#trans!uta

[urfaveistransfem]

saya is transfem!

req by: no one

#trans girl #transfem #transfeminine #transgender #trans #mtf #mtf trans #saya no uta #song of saya #I think this is implied?

[utapri-translations-uuuu]

The Dangerous Flower Field - Translation (危険な花畑)

Please do not repost/retranslate without permission.

I have also made a version which includes the members' notes found in the script.

[Red poppy field - Red poppy field, evening]

Poppies sway gently in the wind.

The group of five steps into a flower field.

Lion: Wow… What a big flower field. I’ve never seen anything like this in the forest… As far as the eye can see, flowers and flowers…! It’s like a soft carpet!

The Lion lowers his body to bury himself in the flowers.

Theo becomes enamored with the magical land.

He is more excited than usual.

Theo: It’s so mesmerizingly beautiful…! … They’re bright red… And smell so good. You’d never find a sight like this in Kansas!! I want to get a closer look.

He rises from the midst of the flowers and points to the distance.

Lion: Yeah, we need to take advantage of this opportunity! Let’s enjoy it to the fullest! Oh…! There are bigger flowers over there!

Theo and Lion happily push their way through the flowers.

Terry: Hey, wait up! Don’t run off without us! I want to have a better look, too!

Terry catches up to the two.

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman slowly follow behind.

Scarecrow: It’s lovely, yes, but Munchkin’s lush blue/greens were also beautiful. What’s the difference? Isn’t it just the color?

Tin Woodman: We don’t have a real brain and heart, so maybe we feel differently than they do as living creatures.

The three of them became sleepy due to the effects of the poppies.

The Lion rubs his eyes.

Lion: … Mmm… That’s weird… I’m feeling… more and more sluggish… I’m not… tired, but… my body won’t move?

Theo staggers.

Theo: Me too. Strangely, my eyelids are getting heavier… (yawns) When I try to open my eyes… they close on their own…

Theo suddenly collapses on the spot.

Scarecrow: What’s wrong!? All of a sudden!? Are you okay, Theo-kun?

The Scarecrow holds Theo up.

Theo: … Ngh…

Tin Woodman: He’s sleeping… But this is weird. Perhaps it’s because of these flowers…

The Lion, though lightheaded, tries to remain conscious.

Lion: I just remembered that… these are poppies! If you smell too much of their fragrance, you will fall asleep and never wake up. We need to get out of here as soon as possible…

Tin Woodman: Since we are not made of flesh, it does not affect us. Understood. Come on, Theo-san, wake up!

The Tin Woodman taps Theo on the cheek to wake him up.

Theo: … Mm… I…

Tin Woodman: We have to go…! (attempts to pick him up) Gghh… I can’t do it alone, I need your help.

Urged by the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow puts Theo’s arm around his shoulder to carry him.

Scarecrow: Got it… But what about Lion-kun…? He’s too heavy for us to carry.

Lion: … Don’t worry about me… and go ahead!! At this rate, we’re all going to fall victim to it…

Terry is feeling drowsy but forces himself to stay awake.

Terry: We can’t leave Lion behind! I… won't leave you alone! I promised you, remember…? I am your ally.

Lion: The fool… is trying to look cool… You don't have to… be so brave.

The Lion suddenly falls to the ground with a thud.

Terry also seems to be in pain, clutching his chest tightly.

Terry: Now, go… Let at least Theo… return to Kansas… As you said, adventure… is dangerous…

Theo: Terry…!? No… I don’t want that… Let’s go together…

Terry: Scarecrow, Tin Woodman! Take care of Theo…

Terry runs out of strength and collapses.

Tin Woodman: Damn it… It's terrible, but we have no choice but to get out of here!

Scarecrow: Yes, hurry!!

The Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow run, carrying an unwilling Theo.

Theo: … Terry….!!

