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dazais-guardian-angel · 8 months

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Chapter 110 is 13 pages long welcome to hell!!! so in a lot of ways this is just more fuel for a theory that I've had for a few weeks now, that's only gotten stronger with each recent season 5 episode, which is that the last episode of the season is gonna end on 110, and that Asagiri/Harukawa and Bones have been collaborating to make this happen, specifically because it's a major turning point that would be the only good place to end the season on.

When we started getting especially long chapters again (like from 25-35ish pages, with the exception of 107.5, the last two being some of the longest we've ever had), at first I just assumed that Asagiri/Harukawa got freed up from some other obligations they'd been having to cause the extremely short/half chapters, like promotional stuff for the anime/Beast movie, or working on light novels. But then 109 happened, with the "supposed" death of Dazai, and heavy emphasis at the end on how literally everyone is at their lowest point right now, and I got to thinking. 11 episodes is a strangely specific number for an anime season -- why not 12, or 13, or even 10, like you'd usually see? Why have we gotten suddenly gotten two 35 page chapters out of nowhere, that's almost unheard of at this point? They're both beautiful chapters, don't get me wrong (as always), and maybe A/H simply just didn't want to cut them in halves because they felt like the full emotional impact wouldn't hit/that there were no good cutoff points in them, but you can't deny that it's surprising, after all the shorter chapters we've been getting. Why has the anime been going at such insanely breakneck pacing for the most part ever since around the Sunday Tragedy chapters, even more so than it has in the past? So much so that it feels dangerously close to overtaking the manga?

Well, maybe, just maybe, it's because..... Asagiri decided a long time ago that whatever happens in 110 is the only point that feels "season finale"-worthy enough, in an arc that still isn't anywhere close to being completely wrapped up, and so both the manga and the anime have been specifically coordinated to reach that part within 2 and a half weeks of each other?

I've seen a lot of people now think season 5 will end with 109, and as much as my sadistic side would find that hilarious, I honestly don't think they'd do that and realistically don't want it to happen; it'd be so cruel to cliffhanger the anime for years like that, and just doesn't feel like a season cliffhanger BSD would do, a series that is ultimately hopeful and uplifting. Seasons 2 and 3 had a positive, conclusive ending; the only reasons seasons 1 and 4 didn't was because they're technically not really full seasons of their own, and are more like the first cour of another "season" that also came out that same year (seasons 1 and 2 both aired in 2016, so they're more like one big season, and seasons 4 and 5 have both aired this year, so they're also more like one big season, again taking into account how episodes 12 and 50 are not satisfying finales like episodes 24, 37, and hypothetically, 61, are). I really can't see season 5 ending with Dazai and Fukuzawa's supposed deaths, Sigma being unconscious and maybe close to death, Atsushi being vulnerable and limbless again, everyone we love still vampires, and the entire world being basically doomed; that's just too depressing and not like BSD at all. However, having said that, if it doesn't end there, there really isn't any good place to end the season before that, either, that feels in any way satisfying or like a finale at all. And so, to me, that only leaves after 109: chapter 110.

I think things are really gonna turn around next chapter. Like I said, everyone is at their lowest point right now, it cannot possibly get any worse, the framing of Dazai, Fukuzawa, and sskk at the end of 109 is telling us that; this is the time for the heroes to finally start winning again, with Aya being so close to pulling out the sword, and for all the thematic reasons other people have talked about to death that I don't need to go into here again. This upcoming chapter being so short again makes a part of me wary of 110 being "the one", so to speak, I won't lie, but at the same time, it's very possible that it needs to be that short because that's all the final episode of the season will be able to reasonably fit in, since it's already gonna be VERY close if they do make it all the way to 109. And at the end of the day, I don't doubt at all that Asagiri and Harukawa can make these the most monumental and game-changing mere 13 pages ever if they wanted to; a chapter does not at all need to be extremely long in order to be an important and impactful one, even if short ones we've gotten in the past haven't felt the most important.

An additional thought I've had, though this is much more crack territory than all this already is, is that since we know from Anime Expo that a Stormbringer movie at some point is highly likely (judging from Asagiri's reaction when someone brought it up), it's possible that chapter 110 and thus the final episode will involve the long-anticipated return of Verlaine and/or Adam, or at least some other major reference to Stormbringer, that would naturally and smoothly lead into a Stormbringer movie to explain things to people who haven't read the novel. It would make a lot of sense, especially since the s4 OP has the Old World sign behind Chuuya, which might be a hint that this has been in the works ever since seasons 4/5 were first in planning with Asagiri. We also know that Dazai and Chuuya's voice actors apparently struggled to record their lines together this season, which probably relates to 101 and possibly 109, but it could be 110 too.... I could be very wrong, as I'm no expert on this kind of thing, but I kinda doubt they would bring Chuuya's actor in for just the vampire growls, and Asagiri placing heavy emphasis on Chuuya's importance this season in that one interview gives me the impression that he's talking about much more than just 101/109. But that's the least solid evidence I have, that's just mostly based on vibes I get.

So basically, I think a lot of factors -- the unusual episode count, how close the anime is to catching up to the manga with three whole episodes left, the seemingly arbitrary recent chapter lengths, and the climactic events of 109 -- can tell us that 110 might be a very, VERY big deal. Again, there's of course no way this arc is anywhere near close to being finished, with so much left to address and resolve, but since it is currently incomplete in the manga, unlike the previously adapted arcs, if the anime was going to adapt it at all, they'd have to find a place that feels satisfying enough to end this season, knowing there won't be more anime for a long time after this, and so I think they specifically planned for that, from both Bones' and A/H's sides. 10 episodes might not have been enough to reach that point, but 12 or 13 might have been too many it wouldn't have been if Bones actually decided to slow down and let the story breathe the way it needs to, but this post isn't meant to criticize the anime, so maybe 11 was just right. And maybe Asagiri and Harukawa specifically pushed to make recent chapters longer than usual, in order to make sure that the manga reached the story content in 110 the monthly release right before season 5 was to end.

