#i liked how his power was drawn in the manga in his fight with ace the way it merged with his hair. i wish it was still drawn like that

[humans-are-tasty]

#marshall d. teach #blackbeard #one piece #blackbeard pirates #my art #animation #rough animation attempt + a few silly frames from it #what an edgelord #i liked how his power was drawn in the manga in his fight with ace the way it merged with his hair. i wish it was still drawn like that #flashing gif #flashing tw

[zorosroronoas]

LONG RANT AHEAD (sorry)

lol I'm glad you mentioned Sanji because he's my biggest problem with the manga. Sanji is only amazing in the LA.

I'm on the Wano arc right now and the dude just used the invisibility suit to spy on Nami and Robin naked and had the most dramatic reaction to Shinobu being a kunoichi who dares not to be a thin young girl with big breasts (and he did the same with Kokoro before the time skip... not saying I wanted a 19-year-old to be attracted to somebody's grandmother, but the way she "didn't count" as a mermaid because of her age and body type was gross).

I don't even want to talk about Alvida, or how Big Mom, the only major female villain in the series, is drawn as a grotesque fat woman who's obsessed with food.

Oda can draw Senor Pink, a fat man who dresses like a baby, as someone with women thirsting over him, but he can't have a cute fat girl in the story who is found attractive by Sanji? (but hey, at least Sanji has shown how open-minded he is by liking girls with 3 eyes and fishtails).

If the only women you think deserve to be seen as attractive are girls in their 20s with zero belly fat and a big rack, then you have a limited mindset (and it doesn't help that he also draws underage girls like Pudding, Rebecca, and Shirahoshi like that too). I haven't gotten there yet, but I saw that Shinobu goes back to being young and thin and Sanji praises her "glow up" and I'm just... what fat woman hurt Oda? As a fat woman, am I not allowed to be mad at fatphobia? But if I point these things out, suddenly I'm a weirdo who is "jealous" (sure, I'm jealous of a drawing made by a pervert who is friends with sex offenders. Give me a break, fandom).

Fishman Island has been my least favorite arc so far because of how insufferable Sanji behaved. And let's not even get started on all the creepy and weird things he did in other arcs like Thriller Bark, Punk Hazard, and the list goes on and on because OH MY GOD *Jesse Pinkman voice* HE CAN'T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH IT!

Rebecca is a gladiator girl who's been victimized her whole life, but Oda has her wear a bikini top and a thong the entire time and makes creepy comments in his q&a about how this underage character he wrote might end up naked. Sometimes I got confused because Robin, Hancock, and Tashigi look too much alike. And speaking of Tashigi, she is the definition of "go on girl, give us nothing" because she literally does nothing. She's always losing and being ridiculed, and of course Smoker opened up her shirt when they switched bodies to expose her titties, because what teenage boy doesn't want to see that? (nevermind that any teenage boy that started reading this in the 90s would be a grown-ass man right now, and Oda ignores his Japanese female fanbase when they criticize the way he draws women. It's not just Western women who are not okay with this).

Robin should be on the same level as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji and have the Haki because she's a Devil Fruits user with an incredible power, and yet her character hasn't done much since Enies Lobby.

Momonosuke is an EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY and Oda wrote him as a pervert who likes to grope Nami. And the stuff with Brook is terrible too, but Brook has nowhere near the same amount of page-time as Sanji does, so of course I'm going to complain about Sanji more. And no one in the fandom is trying to brainwash me that Brook is a feminist ally like they do with Sanji lol

I love OP and it has so many emotional moments where I cried reading (Chopper's and pretty much every Straw Hat's backstory, Usopp leaving the crew, Robin wanting to live, Luffy declaring war on the government to save Robin, Luffy fighting like hell to save Ace, Mr. 2 sacrificing himself so Luffy and the other pirates can escape Marineford, Law and Corazon's backstory, the list goes on), but JFC, I can't just sit by and pretend that it's a flawless story and say nothing negative about it because there's plenty of negative stuff on it.

I don't understand why this fandom is like this, but I guess I can't be a "true fan" of OP if I'm not kissing Oda's ass and acting like this millionaire is the ultimate master of storytelling.

It's not okay to teach boys to disrespect women, it's not okay to make fun of fat women, and it's not okay to add transphobic jokes (I didn't even touch on that but you know what I mean). I don't know why people want to shut down that criticism.

I love One Piece. I care about it. I understand that you can't spend all day focusing on the negative. But this story is hardly ever criticized, anyway. It's not an underdog manga. It's one of the most popular franchises in the world.

I apologize that this got so long. -OPLA anon

omg, pls don't apologize, you are so right on literally EVERYTHING.

i've written a minor rant about sanji when i was reading the manga, but my opinion of him has only gotten worse. like you said he is absolutely insufferable & only gets worse with time. what is worse is that his bullshit & misogyny is portrayed as 'charming', it drive me insane. oda tries so hard to continuously push the 'sanji is such a goodhearted & kind boy' & i'm just... really? except if you're an 'ugly' woman i guess.

to each their own, but it also grinds my gears how queer &/or transfem sanji is such a huge headcanon in the fandom. like... sanji... the biggest queerphobe in one piece. give me a fucking break. in general fandom loves sanji way too much considering what he actually is like as a character.

i thank the lord everyday for opla!sanji tbh, he's a godsend & i can't believe i've seen ppl complain about him being 'overcorrected'.

i've said this before, but it's utterly ridiculous how nami & robin (not to mention the other women in op) haven't had a major role or win in several arcs. they're constantly fighting the runt of the litter.

don't get me started on tashigi & punk hazard. it still drives me nuts that oda had zoro hold back on fighting monet bc she was a woman. it goes completely against the point of zoro's backstory. & then tashigi, who's supposed to be an echo of kuina, literally is never able to do shit?? like?? what's the point, oda? that women can't be good fighters after all?

speaking on punk hazard, sanji's entire behavior while he's in nami's body is abhorrent.

both momonosuke being a perv as well as his dad, oden, going to brothels since he was like six or some shit is so goddamn disgusting, like.... again what's the point??

brook is also an issue but i think fandom mostly ignores his existence & admittedly i do too.

& boy howdy, the fatphobia is truly rampant. you have every right to be upset & criticize it. i sincerely hope they keep alvida as a fat woman & skip the whole 'getting pretty & thin' bs altogether in opla. i was watching reactions to opla a while back & to see ppl going like 'does she have the devil fruit powers yet? oh no, she's not thin.' during her last scene in 1.08, like that shit is totally normal & not problematic as hell is just.... wow. they really expect that crap to happen & have no problem with it.

on the subject of shinobu, it really just goes to illustrate what i said, which is that oda never really changes. he still treats fat women like shit decades later & that's a major issue. he hasn't learned or bettered himself at all.

i think it is always fair to criticize the media one enjoys, particularly on things that are actually harmful. i find it necessary even.

nobody is saying that it's not okay to like one piece or that you're a bad person for it, but it is important to look at it critically for god's sake.

sorry if i missed anything, but like i said i agree with you on everything & more, so don't ever worry about ranting at me, i'm more than open to it lmao.

#answered #opla anon <3 #long post

[nuttyjellyfishlover]

One Piece Anime Wano Arc Episodes 890

One Piece Anime: Wano Arc, Episodes 890 This honestly is less going to be a review and more of a commentary as I watch through the anime's rendition of the Wano arc. I've honestly never really watched too much of the One Pieceanime, mostly just looking up the highlights of the arcs I read in the manga. I did watch the filler episodes and most of the movies, as I've talked about at length recently. And everyone tells me that the anime has some rather terrible pacing, particularly around the time of Dressrossa, which is apparently pretty padded out. But then I heard the absolute opposite for Wano, where the anime has received a new art-style and one hell of a fancy makeover. And I thought... hey, I'm on a One Piece kick this year, clearly, so yeah, I think I'm going to give this a shot.

The Wano arc, I think, is one that works a lot better because it has the reverse problem of a lot of One Piece arcs -- there are a lot of moments in Act One of the manga's version of the story that the writer clearly purposefully threw in a couple of off-screened moments that the anime could expand into full action scenes. I already know that Sanji versus Page One is fully animated in the anime, and scenes like Big Mom vs. Kaido or Zoro vs. Basil Hawkins are extended a lot more than the couple of panels we had in the manga. And Wano's got a lot of supporting characters, some of which actually get swept under the rug when I first read through the manga chapters weekly. So yeah, having bright colours and voices and music is going to make this a much more fun experience!

Anyway, here goes my collection of random notes and commentary. Be aware that there will be MANGA SPOILERS, as I will point out a couple of things here and there about stuff I notice that's foreshadowing or whatever:

* Marco's blue-and-yellow phoenix form looks so, so much more vibrant and pops out compared to anything else in the series in colour, huh? I think out of any other character, Marco is extra-memorable in animated format. * That said, basically half this episode is just a recap of the Paramount War. I mean, I haven't seen the Paramount War in full animated format, so it's nice to hear Whitebeard and Ace and Marco speak some of their more famous lines there. But on the other hand, it's also it's kind of one of the more-criticized parts of the One Piece anime that any time they could pad out an episode with scenes from a previously-produced episode, they will. * We actually get to see the Grudge/Payback War in the anime! I think this is less of a showcase of events that actually happened and more of a symbolic one, but hey, we get to see Blackbeard doing some sky-quakes and black holes and Marco turning phoenix. It just shows the Whitebeard division commanders getting sucked into a giant Dragon-Ball-esque spirit bomb Black Hole. Actually pretty neat! * Jozu has both arms in that vision. Whether it's an error or a spoiler or if he has a prosthetic a la Akainu in Film: Z, we'll see eventually.

* This episode also has a bit of a recap of the revelations about Wano from the Zou arc, but it's a lot shorter and feels a lot more relevant to the upcoming arc. * Brook actually expresses some interest on Vivi, apparently having heard of her from the others. I've always liked this from the filler episodes, of the newer Straw Hats slowly learning about prior adventures. Brook being Brook, of course, a panty joke was tossed in. * The Japanese-art style water waves look so pretty when animated! * The random octopus that makes Japanese kabuki theater (?) sounds is another thing that works so much better in the anime. I've always thought it felt a bit forced and random in the manga version. * The high-tempo music when the Sunny sails into the koi waves is very, very fun! * Ah, yes, the very first chapter of Wano in the manga shows off a bunch of carps jumping up a waterfall. You know, considering the whole legend that a carp that jumps over the waterfall transforms into a dragon... i.e., a fish that is also a dragon...

* The first one that's properly and almost fully drawn in the new Wano art style! And it looks gorgeous. * Also a new theme song! I've never paid that much attention to theme songs in anime, but I definitely like "One Dream One Wish" more than "We're the Super Powers". Shame that, as with most anime, the opening sort of spoils, like, half of the things that happens in the arc. * Speaking of great background music... the tempo of that opening instrumental that Komurasaki plays on shamisen is pretty catchy, especially with that octopus going iyooo~ in the background. It also makes for very fun background music for Zoro's rampage at the end of the episode. * Anime Wano is so freaking colourful. The rooftops, the kimonos, the hair... I think I remembered reading that Oda made it a point to subvert the fact that everyone in feudal Japan had black hair by explicitly doing the opposite -- black hair is the exception rather than the norm in Wano. Fun! * The frog on Usopp's hat is a real frog! I always thought it was just a hat! It's adorable! The wiki tells me it's called Gama Pyonnosuke. It's an adorable friend! Forget Carrot or Kin'emon or Yamato, Gama Pyonnosuke for next Straw Hat! * The biggest expansion here is that we actually follow Zoro around as he wanders around the city until he gets arrested by the corrupt magistrate. And Zoro actually bumps into the man-slayer and corrupt magistrate, actually explaining why he recognizes the specific scent of blood during the whole seppuku court. * And then we get around a minute of Zoro fighting the magistrate guards with the seppuku knife and good ol' fisticuffs, something that I didn't think I needed, but is certainly very fun to watch! * This new animation studio loves the angled zoom-in into eyes, and I highly approve. I think we had that like at least three times when Zoro decides to get dangerous.