#uta no prince sama #utapri #translation #english #drama cd #he★vens #heavens #eiichi otori #kira sumeragi #nagi mikado #eiji otori #van kiryuin #yamato hyuga #shion amakusa #dramatic masterpiece show #dreaming of oz #tran

[zephyr-writesx]

Uta x FTM! reader

(This takes place in an au where she lives and travels with the red-haired pirates again! But has lost her powers)

How you meet:

The red-haired pirates had made a stop at your island for supplies. You usually work odd jobs around the village, but recently, you've found a steady job at the bar as a waiter/bus boy. The bar has a small stage for karaoke nights and for the occasional performance from local and traveling singers and bands. It was inevitable that the red-haired pirates would stop in, but you never expected them to have a beautiful woman traveling with them. This wasn't the first time the pirates had been to this island, but it was the first time they'd been here with the captain's daughter.

Once the pirates had settled in the and you begain bringing out food for lucky roo as well as filling and refilling some of the pirates drinks you finally met the lovely woman and she int herself as Uta, the musician of the red-haired pirates. "Say, would you like to hear me sing?" She says with a bright gorgeous smile on her face. "Absolutely! see that stage over there. If you'd like, I could get it set up, and then you could perform, if you'd like, of course!" You say bashfuly with a like blush on your cheeks. She delightedly agrees and helps you set op the mic and speakers.

Once everything is set up, she performs, and her heavenly voice makes your heart flutter, and her beautiful smile makes you weak and - oh shit. You fell in love with her, but the loving looks she gives you as sings tell you that you might have a shot. After her performance, she pulls you aside, and before you can get a word in, she says, "Would you like to go on a date with me!". Not trusting your voice, you nod repeatedly and smile, excited that the feelings are mutual. You go on many dates during the time the red-haired pirates are on your island.

During this time you get to know the crew (some threaten you with harm if you hurt Uta, and others are happy she's found someone she likes) you also explained that you are trans to her her response was "I dont care what you were born as, its who you are now that i care about." Her saying that made you fall more in love with her that before (something you didn't think was possible).

When it's time for them to leave, you can't stand to part, especially not for so long. So she asks, "Would you become part of the red-haired pirates for me?" She looks at you hesitantly, almost afraid of your future response. "Absolutely, anything to be with you." You say, kissing her hand. Overcome with joy, she leaps at you and kisses you, and you kiss back happy and full of love for your sweet girlfriend.

Uta and you go to Shanks and explain the situation. He gives the thumbs up for you to join the crew, but warns you, "hurt Uta, and I hurt you, understood?" You shakily nod, and Uta punches his arm, telling him to knock it off and to not scare you away. You chuckle, exclaiming it's going to take a lot more to clscare you away from your love. Shanks smiles, approving your response.

And that's how you became Utas boyfriend and joined the red-haired pirates!

This is kinda me setting up for a senerio series for Uta x reader cuz there is very little out there fanfic wise for her :(((. She is so cute and sweet. I love her, and I wish she got more love :/. If you. Guys like this plz let me know, and I'll write more stuff like this. Although I like making the headcanons, this was also very fun to make.

Let me know if there's any other characters or senerios you want me to write! They also don't have to be x readers. They can just be characters in certain situations or the reader just in the one piece universe on specific crews and how the crews interact with the different types of readers.

See ya later, byeeeeee!!!!

#trans ftm #one piece x ftm reader #one piece x you #one piece x reader #one piece #oneshot #one piece x y/n #ftm reader #one piece uta #uta one piece #op #op uta #uta op #uta x reader #uta x reader one piece

[everyoneisgayandtrans]

#every character is gay and trans #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+ #trans #transgender #saya #song of saya #saya no uta

[techsflags]

you understand. reblog.

[IMAGE ID: nine icons of the vocaloid po-uta, they all have various trans or transmasculine flags behind him, save for the very middle one which is transparent. four of the icons are circular, while the other four are square. po-uta has a slight blue filter on him. END ID.]

#po-uta #vocaloid 6 #porter robinson #transgender #trans #transmasc #transmasculine #techsicons

[angelicalacrimae]

pascal i love you and your lesbian haircut.