Is this just copium? Absolutely. Am I going to look like an absolute clown in two days when this post ages like milk? Probably. But the evidence is There, so let me just enjoy my delusions until Sunday, okay 🥂🫡

#bungou stray dogs #seriously call me a clown and point and laugh at me if I'm proven wrong all you want #but I really feel like there's solid evidence for this #either s5 isn't gonna reach 109 at all (but I seriously cannot fathom where you would want to stop before then) or they'll go beyond it #if they really do end it with 109....... well i'll give Bones kudos for having the balls to do that ig lol #maybe i'm underestimating (overestimating???) them idk #also just to clarify I don't wanna make it sound like I think Asagiri let the anime/Bones dictate the manga's pacing #like I'm sure these were his/their (him and Harukawa's) own decisions first and foremost #not that (if this theory is true) the anime had a major impact on how the chapters were split and that it-#-would have been extremely different otherwise #i'm pretty confident in that Asagiri does not do anything with BSD he isn't comfortable with #and he doesn't let anyone tell him how to write his story #I just feel like he worked with Bones to make this near-simultaneous release happen #BUT if this is the case I don't feel like it had any major effect on the writing/final product that is the manga #like the last handful of chapters have been so incredible #so I at least am still perfectly happy lol #(i mean i'm devastated and a nervous wreck but u know 🫡 in a good way lmao)#anyway 110 in two days please let this theory be true because I need some fucking hope already #please let Oda show up as Dazai's guardian angel to help (see what I did there-)#it would be the perfect way to end the collective season that is 4/5 with s4 beginning with Oda and now ending with Oda #Asagiri are you reading me are you picking up what I'm putting down please please a ghost Oda is long overdue please-#Oda Verlaine Adam just GIVE ME SOMEONE ALREADY 😭😭😭#MAYBE EVEN A TASTE OF THE FYODOR BACKSTORY TO TIE INTO HIM BEING IN ANIME UNTOLD ORIGINS. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS

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chaika-jpeg-shitpost · 6 months

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mahoyome season 2 cour 2 ep 4

I understand that mahoyome is trying to tell me that just like marriage might resemble friendship and parental love between the two, friendship might appear as romantic interest at times, and we will never understand each other if we assume that we all have the same universal idea of what a spouse/lover/friend should act like and force atypical relationships into traditional categories, but... wlw

#my moral compass leaving my body when girls blush at the thought of each other #no thoughts head full of a poly chise x philomela x fem!elias ship #chise you're so...#mahoutsukai no yome #mahoyome #the ancient magus' bride #the ancient magus bride #ancient magus bride #tamb #mahoutsukai no yome season 2 cour 2 #mahoyome season 2 cour 2 #the ancient magus' bride season 2 cour 2 #the ancient magus bride season 2 cour 2 #ancient magus bride season 2 cour 2

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kunikidas-cock-sucker · 1 year

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Anime News!

If you thought we were eating good in 2022 for anime, look what 2023 has in store for us!! (Which one are you excited for the most? I'm so excited for Vinland Saga and Bungou Stray Dogs!)

Attack on Titan: Series finale out now!!!

Dr. Stone: Season 3 - (Currently airing)

Jujutsu Kaisen: Season 2 - (FULL SEASON OUT!!!) [SEASON 3 CONFIRMED]

Mushoku Tensei: Season 2 - (First cour finished. 2nd cour begins April 2024)

Record of Ragnorak: Season 2 - 2023 (Part 1 is out)

Tokyo Revengers: Christmas Showdown Arc - 2023 (Full season out) (Season 3 FULL SEASON OUT NOW!!)

Vinland Saga: Season 2 - 2023 (Full season out)

Bungou Stray Dogs: Season 4 - 2023 (Full season out) (Full season 5 out)

In/Spectre: Season 2 - 2023 (Full season out)

The Way of the Househusband: Season 2 - 2023 (Full season out)

Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre - 2023 (Full season out)

Aggretsuko: Season 5 - 2023

Spy Classroom (New anime!!) - 2023 (Full season out) (Full season 2 out)

Buddy Daddies (New anime!!) - 2023 (Full season out)

Edens Zero: Season 2 - 2023

Kaguya-sama: Love is War - The First Kiss Never Ends - (Finished airing)

Black Clover Movie - (Out now)

Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc - (Full season out)

Oshi no Ko (New Anime!!) - (Full season out)

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses - (Finished airing [?])

Hell's Paradise - (Full season out)

Spy x Family: Season 2 - (currently airing)

+ A BUNCH MORE!!

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sweetchcolate · 7 months

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Oh boy, where do I start? I'll go with the negatives first I guess? Get those feelings out of the way at least.

One of the things that bother me about this finale is the way it tried to resolve both overarching arcs (the holy beginnings festival sculpture crafting and the Rafael plot), but didn't give the latter enough respect or gravity: the second Anne and Shall return to the workshop, they act as if they haven't just spent 3 weeks as prisoners to someone who could kill them at any moment (and who almost suceeded on the very last day). Their entire experience gets swept under the rug to leave more screentime for Anne to gush about the sugar sculptures and get ready for the festival.

Which... in a way, it is in character for Anne to care about sugar crafting more than anything (to the detriment of her own health or safety: see the duke of Philax arc). But at the same time, I genuinely think the anime could have cut back on a scene or two (like Anne and Elliot asking the church official to move the sculptures in early) to have Anne and Shall reflect on everything that happened and decompress.

[This scene kinda happens later on, when Anne is finalising the biggest sugar sculpture in the church, but it's more oriented towards the future (what Shall wants to do now that he knows he's a fairy king candidate, Anne wanting Shall to be happy and Shall wanting her to be happy) rather than what happened for the last 3 episodes]

Because of that, as much as I enjoyed the moments where everyone at the workshop gets to finally witness the fruits of their hard work and have fun at the festival, there was something... lackluster about the very last scene between Anne, Shall, and Mythril. It felt like a repeat of cour 2 episode 4's ending (or even cour 1 episode 4, the first royal fair), where Shall mentions his desire to follow Anne wherever she goes, despite everything that happened since then. You could have skipped the entire Rafael arc mess and you wouldn't know it from the way Shall and Anne acted.