* I never quite realized that if Luffy hadn't been interrupted by the octopus and washed up next to the Thousand Sunny, the poor ship would be literally left to its own devices. You'd think after losing Merry, the Straw Hats would be more careful with their ships... * Zoro gets to slash the magistrates up even more! It's a single Tatsu Maki, but god damn what a pretty Tatsu Maki. The shot of his feet kicking and breaking the wooden floor, the black aura around his blades, the way that the dragon aura appears behind him, the demonic red eyes as Zoro slams down from the sky, and the shots of the surrounding terrain being cut up into cubes... pretty awesome! * Luffy dodging the bullet from the random Beast Pirate goon with Observation Haki and the gomu-gomu-long-range-bitchslap has always been cool in the manga, and this episode makes it even cooler. Those glowing eyes! This is going to be the whole commentary, isn't it? Just me commenting on the scenes I find to be really cool? * Luffy's Conqueror Haki against the giant baboon is another very cool one. From the expression to the delivery of the line to the sound effect... Luffy's expression is actually pretty cool and borderline scary as he beats up the second goon. No wonder Tama went straight into "This is the I surrender pose!" * Also added in the anime is a vignette of Franky, Robin and Usopp seeing the news of Zorojuro becoming a wanted criminal. Again, not entirely necessary to know the story, but actually scenes that I don't mind being shown to us. Particularly that scene of Usopp utterly bullshitting an officer. * Luffy pets Komachiyo with his rubber arms. Komachiyo is a good boy. This is the most important scene.

* Did the manga show Luffy hiding the Sunny and letting it anchor in a cave? I don't remember it. I know that before the flashback and the raid we see the Sunny there, but it's nice to actually show Luffy not being so callous with the Sunny. * They got a pretty good voice actress for Tama that really makes her pretty adorable! So many times these kid guest star characters end up being annoying if they don't get a good voice, but between the voice-acting and the expressions, she's pretty fun! * Also, I think this is going to be something I repeat a couple of times, but both Tama and Tenguyama are so much more visually interesting with their full colour palettes. * Oh, right, Drake was the one that ransacked Tama's village. Wonder if that'll actually come up later on in the story... * Okay, thanks to the anime, it's really going to drill to me that it's pronounced 'Diez Drake' and not 'Eks Drake'. * I'm pretty sure everyone noticed it, but Ace learned to weave hats in Wano! That's how he became buddies with Oars Junior! I didn't notice it until just now!

* (Episode is the Cidre Guild filler arc that ties in to Stampede.) * What is Tenguyama waiting for? It's probably Oden or his retainers, but I don't think he's part of the samurai that was recruited by Kin'emon's group. Maybe he just missed the big recruitment drive, but that's weird. I wonder what role he's going to play in the arc... * There is a random metal guitar riff when Luffy sees the Nidai Kitetsu. And a glow of Observation Haki on Luffy's eyes. That's a small detail, but very cool! He also uses Observation when Hawkins arrives later on. I love the little trail of glowing red that streams out of his pupils when he activates it. * Tenguyama's sword has a very cool leaf-based handguard! Never noticed that. * Speaking of cool Observation Haki effects, Zoro's apparently activates when he senses sake. Appropriate! * I know it's me repeating this over and over, and we'll get so many cooler scenes later on, but Zoro casually launching that Phoenix Cannon to blow up the two random raptor-riders when he saves Tsuru? Such a simple scene but still so cool. Also very cool is the very brief slo-mo as Zoro re-angles the pathway of his slice when cutting down the second random goon. * Unlike most of the other things, I've always noticed that Basil Hawkins has a very cool Koma-deer mount. It looks even cooler in motion!

* This is perhaps one of the more extended scenes, since it features... fight scenes! In the manga, I think this lasted... maybe half a chapter? Less? A couple of page spreads? It's not just the Hawkins fight, either, Luffy's 'swordfighting' with Nidai Kitetsu also gets extended. Luffy's a bit more successful in using the sword to block and parry here. * Luffy's voice actor really makes the 'de gozaru' sound really funny. * I 100% missed Tsuru the first time I read through this chapter since we only see part of her in a single panel before her full-body debut after the Hawkins fight, and it's a lot less likely that you'll make that mistake in the anime. * Some 'elite' goons show up here, including a guy that uses his ponytail as a whip against Zoro, and a dude that makes fissures with a hammer that fights Luffy. Probably feels a bit more filler-y compared to the rest of the action scenes, but that's honestly nitpicking. * Zoro launching a Phoenix Cannon that slashes Hawkins's face is very cool. * Hawkins' little straw dolls gets an extended scene of it crawling out of his arm. It's so creepy, I love it. * Hawkins' giant straw demon StandBankaigets an very cool summoning animation and it's so creepy. The skies darkens and everything. Most importantly, it makes noises! Again, I love it.

* Luffy and Zoro vs. Hawkins! It's extended beyond just the simple 'dodge, then one-shot-slash' that it was in the manga. I really like Hawkins and his creepy-ass Straw Stand, so I am a huge fan of this. We get a couple of nice juxtaposition shots of Hawkins and the straw monster. Also Zoro goes shirtless in the fight. That's an important detail! * I really, really love how Zoro is having a gritted-teeth expression as he fights the giant straw demon; the straw demon is going gakakakakakakaka like a lunatic... then we cut to Hawkins who has a deadpan, bored expression as he swings his sword in the distance. * The animators really like to let the straw monster use the nails entwined to the tips of its fingers. That's fun! Zoro backhand-blocking the nails from hitting Luffy and Tama? That's cool! * Zoro does Ichi-Gorilla-Ni-Gorilla at one point, and totally slices and 'kills' Hawkins a bunch of times. * Also, speaking of pretty, glowing-eyes motion shots, Zoro using Nigiri: Toro Samon? Yeah. The cut itself is cool, but the zoom-in on Zoro's eyes as he does so? I'm sorry, I have a weakness for that kind of shot, it appears. * To extend the fight so that it's not just a single exchange of blows, Komachiyo gets knocked to the ground so that Zoro and the straw demon can actually fight for a bit. * Also shots I have a weakness to? DBZ-style 'aftermath of a powerful move'. This one isn't too over-the-top, but the slash extending into the sky and the shockwave rippling out from where Zoro slices the strawman thing is cool. * We actually see the scene of Okiku being harassed by Urashima in chronological order, and Urashima scares off a customer. Also, the implied scene of Zoro scaring off Urashima is actually shown here.

* This episode kind of extends the scenes in Tsuru's shop a bit more. Not the most exciting thing, but it does really help to build up Tama, Tsuru and Kiku. * ...wait, Tsuru's shop just displays the Kozuki crest very, very evidently on its door awning. If simply speaking the Kozuki name alone is a punishable crime, how did they get away with that? * Zoro trying to get Luffy to adopt a Wano-ized name is extra-funny in the anime! * Speaking of extended fight scenes, Batman gets to shoot alotmore arrows at Luffy and Zoro. It's kind of over-the-top on Batman's part, if we're being honest, even if Zoro and Luffy very easily dispatches of them.

* The anime does give Batman the ability to control his arrows via sonic waves or something, but he lasted for a much, much longer time than he really should have. * Batman fucking blocks Luffy's Busoshoku-empowered punch! He most definitely doesn't do it in the manga, and sure, knocking Luffy down with sonic waves? I buy that. Blocking Luffy and causing a small explosion in the air? ...I'm pretty sure just some random Gifter isn't supposed to be able to do that. Unless they're thinking of the other Batman? * They make the initial shot of Holdem answering the phone with the lion face pretty intimidating! * Holdem's lion beating their shared balls is still one of the weirdest jokes in the manga. * Some really nice face shots in this one, from Tama to Holdem to the lion to Luffy's group.

* A pretty obvious extended filler is Urashima bullying other sumo wrestlers. Urashima is kind of a dipshit, so it's not a particularly enjoyable filler for me. * Zoro gets to sumo-wrestle with one of Urashima's goons! This one, on the other hand, is pretty fun. We also get a little added bit where Zoro smirks after remembering Kiku's earlier insistence that she's a samurai, so it's less of a 'he doesn't give a shit' and more 'he wants to see what Kiku's skill is' or something.

* Luffy vs. Urashima is prolonged a bit in here, obviously. Not as entertaining as fighting Hawkins or even Batman, but okay, sure. Lots of grunting and growling in this one. Urashima cheats a bit more, Luffy has to use Armament Haki at one point... really don't think Urashima's someone that you should bother using hardening on, Luffy. * The kabuki-style delivery of "I'm going to be the king of pirates" is very well done. * Poor Tama! Holdem's a jackass. * We actually get to see Urashima crashing into Holdem's house, in yet another obvious 'hey, anime team, this is something for you to animate' scene from the manga. * Law gets an extended scene with seeing the sick Bepo, including a Room/Scan showcase and Bepo looking cute and Law being unable to keep being angry at him.

* The fight against the pirates and samurai in Bakura Town gets extended a fair bit in this episode. Luffy throws Nidai Kitetsu's scabbard around again, repeating the thing he did before. * This episode noticeably has a bunch of brief flashbacks to previous episodes. Anime episodes do this all the time to easily eat up like, ten or fifteen seconds of runtime. But I felt this one was particularly noticeable since it's to the previous episode which we already had a recap segment of before the episode begun. * Ball-de-boo!

* We get an adorable crayon drawing memory when Luffy remembers Zunisha one-shotting Jack's fleet. * Luffy and Zoro's synchronized neck-crick is pretty fun. Also fun is their super-speed when they simultaneously rescue Tama and steal the food barge. The question is, where is this super-speed when they were bamboozled by Batman and Gazelleman? * Unlike the anime, Holdem is able to turn his sword into a flaming segmented sword. It's like Zabimaru from Bleach, but on fire! * We get an extra scene of a random goon holding Kiku hostage and Zoro locking eyes with her and saying "I'm not going to help you", knowing full well she's pretending to be a damsel in distress. * Speed also gets to do something here! She gets to shoot Armament Haki'd arrows at Zoro and Kiku! In the manga she doesn't do anything while this is happening. * REDDO HAAAAAWK! * God damn that's a very satisfying Red Hawk. Such a pretty-looking one! This was the scene that a friend showed me that got me excited to sit down and watch the Wano arc in anime format. From Holdem shooting a lion's fire (how does that work?) and engulfing Luffy, to Tama's yelling, to the zoom-in to Luffy's angry eyes, to the orb of flame dissipating, the zoom-in to Luffy's angry face, the impact, the music... it's just Luffy beating up Holdem, who means jack-all in the grand scheme of things, but what a badass Red Hawk.

And I think that's a neat place to stop off, with the initial Hawkins-Urashima-Holdem opening prologue to Wano done with. I'm not sure how often I'll update this little watch-along series, but I certainly am enjoying myself!