#trans king actually #kaze to ki no uta #pascal biquet

[sawrunnerr]

I want to k.ms so bad

#transgender #sky cotl #transmasc #ranfren #steven universe #puella magi madoka magica #sky children of the light #trans ftm #trans pride #ame chan #cutecore #corecore #saya no uta #mentsl health

[ancientpersacom]

*sobs* why can’t I be them

#gender envy #gender go brrrrr #lgbt #non binary #trans #art #digital artwork #anime art #artists on tumblr #digital art #fanart #night at the museum #natm #ahkmenrah #hades supergiant #hypnos hades #tokyo ghoul #uta tokyo ghoul #l death note #death note #l lawliet #mizuno yuu #sanrio danshi #top surgery #non binary artist

[nursquid]

꒰﹒🥩ৎ୭ SAYA-THEMED FLAGS ︶︶︶🚑 ｡ ｡つ

꒰﹒lesbian / veldian / bi

꒰﹒pan / 🥩☆🦑 / ace

꒰﹒aro / trans / enby

#saya no uta #song of saya #color picked flags #colorpicked pride flags #lesbian #veldian #turian #pan #pansexual #panromantic #ace #asexual #aro #aromantic #trans #transgender #transsexual #enby #non binary #nonbinary #non-binary

[maslosstuff]

Gave Syo some eyelashes

#if you haven't noticed he's also trans #trans #transgender #syo kurusu #sorry for the quality of the forth picture #i tried my best it's kinda hard to edit on the phone #utapri #uta no prince sama #trans scars

[enbykelpie]

not me actually crying over the new vocaloid AND the sample song made for him??? humansongs is a BOP

#also porter robinson in general??? bruh #po-uta trans masc energy

[poppletonink]

Asexual Books

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Sounds Fake But Okay by Sarah Costello and Kayla Kaszyca

Is Love The Answer? by Uta Isaki

City Of Strife by Claudie Arseneault

This Doesn't Mean Anything by Sarah Whaler

Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning Of Sex by Angela Chen

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Vanilla by Billy Merrell

Paper Planes by Jennie Wood

Being Ace: An Anthology Of Queer, Trans, Femme, and Disabled Stories of Asexual Love and Connection by Various Authors

Let's Talk About Love by Claire Kann

Rick by Alex Gino

Wren Martin Ruins It All by Amanda DeWitt

Love, Ace & Monsters: An Ace Anthology by Various Authors

Summer Of Salt by Katrina Leno

#books #book blog #booklr #readblr #book reccs #book recommendations #bookaddict #bookblr #bookworm #books and reading #asexual #ace #aromantic #aroace #loveless #lgbt #lgbt fiction #asexual fiction #ace books #ace representation #book rec list

[beanghostprincess]

Transfem Buggy anon here to drop a silly valentines idea-

1) don't worry too much about speeding through asks, sweetheart, you're doing fine. Take your time and do your thing at your own pace. Anyone has an issue with it? I'll fight em 😤

2) IDEA TIME

So imagine Buggy getting absolutely SMOTHERED in valentines days gifts - from friends, underlings, allies, secret admirers (she thinks they're all fake or lies), and her partners of the year.

She and Alvida do a Self Care Self Love event (maybe include Uta and Perona bc smth about them being so supportive of Buggy coming out as trans and just so easily slotting her in to girls night makes me soft).

Ritchie wears a special Valentine's Day bow, and he gives extra lion licks to his favorite people. He doesn't quite get the whole concept of HOLIDAYS beyond that it makes his humans so happy and silly and so he too is happy and silly. Lion loves.

Mohji and Cabaji, every year, make Buggy a gift for Valentine's. She gives them little gifts too, but theirs aren't conventional - they were there from the beginning, and so they've seen the best and worst of each other. They're besties your honor.

After Impel Down, Buggy wakes up on Valentine's to a MOUNTAIN of cards, candies, stuffed animals, flowers, and balloons. Maybe half of them are signed. It's a long ass affair to organize them.