Where's the growth? What's new in their dynamic that adds to this scene (compared to after the first royal fair or compared to when Anne returns Shall his wing in the second cour)?

tldr; to me, Rafael's kidnapping was treated more like an inconvenience or a 3 episode hiatus from the Paige workshop, and its consequences weren't really adressed nor felt (other than Rafael's 'humans and fairies can't live together' shtick affecting Anne and Shall).

The other gripe I have with episode 12 is that conversation Shall and Anne have near the end, when Anne is putting the finishing touches on the sculptures.

Their whole conversation is clearly marked by Rafael's poisonous words that fairies and humans cannot be together: Shall mentions that he wants to devote himself to Anne's happiness forever (even if that might mean she'll get married to a human and thus distance herself from him), and while Anne is happy at the sentiment, she also doesn't want to be a burden and prevent Shall from chasing after his own happiness. They both have each other's best interest in mind, both want the other happy, but do not realise that they've already reached this happiness by being with each other.

If I were reading the same scene in the LN, I wouldn't mind the angst because I know there will be more volumes to address that plotpoint. But the anime doesn't have this luxury, even more so since this is a finale (with no other seasons in the work so far), so why picture the last moments of their relationship in such a heartbreaking way? Why not have them each think 'I know it's better if the other stayed with their respective species, but for now, I'll cherish the time we have together' or something to that extent, thus showing both their doubts, but also their desire to enjoy the present moment and ending things on a bitter, but sweet, note?

tldr: overall, while this was a really good episode, it didn't live up to the expectations of concluding two major arcs in a satisfying way. One of the arcs's consequences were not given enough weight, and Shall's and Anne's relationship ended on this weird note where it's clear they're set for future angst, yet the anime finale doesn't have the room to resolve this.

#sugar apple fairy tale #sweetchcolate's nonsense of the day #still processing those 20 minutes...

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kpopjust4u · 1 year

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24 days of Advent, 24 days of Kinkmas

Posted: 1st - 24th December

Genre: Smut (Minors DNI) - Under the Cut

Warnings included with each scenario.

> WEEK 1:

🎄Day 1 - Stray Kids Felix x Reader

Cum play: Who doesn’t love a little treat on their first day of advent. You certainly do when Felix treats you early.

🎄Day 2 - ATEEZ: Wooyoung x Reader

Bondage: When decorating the house with Christmas lights turns into you tying Wooyoung up with the spare set.

🎄Day 3 - NCT: Jaehyun x Reader x NCT: Mark

Threesome: Tensions are high when you “forget” your presents for each of them, giving them something they could never forget instead.

🎄Day 4 - GOT7: Mark x Reader

Brat Taming: It’s the season to behave...or not. It didn’t take a lot for Mark to switch when you tested his patience over Christmas party planning.

> WEEK 2:

🎄Day 5 - Monsta X: Minhyuk x Reader

Toys: Is it Christmas day already? Minhyuk suprises you with a little present that has your legs shaking uncontrollably.

🎄Day 6 - Day6: Young K x Reader

Edging: When drinking hot chocolate whilst watching Christmas movies turns into something else that would make Santa blush.

🎄Day 7 - EXO: Sehun x Reader

Oral Fixation: Sehun gets a little wound up when you wouldn’t kiss him under the mistletoe, putting that pretty mouth of yours to good use.

🎄Day 8 - Seventeen: Mingyu x Reader

Creampie: Christmas pudding wasn’t the only thing that you were getting filled with this Christmas.

🎄Day 9 - Pentagon: Kino x Reader

Mirror Sex: You admire yourself so much in your reflections through the town’s windows, Kino turns this into something for both of your pleasures.

🎄Day 10 - Block B: Zico x Reader

Dry Humping: When getting bored at the Christmas party, you and Zico find something else to perk yourselves up.

🎄Day 11 - Vixx: N x Reader

Master/Sir: After a hard working month at work, your boss suprises you with something a little extra special, a bit more than a Christmas bonus.

> WEEK 3:

🎄Day 12 - SF9: Zuho x Reader x Hwiyoung

Cuckholding: When his date doesn’t go to plan, Hwiyoung gets something extra special to spend his Christmas holiday with you and Zuho.

🎄Day 13 - 2PM: Nichkhun x Reader

Marking: When you have a secret santa off a secret admirier, Nickhun can’t help but get jealous and makes sure that whoever it was, knew you were already taken.

🎄Day 14 - SuperM: Ten x Reader

Lingerie: Too cheer him up after a hard time over the holidays, you try on something a little special for him.

🎄Day 15 - SHINee: Taemin x Reader

Face Fucking - What does that mouth do other than sing those pretty little carols? Taemin bursts with the need to find out.

🎄Day 16 - U-Kiss: Kevin x Reader

Wall Sex: Oh how pretty you look pressed up against the wall in your Mrs Claus outfit as Kevin is anything but nice.

🎄Day 17 - KNK: Youjin x Reader

Fingering: Naughty or Nice? Youjin makes that decision of you for himself, as his fingers do all the magic.

🎄Day 18 - BTOB: Hyunsik x Reader

Videotape: What’s Christmas without having a little keepsake of such a good time? This is the Christmas you’ll never get the chance to forget.

> WEEK 4:

🎄Day 19 - TXT: Yeonjun x Reader

Exhibitionism: What’s a night out with friends to watch the lights without your boyfriend being desperate to have them shine over you whilst he’s fullfilling his needs?

🎄Day 20 - ASTRO: Rocky x Reader

Vanilla Sex: 1st Christmas together, how else to celebrate that giving each other a little something to celebrate the holidays?

🎄Day 21 - Wonho x Reader

Thigh riding: Oh how you looked so god in your Christmas party dress, making Wonho slowly lose his mind as you use his thigh to not ruin such a pretty outfit.

🎄Day 22 - DPR ian x Reader

Corruption: Of course, he couldn’t help himself from tainting you with his deepest and darkest desires when it’s a season to be good.

🎄Day 23 - Eric Nam x Reader

Praise: A long day of shopping turns into something more entertaning to keep your spirits up, and of course, you behave so well

🎄Day 24 - Woosung x Reader

Degradation: Claiming to have been so good all year to the Santa at your mall, Woosung makes it evident that it’s all a facade.