[makomori]

ONE | NEW TERRITORY (Brand New Story)

USHIJIMA WAKATOSHI x OC

Nishimura Yua has to take her nephew to his first rep practice with the Tohoku Tigers at Shiratorizawa Academy. Ushijima Wakatoshi is filling in for the assistant coach on said team.

She’s recovering from a nasty breakup and he’s reeling from a stunning finals loss against the Jackals.

Yua’s drawn to his composure and honesty.

Wakatoshi finds her warmth and tenacity intriguing.

It’s the start of a Brand New Story; can they heal from past hurts and endure new challenges in order to help each other trust and love again?

Length: 2.4k words

It's been nearly a month since the Schweiden Adlers lost to the MSBY Black Jackals in the V.League finals. Wakatoshi is reflecting on his performance when he receives an interesting proposal from his old coach.

Much love to @chuckhansen​ for encouraging my chicken little ass to post this. After 24601 years, I finally finished a chapter! And it’s about your favourite opposite lefty, Ushijima Wakatoshi! I absolutely ADORE him, and I’ve been running with this idea since March. The title is from Exile Generation’s song, “Brand New Story”. I highly recommend checking it out b/c it’s an amazing BOP. 

This is eventually going to be a multi-chapter, Ushiwaka x OC fic b/c our Super Ace deserves all the love in the world! This is definitely a rough draft, and I welcome constructive feedback or any reactions! I’m catching up with the manga, so I’ll be making changes along the way. I hope you enjoy reading b/c I had so much fun writing it. 🥰🥺

Wakatoshi’s morning jog was hard. Physically, he could have easily run for another ten kilometers, but his mind kept pulling him back to the safety and warmth of his unmade bed. Annoyed that a steady and peaceful rhythm was out of his reach, he grudgingly circled back to his complex. But by the time he made it up the steps to his apartment, he was breathing hard.

Looks like he needed more rest after all.

Before going in, Wakatoshi took note of the nearly empty bowls of kibble and water beside his front door. He needed to refill them soon. There were several stray cats in the neighbourhood, and he always tried to feed as many as he could while he was home. They gravitated to him when he first moved in, which he thought odd because he didn’t have any experience with cats, or any animals, as a child. He enjoyed their company, though, as they were independent and showed affection once a bond was formed. He wasn’t the easiest person to interact with, so he appreciated the simplicity of his relationship with them.

Sighing, he unzipped his sweater and tossed it absently on the dark green counter top. The apartment was bigger than initially wanted, but his mother insisted that he’d regret it if he chose something smaller. She said that it was always good to have extra room in case people came over. He wanted to tell her that he wouldn’t have much time to entertain considering he would be on the road for games. However, when he realized the extra space would mean that she would always be comfortable during visits, he quickly put an offer in for the apartment.

The troublesome feeling of guilt tugged at him as he thought of his mother. He hadn’t spoken to her in a few weeks. Not since the Adlers loss to the Jackals in the V.League finals. Actually, he needed to touch base with several people in addition to her. Leaning against the counter, he thumbed through his phone until his messages popped up.

20 unread texts stared at him earnestly. The latest one was from Kageyama.

We should practice soon. Let me know when you’re free.

No apologies or words of comfort. He appreciated that. It seemed that Kageyama had already cut his losses and was getting ready for next season. He only knew of a few people that bounced back that quickly; Kageyama’s stubbornness and adaptability was an invaluable asset on the court.

The next message was from Romero.

Hey, Lefty. Drinks on me next time.

Wakatoshi wasn’t a huge drinker, but he enjoyed spending time with Romero. He was supportive and sociable, traits that he hoped would come easier to him one day.

Tendou was next.

Don’t get too down, Toshi-kun! I’ll buy you all the Hayashi rice you want the next time I’m in Sendai.

That made him chuckle. Tendou must be really worried about him if he was willing to take a break from his chocolatier apprenticeship just go out for dinner in their hometown.

The rest of the messages were of a similar nature. Sympathies and offers to hang out when he was available. People were genuinely concerned for him, and he was grateful. He hoped he didn’t worry his them too much with his lack of response.

Normally, he responded to any messages immediately, but he wanted a bit of peace after a long season. A month, however, was pushing it. After downing a glass of orange juice, he decided to respond to them methodically after a short nap and a hot shower. He flopped ungracefully on the couch and stretched his long legs out, calves protesting slightly at the movement.

Wakatoshi closed his eyes and hoped sleep would come, but his thoughts were pulled back to the final set against the Jackals. Everyone knew the match would be a close one. The players on both teams were talented, competitive, and exceedingly stubborn. The Adlers had been the champions for the last three years, but the Jackals were eager to claim that title for themselves. Once the team found out who their opponents were, they prepared to play hard through all five sets.

Because the Jackals would do the same.

Wakatoshi was more than excited for the match, as he always relished the chance to play the best of his contemporaries. He was especially looking forward to paying Hinata back for snatching his last chance to go to the Spring Tournament seven years ago. Wakatoshi couldn’t wait to test the redhead’s newfound skills against his own. They had both evolved into formidable players since their last encounter.

But the Jackals still surprised him, despite having played them twice during the regular season. He had spent hours analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, and overall playing style. The Adlers were deadly in their precision and technical prowess, but the Jackals matched that with their unpredictability and tenacity. Miya’s charisma leant itself well to his unconventional spikers. Bokuto, Sakusa, and Hinata were the personification of baseless confidence and relentless determination. Wakatoshi’s most disliked traits.

The Adlers won the first two sets: 25-22 and 25-23.

The coaching staff was fairly confident that they team would take the final set and the match itself, with his, Houshiumi’s, and Romero’s spikes at textbook perfection. But Wakatoshi knew better. From across the court, he felt the energy shift in the Jackals’ team huddle. He could tell Hinata was rallying his team with some choice words; Bokuto was getting worked up, along with Sakusa. They weren’t going out quietly, and frankly, Wakatoshi would’ve been disappointed if they didn’t put up a fight.

The Jackals took the next two sets: 28-26 and 25-23.

Like most players Wakatoshi didn’t like being pushed to the fifth set, as switching courts halfway could effectively kill any hard-earned momentum. He scored the first few points of the set, connecting with Kageyama’s tosses like he always did. But a feeling a dread crept to the front of his mind once he felt that shift of energy again.

It started with Hinata and quickly spread to the rest of his team. The time he spent with Oikawa in Brazil had changed him. He was faster, smarter, and even more fearless than the first time they played. Wakatoshi had to stop himself from admiring his skill and presence. Miya had a grin on his face every time he set to the redhead. Few setters had the chance to work with a wing spiker like Hinata.

The Jackals disrupted the flow of the game with two hard volleys to the back corners of the court on the second hit. The placement confused the back-line players because the ball’s trajectory was on that razor-thin line of in and out. Indecision cost them two crucial points. Then, Sakusa forced him to dig for a few a tips that were just outside of his reach.

And shockingly, he was forced to tip when he realized that he couldn’t power his way through an impenetrable three-man block. It was sloppy and picked up with ease by the libero. This was new territory for him, and he normally wouldn’t have minded, but the unforgiving pace of the fifth set didn’t allow him enough time to adjust to their tactics.

The Jackals won the final set. 25-23. Hinata’s final kill blasted through a hole through his, Sokolov’s, and Romero’s outstretched arms.

Wakatoshi had never been one to dwell on the past, but he couldn’t help but remember his final loss against Karasuno seven years ago. He looked over at Hinata, who was currently dog-piled under his teammates and coaching staff. Their celebration was drowned out by the roaring and unruly crowd, shocked at the defeat of the defending champions.

The little redhead managed to best him again.

No. He was the Little Giant now.

Wakatoshi was still recovering from the outcome when Romero gently nudged his shoulder and said it was time to line up. The man’s darkly stubbled face was sweaty and flushed, probably not unlike his own. But he gave him a solid thump on his back and complimented his spikes before walking past, and it was all Wakatoshi could do to hold his head up high and line up with the rest of the team.

That was a month ago, he thought angrily, resting his forearm over his eyes. The pressure was somewhat comforting. Move on. He hated that he was still dwelling on this loss. That wasn’t like him. He felt out of place for the last month, unsure of how to process his feelings. He hated that even more. Why? He was already a champion, so why was this loss different? Was it because he failed in his duty as the Adlers’ Ace?

Or was it because Hinata beat him again?

His last coherent thought before he finally drifted off to sleep was a fierce promise that he would continue to push forward and improve.

No matter what stood in his way.

~

Riiiiing. Riiiiing. Riiiiing. Riiiiiii—

Wakatoshi turned over, causing the phone on his chest to fall face down onto the floor. The loud thud brought him back to reality. He rubbed his eyes gently with the heel of his hand. How long had he slept? And who was calling him? He briefly considered ignoring the call, but then remembered his decision to reach out to people again. Might as well start now. But by the time he reached his phone, the ringing had stopped. His brow furrowed when he saw the name pop up for the missed call.

SAITOU-SENSEI.

Curious, Wakatoshi sat up and pressed the call button.

“Hello?”

“Saitou-sensei, it’s Wakatoshi-kun. I’m sorry I missed your call.” He smiled when the warm, familiar voice echoed in his ear.

“Oh, not to worry! I’m sure you wanted some peace and quiet after a busy season.”

“Yes,” he stated, leaning back on the plush cushions. “It’s good to be home.”

The excitement in his coach’s voice was instant. “Ah, I was hoping you’d say that! I know it’s last minute, but would you be interested in helping me coach a middle school rep team on Saturday?”

“Coach?” He echoed. Saturday was two days away.

“Just for this Saturday,” his sensei clarified. “My assistant is sick and having an extra pair of hands at practice is never a bad thing.”

Wakatoshi nodded in agreement. Having two coaches was always a benefit to the players. He learned as much from Saitou-sensei as he did Washijiou-sensei during his time at Shiratorizawa. “Where are you holding practice?”

He could hear the smile in sensei’s voice. “Home court. Shiratorizawa Academy. It’s from 1 to 4 in the afternoon.”

Wakatoshi’s eyes widened. He was going to already going to say yes because it was Saitou-sensei asking, but that solidified his decision. “If it’s acceptable, I’d like to be there at 11 to warm up. I haven’t played in a month.” He paused and tried to think of another way to help. “I can set the net up as well.”

“That would be great because I don’t have a manager yet.” Sensei sounded relieved. “I was planning on coming early and doing it myself, but I’m in Tokyo until Saturday morning.”

Wakatoshi shook his head. It wouldn’t take long for sensei’s young team to realize how lucky they were to have him as a coach. He was always willing to do everything to ensure everyone would have a good experience. “Please leave it to me.”

“You’re still reliable as ever, Wakatoshi-kun. I’ll take you out for dinner as a thank you.”

Wakatoshi’s ears grew hot. He never expected anything in return for helping. “T-that’s not necessary, sensei,” he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. “This is the least I can do for the years you spent coaching me.”

“Ah, now you’re embarrassing me!” Sensei’s laugh was infectious. “It was a joy to help you grow into the player you are now. You played a hell of a game last month.”

Wakatoshi’s fingers tightened over his phone. Did he really play his absolute best? If he did, it still wasn’t enough to win against Hinata and—

“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

Sensei’s steady voice effectively cut through Wakatoshi’s negative thoughts and insecurities. “I know you hate losing.” The smile returned to his tone. “But when you do, there’s no shame in losing to the best of them. It just happened to be the Jackals that day.”

