair.)))))

-Both of them had an intense love for life. For Allen, it was in the form of saving other people. For Past!Allen, it was in his bookman knowledge and with the helix of life. It’s fairly obvious that, at the time of Nea’s death (he was 17 at the time), Past!Allen was far older. Unlike Nea, he was fully grown and mature. And, for obvious reasons, cared a lot for Nea, Mana, and his family. This is where the bookmen side of things comes in. When Bookman took Past!Allen with him to record history, Past!Allen befriended Nea, Mana, and, eventually, Road. As Road’s actions towards Allen obviously show, she and Past!Allen had become lovers after Nea’s death. It was Past!Allen who fathered Tyki and Sheril. Which is why they are so similar to Nea and Mana in terms of personality and other things, as their mom was the same person who raised both Nea and Mana. This is why Road falls in love with Allen, not because he reminds her of Nea, but because he reminds her of Past!Allen, his old self, and her old lover. And, given how close Past!Allen seemed to be with the family, this would make sense. This would also explain why Bookman is so adamant about making sure that Lavi “detaches himself” from his comrades. It’s because he KNOWS that his old, fully-grown, apprentice fell in love with one of the people they were supposed to be recording. And that this was probably one of the reasons that led to Past!Allen’s eventual death. And speaking of death, we can now arrive at the final part of this theory. Namely, how the hell did Past!Allen, who was old as hell, become young and, suddenly, now has innocence embedded in his left arm? This is the part that I really geeked-out over when I realized this, so get ready: -Okay, so according to my theory, we know that Road and Past!Allen were lovers, and probably had kids who are probably Tyki and Sheril. During some point after their birth, they were probably put up for adoption before becoming noahs once again. -However, for this theory - and a whole lot of CANON plotpoints to fit together - Past!Allen couldn’t have died directly after Nea’s death. As he’d have to go a full fifteen years before we can get into the timeframe where the Allen we know and love came to be. Plus, we know that Cross couldn’t have had a hand in Allen being the host, as he never knew that Allen was the host until the day where he met Mana. So here’s what happened: For fifteen years Road and the Earl were the only two noahs left, it was in this period that the other noahs memories were recovering. As, based on Wisely’s recovery time, we know that it took the rest of them at least that long for their memories to properly heal. For fifteen years, Past!Allen lived with Road, and it’s in this time where the Earl was just focusing on rebuilding his armies. And then, something happened to Past!Allen that led to his death. Taking Nea’s memories along with him. NOTE THAT THIS DEATH WOULD LINE UP NICELY TO WHEN BOOKMAN STARTED LOOKING FOR ANOTHER APPRENTICE. As it would be only a few years after Past!Allen’s death that Bookman would start looking for another apprentice. However, as we know, if Past!Allen died. Then how the hell does he come back, as a child, with no memories, and with innocence? Well, as Nea puts it when he stares angrily at Allen’s left arm: “Allen doesn’t recognize me, and he’s… gotten younger? Why is that?” He then looks down and thinks: “This must be your fault.” And you know what? He’s right. BUT NOT IN THE WAY THAT THIS COMMUNITY VIEWS IT. Most theories I see have this step go somewhat like this: “Uhhh… the innocence caused Allen’s body to rewind.” HOWEVER, MY FRIENDS, IF THAT’S THE CASE, THEN WHY IS HIS HAIR COLOR DIFFERENT?! Before you laugh, let me saw that I’m dead serious. Past!Allen had snow white hair, like Allen does now, AND HE WORE GLASSES. However, the Allen we know had bright red hair, perfectly fine eyes, and looks nothing like Past!Allen. “So what is it then?” You ask “Did he implant the innocence into himself, or something like that?” “Haha!” I laugh, “Sorry but you’re wrong again!” Because, guess what? As Bookman had stated Past!Allen died. He didn’t engrave something into his arm and revert back to a child. No, what happened is that, after his death, he got a different body. This is where the Alma Karma arc comes in. We know that, before Komui finally stepped in and changed things, that the Order was not a nice place. They did experiments where they’d take blood relatives and force innocence upon them, turning them into fallen ones. Or, in Kanda’s case, they’d take dead exorcists brains and put them in new bodies. However, there’s one aspect to all of this that we’ve never touched, and that’s the parasite type. Tell me, what do you think happens when a parasite-type exorcist goes brain dead? As we’ve seen with Marie, Hoshino shows us that disabled-exorcists are a thing. And, when this happened in the past, the old Order would go the Kanda route and take their brains out. However, what do you do when the innocence is a parasite type attached to a brain dead host? Going by above, the logical answer is obvious: Just scoop out the brain and put a new one in. And, my friends, what better brain to use than that of a recently-deceased bookman? Here’s the lowdown: the Order found Past!Allen’s dead body, figured out that he was a bookman, and then decided to place Past!Allen’s brain in the body of a brain dead parasite-type exorcist. They gave this new body the works. And, like with Kanda, wiped the memories of the man’s past life to ensure synchronization. This is why Allen remembers nothing of his past life, and why it seems like he was born with his innocence. Because the Order wiped his memories! Sadly, for the scientists, innocence has a really bad habit of going crazy when being brought back from the dead. And, as we’ve seen time, and time, and time, and time again, Allen’s innocence doesn’t require him to be conscious to be able to use it. When synchronization was achieved, the innocence went Alma on their asses, and killed everyone. This is why: A.) Nobody remembers him, cause they’re all dead. B.) Why Allen’s innocence seems so unique, because it does, in essence, have a mind of its own. From then on Allen would wake up alone, wander the streets, and finally, join the circus where he’d meet Mana. From here on out, you all know the rest. So, in summary, here’s the lowdown of this fat-ass theory: -Road is actually Katerina Eve Campbell, which is why she’s ALWAYS be around. -Road raised Nea and Mana, Mana went insane, injuring her - but not killing her - forcing her to keep her actual body in Campbell mansion. Where, remember, Allen is going to find answers which, as Hoshino has stated in numerous interviews, Road has ALL of them. -Road had children with Past!Allen, she likes Allen because of his white hair, and the fact that his personality reminds her of him. The NeaRoad theory doesn’t hold ground because there is no way that she’d have any inkling that Allen was Nea’s successor at that time, and because their personalities are completely different. -The children Road had are Tyki and Sheril. The two twins who won the lottery and somehow BOTH managed to become noahs. This explains why she seems to share a deeper connection with them than the other noahs. And why the Earl has a soft spot for Tyki, because he reminds him of Nea. -Past!Allen died, and his brain was used in a second-exorcist like experiment that, since it was a parasite type, they couldn’t use a second-exorcist-like healing factor. This worked, and this is why Nea says its the “Innocence’s fault” that Allen doesn’t remember him. Because, in the process of Allen having his brain transferred, he forgot all memories of his past life. There, boom, D.Grayman fucking solved, I’m so happy with this theory so please, if you want, ask some questions if you’re curious. P.S. Like I said above, this theory was originally posted on my reddit profile on the r/D.grayman reddit. Many people asked questions, which I answered. So, if you have an idea on how this theory might not work, I might’ve already proved that wrong on the reddit page. Or, who knows! Maybe I’m completely off. I’m honestly just curious to see what you guys think. And so, thanks for reading.

#dgm #d gray man #allen walker #road kamelot #neah campbell #tyki mikk #sheril kamelot #mana d campbell #dgm theories #dgm theory #dgm manga #dgm 231 #dgm 232 #d.grayman #d.gray-man

[dgraymantheories]

I was sitting in my lecture hall, listening to my professor, and then, suddenly, my mind exploded. That's when I knew I had figured out D.grayman.