When she starts dating Crocodile and Mihawk, they hadn't seen the Karai Bari Variant of Valentine's Day. Needless to say, when they wake up and walk with Buggy to get breakfast, they are both BLINDSIDED and BAMBOOZLED by this veritable TON of gifts. Buggy just sighs. "Guys. Really?"

"WE LOVE YOU, CAPTAIN BUGGY!!!"

"I can't eat all this. Okay, line up, I'm passing out candies at random. Consider this a treat before breakfast."

"CAPTAIN BUGGY IS SO GENEROUS AND KIND!!!"

"I- ya know what, sure, whatever. I haven't had coffee yet. I don't feel like arguing."

Crocodile and Mihawk though are surprised when she offers them a soft smile and... two boxes? "Open them when you want to, boys, no rush."

She gets a delivery later on in the day, a crate with a blue rose painted on the top. She huffs. When asked, she shrugs it off. "Shanks is still being a damned sap."

He sends her presents as often as he can - with a relatively ser address for Karai Bari, she is more easily accessible, which makes him go a little overboard. In the crate are her favorite candies (ghost pepper flaked dark chocolates), soft stuffed animals, new clothes, a dress, flowers and silly trinkets. ((And maybe a little treasure map he made just for her)).

Buggy would give thoughtful gifts - smth for Croc's bananawani nursery or specialty cleaner for his jewelry, new seeds for Mihawk's garden he mentioned wanting once in passing or new cording to rebrand Yoru's hilt, etc.

She also ties her hair up on holidays, puts on an apron, and joins the cooks in the kitchens. Cooking is smth she's good at, if a tad embarrassed by, but baking if her favorite thing to do. It's like chemistry and showmanship mixed together, two of her most favorite things. Getting the chance to indulge in it is smth she rarely lets herself have, but she makes exceptions for certain days.

And if Mihawk and Croc, knowing this by that point, pooled together to get her her own supplies to indulge more freely in their shared space, away from prying or attentive eyes, well...

Valentines Day isn't exactly a cliche on their little handmade home, but the sentiment, the intention, the love is there.

((And if Buggy just so happens to send a few batches of Shanks' favorite cookies to him a week after the day, well, he'll treasure them!!!

Until he eats himself sick, that is.))

1) Thank you <333 That's really sweet 😭🧡

AND THIS IS ALL AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A bit late to Valentine's Day (sorry, really akjjddnjk) but I absolutely adore it. Buggy loves Valentine's Day and the thought of everybody getting her gifts and also enjoying the holiday on her island is so cute,,, Everything is perfect and tbh, after coming out as a woman is even better because she's finally able to do it as herself. I think she wanted to do it really bad when she was a kid.

Her crew is so silly,, And having a whole day with Perona and Alvida makes her feel so loved,, Crying and sobbing. Also, Crocodile and Mihawk aren't used to celebrating these things, so now that they're with her they're surprised by how much they enjoy it. Not the holiday itself because in general it's extremely annoying and they do not want to be there with all this drama-- But they do like seeing her happy and giving her gifts <333 Why have mafioso-looking boyfriends if they aren't going to shower you with gifts, you know? And also, they're losers for her, which makes it better.

#i love cross guild being cute it lives in my mind rent free #everything about this is amazing thank you #one piece #buggy the clown #cross guild #transfem buggy

[heartnosekid]

my personal favorite stimboards masterlist!

so, as it turns out... i've made a lot of stimboards since 2021 when i made my first favorite stimboards stimboard. i wanted to make another stimboard of the boards, but i quickly found out i had way too many favorites to fit in a stimboard that my computer or phone could handle lol.

so, instead of the stimboard, here is a bunch of links to my favorite stimboards with some descriptors. as far as name stimboards go, i love them all too much so i couldn't decide on a concise list of favorites lol enjoy! comment your favorites if you want to!