Wakatoshi swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He didn’t realize how much he needed to be reassured that losing didn’t mean he was inadequate or lacking. He was just used to shouldering the burdens and pressure that came with being a top player. Not to mention the high expectations he set for himself. But that left no room for failure, and it was exhausting.

“Besides, you love playing more than you hate losing, right?” His sensei sounded hopeful, imploring. “I’m sure you’ll feel better once you get back on the court.”

Wakatoshi’s eyes widened. His love for volleyball was lost in the wake of self-pity. Suddenly, Saturday couldn’t come fast enough. He missed practicing until his arms and hands were red. He missed the satisfaction of hearing the ball land in the opponent’s court after a spike or a tip. And he missed growing and learning with his teammates.

“I-I’m looking forward to it,” Wakatoshi said softly. “Thank you, Saitou-sensei.” He still wasn’t the best at expressing his feelings, but he knew that sensei understood him enough to understand that he was grateful for the words of encouragement.

“Hey, now! You’re a coach now too, Ushijima-sensei. Get used to it. You’ll be hearing it a lot from the players on Saturday.”

Wakatoshi frowned. He was only filling in and didn’t deserve that distinction. “But it’s only for the day—”

His sensei laughed again. “Well, that still counts! I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“Goodbye, sensei.”

Wakatoshi placed his phone on the coffee table. The heaviness he felt in his chest throughout the last month was gone. Instead, he felt restless. Just like all the other times he took on a new challenge. It had been a long time since he trained anyone. Perhaps he could show these young players that falling short of a goal wasn’t the end of the world. And having a solid support system was essential to growing as an individual and as a player. After embracing his newfound insights, a smile threatened split his face in two.

He was definitely getting into it.

#mywriting #ushijima wakatoshi #wakatoshi ushijima #ushiwaka #ushijima x oc #ushiwaka x oc #hqfic #hqfics #ushijima fics #ushiwaka fics #userairika #ALSO I CAN'T BELIEVE HQ IS OVER #I'M WRITING THIS FIC TO COPE HAHAHA #wakatoshi x oc #chuckhansen

[aoiaoimm]

Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru: character- couple analysis: who wore the galaxies, who lightened up the stars?

• Written by me.

• Personal thoughts.

• Ao3 link here

"What I am saying then is just because you don’t know how you manage to be conscious, how you manage to grow and shape your body, doesn’t mean that you’re not doing it. Equally, if you don’t know how the universe shines the stars, constellates the constellations, or galactifies the galaxies – you don’t know but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t doing it just the same way as you are breathing without knowing how you breathe."

----Alan Watts from the book The Essence of Alan Watts Vol. 4: Death (1975)

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

On Facebook, there is a topic that came up like this: Can you guys try to list out how many rival pairs are there in Haikyuu?

Someone suggested Hinata and Kageyama. Others said it’s obviously like the relationship between Nekoma and Karasuno, or the equal of Nishinoya and Yaku's abilities. Speaking of the barrier, there's Aone, there's Tendou, there's Matsukawa. Although a bit skewed, there are people who think that this is Bokuto, Kuroo.

At that time, I thought like this: You know, Iwaizumi and Oikawa are also rivals.

The beginning of their story begins with a few small images: Oikawa with the passion for volleyball from an early age, and Iwaizumi who was drawn to his fanciful hobby even when his full attention had been put into the racquet he used to catch insects and forests. Starting from that prologue, Oikawa Tooru's world only had volleyball, and Iwaizumi Hajime's world only had Oikawa Tooru. Although I was very hesitant in writing all the above, but I don’t think that is wrong. If everyone has carefully watched the anime and even read the manga, people will see almost any frame, when Furudate-sensei describes Oikawa's growth, Iwaizumi is always there for him. Supporting him, looking at him, staying behind him. Never once did Iwaizumi exploit anything other than volleyball and Oikawa, perhaps the world for Iwaizumi is just Oikawa, to go to school in the morning, to study, play volleyball together. Perhaps not just a friend, Iwaizumi to Oikawa is a quiet walk after a late workout, a light from a window in a dark night, a clenched fist that adds more warmth. Surely, even when Iwaizumi was just a child, his thoughts were like this: He is simple-minded, he is very stubborn, a crybaby, and he doesn’t know how to take care of himself. I have to look after him, I have to be here. I should be the support he needs, I should take care of him.

Because Iwaizumi Hajime has always been like this: hot-tempered but easy-going, grumpy but firm with his own gentle tenderness. He doesn't ask for anything, because maybe for Iwaizumi, just as long as Oikawa is okay, he is fine either. Oikawa is his best friend, the person he cares about the most, rather than the fact that he didn't start with a love for volleyball like Oikawa, more than an insect cage and racket. Iwa-chan, Iwa-chan, look, this serve is great, let's play volleyball. It’s okay, Oikawa. I choose you.

And then what?

Oikawa collapses in front of him, doesn’t even have even a bit of joy for playing volleyball. This is not just a painful pain for Oikawa, but it is snatching what Iwaizumi wants most- which he has always tried hard to collect and preserve- and shatter to pieces. Iwaizumi was there when Oikawa started his passion for volleyball and watched the way it sprouted around him, unable to stop Oikawa from his own guilt. Iwaizumi was there when they entered the middle school together, became captain and ace, and lost at the hands of Shiratorizawa. Yet it's still not that he can save Oikawa from that painful black hole in the end, until Oikawa explodes in front of him, until Iwaizumi almost couldn’t stop from gung further, before he can do anything with the younger setter that year.

On many forums, websites, media types, in fact, there are many people who have different opinions: think about it, Iwaizumi can choose a softer and less violent way to wake Oikawa up isn't it? Why does he always have to be so violent like that? Are they really friends? They're teammates, aren't they?

The answer is: only because they’re teammates, that they can treat each other as so.

Because they’re friends, Iwaizumi can bring all the anger in him down on Oikawa with a hit on the head. Listen carefully, the sounds from the invisible story page, the sounds that literary minds bring you. The frown on Iwaizumi's face, the way his fists tighten around Oikawa's collar before he gives him a bump on the forehead, they're saying it too.

If they were a normal friends, would it be possible to one of them to immediately hit the other person? If they were only normal friends, would you not hesitate, not be afraid of anything, not feel upset and do something like that?

I'm not promoting violence, I'm trying to understand the emotions that are cornered into muscular movement, in a person who has always been familiar with the watching position, with the role of a supporter.

The blow that Iwaizumi gave to Oikawa, is exactly the same as the punch Oikawa was almost swung towards Kageyama without thinking. If Iwaizumi wasn’t there, what would happen after? But of course, we have no chance to discuss that subject, because Iwaizumi was there, sliding right where he needed to be as if the universe was always, always watching them. Certainly a part of him wanted to scream: look! Feel it! This is what you intend to do with Kageyama! Think it through, what are you thinking? You are a fool! You really have no cure!

But he didn’t. Instead, he said:

“Among us, no one has the ability to win against Ushiwaka in a one-on-one match. But damn, volleyball has six people on the court and that must have a reason! Even if the person on the other side of the net is a first-year genius or Ushiwaka, six who are stronger are stronger!”

Maybe that's what Oikawa wants to hear the most. Perhaps Oikawa doesn't want to hear people call him the best setter, doesn't want to hear people praise him anymore. Perhaps what Oikawa wants is someone to come over and tell him that no one can win against Ushijima alone, that he has already tried his best, that he doesn't need to worry anymore, just rest. Now it's everyone's turn. The people on the same side of the net are all his allies, Oikawa had Kitagawa Daiichi by then, just that he didn't realize they were what he needed until Iwaizumi told him that. He had been rolling around in those hellish years, hurting himself, pressing himself on the involuntary burden like Atlas with the eternal punishment of carrying the earth on his shoulders. Oikawa has never wondered then, what about the other thing?

The joy he craved when playing volleyball.

"Suddenly, I feel invincible."

Feeling that there's nothing that could win over him right then, it's because Oikawa Tooru suddenly realized he was with such a person.

Instead of advising Oikawa Tooru to remove the burden of this planet from his shoulders, Iwaizumi Hajime suggested them to do it together until they couldn't anymore, until the world crumbled on their shoulders.

Instead of smooth and sad goodbye words, Iwaizumi Hajime said that you are the partner I can boast, an excellent setter. No matter which team you join, that fact will never change.

You know, Iwaizumi Hajime is a guy with a lot of "didn't", with a lot of "instead", only for Oikawa Tooru.

Oikawa Tooru is a proud and arrogant jerk, enjoying jokes and compliments about himself. Think, when you are being called "excellent setter", what kind of face would you have? In each match, when you look at the opponent, what kind of face would you have? A smirk, probably. Brown eyes quickly become sharp but a little arrogant, it's also right to say that Oikawa Tooru is a complacent, but it is not wrong to think that he knows his ability, aware of what he is, what he should do to keep it up, how he is better than others, how people look up on him.

However, after watching the anime, I felt like the kind of looks Oikawa gave Iwaizumi when he finished their challenge, was something stranger. I mean, Oikawa has been praised a thousand times before, right? Surely he must not be too surprised anymore? Yet he is. The pupils opened their eyes wide with every single of Iwaizumi's words, he probably couldn't believe this was the person three years ago who slammed his forehead into Oikawa’s face. When Iwaizumi ends his impromptu speech and Oikawa turns around to face Iwaizumi, there is a kind of emotion in his eyes that is usually not there when Oikawa receives a compliment. It is called warmth. It is called pride. It is called a tender emotion, the noble respect between two friends that not everyone can have, when both find themselves stopping by the familiar park, under the moonlight.

"..... But when we confront each other, I will definitely defeat you"

“I have no intention of losing either."

For everyone, this is simply Iwaizumi's fight with Oikawa, or a hint about what will happen in the future, for example, that they will meet again even if they choose two different schools. For me, this is Iwaizumi's last respect for Oikawa when their high school volleyball career is over, as the two prepare to turn to a new chapter of their lives without the other person.

Do you know? Considering someone as a peer competitor is a kind of gentle respect.

Talking about personal issues again, for a while I was very determined to complete the literature test my school took in order to be able to be in the excellent students team. There was this girl in the same class as me who attended the test with me, and when it came to the exam day, she jokingly asked me that because we are in the same class, that can I go easy on her. I also just smiled back then, but actually in my head, I kept thinking. I didn't tell her, but I wanted to say no, I won't need to hold back on you. I will do my best if we compete with each other, because I respect you, because I know you are amazing and powerful enough to me to do that.

So, I think Iwaizumi means the same thing. The fact that he seriously considers Oikawa to be his opponent is kinda odd, because we've always been used to look at him as someone who silently looks after Oikawa, walking behind him, taking care of him. As Ushijima said, almost everyone tried to assert that without Oikawa, Aoba Johsai would be just a mediocre team. But no, after all, Iwaizumi was there, facing Oikawa, on equal position with Oikawa, forcing Oikawa to seriously accept himself as an opponent. Everyone knows this, but to me, I still want to say that Iwaizumi Hajime is really, really strong.

He doesn’t want to stay in the back anymore. He didn't want to be overshadowed by Oikawa, he didn't want to be silent, he wanted to stop watching. He wanted to take a step forward. He wants to be a rival to Oikawa.

Yesterday, while rewatching "Seijou after match", I was surprised to realize Oikawa's eyes were so soft, to realize Iwaizumi was always in his own way, steadfast and thorny until the last minute.