Tags: @ateezreactionsandscenarios, @trashlord-007, @fanfictrashlord-007

#kinkmas #kpop #kpop fanfic #kpop imagines #kpop smut #kpop kinkmas #kpop scenarios #kpop hard hours #24 days of kinkmas #kinkmas 2022

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animebw · 7 months

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Seasonal Reflection: Summer 2023 Anime

I've noticed over my years of seasonal anime watching that summer tends to be the weakest season of the year. For whatever reason, everyone saves their good shows for winter, spring or fall, leaving the middle of the year to limp along with few real standouts. But god almighty, even by those standards, this was a dismal fucking season of anime. Forget just not having many good shows, there were so few shows that even had the potential to be good. Trying to find anything with a fighting chance of turning out even halfway decent felt like trawling for nuggets of half-digested corn in an overflowing septic tank of obviously bad isekai, obviously bad light novel junk, and obviously bad wish-fulfillment rom-coms. And then, just to add insult to injury, basically all the shows that did start out strong ended up tripping over themselves in some way. So not only were there so few anime even worth keeping up with this season, none of them managed to score anything higher than "pretty good." This is, unquestionably, the worst anime season I've sat through since I started watching seasonally. So let's take stock of the few shows I kept up with and pray for better things once the much-more-promising fall season gets under way.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead: Unfinished/10

Well, isn't this unfortunately ironic. The increasingly exploitative conditions that anime is made under have resulted in so many high-profile shows suffering production delays as their animators crash up against the cruelty of overwork and corporate greed. But there's something particularly disquieting when that fate befalls a show that's all about breaking free from your shitty exploitative job. Zom 100 sets out to extol the joys of living a free life unchained by capitalism's cruel clutches even in the midst of the end of the world, but ends up so ravaged by those very chains that it was unable to finish its run before it ran out of timeslots. And now its last three episodes are left in limbo, the entire production team waiting for a chance to recover and find some way to bring their work to a close. It's a pretty bleak situation that almost makes you believe a zombie apocalypse would actually be preferrable to our current state of affairs. Especially when, uh, this is not a show you want to give the audience extra time to think about. Cause the more you think about it, the more all its aggravating flaws- painfully simplistic moralizing, a sexist streak that refuses to just fucking die- start to sour your good feelings for the rollicking ride it's taking you on. I can only hope the final episodes, whenever they arrive, close it out on a strong enough note to make the ride feel worth it.

Mushoku Tensei Season 2 (1st Cours): 1/10

I have stewed long and hard over how to phrase my thoughts on the second season of Mushoku Tensei. I've agonized for hours on how to express how viscerally, repulsively infuriating this show has become. But ultimately, there's only one thing I can say: Fuck this show and fuck everyone who likes it. Fuck every free ride this show gives Rudeus so he never had to face consequences for his actions. Fuck the hypocritical stabs at "redemption" that only serve to excuse and justify every female character slobbering over an unrepentant pedophile. Fuck the single worst use of slavery I've ever seen in an isekai (Cannot fucking believe I have to give Shield Hero credit for anything). Fuck this lifeless waste of a cast that steadfastly refuses to have a single interesting member. Fuck the misogyny. Fuck the masturbatory woe-is-me manpain. And most of all, fuck every last braindead, media-illiterate mouth-breather who decided to turn this irredeemable garbage into a modern anime classic. The success of Mushoku Tensei is the death of everything I love about this medium, and I will never forgive any of you for bringing us to this point. Go. Fuck. Yourselves.

My Happy Marriage: 4/10

God, I really wanted to like this one more than I did. Isn't it great to see high-profile shoujo anime with impressive productions making a comeback after years of drought? And this is a story about trauma and healing and discovering your self worth and all that good stuff! This should've been right up my alley. And yet, My Happy Marriage just left me frustrated and somewhat offended. There's such a powerful story buried in here somewhere, but thanks to a combination of painfully overwrought melodrama that robs its heroine of far too much agency, a poorly handled supernatural twist on the Cinderella formula that only grows increasingly awkward the more it tries to force the two together, and a condescending undercurrent that seems to think the only cure for years of abuse is embracing a hyper-traditionalist form of wifely duties, that nugget of potential never has the chance to blossom. What an utter disappointment.

Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence: 5/10

Rejoice, folks; we've finally found the mathematical average of the slice-of-life moe romance. Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence is the platonic ideal of the fluffy, disposable rom-com made flesh, pleasant and harmless while watching but leaving no lasting impression once it's done. It's a collection of cute character moments, amusing gags, and occasional stabs at emotion that sometimes tug at your heartstrings a bit, all arranged in their proper places with a likable cast and bouncy animation and just enough energy to stay moderately interesting all the way through. And aside from the somewhat unique setting of a Medieval church as home base for our two awkward lovebirds, none of it lingers in your mind once the episode ends and you find yourself forgetting all the jokes you were just chuckling to. Which may seem like a backhanded complement, but honestly? This is what I would consider the baseline for anime rom-coms. If you're gonna just be fluffy and disposable, this is the absolute minimum you should be aiming for to make me appreciate spending twenty-four minutes every week with you. I can't really recommend it to anyone but the most ravenous rom-com fans, but at least now I have a standard to judge any similar shows that fall short of the mark.

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Season 2: 5.5/10

What strikes me most about Sugar Apple Fairy Tale now that it's over is just what an ambitious show it turned out to be. It's one thing to write a hackneyed fantasy racism metaphor about fairy slavery into your swoony shoujo romance, it's quite another to actually try and engage honesty with the implications of that idea as the core driving force of your narrative. And whatever else you might say about it, SAFT is really, truly making an effort to explore discrimination and systemic bigotry, tackling it from so many angles over the course of its 24 episodes without shying away from its thorny complexity. How many other stories like this would dedicate an entire subplot to showing how victims of one kind of discrimination can still perpetuate harm on groups even lower on the social totem pole like SAFT does with Brigit? Or explore how toxic systems of control don't magically get better just because a minority is at the helm like Lafalle? It's that kind of ambition that makes it easier to take this show's stumbles in stride, numerous though they might be at times. I'll always appreciate an earnest, messy attempt at making a statement over a safe, line-toeing space filler without the conviction to even try.