concept / music based:

clowncore with bright primary colors | butterflies, spiders, & moths in purple & blue | nature, flowers, & bugs in pink & yellow | aroace sunset flag with nature | lunar rainbow | pansexual with nature | black & neon glowcore | hot pink color board

demeter & young persephone | black arches moth | carnivalcore, kidcore, & kitties | smile - the beach boys album art | pink, elegant, & floral | death's head hawkmoth | virginian tiger moth

night skies, the moon, biblically accurate angels, books, & moths | yule pagan holiday board | rain by sleep token | "i know love is real because i exist and i am full of it" | sidewalk chalk kitty

character / franchise based:

marie (splatoon) based on only her hair colors | dark magic hat creampuff cookie (cookie run: ovenbreak) | seer (apex legends) | floral sacrifice soul weaver (identity v) | super pusheenicorn (pusheen) | haku (spirited away) | skitty (pokemon) | wish bear & love-a-lot bear (care bears) | baby hugs & tugs (care bears)

custom camper (animal crossing: pocket camp) | banette (pokemon) | royal livery bloodhound (apex legends) | caregiver zacharie & small batter (off game) | a gaze eternal revenant (apex legends) | raiden (metal gear rising: revengeance) | fleur fairies (jellycat)

bog witch ad (goatlings) | wicked harvest bloodhound (apex legends) | neon skeleton squishmallows | mirage (apex legends) | k_k (deltarune) | renji & uta with cafe elements & greyscale (tokyo ghoul) | ione (animal crossing) | zucker (animal crossing) | oyster cookie (cookie run: kingdom)

lime cookie (cookie run: ovenbreak) | blue eyes white dragon (yu-gi-oh) | alice in wonderland 1951 film | lobo (puss in boots: the last wish) | miffy kidcore positivity (miffy & friends) | trans calico critters (sylvanian families) | king rauru (the legend of zelda: tears of the kingdom) | catalyst (apex legends)

g1 pony bride (my little pony) | white pearl cookie (cookie run: kingdom) | soft pastel blue dratini (pokemon) | dusk from the hex girls (scooby doo) | frilled jellyfish cookie (cookie run: kingdom) | uboa (yume nikki) | sayaka miki (puella magi madoka magica) | fog canyon (hollow knight)

#stim #stimboard #links #ish talks #personal favorite stimboards #requests #gosh i hope all these links are right lol #if they aren’t PLEASE let me know

[most-datable-datable-bracket]

ROUND 1 MATCH 1

Qiu propaganda:

“i love them sooooo much i was completely head over heels for cove but then i found out about qiu lin and ol2 and they took that spot in my brain IMMEDIATELY. that should say enough. also i just really want them to win this time </3”

“They're my beloved :] and also the only OL character not disqualified so I had to hdjdbdj I just wanna see how far they can go now :]”

“Genderfluid ADHD monarch. They enjoy mountain biking and ballet. As a kid, if they're set to Crush, they'll desperately try to find a way to link the MC's favorite color to themselves in an attempt to impress. They're the most popular kid in town and for good reason. Can be sharp as a tack, especially in social situations, but also can be so endearingly stupid.”

“Listen. Listen to me. Here's why Qiu Lin deserves the win (ha)

- They're a trans POC love interest (specifically genderfluid and chinese-american)

- They spend a lot of time in Step 1 (the first part of the game where everyone is a kid) being super nice and trying to accommodate for you

- They specifically try super hard to bring you (and Tamarack) into their already established friendship group

- (It doesn't work out super well initially but they're trying, be nice)

- Qiu's also just. Super sweet when you're set to have a crush on them in Step 1

- Like, their word count almost doubles when they have a crush on your MC

- There's one part of the game where you can bring up your favourite colour

- On a friendship route (or if you're set to neighbours), Qiu will maybe make a short comment about something related to your favourite colour

- On crush? Qiu stretches so far to tie your favourite colour back themself. Your favourite colour is green? That's the colour of their jacket!!! It's black? Like their bike, did they mention their cool bike!!! It's white, [imagine this is in italics] the inside of their house (no, really)!!! [end of imagining this is italics]

- They're also set to have an arc about much they accommodate for others and how they go from over accommodation in Step 1 to no accommodation in Step 2 to finding a balance in Step 3

- Also, like, they do in fact go through gender identity issues. In fact, they spend Step 2 not quite knowing their gender identity fully

Now, vote for Qiu!!!!”

