#this is definitely not a shinsengumi blog

[talesofedo]

I posted 249 times in 2022

229 posts created (92%) 20 posts reblogged (8%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@talesofedo

@thekimonogallery

@shinsengumi-archives

@imagineyourhistoricalfigure

@littlesacrifice

I tagged 244 of my posts in 2022

Only 2% of my posts had no tags

#ronindraws - 164 posts

#original art - 141 posts

#original characters - 89 posts

#shinsengumi - 48 posts

#okita soji - 39 posts

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

This is a very famous photo, which has been featured online in many lists of "handsome samurai" and has also been used in advertising. It was taken in 1880 (Meiji period) and shows 20-year-old Oda Nobuyoshi, who was a dentist, having just finished his studies in Edo.

There's a lesser known photo of Nobuyoshi in the collection of his great-grandson, Oda Hidemasa, who carries on the family business of dentistry at Oda Dental Clinic in Kochi City, which was founded in 1925 and is still going strong with a new building next to the original one.

Nobuyoshi certainly knew how to pose for a picture. 😅

See the full post 41 notes - Posted January 22, 2022

#4

Speaking of photos, there are a disproportionately large number of known photos of Dr. Matsumoto Ryojun still in existence. Here are a few I've been able to find, with descriptions where available.

Dr. Matsumoto, sitting front left, with Dr. Johannes Pompe van Meerdervoort, seated front right, and fellow doctors in Nagasaki.

Matsumoto went to Nagasaki in summer of 1857 as a student of Western studies at the Nagasaki Naval Training Center, where, among other things, he studied medicine under Pompe, a Dutch army surgeon.

While at first a group of 12 medical students met at the home of Takashima Shuan for lectures on biology, chemistry, anatomy, and pathology, by November of that year Pompe established a separate school of Western medicine.

Although the Nagasaki Naval Training Center closed in 1860 and the Dutch staff left, Pompe remained and opened Japan's first western-style hospital, Nagasaki Yojosho, in 1861. (The location is now Nagasaki University's medical school.)

See the full post 41 notes - Posted February 5, 2022

#3

Details on the scabbard of Hijikata Toshizo's sword. (via Hijikata Toshizo Museum on Twitter) 41 notes - Posted June 4, 2022

#2

A little “Today I Learned” write-up of notes regarding textiles in the Edo period:

+ The Kansai region, which is the area surrounding the imperial capital of Kyoto and the port of Osaka, was important in both the silk textile industry (mostly around Kyoto) and, after the 16th Century, the cotton industry (mostly around Osaka).

+ Cotton was introduced to Japan from Korea in the 1400s.

+ By the beginning of the Edo period (the early 1600s), cotton had become the primary material used in commoners’ clothing in most of Japan, replacing materials made from other types of plant fibers.

That’s not to say things weren’t still commonly made from asa (hemp or ramie) or from other plant fibers such as mulberry or wisteria - they were, especially in rural areas - but the more expensive cotton quickly became the most common choice.

On a side note: in some translations, you might see the English word linen as a translation for asa, which isn’t technically correct as linen is made from flax, which was not cultivated in Edo period Japan. The first flax in Japan is grown in Hokkaido in 1871.

+ Aside from the large amounts of cotton planted for the cotton textile trade, it was often grown in small quantities sufficient just for household consumption.

+ The Edo period and its bureaucracies placed a great deal of emphasis on laws and regulations that reinforced class structure, such as Aizu’s rules specifying which color haori-himo could be worn by which class of samurai, or Tosa’s rules forbidding low-ranking samurai from wearing certain footwear.

One sumptuary law passed by the Tokugawa shogunate limited purple outer garments to nobility and high-ranking samurai. Another banned the wearing of red outer garments, which were dyed with expensive saffron dye.

However, because those restrictions didn’t apply to inner linings or undergarments, wealthy commoners and low-ranking samurai families still found creative ways to incorporate these colors into their clothing.

On a side note: This is a good article on how silly sumptuary regulations got during the Edo period. Things like roof beam length, gold leaf decoration on household goods, and clothing materials could get you arrested.

+ On the other end of the spectrum, garments dyed blue using indigo were always a safe choice for the masses, from the lower ranks of samurai to the very bottom rungs of Edo society.

Indigo was inexpensive and could be used to produce a large variety of blue shades which, combined with the right materials and patterns, decorations, or embroideries could make up garments from the cheapest everyday kimono of a farmer to the fine silks of a wealthy merchant’s wife.

But, your choice of textiles could also easily oust you as a country bumpkin in the big city. Reportedly, even Edo’s teahouse girls laughed at samurai whose haori were lined in the cheap blue fabrics. (If I find the source again, there was an insult along the line of “blue sleeves”, but I don’t want to misquote it.)

+ There are no powered looms to produce textiles until after the Meiji restoration. The first powered looms are introduced to Japan in the 1870s but do not come into widespread use until the 1910s.

+ There is no domestic wool production during the Edo period: wool fabrics had to be imported, which made them expensive and rarely used. However, there is some wool use during the Edo period, specifically in samurai’s fire costumes (火事装束, kaji shozuku), obviously for practical reasons since wool is not as flammable as cotton or silk, and in travel cloaks. Wool becomes more common with the Meiji restoration, first to make Western-style uniforms and later to produce general Western-style clothing for those who could afford it.

(How did you stay warm and dry? Padded kimono (not unlike its modern cousin, the hanten jacket) and kamiko (paper fabrics). Here’s a neat article on kamiko. 44 notes - Posted May 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

69 notes - Posted June 19, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #I'm glad you guys like my history notes #excited to share more history stuff with everyone in 2023 #the tags though #this is definitely not a shinsengumi blog #i swear #never mind proof to the contrary

[archiveikemen]

Koihana Bakumeiroku Story Synopsis

I do not own any of the Koihana Bakumeiroku content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD and Animate. Please support them by downloading and playing the game.

read this before interacting with my posts

Due to an incident, you lost all your childhood memories.

You arrived at the new capital, Tokyo, alone after the death of your foster parents.

Just as you were admiring the spectacular cityscape, you found yourself caught up in a sudden confrontation with a man, and you had no choice but to pull out the knife you were given as a heirloom.

That man was the former officer in command of the Shinsengumi Third Company. Saito Hajime, current commander of the Meiji Government's Drawn-Sword Regiment (Battoutai).

"That fighting stance... are you from Aizu? No wonder you have that domineering look in your eyes."

After meeting him, you started having more interactions with the Meiji Government. And as you grew closer to Kirino Takayoshi and Katsu Kaishu, you found out about the existence of the Shikabito, a threat to the Meiji Government.

While investigating a case regarding the Shikabito, Ii Naosuke appeared, leading the new Tokugawa Army. That man was supposed to have been dead.

Next to him was a former member of the Shinsengumi, Toshizo Hijikata.

The Meiji New Government Forces led by Takamori Saigo also got involved, causing a three-way conflict...

"Even if it means that I will die and rot away in obscurity... I will definitely walk this path with you. — For you are my destiny."

Amidst the blazing flames of war, you risked your life and fell in love with him.

To live for love, or to die for it?

This is the start of a turbulent love story!

#koihana bakumeiroku #ikemen series #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #otome #cybird x animate #koibaku misc

[shinsengumi-archives]

Shinsengumi

This site appears to be a Rurouni Kenshin fan blog, but it provides a good overview of the Shinsengumi’s history. It’s no longer available, so I’ve added it to the archives:

--------

Historical Background

After the arrival of Commodore Perry, Japan was thrown into chaos and fear. Many samurais, especially those of lower ranks, began to doubt the power of the Shogunate in defending the country against foreign powers, especially when they had seen the armed blackships. The slogan "Sonno-Joi" (Revere the emperor, dispel the barbarians) was winning more and more support, such that samurais desert their hans to come to Kyoto to join the revolutionary movements. (In those days deserting your hand can be one of the most condemned sins - once you desert, you can never return to it, on pain of death.)

Such roshis (masterless samurais, but not ronins and definitely not rurounis:)) increased in Kyoto, causing more and more disturbances at the capital. In those early days of unsatisfied feelings, most of the roshis still did not have a clear idea of what movement or who they should follow. All they knew was that they were impatient and eager to do something to defend Japan. There were myriads of schools of thought - Sonno-joi, open up the country to learn from the gaijin and in turn attacked them using the same technologies, support the Bakufu - as Watsuki once remarked, it was an era where 100 people may hold 100 different arguments and you can't say who's wrong. It's one factor which makes this era as tumultuous and interesting as it is. The Bakufu decided that it would be to their advantage if they took such roshis without any stand yet into their service, rather than letting them roam about the capital. Hence, Roshi-tais (bands of wave samurais) were formed and roshis enlisted under respective Bakufu samurais, where the "entry requirements" were one's sword skills (kenjutsu matches, something like an exam, were held.) This happened in 1863 or 3rd Year of Bunkyuu, one year after Kaoru's birth.

(Right, shift the scenes for a while...) Now in the district of Tama near Edo, there was a kenjutsu dojo, the Shieikan, practising the Tennen Rishin Ryuu. The master was one Kondou Isami, and among the students are Hijikata Toshizou, Okita Souji and Inoue Genzaburou. These four were like brothers, with Okita as the youngest and also the strongest. There were also many frequenters at the dojo who take their meals there (like Sano frequenting the Kamiya Dojo), among them Yamanami Seisuke, Harada Sanosuke and Nagakura Shinpachi. When Kondou and Hijikata heard of the formation of Roshitais in Kyoto and being the patriotic hunks that they were, they went to Kyoto with a few other disciples of Tennen Rishin Ryuu (including all of the above named), leaving the dojo in the care of Hijikata's elder brother.

In Kyoto, they were enlisted under Kiyokawa Hachirou, after passing the "entry requirement exams". 13 roshis, including Kondou and Co, were appointed "Kyoto Defenders" by Matsudaira Katamori, the Daimyo of Aizu.

Now, although Kiyokawa acted in public like a pro-Bakufu, he was actually on the other side. What he wanted to do was to gather a troupe of roshis in the name of the Bakufu, BUT to train these roshis to be Ishin Shishis - ironic, isn't it? He had planned with the other Shishis to attack the gaijin settlement at Yokohama, setting fire to the buildings and killing the foreigners, so that the Bakufu's foreign diplomacy, as well as their image, would plummet as low as it could get. The Shogunate had news of this, however, and they sent assassins to elimainate Kiyokawa on 13/4, 3rd year of Bunkyuu, before their plan could be carried out. After that, Kondou and co. insisted on supporting the Shogunate, and they set up the Shinsengumi, with 13 members. (Actually there are other developments before this happened, but then it was so complicated that I've given up trying to figure it out. Help, anyone?) It was then that the kanji "Makoto" was chosen as the group flag. There were some arguments on this: Kondou insisted on "Makoto", while Serizawa on "Ryu" (Dragon). (from one historical novel) The first committee was as follows:

Joint Captains: Serizawa Kamo(character model for Shishio), Kondou Isami, Niimi Nishigi Vice Captains: Hijikata Toshizo (character model for Aoshi), Yamanami Keisuke At this point, several new members joined in, including Saitou Hajime.