Horimiya Piece: 6/10

So this is a weird situation where the first season of Horimiya ended up rushing through the source material in order to adapt the whole story, and now this side-quel is going back and adapting all the content the first season skipped over. Essentially, it's a Horimiya DLC, scattered skits with no real cohesion or progression that just exist to give you more good times with the cast you love. But hey, Horimiya was never really heavy on plot to begin with; it's always been more a collection of moments across the lives of these friends than anything else. So I don't see anything wrong with doing a full season of just slice-of-life shenanigans, since that's basically what the first season became once Hori and Miyamura got together. And if nothing else, I certainly appreciated all the extra time with these lovable goofballs; this show does a better job than most of capturing the sheer, absolute chaos that teenage friend groups can cause amongst each other. Unfortunately, there are two episodes in the back half that truly, utterly suck- episode 9 is completely focused on the creepy pedophile teacher the show thinks is just the most hilarious joke ever, and episode 12 faceplants into romanticizing abusive relationships in a really gross way. So if you're gonna check Horimiya Piece out, do yourself a favor and skip those episodes entirely. Your experience will be better off for it.

Undead Murder Farce: 6.5/10

Pulp is a hard style to define, isn't it? You'd think it would be easy with how influential and popular it's been over the years. Ultimately, though, you just gotta know it when you see it. And Undead Murder Farce is pulpier than a thousand trees being turned into paper at an orange juice factory. It's a Victorian-era serial mystery extravaganza that turns the entirety of 19th-century supernatural adventure literary canon into the backdrop for a rakugo-performing half-oni and a severed immortal head to traipse through solving mysteries as they pursue a larger goal. Over the course of their adventures, they match wits and butt heads with vampires, werewolves, Sherlock Holmes, Phileas Fogg from Around the World in 80 Days, The Phantom of the Opera, Arsene Lupin, Frankenstein's Monster, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. And thanks to the director of Kaguya-sama at the helm, the visual presentation is exactly as gonzo and freewheeling as this brazen OC fanfiction deserves. I enjoyed every second of this goofy-ass show, and I hope we get a second season to see which classic characters our wisecracking immortal detectives rub elbows with next. It's what we deserve.

Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 (1st Part): 7/10

It's increasingly difficult to pin down my feelings on Jujutsu Kaisen. On the one hand, it regularly delivers some of the coolest, most lavishly animated punch-ups in modern anime. On the other hand, is that enough to cover for the story's incredible lack of focus and constant zig-zagging between different ideas at the drop of a hat? Like, I might need more than ten fingers to count how many times this show just drops in the middle of building up a status quo to shift gears into something entirely different without giving proper closure to what's come before. On the other other hand, though, season 2's backstory arc finally gave us an actual driving force for the story and a strong emotional framework to understand the stakes at play, except then it almost immediately reverses on that idea by revealing one of the critical characters has been dead the whole time and his story's suddenly over just when it was really getting under way, and... eh. Look, I like Jujutsu Kaisen, and its spectacular action and hilarious character interactions are usually enough to help me forgive its overly convoluted plotting (especially this season with its massive upgrade in directorial flourish and experimental animation). But at some point I'm really gonna start wondering if any of this nonsense will ever amount to more than a slapped-together framework to justify the fights.

Fate/Strange Fake Episode 0: 8/10

It's probably not a good sign that the only anime to really inspire me this season was basically just a prologue for a show that's still being made as we speak. But with how barren this season has been, I'll take my victories where I can. And sweet buttery Jesus, am I glad that Strange Fake is getting a full adaptation. After years of having no interest in Fate beyond the core story, one of these endless spinoffs finally manages to grab me hook line and sinker. And all it took was the author of Baccano and Durarara filtering the concept of the Holy Grail War through his particular penchant for sprawling, chaotic ensemble stories full of truly deranged characters slamming the full weight of their personalities against each other for the sheer fun of it. Add a mesmerizing new visual style from a longtime key animator making his directorial debut, and the result is an epic hour-long masterclass introduction that leaves you breathless for more. This is what Fate/Zero's first episode should have been. And sure, it could still go horribly off the rails at some point, but for now, I choose to remain hopeful. May this promise of better things to come prove a welcome omen as we leave this miserable anime season behind.

Shows I Dropped:

The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses: Dropped at 2 episodes for extreme GoHands over-animation, and just being a painfully cringey male fantasy rom-com.

Atelier Ryza: Dropped at 1 episode for being boring and generic as fuck. Only worth it for the hilariously crowbarred-in fanservice shots and I can just look those up on their own.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades: Dropped at 2 episodes for some of the most cringe-worthy DeviantArt-tier writing I've ever seen.

The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today: Dropped at 2 episodes for just being boring, even though it's way better than GoHands' other monstrosity this season.

Bang Dream It's MyGo: Dropped at 1 episode for just not vibing with it, idk.

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duhragonball · 8 days

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Christ, I remember trying to watch NGE last year and falling off a few episodes in because nothing was happening and I found other stuff to binge that was more entertaining. I knew most of the infamous stuff happens in the latter half but how is this show 11 episodes in and still ass? At least now I know why Eva is mostly known for it's ending, there's virtually no beginning and thus far very little middle.

It's not a bad show, but yeah, it's kind of a letdown for me. I've been looking forward to this for a long time now, and it just doesn't seem to be measuring up. Maybe my expectations were unrealistic, but Evangelion always seemed to be this really cool, popular thing, and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

All that being said, let me dial back some of my negativity towards this show. It has its moments, often quiet, subtle touches that I can't really document with screenshots and a text synopsis. For example, when the kids are making their way through the base during the blackout, Asuka needles Shinji the whole time, then tries to do the same to Rei, and Rei completely no-sells it, just refuses to take the bait. She doesn't dispute Asuka's claims to leadership, but she doesn't recognize her authority either. And yet, when Asuka finally comes up with an actual plan to defeat their enemy, Rei agrees to follow her lead. It's not a question of respect or disrespect. She's just waiting for Asuka to cut out the bluster and be sensible.