Perhaps Iwaizumi's wish at that time was more than just facing Oikawa on the court. It was his own way of expressing- apart from his deep respect- that he wants to see Oikawa again. He wants to be with Oikawa again, with anything related to volleyball. Perhaps all the little things that Iwaizumi Hajime wants is just to once again feel his connection with Oikawa, once again meet him when the two have became adults,

Once again,

Can be able to play volleyball together.

Oikawa Tooru is covered by the whole galaxy, but Iwaizumi Hajime is the one who lights up the stars.

#iwaoi #0104 #aoba johsai #haikyuu #iwaizumi hajime #oikawa tooru #seijou #haikyuu!! #HQ!! #Haikyuu!! character analysis #Haikyuu!! character review #IwaOi character review #IwaOi relationship analysis #amateur af #IwaOi are meant to be thanks for coming to my TedTalk #Aun

[spitzofseidou]

ace of diamond (season 1) review

Hey there! I have recently finished the first season of Ace of Diamond and I’m going to be reviewing on five categories: plot/pacing, characterization/relationships, voice acting, art and OST. Aaaand because of how much I enjoyed it, I’m going to throw in my favorite character, dynamic and OP/ED. At the end I’ll be adding rewatchability/recc score. 

Genre: Shonen / Sports Subgenres: Comedy / Slice of Life / School  Synopsis: Sawamura Eijun is a unique southpaw pitcher from a small town in Nagano with a lot of potential but unpolished skills. After being scouted to play for Seidou High School (a prestigous baseball school in Tokyo) he is encouraged by his friends and family to go and accept the offer and pursue his passion for baseball at a higher level. Confident to the point of arrogant, he declares that he will be the ace pitcher on this new team and be the best -- but has to grapple with the fact he is surrounded now by extremely powerful, talented players who have been honing their skills for years-- some of whom are better than him, like his rival Furuya Satoru, a pitcher with a wicked fastball. Together, this team aims to be the best in Japan and aim for the Summer Koshien, tackling formidable teams who stand in their way--as well as work on their own goals, dreams, fears and insecurities. 

Plot & pacing: The pacing of this show is very well done. In a 75 episode first season, it is rather long, with many of the baseball games drawn out. But its well worth it, as the writing brings a lot of emotional gratification by “feeling what they feel.” Starting with Sawamura being scouted, going through intense spring training and the selection of the summer starting roster, throughout the highs and lows of the summer season and into the post-summer scrimmages and finally rounding out the season with the third-year retirement game before the fall tournament raffle, every bit is given important narrative attention. 

The reveal of information through the eyes of the protagonist; not knowing about Chris Yuu Takagawa’s injury until Sawamura knows it, not knowing how much the current third years sucked as players until the right moment through flashbacks during the tipping point of the finals game, for example -- is such an important choice that we as an audience feel what he feels. The summer games feel very high stakes, the emotional impact is well-earned; every victory feels like it was earned and not given through plot armor or well ~obviously Seidou is the protagonist team, they have to win.~ Seidou as a team was written as strong but not invincible. SPOILER: This is emphasized at the finals game against Inashiro. Despite losing, while emotionally devastating, it feels like it was a logical writing choice and will be important growth for not just Sawamura but the team as a whole. 

The yips arc that follows the loss wraps up in a very wholesome retirement game, with Sawamura not fully recovering, but beginning to do truly do so, and the hopeful note of beginning the fall tournament, leaving the audience ready and excited for more. 

As a side note, Ace of Diamond very beautifully balances comedy to drama, so it takes itself seriously but is also genuinely comedic. I have two running jokes of “fellas, is it gay to x” and “screenshot of out context being x” as well as actually laughing over some of the planned jokes. But it is truly an emotional carthartic journey.

[Did I cry? yes. so much.]

characterization & relationships: All of the characters feel very well-rounded with diverse ethnic and social backgrounds and personality traits. Some may be static but many of them experience growth to become better people and players. Sawamura is a good “bouncing board” of a character, as someone who goes from arrogant to experiencing several setbacks and a devastating loss that makes him examine his own biases, weaknesses and flaws that also reveals to his opponents their own shortcomings. Several other characters are better players than him, and that’s okay. On the flipside, one of the canon examinations as well as audience reaction is that Coach Kataoka has a team who is a family, a well-oiled machine who works amazingly together because they trust and care for one another, that he encourages growth and inspires them to be the best not just as baseball players, but as individuals as well. The opposing teams are also not just blank slates to fight against, but thoughtful people with their own desires, backgrounds and flaws--Mei Narumiya is cocky and unable to handle criticism once put on a pedestal, Sanada Shunpei has low stamina, etc etc. 

Something that’s extremely important to reemphasize is the relationship the Seidou team has to one another in that everyone affects everyone else. Sawamura chooses to go to Seidou specifically because Miyuki Kazuya, a first year at the time, encouraged him to pitch, so he had one upperclassman who already believed in him by the time he enrolled. Sawamura has both batchmates (first years Furuya Satoru and Haruichi Kominato) that encourage him through rivalry (Furuya) or gentle friendship (Haruichi) and several upperclassmen he admires and multiple times states he adores this team as it is, because he looks up to them for guidance and inspiration-- quiet team captain Tetsuya Yuuki, loud outfielder Isashiki Jun (the namesake of this blog, “the spitz of seidou”), speed demons Ryousuke Kominato and Youichi Kuramochi, and more. 

In particular, he has an exchange of growth with Chris Yuu Takagawa, someone he mistook for being uncaring and hopeless about baseball with a dead-eyed appearance. Chris, after being injured, all but had given up on playing again, but Sawamura’s noisy and blunt personality who kept pushing him encouraged him to return to the field, and have hope again. Chris is a teacher that Sawamura then deeply respects and is there for him when he has the yips, returning the favor to help break him out his funk. The symbolism. *weeps*

Important to note also it that is isn’t just about Sawamura and the effect he has on them, but the relationships they have with each other. The Kominato brothers have their own relationship where Haruichi wants to be like his older brother; Isashiki may act wild and aggressive and cocky, but he is truly humbled by their team captain Tetsu; Miyuki and Chris met years before Seidou and that informs their dynamic and the kind of players they are today. This also extends to other teams; some have similarities like Akikawa Academy revering their pitcher Yang Shunchen and how that parallels with Seidou adoring Tanba even when he was out with an injury, and others juxtaposed with them i.e. how some players at Inashiro seem to resent the spotlight Mei receives or Shirakawa callously telling another player to kill himself. 

I also wanted to note the way Coach Kataoka also sees his team; he is in many ways like a stern but loving father figure who wants the best out of his boys in every way, off and on the field. Other coaches seem to care more about money or fame than their wellbeing (Coach Todoroki or the replacement coach for Seidou), and others have different styles as coaches whether from pro experience or just age. It really emphasizes that it’s not just about the talent a team may or may not have, but how those players are nurtured as people.

(Favorite relationships: Chris & Sawamura, the Kominatos, Miyuki & Chris, .)

[Side note: if you care about shipping, this is a buffet, you’re going to have a great time.]

Voice Acting: The voices of this cast are spot on. Everyone’s voice seems to match their face and personalities and all of the voice actors give 110% to the character. The voices really make it for me, as I’m very particular about the sounds. It feels very realistic and the voices really make them seem like actual people and gives the audience a reason to invest. I’ve got nothing but praise for the voice actors and voice direction of this cast. Art: I could go on and on about the art. The motion is very fluid, the backgrounds are amazing. The character designs are stunning and everyone feels unique and given thought. Style-wise it was very refreshing to see as a lot of modern anime I’ve been watching seems to have the stereotypical “2000s” feel, whereas Ace of Diamond feels like a gorgeous late nineties/early 2000s homage--fitting since, despite airing in 2013-2015, the manga originated in 2006 and it followed the art of the manga nicely. The color palettes are very beautiful and vibrant. I remarked more than once while watching it that it was clear that the artists cared for studying human anatomy, movement and realism (in comparison to how some battle shonen care more for looking cool.) The art is what drew me in to begin with and it never disappointed.  OST: I loved the OST so much. Frying-Pan did such an amazing job delivering gorgeous pieces of music. The beauty of it was just off the charts and went above and beyond to make fitting pieces for character themes, scenario specific pieces etc. Also the OPs by Tom H@ck and Glay were appropriately themed and got me pumped every time. I love the various endings also and their little character revealing bits. I like them all so much I never skipped them while watching.

[Favorite OP: Perfect Hero. Favorite ED: Cloud Nine. I listen to Cloud Nine literally every day.] Can I rewatch? Absolutely! Even knowing what’s going to happen, the emotional journey is worth it.  Would I recommend? 10/10. Even if you don’t like sports, this is a great one. It was my first sports anime and it has set the bar so very high. 

#spitz watches #spitz reviews

[snkpolls]

SnK S3E09 Poll Results (Anime Only Version)

The poll closed with 145 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note this is the anime only viewer version of the poll. Manga readers, please click here for the results of the manga reader poll!

RATE THE EPISODE 132 Responses

Another episode with mostly positive reviews. Only a few were unimpressed with the episode.

HOW ABOUT THAT BARRICADES ORCHESTRAL REARRANGE? 124 Responses

The majority of voters continue to agree Sawano continues to kill it with the soundtrack.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WERE YOUR FAVORITE OVERALL SCENES? 128 Responses

Rod’s titan face reveal was the overall favorite moment of the episode, followed up by Levi finding Kenny. Rod’s demise created a tie between the Survey Corps defeating him and Historia giving him the final blow. 

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WERE YOUR FAVORITE MC CHARACTER INTERACTIONS? 126 Responses

Levi telling Kenny he’s going to die was the favorite character interaction for anime only watchers. Followed closely behind that was Eren showing Armin that he is gaining his confidence back, and finally Eren realizing horrifyingly that he insulted Levi while calling Rod a tiny, old man was another favorite. 

HOW COOL WAS IT TO SEE THE POV OF A MINDLESS TITAN? 129 Responses

The majority of people definitely appreciated getting this new perspective.  We agree this was a really nice touch!

YOUR REACTION TO ROD’S TITAN’S FACE REVEAL? 129 Responses

45% of respondents thought Rod’s titan was awesome, but 47% thought it was disgusting or horrifying - we think it’s safe to say some combination of all three.

Horrifying for sure, but in an awesome way!

It was simultaneously horrifying and impressive.

Sexy!

Ugliest Titan ever to grace the fandom.

WHO DREW IT BETTER - ISAYAMA OR WIT? 128 Responses

The majority of people thought WIT’s simplified version of Erwin’s sketch was drawn better.

WHOSE GRAVE DO YOU THINK EREN WAS VISITING? 129 Responses

61% of respondents thought Eren was visiting Hannes’ grave, but there were also a few interesting thoughts below.

An old friend in the survey corps?

His Mother’s

His fathers

Marco

HOW MUCH DO YOU RELATE TO EREN PUNCHING HIMSELF? 128 Responses

This question is much more evenly split than it was with manga readers, with nearly ⅓ of voters relating to each category. 

HOW DID YOU LIKE THOSE THROWBACK FLASHBACKS FROM SEASON 1?

127 Responses

A majority of respondents enjoyed the throwback or thought it was surreal to see Season 1 animation alongside Season 3.  

I think the quality of the first and second season was great. Frankly, Season 3 has been a bit disappointing in comparison, because its scenes (for the most part) have been very simple without a lot of movement or detail (despite being animated and not a still image). I think S03 is the least visually-striking season so far, with minor exceptions.