First Internal Turbulence

You may have noticed by now that the Shinsengumi now comprises mainly of Kondou's men. Needless to say, they were the souls of the Shinsengumi from the start to the end - 'cos they are the more powerful. ("This is a world where the strong survive and the weak perish...") Anyway, Serizawa Kamo wasn't quite an impressive piece of goods. He was famous for wielding an iron fan as a weapon and frequented brothels, killed people at whims, got drunk and got all the more impertinent, while using his power as "Captain of the Shinsengumi" to cover up his wrongs all the time. This caused the birth of the nickname, Mibu Wolf: the troupe first gathered at a village called Mibu, so Roshis of Mibu -> Mibu-ro but this became Wolves of Mibu -> Mibu-ro. The troupe was despised throughout Kyoto. It was the last straw for Kondou and Hijikata when Serizawa summoned a prostitue to the hostels of the Shinsengumi - they were men of high morale and held fast to the codes of samurais.

On the other hand, Niimi wasn't much better off. As the troupe was travelling to Kyoto, a fire broke out at the inn that they were staying, and Kondou had taken all the blame for negligence. He was further mocked by Niimi and Serizawa. A few weeks later, however, Hijikata and the others uncovered the truth: Niimi and Serizawa were demanding some discount (or some other luxurious services) from a certain shop-tender, who declined to obey them as their demands were just too ridiculous. Angered, the two of them fired a cannon - which travelled with the troupe and was being kept in the inn's store - at the shop. They blundered somewhere, however, and the inn was plundered in fire. Hijikata managed to uncover enough evidence to convict Niimi only, however, and he ruled Niimi to commit seppuku. After which the hostility between Serizawa and Kondou became more intense. Finally, on 18/9/1863, Serizawa and other corrupted members were assassinated by a special killer group, comprising of Inoue, Yamanami, Toudou, Harada and Okita. (Refer to RK chapter on Udou Jine - he was supposed to be one of the corrupted members, but of course he doesn't really exist. His sword skills do, though.)

Well, members came and went, usually by decapitations and commiting seppuku. After the Serizawa affair, Kondou and Hijikata were determined to keep up the qualities of their members, so not only was the "entry exams" made more difficult (more notes on this later), any members found guilty of doing something which stain the "way of samurais" was decapitated, assassinated or ordered to commit suicide. (Refer to Saitou's quote when fighting Kenshin in Kamiya Dojo: "The first rule of Shinsengumi - never do anything that stain the way of samurais!")

I got this from a historical novel: Roshis who wish to join the Shinsengumi would have to fight other candidates in the same "intake", fighting the matches using shinais (bamboo swords). The stronger ones would usually be required to fight some of the more accomplished Shinsengumi members, usually Saitou (who joined the Shinsengumi later), Nagakura or Toudou. The referee for these matches would usually be Okita. Actual selections of new members were done by Hijikata and Yamanami.

Their Job

Essentially, the Shinsengumi was a police troop, patrolling the streets of Kyoto and keeping the peace. They vowed to protect Kyoto with their swords. In the heat of the Ishin movements, Shishis flowed over to Kyoto to plot the downfall of the Shogunate. Add the radical actions of the Shishis, such as setting fires to the gaijin's abodes (this was done by Takasugi Shinsaku, Katsura Kogorou/Kido Koin. Takasugi is the guy who set up the Kiheitai, and in RK, the guy who first introduced Kenshin to Katsura.), and it made roshis other than Shinsengumi, especially those who'd deserted their hans, very suspicious and dangerous persons in Kyoto. So if you cannot produce a satisfactory identity, i.e. your name and your han when questioned by the Shinsengumi members, chances are that you'd be cut down at once. To quote Kenshin, in the Bakumatsu times, Kyoto was a hell where people died and blood flowed every single day. This made the Shinsengumi feared by many indeed, especially Hijikata, for he was strict and merciless, both when it comes to punishments and cutting down suspicious persons.

Their favourite combat style was many-against-one(or a few), and this became more evident as the size of the Shinsengumi increased. If the first layer of Shinsengumi members surrounding suspicious persons got cut down, further layers of members will converge on them, until they are totally exhausted and cut down. Quoting Kaoru and Kenshin, "but isn't that a coward's way, to have many on one?" Well, their main aim was to ensure the peace of Kyoto, so the method's not so important to them."

The Ikeda-ya Affair (June 1864, First Year of Genji)

Finally. This is the turning point of the career of the Shinsengumi. The essentials of what happened are covered in RK #93 and in one of the Flashbacks in the current chapter, if I'm not mistaken. (I've seen only the translations and not the mangas.) I'm just adding that most of the killed Shishis are from Choshu and Tosa. It was after this affair that the Shinsengumi became national heroes overnight. However, the affair costed Okita a heavier price than anyone bargained for... (see section on Okita for more info)

A More Organized Structure

As the group's name struck admiration nationwide, it's size increased so rapidly and large (300 strong at its peak) that a more thorough, detailed committee was called for. Following is a list, though I don't know how to translate some of the posts properly... please help anyone who has any idea!!

Captain (Commisioner? I don't know what to call him): Kondou Isami Vice Captain: Hijikata Toshizo *char. model for Shinomori Aoshi Military/Strategems Advisor: Itou Kashitarou (head of literatures/records(?)

Captains of the 10 battle/patrol troops:

1st: Okita Souji (instructor in Kenjutsu) *char. model for Seta Soujirou

2nd: Nagakura Shinpachi (instructor in Kenjutsu)

3rd: Saitou Hajime (instructor in Kenjutsu)

4th: Matsubara Tadaji (instructor in Jujitsu)

5th: Takeda Kanryuusai (instructor in military strategies) *char. model for Takeda Kanryuu

6th: Inoue Genzaburou

7th: Tani Sanjyuurou (instructor in spearing skills)

8th: Toudou Heisuke

9th: Suzuki Mikisaburou

10th: Harada Sanosuke *char. model for Sagara Sanosuke

Head of sentries/spies: Yamazaki Susumu *char. model for Henya (His job was to keep an eye on the members' conduct, sort of like a disciplinary master, besides being a spy to make sure of the coast before an important operation. Kondou and Hijikata relied and had a lot of faith in him) (?no idea what his job is, except the JP word is souchou)Yamanami Keisuke (same post as above) a lot of those but the most famous among them was Shimada Kai who was a big muscular man *char. model for Anji

Kondou Isami (Captain)

Originally son of a rich peasant farmer, his original name was Miyakawa Katsuta. He was adopted by the former master of Shieikan Dojo, Kondou Shuusai, at the age of 16. His katana was the Nagasone Kotetsu (yep, the one used by Soujirou which was cracked by Kenshin), length 2'3"5.

According to most sources, he was a rigid man, loyal to the moral codes of a swordsman. Had a wife, and his daughter Tamako was born just before he went over to Kyoto. After the utter defeat of the Shinsengumi in then Boshin War, he was captured by the Ishin Army, who had now become the "legal" government army - after Shogun Yoshinobu's resignation, the situation took a complete reverse, so now it is the Shinsengumi who are outlaws. Kondou was decapitated on 25/4/1868 at the age of 35.

Hijikata Toshizo (Vice Captain)

The drug powder which Saitou tried to sell to Sanosuke in the guise of Fujita Gorou is the Ishida Sanyaku, a formula which had been in Hijikata's family for generations. It was used frequently in the Shinsengumi for battle wounds and broken bones. In fact, when Hijikata was a child, also son of a farmer (about 11 years old), he was something like Sanosuke, fighting and brawling all day. Then his elder sister married into a household of decent name, and his brother-in-law arranged for him to become a door-to-door medicine seller, selling the Ishida Sanyaku. It was then that he met young Kondou.

Hijikata was feared by many for his mercilessness. Nicknamed "The Demon of Shinsengumi". Can't find the JP name of his katana, though it's of length 2'8". Master strategist and tactician who stretched the prowess of the Shinsengumi to its maximum.

One of the Shinsengumi iron rules was that any traitors, including deserters, had only one path to take: COMMIT SEPPUKU. Yamanami was one such deserter. (See section on Yamanami for more.) After Yamanami split his bowels, he was decapitated by another member of the Shinsengumi, the whole process overseen by Hijikata. I must stress that Hijikata knew Yamanami ever since their Shieikan days, so feel the guy's cold-bloodedness. However, according to Watsuki, in the historical novel 'Moeyoken' (Burning Sword) by Shiba Ryotarou, Hijikata was acting the way he did because he realized that he *was* a leader and could not afford to be soft, though he *did* bring it to the extreme. In that novel, 'he chose to play the part of a demon in front of everybody and killed those he loved, and cried alone in the dark', to quote from Watsuki in his comments about Aoshi. As a leader, he had to be firm and set a good example for his followers regardless of what he actually felt. I'm sure he's hurting beneath his seemingly cold-blooded facade, after all, they were childhood friends. Perhaps Aoshi keeps his own feelings to himself for the same reason? After all, Hijikata *was* the character model for Aoshi! :)

After the group's defeat in the Boshin War and the death of Kondou, he joined Enomoto Takeaki (a former Bakufu Navy official), escaped to Hokkaido and proceeded to build a so-called "Hokkaido Republic" in order to continue fighting the Ishin government. However, Hijikata was shot to death in a battle in 1869, 2nd Year of Meiji, aged 35. Watsuki's favorite historical figure. And according to many sources including Watsuki, a handsome total knock-out...

Itou Kashitarou (Military Advisor)

This guy just can't seem to merge in with Kondou and the others because of the different way they see things. He had a lot of followers in Shinsengumi, for he was a scholar-type fellow and was able to explain his beliefs (tending to Sonno-joi) to the others and even persuade them to support his views. Finally things got to a head, Itou and his followers, including Saitou, packed up and resigned from the Shinsengumi. He was quite popular among some of the Shinsengumi members, which was why as many as 15 people packed up and went with him. Yamanami's death sentence played a part as well - see section on Yamanami on this.

But wait! Saitou's departure with him was actually Hijikata's trap, where Saitou was sent as a spy! By and by Saitou gained Itou's trust while relaying messages back to Hijikata, until finally Saitou assassinated the former advisor, and rejoined the Shinsengumi... Saitou was really a very important personnel in the Shinsengumi, ne?

Okita Souji (Captain of the 1st Troop)

Probably the best-known and popular Shinsengumi figure. Another handsome total knockout, besides being a child prodigy at kenjutsu - he joined Kondou's dojo at 9, and was an accomplished swordsman at 15 or so. Former name Soujirou, (yes, it's true!) the sword he used is the one used by Soujirou in his last battle with Kenshin, the Kikuichi Norimune, length 2'4"2.

Strongest swordsman in the Shinsengumi, he yields a katana, bokken and shinai equally well. Famous for his "3-piece thrust" - 3 thrusts delivered so quickly at the opponent, usually at the neck and the right and left shoulders. Like Saito, this technique was improvised from the one invented by Hijikata.

Tragedy struck, though, for Okita contracted Tuberculosis, an incurable disease in those times, shortly after the formation of the Shinsengumi. He coughed up blood several times, though he would not let the others know. During the Ikeda-ya affair, however, his situation suddenly spiraled down (perhaps because of the cold night and the vicious battle), and fainted after he coughed up a shocking amount of blood. It was then that Kondou and Hijikata knew of his disease, and even by then the doctor had already predicted that he would not live long. Both were distressed over this, for they were like elder brothers to Okita (did I mention that Kondou was 10 years Okita's senior, and Hijikata 9?). However, all 3 agreed that news of Okita's disease should not be widely known, lest it dragged down the members' morale.

After the Boshin war, Okita went into a tuberculosis hospital in Edo. He passed away on 30/5/1868, First year of Meiji, aged 25.