This show reminds me of other anime TV series I've watched in the past. Noir. Excel Saga. Cowboy Bebop. Tenchi Universe. Tenchi in Tokyo. The Gonzo Hellsing series. Revolutionary Girl Utena. I feel like I'm forgetting something else, but the point is that they all sort of share a similar story structure, maybe because they're all TV series with similar lengths.

A few years back, I learned about cours, a term for a three month period in Japanese television. It's about thirteen weeks, which is why so many anime TV series are aired in multiples of 12 or 13 episodes. Jojo season 1 was 26 episodes, which was used to cover both Parts 1 and 2, which worked out, because Part 1 was a little too short for its own 3-month run, while Part 2 was a little too long. Part 3 was like forty-eight episodes, so that's four cours. Parts 4, 5, and maybe 6 were three cours apiece.

Of course, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is based on a serial manga, but I'm pretty sure shows like the ones I mentioned above were wholly original, or only loosely based on a manga or OAV. Those shows, including NGE are designed to be 13, 26, or 39 episodes long, and the story is plotted accordingly. And they kind of operate the same way, spending a certain number of episodes introducing the characters, then doing a bunch of routine adventures, and then towards the last seven or eight episodes things start to get serious and the really plot-driven stuff happens.

I wouldn't quite call it a formula, but it explains why I keep finding NGE's pacing so familiar, even though I really haven't seen another show like it. I think what everyone remembers so fondly is the heavy stuff, where a lot of the secrets and mysteries get revealed, and all of these characters and relationships that have built up over the series get pushed to their limits. But if I'm right, that probably won't get rolling until Episode 18 or 19.

And if it is a formula, then it clearly works, or they wouldn't keep doing it. I guess that's just the difference between Japanese TV and direct-to-video stuff. I've been spoiled by shows like Hellsing Ultimate, where the episodes were variable-length, and organized for maximum effect, because there were no broadcast schedules or logistical issues to get in the way. I suspect a lot of these shows have a few weak episodes where nothing happens just to fill out the cour. They wrote 18 epsiodes' worth of story, but it has to be padded out to 26.

How you experience a show like NGE probably matters too. If I had seen Evangelion back in 2000, on the Toonami lineup, I probably would have only caught bits and pieces of it, eventually getting curious enough to make a deliberate effort to watch it all the way through and figure out just what was going on. That's how I got into Tenchi. I can imagine some small group of anime nerds getting together to watch NGE three episodes at a time, and if they're still somewhat new to this genre, it would blow them away. Sentimental value counts for a lot, but it's not something I can recapture just by watching it myself. But it's the best I can manage, and whether the show is good or not, at least I'll have the satisfaction of finding out.

#neon genesis evangelion #2024ngeliveblog #ask duhragonball

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yumeka-sxf · 7 months

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Spy x Family Anime (season 1 cour 2) Official Guidebook HD scans - part 5

(If you missed part 4 of these scans, click here).

Click here to go to part 6.

#spy x family #spy family #sxf #spyxfamily #loid forger #yor forger #anya forger #bond forger #sxf merch #damian desmond #becky blackbell #sylvia sherwood #fiona frost #yuri briar #sxf scans #sxf anime

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mamanbou · 16 days

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I might just be too optimistic but the two cour announcement for black butler season 4 only really leaves 3 options

1) each cour is 6 episodes or something, giving us a total of 12 which means it's school arc only. But that format would be nigh-unheard of in current anime so it's 99% not the case

2) it's two 12/13 ep cours but it's all school arc. based on the existing contents of the arc this would only be possible if they either padded the whole thing out with a LOT of anime-original content (for reference, book of circus adapted 13 chapters into 10 episodes with a couple added scenes and the school arc is 18 chapters), or stretched the sports portion to ridiculous proportions to fill out the second cour (which, like, maybe??? but I wouldn't get it from a marketing/appeal standpoint because bb's audience is not a sports anime audience, and drawing in that crowd for part 2 doesn't make sense because that is the only part of the entire story that dips into the sports genre and there's so much context required. Its just not incentivizing). This is a devastatingly real possibility but I kind of have hope otherwise? They skipped the easter chapter, and episode 1 covers the first two chapters of the arc. At that rate, if there aren't any added scenes, the cricket match could start by episode 6 easily, leaving lots of room for time consuming sports maneuvers

3) The easiest answer: public school's done in 13 episodes and cour 2 is green witch arc. walk with me to this beautiful future

#txt #kuroshitsuji

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formulaorange · 10 months

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2023 Summer Anime

This is the anime season I've been waiting for this year:

Jujutsu Kaisen - Season 2 speaks for itself, long awaited, goated characters, fun action packed story

Bleach: Thousand year Blood War - Season 2 One of the best come backs of all time for an anime, the first season was absolutely worth waiting 10+ years for. Season 2 back to kill it again I'm sure.

Horimiya: Piece - 13 Episodes One of my favourite shoujo romance series. This isn't the second season but it's a lot of new content that didn't make it into the original series. Another one lots of people have been waiting for.

Another one of my all time favourite shoujo (?)/fantasy? series is coming back this season as well: Sugar Apple Fairy Tale This was such a brutal cliffhanger to leave us on in the first half and I honestly cried so much. This is a highly anticipated second cour for me. We also have Mushoku tensei season 2 coming this season. While I feel like it's definitely one of the top isekais out there, I'm not too sure how this second season will do, it seems a bit darker and has a different vibe to it. We'll have to wait and see. There's also a bunch of series that attempted to air in the winter series but were halted for one reason or another: The misfit at demon lord academy - season 2 The devil as a part timer!! - season 2 After watching what they did release originally, I feel like these series could honestly have been left alone and been such solid series. Who knows if they'll redeem themselves. NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a - it seems like this is only going to be 4 episodes, not too sure what's New Series:

The Girl I like forgot her Glasses A new romance series that looks straightforward and wholesome. Pretty much what the title says. It's done by an older studio, known for the 2012 anime "K". It seems like they're trying to make a comeback as they're also releasing the following show this season: The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today I've heard of the manga for this series and it's supposed to be quite highly rated but I honestly know nothing about it. My guess is that it'll be popular with the manga readers but likely won't get too much traction in the wider audiences. My Happy Marriage Historical romance series that honestly looks like it checks all the boxes for me. Arranged marriage by evil step-mother of a quiet girl to a supposed cold hearted commander with money. The quality animations are honestly a bonus.