It made me reflect on the overall quality of this season. While I don't think is a bad season, it's definitely a downgrade compared to the first 2 seasons. On the first 3 episodes, the show got me excited as the first 2 seasons, but after that its just not that much exciting anymore. I really hope it improves on the next arc, since everyone are saying next arc is the best arc

WOULD YOU ACCEPT HISTORIA AS YOUR RULER? 127 Responses

The overwhelming majority of respondents would accept Historia as their queen.

ROD IS A TINY OLD MAN. IS LEVI A TINY OLD MAN TOO? 129 Responses

43% of voters agree that Levi is not old. 42% are ready to pay their respects to Eren for even considering such a thing, even if accidentally.

Eren insulting Levi will be remembered for eternity.

WHY DO YOU THINK EREN WAS UNABLE TO CONTROL ROD’S TITAN? 127 Responses

Plenty of different theories here but the majority of people thing that Eren is just not able to access his full titan power, just like Rod said.

Eren cannot control titan shifters

I don't think he has a very good grasp of how to do it. Karate chopping the air and shouting "YOO TITAN PLS STOP" is probably not the secret to unleashing that skill.

Noble blood immunity

eren is a noob when it comes to using the  power of the titans

EREN WAS REALLY DOWN ON HIMSELF THIS WEEK, DO YOU THINK HIS BEHAVIOR WILL CHANGE MOVING FORWARD? 127 Responses

84% of voters believe that Eren will step up his teamwork game, but are divided on whether he will continue to be his usually bothered self or if he will find his chill more easily. A small 13% believe he will not change after his breakdown.

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE PARALLELS IN THIS EPISODE OF THE SMALL CHILDREN POINTING TO ROD LOOMING OVER THE WALL IN COMPARISON TO EMA DOING SO TO BERTOLT’S TITAN FIVE YEARS AGO? 129 Responses

Looks like everybody loves Isayama and his trios!

A little emotional

Childhood trauma! Yay!

They will be traumatised for life cos Rod was more horrifying.

DO YOU THINK HISTORIA WILL BE A GOOD QUEEN? 128 Responses

Overwhelming support for Historia as queen here, with a smaller portion of people believing she’ll be a ruler in name only.

I think she'll be very difficult to work with. She's strong-minded, but she's not a leader and she doesn't have the knowledge necessary to rule a kingdom. She has some foolish ideas and unrealistic expectations, and I think they are going to cause conflict.

I'm certain that she'll try her best

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT HISTORIA STANDING UP TO AND COUNTERING ERWIN ON HIS ORDERS? 126 Responses

Historia standing up to Erwin has overwhelming support from respondents.  

I expected it; she outranks him now after all.

I still think everyone is stupid for allowing such an important person to participate in battle. I was promised a real explanation for this silliness, and then Erwin was just like "Well I only have one arm so I guess you can do what you want" and I was angry at everyone.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT HISTORIA CARRYING OUT THE FINISHING BLOW? 126 Responses

Mostly everyone thought Historia being the one to finish her father was super positive.

WILL KENNY USE THE SERUM? 127 Responses

85% of total respondents are certain that Kenny will not use the serum.

DISCUSSION QUESTION! HOW DO YOU THINK THE STORY WOULD HAVE CHANGED IF EREN HAD BEEN EATEN IN THE CAVE? 47 Responses

We enjoyed reading your responses and theories to this open discussion question:

Historia enslaves humanity like the biggest femme dom the world has ever seen

Historia would inherit Grisha's and Founding Titan's powers. If she would be able to resist the First King's will then Rod would be able to save humanity from the titans. If she wouldn't be able to resist the First King's will then Rod would lose another family member to the FT and the rest of humanity would get their memories erased.

Historia, with memories of the first king, would’ve probably erased the memories of everyone inside the walls

I doubt they would kill Eren at this point, so if he got eaten they would do something like the first season again (Eren "dies", but he is back because of some random reason), but that would be a horrible choice on the plot.

I think humanity would be screwed bc then Mikasa, best girl, would be too depressed to continue to help fight.

I thinking lots of shit will be avoided and more people would be saved I don't trust eren

Mikasa would've absolutely wreaked havoc, possibly even killing Historia. The Survey Corps would've had to fight Historia (assuming she got taken over by the First King's memories like Frieda and Uri), and maybe try to get her eaten by a mindless titan to regain humanity's 'ace'.

Mind control-->shit machine dismantled-->Ackerman/oriental rebellion

Things would have remained the same as it has always been for the past 100 years. Historia would have been controlled by the will of the first Reiss King. She wouldn't have saved humanity from the Titans and the Reiss family would have altered the memories of humanity and our main squad probably would have been caught and executed.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

The sight of Eren's Titan carrying the bomb was awesomely surreal.

Mixed feelings overall. It was an exciting watch at the time, but in hindsight, it still feels like they're cutting critical details for the sake of time. Rod was too easy to defeat and didn't really amount to anything as a character or a threat, and Erwin's decision to let Historia participate in the battle didn't make any sense. It looked like they opted to give us Eren's POV on that scene instead of giving us Historia's, and I think whatever she said to convince Erwin was pretty obviously cut. This is disappointing because it makes the characters look like fools for taking unnecessary, unjustified, and illogical risks.

According to the poll this was the best episode so far in season 3. I, personally, didn't like it THAT much, but I wager there will be even better episodes in the future. If WIT keeps the streak of really good episodes going on, then Attack on Titan will regain it's popularity in the West.

Best episode so far S3

Felt sorry for Rod in the end.  He was being more honest than I thought.

I wonder if erens titan will be recognised by the civilians in the future. If he will ever be considered a hero or not.

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 110 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We’ll see you again on Tuesday!

#snk poll #snk polls #snk spoilers #snk s3

[deadboysduelbetter]

pandir’s YGO fanfic masterpost

Sadly, I’m all caught up in my final exams and can’t participate in Pridecember or produce much new content, but since I can’t believe how much I wrote this year (all thanks to DSOD and some very inspiring and supportive fellow shippers ♥), I decided it would be fitting to make a YGO fic masterpost! 

So here’s all my YGO fics all in one post and sorted by pairing/characters for (my own) convenience (most of them Prideshipping, but there’s also fics about just Atem and Seto respectively, about Jounouchi and about Noah :>).

Will be updated with new fics~

*

Prideshipping fics:

((Most fics feature ace & aro Kaiba))

Unravel

Rating: Gen

Word Count: 3,953

The words got caught in Seto’s throat. 

Instead of taking Seto’s cards, as he was supposed to do, the Other Yugi had decided to idly brush his fingers over Seto’s hand, causing Seto to freeze mid-motion, his pulse still loud in his ears. 

A fic about holding hands and approaching intimacy. 

Two card game enthusiasts and sworn life-long rivals discover that after playing tag team duels together with their lives on the line and feeling each other's souls in their cards and whatnot, they could maybe also just, like, touch. For once. 

-

Lay Down Your Sword and Shield

Rating: Gen

Word Count: 1,967

When the duel was over, when Atem came towards Kaiba kneeling on the stone tiles before him, shaken and still coming undone at the seams but stubbornly persisting in a place he was not supposed to be, Kaiba did not wait for him to speak. Instead, he grabbed his hand and held onto him, clasping it tightly. 

Two ficlets about the ending of DSOD and the theme of closure for both Seto and Atem.

[less safe for work fics under the cut~]

-

 Restraint and Release

Rating & Warning: M for some good ol’ bondage and latex suits - it’s kinky, but without actual fricklefrackle

Word Count: 4,172

“Are you ready, Kaiba?”, he asked.

Kaiba nodded, once. That was all Atem needed.

Impatiently anticipating Atem’s moves, Kaiba opened his mouth before the ball gag even grazed his lips and readily lifted his head for Atem to fasten it. After allowing him a moment to adjust, Atem gently laid his head back on the bed, his fingers brushing through Kaiba’s hair, before slowly breaking the contact.

“Game start”, Atem said, softly, and as he spoke these words, he felt the slight apprehension fall away from him.

Atem and Kaiba found the perfect way for Kaiba to finally let go - and Atem to catch him.

-

 Between Two Lungs 

Rating & Warning: T for choking and breathplay

Word Count: 2,975

As Atem pulled him down to give him a kiss on the corner of his mouth, he was not sure if it was just Kaiba that he wanted to reassure. When he broke the kiss, Atem guided Kaiba’s hands to his throat and looked up to him, his gaze challenging.  “Because I want you to choke me.” 

Atem has always been drawn to a certain kind of thrill. As he struggles with being alive in his own body for the first time in ages, he has to figure out whether he trusts himself and Kaiba enough to let himself fall.

-

 Reunion

Rating & Warning: M for actual straightforward smut on the throne 

Word Count: 939

Atem welcomed it all, Kaiba's desperate need, his starved vehemence. This was not the moment to hold back. They both had been waiting for what might have been an eternity. 

Kaiba and Atem reunite after the end of DSOD - there’s appreciation for Atem’s thighs and passionate making out on the throne, and two souls finally seeing clearly what they are to each other.

-

 A Different Kind of Game

Rating & Warning: M for light masochism, a bit of bondage, a hint of shadow games, and clothed sexual activities

Word Count: 4,086

“Careful, Kaiba. You have to be honest.”  

The Other Yugi’s voice was so unnervingly close now, Seto almost believed he could feel his breath ghosting over his skin, and his heart skipped a beat in a way that felt akin to but not entirely like panic. 

“This is about the true nature of your heart. If you lie, you lose.” 

Playing friendly competitive games is not enough for Kaiba. He craves something more - humiliation. Or: Kaiba not so secretly wants his one true rival to step on him. 

-

 Confessions

Rating & Warning: T because of allusions to Kaiba being very much into being subjugated 

Word Count: 1,123

Seto noticed that the Other Yugi's fingers tensed around the cards he was holding, but he still met Seto's gaze, apparently determined not to look away. His mouth, however, remained tightly closed.

"Well, Yugi?" Now that his opponent was so obviously struggling to confess, Seto found it easier to push forward, trying to regain his confidence. "You lost, so what is it going to be?" 

Two short follow-up ficlets to "A Different Kind of Game".

Meeting regularly at Kaiba's place to play games might make for a rather unconventional relationship, but Kaiba and Yami have come to an arrangement that allows for them to express their needs and desires.

***

Atem-centric fics:

Relic (slight Atem/Seth flavor)

Rating & Warnings: Gen, some allusions to the process of mummification

Word Count: 997

For the first time in ages, Atem dreamed at night. He did not sleep, however, even though his eyes were closed as he was sitting at Yugi’s desk in the light of the street lamp falling through the slits of the shutter - instead, he remembered. In his mind, he walked through the labyrinth of his memories, its vast branching paths untrodden for millennia, but no longer empty and dark.

For the first time in ages, Atem wandered through the depths of his soul and found familiar faces.

A short fic on Atem and the significance of memories - set between the Memory World arc and the Ceremonial Duel. 

***

Seto-centric fics:

(feat. rather dark themes, tread with care!)

Not His Equal (Seto, Gozaburo)

Rating & Warning: T for underage drinking, child abuse and grooming, unhealthy dependency, misplaced attempts at t looking for affection (there’s a short instance that requires a warning for adopted parent/child incest) 

Word Count: 2,537

It would always be just his father and him. This was the fate they had chosen for themselves. They were the sole corner points of each other’s lonely existence. 