Nagakura Shinpachi (Captain of the 2nd Troop)

Not much that I can find about this guy - only that when Okita fell sick, Nagakura sometimes commanded both the 1st and 2nd patrol. He deserted his han to come to Kyoto. After the Ishin government was set up, he was granted pardon to return to his han, and changed his name to Sugimura Yoshie. In the 15th year of Meiji (1882), he went over to Hokkaido and became a kendo instructor in a prison there, the same prison Anji went to... (wonder if they'll meet each other there?) Nagakura resigned after several years, and built some graves for his former friends in the Shinsengumi. He later wrote a book on his Shinsengumi days, which seemed to be the main factor of his fame. Nagakura passed away in January 1915, 4th year of Taisho at the age of 76.

Saitou Hajime (Captain of the 3rd Troop)

Saitou Hajime seems to have struck second fame in Japan following his appearance in RK! There are certainly a lot of info about him on the web. Seems to be a mysterious guy even in real life... Also, everything about him that came out in RK (except Shishio and Kenshin, of course) is real history. I got a shock there!

Right. First of all, his origins seems a bit obscure. One theory is that he's the son of a ronin. Another says he hailed from Edo, son of a Bakufu official, and that he'd come to Kyoto after accidentally killing a person in Edo. Yet another claims that he's a son of the 12th Shogun?! and yet another says that he was a spy of the Aizu han placed in the early Roshitai. Talk about a mystery guy. His name, Hajime (meaning "one" or "start" as in another kanji") was because that he was born on the 1st day of the 1st month, though there are other reports as to his birthday.

He entered the Shinsengumi "sponsored" by the Aizu han, under the name of Yamaguchi Jirou, when he served as one of Hijikata's assistants. His most powerful sword skill is the "Left-hand single thrust" (but *not* Gatotsu, that's Watsuki-san's creation), this skill is even more destructive than Okita's 3-piece thrust! In fact, Saitou, together with Okita and Nagakura, were hailed as the 3 strongest swordsman of the Shinsengumi. Saitou assassinated a lot of corrupted Shinsengumi members. Eg, Itou Kashitarou and co., Takeda Kanryuusai and others. And yeah, Aku.Zoku.San was no invention of Watsuki - it was a motto of the whole Shinsengumi!

He was also a great drinker! The creator of one Shinsengumi website stated that "he's a different person when drunk", (I'm not sure whether this refers to "I desire to kill once I'm drunk"). In fact, he finally passed away because of a stomach ulcer, caused by excessive drinking. Unfortunately, I still can't verify that he smokes all the time, or that his favorite food is soba... help, anyone? Saitou's wife, Takagi Tokio, was the daughter of an important Aizu official - in fact,the middle-man was none other than the Daimyo of Aizu himself! They (Saitou and Takagi Tokio) were married in the 6th year of Meiji (1873), and their first son, Tsutomu was born in the 9th year (1876).After the Ishin government was formed, he changed his name and worked as a kendo instructor in a university. In 1877, the 10th year of Meiji, he joined thepolice troop with permission of carrying a sword to fight in the Seinan War, the one where Saigo Takamori rebelled against the Meiji government in Satsuma. Saitou did this under the name of Fujita Gorou. After which he became a spy directly responsible to the Police Commissioner, Kawaji Toshiyoshi. (I was really shocked at this one... Watsuki can really interweave fact and fiction!)

Saitou worked as a guard of a museum in Tokyo when he was quite a senior citizen. After his retirement, he seemed to spend a lot of time thinking. Pity I can't understand his grandchild's remarks in the Japanese homepage. Anyway, Saitou passed away on 27/9/1915, 4th year of Taisho, at the ripe old age of 72.

Takeda Kanryuusai (Captain of the 5th Troop)

Watsuki's pretty much covered everything there is about this guy in his comments about Takeda Kanryuu. He was learned in military strategies and practiced medicine. A homosexual. Not an impressive piece at all - he sucked up to those in power and bullied those beneath him, and often outstepped his boundaries by throwing his weight around. What made him so exceptionally despicable was that he betrayed the Shinsengumi to team up with the Satsuma Ishin Shishis, just because of the benefits and profits. Finally assassinated by Saito.

Harada Sanosuke (Captain of the 10th Troop)

According to Watsuki and the historical novels I've been through, he's almost the same as Sagara Sanosuke. Liked to brawl, short-tempered and simply loved a fight. His favourite weapon was the spear. According to Watsuki, before he joined Kondou, Harada was the servant of some bushis, and this lowly status caused him to have a weak side at times. However, he really took care of those under him. (Really manly...) He was also a man who didn't like to fuss, and did things the way he saw it. Kinda like those "tai-kos" (like Cheng E-Kin) in those gangster movies.

One interesting point here: the members of the Shinsengumi frequented the brothels (hey they *were* humans with biological needs too! Just that Serizawa was carrying it way too far) but they seldom attached themselves to the girls, to take them as their legal wives. Harada married his girl, however - something surprising considering his personality, for in those days, you had the choice of *not* marrying a girl even if you'd slept with her.

After he broke up with the others following the Shinsengumi defeat in the Bushin War, he joined the Shogitai, the same troop in which Yahiko's late father also took part. Harada died in the Ueno War. According to other sources, however, he survived the war and stowed-away to Manchuria, China, where he became a bandit.

Yamanami Seisuke [Keisuke] (Gochou)

The guy deserves a special note. He tended towards Sonno-Joi as time went on, and was thus isolated by Kondou and Hijikata. He suddenly escaped from the Shinsengumi (perhaps because he couldn't take the pressure of doing things he didn't feel right and being isolated anymore?) in 1864 (or 65), which made him a traitor, only to be caught by Okita before he could go far enough. He was sentenced to commit seppuku, and died at 29. I understand from the novel that Okita faced some anguish here - Yamanami was one of the earliest members of Shinsengumi. Okita and the others had known him since their Shieikan days. Okita was in despair because he had a choice of letting Yamanami go, but he chose duty when it came to a choice between "duty" and "passion". And from we get a glimpse at how merciless Hijikata can be when it comes to punishments, for the sentence was imposed by him. The harsh sentence imposed on Yamanami invoked the other members' dissatisfaction, because Yamanami was a gentle, honest man, and many thought that Hijikata was being too harsh. This was also one of the factors which caused 15 members to pack up and go with Itou.

#shinsengumi #Bio

[koshoe]

i've heard fruits basket is good!! and i haven't watched any 😭

who would you say are your favourites from all of them?

- your animanga secret santa

oh noo, if u want u can check my anilist for other series and charas !! it's linked on my blog !! and u should definitely watch furuba and read the manga !!!!! its so good i cry every episode HFDKSFD

ooo let me list them out for u:

furuba: i love the main trio the most but sohma yuki especially he's the loml of my life

daiya: sawamura eijun !!!!!! my pride and joy T__T and okumura koushuu !!! my other baby <33 i also ship them together a lot !!

gintama: oh man i love too many characters from gintama HFDJKSFD my favorite is okita sougo though !!! i also really love the yorozuya, the shinsengumi, the joui 4, kamui, etc etc i'll stop before i name the whole cast LMAO honestly tho u could probably pick anyone i love all of them LMAHFDJKFD

lmk if u need to know anything else !!! hope ur having a good one <33

#secret santa #ask #ss 2022

[corpsekiller]

𝐜𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 — 𝐭.𝐡𝐢𝐣𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐭𝐚

𝖯𝖠𝖨𝖱𝖨𝖭𝖦. toushirou hijikata x fem!reader

𝖶𝖠𝖱𝖭𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖲. fluff, cigarettes, mentions of alcohol and scars

𝖲𝖸𝖭𝖮𝖯𝖲𝖨𝖲. hijikata is so busy with work, he forgets to call you after a date. when you meet again, you finally coax him into taking a much needed break from keeping the shinsengumi under control and protecting edo.

𝖠𝖴𝖳𝖧𝖮𝖱'𝖲 𝖭𝖮𝖳𝖤. another little thing i wrote during my study breaks! although I'm more of a simp for gintoki, i couldn't help myself and had to write something for my favorite shinsengumi💕 definitely check out some other gintama blogs, i've found some amazing pieces there!

𝖫𝖤𝖭𝖦𝖳𝖧. 976 words

MASTERLIST

"Cigarette?" The sudden sound of his gruff voice startles you, empty pack slipping out of your freezing hands in surprise before you swiftly turn around to face whoever decided to sneak up on you so rudely in the middle of the night. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

Hijikata approaches you with unfaltering steps, a cigarette hanging loosely from his pursed lips and another one rolling between his calloused fingers already stretched into your direction for you to take. The first two buttons of his shirt are undone, his white collar exposes more skin than usual and you can't help but let your curious eyes follow the shadows of his delicate collarbones in the pale lighting of the moon that reaches for the two of you.

"Oh, look who decided to bless me with his presence," you mumble with a sly grin as you take his offer and snatch the cigarette from his grasp, silently asking for a light with an arched brow.

Sighing heavily, Hijikata searches his pockets for his own lighter and carefully holds the flickering flame to your lips until you can take a lazy drag and watch the smoke rise to the darkened sky. "You seem tired, Toshi. I haven't seen you in a while, thought you might call after our third date."

There's no anger behind your words, nothing accusatory nor threatening, only concern glimmering vividly in your enticing eyes when you finally lift your gaze to meet his.

Still, guilt begins to claw at his mind and gnaw at his heart at the sight of you, casually leaning against the wall of the bar you've been drinking in only a few minutes ago — you are so beautiful, fucking angelic underneath the stars and the whole universe surrounding this little planet, he almost feels unworthy of standing next to you.

The scent of your sweet perfume traces over his clothing and curls around his feet stuck in heavy leather boots, tempting him to take a step closer and pull you flush against his sturdy chest.

He doesn't.

Instead, Toushirou only bows his head and stares at the ground with embarrassed determination, a deep blush evident on his pale cheeks. Heat surges through every cell of his being as you considerately rest your hand on his tense shoulder, icy fingertips brushing over the warm skin of his exposed neck and fiddling with the collar of his shirt, carefully smoothing out the small wrinkles in the fabric.

It's a small gesture full of affection and god, does his body cave at your touch, so tender and gentle as if he might break, should your hold on him become too harsh.

“I’m sorry,” Hijikata rasps after a while and lets the gleaming stump of his burnt cigarette drop in the mud. He is tired, you’re awfully right, but he can’t just take a break from work, and leaving Kondo and Sougo unsupervised with the rest of the Shinsengumi for more than five minutes makes nausea bloom in the pit of stomach.

That is impossible, nearly unthinkable and he’s absolutely certain, Edo wouldn’t survive any longer if he’d let these two out of his sight for even the smallest amount of time.

They are more of a hazard to society than its protector and maybe, maybe that’s the reason why he can’t get a decent amount of sleep at night. Though now that Hijikata thinks about it, he'd rather spend his time with you than playing babysitter for two grown men but life doesn't always go as planned.

“Toshi.” His name rolls of your tongue like a prayer, soft-spoken and comforting in a strange way that makes him want to curl against your chest and rest for an eternity, safe and sound in your arms engulfing his broad frame and taking the weight of the world away, just for a fleeting moment. That’s all he wants. “I understand that you’re a busy man and I don’t expect a lot, but you have to take care of yourself. Please.”

The palm of your hand glides over his arm and reaches his own, fingers intertwining as you speak to him, cigarette already burnt to the filter and long forgotten on the ground between your feet. "Work isn't everything and it would be nice to believe that you could spare two minutes to relax... or call me."

“I know, I know,” he replies with a pensive shake of his head. “I should really take a day off once in a while, shouldn’t I?” A smile brightens your features at his thoughtful statement, head vigorously nodding along with each syllable of his words.