Hello everyone! Just wanted to put this out here that this was originally a theory that I posted on reddit. After it got a bit popular, I decided to post it here. Many people have already asked questions, but, I've answered them on the reddit page if you want to look it over. Anyways! I just wanted to let you all see it, as I am VERY happy with this theory: Okay, so if you can't tell by that title, I feel like I figured out D.Grayman. And this isn't like my other posts where my theories may have one or two leaps of faith, this is a post that literally fits with EVERY clue given throughout the ENTIRE manga and makes more sense than any of the other theories I came up with. Are you ready? You better be, cause I'm fucking certain that I'm about to spoil the entirety of D.Grayman for you. Oh yeah, and I'm not lying, this theory is THICC, so be prepared for a read. ... Are all the spoilerees gone? Are ya'll ready to hear this bombshell? If the answer is yes, then let's get started. Okay, so the entirety of this theory revolves around a character that is INTEGRAL to this series. And I'm not talking about Allen, I'm talking about Road. Road is a character that Hoshino has stated herself that "If Road told everyone everything she knows, D.Grayman would end." She's important, and here's why: Road has been around since the beginning of D.grayman, before even MANA, as she is stated to be, and I quote, "the eldest Noah." Which means that she has been around since before Mana became the Earl. You know what that means, right? It means that she has been around since the time Past!Earl touched that tree. “But Sweetcreems!" you say "What does that matter?" Well I'll tell you. It has been established since the very beginning that Road's relationship with both Nea and Mana is a bit different than that of the other noahs. As Tyki said himself, she was the one who guided the Earl through it all, and, that she has ALWAYS been there for him. So we know that she cares deeply about the Earl, but, we also know that she cares deeply about Nea. As she is the only one besides Mana, who killed Nea, that survived Nea's slaughter of the rest of the Noah clan. And that's no coincidence, that is because Road is someone that means a lot to both Mana and Nea, beyond just the typical Noah relationship. "Oh, I know what you're going to say, Sweetcreems." You start with a huge smug grin across your face. "You're about to say that Road and Nea were lovers. After all, Sheril has been pulling his teeth out to figure out Road and the 14ths relationship." "Haha," I laugh, "sorry but you are completely wrong." You want to know why? It's because Road is much, much, older than we think she is. Of course, this has already been stated numerous times in the manga. During one of their gatherings, she even admits that she has stayed in her little-girl form for over thirty years. But, what that implies is that she is still far, far older than Nea or Mana. As we see that she served as an integral figure of support in both of their lives. When Nea was standing over Mana's body, she stepped in and protected Mana, cradling his head. Sure, you could say that she was doing this to protect her family. But, if she and Nea were lovers, you'd think that she'd be a bit more hesitant about jumping into the fray. After all, wouldn't she care more about her lover than just another member of the family? "But...but... she loves Allen, who has Nea's genes inside of him, so that means they MUST be lovers, right?" Sorry, detective, but again you're wrong. As Road was never attracted to Allen because he acted like Nea. Ever since Nea was first introduced, it has been made painfully obvious that he is a far, far different character personality-wise than Allen ever was. He's crueler, still hates humanity, and is willing to kill his family to get what he wants. Does that sound like Allen at all to you, because it shouldn't. Heck, Cross even admits that, since Mana's death, Allen has been wearing "Mana's mask." And that he "Has started talking like Mana." Allen was NEVER like Nea, but it's also obvious that he isn't exactly like Mana either. From the few scenes we've seen of Mana, and of Allen, we know that Mana was still a far-more goofy (obviously, because he was insane) person. Allen still carries some of that toughness as his time as Red with him, as Hoshino has shown us numerous times with both his stubbornness, and his high temper when it comes with his friends. So Road doesn't like Allen because he acts similar to Nea (hell, if that theory held any ground, it'd be more likely that she was lovers with Mana), and it isn't like she's attracted to him because she knew that Allen was Nea's host. As, when she hallucinates Allen as the Earl in the ark, she had already kissed him. Up until the ark, she had no idea that Allen was Nea's host. It wasn't until after he finally started piloting the ark that she finally started piecing things together. So, if she isn't Nea's or Mana's lover, then what the hell IS Road? Well, are you ready? Come closer. Okay, so here's the kicker, Road IS NEA AND MANA'S MOM! Now, don't leave yet, because that isn't really the case. In reality, her true identity is none other than Katerina Eve Campbell. The woman who has been heavily implied to be close to Past!Earl, and the same person who adopted Nea and Mana when Past!Earl split into two. This would explain why Road cares so much for both Mana, and Nea, it's because she was the person who raised them! To further prove this theory, let's take a look at some of the things we know: (POST REDDIT EDIT: A friend on reddit told me that, according to the Gray log, KEC and Road have different birthdays. However, with how well the rest of this fits, it could very well be the two different birthdays are: 1.) when KEC was actually born, and 2.) was when she created Road. Which would make sense given how completely obscure Road's past actually is.) -Road has maintained her same girlish form for over thirty years. However, we know that it isn't her TRUE form. She states herself that the reason she kept this form is "because she liked it." And that's it. -We also know that Road Kamelot isn't her true name. The Kamelots, and her as a result, is a fabricated family to serve as a cover for the noahs. And while Sheril and Tyki both have accurate first names at least, that doesn't mean jack for Road. Who we know for a fact had her name completely changed when she joined the Kamelots. -When Katerina Eve Campbell was killed by the Earl, it was HEAVILY implied that she did, in fact, survive. If you don't believe me, go onto the wiki page, follow the link to the corresponding chapter, and read it yourself. -In one of the more recent chapters, Allen has been told to "visit the Campbell mansion and to find Katerina." There, he was told he would find answers. And remember what Hoshino said? That it was ROAD who was the person who had all of the answers? -Sheril was even told that Road didn't die. Tyki states that it was more like Road's dreams just broke. Which would make sense, given that Road's true body isn't the little girl persona she uses, but instead, is Katerina's who I'll bet anything is LYING IN A BED DREAMING. Road is the only one that we know for A FACT isn't using her true body. Even when Lavi wins her game and stabs her, she doesn't die. And when Apocryphos punches her, all that happens is her dreams get disconnected from her main body. That would explain why, when Wisely talks to Road in the carriage, she says "this is the best form I can maintain right now." That doesn't sound like she's talking about her actual body, because her actual body, the Noah of D-R-E-A-M-S is in the Campbell mansion. So, now we know that Road is - in all likelihood - Katerina Eve Campbell, the woman who raised both Mana and Nea. Who, after she was injured by Mana when the dude went insane, retreated her actual body back into Campbell mansion. That's the relationship that Sheril is trying to wing-out of Bookman. As, during his stay with the Noah family, Bookman WAS THERE during that scene where Nea was standing over Road and Mana. In one of the chapters, we see a younger him in the mansion. During that scene where Nea was obviously trying to kill Mana, Road cradled Mana - a person she had raised - like a baby. Protecting him like a mother would do for her child. That's why she seems to be an outlier where she is both on Mana's side and Nea's side. It's because she is, it's because she had been there since the beginning. When Tyki told Road that she "had been with the Earl since the beginning." That was Hoshino foreshadowing that Road is Katerina. For, as we obviously have seen, she knew Past!Earl before he separated. ---------[PART 2, why the hell does Nea want to kill everybody?]