Zom 100 I think this is exactly the kind of show that'll do well as an anime, it's big, loud, and stupid (in a good way). A 24year old salaryman realizes he never has to work again when the zombie apocalypse hits japan. Definitely a fun one to watch this season.

Helck This is a new fantasy/comedy series where a human - Helck, is nominated as demon lord. Big muscle brain who hates other humans and wants to destroy humanity. The manga was just released in english so I've heard the name around recently and think it'll be a fun watch. Dark Gathering A new horror/supernatural series where a shut in start working for a child prodigy psychic who wants to hunt down the spirit related to her mothers disappearance. Seems like it could be a half-decent supernatural series, it's been a while since I've watched one so i'll likely check it out.

Undead Girl Murder Farce Another interesting dark looking series. It's about a disembodied head who's a detective who travels with her half-demon friend and maid around Europe solving supernatural related mysteries. Liar, Liar A big brain battle anime about people faking each other out to win some kind of tournament (?) I know people like this kinda series quite a bit, like Classroom of the Elite so I figured I'd throw this in incase you're interested. Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero A new comedy fantasy series that's popular in the manga realm. After 10 year the hero and the retired demon lord room together as the Demon lord tries to get the hero back in shape. What I wanted from Devil as a part-timer. Record of Ragnarok - Season 2 I honestly have so much fun with this series and have no complaints about the animation style, looking forward to the new battles. Along the same lines: Hanma Baki- Season 2 Easy brainless violence/entertainment Link Click 2 I really need to get to watching the first season, I know this is supposed to be an incredible series with solid animations. Fate/Strange Fake A new season of fate, animated by A-1 who'll be doing solo leveling. I've been putting off watching the series but honestly will likely try and catch up for this season. Sequels: Masamune Kun's Revenge R (season 2) Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 3 BSD Season 5 The Duke of Death and His Maid Season 2 Spy Classroom Season 2 Others/Isekai/Fantasy: The Gene of AI - technically just sci fi - detroit become human meets medical show Hero Classroom - honestly the one that has the most potential out of this list - Hero/Fantasy/Ecchi/School Genre Atelier Ryza - looks a little promising, new alchemy apprentice in fantasy world Reign of the Seven Spellblades - Harry Potter type fantasy school (but not really in a good way)

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aniverse-x · 1 month

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You: Man, I wish I knew what the spring 2024 anime lineup is☹️

*I then appear out of nowhere*

Me: oh, having trouble finding an anime lineup, are you?

You: Yes

Me: Well, in that case, HERE IT IS(or at least some of it)

April 1

Spice & Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf

Gods' Games We Play

Re:Monster

The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases

Train to the End of the World

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability

April 3

BARTENDER Glass of God

April 4

WIND BREAKER

Laid-Back Camp season 3

A Condition Called Love

An Archdemon's Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride

April 5

The Irregular at Magic High School season 3

Astro Note

THE iDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS

NIJIYON ANIMATION 2

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 3

April 7

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation season 2 cour 2

Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again

The Duke of Death and His Maid season 3

As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World

Vampire Dormitory

April 8

Tadaima, Okaeri

Chillin' in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers

April 9

Oblivion Battery

April 10

KONOSUBA -God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 3

Viral Hit

The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio

April 12

The Misfit of Demon King Academy II: History's Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants cour 2

Shadowverse Flame: Arc-hen

April 13

Black Butler -Public School Arc-

Whisper Me A Love Song

KAIJU NO.8

April 19

BlueLock Movie (releases April 19 in Japan)

May 4

MHA Season 7

#Anime #anime lineup #anime watchlist #anime news #spring 2024 anime #im not gonna tag all these #MHA season 7 #kaiju no. 8 #mushoku tensei #wind breaker #that time i got reincarnated as a slime #viral hit #sing me a love song sounds interesting and wholesome #BUT #WHERE IS OSHI NO KO SEASON 2??!?

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lilyginnyblackv2 · 2 years

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Tiger & Bunny 2 - Cour 2 - Various Thoughts Post - SPOILERS!!!

I've watched Tiger & Bunny 2 Part 2/Cour 2 and now I want to write up some posts with my thoughts on the cour. Of course, SPOILER WARNING FOR TAIBANI 2 PART 2 / COUR 2! All thoughts will be placed under a Read More.

First, I'm going to start with the smaller thoughts that I have. I want to get the more misc. thoughts up first before I forget them, I'll likely also talk about the plot stuff here, since for me the action and actual plot stuff isn't as important as the thematic and character focused elements of the series.

Then I want to talk about the handling of familial relations in this part of the cour, similar to how I talked about it in regards to cour 1.

The final post I'll get up will be my thoughts on how they handled relationships in general, and how I feel about the ending.

I'll likely also discuss where I think they could take the series if they were to continue it, though, I will say right now, that how they ended this second season makes it so that I feel they could just comfortably end it here as well. Even though I would want more. Not an endless amount of content, but just a bit more. If they never do that though, I'll be okay too.

So, no to the more misc. stuff under the Read More!

1. I love how they opened with an interview with the top duo, just like they did with cour 2 for Season 1. They also focused quite a bit on FireSky this season and I loved how we got to see more of Nathan's business. Also, I fully expect a bunch of FireSky!Secretary!AU fics after this, lmao! I loved that.

2. Seeing all of the heroes working together and using their own resources and smarts was really nice. T&B also handles exposition and explaining plans and ideas in a very interesting way. They don't explain anything mid-battle like a battle shounen would, but they don't do a complete all show, no tell approach either. They give you, the watchers, all the clues first, then set up situations where explanations need to be given to other characters within the show itself, so those who may not have figured things out on their own (for whatever reason) could be caught up at the same time as the characters.