About Seto struggling with loneliness and isolation, and about the influence of Gozaburo over Seto's development. It explores how the effects of neglect and isolation resulted in the inflated importance Gozaburo had for Seto, his world views, his self-image and self-worth.

-

Without Hesitation (Seto, Gozaburo)

Rating & Warning: T for implied murder, guns and child grooming

Word Count: 512

It’s about this feeling of immediate power in his hands that vibrates through his wrist, elbow and shoulder. It’s about how all that it takes to fire a gun is the will to pull the trigger. 

Seto knowing how to handle guns in the manga well enough to convincingly threaten people with them inspired this short fic on Seto, his education under Gozaburo, and Seto's experience with guns. 

-

A Lesson Well Learnt (Seto, Blue Eyes White Dragon - and a hint of Prideshipping)

Rating & Warning: T for blood and violence

Word Count: 1,286

Please, he whispered, voicelessly forming the word with his lips as he stared into the cold blue eyes above him, his vision blurred with tears. All that escaped his throat was a garbled, wet noise.  But the dragon bowed its head, nudging his chin, and Seto presented his larynx, praying and pleading for release. 

The aftermath of Seto’s first Penalty Game, in which Seto experienced death repeatedly for one night - including dying by the claws and teeth of the monster he wants to possess so badly. It’s not the only thing that still haunts him...

***

Jounouchi-centric fic:

Recoil Damage (Jou/Seto & Jou/Yugi)

Rating & Warnings: T for rough make-outs, self-destructive behavior

Word Count: 4,369

As Kaiba leaned forward, he did not even blink, and something about his entirely ungraceful attempt at pressing their lips together kept Jounouchi strangely hooked.

Kaiba was not playing with him. Kaiba was desperate.

Set directly before DSOD. An encounter between Jounouchi and Seto results in a bleeding nose, heat of the moment friction somewhere between fighting and making out, and some important realizations.  It’s about Jounouchi’s character growth, the differences and parallels between him and Seto, and last but not least the importance of Yugi for Jounouchi.  It’s also about Jounouchi kicking Seto’s ass.

***

Kaiba Brothers fic:

 Beneath Our Bones (Noah&Seto, Noah/Mokuba)

Rating & Warning: Gen, self-destructive behavior, implied eating disorder 

Word Count: 1,427

Sometimes Noah wondered how Mokuba had managed to preserve so much basic decency, growing up a Kaiba. It did not exactly fit the family name.

But here was the actual problem. Mokuba was a nice, considerate person like that. He trusted Noah. Even with babysitting his precious, awful big brother. This was what made it impossible for Noah to not be fond of him. It also made it hard to wish for something that would devastate Mokuba completely.

Musings on Noah’s relationship to Seto and to Mokuba (in an AU in which Noah lives (again) and all Kaiba brothers are a few years older).  When Seto collapses due to his workaholic relentless lifestyle, no one is surprised. While Mokuba is worried and maybe even feels guilty, Noah tries to figure out how he should feel about it all.

#prideshipping #seto kaiba #yami yugi | atem #fic #fic masterpost #no one asked for this #but i'm super proud of myself that i managed to be this productive #hope i can keep that up next year!!

[earl-of-221b]

noblesse icebreaker

Thank you for tagging me @spectralmelon !

Name/nickname: earl, short for my fav drink earl grey tea

How did you find out about Noblesse?: When I was in the height of my Mangareader phase, I kind of just clicked on Noblesse when the title art was getting featured as one of those ‘recently updated’ manga. (That one old pic of Rai in the white uniform and then a close up of him.) Just because. And then I, someone who had only ever read japanese manga in black and white, was blinded by the full colour art. My brain could not compute. Full colour art? Every page? Every chapter? This manhua artist was a visionary. And there’s like three hundred chapters already.  Story-wise, I got whiplash when the supposed principal of this high school bowed to the Vampire Man™ (who clearly did not look like a high schooler imo but somehow was blending in anyway). But this interaction really interested me - immediately alluding to a history between these characters that I wanted to know. And then Rai started high school and M-21 and M-24 go kekeke~ and Rai couldn’t open doors and them pure jokes about Rai being a fish out of water were delightful. Also, in the early chapters Franken’s power was bright pink! And I gobbled that up I loved his pink killing powers how gorgeous. Yes, murder Mary and Jake with pink neon lightning while grumbling about getting vampire drool on your neat clothes. 

Favorite character(s)? Frankenstein and Raizel of course!

Previous Lord is also fantastique and M-21 will always be there in my heart. (And Tao. And takeo. And Seira and Regis. Sigh.) 

Favorite scene(s)? 

HOnestly, the first time Rai had ramen and thought it was an assassination attempt - this was like so masterfully animated in Awakening it was glorious. 

Rai trying to get out of the house via the window because he felt the need to make sure Franken was ok with Mary and Jake. Mary and Jake. 

SHIT THE FIRST TIME FRANKEN SUMMONED DARK SPEAR??? I WAS SO SHOOK? LIKE YEA FRANKEN TEACH THAT PUNK WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE DISRESPECTS YOUR EMPLOYEES IN YOUR SCHOOL

OH MY GOSH Remember that early part where M-21 and M-24 were answering their phone thinking that those noblesses were calling them so early? And they were like shit, M-21, quick, answer it! Be serious! Be vigilant! Can’t let down guard! And it turned out it was just a telemarketer? 

Freaking heck remember when I was totally convinced that Takeo was a lady for his entire entry arc? But anyway Takeo sniping some bad guys. Takeo getting fake-mugged and then getting saved and making friends with the Yeran High group! Shinwoo Yuna Ikhan you guys are so sweet. (Has Suyi arrived yet?) Like. Tao and Takeo hanging with the yeran crew warms my heart, looking back. 

Any time Frankenstein has time alone with Rai. 

Any time the kids are over and trashing Franken’s place and having fun with Rai like you do and Franken twitching slightly in the corner 

The early days where translation was shaky and sometimes Franken called Rai ‘My Lord.’ Loved that shit

Franken walking home with sping onions in his supermarket bag before being captured by yuri. He was just trying to do the shopping. He has a family to feed.

When tao started being himself after been freed from the Union 

When Rai is using his powers in the beginning when it wasn’t all that painful and draining to watch, where we could all cheer guiltlessly as he crushed his enemies with finesse and ease without breaking a sweat

Rai’s blood fields and how beautiful they are when drawn nicely, the different shades of red that seem to glide but we know it’s all destructive force 

Any time Raizel pats Frankenstein’s shoulder in reassurance 

RAI BLUSHING

‘I would be able to experiment and stabilise your bodies. But that depends on Master. You see, I cannot disobey his orders.’ 

‘Really Frankenstein?” or something to that effect, “I recall otherwise”

Cue Franken trying to backtrack^

Any time Rai calls Franken out like that because Franken is Franken and its great

Raskreia pulling RAgnorok

‘Frankenstien caused many incidents. The Clan Leaders used to come to me to complain.’ d e c e a s e d

Frankenstein giving Rai earrings and a ring - and then Rai going ‘it’s not my colour.’ Which was great. But also, in retrospect, Rai probably said those things to try and take Franken’s mind off of bad thoughts like ‘oh no, is the power going to be compatible??????’

Raizel fighting Raskreia. UmPH. 

Frankenstein busting into the temple disheveled and half unclothed, trying to stop Rai from fighting even though he knows he can’t and then Rai reassuring him with a smile. 

Like wow

‘Are you alright, Master?’ 

‘I’m fine, Frankenstein.’ he says with a soft smile

‘There’s no way you can be fine after that.’ Frankenstein oh my gosh. You’ve never said it stark to his face that before Franken. It hurt my soul and I loved it. 

‘Master...that’s the wrong way...’

Ramen experiments. 

Any time Franken mouths off at enemies condescendingly 

Any time Rai makes a bad guy k n e e l

Oh my gosh I just remmbered his killer line ‘This is where your eye meets mine.’

 w r e ck t, j a k e 

That scene where Franken and Rai are having tea. It’s not a happy scene but it was huge. Rai drops his teacup for the first time (graphic) and remind us all that Cadis Etrama di Raizel is not ok and has never been since we’ve seen him awake. Then, worried out of his head, Franken can’t wait for Rai to talk himself and straightforwardly asks what caused his 820y sleep. There were two big things that kept me going with a burning passion while reading Noblesse, and that was

1) Franken and Rai’s history. 

2) With all this talk of traitors and conspiracy, what was this big coup and how were able to put the Noblesse to sleep. How did Rai end up in the box? Why were Franken and Rai parted for so long??? This kept me up at night. ( I expected something much more elaborate than what’s been revealed now but still.)

When the man-bat tried to make his hostage quiet, unassuming, high school uniformed Rai. 

Rai v Urokai and Zarga - AKA the first time Rai pulled out approximately seven blood fields that looked like seven raging red tornadoes when Urokai question his ability. 

Seira and Regis. 

Shinwoo actually beating bad guys up. Shinwoo is a good kid and kind friend 

Everybody’s fav scenes: Whenever Frankenstein goes ‘Allow me,’ and Rai pauses for a moment, ponders upon it, and then agrees. 

Then Franken gets out The Violence and has tangible killing intent spilling from him in throngs that make people question his sanity. This is up there in terms of fav.

Every single time Rai feels the overwhelming need to sigh. 

Rai sighing

Rai stuttering ‘hm....um....hn....’ 

NOnsu and Sangeen making disgusted faces at all this mystical crap going on. Remember when one of the union groups tried to sass them like ‘hahah you like him??’ because nonsu and Sangeen are happily married undercover strike agents

Tao getting Takeo some sweet new pistols and getting M-21 his sweet new optimised nail filer 

Any time someone is Recruited against their knowledge into Raizel’s Knights

Raizel’s Knights doing cool shit. 

Raizel finding out about Raizel’s Knights.

Regis running through the woods trying to fend off central knights encroaching on Rai’s mansion in Lukedonia 

OH. The trio stowing away in the cargo hold of their bosses plane, said plane falling, them wake up in hospital beds and 

M-21 - what’s happening?

Tao - huh?

Takeo - F-freeze! *gun fingers.

Any time ~mind control~ fails to work in the series. LIke Regis failing at F and R. the central knights failing on the trio

Seira calling upon Death Scythe. Seira wielding Death Scythe. Seira silhouetted by a giant spirit god of death. Any time Seira fights with her giant giant scythe 

Frankenstein v Rajak fight!!!!!!! Franken v Rajak fight never saw an end but what a fight!!!

Franken murdering Gradeus. Yes. But most importantly, that one shot of Franken turning his back on his kill, a empty ring of purple where Gradeus had been devoured alive by the souls of the undead in necromantic weapon Dark Spear

Dark Spear. Any time Franken goes ‘Answer my call’ 

Ok ok ok ok the f l a s h b ac k s. All of every major flashback. Gejutel and Ragar running through the woods in pursuit of renegade Frankenstein in laced cuffs and victorian suit in medieval days. 

I loved the scene where we actually see Gejutel fight. The giant sky tearing, body vaporising lance. Regasus was huge. 

Any interaction between Franken and Ragar, good friends

‘I just started working here, hahah’ *scratches head

Everything about Rai is stoic and monumental, Franken asks this great man why he didn’t make him see the Lord and ‘...I forgot.’ 