-------------- Now it's time for the fun stuff to really begin. So, now that we know that Road is Katerina Eve Campbell (I'm just going to call her KEC for short now) what does that get us? Well, to answer that question, we first have to understand why Nea is trying to become the Millennium Earl. We know that he still hates humanity, as he only worked with Cross out of a feeling of necessity, and still wants to carry out the Millennium Earl's mission. However, for some reason, he still wants to kill Mana, but why? The answer to this question is honestly quite simple, it's because he's the one that actually wants to complete the Earl's true mission. But what do I mean by that? Well, the answer for this comes in the form of Nea's disciples, and, in his mirror - Tyki - who we'll get to later. Before we get into that, however, I'm going to remind you all of what Road said before she disappeared in front of Allen. "Nea... fought for Mana... but that's, supposed to be, a secret." Why did she say that? How could Nea be fighting for Mana when he so obviously wants to kill him? And also, why did he have to kill the majority of the Noah Family to try to do whatever it is he needed to do? Well, since we now know that Road is - in fact - KEC, we can assume that the reason Nea is trying to kill Mana is to free him from his suffering. We've seen since the very beginning that Mana was the weaker out of the two of them, he was always the weak one, the one who was sick. And therefore, also had the weakest mind. It's obvious that, when Mana started to become the Earl, he went insane and became - as Nea puts it - a puppet of destruction. To free him from his suffering, Nea wants to kill Mana and become the Earl. And, by doing so, fulfill the Earl's true purpose. What is his true purpose? Well that's where his disciple Cross, and his mirror Tyki, come in. Let's start with Tyki: -Hoshino has laid it on pretty thick that Tyki is similar to Nea in almost every way. In looks, the way he talks, everything about him just SCREAMS Nea. But, if that's the case, then that has to mean that Nea is similar to Tyki. And, that therefore, both of them share a "light and a dark side." Nea, even though we've seen him as cruel, we know can be a caring person. As he was for Mana and KEC in the past. -Even though Tyki also wants to see an end to humanity, he also seems to care for them, as he has his own little troupe of friends that he hangs out with frequently, and that he obviously cares for. Now it's time for Marian Cross, how does he fit into all of this, and why is it that he wants to see Nea's dream fulfilled? The answer to this question comes in the form of his innocence. In which I'll just put one word: -Judgement As we have seen before, innocence - and especially the anti-akuma weapons name - reflect their wielders. Allen has the Crown Clown as he used to be a clown, Krory was seen as a vampire, and got a weapon to reflect that. Mugen is a Japanese term for dream ( 夢幻 ), which reflects Kanda's never ending dream of the Lotus. The dark boots, while they fly like butterflies, are also repeatedly referenced earlier in the manga as "heavy, and not at all comfortable." Which reflects Lenalee's earlier view as innocence being the chains which bound her to the Order. So, with all of that, we come to the question: why is Cross's innocence called Judgement? The answer is it directly aligns with Nea's goal. Both Cross, and Nea, both have seen the dirtier side of humanity, and want to fix it. And Cross wants to help him achieve that goal because, what Nea wants to do, is not completely destroy humanity, like Mana does, but reform it instead. By having Cross's innocence be named Judgement, Hoshino is trying to show us that Cross agrees with this sentiment. And that, he too, wants to get rid of the bad side of humanity. This could also tie into why Bookman seems to have allied himself with Nea in the past, for, throughout his entire life all he has seen is never ending war. Let me explain, when the Earl tried to destroy humanity all of those years ago, he caused Noah's flood, which destroyed most of the planet but, as we all know, beget the Noah family. If his plan really was to completely destroy humanity, then why is it that the NOAH FAMILY, who SUFFERED DIRECTLY FROM THE FLOOD, chose to HELP THE EARL? Wouldn't it make more sense if the only human survivors decided to, you know, fight the dude that tried to kill them all? The answer is no. As, if we refer back to what Road said all the way back in the beginning of the series: "God also wants humanity to be thrown in the pit of fire." and, that they were "the true apostles chosen by God himself." Based on those lines, we can safely assume that the noahs goal is not to drive humanity to extinction. But instead create a new race of sinless humans, like noah in the Old Testament. This would also explain why there are several noahs, like Tyki and Sheril, who - even though they say they want to destroy humanity - still have humans they care about. For Tyki, it's his troupe. For Sheril, it's his faux family and wife. What the noahs always wanted to destroy was not humanity as a whole, but just the sinful humans. This is where Nea's "puppet of destruction line comes in." He refers to both Mana and Allen as "puppets of destruction" because they both can't see that each side has its own merits. What the current Earl, Mana, wants to do is completely eradicate humanity and cast God out to the darkness (which, as I'm sure I don't have to explain to you, wouldn't make any sense considering Road has stated that she sees the noahs as God's true chosen apostles.). In that case, the Earl is a puppet of destruction because, in his insanity, he's taken his drive to destroy too far. And now wants to destroy everything, including God. The reason Nea calls Allen a puppet of destruction is for a similar reason. As his purpose in life is, technically, to destroy akuma, even though he doesn't really know what the akumas true purpose is. All exorcists and the Order see akuma as creatures to be destroyed, even though that isn't really the case. As we've seen with Eliade, akuma can have feelings - if they want to - for other people. They can love, hate, fear, and detest other people. They are, in affect, humans. As Kanda has stated earlier in the series "suffering is the path that will lead us to salvation." (which seems to be an extremely common theme in D.Grayman) Akuma serve a different purpose than just being mindless murder machines. As, the true purpose of akuma is to be an integral part in humanity freeing itself from sin. Just think about the process: -Akuma start off as EGGS, with a chain tying the soul to them -They then slowly morph and change, with every iteration having the soul they were made with becoming more and more fused with the akuma body. -Then, in the forth iteration of an akuma, they grow wings and a halo, and the soul is now almost completely part of the machine. And, as several people have stated, they look angelic. It's very possible that akuma are supposed to be the next stage in the ascension of a human. And, by mindlessly destroying them, exorcists are freeing the souls from the suffering that will lead to their salvation. So, in summary: -Nea wants to kill Mana to free him from insanity, this is what Road means when she says he "fought for Mana." -Nea wants to fulfill the Noah's true purpose, which, as Road alluded to herself, is to undergo another purging of sinners, thus ushering in another era of humanity. They are God's true apostles, and the ones who will expunge the sinful sub-humans from the world. Mana, the puppet of destruction who is insane, just wants to destroy everything, including God. -And finally, akuma are definitely an important step in this "ascension process." ---------[PART 3, who the hell is Allen? And what's the deal with Tyki and Sheril?]---------------------- Now this is the part of my theory that I am most proud of, as, even if some segments of this theory are proven to be false (in which case, I'd be shocked) I am almost certain that this is completely right. As Hoshino has foreshadowed every single part of the theory that I am about to describe. Before we cover Allen, however, we first need to focus on the two black sheep in the noah family, Of course, I am talking about Tyki and Sheril. These two have been repeatedly shown as parallels to the two halves of Past!Earl which Road (KEC) raised. However, there is an issue that I am shocked nobody has noticed by now: and that is, Tyki and Sheril are BROTHERS. Like, actual brothers. They didn't just meet after becoming noahs, they are both actual siblings. However, in that case, how in the world are they both so damn similar to Nea and Mana? For continuities sake, let's get the parallels out of the way first: Tyki: his parallel is obviously Nea. -they both look the same -have been stated multiple times by Road and Wisely that he "reminds them" of Nea. -And, as I've established above, both share a different view of humanity than the Earl (Mana) does. Now Sheril: Who's parallel is Mana. -First, he has long hair similar to Mana's. -He's much more crazy than his brother Tyki, which is an excellent parallel to Mana and Nea's relationship. -And he is obviously attracted to Road. Which would make sense, as, in the past, Road seemed to serve as a crutch of sorts for Mana. There are numerous panels where we see her cradling Mana, which suggests this. And, as I've already established above, she's KEC. But this is where things get weird. The thing is, Hoshino has established that these similarities are important, and not coincidences. As Tyki, with every passing chapter, seems to be becoming more and more like Nea. However, there is also another factor to this that really drives these strange similarities home: that Road seems to care for Tyki and Sheril a LOT. -When Allen sliced Tyki in two, she went ballistic, and nearly skewered him and everyone else. Even when Skinn died she didn't go THAT crazy. And, since the very beginning of the manga, it has been established that she has been close to Tyki. Oh yeah, and did I mention that, when she was cradling Tyki in the ark, she was holding him in the EXACT SAME WAY she held Mana all that time ago in the Campbell mansion. -When it comes to Sheril, however, the connection is a bit less obvious. However, she definitely has a soft spot for Sheril, as she agreed to become his adoptive daughter. Remember, she didn't have to do this, she could've just changed forms and live by herself. But she didn't do that, instead, she literally joined Sheril's faux family. The more important facet of this is Sheril's unnatural attraction to her. As far as we know, there haven't been any other mention of Noah's falling THAT-HARD for another member of the family. Hell, when he was interrogating Bookman, Fidra and Tyki were both shocked by just how much Road's disappearance affected the man. He sees Road in a similar way that Road sees Tyki. Granted, Road doesn't love Tyki like Sheril loves her. But all of this establishes that there's a connection between the three of them that simply makes them closer than the other noahs. Except for one person, of course, and that's the Earl. And this is the reason why: Now, when you read this, I want you to keep in mind Road's age. And, even when Nea and Mana were young, she was KEC, and was far older. Old enough to have kids. Now, I want you to keep in mind that Sheril and Tyki are both relatively-young. Both of them HAVE to be thirty or less as the Noah family needed time to rebuild after Nea killed all of them. And, after