Your thumb caresses the back of his hand, draws small circles over his knuckles until you loosen your grasp seconds later, and delicately wrap your fingers around his arm instead, bringing his wrist to your lips to press a chaste kiss to his skin, right where he’s shown you a battle scar on your second date. His pulse flutters excitedly under the sensation of your lips on the inside of his wrist and he has to bite back a small groan at the loss of contact when you pull back.

“Come with me, Toshi. Let me take care of you for one day and then you can go back to work, you need some time off.” A reluctant tug on his black sleeve follows your offer and soon enough, he finds himself trailing after you like a lost puppy, seeking your warmth with a small smile tugging on the corners of his mouth.

Slowing your pace, you throw a glance over your shoulder and wait patiently until he’s caught up to you. Without a second thought, he takes your hand and although a part of him fears what the Shinsengumi might do without him around, he can’t wait to spend some time with you.

#gintama #gintama x reader #hijikata x reader #hijikata toushirou #toushiro #toushirou hijikata #hijikata imagine #okita sougo #gintama imagine #kondou isao #toushirou hijikata x reader #gintama hijikata #hijikata

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - Toshizou Sakura Epilogue

This is my first post of the month, so I’ll start by asking you to please support me if you can through my ko-fi, and paypal or patreon which provides access to my hakuoki blog translations and early access to my postings. Also, please let me know if you have any hakuoki drama cds that you’d be willing to share that are on my Lookout List since i either do not have audio for those cds or do not have audio that I can share.... and if you are able to remove watermarks from a video, please contact me.... 

originally translated this on account of me wanting to ignore Kyoka-Roku, which will be pushed back yet another year. unfortunately (or fortunately? hahaha) i can’t discount the possibility of that happening again since im now shifting most of my focus onto yuugiroku because of the English patch... though im not sure what I’ll be translating next since im still in the middle of moving what ive already done onto the spreadsheet from my scheduled posts, and that is going to take quite a while im since editing them as i go. 

anyway, this is my translation of Toshizou’s sakura epilogue 『 恋染めし日』  from the 2nd yuugiroku game. the timing for these are all over the place given what I know of the games... and this one definitely happens after the last Tsukikage no Shou chapter for Hijikata since Chizuru’s name in that is “Yukimura Chizuru” while this has her with a change in surname... whereas the one for Kazama happens some time after Reimeiroku’s ending since it occurs while they’re still in Edo, while Saito’s is definitely before his last Ginsei no Shou chapter, and Harada’s is likely sometime before his last Edo Blossom chapter. Not sure about Souji’s aside from how it’s after they’re married (though im assuming it’s before his last tsukikage chapter given my vague recollection of it), and I have no idea about Heisuke’s since I don’t have tl for it.

images used in this post are my snips of my vita capture.

ALSO I FINALLY GOT MY FIRST VACCINE (i’m in a low priority age group, don’t live in a hot spot, and 2 of the appointments i made were cancelled by the pharmacies i booked them at so it took a while)!!!!!! 

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - Toshizou Epilogue

Translation by KumoriYami

Regardless if it was my responding to Toshizou-san. Or if it was Toshizou-san's voice responding to me. As our conversation unfolded, our voices gradually became quieter.

After a while, our words stopped as they became unnecessary/were no longer necessary.......

Without even realizing it, we were sitting against the sakura tree.

Hijikata:.......

Chizuru:......

A relaxing and serene silence.

As if to fill in the empty gap left by our conversation, a gentle wind blew the sakura.

We sat under the rain of sakura that was falling like snow, and the first to break the silence/open his mouth was Toshizou-san.

Hijikata: We were talking for a while/ We've talked for a while.

Chizuru: Yes, quite some time has passed......

Compared to when we started talking, I noticed that the shadow of the sakura tree had become longer and that the sun’s position had changed. 

Perhaps because the direction of the wind had changed, the smell of the sakura became more refreshing.

Chizuru: The wind's gotten colder, so should we be going home soon?

I brushed my sleeves and stood up. Then, I gently smiled as I extended my hand to Toshizou-san, who was still sitting against the tree.

A moment later, Toshizou-san grabbed my hand——

Hijikata:.......Don't go.

Chizuru: Eh? Kyaa!?

As if to show the depth of his feelings, he strongly pulled me, causing me to fall into Toshizou-san's embrace.

Toshizou-san caught me as I fell, and let out a small sigh.

Chizuru: To-Toshizou-san!?

Hijikata: Don't go yet...... Can you stay here for a bit longer?

Toshizou-san's sigh and his words in my ear were full of affection and a bit of loneliness.

Chizuru: Wh-What's wrong, Toshizou-san?

Hijikata: Nothing in particular. It's just when I saw this sakura tree....... I felt as if you'd be going far away.

Chizuru: I, I see.

In this sort of position, I wasn't able to remain calm.

Feeling the sturdy chest of the man behind me, I felt a bit restless, though Toshizou-san surprisingly began to speak into my ear.

Hijikata:......Last night. I had a dream.

Chizuru: Was it perhaps/Could it be, a dream about the Shinsengumi/that it was a dream about the Shinsengumi......?

Hijikata: Yeah. It was different that the usual one. This one.......didn’t have you in it, Chizuru. Ikedya, the Hamaguri Incident, and also Toba-Fushimi. A Shinsengumi where you didn't exist/without you...... It was that sort of dream.

Chizuru:.......

Hijikata: That's why I was thinking. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here today.

As if to say that he didn't want to lose anything, his arms grasp on me became tighter.

From how painful his embrace was, I could feel Hijikata-san’s anxiety.

Hijikata: It's quite embarrassing. To think that the Shinsengumi's Demon Vice-Commander would become this upset over a single dream.

Chizuru:......Toshizou-san is no longer that Demon Vice-Commander. Rather, he’s my most important person, and Hijikata Chizuru's beloved husband.

Although I didn't know if he could see my face, I still smiled to assure him, and waited for Toshizou-san to react/-san's reaction.

Eventuallly, Toshizou-san sighed deeply, and blankly stared at the sakura.

Hijikata: Although I really like sakura, whenever I see them, I always end up thinking about what I've lost.

Chizuru:......I do too/ I have the same/similar thoughts.

Hijikata: But, there were things I received in return. 

——Before coming to this place, we lost a lot/many things.

This included our comrades, our home, and everything else that we had before.

One by one, each item of importance was lost.

As if to confirm what we were all that we had left in our hands, we tightened our hold on the other’s arms.

I looked up and was greeted by the sight of sakura in full bloom and Toshizou-san smiling.

Out bodies that were touching each felt as warm as the current season, when the snow began to melt.

Perhaps by feeling each other's warmth, doing so would be able to bring/would bring our hearts closer.

Hijikata:......I'm sorry to have said something so selfish/wilful. Let's hurry back now/We should go back now..

When we finally separated from each other, Toshizou-san bitterly smiled as he muttered.

So I said——

Continue chatting Bring this to an end <-

Chizuru: Y-Yes. Let's go home.

Seeing how I didn’t resist his words, Toshizou-san showed a mischievous smile.

Hijikata: Are you not able to stand up? Or do you want me to carry you on my back?

Chizuru: It, it’s fine......!

Driven by my urge to take his outstretched hand, I leaned on the sakura tree to stand up.

——Suddenly, my hair was fluttering in the wind.

The strong wind swept through the tree branches, and their petals instantly enveloped Hijikata-san's back while he began walking.

It looked as if Hijikata-san was going to be taken away by the sakura, so I hurriedly followed Hijikata-san.

In order to not lose sight of his back in the blizzard-like sakura, I walked towards him——.

----End---

...it snowed last friday so i was pretty happy watching it as it fell.

also im planning on reuploading a diff version of saito’s version of this later.

#hakuoki #hakuouki #hakuoki yuugiroku 2 #Hakuoki Game Translation #Hijikata Toshizou #Yukimura Chizuru

[ikemen-bully]

The Heroine’s Importance

I already posted this on my main blog but now that I have blog exclusively for otome game I rather keep it there.

Back then when Utapri and Hakuouki were the notorious reverse harems of their time, their heroines were as hated as the anime was loved. A weird phenomenon since they’re… the heroine of those shows.

Haruka Nanami was even the driving force of the show. In Utapri, which was an anime about music, she was the one with the idea that the boys should come together and become idols. She’s the reason why STARISH exists in the first place.

For Hakuouki, the case was a bit different. It was a historic anime where the warriors of the Shinsengumi were changed into bishonen (a bit in the similar fashion that Ikemen Sengoku is today) and even if it followed some real events, a plot about human experimentation and oni was also included.

In this story Chizuru Yukimura wasn’t the responsible of the Shinsengumi, but we could see the story through her eyes and assisted the evolution of the story through her.

Both did their job as the heroine. The story was enjoyable.

To me it was weird to try to dissociate the quality the anime with the quality of their heroine. If the heroine was this awful, how her presence didn’t ruin the anime for those who hated her?

Well obviously because of the boys, who were kind of the point of those anime. After all they were put forward, especially in Hakuouki, for a reason.

Still it was unfair to judge them so cruelly, so today in fandom, this behaviour is criticized.

Now we even get positivity for the heroine, such as putting them on an equal foot as the boys! Which is great!

But is it true?

I thought about doing this post because I thought of a short-lived trend in anime which revealed a certain behaviour in both the creators of those anime and their fandom.

“The heroine matter as much as the boys”

The anime which started this trend in my eyes was Amnesia.

In this story the heroine wakes up without her memories and her soul linked to a fairy, Orion, which collided with her and made her lose her memories this way.

It had an original concept, stunning visual, wonderful OST (an opening by Yanagi Nagi!), it looked mysterious and I was very curious about it.

To my dismay, the anime was boring to say the least. And it wasn’t because it was a reverse harem so it was to be expected. Utapri and Hakuouki had their flaws but they weren’t outright uninteresting.

The problem that was the most noticeable was the heroine which didn’t even have a name or a personality.

So as the anime can make you guess, the heroine has amnesia. She’s lost at the beginning of the anime, making this premise interesting. After all when a character has amnesia, one of the points of the story is to make them recover their memories.

Which means that the heroine will be a very important character, even more since everything is from her POV! Right? Right?

The heroine doesn’t evolve throughout the story. She’s merely there for the boys to be in love with her past self, the one before she had amnesia and even if she cares for them (as a heroine always has to do) she doesn’t really love any and just adapts to the one she’s supposed to love in the animated route.

I can’t say that the heroine of Amnesia is badly written since she’s barely written at all. She’s there to support the boys and forgive anything which happens to her. For example being harassed or get sequestrated in a cage :

Even in this situation where the love interest keep her in a cage, she care more about how much he does that to “protect her” :

.Except to protect herself from direct danger (and even like this she needs Orion to tell her to be careful because she can’t think for herself), she doesn’t care about her own well being as much as a normal human being would.

Brothers conflict have a simpler plot where the heroine’s father marries a woman who has 13 sons, making her their only step sister.

Different conflict with the brothers will arise and it’s already challenging to try to develop the characters when there’s 13 of them. With only 12 episodes, not all of them will fall in love with Ema? the heroine, but enough of them will, to make it as confusing as possible.

In this anime we meet the same kind of heroine as Amnesia, where the heroine doesn’t have much personality for herself. Or at least, the only noticeable personality traits of Ema is to love having a family which she will repeat at any given opportunity.

I really hated the guys in this anime for how egotistical they were as soon as they fall in love. Once again the heroine doesn’t crush on anyone, making them all forceful toward her.

Despite this, the heroine would somewhat express that she doesn’t want her relationship with them to turn romantic.

If anything the heroine’s main presence will be about how uncomfortable she is that her brothers try to seduce her.