PREV LORD AND RAI MAKE IT TO THE FRANKEN V UROKAI BATTLE

THIS IS ALSO THE FIRST TIME WE SEE FRANKEN GET POSSSSESSSED BY DS. OH MY 

The brief Franken v Rai fight literally sucked my breath out of my lungs like n o they’re actually going to FIGHT even if it’s not really Franken there but the thought of Franken and Rai fighting is just RIVETING and IMPOSSIBLE and TERRIBLE 

fav fav scene: chapter 295

you guys all know what this is 295 when they made the b o n d 

Franken destroying ninth elder with just words and wit. How dare you speak to him, you traitor of humanity 

tesamu

 A couple of weeks ago when Muzaka stopped what’s known as 废话, useless monologuing/ chatter, and straight up diced second-in-strength werewolf whom I cannot name. Blood went everywhere. Parts rained down like a chunky storm. It was glorious, Muzaka. 

Edian mildly threatening Franken and Franken sticking his head in Rai’s door to tattle on her. 

Forgive me for this list.

Why are you still following it? The characters. Franken and Rai are very important to me. 

How do you like to spend time in the fandom? (“I liveblog the chapters”/ “i roleplay”/ “I draw fanart” / “I like to read fics” etc.)

I write fanfic when I have time! 

Sometimes I sketch some fanart but I’m also prone to the one angle, one face, pencil-only thing. 

Do you have any ships and/or crackships that you’d like to share? When I started writing Who is the Monster, I didn’t ship Franken and Rai. In fact, I’d followed noblesse for a couple of years before finding that, yes, I do like them together. In a world where love feels very...cheap? in media, I don’t really like shipping and platonic relationships just appeal to me more. Unless there’s something that really draws me in I’m not that interested. I mean, there’s doumeki and yashiro, and victor and yuri and other ships that are great! But in the beginning of last year I got into Franken and Rai. Writing Who is the Monster really made me realise that Franken and Rai are romantic to me. Really getting to flesh out what’s up between them and making up in-character interaction changed the direction of the fic. It’s like that saying where - I wrote the characters the way they wanted to go. And where they wanted to go was be in deep love with each other to the point of self destruction. Hm. 

that, and I read other writer’s fics about them and found it so nice

(looking at you, Nerdanel/daylight-star - your rosa de sal - and Laryna6)

(also qdeanna later, your art is <3)

So that’s how I tricked myself into writing a 130k+ slow burn fic. 

My best contribution into the online literary world. 

when all songs on the radio you relate back to Franken and Rai you know things have c h a n g e d

I really want to talk to someone about ____________!

Writing more noblesse fic so I can read it. I want to read more noblesse material. Please write me more fic. I know I’ve been blocked for ages but maybe if you guys write some I can get back into it. I really love Franken and Rai. More Franken and Rai, please. 

I’d like to tag @qdeanna @laryna6 @daylight-star @alexvolkovvlad

#noblesseicebreaker #noblesse #I started reading noblesse in year 11 I remember #now I read coloured manhwas every week since noblesse helped me discover god of high school #and full coloured feng shen ji and the ongoing xi xing ji #But noblesse I discovered on a whim and #It's the single best dumb click bait mangareader choice I've made #I love Franken and Rai's love #the thing I hate most about media is unnecessary romantic plots #like #you can do a movie without a romantic subplot!! #you can!!! not force it!!!!! #it got so bad to the point where I had to physically look away from terrible kisses that I could not stand anymore #This largely contributed to me realising I was aro #but anyway Franken and Rai are good and pure #so #what are your favourite noblesse scenes? #I find the plot of noblesse lacking now since it's kind of just big flashy fight after big flashy fight #but I will never abandon my trio Regis Seira and Noblesse and his bonded #characters are nice

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 9/4/19

Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 23 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Seido is reeling from their surprising loss in the final round of the West Tokyo qualifiers. Promptly, the third years retire to focus on college while the rest of the team gears up for the fall tournament. Many pivotal spots have been left vacant, so the junior varsity players are fired up to finally secure a place on the varsity squad. Not fired up are Eijun, who has trouble shaking the image of his pitch hitting a batter, and Kawakami, who squandered Seido’s lead and ruined the upperclassmen’s hopes of making it to Koshien. I always appreciate anything that leads Eijun to a more humble state of being and also really liked seeing Miyuki seriously step up to a leadership role after he is made the new team captain. I’m excited to see how this iteration of the team fares. – Michelle Smith

Barakamon, Vol. 18 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – Much of the final volume in this series involves showing us that time is slowly marching on. There’s no time skip or anything, but life keeps happening. Tama gets a manga published. Miwa’s father is leaving to work on a ship, similar to Naru’s father, and Naru and Hina move on to the next grade, though the island is so small that they don’t get any underclassman to be sempai to. As for Handa, he’s become the stable part of the group; still teaching calligraphy, still being a bit of a goofball, but not going anywhere—this is where he belongs now. The overall tome of this series was relaaxing and fun, and that’s how it ended up, with the characters undergoing mild but meaningful journeys. I’ll miss it. – Sean Gaffney

Count Fujiwara’s Suffering | By Mahito Aobe | Yen Press – I’ve talked before about how I think that omnibuses of comedy manga are a bad idea, and this 540-page volume bears that out. That said, I don’t think I’d love this even in single volumes. Count Fujiwara is a cat, whose thoughts we are privy to. He’s dealing with two sisters—one an airheaded NEET who stopped going to school after a past event we only find out about near the end; the other is a more “normal” girl who has an unfortunate crush on her sister—unfortunate in that it contains all the annoying “comedy lesbian” tropes. There’s a speck of a storyline here about what happened to make Shizuka like this, but for the most part it’s “look at the silly girls and their frustrated cat.” You can do better. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 8 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – I have occasionally wondered as I read a manga where a character discusses the fact that they’ve never felt love like other people if said character will actually end up being asexual. It’s rarely happened, and I don’t expect it to happen here, but it’s an interesting thought. Ayumi’s thoroughly analytical personality is great for a career as a newshound, but very bad when dealing with Takaya, who we’ve known for a while has fallen for her in his quiet, hard-to-read way. Her thesis paper on why they should or shouldn’t go out doesn’t help. Fortunately, we have Kai and Riko being adorable fluffs in love to balance things out. And this time Kagura’s on the cover, but STILL gets nothing to do. Arc when? -Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 2 | By Tomohito Oda | VIZ Media – Much of this volume is cute. A classmate declares herself Komi’s rival in the national health exams. Komi attempts to tell (lame) jokes in writing. The gang goes out for ramen after school. Najimi encourages Komi to go shopping for clothes and the gang all chooses different outfits for her to try on and rate. And then there’s Ren Yamai, who has a crush on Komi and promptly goes into scary, knife-wielding psycho mode. I liked that Yamai’s threats against Tadano prompted Komi to firmly state (in writing) that she decides who her friends are, as well as the fact that this whole situation prompted Komi to “talk” a lot with Tadano and allowed for some funny Najimi moments. But I really disliked that, after all Yamai’s terrible, alarming behavior, Komi consents to be friends with her after all. Yamai is the Mineta of an otherwise really fun series. Sad face. – Michelle Smith

Murcielago, Vol. 11 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – The police have had a very odd relationship with Kuroko, for obvious reasons, but they find themselves more drawn into the current case than usual. The people getting eaten by sharks rapidly led to brains in jars, including the wife of Tsuru, who he’s been trying to avenge but sadly reality gets in the way. Also, his partner may be secretly evil? Fortunately, Suiren is saved, and deals with her grief. She’s not even seduced by Kuroko—yet. And so we move on to a new arc, which involves someone going around killing master swordsmen. Murcielago will never win any good taste awards, and its leads are all sociopaths (even the police, to a degree), but it’s fun, and there are some great Kuroko faces here. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 17 | By ONE and Yusuke Murata | Viz Media – When the hell did this get so boring? Its strength remains its humor, and the best parts of the volume are showing off that humor, such as Fubuki desperately trying to rally the incredibly apathetic troops, or Saitama only getting really pissed off because the hero hunter keeps ignoring him. But for the most part, it’s serious fights between serious heroes and serious villains, and honestly I can get that much better in My Hero Academia. The world is also pretty nihilistic here—we need the heroes because the villains are not going to stop and wait for them, as a Private Merc Force finds out when they are quickly beaten and enslaved. I want more funny stuff, please. – Sean Gaffney

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 8 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media – It’s time for new employee orientation, including a field trip and a hot springs visit. This actually means a bit more fanservice than the other seven volumes combined, as of course Syalis goes along with everyone—they have to pretend she’s working as a demon in order not to give it away. (This being a comedy manga, the author lampshades that Syalis is in a swimsuit twice within three chapters.) The jokes are the same, though—Syalsi is spoiled and a bit appalling but also too difficult to say no to, and also sort of cute and adorable. At least she’s not gleefully killing everyone anymore, so that’s a plus. It even feels a bit like an extended family now. – Sean Gaffney

Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 7 | By Maybe | Yen Press – We’ve hit a new harem manga record with this volume, as fully HALF THE BOOK is set up to have Satou and his fiancées get it on so that they can gain the power needed to defeat the Abyss King. Sadly, for anyone hoping for a payoff, there’s lots of skin and titillation but everyone is still a virgin by the end of the book. We also get some details of the prior hero, who was seemingly corrupted by the situation of “get to bone all these girls” and ended up getting killed by said girls, one of whom is still around thanks to the long lives of elves. Will Satou end up going down the same path? Well, not if this keeps up. This is a good series for fantasy fans but harem fans may be getting irritated. – Sean Gaffney

We Never Learn, Vol. 5 | By Taishi Tsutsui | Viz Media – As with the series’ spiritual successor, Nisekoi, We Never Learn is very good at balancing out each girl in the romantic comedy stakes so that they all get something to do. Unlike Nisekoi, the choice is not obvious from chapter one, either. It doesn’t help that Fumino seems to be honestly trying to help Naruyuki get together with someone else… even as she gets the shippiest chapter in the book, the classic “we have to share a hotel room and there is only one bed” trope. But the others get their moments as well (including the teacher, which I suppose I will have to get used to), and it’s cute, fun, and a bit sweet and romantic as long as you don’t mind it then snapping back to status quo. – Sean Gaffney

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 3 | By Fujita | Kodansha Comics – Sometimes series can falter after their respective love interests get together, but so far that hasn’t been an issue with Wotakoi. There are some chapters that I find less engaging (generally the few that take place “in game”—I prefer the manga’s exploration of real life experiences), but as a whole it’s still consistently entertaining. I especially appreciate the importance placed on the series’ non-romantic friendships. The fact that Hirotaka and Narumi are dating is still being kept a secret in the workplace, so one of my favorite running gags in the third omnibus of Wotakoi is that their coworkers are all essentially rooting for them to hook up. In part this requires Fujita to introduce a few new recurring side characters who end up being a rather amusing addition to the manga. I continue to greatly enjoy Wotakoi. – Ash Brown

Yuri Life | By Kurukuruhime | Yen Press – Yuri Life is a collection of 4-koma vignettes about various cohabitating couples, the vast majority of whom are working women in their twenties. Some stories are kind of cute, but none is in the least bit funny, so it’s not that kind of 4-koma. Probably the best story in the lot is “Life with a Grim Reaper,” in which a grim reaper falls in love with a woman who’s supposed to die soon. I could see a concept like that filling at least one volume, but not so much the rest. The collection also includes “Life with a Yandere,” in which we get creepy inner monologues like, “If I snipped off those small, slim fingers, would I be the only one you touched?” Um, that is seriously fucked up! Why is that in the same collection as these other frothy tales? This is definitely a mixed bag. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

#Anime #News #Manga Bookshelf