just looking at them and their actions, it's obvious that they're both thirty, or under. (POST REDDIT EDIT: A kind soul on reddit told me that Sheril and Tyki are both thirty-four and twenty-seven. However, that changes nothing, as it would still put them within the thirty-five year gap between Nea's death and the present) Which means, they were both born at the same time, and then both just HAPPENED to become noahs who are just like the two halves of Past!Earl. And they both have a strangely-closer connection to Road than the other noahs. You want to know why? It's because Tyki and Sheril are Road's actual kids. Nea and Mana weren't her kids, they were just the two halves of Past!Earl. And, as we already know, Road is definitely old enough to have children. Especially during the time after Nea's attack. This would explain: A.) Road's connection with Tyki, why she held him exactly like she did Mana, and why she went near ballistic when Allen cut him in two. B.) Why Sheril is so attracted to her, because, even though he's the noah of desire, he's being affected by Mana's own feelings of admiration towards Road, who has been with the Earl since the very beginning. And, as I'm sure you all can remember, why he seems to be so batshit crazy. Just like Mana. "A-ha! I've got you now, Sweetcreems!" You yell as you rapidly start to type your response to disprove this theory. "You said yourself that it's almost impossible for Nea and Road to be lovers, since she is KEC. And, since - if Tyki and Sheril were her kids - they'd have to be born after Nea's death, there'd be no way for her to actually have kids." "Ha! You just sit down you uneducated swine!" I scream as I pimpslap you. "Because there IS a person who is the proper age to be Tyki and Sheril's father, AND who was around after Nea's death!" You want to know who that is? Well I'll tell you, it's Past!Allen baby! Past!Allen, for those of you who don't know, is a person who looks like Allen that Nea referred to in one of his flashbacks. He was also heavily implied to be a close personal friend of Nea's, one of the few that was actually human, and was a person who was almost definitely Bookman's dead apprentice. Past!Allen is also the one who agreed to take Nea's memories upon his death, and, after some lines spoken by Nea, is almost confirmed to be Allen before he became, well, you know, Allen. We know that Past!Allen was exceptionally close with the noah family. As he managed to convince Nea to give him his memories, and it is Past!Allen that Mana eventually named his dead dog over. We also know that, given his level of education and other clues, that he was Bookman's dead apprentice. And was there with Bookman when they were tagging along with the noah family for records. Now, all that stuff above is information pretty much already known by the community. However, this is where my theory comes in. Remember, earlier in this post when I was discussing how the "Road and Nea are lovers theory" doesn't hold ground? Because she could have no idea, at the time, that Allen was the 14ths host? You do? Good. Because the reason why Road loves Allen is because he reminds her, obviously, of Past!Allen. Think about it: -Their personalities are very similar, as Past!Allen was a massive influence on Mana, who then passed those traits down to Allen when he was traveling with him. -Both Allen and Past!Allen have similar white hair. -Both of them had an intense love for life. For Allen, it was in the form of saving other people. For Past!Allen, it was in his bookman knowledge and with the helix of life. It's fairly obvious that, at the time of Nea's death (he was 15 at the time), Past!Allen was far older. Unlike Nea, he was fully grown and mature. And, for obvious reasons, cared a lot for Nea, Mana, and his family. This is where the bookmen side of things comes in. When Bookman took Past!Allen with him to record history, Past!Allen befriended Nea, Mana, and, eventually, Road. As Road's actions towards Allen obviously show, she and Past!Allen had become lovers after Nea's death. It was Past!Allen who fathered Tyki and Sheril. Which is why they are so similar to Nea and Mana in terms of personality and other things, as their mom was the same person who raised both Nea and Mana. This is why Road falls in love with Allen, not because he reminds her of Nea, but because he reminds her of Past!Allen, his old self, and her old lover. And, given how close Past!Allen seemed to be with the family, this would make sense. This would also explain why Bookman is so adamant about making sure that Lavi "detaches himself" from his comrades. It's because he KNOWS that his old, fully-grown, apprentice fell in love with one of the people they were supposed to be recording. And that this was probably one of the reasons that led to Past!Allen's eventual death. And speaking of death, we can now arrive at the final part of this theory. Namely, how the hell did Past!Allen, who was old as hell, become young and, suddenly, now has innocence embedded in his left arm? This is the part that I really geeked-out over when I realized this, so get ready: -Okay, so according to my theory, we know that Road and Past!Allen were lovers, and probably had kids who are probably Tyki and Sheril. During some point after their birth, they were probably put up for adoption before becoming noahs once again. -However, for this theory - and a whole lot of CANON plotpoints to fit together - Past!Allen couldn't have died directly after Nea's death. As he'd have to go a full fifteen years before we can get into the timeframe where the Allen we know and love came to be. Plus, we know that Cross couldn't have had a hand in Allen being the host, as he never knew that Allen was the host until the day where he met Mana. So here's what happened: For fifteen years Road and the Earl were the only two noahs left, it was in this period that the other noahs memories were recovering. As, based on Wisely's recovery time, we know that it took the rest of them at least that long for their memories to properly heal. For fifteen years, Past!Allen lived with Road, and it's in this time where the Earl was just focusing on rebuilding his armies. And then, something happened to Past!Allen that led to his death. Taking Nea's memories along with him. NOTE THAT THIS DEATH WOULD LINE UP NICELY TO WHEN BOOKMAN STARTED LOOKING FOR ANOTHER APPRENTICE. As it would be only a few years after Past!Allen's death that Bookman would start looking for another apprentice. However, as we know, if Past!Allen died. Then how the hell does he come back, as a child, with no memories, and with innocence? Well, as Nea puts it when he stares angrily at Allen's left arm: "Allen doesn't recognize me, and he's... gotten younger? Why is that?" He then looks down and thinks: "This must be your fault." And you know what? He's right. BUT NOT IN THE WAY THAT THIS COMMUNITY VIEWS IT. Most theories I see have this step go somewhat like this: "Uhhh... the innocence caused Allen's body to rewind." HOWEVER, MY FRIENDS, IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN WHY IS HIS HAIR COLOR DIFFERENT?! Before you laugh, let me saw that I'm dead serious. Past!Allen had snow white hair, like Allen does now, AND HE WORE GLASSES. However, the Allen we know had bright red hair, perfectly fine eyes, and looks nothing like Past!Allen. "So what is it then?" You ask "Did he implant the innocence into himself, or something like that?" "Haha!" I laugh, "Sorry but you're wrong again!" Because, guess what? As Bookman had stated Past!Allen died. He didn't engrave something into his arm and revert back to a child. No, what happened is that, after his death, he got a different body. This is where the Alma Karma arc comes in. We know that, before Komui finally stepped in and changed things, that the Order was not a nice place. They did experiments where they'd take blood relatives and force innocence upon them, turning them into fallen ones. Or, in Kanda's case, they'd take dead exorcists brains and put them in new bodies. However, there's one aspect to all of this that we've never touched, and that's the parasite type. Tell me, what do you think happens when a parasite-type exorcist goes brain dead? As we've seen with Marie, Hoshino shows us that disabled-exorcists are a thing. And, when this happened in the past, the old Order would go the Kanda route and take their brains out. However, what do you do when the innocence is a parasite type attached to a brain dead host? Going by above, the logical answer is obvious: Just scoop out the brain and put a new one in. And, my friends, what better brain to use than that of a recently-deceased bookman? Here's the lowdown: the Order found Past!Allen's dead body, figured out that he was a bookman, and then decided to place Past!Allen's brain in the body of a brain dead parasite-type exorcist. They gave this new body the works. And, like with Kanda, wiped the memories of the man's past life to ensure synchronization. This is why Allen remembers nothing of his past life, and why it seems like he was born with his innocence. Because the Order wiped his memories! Sadly, for the scientists, innocence has a really bad habit of going crazy when being brought back from the dead. And, as we've seen time, and time, and time, and time again, Allen's innocence doesn't require him to be conscious to be able to use it. When synchronization was achieved, the innocence went Alma on their asses, and killed everyone. This is why: A.) Nobody remembers him, cause they're all dead. B.) Why Allen's innocence seems so unique, because it does, in essence, have a mind of its own. From then on Allen would wake up alone, wander the streets, and finally, join the circus where he'd meet Mana. From here on out, you all know the rest. So, in summary, here's the lowdown of this fat-ass theory: -Road is actually Katerina Eve Campbell, which is why she's ALWAYS be around. -Road raised Nea and Mana, Mana went insane, injuring her - but not killing her - forcing her to keep her actual body in Campbell mansion. Where, remember, Allen is going to find answers which, as Hoshino has stated in numerous interviews, Road has ALL of them.