But again, what matters the most is that they love her, not that she doesn’t return those feelings back and she even gets depressed over it :

A revelation is made about the heroine which will make her depressed about the whole situation, especially that her brothers fight over her.

But it won’t be used to develop her as a character or to make them aware of it. It’ll be used for a romantic moment with one of her love interest, who will kiss her even if he know how much it disturb her :

The heroine is kissed multiple times by attractive guys yes, but who she doesn’t love and explicitly rejects at the end of the anime.

And even if she gets kissed, the heroine is just worried about the situation of the family, not how herself is treated by them. She never says, “what about me? Why are you kissing me when all I want is for you to stop?” or anything similar. She cares about them more than she cares about herself.

And even though she’s supposedly uncomfortable by their behaviour, she doesn’t seem like that most of the time, just enthusiastic about having a family as usual.

At the end of the anime, a lot of people were upset that the heroine didn’t choose anyone. Why would she have to when we see how the guys act?

The behaviour of the boys

A thing that we can notice in all of this is that sometimes, the guys can be really awful to the heroine but as she doesn’t care about herself, she won’t hold any mistreatment toward her person against any of them. For example at the end of brothers conflict even when she reject one of the guys, “no” doesnt mean “no”.

But why are they authorized to be egoistic and possessive without any consequences? In brothers conflict, one of the guys even tries to rape her in her sleep and blame her for that :

But again despite this, I’ve never seen hate against this character, while, like it always happen, a lot of hatred is directed to Ema.

The guys are never hated for their actions because everything they do is depicted as being romantic (even if it definitely aren’t like the scene above) and it’s motivated by their love or their pain anyway.

“Love make them go crazy” because, after all, they can’t help it, they love the heroine so much that some accidents are bound to happen, like trying to undress her in her sleep or keeping her in a cage for her own good :

It’s just an accident! They can’t help it!

But sometime it can perfectly be a conscious choice but again, not shown as being cruel.

The last anime which has this tendency to not develop their main character at all was Diabolik Lovers, where Yui Komori gets stuck with 6 sadistic vampire who abuse her daily.

We enter in the kink theory here, and being masochist and finding the idea of bitten hot isn’t a problem. The problem is that in the story, Yui is blocked in this place and she obviously doesn’t enjoy to be the playthings of those men :

Each time she is bitten she expresses that she wants it to stop. But they don’t care. Because in Diabolik Lovers, Yui isn’t their love interest but their prey.

Again we have the same problem as the other heroines where she has no real personality beside caring about the boys above herself. In this case it’s even worse because the guys are predators who will hurt Yui without any second thoughts, but she acts like they are acquaintances . Despite all the abuse she goes through at their hands she goes to them to casually start a discussion which will always end up with her being abused :

The last time she interacted with him let’s see what happened :

Once again there’s a priorities on her interacting with the boys rather than making her behavior have any sense.

What is weird with this anime, in particular, is how much the heroine is blamed for not fighting back…while she can’t. They overpower her anyway.

But the guys aren’t hated for acting this way in the first place. Isn’t it odd? Yui is victim blamed and even if she suffers, we’re never shown the real impact that such daily abuse would have on her. She even worries about them at the littlest injury they can have :

While they’re the one hurting her :

Or if they ever care about her wound it’s because someone else did it to her and they feel entitled to her body, so they want to fight the other person :

Despite the statement that they’re equal, in anime such as these it’s not the case because the guys are given excuses for their bad behavior, while the heroine has to deal with it and put them above herself.

Still, they’re supposed to be equal so despite everything the heroine can end up to be liked… but in this context it is weird.

In the case of Yui who cares about her abuser no matter what, she gets praised for caring about the guys :

She cares about them without real explanation because all the interaction with her in the anime lead to abuse at some point. It can be the Stockholm Syndrome but it’s not depicted as anything else other than your usual heroine caring about the people around her, even if they abuse her.

As such, people tend to praise her for what she’s designed to do : putting them above her.

She even gets shipped with those who torment her and the self destructive attitude she has to help them no matter how much they hurt her is glorified.

If she is loved, if she matters, why should she be paired with those who hurt her the most?

They don’t lash out to her because they’re upset, it’s a behaviour that they consciously do like above with the cage. You can’t possibly “accidentally” put someone in a cage because you’re “protective”.

But at the end even if the heroine “matters as much as the boys” there’s a priority on them being healed by her rather than her own well being. Even if Yui gets traumatized, it doesn’t matter as much as the trauma of the guys and her neglecting herself for one of her abusers who won’t even care about her happiness, since all they want is to have her.

In the same way, it doesn’t matter that the heroine of Amnesia has been drugged and kept in a cage : Toma, the love interest, does it for her own good since she’s getting harassed and we have to be sad about how much he becomes insane for her sake. We shouldn’t worry how horrific the situation is for the heroine but try to understand him.

For Ema, we have to care about how much the guys have fallen for her and how much it puts a toll on them that she doesn’t reply to those feelings. It doesn’t matter that she shown no desire to be with any of them since the beginning, even when she finally rejects them, they can kiss her because they matter the most.

And in fandom space, her importance is still limited to her catering to the boys, and even if it’s supposed to be mutual love, they never care about her feelings to the point of respecting her.

It doesn’t matter what they do to her, she has to care for them despite anything. Those heroines are written as such, and the fandom accepts them this way too.

She doesn’t matter as much as they do, because if she was, her feelings would matter and she wouldn’t be written as being “caring” at the expense of herself.

You can say that since she’s the heroine, it’s normal that she cares about the boys, since the point of reverse harem is to have attractive boys first. And I would agree with that if it wasn’t so exaggerated.

Now not all reverse harems are written this way. There’s actually reverse harems where the heroine matters as much as the guys.

For example in Dance with Devils, Ritsuka, the heroine, constantly searches to know the truth which is hidden from her. It can seem foolish since it mostly puts her in danger though.

But to this, she also get rightly upset when one of the guys try to seduce her and something literally inexistent in reverse harem, she can even slap him for his misconduct! :

She can even get depressed about how manipulated she ends up to be. For this reason, she end up lashing out at one of the guys :

Her emotions matter and you have to remember that Dance with Devils was out around the same time than the second season of Diabolik Lovers :

The heroine of the anime above never had the right to be sad about their situation, their feelings weren’t pushed forward. They have no right to be sad or upset, just kind and caring and nothing else.

At the end of the anime, Ritsuka even received hate for the choice because it was about herself, not about her love interest.

Amnesia, Brothers Conflict and Diabolik Lovers heroine’s exist only to care for the boys while at least the ones of Dance with Devils exist to have the guys attracted to her but also to pursue her own goals.

As such, it’s a mistake to say that all the heroines matter as much as the boys because it can be factually wrong in the way they’ve been created.

I don’t like that the heroines are automatically hated for being the heroine, but I don’t think it’s fair to praise them just for this reasons either.

They all have been written with different level of writing and for differents purpose, one of them being only there for the guys and not the other way around.  For this reason, they should be judged differently, and people should accept that others will not like all of them.

Reverse Harem heroines are all different because the anime they are in have been done with different sake in mind. Reverse harem are like any other type of anime : with good and bad anime, good and bad protagonist.

And it would be better to accept this diversity than trying to frame all the heroine as the same.

Hopefully now the heroine’s tend to not be written that way anymore and tend to matter as much as the guys in the anime too.

#diabolik lovers #brothers conflict #amnesia memories #yui komori #ema hinata #heroine amnesia #Ritsuka tachibana #dance with devils

[mygintamagines2]

Hello! I have started Gintama not long ago and I’m absolutely in love with it, so I have been looking for blogs on Tumblr... Could I ask for some sfw and n/sfw HCs on being in a relationship with Hijikata? 👀

I’m so glad you like it T3T welcome to the family lol

Hijikata Toshirou

He’ll constantly urge you not to hang around him when he smokes. Even if you smoke too, he’ll urge you to stop. He doesn’t want you getting sick, and he doesn’t want to risk losing you too. He tries to keep you out of danger, and he will absolutely sacrifice himself for you. Not that he ever will need to, but the offers there. (a/n: sad start, sorry lol) 

Everybody in the Shinsengumi fawns over you, they think you’re cute because you somehow won their Demon Vice Chief’s cold heart. They definitely poke fun at him, and he’ll always blush and deny any claims about him. They’ll tell him that he’s softened up, and he’ll just huff and claim that they’re just saying that to piss him off.

Hijikata is very gentle with handling you. He puts great care into never gripping you too tightly. You can feel his admiration for you just by the way he touches you. It’s very sweet. However, he definitely puts a lot of effort into being gentle, because he’s naturally not. If you ask him to give you a massage, he’ll dig in his fingers so hard it feels like your muscle is being ripped out. He is good at it though! Your back pain is gone! When you’re in a position he doesn’t like, or if you’re in danger, he’ll grab you with a fierceness that you rarely feel.

Hijikata likes domestic activities together, like going to the grocery store, checking the mail, brushing teeth, and cooking. He’ll spend his off-days with you, running cute little errands in his cop car. He’ll never admit that he likes it as much as he does, but those are some of his favorite moments with you. Especially when something crazy happens.

He might do something embarrassingly out of character for you, like dress up and bring you roses. He loves you but he doesn’t like being so... flashy

NSFW//

He likes having sex in positions that optimize your closeness. He likes when you ride him, and he’s more than excited about basic, boring missionary. He likes the positions where he can look at you, and hold you properly in his arms. 

He likes kissing, and he thinks that it’s the best form of foreplay. If he’s feeling particularly agitated, he’ll settle for a long makeout sesh before he dives into the real action. He’ll hold your face in his hands, and if you prod him, let his hands roam around, gently feeling around.

He’s the type who likes picking you up. He’ll carry you bridal-style to the bed, and he’ll never drop you. He’s kinda bad at picking up on cues, and he’s bad at dirty talk, so you’ll need to paint it out to him exactly what you want, but he’s good at the execution.

If you suggest to put it in his butt, he’ll vehemently refuse, but if you coax him even a little bit, he’ll open up to the idea. I see him as the type to enjoy it, so if you want to dom him, he’s okay with that. He does want to be on top sometimes though, because he’s not really a bottom. 

I don’t see him being into anything too kinky. For him, sex is about expressing his passion, love, and admiration for you. He would never be rough with you, but if you expressed a desire for him to be rough with you, he will, and he will enjoy it. The gentle caressing of your skin becomes a tight hold on your neck. 

He smokes after sex.

#Hijikata Toshirou #hijikata toshirou x reader #gintama #gintama headcanons #gintama r18 #gintama x reader #gintama imagines

[imagine-gintama]

hey! im so happy to see a new blog pop up! can you do gintoki and hijikata pining over somebody? thank youu

I’m glad you’ve noticed my blog! Thank you! Here are you headcanons for pining Gintoki and Hijikata. ^^

Sakata Gintoki

Gintoki is definitely not the type to wear his heart on his sleeve, but when it comes to them, he gets a little more obvious, a spark behind his dead fish orbs if you will. Could you blame him though? They’re constantly plaguing his thoughts.

He isn’t very good at expressing his emotions with words either, hence he’s never really considered doing one of those “shoujo manga” confessions. He doesn’t want to look bad in front of them, stumbling around with his words and all.

Although he isn’t a fan of overly dramatic confessions, the thought of how he would communicate these feelings is always on the back of his mind. He doesn’t want to admire from afar forever.

When the person he’s pining for is nearby, Gintoki cant help but take in their actions and words like a sponge. It may appear as if he’s picking his nose again, but he’s properly paying attention to whatever it is they’re saying or doing in the moment. He’s wants to see that captivating smile stretching across their face, and hear their soothing voice flow into his ears.