Ai propaganda:

“alright fuckers buckle up tight cause its ai propaganda time. heavy on spoilers but i must make the glory of ai mikaze known to the world

ai mikaze is from the idol series uta no prince sama. he is part of the group quartet night, and he sings and also plays the synthesizer. during his route in the game, he was revealed to be a robot, created as a replacement for a former idol named aine who committed suicide in order to escape the stress of being an idol — the attempt however was unsuccessful and he’s been in a coma since. as such ai was created as a copy of aine, and their brain activity was linked — anything ai saw, learned, felt, and experienced would likewise be felt by aine while being unconscious.

ai is very curious in nature and enjoys learning as much as he can, and is also very hardworking, constantly putting maximum effort into his activities as an idol. he is known for having a “sharp tongue” however he is just blunt due to the way he thinks and processes situations because of him being an artificial intelligence. furthermore, since he is an a.i., ai states that he does not feel emotions and instead observes and studies those of others — when quartet night was assigned to be mentors to the group starish, ai mentioned he was interested in natsuki and syo as “test subjects.” despite this, he has been shown creating close relationships with his peers in both qn and starish over time

one instance of ai’s interpersonal development is shown by his faith in starish during the second season of the anime. while overseeing the group, he was worried for them while they were preparing for the performance competing for the utapri award. reiji commented on the fact that ai was worried, as it was unusual for him — later, ai was questioning reiji’s “belief” in starish, how he could be worried about them, and also questions what his heart is. while getting accustomed to more personal relationships, he is shown to sincerely care for starish, particularly because he has mentored syo and natsuki, then questions why he feels that way

another example is ai’s change in perspective regarding the idol group he is in; quartet night, formed by the idol agency shining entertainment, consisting of members reiji kotobuki, ranmaru kurosaki, ai mikaze, and camus. (fun fact, the idol that ai was created as a clone of was close friends with reiji during his time he attended saotome academy, which is an idol school associated with shining entertainment). the members of qn are very different in both personality and background, thus they often tend to get into arguments and are not quite as close as the members of fellow idol group starish, whom they mentor, are, rather they are more standoffish with each other — as much as reiji tries to get them to get along, his attempts often backfire and do not last long. ai often acts as a mediator when ranmaru and camus argue, but he still views the others as merely acquaintances and colleagues. 

i cant speak much for what happens with qn in the games bc i have not played them (curse you broccoli for never localizing them…) so i will talk about what happens in the anime. theres one episode in particular where their conflicts become so bad, reiji confesses he is fed up with trying to make them all get along and leaves. the other 3 wait for him to come back- but he doesn't. they reflect over their experiences together as a group and go off to find reiji, where they all come to agree that they may not explicitly be friends, however they work very well together and enjoy being teammates. this was character development for ai, showing that he was able to learn to accept and appreciate his teammates. so not only has he been shown to care for his juniors, but he has also grown to appreciate his own teammates 

finally, we come to his route and story. as previously stated the original games were not localized and i cannot read japanese so what i do know of his route is through summaries and such. in ai’s story, the playable character/mc, haruka, is tasked with writing a solo song for ai. as she did in the anime, haruka takes some time with ai to go out together so she can learn about him and determine how to write the song. as this progresses, ai becomes fond of haruka — this is unknown to him at first, however he eventually comes to realize he has fallen for her. from the uncomfortable feeling while trying to play the song arrangement, to admitting he worries for haruka, to wanting to experience memories he didn't have (thanks robot brain) with haruka, to starting a romantic relationship with haruka. ai essentially went from believing he could not feel human emotions, to experiencing enough of them to be able to love someone. additionally, while being with haruka, ai is able to embrace his true self and accept that, while he is an android, he is also capable of feeling and loving, just as humans do. he was also able to accept that, despite him being made as a copy of aine, ai is also very much his own unique person with his own unique experiences and feelings, and became more confident in his existence.