-Road had children with Past!Allen, she likes Allen because of his white hair, and the fact that his personality reminds her of him. The NeaRoad theory doesn't hold ground because there is no way that she'd have any inkling that Allen was Nea's successor at that time, and because their personalities are completely different. -The children Road had are Tyki and Sheril. The two twins who won the lottery and somehow BOTH managed to become noahs. This explains why she seems to share a deeper connection with them than the other noahs. And why the Earl has a soft spot for Tyki, because he reminds him of Nea. -Past!Allen died, and his brain was used in a second-exorcist like experiment that, since it was a parasite type, they couldn't use a second-exorcist-like healing factor. This worked, and this is why Nea says its the "Innocence's fault" that Allen doesn't remember him. Because, in the process of Allen having his brain transferred, he forgot all memories of his past life. There, boom, D.Grayman fucking solved, I'm so happy with this theory so please, if you want, ask some questions if you're curious. P.S. Like I said above, this theory was originally posted on my reddit profile on the r/D.grayman reddit. Many people asked questions, which I answered. So, if you have an idea on how this theory might not work, I might've already proved that wrong on the reddit page. Or, who knows! Maybe I'm completely off. I'm honestly just curious to see what you guys think. And so, thanks for reading.

[rielity]

[TRANS] Sensei on pencils and pencil lead

Sensei just posted a super super super long post on Instagram with several photos, but it's basically a stationery rant 😂 she also shares the stationery she's using for her work!

She's a huge fan of Pentel mechanical pencils.

If her pencils spoil, she won't be able to live, so she keeps buying the same stock, so her table is getting narrower everyday 🍡🍡🍡

Suddenly, how does everyone choose your pencil lead?

Up until a few years ago, Hoshino-sensei used to think that the pencil lead between brands such as Pentel, Zebra, Uni and Pilot didn't really vary much, and that the main difference always lay in the actual pencil you use.

But sometimes she would experience 1) the lead coming out without her pressing it 2) the lead not coming out when she pressed it 3) the lead breaking in the barrel 4) the lead cracking halfway through her drawing and these all made her really angry ww

At first, she thought it was the pencil spoiling.

But the actual reason is because different pencils are suited for different pencil leads. Pentel pencils are best suited for Pentel leads, Pilot and Zebra pencils are best used with their respective brand leads.

So in order to maximise your pencil's 100% potential, you must use the same brand's pencil lead.

Ever since she discovered this, she's been making sure her pencils and leads are of the same brand.

For those who might have frustrating experiences with mechanical pencils, do give this a try!

Mechanical pencils are amazing.

#thingsIaskedatthestationeryshop

Translation for the text bubbles on her photos, from left to right:

For brainstorming ideas・work

For pen-sketching (TL: ink sketches)

I realised... I'm increasing my collection of black pencils

Pencil lead and eraser are both Pentel

Mechanical pencils (labeled in orange)

Pentel Orenz nero

Pentel Graph 1000 (0.7/0.5/0.4)

Pentel Smash 0.5

Water-based pens (labeled in green)

Uni Rib (ウニリブ)

PILOT SuperPuchi (PILOT SUPERプチ)

KOKUYO Drawing Pen

#dgm #d gray man #hoshino katsura #hoshino's instagram #riel translations

[candy-crackpot]

why do you think road love allen? does she really like him at all?

Why Road likes Allen exactly is hard to pin down because we know very little of Road herself, her motivations or what she sees in Allen and how much she actually knows of him. The Earl told her about him but it could be that she had known of him even earlier than that.

I’m pretty sure Road loves Allen and in a romantic way: she kissed him in chapter 110 and then climbed in his lap, rubbed her face into his and threw a tantrum that she didn’t want to let go because she loves him - ‘aisheru’ that’s almost only used in romantic context as a very bold expression of love, even ‘dai suki’ (like very much) is like flustering and ‘aishteru’ is a whole new level. She acts like a spoiled kid who can do whatever she wants and to be honest that’s not far from the truth because I doubt anyone even in her family would dare to oppose her. Some theorize that she loved Neah, but back then Road had no idea that Allen was the Player. So Road loving Allen himself is certain.

Exactly what it is that pulls her in is a bit hard to tell. Here are a few ideas:

She is endeared by Allen’s refusal to hurt her because despite seeing how inhuman and inhumane she is, he still sees her as human. Jasdevi reacted violently when Krory asked if they were called monsters so it is likely that the whole family bears this grudge and it would explain Tyki’s refusal to properly integrate with Joyd.

She relates to Allen. Both of them have lost everything precious to them at one point and it is likely that Road feels that Allen understands her feelings of loss.

Another point where they can relate is the social exclusion, if the Noah indeed bear grudge that they were pariahs.

Especially so when Mana was a very important person in both their lives. If she knows about Allen’s time together with Mana she might even feel grateful that Allen looked after him while she was unavailable and that feeling evolved into love.

She knows that Allen is the deaged Past!Allen and perhaps they had something going

How that affects her is a whole different thing. In a talk corner it was pointed out Road got “sexier” and Tyki and Wisely looked at Allen. But this didn’t come from Road herself and I doubt Wisely would dare to peek into Road’s mind so I’d take it with a grain of salt. It’s true that Road is looking more mature - at first she looked like 10-12 then in the last chapters with her in a human form even 14 - but that could be just Hoshino’s art development, all female characters look rounder and generally more feminine than the first time they appeared. Then it could be that it’s just the white uniform she wears lately, it pronounces her chest and the typical hourglass shape associated with femininity; her normal clothes are usually a lot looser, they don’t follow the shape of her body as much.