It may not look like it from a surface level, but Gintoki is also quite insecure. Not so much about his looks, but whether or not the person he loved would want to be together. He himself understands best that he’s got a fair share of bad habits, which causes him to sometimes wonder if they’ll be happy with him.

Hijikata Toshirou

Hijikata’s a busy man, but when it comes to them, Hijikata tries his best to see them as much as possible, be it a change in his patrol route, or a “coincidence” when he takes a walk on his days off.

Hijikata, although he makes an effort to see them, tries his best to hide how he feels toward them, also limiting the amount of time he spends with them. Sure, he likes them, but he also doesn’t want people to target them as revenge against the Shinsengumi or, even worse, revenge against him.

For the same reason, Hijikata is hesitant in taking the next step and confessing as he wants them to be safe and happy. Hijikata isn’t sure if he can provide them with that. Sometimes Hijikata has the urge to simply say how he feels as he can protect them, but other times, Hijikata thinks they deserve better than to be with such a dangerous person.

He would never admit it, but Hijikata’s quite skilled in writing letters, able to put his feelings onto paper, but for some reason he’s considerable worse at saying them aloud. He’s caught himself absentmindedly writing about them, yet he doesn’t have the heart to throw those papers away.

Hijikata’s not as skilled in controlling his facial expressions as a certain silver wavy haired man, as his face would occasionally betray him. If they do something, like smile or laugh, or anything Hijikata finds cute or captivating, a small hint of a blush can be found on his face. Unfortunately, It goes away rather quickly, he is the Oni no Fukucho after all.

#gintama #gintama imagine #gintama imagines #gintoki #sakata gintoki #hijikata #hijikata toshirou #gintoki sakata #toshirou hijikata #anime #imagine #headcanon

[chickenswithsocks]

hey! how are you? now that i have free time i was thinking in start studying about the shinsengumi, and there is an autor who's very popular in that matter. i'm talking about romulus hillsborough, do you had the chance to read his book about the shinsengumi? cause' i've read some reviews and i'm not sure.

“Very popular” Haha, that’s right, cause he is the ONLY one who published a book about them in English! He would not be otherwise.

So H*llsborough does have... some useful info in his book, but as a historian he is SUPER BIASED. In general, he is heavily pro Satsuma-Choshu and pro Imperial court and whitewashes the Sonno Joui shishi’s actions a lot, while condemning the Shinsengumi. Instead of trying to look at the conflict from both sides and examine how they both did bad things he wants to point out a right side and a wrong side without supporting those claims with substantial evidence.

What does not help AT ALL, is that he doesn’t use footnotes properly, and is very inaccurate with sourcing. The man loves to write historical fiction, but he DOES NOT CLARIFY what parts of his book are historically accurate and which are just speculation or quotes from NOVELS about the shinsengumi. I’ll quote my friend @/hakuouki-history here:

“No proper footnoting, rarely acknowledging when he was referencing facts, rumours, or fiction. The book reads largely: “Someone said something like this about the Shinsengumi once, but I won’t tell you who.”

The Shinsengumi book bordered on dishonesty. For example, his book quotes throughout the writings of Shimosawa Kan, usually presented in-text as fact. Then buried at the very back of his book is this:

footnote.26 Kan Shimosawa’s Shinsengumi Shimatsuki (literally, Narrative of the Shinsengumi) has long been considered the definitive history of the Shinsengumi. Published in 1928 just before Hirao’s book, Shimosawa’s narrative is partially based on interviews with former corpsrnen and other people who had direct contact with the Shinsengumi. Shimosawa, however, was primarily a novelist. He began the preface of his book by stating, “It is not my intention to write history.” Some of his information has been repudiated by more recent studies, whose authors have enjoyed the benefit of over three-quarters of a century of subsequent scholarship unavailable to Shimosawa. Accordingly, like other early historical narratives of the Shinsengumi, Shimosawa’s work is best taken for what it’s worth, and relished for its portrayal of the spirit of the men of Shinsengumi rather than as a faithful history. Nevertheless, as certain of his descriptions capture the essence of this spirit, I feel that they demand an English ren­dering in this narrative. ””

Which is super SUPER misleading because a reader will go through the whole book assuming these statements are facts.

The man also has some less than pleasant views on Japan’s war crimes, such as “they weren’t as bad as everyone makes them out to be”. This post titled “In Defense of Japan’s Wartime History” on his blog is from 2015, so I don’t know if he’s changed his stance since. But I’m p sure his weird views also clouded his judgement when he wrote his “history” books. Or it’s the other way around, and him being so pro Satsuma-Choshu and pro Imperial court made him a fan of Shinzo Abe just because his forefathers were from Choshu (I wish I were kidding).

Prime Minister Abe’s forebears, including his grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, a prime minister in the 1950s, were from Choshu. After the Restoration, continuing with their drive to build a “strong military and rich nation,” former samurai of Satsuma and Choshu, as leaders of the Imperial government, developed a military strong enough to defeat China and Russia in wars and colonize Taiwan and Korea. Future Japanese leaders created a “Greater East Asia” sphere to counter Western power. Their policy was inextricably entwined with the events leading up to World War II. Abe and other conservatives “have bridled at historical depictions of Japan as the sole aggressor in the war, saying that it fought to liberate Asia from Western domination,” The Times reports. The leaders of Asian nations such as China and South Korea, which call “Abe a revisionist out to whitewash Japanese wartime atrocities,” might, along with their counterparts in the United States and other Western countries, benefit by considering the origins of Japan’s aggression through an unbiased review of Meiji Restoration history—including the ideas of Shimazu Nariakira, Katsu Kaishu, and other leading personalities in that history.

DOES HE REALIZE HOW INSANE THIS SOUNDS? Anyway, I really, really do not like Romulus Hillsborough, but it’s the only English-language Shinsengumi book out there. If you DO read it, look closely at the sources to see which parts are actually sourced, and take everything with a grain of salt.

#Anonymous

[adhd-ahamilton]

So, hey! I’m alive. Doing different things right now, obviously, but I thought it wasn’t a bad time to do a personal update here.

1. Fun fact: I was supposed to be traveling to America later this year and see Hamilton in New York! I even planned to make a post here asking for tips on what to check out during our stay there and in Boston. That, uh, obviously is no longer currently happening. I’d still like to do this someday, though. (My one spot of luck is that the pre-order tickets never QUITE reached the week we were supposed to be there so I didn’t have to cancel or return anything.)

2. Hamilton is coming to Australia next year!! It’s still interstate for me, of course, but I’m definitely planning a weekend trip with my friends! This was announced after the America trip, so it was kind of a ‘welp, guess we’re getting a year early preview’ sorta thing, but I was definitely happy to see it either way! I’m still really looking forward to this, too - I can’t wait to see how the casting is done with Austraian demographics.

3. And after all of that, we’ve got a film. Part of me wants to kind of be like ‘soooo I could’ve just watched the bootleg all along, right? Since I have still never been physically capable of seeing it in person?’ But that’s mean spirited. I’m sure the film is WORLDS away from a shaky bootleg. I’m seeing it with my family this afternoon and we’re making a whole event out of it - mac and cheese, corn chowder, whoopie pies... who knows how ‘authentic’ any of it is, but it feels celebratorily relevant enough for us Aussies! And seriously, I’m really excited to finally get to see the choreography and the like that people have raved about as much as the lyrics and music!

4. My new fandom is NOT relevant to this blog at and honestly I’d kinda prefer not to cross the streams, hahah. But I do have something of a rec: I’ve been reading through the visual novel Hakuoki recently, which is set in the late 1800s in Japan and tells the story of the Shinsengumi from their early days to their tragic ending, and my god was it a burst of nostalgia. It’s infamous for being more dry historical drama than romance, but the barracks atmosphere and interest in minutiae around specific battles and injuries and highly setting-specific politics could only warm my heart fondly. It’s actually really good from what I’ve read so far, and I’ve recommend to anyone who enjoyed Amrev RPF! (...though DO be aware that there are vampires, too. Just in case that’s a deal-breaker.) It goes on sale for 70% off each Steam sale, of which there is on right now, so check it out if you’re interested.

5. No, I never finished the NaNoWriMo fic. :( Sorry. I never got to properly fix up the ending, and while I’d comfortably put up the rest of it as-is, the ending is just so shaky and unsatisfying right now that I don’t... want to. I’ll try to make my mind up, though. One of the ways I justified starting it to myself was by saying that if I was ever sure I wouldn’t finish it, I’d post it incomplete. At this point, I really ought to be able to either just make a push and try to at least somewhat improve the ending or fulfil my promise to myself. welp. Maybe I’ll give myself til the end of July as a deadline to at least decide either way.

Anyway, that’s about all I have to say right now. I hope all of you are doing well and I definitely miss coming here to this blog, heh. It’s still something very important to my heart! If I never post another personal post here again, I wish you all the best and hope you all have wonderful lives! <3

#personal

[shenanigumi]

Hakuouki Question Meme

From this post! (I just don’t like reblogging lists of questions with all my answers attached, and I don’t wanna bother anyone by tagging for credit, but please do go check out the linked blog.)

1. Why/how did you decide to start playing Hakuōki?

I saw a post of KW/EB’s CGs (back in early 2016, long before it was localized—might even have been before Edo Blossoms was out in Japan) on @chibitorra​’s blog and liked the post, so she was all excited that I knew what Hakuōki was. When she found out I’d just liked the post because of the art style, she showed me some more art and I fell in love and later bought Memories without knowing anything at all about it, including the fact that Hakuōki is historical fiction.

2. What routes and/or games have you played so far?

All routes, extra content, and DLC in:

Memories of the Shinsengumi (3DS)

Stories of the Shinsengumi (PS3)

Hakuōki Shinsengumi Kitan (iOS)

Kyoto Winds (PS Vita)

Edo Blossoms (PS Vita)

And as a bonus:

Warriors of the Shinsengumi (PSP)

3. What is your favorite character and route? They don’t have to be the same.

Favorite character… oof. Difficult question. Still the disgrace to all demon-kind that is Kazama, though it’s worth noting that my first impulse was to say Shiranui. But my favorite route is definitely Heisuke’s.

4. Is there a song that you associate with your fave?

Panic! at the Disco’s “Emperor’s New Clothes”, on account of that one not-quite-AMV I made, feat. HakuMyu!Kazama.

5. Who was the first route you played?

Hijikata’s, because Canon First, amirite? But it’s worth noting that because I went into it blind (and initially locked myself into a bad ending since I was playing on one file…), I actually ended up with the most affection with Saito at first. Thankfully, he and Hijikata were so close that I only had to load my last save to pick Hijikata’s option instead and put him in first place.

6. Did you go with the name Chizuru or did you pick another name? What was it?

At first, I used the name “Michiko” for no particular reason other than I like the name. Then I decided keeping “Chizuru” was better since she turned out to have a personality of her own and I wasn’t seeing myself in her situation. After that, for specific routes in Stories, I used “Chihiro” because that’s the name of my self-insert in that one dumb epic I can actually write now.

7. Is there a character that you just can’t get yourself to like? If so, who?

Iba Motherfucking Hachiro.

8. What characters (besides the player character) do you enjoy seeing interact the most?

Harada and Shiranui, for damn sure. I adore their rivalry-[b]romance and I wish there was a lot more of it. Other than that, Kazama and Sen for… fairly obvious reasons.