all of these events demonstrates ai’s immense character growth — from a nonchalant workaholic to someone who genuinely cares about those around him. he was able to accept who he is and become more of his own unique person. not to mention how absolutely sweet he is to haruka, he is so doting and loving despite not knowing wtf he is doing or feeling its actually so adorable. and can we also take a second to talk about how stunning his voice is (SHOUTOUT TO AOI SHOUTA YOU'RE DOING GODS WORK) like, his range, the mix of the calm, almost melancholic sweetness and the ability to pour powerful emotions into his singing despite not initially understanding such emotions, and how well his voice complements the others. he also is simply just stunning. i mean look at him. HES BEAUTIFUL.

ai has captivated me since the moment i looked into utapri and downloaded shining live (a fallen soldier… rip). everything i've learned about him as i've dug deep into the series has made me love him more and more. please appreciate this beautiful lovely guy known as ai mikaze”

#qiu lin #our life #our life now and forever #mikaze ai #utapri #uta no prince sama #round 1 #MDDC 2

[jariten]

My Favorite Manga from 2023: Part 1

And now that the themes are over and done with, here are my general favorite reads from 2023:

夕暮れへ (Offshore Lightning), Saito Nazuna [Drawn & Quarterly, trans. Alexa Frank]

柔道部物語 (Judo-bu Monogatari), Makoto Kobayasho [Kodansha Bunko ver.]

ZERO, Taiyo Matsumoto [Shogakukan Bunko ver.]

Midori no Uta: Shuushuu Gunfuu/Lü Zhī Gē - Shōují Qún Fēng (緑の歌 - 収集群風 -/綠之歌 -收集群風-), Yan Gao

動物たち (Doubutsu-tachi), Panpanya

月館の殺人 (Tsukidate no Satsujin), Noriko Sasaki & Yukito Ayatsuji [Shogakukan Bunko ver]

I will skip the latter three titles as I already talked about them in earlier roundups, but let me once again say that they're very good and I enjoyed them so much.

I always seem to find a work that gets stuck in pre-order purgatory and in 2023 Offshore Lightning finally made it out. After Talk to My Back and The Sky is Blue With a Single Cloud I was really looking forward to seeing who Drawn & Quarterly had picked this time. Of course I wasn't disappointed (and surprised that it was a one-shot collection I had been half eyeing in Japanese for a while). Saito Nazuna delivers some poignant stories about families at a breaking point as well as life and death. I was personally very taken by In Captivity and House of Solitary Death, which are the more recent stories in the collection.

I got my sports manga fixes in this year too. First one I had hyped myself up for for years and the namesake of a previous favorite...the oft referenced in the Makoto Kobayashi-verse: Judo-bu Monogatari. When Sango Jugo (whose name is literally the kanji numerals 3 5 15) gets tricked into joining his school's low ranking Judo club. After surviving a brutal hazing ritual it would seem he's only sticking around out of spite, but after what seemed to be a fluke win could it be that he actually got a talent for this sport? Thus begins Jugo's 3 year journey as a high school Judo athlete. I already knew that Kobayashi is one of the best sequential artists in the game but I'm just blown away over and over by him andhis mastery of the comic format. Add the trademark outrageous visual comedy and the charming cast of characters; I rank it with Slam Dunk as one of the few manga that get physical reactions of true excitement and happiness out of me. (In fact, Makoto Kobayashi is named as one of Takehiko Inoue's influences)

I also finally read Matsumoto's ZERO which had intrigued me since the editor's afterword in Ping Pong that described the two works as related. And I don't know where to begin, blown away, entranced, had me thinking and wondering, absorbed in one sitting. The bunko edition also included extras from the 2018 edition like a editor's and author's retrospective, and a short comic written by the scriptwriter of Takemitsu Samurai, Issei Eifuku who was around for the development phase of ZERO.

#my scans #recommendation corner #roundup #long post