Hoshino said that Road’s form is a reflection of her inner self, how/what Road feels like. If we take into account what happened 35 years ago it could mirror how the trauma of Neah’s betrayal affected her psyche. Wisely was the one to point out that Road’s form remained unchanged for 35 years. This could imply that Road got hurt physically and mentally enough that she needed decades to recuperate from Neah’s betrayal. Her change of appearance was first showed in chapter 187, when Wisely awakened and nearly all of them were back; this could very well hint that Road is no longer stuck in the past where she feels like a powerless little girl who lost everything and was almost killed by her brother;  but finally started healing as the rest of her siblings were reincarnating. It could also be a sense of responsibility growing in her towards her family; as the Earl is losing his grip on sanity she is the one who needs to keep the group together and with her gone Wisely seems to be the second in command beside the Earl with his deteriorating health.

Frankly though, I always thought Road’s crush on Allen is just a running gag and not meant to be taken too seriously, the most I can see happen is someone asking jokingly if they could end the war if they married off Allen to her, I sincerely doubt her crush will affect the plot too much. She’s the same as Tyki, she seems to be fond of Allen, but neither of them let that come between them and family. They help out Allen as much as they can, saving him even, but those were direct orders from the Earl himself and even as they comfort Allen - that is helping him fight Neah, which is the opposite of what the Earl wants - they never go against the Earl. They are sort of pushing it, but they are still not committing outright treason. I find it likely though that along with Wisely and Tyki she will want to save Allen, because he is the only thing that holds Neah back from starting the infamous tragedy all over again.

#dgm #d.gray-man #d gray man #dgrayman #allero #Allen Walker #Road Kamelot #headcanon #meta #theory #hard to say but it's my interpretation the very least #long post

[strayhitsuji]

We’re The Winners Here! 1st Years vs 2nd Years Idol Battle || Part 2

Part 2 : Live Battle Start!

[Previous]     [Next]

Subaru: You good with the camera, Manager? Player Character: Uh-huh, all set! Yoichi: Then let’s get started. Have the rest of you gathered what you need? The Others: Yes! Toma: Alright... let’s begin the Seika Academy Idol Club First Years vs. Second Years Idol Battle! You’ll be competing in three categories: putting together a casual look, fanservice, and performance ♪ Subaru: We third years and Toma’ll be presiding over the ceremonies here, judging, aaaand acting as the audience Behind the camera’s none other than our Manager. Thanks for that, by the way. PC: I’ll do my best! Yoichi: Acting as leader for the first years, we have Kureha-san. And for the second years, Touya-san. Would either of you like to say a few words before we start?

Kureha: Yay! It’s me, Kureha Hoshino; freshman member of the idol club. Our opponent might be you, Touya-san, but there’s no way we’re going to lose. We’ll be giving it our all, so make sure to cheer us on, okay? Touya: Well said, first years! We won’t be holding back either, and thusly we will be the ones claiming the spoils of victory today.  “Defeat” is a word that simply doesn’t exist to us! Aoi: Touya-san’s the best!! What a guy! What a leader! PC: Both teams are brimming with team spirit! Subaru: That much was to be expected, don’tcha think? They’ve been training for the stage y’know. Toma: Hey, hey Subaru-san. Is it just me, or are those two the only ones you can hear too... Aoi: Touya-san! Give ‘em another angle why dontcha? Touya: Like this?

Subaru: Aaah.... Looks like they’re already into the ol’ song and dance... Yoichi: ..............Siiigh. Touya-san, Aoi-san. We’ve got the camerawork covered. Now, if you’re ready to get started? Touya: Oh. The fault here is mine... Aoi: No, Touya-san, no. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine... Yoichi: If you understand, then get to your places already. PC: Subaru-san. I’m gonna go help them backstage too, so do you mind taking over the camera duties for a little bit? Subaru: Rooooger that Yoichi: ....Anyway, where were we. ...While they’re preparing, would you go over the first category we’ll be judging them on, Toma-san? Toma: O~kay! ♪ They’ll first be judged on the everyday casual look they come up with. They’ll have to think hard, and come up with a stylish outfit that fits with the given theme, then show it off on the provided mannequin. As the one in charge of all of the idol club’s more stylish decisions, I hope they’ve prepared themselves for my harsh opinions ♪ Without further ado, here’s the theme you all need to work with. The theme is “If I Went Out With A Girl”! What do you think they’ll come up with? I can’t wait to find out ♪

PC: Kureha-kun, Kaito-kun, Kazuyuki-kun. Are you ready? Kaito: Absolutely Kazuyuki: Will we be alright... We put a lot of thought into it, but... Kureha: We’ve got this! I really like what we came up with! I even want to wear it out on stage, not just put it on the mannequin! 

Touya: Well, aren’t they full of confidence. However, we’ll be the ones taking the victory. Aoi: You know it! The outfit you came up with can’t be beat! It’s the best! Touya: Isn’t it? But it’s only with the added input of you two that the outfit became perfect. Toma-san will be stunned! Yuuhi: .....I think he’ll be stunned for another reaso--mmfff Aoi: Oi, Kurenai, don’t talk so much. Look how happy he is! Yuuhi: But our outfit’s... PC: I’ve got a pretty good grasp on the first years’, let’s see what the second years have to.... !? Touya: Oh Manager, what’s with that look? Ah, I understand. Upon seeing my good taste with your own two eyes, the words have simply escaped you. ...This, too, was expected.  PC: ....Y-yeah, let’s go with that. Umm... well, since you guys look ready I’m going to go back to Yoichi-san and the others. Touya: My, it looked like she was positively frightened by my talent. Yuuhi: I think she was shocked for a completely different reason.. Aoi: Shhh--! Yuuhi: ............

Toma: Time to bring them back out on stage! First up, we have the first years! Show us what you’ve got!  ♪ Kureha: Yu-p! ...Oof. Uhh... is here good? Toma: That’s fine. So how did you first years approach our theme of “If I Went Out With A Girl”? Let’s start with you. Kaito-san? Kaito: .....Our objective was to create a fresh-looking outfit that would suit anyone. Toma: Ahaha, this is going up on the blog, so you don’t have to be so formal. Anyway, show us your full outfit! Re~veal! Yoichi: It’s casual, yet stylish Subaru: You took the words out of my mouth. I definitely don’t haaate it. Toma: I see, I see. Oh, by the way; do you like simple styles or flashier ones, Manager? PC: You’re asking me? Toma: I mean, the theme is “If I Went Out With A Girl”. And as far as I know, you’re the only girl in the idol club. So it’s super important to hear your opinion on this. PC: Generally, I think girls like simpler styles. But if someone can pull off a flashier outfit, you can’t help but think they look at least a little bit cool Toma: Is that the opinion of most girls? Or is it just yours... PC: T-Toma-kun! Shouldn’t we focus? Toma: ....Fine. So, what are the points that make up this outfit? Kureha: Really we... wanted to incorporate something more casual feeling while keeping a sleek sort of look. Kazuyuki: A-and we added sneakers for easy movement, as well as pairing a hoodie with the jacket... Kaito: The mix-and-match aspect could be very useful. For example, by changing into just the hoodie, you’re now prepared for a different sort of situation Toma: I see. The white sweater gives off a more gentle vibe, and if you want to take that off, you’ve still got the shirt beneath it. The bag works as either a backpack or a shoulder bag... You really put a lot of thought into this, huh. Kureha: You think so!? Ehehe, I’m glad. So what’s our score!? PC: It’s gotta be pretty high Toma: Hmmm, let’s see.... Out of 100 points.... Kureha: I’m so excited....!