9. Is there a character that doesn’t currently have a route that you really want to see with one?

Nomura is the first that comes to mind, but really, I have mixed feelings. Given what they did with KW/EB, I no longer have a great deal of faith that Hakuōki as a franchise could handle more new routes in a balanced way, especially since there are so many reboots already.

10. Did you cry at any point during the game?

Who do you take me for, someone who isn’t 100% emotionally driven?

11. What was your favorite moment?

Wow, that’s open-ended… um… wow. How am I supposed to even choose?? There are so many different kinds of moments and so many favorites of each kind. But… out of everything, I think Kazama and Heisuke’s sass battle may rank the highest. That or Shiranui’s geisha route.

12. What is your favorite CG?

God, that’s a tall order too. I ran through my entire copious collection of CGs in search of whichever one spoke to me most and I think this one ranks highest:

(Coincidentally a part of the same scene as the one I chose for my favorite moment. And in my favorite route, too. Figures.)

13. Did you prefer the characters’ original outfits and hairstyles or their Western ones?

Hmm… it really depends on the character and, for that matter, the game. I’d have to say, overall, I’m a total sucker for the original/Stories Western wear, but the recolors and redesigns in KW/EB aren’t quite as good imo.

14. Thinking about your favorite character and route, do you think you could fall for and date that person in real life?

Uh… no, probably not. Kazama is a terrible person and I don’t want to be anywhere near him in any way, and Heisuke is more like a brother to me.

15. What is your opinion on Itou?

I think his presentation in the game is terrible and that he did, in fact, deserve to be assassinated.

16. If you found yourself at death’s door, would you drink the ochimizu and become a fury?

Yeah, probably. My reasoning would be the same as Heisuke’s, though—more out of fear than anything else—and my regrets would be comparable. Don’t really wanna think too far down that road…

17. Do you think the Ishida Powdered Medicine actually does anything?

Not knowing what’s in it, I can’t say for sure, but I think it’ll fix some ailments more than others. They probably exaggerate its healing capacities.

18. Do you want to see Sweet School Life or Reimeiroku localized? Would you buy them?

I’m actively interested in Reimeiroku and would buy that shit so fast you wouldn’t believe. But… as for SSL, the weird student/teacher dynamics prevent me from really wanting them to translate that one. I’d still buy it, though.

19. Did you watch the anime?

I did, all three seasons. But the Sekkaroku OVA is by far my favorite in so many ways.

20. What would you like to see in any future games?

I… don’t know. I don’t know if I even want any future games in the first place, given the number they did on KW/EB, retconning things that originally made sense into things that don’t make sense anymore. I think Hakuōki might have hit its peak, and I’m apprehensive about additional installments.

#asked #technically??? #answered #pixels-poptarts-and-pluto #such a good question list thank you #personal

[hakuoki-dreams]

I seriously love your blog and always get super excited when I see you've posted something new! Anyway! I've realized that I am as tall/taller than most of the Shinsengumi members, and I'm wondering what they'd think about an SO that's you know... taller or as tall as them. What do you think? Love love love your blog, your hcs and your writing and can't wait to read more from you!

Thanks so much @inquisitorwinchester! This is such a fun request!! I’ve been wanting to write some HCs about this for a while now--we can’t all be Chizuru-sized (love u babe but damn girl u tiny) So here we go, for a random handful of the romanceable guys:

Toshi-

Will be really attracted to the confident way you carry yourself because of your height

If you’re also the type to be independent and do things for yourself, that combination would make him pretty weak

Finds it harder to boss you around when you can stare him down from the same level, which is quite enjoyable for you to watch him come to grips with

He’s usually pretty hands-off and professional with you in public, but will slip an arm around your waist now and then since you’re the perfect height for it

Sanosuke-

It’s definitely all an adjustment at first. He’s used to dating women who are at least a head shorter

Will realize his signature head-pat move doesn’t work as well when the girl’s almost at eye level

Kissing is finally comfortable for him though; he doesn’t have to bend down super far to reach you, which is sort of amazing and a new feeling for him

He’s very much a leg man, so even on a superficial level he certainly could appreciate being with a tall woman

You two also bond over being above average height for your respective genders, swapping stories about the difficulties of finding clothes that fit right and being expected to do the tall-person chores

He loves the thought of settling down with you and imagines with pride how tall all your kids will be

Shinpachi-

It really throws him off in the beginning

He used to think he didn’t really have a type, until he fell for you and realized he’d always gone for petite girls in the past

It makes him uneasy that you’re close to his level, because it means he can’t hide his expression as easily when he gets nervous or embarrassed around you

Still, he really enjoys that you’re tall enough to be a physical match for him

He’s super proud of his physique but tends to be overly conscious of the size difference between him and most girls, not wanting to come on literally too strong with anything

The fact that you’re taller lets him hold back less when you’re kissing or fooling around

Hajime-

He’s not a tall guy, so he’ll be fairly used to running into women who are near his height

Will appreciate that it puts you at perfect hand-holding levels with each other

Sometimes leans his head on your shoulder when he’s tired or feeling affectionate

Might seriously suggest on more than one occasion that you should consider taking up some kind of martial arts or kendo training, since you have a good build for it

It’s the highest of compliments coming from him

Keisuke-

It’s not really something that’s on his radar

He’ll definitely take note of how tall you are, but he won’t treat you differently or feel a certain way toward you because of it

Does like that you can sit and talk to each other eye-to-eye; it’s a little thing, but it makes him happy

Will sometimes ask you to fetch things for him from high-up places and then chuckle to himself at his own dorky joke

Souji-

He’s more into it than he wants to own up to

It’s part of why he gives you such a hard time about that particular feature of yours, poking some fun at your long arms and legs

When you’ve got him at your mercy with enough kisses and affection, he’ll reluctantly admit that it’s not so bad

Likes the way your bodies line up easily during cuddles and sex

Has a running joke that he misses seeing the top of your head and will sometimes pull you down with an arm around your shoulder so he can put a kiss there

Heisuke-

He’d be lying if he said he was 100% secure with his size. But he’s basically come to terms with it by now, thanks to many years of maturing and personal growth

Realizing he has feelings for a girl who’s taller than him might undo that a bit

Inwardly will curse his luck

At first, things like you putting your arm around his shoulders instead of the other way around will make him really chagrined, though he’ll do his best to keep it together in front of you and especially the other captains

He’ll definitely feel a need to prove his manliness to you, even more so than usual

Heisuke’s already the first one to dive into a dangerous situation, but once you’re together it reaches a whole new level

It’s not just recklessness on his part. He’s used to being underestimated by other guys, and part of him will wonder whether you have the opposite problem--that people assume you can take care of yourself because you’re tall and imposing for a girl

He definitely won’t make the same assumptions and in fact will work even harder to protect you, to show how much he cares for you

Susumu-

Thinks it’s pretty hot actually

Like Toshi, he appreciates how confident and self-assured you come off as because of your height

He’s mature enough that it wouldn’t really bother him if you were slightly taller than he is, except in the moments when he’d have to lean up a bit to kiss you

Really into your long legs, and though he’s shy about admitting it out loud, it’s super obvious to you

He’s also a fast walker and used to getting places efficiently when he’s on duty, so the fact that you can keep up with his pace without even trying is a nice bonus

#hakuouki headcanons #hakuouki #hijikata toshizo #harada sanosuke #nagakura shinpachi #saito hajime #okita souji #sanan keisuke #sannan keisuke #toudou heisuke #hakuoki-dreams

[iohourtime]

Moeyo Ken (Burn! O Sword!) - Novel Recap 1

One good thing about a book/manga adaptation is that you can read the story right away, spend the next few months contemplating how certain scenes will be adapted, getting hyped while reading about people saying how the casting is all wrong, and then hopefully not be disappointed when the movie inevitably end up being different from your imagination!

Moeyo Ken, a 2-volume historical novel about Hijikata Toshizo and the Shinsengumi, written by Shiba Ryotaro1 will be adapted into a 2020 movie directed by Harada Masato. They only announced the cast for 5 key characters as of end of April 2019:

Hijikata Toshizo (Okada Junichi) - “Demon” Vice Commander. Originally from Hino, near Edo (Tokyo's former name).

Oyuki (Shibasaki Kou) - Hijikata’s one true love; a widow from Edo who followed her late (unnamed) husband to Kyoto.

Kondo Isami (Suzuki Ryohei) - Commander and Hijikata’s childhood friend.

Okita Souji (Yamada Ryosuke) - Captain of the First Unit and kind of like Hijikata and Kondo’s little brother. (Also Hijikata & Okita are rather popular ships. They are HijiOki.)

Serizawa Kamo (Ito Hideaki) - The original Commander of the Shinsengumi.

Harada also adapted and directed2 Sekigahara (2017), another Shiba novel about the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate. I watched that movie and ended up spending a good hour on Wikipedia trying to make sense who's who 😅. So while the Shinsengumi story is more straightforward, it might be helpful to have some background before watching Moeyo Ken.

I split this into two posts. The first is a brief background of the era, including some details of the story itself. In order to keep the spoilers to a minimum, the plot I did include might be a bit vague. The second talks about the main characters, specifically the trio. There are major spoilers on what happened to them. (Or you can look at Wikipedia. 😅) While there are other interesting characters in the Shinsengumi, they were more like background characters in the novel. Moeyo Ken is predominantly about Hijikata3, with Kondo and Okita as major secondary characters. Anyway, you can decide if you want to skip any parts. (If you just want to read about Okita, click the link here and skip to the end. 😅)

The movie officially cranked up on April 27. Suzuki Ryohei posted some location shots (just scenery) on his blog here. I guess if you want to visit the filming locations, you can use this as the guide.

The World of Moeyo Ken

Disclaimer: I don't know much about Japanese history. This is more of the worldview of the novel. Shiba definitely took some liberties and included some fictional elements.

Moeyo Ken was set in the Bakumatsu4 period and the story spanned most of the decade of 1860. Although there was an emperor at that time, the military power belonged to the Bakufu (the shogunate), which was led by the Tokugawa family for almost 300 years. Due to corruption within the Bakufu and a fear of foreigners, a group of rebels, the Ishin Shishi, or more commonly the Tobaku faction, tried to bring down the Bakufu and restore military power to the Emperor. As the Ishin Shishi (many were from the Choshu samurai clan5) were causing trouble, the Bakufu decided to do an open recruitment for a “roshigumi”, or ronin squad. Ronin (wanderers) were simply warriors who didn't serve a master. They could be ex Samurai or just regular folks.

Back in those days, you could only become a Samurai if you had the right lineage. Even if you were a superb swordsman, if you weren't born with the right connections, you were out of luck. So when the Bakufu opened up the recruitment to everyone, guys like Hijikata jumped at the chance to become a “real bushi (warrior)”. At the same time, people saw them as wannabes.

Hijikata was the youngest son in a relatively wealthy family that made medicine in Hino, near Edo. While he tried his hands at various jobs, at the beginning of the novel, his main job was to peddle his family’s secret formula, sometimes in exchange for one or two martial arts moves. He spent his spare time studying kenjutsu and hanging out with his best friend, Kondo, who was the heir of the Tennen Rishin-ryū (“TRR”) dojo. He eventually taught full time at the dojo with Kondo and Okita. Life was simple, other than the occasional (i.e semi-regular) duels to defend the territory. For that reason, the dojo also "employer" a number of outside martial artists by providing them with room and board. Approximately 1/6th of the novel dealt with the Hino arc, although I don’t know if Harada plan to adapt much of this. I actually liked this arc the most.