3. The series did a great job of avoiding deus ex machina. Aurora easily could have been this. But they worked around that. That being said, I do feel that Barnaby's injury being okay after using Kotetsu's suit. It seemed like too easy of a fix, and a part of me really did want to see both Kotetsu and Barnaby retiring from being superheroes in the end and/or the idea of Barnaby dealing with a debilitating injury, since that is a very realistic scenario and could have provided some interesting commentary. But, I do also understand the direction they wanted to take the series in this regard. I'll talk more on this later.

4. I didn't really have any interest in the whole plot for this cour. The stuff with Gregory Sunshine and stuff was kinda meh for me. Like every time he was on screen, I just wanted him to be off it, lol. I *did* like his interactions with the Ouroboros lady (though, her backstory did feel a bit rushed and wasn't that well done, but it was sufficient enough for me). The way they handled his sexist actions and remarks, and kind of had the two characters in a power struggle with each other, though, was quite interesting and well done to me. We need more anime that do this to pathetic, gross, sexist pervert characters:

Like, please! It's also in these moments that you can really tell that the director is a woman this time as opposed to S1.

5. Agnes not ending up skinny by the end of the season was beautiful, I loved it! I also love how, like with S1, Agnes pulled through for the heroes at the end, but, like always, she isn't doing it because she necessarily cares about the heroes (though, I do think she does on some level), but because of how much blood, sweat, and tears she has put into HERO TV, lmao. It's honestly so refreshing to have an adult female character in an anime have this sort of personality.

6. I really liked the inclusion of these plush toys:

It reminded me of the toy bears from Season 1, though this time Kaede likes them too (she has one on her phone).

I also got teary eyed at Barnaby responding “Maybe,” when the doll asked, “Are you happy?” That may not seem like a positive answer, but for Barnaby it is. I feel that answer is what gives me hope that we might get some more T&B in the future. And I'll talk about that some more in a later post.

7. I'm so, so glad that they *finally* addressed Karina's crush on Kotetsu. I'll discuss this in far more detail later, but just, thank goodness. It was like they had to spell it out to all the dudebros out there that Kotetsu only ever saw Karina as a child that he cares about. He related himself to an uncle, so he views her like family - like a niece, and that is *never* going to change.

“I’ll be like your uncle that says, “Have fun, but bring her back before her curfew.”

8. This part of S2 really said ACAB. Especially when they have Agnes being like, "You're shitty ass apology and realization, and eventual help, doesn't negate the fact that you basically sabotaged the heroes and caused a lot more harm than good." She didn't say it quite like that, but that was what she meant, lol. I loved it.

9. I like the way they hadbRyan deal with Gregory Sunshine, since that was a personal matter for him. I also like that they didn't have Kotetsu use the drug. I was never a fan of that theory, because there was no way I could see it working with Kotetsu's personality without either a *very specific* set of situations or with him just being OOC. It also felt redundant and a bit pointless, since the drug was just to enhance preexisting powers, not magically fix them. So I am a big fan of how they had Kotetsu go into berserk mode instead and lose his powers completely that way. It just personally works better for me.

10. The stuff with LL Audun was okay. His character seemed a bit cheesy, but like that fits. He was like a mix of an actual X-men (appearance-wise) and that old school superhero cheesiness that we sometimes think of. The English dub gave him a voice that really fits an older era as well. It was a nice touch.

11. That being said, I didn't really care for how they had him come to the realization that the heroes were good and that he didn't need to punish them. It felt a bit like lazy writing, but I also think they did a good job of making it clear that this particular character wasn't all quite mentally there anymore.

12. Having Kotetsu confront the truth of Mr. Legend! YES! I have a lot to say about all of that, and it will be in my post on familial relationships in this cour.

13. There was another time skip and you can really see that in Kaede and her friend. They both look older and just the way Kaede was talking and corresponding with Kotetsu - so much growth on both of their ends. I’ll be discussing this some more in another, later post.

14. The angle of Gregory's powers being perceived as an unknown contagious disease was quite a choice and made me think of two things: COVID and AIDs (especially given the fact that Cour 2 takes place in the 80s, specifically 1981, which is the same year that the AIDs epidemic started).

15. Karina, Nathan, Pao-lin, and Lara all have a very physical and visible reaction when they hear that Gregory's powers are supposedly activated via hugging (all agree with the power being odd and they all mimic hugging themselves). None of the male characters do this. It's something I've never really seen before in an anime, but I appreciated that small touch. It's a small detail that I feel really highlights how a female perspective was directing this season.

16. Mattia with Saito killed me! lmao I feel we’ve all been in a situation like that, where you have trouble understanding someone, but you feel silly or embarrassed about that, so you just kinda nod your head and go with it. But Mattia is legit trying to answer Saito’s questions and it is a mess, haha.

17. Speaking of Mattia, I really like how they wrote the situation with him. It was really creative to have him be the “betrayer” character, but also not at the same time. Also, the way they incorporated him working with Saito afterwards was nicely done.

18. The main news channel spreading misinformation, discontent, and hatred...As an American with two parents who love a certain Faux News Channel (and watch a certain podcast - all a bunch of stuff that just spews misinformation everywhere)...That really hit close. Also, if I’m not mistaken, the news caster was Lara’s mother’s tennis rival (and ex-friend), which added an extra element to it. Especially when Lara’s mother told her that she was going to be changing (which I’m going to talk about more later) while her rival seems like she is just going to stew in a hateful way of thinking and viewing the world.

Finally, to end on a sweeter note, let’s talk about the flowers in the new ED (which is beautiful and has a gorgeous song to go with it) :

The flowers are daisies.

The General Flower Language Meanings: New Beginnings, Love, Hope, Affection, and more.

White: Purity, Innocence

Yellow: Friendship, Joy, Get Well

Pink: Gentle Admiration, Affection, Adoration

All of these meanings fit Kotetsu and Barnaby’s bond and the themes of S2 Cour 2.

That’s it for this section. I’ll have my post on familial relationships and then the buddy relationships (and other relationships - looking at you Antonio x Agnes) up later. So keep an eye out for them. Also, feel free to add your thoughts to these posts, as always, and thanks for reading all of this! <3

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