#Starry Palette #スタパレ #Mobage #Translations #I Love These Nerds

[moonlitemuseum]

Mirai of the Future casts Moka Kamishiraishi as lead role Kun-chan

Haru Kuroki, Gen Hoshino also confirmed  

(source: comics natalie)

More information about Mamoru Hosoda’s hotly anticipated release ‘Mirai of the Future’ has been released, confirming the Haruchika actress as spoiled baby brother Kun. 

Mirai of the Future is Mamoru Hosoda’s next project in a line of hits including ‘Summer Wars’, ‘Wolf Children’ and of course ‘Digimon: Our War Game’. Written, boarded and directed by Hosoda, the film tells the tale of a spoiled 4-year old boy who is visited by a future version of his younger sister Mirai (Haru Kuroki). 

Singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino will portray the children’s father, and actress-model Kumiko Aso will voice their mother. Also revealed in the casting announcement are ‘a mysterious man’ (Mitsuo Yoshihara) and Kun’s grandmother (Yoshiko Miyazaki) and grandfather (Koji Yakusho). 

This will be Kamishiraishi’s first time voicing a character for an animation. While she auditioned for the role of Mirai, she was “ extremely happy” to be selected for Kun’s role instead. 

“When I got the role, I headed right out to play with some preschoolers at nursery,” she said. “I played and talked with the four year old boys, and it helped me to remember what it was like to be four myself... It was definitely a difficult role. I was delighted to challenge myself with it. I learned a lot.”

A new commercial for the film has been released along with the casting news. It features scenes of Kun and Mirai’s parents coping with raising two young children. and a ‘future station’ where Kun is asked “So you lost your sense of self, was it?” by a stern lost property officer. The new promotion video will be shown at theatres nationwide from April 13th. 

“Mirai of the Future” will be screened at Toho cinemas nationwide from July 20th.

Cast Comments

Moka Kamishiraishi, playing Kun

 “I’m a huge fan of Mamoru Hosoda’s work, and I always watch them in theatres as soon as they premiere, so being cast in one is a dream come true for me. I was really shocked when Mr. Hosoda himself called me back to tell me I’d gotten the part of Gun, after my audition for Mirai. When I got the role, I headed right out to play with some preschoolers at nursery. I played and talked with the four year old boys, and it helped me to remember what it was like to be four myself... It was definitely a difficult role. I was delighted to challenge myself with it, and I learned a lot.”

“Kun is so painfully cute you won’t want to stop watching whenever he’s onscreen. You can really feel the love that Mr. Hosoda put into Mirao of the Future when you watch it! I want to use that love to inspire my own life, so I can live a bit more like Kun does.”

Haru Kuroki, playing Mirai

“Mr. Hosoda is very talented at creating a dramatic, courage-inspiring story while using very fine detail to depict everyday life. I am extremely honoured to get to work with him again on a story like this. Not many stories have a four year old as their protagonist, so I was very excited to see the results!”

“I’m an older sister myself, so I really sympathized with Kun’s surprise at what his little sister is capable of doing. I think the audience will really enjoy watching him grow and develop onscreen, and they’ll definitely smile at at all the strong bonds and love that’s packed into the movie.”

Gen Hoshino, playing Kun’s father

“I was very pleased to be invited into Mr. Hosoda’s world. My character is a father struggling to balance his work with raising his children, and he needs to grow to meet those tasks. When I saw the movie I could barely contain myself - baby Mirai and Kun are just so cute! “

“Recording was very easygoing, and I felt like we all came together to raise this very precious feeling for the movie. I’m very excited for everyone to see it.”

Kumiko Aso, playing Kun’s mother

“I’ve been a fan of Mr. Hosoda since ‘The Girl who Leapt through Time’. Kun’s family in the movie is very similar to mine, so it was very familiar! My character, Kun’s mother, has to go back to the mindset of raising a baby with Mirai, which causes her to snap at Kun more often. I honestly worried about this same problem in my family, too, so I really felt her pain!”

“Children grow up gradually, little bit by little bit. It’s a rare delight when you can capture one of those ‘little bits’ and portray it, and I think this film does a wonderful job.”

#mamoru hosoda #mirai no mirai #mirai of the future #japanese translation #kamishiraishi moka #kuroki haru

[yaspup9000]

Katamari Damacy: chapter 29, Papa's Home!

((Hours has passed and the Castle is spotless and Covered with Holiday decoration. As The Queen was about to Sit down there was a Knock on the Door.))

Queen of all cosmos: Ugh..

((King of all cosmos comes in))

King of all cosmos: Don’t worry Dear, We’ll get it.

((The King opens the Door and sees His father, the emperor of all Cosmos or Also known as Papa.))

Papa: Ah why Hello there Son!

King of all cosmos: Um.. hello Papa.. Why don’t you come in!

((Papa grabs his suitcase and Gives it to The King.))

Papa: Well It’s adout time! Hm! Took you long enough!

((The Prince and His cousin runs up to See their Grandpa))

The cosmic Children: Grandpa! Grandpa!

((Papa picks up Prince and starts Throwing him up the air))

Papa: Why if it isn’t one of My Favorite Grandchildren… Prince! Hm.. and I can see that you’ve gotten A bit Older since the last time I’ve seen you!

Prince: *smiles*

Papa: My someday I’ll bet you’ll be a Great fighter like your Father! Or even better than your Father!

Prince: *Giggles* Nah I’m not really the fighting type. But I know someone who is!

Papa: *Chuckles* Oh is that so? Well then My Boy, who is he then?

Prince: Um.. actually.. She’s a Girl..

((Domino sees Everyone Smiling and Talking. So she’s comes in))

Papa: *laughs a bit* Oh.. And to think that Foomin was the comedian of the family! But even a King Can crack a few jokes or two. Isn’t that right Sonny Boy!

King of all cosmos: Um.. yes Father..

((Domino comes in and trys to fit in))

Prince: Oh! And here she is now!

Domino: So.. Prince? Who’s The old egg?

Papa: …

((Papa Drops Prince and takes a closer look at Domino))

Papa: So this is A friend of yours?

((Domino starts having a bad feeling in her Gut yet She puts a Brave face. But then Prince runs up to Domino by her side.))

Prince: Hmh! Her name is Domino, She’s quite tough!

Papa: Hm.. Is that so? Well I’ll have to see it To believe it!

Ace: Hey Grandpa! Did you get any gifts for Me! uh uh uh?

Papa: *laughs* I dont know, maybe If you stop being such a Spoiled Brat and Bugging me then Yes. Now all of you Run along while I’ll Get settled in.

((As all of the Children runs back into their Playroom Domino starts thinking that out of all the people who she stumble across The Prince Grandfather at least didn’t use a broom to hit her, starts Talking behind her back or even turn away in embarrassment or start making fun of her))

((Flashback to some years ago))

((Domino was trying to make new friends with some cosmic children her Age))

((Domino Takes a deep breath and puts a brave face.))

Domino: *smiles* Hey Fellas!

((The Cosmic girls looks at Domino, groans in disgust and then turns their back on her.))

((Domino looks at Group of cosmic boys and the’re Rough housing. Domino comes in to Play with the boys but when She Joins in, they kicked her out.))

Cosmic boy 1: You can’t play with us!

Cosmic boy 2: Yeah Get lost Reject!

((Domino starts to tear up and Thinks about running back home but what’s the use. Her Family dosen’t Care either))

((Back to reality))

((Domino sits Down on the couch and sighs))

((Prince comes to Domino and trys to Make her feel better.))