Due to a plague that devastated the villages and decimated the dojo’s business, plus an intention to do something for the government, Kondo took his group of 9 to join the roshigumi. In addition to the core 3, the gang included:

Inoue Genzaburō

Nagakura Shinpachi

Saitō Hajime

Harada Sanosuke (unlike the others, he used a spear)

Tōdō Heisuke

Yamanami Keisuke6 Looking back, the Bakufu was weak and corrupt while the Tobaku side represented hope and progress, so why did our guys align with them? At that time, the seat of power was in Kyoto, so the regular folks from Kanto tended to be less politically savvy. Furthermore, Hino’s region benefited greatly from the Tokugawa shogunate, so the guys joined the ronin squad partly out of loyalty. Of course there were other reasons why they stuck with the Bakufu after. I digressed.

When the TRR group joined the roshigumi, as they came from some backwater dojo, they were not valued by the leader at all. They also found out the leader was using the recruitment as a front to build his own army of nationalists, which was not what they signed up for. Kondo's faction joined forces with Serizawa Kamo's faction to form the Mibu Roshigumi (named after their base at Mibu Dera), which was affiliated with the Bakufu but not quite. As Serizawa had connections, he was installed as the first commander. Unfortunately, Serizawa’s gang was corrupt and went around bullying businesses and residents of Kyoto to pay them protection money, so his reign over Mibu Roshigumi didn't last long. Kondo became the next commander, Hijikata became the infamous “Demon Vice Commander”, and the group changed its name to the Shinsengumi. In its short history, there were power struggles, assassinations, betrayals etc. Yes, this squad lasted only about 5 years, culminating in a battle in Hakodate, Hokkaido.

Although the Shinsengumi was a police squad protecting the residents of Kyoto on paper, their real mission was to kill those any suspected Ishin Shishi. The Choshu samurai clan, in particular, was loved by the residents of Kyoto, so Kyoto itself was already somewhat sympathetic to the Tobaku side. So back in the days, the Shinsengumi was viewed as a bloodthirsty gang of wannabes, lapdogs of the Bakufu, and more like thugs hired by one of the pro-Bakufu Samurai clans. People actually called them the Wolves of Mibu. This changed with the Ikedaya Incident, in that people no longer called them that to their faces.

When Yamazaki Susumu, the resident spy in Shinsengumi, got word that the Ishin Shishi were planning something, the Bakufu tasked the group to arrest or kill the rebels. They learned from one of the rebels (through days of pretty graphic torture 😱) that they planned to set fire in Kyoto and used the confusion to kidnap the Emperor. The Shinsengumi was deployed. While 30+ Shinsengumi members took part in this mission, they actually split into 2 groups, so only 5 of them led by Kondo were at Ikedaya taking out 30+ opponents. As you can see, after the incident, people stopped dismissing the group. At least they were very effective and tactical!

Shinsengumi was not kind to its own people either. During Serizawa's reign, the organization was really no better than gangsters. So after Kondo took control, Hijikata created the (in)famous code with 5 articles (trimmed down from about 50):

Do not deviate from the bushido (Warrior's way)

Do not leave the Shinsengumi

Do not engage in private fundraising (more like coerced “fundraising”)

Do not part in others' litigation, and

Do not engage in private fights.

These rules were intended to get the members to fall in line, so while they were still bloodthirsty 😅, at least they were honorable! The punishment for breaking any of the 5 rules was death. You might be given the honour to commit seppuku*, beheaded, or assassinated. 😧 The Shinsengumi weren't very nice, right?

* Seppuku is a ritual suicide used by a samurai either to avoid surrendering or to atone for his sins. The samurai basically sliced himself across the abdomen. If he had the chance, he could nominate a person as his “second” to chop his head off and end the pain earlier. Once a samurai commit seppuku, he was viewed as having died honourably.

After Ikedaya, the Bakufu elevated the status of the Shinsengumi by making them an official branch. That was probably the peak of the group. Shortly after, Ito Kashitaro, who was very well educated and Tobaku, joined the Shinsengumi with the intention to steal the group away from Kondo. Hijikata hated his guts but Kondo loved and relied on him. At first anyway. Ito became very popular among the members. When Ito realized Kondo was all in with the Bakufu, he staged a coup (ish) and coerced Kondo and Hijikata into letting him leave with his faction. It was “resolved” in the Aburano Koji incident.

There was no time to breathe though. The Shinsengumi was immediately sent to fight against the Tobaku in the Toba-Fushimi battle during the Boshin War. Well, Bakumatsu literally means the end of Bakufu, so how do you think it went? 😅 Eventually Tokugawa gave up his military power, ending the shogunate’s 300 years of military rule. After the final battle in Hakodate, a new era begun - the Meiji Restoration period.

Early in the Meiji Restoration period, the Bakufu and Shinsengumi were vilified. But perhaps due to the charismatic and/or oddball characters of the squad, or perhaps they were like the ultimate underdogs, people started to view them in a different light over time7. Although Shiba never set out to show the Shinsengumi as nice people, his novels romanticized their escapades and brought new fans to the squad. The Shinsengumi has been pop culture fixtures, spawning numerous tv shows, movies, manga about their exploits and the brotherhood*. Even in defeat, the Shinsengumi were forged into the exquisite swords of Bakumatsu, and their lives burned with such intensity that nobody could ignore.

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*Then there was Gohatto (Taboo), based on one of the short stories in Shiba's Shinsengumi Keppuroku, which explored the gay relationships within the squad. According to surviving letters written by Kondo to his family, homosexuality was quite widely practiced.

Notes

A well-known author of Japanese historical novels. ↩︎

Harada is a big Shiba fan, based on his extremely long comment on the movie webpage. He said that there were 3 incidents that shaped Japan's history: The battle of Sekigahara, Bakumatsu, and WWII. He has been hoping to adapt Moeyo Ken for a while. He apparently loved the HijiOki banter. Hopefully he kept most of them. ↩︎

Shiba’s other novel, Shinsengumi Keppuroku, actually delve more into the non-Hijikata characters. I do wonder how much of the other novel will Harada incorporate into the movie. ↩︎

Although the protagonists and antagonists had different agendas, they were all purportedly protectionists. It was a bit ironic later on when both sides relied on Western armory to fight their civil war. ↩︎

There were many Samurai clans across Japan and they each had difference allegiances and agendas. ↩︎

The names sound familiar, right? The Shinsengumi in Gintama was based on the historical characters, but they may not have the same personalities. Some characters appeared in Rurouni Kenshin too. ↩︎

I read online that there may have been BL fanfiction written about Hijikata and Okita as well as Hijikata and Kondo in the early 20th century. Apparently, someone found them in his or her grandmother’s belonging. 😅 ↩︎

#Moeyo Ken #novel #recap #background #okada junichi #shibasaki kou #suzuki ryohei #yamada ryosuke #ito hideaki #minor spoilers

[spyoflove]

Hakuoki asks: 1, 3, 9, 10!

1. Why/How did you decide to start playing Hakuouki?

When I first got into the otome fandom here on tumblr (circa 2012) one of the first blogs I started following was @otomeinsanity who posted quite a bit about Hakuouki.  The characters looked hot and the story intriguing (I love anything with demons lol) and so I did a search to find out if it was localized. Lucky for me it was and I found it on Amazon for the 3DS (Memories of the Shinsengumi)! I then immediately bought Kyoto Winds and Edo Blossoms when they were released because I was dying to romance Shinpachi and Yamazaki.

3. What is your favorite character and route? They don’t have to be the same.

Honestly probably Harada for both.  The way he fell for Chizuru just made the most sense to me.  Like, she wasn’t his therapist or his nursemaid or his crutch or obsession. He just loved her for who she was.  I also loved his gentlemanly, protective manner. Also the way Chizuru was protective of him was very much how I would have acted in the same situation.  Lots of crying was done in that route!

9. Is there a character that doesn’t currently have a route that you really want to see with one?

The blue-haired god Miki was the character I most looked forward to in Kyoto Winds and yet they made him an NPC whyyyyyyyyy

Definitely Miki, he obviously needs someone to guide him, which is what Itou does.  After his brother dies, Miki is just so lost. Chizuru could be his north star.

Shiranui also needs a route, it would be interesting to see how that wildcard would act in love. And he has to have a pretty intriguing backstory. I mean, he’s also a clan leader so he has to have some leadership qualities that put him in that position.  Would love to learn more about him.

I also have a soft spot for Takeda; as someone who has also had to work damn hard for what I have I can understand his resentment towards people he thinks had everything handed to them on a silver platter.  I think he could be redeemed by the right person and pure hearted Chizuru could be that for him.

And Nomura cuz he’s just adorable!

10. Did you cry at any point during the game?

ALL OF IT. 

When Chizuru was begging Harada to let her go and he refused; when Harada told Chizuru he’d kill her father so she wouldn’t have to live with the guilt; Yamazaki’s burial at sea; every freaking time Inoue dies; every freaking time Nomura dies; EVERY FREAKING TIME HEISUKE DIES

Thanks for the ask!

#hakuouki is a game where there is much crying and yelling over playable and non playable characters #ask amy #hakuouki #labyrinthofleah

[swordboiis]

((Gintama)) Since Gin and Taka had been done, what about Zura and Sakamoto as a saniwa?? I like to picture that Zura's going to chose Manba as his starter and lectures him about his confidence all day long that Manba gets flustered

Having to re-teach myself how I formatted so much of this blog will be slow process my mess of a tagging system too. Dhjrg still happy to be back to it!! Zura and Manba would be very cute sorry I wrote otherwise.Katsura• I feel I really don’t have to talk about Saniwa Katsura, we know he takes things seriously despite being a buffoon most of the time and he regrets the past but has set his sights on changing the future. While he’d be an oddity and his stupidity leading might exhaust some he’d earn respect in his serious moments and probably fits in well with most boys for being a strict samurai himself, much like many of their former masters. That said, Elizabeth wears the pants in the Citadel when needs be. And if there is conflict it may very well be with the Shinsengumi swords in having to accept serving someone who looks down on the Shinsengumi and once tried to destroy them from the inside (...and mess with their toilet rolls.)• With a starter he’d probably end up with Kasen or Hachisuka. I don’t think he’d judge any sword on their history, wanting to work with them for the sake of the greater good. Naturally, Katsura is used to being a leader and having Elizabeth by his side. He will probably keep somewhat of a distance between himself and his swords.• He’d generally get along but it’s very easy to see him in shenanigans with the attendant type swords who would end up with headaches when pulled into his pace.Sakamoto• I think we’re all in agreement that Sakamoto is hardly a leader, he’s a charismatic, great man but Mutsu is the one usually calling the shots. She’d be a must to make his Citadel ship shape but still! He cares a lot about their mission and would think carefully about what to do when he’s serious every now and then.• He wouldn’t stray away from their mission, he would make sure to be talking to any sword who might want to change history as well. This man knows how to get through to someone. It would still leave him sometimes thinking about how things came about, maybe the bad guys really think they’re doing the right thing trying to change the history? He thinks about the big picture a lot but keeps it to himself.• Mutsunokami is obviously his starter! It’s like welcoming back an old friend. They work well together and its like Mutsu has a second air head to monitor now since Mutsu definitely gets carried away goofing off with Sakamoto.• While he is generally liked of course Sakamoto would still be seen as annoying by somex especially with how bad he is with names stressing out Hizamaru! Hakata the little businessman would he his protégé! They bond over business. (Others are definitely jealous Mutsu has his former master but they don’t so trouble is brewing...)

#touken ranbu #gintama #katsura kotaro #sakamoto tatsuma #kasen kanesada #hachisuka kotetsu #mutsunokami yoshiyuki #hizamaru #hakata toushirou #crossover #mun pro