Prince: *smiles* Domino!

Domino: hm? Yeah kiddo?

Prince: Is everything alright?

((But having her one and only Friend in the whole entire Galaxy to Cheak up on her, Gives Domino a Smile on her face.))

Domino: *smiles* Why absolutely Kiddo everything’s Jake! Thanks for Checking on me!

((Prince give Domino a Smile and Hugs her.))

((Prince looks outside and then turns back to Domino))

Prince: so? You wanna Hang out with the Hoshino kids with me?

Domino: Sure thing Kiddo. I don’t see why not?

Well i hope this chapter is good enough for you and i’m sorry if It’s a bit short but.. maybe the next chapter will be better.. as the journey continues!

#katamari damacy #katamari stories #stories

[kerzoro]

Time for more pictures! By @shonuff44

This is the first appearance of Aoi Hoshino, superhero! Supergenius! ... 12 years old. Kept grounded by thankfully down-to-earth and responsible parents, Aoi remains relatively un-spoiled by the attention she gets by the japanese government and media in general.

For, you see, Aoi is more than a genius (although she is). Her superpower is literally making herself smarter to reach conclusions few people-- or even machines-- can. Best of all, she remembers all of it after she’s done using her power, which to most people looks like “tiny girl spacing out while her hair and eye glows an electric blue for a few moments”.

As it stands, Aoi is a master-grade inventor, she speaks several languages, is well versed in all sciences, and is a complete wizard at mathematics in general.

Who still goes to school because her parents would not have it any other way.

She’s still kind of a brat. Frankly, her favorite past time is consuming media in vast quantities. She devours all the manga and anime she can, and then she sees any foreign cartoon she can get her hands on... one of the primary reasons she learned several languages. Her lab is filled with screens, each showing a different show she’s following, and she can clearly keep up with all of them.

Aoi wants to be an astronaut. She wanted to be a manga artist but her power nor her genius has given her any artistic talent.

The other one is Beetle! ... in  much larger body than she usually has. Aoi thought it’d be cool to have her in a “cool adult body” as a “mid-season upgrade” (before returning to the vastly more popular and marketeable smaller form). Seeing how Aoi is the one that rescued Beetle from a bad fate, the robot girl is more than happy to help out when she can.

Color version by ustudio!

#superheroine #beetle #aoi #robot girl #shonuff44

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 10/9/17

Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 20 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – There really was zero chance that Soma’s contest with Eishi Tsukasa would end with Soma becoming the new first seat, but still, I didn’t expect that to fizzle out as much as it did. Thankfully, the rest of the volume makes up for it. I really enjoyed the scene between Erina and Soma in which she a) eats the totally delicious-looking tempura egg rice bowl that he makes and b) comes to completely reject her father’s plans for the homogenization of Totsuki cuisine. It’s great to see her fired up and training other students how to pass Central’s exams. (Also, by the end of volume 20, the cast is only at the end of the second term of their first year. We’ve hopefully got a long run ahead of us!) – Michelle Smith

Flying Witch, Vol. 3 | By Chihiro Ishizuka | Vertical Comics – I was right, the idea that this series has a plot was laughable. Nothing much continues to happen in this third volume, though we do expand the cast a little more with the addition of a secret cafe for supernatural beings, run by a mother/daughter combo and their shy ghost waitress, who is probably the cutest thing in the volume. There’s no real romance to be seen—Kei barely exists in the manga, and when Akane briefly thinks he has a girlfriend, it’s shot down immediately. What people are reading the series for is the cute girls doing magic (sometimes) very peacefully and seeing impressive sights, such as flying whales that resemble ancient civilizations. Flying Witch is a calm oasis, though risks putting you to sleep. – Sean Gaffney

Golden Kamuy, Vol. 2 | By Satoru Noda | Viz Media – The joke I’d heard about this volume was that the manga decided to turn into a foodie series, and there is an awful lot of attention devoted to the preparations of the wild animals that our heroes kill and eat while in the jungle. It also shows off their chemistry, and when we visit Asirpa’s village we find that they are very much in favor of hooking the two of them up. That’s unlikely to happen right away (if at all), though, as Sugimoto decides that it’s unfair to take her away from her loving family and friends and immediately goes out and gets captured and tortured. He’s a self-proclaimed immortal, but that doesn’t mean we can’t graphically show what he goes through, so it’s a foodie manga with a gore warning. Very good, though. – Sean Gaffney

In/Spectre, Vol. 6 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Comics – I thought this was going to be the final volume, and it does wrap up the novel it’s adapting, but apparently more stories are coming, though I wouldn’t believe Kotoko as to the content. Things wrap up nicely here, with the artist finding new and entertaining ways to show off what is basically a giant internet forum argument and make it a compelling mystery, as well as showing the sordid creepiness that comes from strangers raking over the past of a broken family. Also, the romantic triangle is resolved with no surprises whatsoever—the most interesting girl wins easily. I had a lot of fun reading this series, and am delighted that there will be original stories coming after. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 25 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – Another shoujo manga comes to a close, this one with a more satisfying ending than some, though it be full of fast-forwards. Nanami has been allowed to remain at Mikage Shrine until she finishes high school, and before that time is up she and Tomoe decide to get married while they’re still ayakashi and kami. I’m grateful that one of her friends brought up that getting married as a teenager is not generally a good idea, but I find that I don’t mind it in this case, since they’ve been through so much together. The ending is satisfying and bittersweet, a combination I really appreciate. Too, if you get the limited edition of this volume, it comes with a snazzy hardcover extra including an illustration gallery and a bonus manga! I’ll miss this series, and look forward to reading Suzuki’s next work. – Michelle Smith

Plum Crazy!: Tales of a Tiger-Striped Cat, Vol. 2 | By Natsumi Hoshino | Vertical Comics – Much like Flying Witch, it’s hard to even fill up a Bookshelf Brief with what happens in this volume—cats are cute!—but I’m going to try anyway as it really is a fun series, and Plum is a very sympathetic heroine even as she’s getting bitten and scratched and otherwise pummeled by the tsundere kitten Snowball. You can tell the author is very good at observing cat behavior, both on their own and with groups of humans—the reaction of the kids at the ballet school to “NEW KITTY!” was hilarious. There are a few sweet moments as well, but for the most part this series is going to be a mild tickle to the funnybone, as you smile and nod your head at the wacky cat antics. – Sean Gaffney

Princess Jellyfish, Vol. 6 | By Akiko Higashimura | Kodansha Comics – Most manga is more or less predictable—readers pretty much know what to expect with a sports manga or shoujo romance. Princess Jellyfish is an exception. At the end of the last volume, at which point Kuranosuke was hit hard by the reality of the fashion business, I never would’ve guessed at the place where the characters find themselves at the end of this volume. It’s too good to spoil, really, but I’ll mention the standout moments are Shu delivering Kuranosuke’s dress to his mother in Italy, where we see how much she really does love her son, and a certain character saying to herself, “So this time, I’ll be the one. I have to save everyone.” Reader, I sniffled! I have no idea where this story is going, and that is truly delightful. – Michelle Smith

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 7 | By Tomo Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – Last time I said that Ballroom‘s fault was that it tended to hammer on the angsty drama a bit too much, and this volumes takes that drama and doubles it. Honestly, it was pretty hard for me to plow through, particularly the first half. I really enjoy watching the dancing and the art is terrific, but there needs to come a time when we see our leads genuinely enjoying themselves, and they’re both just wallowing in misery here. It’s even piled on with their major rivals going to Germany instead of coming to the competition they were going to meet up at. Sports titles always get like this, and I know we’re going to have to have a breakthrough next time, which will be amazing. But only read this to get to that. – Sean Gaffney

By: Michelle Smith

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf