#yes it's about the Japanese tradition where you get good luck for the year if you dream of mountain Fuji in your first new year :3

[pridewon]

@cauterisen​ said: when atsumu miya left the party, the hustle and bustle of the festivities being held in honor of him and osamu, most would have assumed the black jackals setter needed to get some air. which was fine, really. whether it be overwhelming or just a change of pace, that was all fine.what was stranger, then, was kimiko following him on what was seemingly an even greater whim.there was no need for her, really, to leave and take the gift she'd wanted to give him around the company of others and brave the october night chill with nothing but a white jacket and her own blue dress to go up to the roof, but she does.maybe, just maybe, she wanted them to have a moment to themselves. maybe she doesn't know yet, what atsumu miya and their rivalrly forged in that one national spring tourney their final year of high school turned strange but somehow meaningful friendship meant to her, but she hoped they'd find some sense of it together in quiet.she finds him, eventually, looking out at the city lights in his gold jacket with some sort of drink in hand. 'hi.' her voice came out reedlike, unlike her own. 'just wanted to say happy birthday. and to thank you.' she glanced at him again, perhaps more searchingly. 'for being there for me this long.' zip zip zip, she'd been around and busy for the past few years, from tokyo to asia and to argentina the previous year to compete in judo and study art history abroad. throughout a good deal of it, atsumu had been something of a constant for her, a companion, and even his boisterous nature and teasing made her feel more at ease and more at home, whether it be with his jokes or even bragging or gripes here and there about his career and all the goings on between him and his teammates. it made her feel at home even when she wasn't home in tokyo or even in japan, and somehow along the way she began to appreciate that and him more than she ever thought she would have. surprising, yes, but not bad by a longshot.'so i wanted to give you this.' kimiko handed atsumu a wrapped long and thin package containing a traditional japanese woven good luck charm, which she'd bought, and a tiny acrylic fox tail charm, which she had made herself, all bound together on a single silver key chain. kimiko smiled, continuing on. 'it's just a little something, really, but i hope it helps you remember that someone out there, me, is rooting for you. i know you might say you don't need extra luck but,,, it'd make me happy knowing that you have something of me, me, that's fighting on that court with you.' even if her future wasn't all solid, even if it's still up in the air partway into her final year of college and university... she felt beholden to atsumu, somehow and in some way or another, and that she wanted him to know she cared and that he was in her thoughts wherever she went or wherever her road led. her small but strong hand made its way to atsumu's shoulder, patting and then rubbing it briefly before she released it... looking into atsumu's brown eyes with her own blue. 'keep up that good volleyball fight, buddy. i'm rooting for you. always.'(happy miya twins day and atsumu day!!! even if this got ridiculously away from me lmao)

Another year around the sun; another notch at his belt and in the count of the years he and his twin have been alive. For as long as he can remember, Atsumu has had that sense that his and Osamu’s birthday was a great opportunity to gather friends and family and celebrate all together - double the dose of fun and party because there are two boys to celebrate instead of one. It has been him and Osamu since the beginning, and he cannot remember a single year where they celebrated separately - not even after they went their separate ways, not even during that year when Atsumu played abroad (he flew all the way back to Osaka for the occasion). He doesn’t expect it’ll change. Hell, he doesn’t want it to change.

Atsumu makes his brother miserable, and Osamu does him the same favour, but this is one of those things for which anything other than together is unthinkable.

By the same logic, there isn’t really a need for anyone (or an expectation for anyone) to treat one twin differently than the other, even when affinities come into play... so it does come as a surprise, when Kimiko joins him on the rooftop, reiterates her birthday wishes, and hands him a small package. “Huh?” Surprise flashes through brown eyes, under a raise of his brow; but fingers close on the small package, discard his half-finished drink to the side on the railing, and focus on unwrapping the paper.

Atsumu Miya isn’t exactly known to be... friendly. Or present in people’s lives. Or supportive in any way shape or form - unless you’re lucky enough to stand on the same side of the court as him, or your name is Osamu Miya (maybe Kita-san gets a pass too -- but Kita-san does more of the supporting than he needs it). So when Kimiko thanks him... of course it comes as a damn surprise. 

Atsumu Miya has been called many things before: a jackass, a selfish bastard, a jerk with the personality of sewage water... admittedly, Atsumu does very little to make himself more likeable. To make himself someone other people might actually want around, or to be around. He has made his peace with it since he was twelve years old, but... 

... but life is full of surprises, and maybe, just maybe -- he’s getting a little bit less shit at the whole friends thing with age. A little buzzed by the beer and sake he has already ingested, the Black Jackals’ setter contemplates the keychain assorted with charms resting in the palm of his hand.

... Atsumu is not a very good friend, he thinks. But Kimiko begs to differ, and maybe, maybe (!!)... it’s nice to know someone is in your corner, every once in a while. Maybe it’s nice to know that for all their bickering and their little highschool rivalry back in the days? She has decided to grant him a respect he didn’t even know he deserved or should expect. He weighs the little charms in his hand, and turns his eyes to her with a lazy, foxy smile. “You better. We’re gonna win the Olympics next year, y’wouldn’t wanna miss out on that, wouldja?” He muses, acknowledging the pat on his shoulder by ruffling her raven hair (a good and sure way to annoy her - a good and sure way to defuse and diffuse the fact that maybe (!!) he’s getting a little emotional). “Thanks. For, y’know - this.” He pulls the key to his apartment from the pocket of his jacket, and hooks it to the keychain. Perfect. “ ‘course I don’t need extra luck on the court, but y’know, I might need it t’survive the airhead gang I got as a team, so. Keep rootin’ for me, an’ I’ll keep rootin’ for ya too, deal?” 

#cauterisen #(miya a; interactions) #SHAKES MY FIST AT YOU #i'm almost a month late but THIS ASK GAVE ME ALL THE FEELS #thank you for your patience i didn't want to botch that reply with a half-assed brain B) #i love you and i love kimiko okay MWAH SMOOCHES YOUR FACE

[paleparearchive]

My Story Begins Here

Rembrandt's New Year 4★ story (2/3) ( 1 - 2 - 3 )

Location: kitchen (night) ; museum exterior (New Year) | Characters: Rembrandt, Renoir, Hokusai, Velazquez, Van Dyck, Millet, Aoi/MC

Rembrandt: Mmmh! These kurikinton³ are so sweet and delicious. This black one over here is…

Hokusai: They're black beans. They're sweet and tasty too.

Rembrandt: … Mmmh, delicious!

Van Dyck: I've never seen osechi¹ before, but it's so beautiful…!

Millet: I heard that the appearance of the osechi¹ is also important, so I tried various ways to make it look beautiful. I'm glad you were pleased with it.

Velazquez: …

Renoir: Velazquez, what's wrong? You've been staring at Rembrandt for a while now.

Velazquez: No... I was afraid he could choke on this rice cake. With this much elasticity, it would be a big deal, just in case.

Renoir: Aaah… I guess I can't say that it's not a Rembrandt thing… Is it?

Aoi: Rembrandt-san, please be careful!

Rembrandt: I'll be fineee. Chew my food properly…

Wowoaah!? Sorry, I knocked over the zoni²!

Van Dyck: As expected from Rembrandt… It's a very unexpected happening.

Hokusai: Oooh oooooh! You're makin' me laugh from the start of the New Year!

Aoi: M-More importantly, we need to wipe the table!

Renoir: Fufu, it's so lively and fun.

—

Van Dyck: Aaah, we've come so far so fast since then. They're already packing up the stage and exhibits…

Millet: It's been a while since the event ended.

Velazquez: Besides, seasonal exhibits are not meant to be done for a long period of time. It would be out of season.

Van Dyck: I know without you telling me that! That's how much I liked it!

Renoir: My lady, we could start by cleaning up in front of the museum, right?

Aoi: Yes. After a quick cleanup, let's move on to the next stage.

Rembrandt: Got iiit. Then, let's get started… Wait, now that I think of it, where's Hokusai-san?

Millet: Since we're talking about Hokusai-san, he must be lost again, I think?

Van Dyck: More than that… He didn't go on a strike, did he? I mean, his room is always cleaned by you and the others, doesn't Hokusai seem to hate cleaning?

Aoi: Hmm, I told him about the cleaning, so I don't think he's on a strike, but…

I'm worried, so I'm going to look for him…

Hokusai: Hey hey, who you're lookin' for?

Millet: Ah, Hokusai-san… Wait, what's with that kimono!?

Hokusai: It's still like the event is on-going 'till the cleanup's over, right? We've come all this way, let's enjoy it to the end!

Renoir: I see, it's a very Hokusai thing. Well, then... Maybe I should go change my clothes too?

Van Dyck: It's the last time I get to wear that costume... I'll go get changed too!

Velazquez: Well... If everyone else is going to change, I'll go change too.

Millet: Ah, I'll go change too!

Aoi: O-Okay! What about you, Rembrandt-san?

Rembrandt: … I think I'll go change my clothes too! I'll take the chanceee.

Aoi: Fufu, right. I have other work to do now, so please take care of the rest.

Rembrandt: Yup, leave it to us!

¹: Osechi or osechi-ryōri are traditional Japanese New Year foods. Osechi are easily recognizable by their special boxes called jūbako (重箱), which resemble bentō boxes. Like bentō boxes, jūbako are often kept stacked before and after use. [From Wikipedia]

²: Zōni, often with the honorific "o-" as o-zōni, is a Japanese soup containing mochi rice cakes. The dish is strongly associated with the Japanese New Year and its tradition of osechi ceremonial foods. The preparation of zōni varies both by household and region. [From Wikipedia]

³: Kuri Kinton (Candied Chestnuts and Sweet Potatoes) is a special dish of Osechi Ryori, or traditional Japanese New Year foods. Made of mashed sweet potatoes and chestnuts in syrup, kuri kinton is an important dish to bring good luck and prosperity for the new year. [Source]

#card tl #card translation #palepare #palepare tl #palette parade #palette parade tl #translation #rembrandt #rembrandt van rijn #4★

[anime-dub-transcripts]

Hetalia: World Stars Episode #12: Get Better! Transcript

This episode has Czechia changing her name, Italy's rat problem, festivals, the Italian good luck charm, and exorcisms.

Czechia: May I have your attention, pleeease? Everyone! I have an announcement that will impact you in ways heretofore untold, so listen here and listen well! As of today, I am officially changing my name from Czech to Czechia.

Liechtenstein: Auh…

(Slovakia: Hahaha!)

{Caption: Czechia}

Czechia: I will only answer to Czechia from now on…

Voice: Czechia!

Czechia: …so please adjust accordingly.

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

Liechtenstein: Why do you want to change your name again?

(Slovakia: Hehe…)

{Caption: Czechia}

Czechia: The Czech Republic is such a mouthful, why say so much when only one word…

Voice: Czechia!

Czechia: …will suffice?

Slovakia: Aw, but don’t you think Czech sounds way cuter?

Czechia: Tch! Of course not, don’t be stupid!

(Slovakia: Hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm!)

Czechia: Auh!

Austria: I’m warning you, don’t do it. All it takes is one person writing it wrong to doom you forever.

Narrator: Austria gets mistaken for Australia due to their similar names, despite Austria’s real name.

(Australia: Ahah!)

{Caption: Oosutorii}

Austria: Surely the world will refer to me as I wish to refer to myself. Euh…

Narrator: Or so he assumed. But that was…oo strikeout.

(Austria: Ehum…ehum…)

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

Romano: AWOOOOWW! STOP IT, YOU JERK, YOU MORON! CAN’T YOU KEEP A CLEAN HOUSE FOR FIVE MINUTES, YOU RAT BASTARD?!

(Mouse: Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!)

Italy: I’m sorry, are you okay? It’s not my fault that mices like to come for visits!

(Romano: Eweh…)

(Mice: Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak!)

Romano: Aah!

(Italy: Aah eh, aah eh!)

Romano: Well, don’t just sit there; do something about it!

(Italy: Aaheh!)

(Mice: Squeak! Squeak!)

Italy: Hmhmhm…

(Romano: Dueh?)

Italy: I’m already kilometers ahead of you, you silly boy!

(Mice: Squeak! Squeak!)

Italy: Ta-da! A kitty! She’ll take care of this lickety-split!

Italy-cat: Meah!

{Caption: Meow}

Italy-cat: Meah!

Romano: Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it.

Italy-cat: Pasta!

Italy: Aw, listen to her!

Romano: YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT ACTING CUTE WON’T SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS, YOU STUPID JERK!

(Italy: Owie! Owie, owie owie owie owie! Owie owie!)

Italy: Ah!

(Romano: Ehum)

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

Italy: You want to check out festivals from other cultures?

Japan: Hai.

(Hai: Yes → Japanese)

Japan: A vacation must be used for studying, not for leisure.

Italy: Aoh…then how about you visit Ivrea in the north? They hold an orange festival each year!

Japan: What is that like?

Italy: Just imagine one big food fight! The entire city becomes a huge, orangey mess!

Japan: And where does such a strange tradition as this originate from?

Italy: Oh, it’s quite simple. It honors the city’s fight against the tyrant from long ago. And the oranges symbolize how they removed the tyrant’s testicles!

Japan: Cough, cough! Yes, I see. Perhaps another time.

Estonia: Did I hear correctly that you’re on the hunt for some unusual cultural events?

Japan: Estonia. Hai.

(Hai: Yes → Japanese)

Estonia: I happen to know of a country where they hold a bunch of weird festivals!

Japan: Go on, I am listening.

Estonia: Just off top of head, there’s a tournament to see who can sit the longest bare-buttocked on an ant bed and a yearly mosquito swatting challenge.

(Italy: Ve, ve! Ve…)

Estonia: They also have the mobile phone throwing championships, the air guitar championships, the world wife-carrying race, swamp soccer where they play soccer in the swamp, and, if you can believe it, many more!

Japan: These aren’t your festivals, are they?

Estonia: Please, do I look that crazy?

Finland: Neaaaugh…every time Estonia talks about me behind my back, I get all gross and itchy!

Sweden: Want help?

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

Italy: Hey, what’s the matter, Germany?

Germany: I don’t enjoy sharing mein weaknesses with you, but if you must know, I’ve had a Hölle of a time sleeping lately.

(Mein: Mine → German)

(Hölle: Hell → German)

Italy: The big, buff Germaninator is feeling under the weather?! That’s no good, what do we do?! Think fast, Italy! Got to think!

Germany: Careful, you might burst a blood vessel.

(Italy: Thinking, thinking, thinking, think…)

Italy: I got it! There’s a good luck ritual that should perk you right up!

Germany: You don’t say…

Italy: Just give a little tug right here and it’ll turn that frown upside-down!

{Caption: Here}

Germany: I am not touching that!

(Italy: Ehm ehm ehm!)

Italy: Oh, sorry; not mine, you have to use your own!

Germany: Well, whoever’s it is, I’m not doing something like that in public!

Italy: Ah! Now that you mention it, doing that in public was actually just made illegal at my place. That was a close call. I’ll try to think of something else.

Germany: HAVEN’T I SUFFERED ENOUGH?!

Japan: I am not sure what you are asking me to do.

Italy: You know how to get rid of bad spirits and stuff, right? You got all those ninja powers!

Japan: If you think it would help, we could try an exorcism.

Italy: Yeah, let’s do that, then!

Germany: That’s really unnecessary…

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

Japan: If you are both ready, we can begin.

Germany: Ja, thank you very much.

(Italy: Thanks a lot)

(Ja: Yes → German)

Japan: All of life has its ups and downs. But do not give into the rain. Do not give into the wind. Focus instead on your health. Good health, number one. If your body is healthy, so is your mind.

(Italy: Ahahaha…ahaha)

Japan: May Germany’s physical condition improve.

(Italy: Ahha…ah)

Narrator: Personal wishes sometimes make their way into exorcism prayers.

(Japan: So that he may be full of life and full of energy once more)

(Italy: Aaha…aahaha…)

(Germany: Ugh…ehuh)

#anime #anime transcripts #anime dub transcripts #hetalia #hetalia dub transcripts

[eled0ra]

Happy new year ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･゜ヽ( ´∀｀)人(´∀｀ )ノ･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*

#2021 #Happy New Year #happy 2021 #Pokemon #Pikachu #pkmnart #yes it's about the Japanese tradition where you get good luck for the year if you dream of mountain Fuji in your first new year :3 #gigantamax #gigantamax pikachu #my draws #hope I get to travel to Japan too in 2021 ;w; #my biggest regret in 2020 is giving up my Osaka trip on February #er technically the flight got cancelled but they didn't close the borders yet back then -m-

[ootahime]

analyzing every gojohime moment in the manga 😈

this series will probably have more than one part because tumblr only lets me upload ten images per post </3

warning: there are disgustingly long paragraphs in here and delusions

chapter 32

utahime’s first introduction!  akutami lets us know right off the bat that she thinks gojo is an idiot (so true).

chapter 32

i love the contrast between miwa and utahime’s reaction to gojo’s appearance.  

chapter 33

NAH BC TELL ME WHY HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO NOT GET HER ONE LMAOOOO!!  when he traveled overseas to meet with yuta, he picked up the tribal protection charms and thought to himself, “let’s get enough for the kyoto students as a gift since i am such a great and caring teacher, after all.  mmm, i should skip utahime to make her mad~”  this guy puts way too much effort into getting on her nerves.  his mind = utahime brainrot

chapter 33

she’s laughing at him here because he’s getting disciplined for being a lil shit.  i wonder...what would he say if he saw her laughing at him like that?  

chapter 33

this interaction between them is a little strange don’t you think?   i feel like over the years he’s learned how to pick up her mood based on the way she’s acting towards him.  you’re probably thinking, “well any person can figure out how a person’s feeling based on the way they’re talking or acting.”  yes, that’s absolutely true, but it’s kind of different with this.  she’s acting normal.  utahime has a rather indifferent expression on her face and what she says is spoken in a calm tone, but gojo still asks her if she’s mad at him.  it’s likely that he knows her well enough to be able to notice these subtle things.  even if she wasn’t actually mad at him, he was being considerate for a split second, then he went and said, “of course.  i didn’t do anything wrong and all.”  what a guy LOLOL.  to me, this implies that maybe he made her genuinely angry in the past to the point where he realized that he went too far, and thus decided to be more careful of her feelings.  she has definitely gotten annoyed at him so many times after that so whenever she seems angry, he probably asks himself if he took it too far.  i’m curious to see if he can pick up if she’s upset with something that’s not involving him.  would he console her?  how does gojo satoru console someone?  

despite him always annoying her, she’s still courteous and brings him a cup of tea during their talk.  she didn’t have to go out of her way to get tea for him but she did.  that’s the kind of person utahime is.  a kind and caring woman who would never put her students in danger.  in the anime they were sitting far away and not facing each other like they’re doing in the manga.  she also has her own tea cup.  i think that little panel of her placing the cup down on the table and him picking it up to take a sip is a nice little detail.  it just proves that her hating him most of the time isn’t actually pure hatred but annoyance because of his shenanigans and teasing.

chapter 33

i touched upon this a little bit in my previous post, but i wish to go more in depth about this panel.  first of all, he ends the sentence with her name twice.  two times too many, mr. gojo.  i like how they can be serious with each other too LOL.  i wish we got to see them talk about the traitors because they did figure it out together after all.  does it always end in bickering?  can they interact with each other like adults all the way through?  somehow, i feel like that’s not possible when it comes to these two.  furthermore, notice how gojo confides in utahime about his suspicions.  from what we know, she is the first person he brought it up to.  i mean, i guess he has to start investigating the schools and would need extra assistance to save time, but he could have done it himself if he really wanted to.  by deciding to ask for her help we know that he thinks she’s trustworthy, smart, and strong enough to face whatever considerable risks this task may entail.  

i didn’t point this out in my other posts but see how he makes a hand sign in the last panel when she throws the cup at him?  gojo is manually activating his infinity.  why though?  about a year after the whole star plasma vessel incident happened, gojo develops the ability to keep his infinity up at all times by using the reversed curse technique to consistently heal himself to prevent exhaustion.  this means that it really makes no difference whether he leaves it on or off.  there are a few times where we can witness someone actually touching gojo.  for example, yuuji giving him a hug.  did he turn his infinity off, or was it able to deduce that yuuji was not a threat?  the erasers and pencils shoko and geto threw at him during his demonstration of his new ability aren’t dangerous normally, but is it the speed that makes them dangerous?  even if it did hit him, it wouldn’t hurt.  how does the infinity know when to allow an incoming object to touch gojo?  i believe it is up to gojo himself to let things touch him; his infinity restricts anything and anyone.  some people say it could just be the fact that water is not dangerous to him, so therefore, he has to manually put his infinity up.  i thought this was a reasonable explanation as to why he put up the hand sign when the tea was thrown at him, but then i realized that it couldn’t be.  remember the second opening?  it’s raining and everyone is carrying an umbrella, then it pans to gojo with a bouquet in his hand and rain drops slipping off his infinity.  if he DID manually put his infinity up to prevent getting soaked then that implies that he chose to turn his infinity off.  you can argue and say that jujutsu high is a safe place with students so there’s no need to have his infinity there, but do you remember when he stepped on the ants in front of gakuganji and yaga?  the ants were perfectly fine after which insinuates that his infinity prevented his shoes from crushing the ants.  he most likely had his infinity on during the baseball game even though he was in a safe environment.  how does this long tangent relate back to utahime?  well, it simply indicates that gojo trusts utahime so much to the point where he can be vulnerable around her.  turning off his infinity symbolizes completely letting down his guard  in a way.  

how about what happens next?  utahime throws the tea at him, he turns on his infinity to deflect it, and he responds with, “scary!  hysteric women aren’t popular, you know!”  why would he even say that LMAO??  utahime doesn’t even try to deny what he said either.  she just hits him with the good old, “i am your senpai!”  could it be that he’s trying to poke fun of her relationship status?  maybe, maybe not.  doesn’t he like people a lil crazy?  he did say that all jujutsu sorcerers have to be a little crazy because they’re willing to put themselves in danger constantly.  

chapter 0 p.1

i wonder who he’s thinking of when he said that.  could it be utahime?  it seems like he’s reminiscing or thinking about someone.  he wears an amused expression on his face as he laughs - almost like he’s seen his fair share of how scary women can get :>>

chapter 34

the pattern behind gojo and utahime is called yagasuri “fletching,” a traditional japanese design.  this design is inspired by arrow fletching.  it's a lucky charm for weddings and other celebrations since it's based on the Japanese belief that an arrow shot once never comes back.  brides were given kimonos with this pattern for good luck during the edo era (1603–1868) to ensure they would not have to return to their original family home.  this pattern can have numerous meanings such as steadfastness or determination to achieve a goal, or a wish for the happiness of the bride.  there is a belief that a bow and arrow represent the fight against evil.  honestly, this meaning fits the narrative of the story.  utahime and gojo are unearthing the traitors that are feeding intel to the curse users and cursed spirits.  they are in the middle while the kyoto students surround them, which could mean that it’s their job as adults to protect these children from the grasps of evil slowly making itself more prominent.  do you also notice that the arrows are pointed toward utahime from gojo?  from all the images i’ve seen, the arrows are usually pointed downward.  what could this mean?  is gojo trying to protect her (in the future (?)) or does he have a big fat crush smh...

i think it’s a good time to mention utahime’s clothing.  she’s wearing miko attire.  miko are shrine maidens who were once thought to be shamans (you connecting the dots?).  in their service to shrines, miko used to perform spirit possession and takusen (in which the possessed person acts as a "medium" (yorimashi) to communicate the divine will or message of that kami (god) or spirit; also included in the category of takusen is "dream revelation" (mukoku), in which a kami appears in a dream to communicate its will).  this was back in the old days, of course.  to become a miko back then (shaman), one needed to have potential.  neurosis, hallucinations, odd behavior, and hysteria (HYSTERIA HELLO???) are some of the signs that a person is being called to shamanism.  when a miko is communicating with a kami (god) or spirit by acting as a medium, she is in a trance-like state, and so she must learn techniques to control herself when this happens.  chanting and dancing were used to accomplish this, so the girl was taught melodies and intonations that were used in songs, prayers, and magical formulas.  all of this could give us insight about utahime’s technique and explains why she’s good at singing :)  maybe she can’t control herself when she uses her technique which is why she isn’t shown using it because it should be used for dire situations.  i imagine being possessed by a spirit or god must consume a lot of cursed energy.  it makes sense that utahime and gakuganji wear traditional clothing.  they’re the staff of jujutsu high’s kyoto branch.  in chapter 0, kyoto is known as the sacred land of jujutsu.  it’s more traditional compared to tokyo.  if you want to learn more about miko, you should check out the wikipedia page!  

chapter 34

i swear he tries to annoy her every chance he gets.  i bet he sets a goal for himself to see how many times utahime lectures him about respecting his seniors every time he’s within the same vicinity as her.  at least he called her utahime-sensei!!!

chapter 40

this isn’t even a gojohime moment tbh...i just wanted to share a pic of them sitting next to each other HEHE.  why are they sitting next to each other anyway?  it’s not like they have assigned seating.

----

that was so long and i apologize for the gargantuan paragraphs you guys had to read through.  i’m writing this at 4 in the morning and i’m feeling borderline delirious so i apologize if there are any errors.  i’ll edit this when i have time <3

the next part should come shortly.

#gojohime #gouta #gojo x utahime

[junicai]

Relationship with NCT Dream

➣ MARK ☾ mari

½ of the best friend crew

honestly at the beginning, mark and aria weren’t very close, having only really seen each other in passing or with johnny

but after being dropped into training together the two quickly became fast friends, and now they’re borderline inseparable

you thought you knew pain? watch aria’s reaction to mark’s graduation from dream :)

mark’s the reason why aria felt confident enough to pitch some of her lyric ideas to the team, after staying up until 4am to help her make some edits so she was as confident as possible

kinda just, rests his head on her shoulder? and wraps his arms around her waist when he’s tired

mari being confused in foreigner: ???

aria said once in a vlive that she finds mark really comforting to be around - when she feels stressed or worried about something she’ll go to mark’s room and just sit on his bed for a while

aria is so close with his parents - “ahh, how’s my favourite child” “i’m doing great mom.” “no not you, how’s aria?” “wh-hu-MOM?”

you’d swear sometimes mark is younger than her, considering the pout he puts on and how much he whines when they’re not on the same team together for promotions

mark big protecc boi but also little small cuddly boi

they’re so soft for each other ( ╥ω╥ )

in one of the fancams for mark’s solo stage during superm, someone zoomed into aria singing along with him in the wings and dancing to herself with the Proudest Smile™

he’s! so! proud! of! her! constantly! she could be walking and he’d be like “omg get it”

when aria refuses to get up and make herself food (this happens way too often, she just gets into the groove of her work and doesn’t want to move) mark gets her to by threatening to do it himself

consistently caught by czennies just standing behind her and holding her hand in crowded areas - airports, waiting rooms, etc.

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

mark and aria were standing off to one side as the mc explained the rules of the game they were about to be playing. mark looked totally confused, and elbowed aria in her side before looking down and mouthing “what?” to her. aria opened her mouth, before closing it and looking down at the ground, muttering to herself, “결합… 結合….. le chéile…. le… le.. oh oh - combined! we have to put them together, markie.”and thus, a new confusion meme was born

➣ RENJUN ☾ renjaria

renjun and aria room together while she’s promoting with dream

they were so awkward around each other at the beginning :(

only really spoke in passing, or when they had to

it was renjun that broke the ice at first, asking if she wanted to go shopping for the dorm together

now it’s their thing

“no aria, we can’t get more ice-cream we’re all supposed to be on diets.” “but  ｡ﾟ･ (>﹏<) ･ﾟ｡ please”

he’s lowkey soft for her but he’d rather throw himself off the roof then tell her that

piano pals

he started teaching her how to properly play once he found her messing around on a keyboard in the studio one day

they actually argue quite a bit

not about big things, but about smaller things that push each other over the edge because of stress

the first time he yelled at her, aria spent the night in hyuck’s room 

hyuck yelled at renjun for making her cry 

now they’re probably the best pairing for talking through their emotions instead of blowing up on each other

they’re both quite opinionated people, and they’ve learnt to navigate that well so fights don’t happen as often

does that stop renjun from teasing aria an within an inch of her life? absolutely not

“i’ll kill you” “can you, reach?” “LISTEN HERE-”

he acts like he’s 10ft tall, excuse you sir you are barely 5′6″

renjun was her mandarin teacher for a while, but then kun kindly told her that her “introduction” was actually calling herself an idiot 

aria has a bad problem with saesangs go away bitches and renjun is iconic for going off on them for her because she doesn’t like to make a big deal out of it all 

he gets so angry on her behalf

that was actually a topic of one of their biggest arguments smh

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

aria was leaning on a pile of books to prop herself up as she leant forwards to try and hang a string of lights on her bedroom wall. renjun walked in, and immediately came to her aid, speaking with a teasing tone. “need a hand?” 

aria, without ceremony just elbowed him in the stomach and used his then folded up figure to push herself up higher. “yes, thank you!”

she got hate for that one, but it was all in good fun and renjun was laughing after it

➣ JENO ☾ nori

aria is his princess and everyone else can fight him

like they’re both doyoung’s children, but if it comes down to it he will lay down his life for her

and not even in a romantic way, just a “you’re too precious i have to protect you” kind of way

czennies thought he was in love with her for the entirety of nct 2018 promotions

this boy was hanging off of her at any given second, and there was an edited video of jeno “glaring” at lucas’ back when the taller boy walked away after hugging aria

it was faked, stan twt needs to chill out

he drags her to the gym 

he’s basically her big brother? but they’re the same age - its a weird dynamic but they make it work

they’re so LOUD together

not chaotic, but he makes her laugh so hard 

vlive 191030: “nono-ah makes my cheeks hurt so i can’t spend too long around him. my sides hurt too ~  ♡(｡- ω -)”

any and all fanfictions written about the two are definitely either coffee shop, university or library AUs

this man walks like a bodyguard around her - boy got the arm over the shoulder, tucked her head into him, covering her face, its a whole ordeal

dispatch released some pictures of aria one day and accidentally blurred out jeno’s face because they thought he was her bodyguard 

is so. so mindful of how long aria spends in the training rooms

like, yes everyone else expects her home before midnight (long story)

but jeno actively makes sure to ask people what time she left the dorm at, and texts her to remind her to take water breaks and to come home at a good time so she can sleep 

these two are the creators of so many iconic vlives - they have a bad habit of going live at 1 or 2 in the morning, just doing random things

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT.

“hi hi! so, nono and i- jeno stop it, stop it! - nono and i are walking down to the park to go feed the birds - yes we’re going to feed the bird- no! we are not going to feed the ducks, bread can kill the ducks! why did you bring brea-”

jeno pulled the camera from aria’s hands. “ari and i,” he looked at her purposefully, “are going back to the dorms because someone forgot to bring the bird seed, and apparently we can’t give bread to ducks anymore.”

*sounds of aria intermittently hitting and scolding jeno ensue*

➣ DONGHYUCK ☾ arichan

the other half of the best friend crew

absolute heathens to be around when they are together

donghyuck is the person aria is closest to, and someone she’d call her best friend (only when she was sure he wouldn’t hear her)

she calls him “the demon child i can’t get rid of” but will, and has definitely pouted when he ignored her for too long

generally aria is a pretty soft spoken person, but not with hyuck around - he brings out all her chaos energy (please pray for the patience of dotae)

the pair have a little tradition of kissing the back of each others’ hands before going on stage for good luck. they can’t even remember how it started, but now its an unnegotiable pre-show ritual

he’s so clingy with her absolutely everywhere its painfully adorable  (ಥ﹏ಥ)

interviews? hyuck has a hand on her knee, or if she’s wearing a skirt he’s tucked his hand in between their chairs so she can hold it discreetly. in the dorms? full body tackle onto the couch, where he proceeds to lay on top of her completely.

because of hyuck’s nickname being the sun, and aria always being around him, czennies gave her the nickname “moon” to go with him

fans thought that aria was older than hyuck for a good year and a half before she released her birthday on a vlive, because she’s normally the one tasked with reigning his chaotic energy in during promotions (that is, if she hasn’t already joined him)

but off-camera, aria is absolutely hyuck’s baby there is no disputing that. aria’s sad?he’s there with ice-cream and a blanket and a baseball bat.

the winnie the pooh character that is on aria’s bed was a gift from hyuck for her 17th birthday, after she made him watch seven episodes of the show on netflix with her one night

yes he complained, but he slapped her hand away when she went to change it to something else

a twitter thread of a czennie comparing their horoscopes together went viral when people realized that it was quite plausible that the pair were each others (platonic) soulmates

after an incident involving blueberries, donghyuck took it upon himself to check the ingredients of every. single. food item in their dorm to make sure it was ok for her to eat

hyuck clowns her for her irish accent, and aria curses him out in japanese

tldr: they cute or whatever

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

donghyuck was doing a vlive in his bedroom, sitting and talking to czennies when aria opened the door to his room quietly. she didn’t say anything, just waved slightly with almost closed eyes before she crawled underneath his covers and tucked her plushie underneath her chin. hyuck didn’t even blink at it - so it must have been a regular occurrence.

➣ JAEMIN ☾ nari

jaemin highkey flusters her

not in a oo you’re so cute, cute boy make nerves go eeee

but he’ll wink at her and teasingly compliment her and now she looks like a firetruck this isn’t fair

he absolutely takes advantage of this where ever possible 

“riri, can i have some?” “no, i just made these you should have helped me (-_-)” “riri~ but you looked so cute making them i didn’t want to interrupt you~” *aria.exe has stopped responding*

but when aria isn’t trying to get her cheeks to stop being red, they’re really cute together 

you’d swear aria is older, by how much jaemin whines for her attention

the mighty battles between jaemin and hyuck

hyuck’s just biding his time for the rooftop fight

kinda panics around her when she’s crying, but is always the first to offer up a hug 

has a period tracker on his phone but no one knows about it 

he doesn’t like to coddle her because they’re so close in age, but that doesn’t stop him from getting protective in certain situations *cough cough the fansign cough cough*

jaemin and aria cuddling when they’re drunk? more likely than you’d think

he definitely professed his undying love for her at one point while being drunk, and chenle caught it on video 

“noona we’re playing that at your wedding” 

designated blanket/pillow hunter at award shows, and if he can’t find one then he usually just gives her his jacket

the amount of coffee these two consume should be illegal 

aria prefers to call him nana and he prefers to call her riri in the dorms, so when either of them get called by their first name by the other it means A: they’re on a schedule, or B: someone’s about to die

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

nct dream on idol room were trying out jaemin’s death-in-a-cup (his coffee) and as the cup got passed around, aria grew more and more concerned with each face the members made. “jaemin if i die from this-”

he only smiled at her while passing over the cup. aria held it up to look at the black liquid skeptically, before sighing in resignation and bringing the cup to her lips to take a sip. 

and then another.

“wait this is good i like this”

➣ CHENLE ☾ leri

hide yo kids and hide yo wives because leri is entering the chat

*cue aria and chenle wearing 2000s rapper clothes with backwards baseball caps*

these two are so chaotically calm

its like the energy cancels out or something 

aria with hyuck is just so loud and obnoxious, and the same with chenle with jisung

so when you put those two together it just turns into le positive vibes

you ever meditated to those 132 hertz sounds? thats them in a sound 

aria will hold him like a baby kitten she’s expecting to try wriggle out of her grip at any moment and its comical because he’s a good head taller than her

aria definitely has a knack for making her groupmates’ parents fall in love with her

every two weeks or so she goes for dinner in chenle’s house upon his mother’s request

they have a mutual understanding of the mental toll it takes to be around the rest of the dreamies constantly

chenle and aria sitting peacefully, watching a cdrama: 

the dreamies, throttling each other: AAAAAAAAAAA

will never admit it but he misses her the most when she goes away to promote

he thinks of her as a big sister and the dorms feel empty without her there

aggressive proud hugs 

so aggressive, he legit tackles her

he had to tone it down after knocking her over once backstage and she narrowly missed clocking herself on a nearby soundboard 

“YAH ZHONG CHENLE YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL!”

he always gets a little bit anxious when they eat things outside of the dorms because he’s never seen her have an allergic reaction before and he’d like to keep it that way  (`皿´＃)

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

chenle was particularly restless that day, constantly shuffling about in his seat to the point where renjun forcefully tossed an arm over his shoulders to hold him still while the vlive was still playing.

not one to be defeated, chenle then turned to press his lips to renjun’s cheek playfully, laughing when the older boy turned away in disgust. he turned to do the same to aria, coming closer to her cheek before aria turned her head to face his.

“AAA-” “EW CHENLE WHY”

➣ JISUNG ☾ jiri

oh god oh god oh god

if aria could take this boy and wrap him in a blanket and keep him in her pocket she would - no questions asked 

jisung knows she loves him the most out of dream sorry markhyuck and takes advantage of it every second

she used to coddle him a lot when he was smaller, but now that he’s older aria tries to rein it in as much as possible

that doesn’t mean it goes away completely though

“noona can you cook for me?” “of course jisungie! what do you want?” 

*jeno gobsmacked in the background* “you just told me you were too tired to cook tonight”

aria: big baby, must protect

jisung: tiny noona, must protect

jaemin and aria are really the only people jisung is ok with seeing him be super emotional - and he flip flops between the two depending on the reason why he’s emotional

self-esteem, feeling poopy side of it all? straight into aria’s bed, letting her roll him onto his side so she can tuck his head into her shoulder and covers the two of them with her duvet the way she used to do when he was shorter

this boy cannot curse around her unless he wants to get his ass Beat

dancing bros

they go so hard in their NCT Dance duet videos 

he keeps band-aids in his bag for her in exchange for her keeping an extra bottle of water in hers because jisung always forgets his own

jisung rests his elbow on her head a lot

but only briefly because the last time he stayed there for too long she stamped on his foot

tldr: aria is jisung’s emotional support gnome

FAN FAVOURITE MOMENT. 

jisung and aria were doing the chicken leg battle (this one) to fight for first dibs on the rooms they were going to be sharing for the next week or so. just before they were about to start, mark started laughing and pointing at how high jisung’s leg came up on aria’s, with aria’s knee barely hitting jisung’s mid-thigh

“this is an unfair advantage! this is cheating!”

#*aria.relationships #ooh she a little bit stilted at the end but ill come back and edit it soon :) #nct 24th member #nct dream 8th member #nct 22nd member #nct additional member #nct #nct dream #nct 127 #nct 2020 #nct 2018 #wayv #superm #nct female member #nct female member au #nct female oc #kpop additions #kpop!oc #kpop addition #nct extra member #taeyong #taeil #johnny #lucas #yuta #doyoung #jaehyun #ten #mark #mark lee

[jumukus]

A3! Translation: Tasuku Takato’s SSR [Straddle a Noble Steed] - Alpha Horseback Archery

Tasuku, Muku, Citron and Izumi joined a horseback archery trial thanks to the tickets Citron received from the neighborhood association.

Citron: Listen up, guys! I've got something good from the neighborhood association.

Izumi: Something good?

Muku: What is it, Citron-sama?

Citron: Book at this, everybody!

Itaru: You mean, "Look at this"?

Citron: Ta-dah! Four tickets to the horseback archery trial!

Izumi: Horseback archery!? You mean, the one where you ride a horse and shoot a bow?

Banri: Never knew there's a trial for that.

Citron: I'll be going on next weekend. Raise your hand if you can join!

Muku: Can I tag along? I want to try horseback archery!

Citron: I knew you'd say that, Muku! It's decided, then~.

Muku: Thank you! I hope I can hit the target with style.

Izumi: I'm sure you can, Muku-kun. You're good at horseback riding, after all.

Muku: Ehehe. I had fun riding a horse back then!

Itaru: I'll pass. I can already tell I'm going to fall from the horse.

Citron: I knew you'd say that, Itaru! It's decided, then~.

Itaru: How about you, Banri? I have a feeling you'll be good at it.

Banri: Haha, yeah, I probably can do it if I try but I have plans next weekend.

Citron: Oh, that's too bad! I wanted to see you doing horseback archery~.

Muku: Same here! Since I'm sure you will look cool doing that, I want to see it!

Izumi: There's nothing we can do since he has plans on that day. Such a shame, though, indeed.

Itaru: Not you all going, "Oh, that's too bad," when Banri could not join but said nothing when it was me. LOL.

Citron: How about you, Director?

Izumi: Huh? Me? I don't have any plans on that day…

Citron: You should join us, then! We have three people with this!

Izumi: What? I'm not really confident I can do it…

*door opens*

Tasuku: I'm home. What are you talking about?

Citron: Oh! To think you're back at this time, this must be good riddance!

Itaru: You mean, "God's guidance"?

Citron: Tasuku! Join us in horseback archery next weekend!

Tasuku: Horseback archery? I don't understand what you're talking about...

Banri: Citron got tickets to a horseback archery trial from the neighborhood association.

Muku: Since he has four tickets, including Citron-sama, Director-san and I will be joining…

Citron: The last ticket belongs to you, Tasuku!

Tasuku: Well, I don't mind. I don't have plans on that day, anyway. You'll be going too, right, Director?

Izumi: Looks like it…

Citron: In that case, the four of us will be going! I'm looking forward to it!

Citron: It's finally the day of the horseback archery trial! I'm so exited!

Muku: Me too!

Tasuku: I've already checked in at the reception. Go change your clothes at the building over there and gather here again.

Izumi: Women's dressing room is over there so let's meet up here again once we're done changing!

Tasuku: Okay.

Izumi: Wow! You all look good in that attire!

Tasuku: Do you think so? Well, that's great to hear…

The person in charge seemed to be having a hard time putting these clothes on me.

Izumi: You're tall, after all, Tasuku-san.

Citron: Oh, horseback archery attire is so cool! This is so exciting!

Muku: You also look great in that attire, Director!

Izumi: Thanks. I'm a lil bit nervous since I'm not really used to wearing traditional clothes.

Muku: Because Tasuku-san wore traditional clothes several times for plays before, you're somehow giving off this dignified vibes in that!

Citron: You look really, really confident!

Tasuku: Thanks. This time I'm wearing a Hakama, though. It's different from the ones I wore in "Die by the Sword" and "Hotel Compass".

It's a little bit hard to move around in this, but it's not like I can do something about it.

Person in charge: Everyone, we are going to start the trial now so please gather here.

Teacher: We are going to start with a horseback riding lesson. Get used to the horse you're riding today while trekking.

Izumi: Put your left foot here…okay.

Muku: What a calm and good kid. There, there.

Citron: I want to run fast! It reminds me of the long ride I took with Pochi back home!

Tasuku: You have a great posture, Citron. It makes sense since you're used to riding a horse.

Muku: The same goes for you, Tasuku-san! You look like a real samurai.

Izumi: I couldn't agree more. It's more impactful since you're wearing traditional attire now.

Teacher: Everyone in this group is talented. Are you all already used to riding horses?

Especially you. That's very impressive of you to sit up straight like that.

Tasuku: Are you referring to me?

Citron: Look at you, Tasuku! The teacher is praising you.

Muku: That's to be expected. Tasuku-san's posture is already good from the start. I think it also has something to do with your strong muscles.

Tasuku: I guess my years of experience on the stage has influenced me in some way. It has become a habit to straighten myself up.

Person in charge: Next, we're going to practice shooting a bow on the ground. This session will be split in two parts with lunch break in between.

Izumi: Whoa…! I never knew bows are quite heavy…!

Tasuku: It's pretty big in size, too. It's taller than me.

Muku: I heard Japanese-style bow is larger than the western-style one, and it can make your arrows fly farther.

Citron: It'll be hard to shoot while riding a horse!

Tasuku: Oh. I hit it.

Izumi: No way. You already hit the mark!?

Tasuku: You can say it's luck, I guess.

Citron: That's still great, though!

Muku: You're so talented, Tasuku-san! I have to do my best too!

Citron: Me too! I won't lose to you~.

Izumi: (Hehe. They seem to be having fun. I have to do my best to hit the mark as well!)

Tasuku: It's finally time. I hope we can do well, just like how we did during practice.

Citron: Tasuku, you also got praised for your archery skill, right!

Muku: While we didn't actually ride the horse during practice, you were still impressive for being able to hit the mark most of the time!

Izumi: Not only hitting the target, but quickly fitting the arrow to the bow is also difficult.

Teacher: We are going to move on to the actual horseback archery now. Try to aim for the mark over there. No need to rush.

Tasuku: No need to rush… Like this?

*shoots*

Muku: Y-You hit it!

*shoots*

Izumi: You hit it again!

Citron: Oh, would you look at that! He hit the center spots!

Teacher: It's so rare for participants to be able to do that. I don't usually let beginners do this, but… can you try running?

Tasuku: Is it really okay?

Teacher: Yes. I have a feeling you can do it.

Tasuku: I'll give it a try, then.

Muku: Whoa…! Running through with a horse while shooting an arrow… It feels like we're in a real battle!

Citron: This is true horseback archery!

Izumi: Do your best, Tasuku-san!

Tasuku: Thanks.

*shoots*

Teacher: It's a hit! Well done!

Participant A: Who is that man? He's so amazing!

Participant B: He's so good!

Participant C: So hot…!

Tasuku: ...phew.

Izumi: Great job, Tasuku-san!

CHOICE 1: That was flawless

Izumi: You hit the mark flawlessly despite running so fast like that.

Tasuku: It's actually quite the opposite. I did worse than I expected.

I could have run faster, and I could have done a better job at fixing the arrow to the bow.

Izumi: Really!? It was perfect in my eyes.

Tasuku: For me, I can't say I have shown the result of my practice enough.

Izumi: (He's really stoic…!)

CHOICE 2: It was as if I traveled back to the past.

Izumi: Seeing you shooting a bow in that attire made me feel like I traveled back to the past.

Tasuku: In that case, I might have done a better job at that if we were doing an etude set in Kamakura.

Like, let's say, while I'm on the run after kidnapping you, the daughter of the Lord… I will shoot my bow at the pursuers.

Izumi: That's a great plot!

Tasuku: ...On second thought, seeing you in that getup, I think it's more fitting to have you as a tomboy princess who ran away with me.

Izumi: A tomboy princess… But I'll go all out if it's for etude!

Tasuku: Haha. How reliable of you.

Muku: You were totally impressive, Tasuku-san!

Citron: I made the right choice inviting you here!

Tasuku: I had fun joining this trial as well. Thank you.

Muku: Today was so fun!

Tasuku: I would never try doing horseback archery if I didn't have an opportunity like this. I learned a lot.

Citron: I should offer my gratitude to the neighborhood association after this!

Izumi: Have you seen the photo we took in this attire? It came out great. See?

Muku: You're right! I want to show it to the others in the dorm.

Tasuku: Then, let's get go--.

Teacher: Hey, wait up!

Tasuku: Yes?

Teacher: Thank goodness. You're still here. I actually have a request for you.

Tasuku: What is it?

Teacher: Do you… want to try aiming for the top in horseback archery!?

Troupe Members: Come again!?

Teacher: I'm sure you can be Japan's top horseback archery athlete! Please join my team.

Tasuku: I don't think I can do that. I'm an actor.

Teacher: In that case, can you at least join the next tournament…!?

Tasuku: Even if you say that…

Teacher: Oh, right! There's an annual event called "Horseback Archery Festival".

If it's alright with you, can you take part as a guest at that event?

Tasuku: Well, I don't mind appearing as a guest…

Teacher: Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to your appearance.

Izumi: (Being invited as a guest despite being an amateur… Tasuku-san, you're way too awesome…)

#a3! #a3! translation #spring troupe #summer troupe #autumn troupe #winter troupe #itaru chigasaki #citron #muku sakisaka #banri settsu #tasuku takato

[wearecaptaingeorgiou]

Captain Georgiou January - February Day 3′s scheduled creation is by Al @dykekeit​. Thank you to Al for sharing this essay!

Here’s the thing: this story isn’t about me. I’m white and Jewish―not exactly lacking for representation in Star Trek, even if I am a lesbian―not with the ta’al itself coming from the Kol Nidre service, not with Benjamin Sisko’s character more closely resembling Moses than any other religious figure. How many times have I seen myself, loved myself, in Trek? I’ve taken heart in Leonard Nimoy’s Yiddish, in Jim Kirk’s Tarsus IV backstory, in Benjamin Sisko the reluctant prophet and in Kira Nerys, fighting for her traditions amidst pressure to assimilate or die.

And yet, the first time I saw the trailer for Discovery, I almost burst out crying hearing Michelle Yeoh’s voice—her accent, the way she pronounced Shenzhou, seeing her in the captain’s chair—because it felt so much like home.

Like I said, this story isn’t about me. This is a story about my sensei.

I still don’t know what name she was born with, growing up just outside of Hong Kong. When she arrived in the United States, there was no large Chinese community on the east coast in those days; she didn’t speak English, and no one around her spoke Cantonese. She was alone, totally alone. I still can’t fathom the sheer amount of chutzpah it took for her to stand her ground and carve out her place the way she did, but I know what it took: a skill for organization, a love of scheduling, a gift for disdainful silences, and an intense, rigid sense of etiquette. When you stand barely five feet tall, it’s all necessary.

Sensei loves gardening and darjeeling tea, and hates anything sweet to the point that I have gone out of my way to buy her chocolate above 70% grade dark. Oh, and did I mention? She loves Star Trek.

Sensei gravitates towards characters like Spock, like Data: immigrants, constant strangers among new and adopted cultures alike, repeatedly explaining their differences and saving face and proudly, wholly themselves, no matter if people understand them or not. They are characters who defy expectations and use every difference as a strength, no matter if it’s supposed to be a weakness. I wonder, sometimes, as she’s teaching me about the protective properties of jade bracelets and how the good Jewish delis she knew used to serve thinly sliced beef tongue for sandwiches, but not any more—were the stars visible in Hong Kong, growing up? Did she want to escape to the dark sky, to the other side of the world—anywhere?

How did I meet her? Well, when she was thirty-nine, my sensei took up kendo, the Japanese martial art of fencing, and almost twenty-five years later, she had reached fifth-dan (that’s fifth degree black belt!) Into her dojo I stumbled. Picture this: me, a clumsy, skinny Jewish lesbian, never worked out in my life, thought swords were kind of cool, walking into a dojo and finding a sixty-something Chinese woman who, though she barely came up to my chest, could kick the butts of every single much-younger six-foot-plus male student she had.

I guess it’s not surprising I stayed.

Over the next six years, my sensei taught me everything, and not just about kendo. In between correcting my wrist angles, my posture, my follow-through, my footwork, my uniform, my dojo etiquette, and anything else she could think of, there were moments of life coaching: how to focus, how to be disciplined in everything I do, how to help, how to put other people first. When I burst out crying during practice, she reminds me that the dojo is a safe place for emotions. She introduced me to Hong Kong-style diner food, showed me real dim sum and how to order and eat and share it properly, cultivated a lucky money plant for me to bring home and instructed me where to put it in my house for best feng shui, advised me to begin acupuncture for stress, told me to take more initiative when pouring tea for other visiting sensei. On the worst day of my life, I wanted her advice. Once, I managed to get a signed copy of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club addressed to her personally. When I presented it to her and she learned I hadn’t read it, she turned around and gave it right back to me, insisting with a smile that I read it first so that we could talk about it together.

In the middle of all of it, a new Star Trek show, called Discovery, was announced, and soon, a new trailer dropped. The captain’s name was Philippa Georgiou, and she was played by Michelle Yeoh.

I did nearly burst out crying. It was Michelle Yeoh, but all I could see was Sensei, in command and speaking her accented English, proof of a past beyond a Starfleet that demanded “standard” English for assimilation.

Captain Georgiou was concerned with etiquette, both social and honor-bound: Starfleet doesn’t fire first. In the dojo, I am to bow respectfully, I am to shake hands and thank my opponent after every match, I do not hit just to hit or shy away in fear. The only way a kendo match works is with mutual communication; an opponent is not a faceless thing to be beaten so much as a partner to create opportunities. We may strike first, but we are not aggressors.

Captain Georgiou said: the best way to know yourself is to know others. Take care of those who are in your care. I still remember the time I watched a fellow dojo member rush across the tournament floor because someone had the wrong-colored tasuki to change it without a thought—because he had noticed a problem, therefore he must help. I sat there, frozen. I told Sensei this story later with absolute wonderment and shame and she just smiled, patted my hand, and shared some of her favorite raisin walnut bread with me. She knew the lesson had stuck. Other times, she has snapped at me for forgetting to hold a door open for other people, but—

Captain Georgiou: disciplined, teasing, dedicated, setting stars and valuing candor: your confidence is justified. My shock when Sensei first told a few of the other girls and I some dirty jokes late at night before that same tournament was only matched by how funny it was, and how it was immediately followed with a discussion of our weaknesses in shiai combat, and what our approach both physically and mentally would be for the tournament the following day.

I wonder, through fanfiction and fanart and discussion with others, what Philippa shared of the universe with those around her—with Michael, with Saru, with all those under her care.

I once told Sensei that reading The Joy Luck Club and trying to understand all the Chinese cultural nuances from an outside perspective was like looking through a waterfall, or trying to see through a beaded curtain—seeing outlines, but not being able to grasp details. She smiled, and nodded, and said, “yes.” What she meant was, of course I couldn’t, and no one would be able to explain every detail to me―not if I didn’t live it, but more importantly, not if I didn’t ask questions. When Captain Georgiou brought Michael Burnham to the bridge for the first time, she said, “This can be your new home, if you want it to be.” She asked for little but trust and mutual respect from a certain Vulcan-raised human who needed to re-integrate into an all-too-familiar but still foreign culture. The dojo is foreign, and it is my home, and I must always ask questions.

A human who had seen a life of loss, but still chose hope. A mentor who saw everything as a lesson, full of expectations both written and unwritten. And I, or Michael Burnham, watching her set a star.

Sensei: 谢谢, I love you, and I hope to see you in person soon.

Al

#philippa georgiou #star trek discovery #event submission #type: scheduled creation #type: text #author: dykekeit #event tag #food #ds9 #tos #tarsus iv #death mention

[genshin-hours]

Hi hi! May I please have a romantic genshin match up? I’m a 23 years old, female Aquarius INFP, and an art student, specifically print making. I’m also a textile artist, and my main job atm is embroidery. I also really enjoy illustration, and I’d like to eventually become a tattoo artist. My hobbies include watching anime and playing mobile games. I’m pretty shy at first but won’t shut up once I’m comfortable with someone lol. I can very playfully mean and a tease when I’m in a relationship. Im very very passionate and dedicated to what I love, to the point where I often forget to eat or sleep to finish my projects, but I can otherwise be quite lazy. I have traditional Japanese tattoos, and they all represent fortune and good luck. I really enjoy changing my hair like once a month, and I have 10+ piercings, including stretched ears, guess it really wasn’t a phase mom😤 I really love animals, real and stuffed ones; I actually collect the latter, and despite owning two dogs (who I love more than anything btw!) I’m more of a cat person, I’m friends with all of the kitties in my neighborhood. I’m pretty childish most times and a bit of a cry baby. I struggle with my confidence a lot but I think I’m overall kind, hardworking and patient. I really dislike silence due to childhood trauma so I always need music or videos playing to feel comfortable. I love helping people and making them happy, maybe I’m too much of a people pleaser? I also have attachment issues so there’s that lol. Oh and I’m into guys, sadly djhsjhskjbsm

i match you with...

itto!

a/n: ty for requesting! i hope you like your matchup :]

so, you're probably wondering "why itto"

or maybe you're like "YES" idk but yeah

itto would probably know nothing about embroidery, but because you do it, he wants to know as much as he can

it's difficult for him because his hands aren't very skilled with delicate tasks. but if you make him something, he will 100% wear it all the time and tell everyone "my girlfriend made this for me"

also he thinks your dream to be a tattoo artist is super cool!! he will be your first customer guaranteed

and if you can draw, he will ask you to draw him lmao

if you were both in 2022, itto would play video games with you and really like playing co-op together. he'd also watch anime and give you tons of recommendations. he wants you to share some too.

when you first met, itto thought your shyness was kinda cute. he really likes that you talk more now because he knows it means you're comfy with him :)

also itto can handle your teasing and dish it back, so be prepared. he will stand over you and tell you to give him a kiss, knowing full well you can't reach. at that point he will suggest you get the step stool.

itto is pretty neat with his appearance, so if you don't remember to take care of yourself, he will be on your back about it 24/7. he might even brush/style your hair for you while you eat breakfast or work

also he thinks your passion for what you love is very admirable, and he tells everyone about how dedicated and strong you are secretly

also loves your tattoos. he has a lot of his own markings and tattoos, so he thinks you having them is another thing you guys bond on.

he would definitely get matching tattoos with you if you ever wanted to btw

itto is super particular about his hair, so he likes seeing all of the different styles you can pull off. but you better be taking care of your hair smh.

also likes your piercings and he has some of his own. he thinks they make you look badass!

itto appreciates your love for animals too. he thinks your stuffed animals are pretty cute. he gives them all names (even if you have already) and he names the coolest ones after you two.

also you don't have to worry about silence because with itto there is never a silent moment 💀

itto appreciates that you try to help everyone, but he also wants to make sure you don't burn yourself out. he is more than happy to help you say no politely lmao

oh yeah and attachment issues? you're not getting rid of him. he is glued to your side unless you ask for space. otherwise he is constantly picking you up, sitting by you, laying on your lap, talking to you, taking you on a date, etc.

itto loves you lots and i think he would appreciate everything about you, from your interests to your style!! that's why i think you two would be good together :)

#genshin #genshin headcanons #genshin imagines #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin matchups #genshin matchup #matchups #matchup

[dragonrajafanfiction]

The Wedding (Part 1) The Trap is Laid

Oh yeah... It’s all coming together... @rurifangirl

Thanks to an entire bottle of vodka you slept soundly. The sun was well up on the horizon when you crawled out of bed and took your time in the Jacuzzi. Your heart was beating fast both with excitement and nervousness.  But you had to stay in character. You loved Chime. He was wonderful, sweet, shy and beautiful, so beautiful. You dressed in a comfortable robe and reminded yourself of Z’s advice on the night of Chance’s death. Ignore everyone and speak to no one unless absolutely necessary. 

You open the shades to the windows over Tokyo and gasp.

Hydra’s minions had all left last night. The owner of the Takamagahara had a 75% stake in Hydra assets. If she sold it all, she could bankrupt the entire organization in an instant. So she had forced them to hold off on their assault for 24 hours.

But the Hydra were still the owners of Tokyo itself. Hydra still blockaded the area and controlled the subway station from the outskirts a few kilometers from here. The vast majority of merchants cooperated with them and the streets were desolate. This is called ‘clearing the area’, clearing out all the irrelevant people before the important people meet. After the clearing is done, Takamagahara will become the lone store on the street. If the negotiations failed, Hydra could go on a killing spree. The police department won't care about it, and there won't be anyone on the street to bail you out.

The streets were deserted, businesses were closed. There were signs on the doors saying "Sorry for the suspension of business". The police have set up barricades at both ends of the road so that cars without special permits cannot enter.

Taking advantage of the empty streets, the staff had lined both sides with garlands of roses, lilies, poppies and baby’s breath. Ribbons were tied to every tree. Ice sculptures of famous romantic scenes from classic literature were on the way. They were setting up stations with booths for food and souvenirs. Huge banners announcing the marriage between the “Dragon Lord Chime Gen and his Dragon Lady MC” hung over every major intersection. It looked more like a fairy tale royal wedding than a meeting between the Yakuza leaders of Japan.

Your heart beats faster and you hurry out of your executive level bedroom and head to the first floor where redecorating was in full swing! With the help of the construction team they had dressed it up as a night scene of the Shinjuku district, with neon signs of all sizes and an elevated bridge spanning from above.

“I hope everything is to your liking?” Su Enxi, the owner of the Takamagahara smiles smugly behind you.

“This is amazing! It’s like Tokyo Nightlife has come inside!” 

“We chose the theme of a Yakuza wedding! So everyone here will be dressed as gangsters.” She held out one of the fancy invitations. The art was in the style of a Yakuza Tattoo with dragons, koi fish and tigers crawling in that traditional Ukiyo-E style that the Hydra Executive Board were famous for. On the inside was a lot of Japanese text you couldn’t read, but the art depicted shadow figures standing in a desolate alley.

“I love it!” You hand it back to her.

“Good. Here’s the guest list.” She hands it to you.

You blinked a bit. You didn’t recognize any of these names. 

“We didn’t know who you would like so we invited pretty much every major powerplayer and celebrity in Japan. Only women of course.” 

“These are all celebrities?” You stare at the list trying to find at least one name you knew.

Enxi frowned slightly and you flinched. How should you know? You were born nearly 40 years ago and you didn’t know any of these people from Adam. She expected you to be impressed. “Oh, right! Yes, I … yes I”m happy they’re coming!” You say, trying to recover.

It didn’t work and she takes back the list with an annoyed huff. “Don’t worry about learning their names. They’re only here to serve as shields and bargaining chips. The Hydra won’t be able to clear the area quickly if these celebrities are having a great time. If they try, it will be too much of a propaganda scandal.”

“I see.” You nod sagely. “Thank you.”

“Now go upstairs, eat, and get to the salon at 4 pm.” She checks her watch. “Guests will start to arrive at 8 pm tonight.”

“Where’s Chime?” 

“The groom? Hiding. It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.” She doesn’t even look at you as she walks away and claps her hands. “Chop! Chop! Let’s get moving!”

You return to your room with breakfast and hear a soft knock on the door. You open to Caesar who steps inside. “Ready for your big day?”

He was dressed casually again, just jeans and a muscle shirt. After all, he was going to work soon and probably wanted to relax.  He looks over at the bottles of vodka and the bit of cigar you’d left on the table and raises an eyebrow. It looked like you had guests last night. “Did you party without me?”

“You can say that. Just some old friends.” You walk over to the massive floor to ceiling liquor cabinet and open the door. “Can I get you something?”

“I’m good.” He pauses again. He didn’t follow you. He’s staring at you.

“What?” You stare right back.

“Aren’t you going to ask about Zero?” Caesar asks.

You frown and close the cabinet. “Oh, that girl? Is she recovering alright?”

“She is. Lu Mingfei is looking over her for now. I’m surprised you didn’t come down to visit?”

You bat your eyes innocently. “Did she ask for me?”

Caesar turned away and walked over to the dining table, dropping the subject. The man was sharp. No doubt he saw the photo of Renata and immediately recognized Zero. When you met Zero, he likely noticed your reaction. He didn’t understand but he would drop it for now since it was clear that despite your obvious past affection you weren’t going to talk about her. “I want to say you came through again with this sudden wedding. I did not think you would go this far. How did you convince that Gen brother?”

“I just framed it as a way to convince Chisei. Is it extreme? Yes, but he’s that desperate.” You deliberately avoided mentioning anything about King General and moved away from the liquor cabinet to make tea instead. “Have you talked with Chime?”

“He’s still asleep.” Caesar picked another cigar from the box and lit it. “I trust you’ve thought through all the implications for going through with this?”

“Yes.” You say, putting the tea kettle on and waiting for it to boil. “I’ll start with the implications if things go badly. Let’s say that Chisei is a bigger idiot than we thought and he does kill Chime. As his wife, I won’t be spared. This marriage puts me not only in the Devil Clan officially but also in the upper rankings. At best, I’ll be imprisoned forever. But more likely I’ll be killed as a Devil.”

“Should our special guest arrive and I can’t use my love effectively, hundreds of people could die, all of them top celebrities. More importantly, I’ll lose my entire world even if I do manage to survive.” Everyone you ever knew was here. Z, Renata, Caesar, Chu Zihang, Lu Mingfei and Fingel. If they all died tonight, you would be desolate with nothing left.

You return with the tea and sit down across from him. “If things go right, then a lot of things will be in your hands, not mine. You’ll be negotiating my place in Japan with Chisei. Once all the things are completed, I’ll be in a position to help run the Devil Clan just by my position alone as his wife and I'll be easily installed as Japan Branch lead should Chisei and Chime follow through on their desires to vacate those positions.”

Caesar nodded slowly but then he shuddered. “So cold.”

“What?” You look up.

“If you marry that guy I won’t see you for quite some time. You won’t be coming back with us.”

You smile over your cup. “Oh don’t give me that. An old friend is better than two new ones. As the saying goes.” You quip, slyly referencing Chime’s split persona. “I still have your wedding to attend. And I consider you my best man at this wedding.”

“Brides can have a Best Man?” Caesar asked.

“It’s my wedding. I do what I want.” You rest your chin on the heel of your hand.

Caesar took a deep breath and took the cigar with him as he stood. “Well, I gotta do what I gotta do. There’s going to be shows before your appearance and I'm in one of them.”

“Break a leg.” You say as he leaves.

You still feel uneasy. You want to talk to Z. You stand up and leave that room and go to the bathroom, a spot Fingel had described as a blind spot. The bathroom was empty when you got there but when you turned to the mirror, Z was standing behind you. 

You whirl, with a ferocious look.  “Stop doing that!”

“Why? It’s fun!” He’s dressed in a tuxedo with golden cufflinks in the shape of dragons. “Why are you the only one who gets to have a good time? Enjoying the festivities?” He asked coyly.

“Yes I am. You’ve really outdone yourself. Thank you.”

Z suddenly frowned. And then he smiled again. “Hahaha… you almost had me there.”

“Yep! I hate you. You didn’t tell me Renata was alive. Go find a city bus to lay under.” You wink, but your words are serious.

“I’ve got my finger in so many pies right now. It’s not even funny. Show some respect. I just stopped by because I’m just so excited for this!” He held up a poster.

“I can’t read that.” The poster was of an evil man with a white rose in his mouth and a blood-stained sword across his chest, his eyes fierce, yet irresistibly sultry.

“It’s a wanted notice for the dangerous Ruri the Midnight Ripper!” He breathed excitedly, reading the poster. “The dangerous killer Midnight Ruri is active in the nights of Tokyo. He has killed countless young women, and the yakuza clan has offered a reward of 10 million yen for his head. Every woman going home tonight should be careful. It is said that he only attacks the most beautiful women, so the most conservative dress is the safest.” Z licked his lips and chuckled.

“Ugh. That’s insulting to the groom! Why would you do that?”

“It is the groom! You marry one, you marry the other!” Z laughed incredulously, slapping at the poster with his hand. “Did you forget? Or do you think it doesn’t matter who he kills so long as you’re alive?” He gives you a long glaring smile.

You gaze at him silently while he rolls up the poster. “It’s a beauty contest! All the ladies will read this and get excited. They’ll say ‘I’m the most beautiful. I hope to get targeted by Ruri!’ They will dress provocatively in hopes of attracting the attention of Ruri the Ripper. The venue will be loaded to the brim with delicious tempting targets!” He lets out another bird-like ‘ke-ke-ke’.

You can only scowl because you can’t argue.

“I didn’t tell you his true nature when you fell in love with him, I just told you not to do it. So… you can be forgiven for that. But this? Oh no, sweetheart. This is on you.” He points the poster at you. “But, don’t back out now!”

“I won’t. A lot is riding on this.  I feel like there’s a dagger at my back if I don’t go through with it…” You trail off, eyes lowering to the dagger that Z always kept at his side.

“It’s a hot, sexy dagger right?” Z swayed his hips and then turned around. “You kids have fun playing dress up. I’m going to get back to work.” 

He took one step and vanished.

You would spend the rest of the day in the beauty salon. Your dress was pure white, embroidered with pearls and diamonds that gave off the impression of scales, as though you were dressing up as the White King Izanami herself. Your hands were covered with elbow length princess gloves to hide the black veins on your skin, but then they stuck jewels in a mask like pattern on your face, trading your real scales for artificial ones. Your hair was piled high on your head in a traditional Japanese bun with silver sticks resembling horns.

The night fell and the desolate streets flooded with hundreds of Tokyo society elites as well as Hydra elite warriors. It turned out that Enxi used her financial clout to grant traffic passes to all the guests. Traffic was bumper to bumper. Every guest invited showed up to this wedding that shut down a major part of the city for an entire day. No one wanted to miss such an exclusive event.

The Takamagahara was filled to the brim with sleeveless and backless dresses, fishnet stockings in high heels, dangerously short skirts and perilously low cleavage.

The waiters wear black uniforms. They roll up their sleeves to reveal dragon and tiger tattoos. To light a customer’s cigarette they will draw out a waist pistol. The muzzle of the gun produced bright flames. It was impossible to tell who was armed with the real thing or with these toys. Because everyone was dressed as a Hydra Yakuza, it was hard to tell the Hydra members from the guests! 

The men and women shouted and played craps. The wine flowed endlessly. Occasionally the Whale came on stage to say two silly and majestic words, followed by a performance. Diamond was here to do his sexy rodeo strip show. There were popular shows such as BasaraKing's "Cleopatra" and Ukyou's "Sakura Falling on Itsuru Island". Armani was here to entertain guests with card tricks. Calypso dazzled a few of the younger guests. 

The sound of a powerful engine drowned out the music. A Harley Davidson motorcycle pulled into the middle of the dance floor. Caesar was dressed in a tight leather jacket, all covered in silver chains, with a shiny Desert Eagle stuck in his belt. He took off his sunglasses and threw them at the guests, "My engine is burning hot, are you ready?"

“BasaraKing! BasaraKing!" Hundreds of roses were thrown onto the stage.

White rose petals fell from the sky, and Chu Zihang, wearing a red leather trench coat with a skull mask, crashed from the sky to the center of the stage. Caesar drove his motorcycle towards Chu Zihang, and the two faked a fight, as if they were performing some kind of gangster stage show.

You watch from a hidden spot near the stage. You still have not seen Chime and Chime hasn't seen you. But it was almost time for the main event. Your wedding. All of this celebration was a luxurious trap for the King General and you searched the crowd looking for him. But if he was here, he wouldn’t be in the crowd. He’d be somewhere where he could see you. You were his target. You were his prey.

After a few rounds of fighting, Chu Zihang had picked up Caesar's dropped Desert Eagle and shot him through the chest, but then he suddenly swooped in and hugged Caesar, who was about to fall down.

The scene is about a pair of mob brothers, Caesar as the unruly brother and Chu Zihang as the lonely and sensitive brother. They grew up alone, but determined to be the best of the best. The brothers heard that politicians and gangsters must cooperate with each other in order to go higher and higher. So the two brothers drew lots, one to grow up as a gangster to defeat various gangs as the king of the gangsters; one to go to the University of Tokyo as a famous lawyer, and then enter the political world as a great politician. The result of the lottery is that the unruly brother Caesar is going to be a politician. While the sensitive brother Chu Zihang is going to break into the difficult underworld.

But they obeyed their destiny, and the two agreed not to contact each other again. But they always helped each other in critical moments. No one knew that the brother of the mob boss was a rising star in politics, and no one understood why the brother's gang always survived in the anti-gang operations.

Twenty years later Caesar’s politician character became a member of parliament and became even more headstrong, wanting to be the overlord of all Japan. So he set off a storm of anti-gang raids, and all the gangs were badly hit. Chu Zihang’s character had to intervene to stop the brother, saying that the yakuza had a long history in Japan and many people depended on them for their livelihood. If the yakuza were destroyed, it would be impossible for the brother-led government to support so many of the underprivileged in society, which would be tantamount to destroying the underprivileged in society. But Caesar’s character said that there is no such thing as the yakuza in his future plans, and it doesn't matter if he sacrifices some people's interests. Everything has to make way for his political future.

Finally, the brothers meet under the Over-Sea bridge in Tokyo Bay and duel in the same way they did at the place where they first drew lots and parted ways. In the end, it is the Gangster who shoots through the Politician brother's heart.

Chu and Caesar are acting out the ending of this ski.  Caesar is dying when he finally tells the truth. Because he has a terminal illness and can no longer protect Chu Zihang secretly. He fears that after his death his introverted brother will not be able to control so many yakuza gangs, so he sweeps the yakuza with his own iron fist.

"Remember our original agreement to be the number one yakuza emperor of Japan!" The brother's last words, "My brother will be number one in Japan!"

The applause was deafening and the guests were in tears. The play actually was acted very silly. Chu Zihang's mouthful of second-hand Japanese looked like he learned it off Duo Lingo, but the women who came here either loved BasaraKing and Ukyo or both, and those flaws were overlooked. 

A sad song started playing as the cherry blossoms fell over the two brothers. It was a popular song, only marginally appropriate, and the gist of it was two people who declare to each other how much they truly mean to each other, only after it was too late.

You didn’t know they were going to put something on like this. It was clearly directed at Chisei. Even though you were the main act, Caesar and Chu Zihang were supporting you and Chime in their own way.

Once the stage was cleared. The lights went up. Caesar hurried backstage. “Hey!” He whispers. “Knock ‘em dead!” 

You give him a grin and a thumbs up.

#Dragon Raja

[arcaneranger]

Final Thoughts - 2019 Long Shows

Dear Lord. This is where all the good shows went.

2019 was absolutely awful on a season-by-season basis (except for Summer, anyway), but that’s mostly because most of the best shows ran longer than what has become the industry norm of a single season. And indeed, heading into the new decade, we seem to be seeing a major renaissance for two- or split-cour shows, given the massive success seen by shows like My Hero Academia, Food Wars, and Haikyuu!!..particularly in comparison to the new perpetual-runners Black Clover (which, despite running for over two straight years now, is still not the most popular show of Fall 2017 by viewer count on MAL, and sits at a ‘meh’ 7.2), and even worse, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, which is faring even worse on both counts even though it premiered two whole seasons earlier and the fact that it is the sequel to Naruto.

As a reminder of my rules, the shows on this list may or may not have premiered in 2019, but they finished airing this year. The split-cour rule (stating that I judge any show that “finishes” and then premieres a “new season” within six months) didn’t come into play for any 2018 shows, but it will for Ascendance of a Bookworm and Food Wars this year, at the very least.

With that being said! 25 shows running longer than thirteen episodes finished airing this year after being simulcast, and of those…

I skipped 6:

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part V: Golden Wind, Fairy Tail Final Series, A Certain Magical Index III, Ace Attorney Season 2 and Cardfight Vanguard (2018) because I either dropped or have not finished their previous (also long-running) seasons.

Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS because the simulcast started late and also it was bad.

I Dropped 8:

Worst Long Show of 2019: The Rising of the Shield Hero

It’s always fun to see that a show you hated from its first episode only gets more and more distasteful afterwards, but it’s less fun when a service you have to promote because they’re the legal option is forced to shove it down your throat because they had a hand in making it and it became a massive hit that your friends don’t see any issue with because the author wrote a story that justifies its hero’s patronage of the slave industry. This is my punishment for watching the whole first season of The Asterisk War before I knew better.

YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world

A confusing mess from the word go, this ill-fated adaptation of a visual novel from the nineties seems like it was mostly made to cash in on the popularity of the Science Adventure series, but failed to present itself in a way that made an ounce of sense or looked remotely interesting.

Fairy Gone

Am I really the only one that saw potential here? I mean yes, it ended up a boring slog that didn’t care to move its plot in a meaningful direction, but the first episode was at least cool. I guess Izetta: The Last Witch should have taught me better.

We Never Learn

I know that I’m in the minority in terms of the male demographic for shows like this, but honestly, how are bland harem shows still this easy to market? A copy-pasted protagonist with copy-pasted waifus drag down what could be an interesting setup for a story. 

Karakuri Circus

The first episode of this one had me excited, the second and third left me bored to tears and wondering if it would continue to look uglier by the minute. I haven’t seen a three-cour show look this janky since Knight in the Area.

Radiant

Having heard good things about this show from my cohorts, I do feel bad for saying I’ll probably never return to Radiant, but when you have a show that’s notably written by a European author...and it turns out to be a frustratingly standard shounen affair with middling production values, well, you can see my earlier annoyance with Cannon Busters.

Ensemble Stars

This one still gets to me. It almost looked like a male-idol show I would finally be able to get behind, what with its rebellious attitude and oddball setting...that is, until the setting got to be too unbelievable and the show began drowning its audience in side-characters because they had to squeeze every husbando from the mobile game into the story, and it all began to resemble UtaPri a little too much...but without the production value.

Boogiepop and Others

This was a hard drop, honestly. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I felt four episodes in, before concluding that I was bored and not particularly invested, two things that should never describe the experience of watching a Madhouse show. The fact that this was the project responsible for ruining One Punch Man only made it worse. There’s a slow burn, and then there’s walking away without turning the stove on.

And I Finished 11 (holy crap that’s like three hundred episodes just on their own).

That Time I Was Reincarnated as a Slime (5/10 & 1/10)

I’ll be honest, I had forgotten just how livid I was with the ending (and especially the sad excuse of a recap episode) of Slimesekai, and reading back through my write-up of it, it’s certainly coming back to me. While this year had bigger demons to fight (Shield Hero), the bad taste that Slime left me with hasn’t really faded, and the wasted premise bugs me to this day.

Hinomaru Sumo (7/10)

What Hinomaru lacked in production value, it happily made up for in good execution and earnest heart. I can’t believe this came from the same studio as Conception, Try Knights and 7Seeds, but if they can only get out one good show a year, I’m glad that we got one bringing attention to a sport that many will joke about but few understand, respect and appreciate.

Kono Oto Tomare (7/10)

Speaking of giving love to traditional Japanese culture, here’s a decent-if-unoriginal show about a local high school koto club down on their luck, and the troubled teens coming together under a scrappy protagonist to bring it back to life. Kono Oto Tomare doesn’t have much that you haven’t seen before, but a decently-executed club drama with Your Lie In April-inspired musical performances is more than enough to keep me interested, and since Forest of Piano kinda crashed and burned under the weight of its own self-importance this year, it was nice to have an alternative.

MIX: Meisei Story (8/10)

It’s hard to judge MIX next to the other shows on this list because it’s almost too old-school for its own good, revelling in an eighties storytelling style that didn’t end up jiving with a wide audience this year. But at the same time, its fun character dynamics (and a very good dub from Funimation, despite them saying they’d never touch sports anime again) were very entertaining to watch, even if it didn’t focus as much on the sport it was supposedly about as much as I’d have liked.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (8/10)

I fully admit that I’m very salty about the fact that this won Show of the Decade in Funimation’s poll while it was still on and I thought there were hundreds of more deserving shows, but I can’t deny that Demon Slayer was a very enjoyable experience, albeit one that I had notable problems with. That’s not gonna stop me from getting mad when it sweeps the Anime Awards in a few weeks, though.

Fire Force (8/10)

I was very afraid that David Productions wouldn’t be able to match the energy of Studio Bones’ adaptation of Ohkubo’s previous work, Soul Eater, but I was happy to be proven wrong. Even if the last few episodes contained a bit too much infodumping, it was all sandwiched between jaw-dropping fight scenes that proved that the people who make Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure can still handle the reins of a more traditional action show.

Fruits Basket 1st Season (8/10)

I know that my score for this one is a bit lower than others, but I think that Fruits Basket did pretty well in its first season, considering that it was largely spent setting up future storylines and adapting the part of the manga we’d all seen before, but with much higher production value. I’ve been familiar with this part of the story for over a decade, and the scene with Tohru and Kyo (you know the one) still made me cry. Now, we get the real plot going.

Dr Stone (9/10)

A great start to a totally new spin on shounen, Dr Stone gives me hope for survival in the post-Shokugeki world in which we’ll soon live, as a show that wears its research on its sleeve. A complex plot weaving interesting characters in and out of a narrative surrounding a philosophical battle where both sides actually do have fair points (even if one of them is going about it in a pretty cruel manner). More please.

Vinland Saga (9/10)

Once again, a great start to what will hopefully be years of quality storytelling, Vinland Saga made it seem like it was dragging in the middle only to reveal just what its slow burn had been leading up to, with twist-heavy storytelling and a fantastic cast to match the high visual quality of its brutal battles.

Run With the Wind (9/10)

It’s not often that Production I.G. gets to make a complete, fully-realized show anymore, and this one was a glorious reminder of the potential of the studio in the TV space, and a great rebound for the director of Joker Game. It’s gorgeous to look at, the cast is wonderful, and the story is both realistic and idealistic in a satisfying balance. It’s a miserable process to get to the finish line in real life, but sitting back and watching this was nothing but a treat. At least, until a minor fumble at the end.

Best Long Show of 2019: Dororo (9/10)

Speaking of complete stories, Tezuka Productions and MAPPA teamed up for a breathtaking adaptation of an underappreciated Tezuka classic that expands upon the story in exactly the right way to create a thrilling, savage, beautiful masterpiece that focuses a laser-sharp eye into the relationship between two characters in their journey to, literally and figuratively, become complete people. Also, that opening was killer.

And that’s it! That’s the fun list. Next comes the painful one. Stay tuned for the trash heap.

#final thoughts #year end anime list #long 2019 #dororo #demon slayer #Fruits Basket #vinland saga #run with the wind #Dr Stone #rising of the shield hero #fire force #kono oto tomare! #mix meisei story #hinomaru sumo #hinomaru zumou #that time i got reincarnated as a slime #tensura

[taboofables]

CP2077 OC ask game *:･ﾟ✧⚔️🤖🔮 [x]

PERSONAL.

1. what is their full name? do they have any nicknames? what are they and why did they get them? Vincent Laszlo Toth. Everyone just calls him V because he doesn’t like getting too personal. But if he feels comfortable around you he prefers to be called Laszlo. He’ll tell you himself  

2. how old are they? how long have they been living on their own? 28 as of 2077. He’s been living on his own for 10 years since he joined Arasaka

3. what are their astrology signs? sun/moon/rising. He was born on June 10th 2049, which makes him a sun Gemini, moon Libra and ascendant Virgo 

4. what tarot card from the major arcana would you associate with them? The Fool, the Hanged Man, Death

5. are they religious or spiritual in any way? Neither but his experience made him think of many things and he’s coming to a sort of spirituality in his own way 

6. which of the four elements would you associate with them? Fire for his inner strength and transformation through action 

9. which of the nine alignments are they? (lawful good etc) Chaotic neutral 

10. which of the myers-briggs personality types are they? ESTP

11. do they have any cyberware? is it cosmetic or is it weaponry/armor? Circulatory system: Second heart; Frontal cortex: Ex-Disk; Arms: Projectile launch system; Ocular system: Kiroshi optics; Cyberdeck: NetWatch Netdiver Mk.5; Integumentary system: Subdermal armor; Skeleton: Titanium bones, Bionic lungs; Legs: Fortified ankles 

12. what is their occupation? Arasaka’s personal lapdog? He’s not sure yet because he does a bit of everything but his competence in weaponry and hacking earned him a good score in the eyes of Saburo and Hanako Arasaka themselves. Sorry Goro & Oda 

13. if you were to choose a class for them, what would it be? Combat netrunner

14. what is their weapon of choice? M-179 Achilles precision rifle, Malorian Arms 3516 gun

15. what is their preferred vehicle or transportation of choice? Villefort Cortes Delamain no.21 & Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X.  Depends on his mood and how fast he needs to arrive

16. how would you describe their style? He’s a shameless looter and wears only the best from his fallen enemies :)  But mostly it’s neomilitarism

17. are they a early riser or a night owl? Night owl. He can adapt but at any given chance he stays up late and wakes up late

18. share three songs you associate with them. Devils Got You Beat - Blues Saraceno Nu Disco Remix Limp Bizkit - Break Stuff Jonathan Davis - Walk On By

NIGHT CITY.

19. is your character from night city? if no, where were they born? what brought them to night city? if yes, what area of the city did they grow up? Charter Hill, Night City. It’s a corpo district, relatively new. Used to be a nice place until everyone with big pockets got the hots for North Oak. Now it’s just the most affordable comfort area for mid-level corpos

20. where do they currently live? describe their home. He currently resides at the Arasaka Family Compound outskirts of Tokyo. It’s a huge ass fortress in a feudal style, beautiful and old-fashioned. He has a simple but spacious room in a traditional Japanese style with a futon mattress. He loathes it & most of the people around but at least he gets fed well regularly, and he enjoys spending time in a cherry grove garden 

21. do they have any favorite spots around NC? A garden in the Glen, he found it refreshing

22. do they like to cook for themselves, or eat out? do they prefer restaurants or street food? and how do they feel about vending machine food? He doesn’t like vending machines and enjoys the food served at the Compound, even if it seems exotic to him. But occasionally he eats street food to remind himself of his past life

23. do they prefer the city or the badlands? Stone jungles all the way. He was born in the city and he doesn’t get the appeal of dirt, sand and wind

24. what gang/faction/corporation do they align with, if any? Arasaka. He always thought it was more promising than Militech despite his parents’ lectures. His fate within the company wasn’t always good but he worked hard to prove himself. In some twisted way it did pay off

25. which radio station(s) is their favorite? He switches between Pacific Dreams, Vexelstrom, Samizdat and Morro Rock

26. if they do merc work, do they have one dedicated fixer? if so, who? Not really but he enjoyed working with Rogue. Johnny was right, she is the best. Her charisma is unmatched

27. have they ever had run ins with the badges? He prefers not to attract attention even if he has corpo immunity

28. are they quick to help a stranger in need or do they prefer to stay out of other peoples business? Depends. If stranger seems to be innocent then he might, but if V smells they brought it on themselves he won’t lift a finger for them

29. do they have any favorite celebrities that frequent or live in NC? how would they feel meeting them? V isn’t into celebrities. His closest experience to meeting one would be abduction of Hanako Arasaka. It wasn’t part of the plan and at first he thought he screwed up even worse than before - she was his former boss’ daughter at the time and he was practically begging her for help. But for some strange reason she reached out to him more than once so maybe he wasn’t so terrible

RELATIONSHIPS.

30. is your friend a social butterfly or more of a loner? Not exactly a butterfly but certainly not a loner. He socializes well but currently the world of top-level managers makes him feel out of place. Not a lot of people to connect to and it’s suffocating

31. who are their closest chooms in NC? Jackie was. Now it’s Viktor Vector and Misty but he hasn’t seen them in a while

32. do they have anyone they would consider family? Judy and Panam as they went through a lot together and supported each other

33. what is/was their relationship like with their parents? They are Militech managers so they weren’t happy when he chose Arasaka. They don’t communicate ever since

34. do they have siblings? He has an older brother Andras ‘Andy’ Toth but he hasn’t spoken to him for a while either

35. how would you describe their relationship with their family? Estranged

36. who is their biggest enemy? At this point anyone The Arasakas point their fingers at

37. tell a short story about your character with their best choom. Not exactly a story but V regrets never telling Jackie how much he affected his life. Jackie was a real force of nature

38. do they have a love interest? if so, who? He might... But he’s completely oblivious to his feelings and she’s way out of his league. It’s Hanako Arasaka

39. are they in a committed relationship or do they date around? They’re not and they don’t

40. has your character ever been in love? if so, with who? Once, with another corpo girl at Arasaka long time ago. It didn’t work

41. do they believe in soulmates? No, he believes in luck and mutual efforts

42. do they believe in love at first sight? He heard about it but it never happened to him and he doesn’t believe he can fall for someone just seeing them for the first time. You literally don’t know them at all at this point. He believes that love is a mutual investment and work

43. describe their ideal date. At this point it might be something as simple as watching sakura trees blooming. Small pleasures of life

44. would your character ever get married? If he had more time to live then maybe, theoretically. If he could be with someone special and circumstances worked in their favor

45. what was your characters first impression of their partner(s)? Not a partner but rather a love interest. He thought that Hanako handled herself well given the overall situation, and even was arrogant as fuck. Maybe that’s why she impressed him, it left a mark on his memory. I mean, you kidnap someone and they pretty much insult you? Fuck yes, no gift wrap is required

46. are they open about their relationship or low key? how would other people feel about them together? They’re not in a relationship but if they would be then it’d definitely be low key. No one should know, otherwise it may create serious problems for both

47. share a headcanon about your character and their partner(s). He likes to take and touch things from her table when he’s pensive during their conversations. Occasionally he spouts self-made haiku when the mood strikes him and boy - he’s terrible at it

48. share three songs you associate with your character and their partner(s). Chris Isaak - Wicked Game Jonathan Davis - Basic Needs The Rolling Stones - Anybody Seen My Baby? Hikaru Utada - Heart Station

NSFW.

49. name three of your characters biggest turn ons. Nice derriere, beautiful eyes and maturity

50. name three of your characters biggest kinks. Not taking clothes off; Voyeurism; Footsie

51. do they like having multiple partners or do they prefer monogamy? When it comes to a relationship he’s fully committed but he hasn’t been in one for a long time

52. do they watch porn or braindances? Both but BDs beat porn. He doesn’t do it often though

53. would your character ever make an explicit braindance? No, he’s not interested and not in a position to make one

54. do they have any cybernetic enhancements that serve sexual purposes? No

55. do they have a preference for ‘ganic bodies or do they like modifications? He doesn’t care much as long as he likes the person. Organic bodies are soft and warm, they give different kind of sensations. But he’s not picky

56. name three of your characters biggest turn offs. Low IQ, overly sexual behavior, manipulations

57. what is their ultimate fantasy? or ““secret”“ kink? Don’t ask because he won’t tell you even if his life depended on it. It’s bending Hanako over her piano and giving her a hard fuck, and once they’re done it’s breathing heavily in unison against her neck, their hands holding each other, her golden fingers leaving bruises on his thighs afterwards

58. would they ever use any substances like aphrodisiacs, alcohol or drugs during sex? No, he prefers natural sensations. At least as long as his nervous system is working properly

59. what is their wildest sexual experience? He accidentally almost drowned once during sex in a bathtub

60. are they more submissive or dominant? Dominant

61. does your character need to have an intimate relationship with someone to have sex? or do they prefer being unattached? That depends on a situation. Intimate relationship heightens the effects but aren’t necessary to derive pleasure

62. has your character ever participated in group sex? No but he received invitations

63. do they like to sext or play over the holo? Yes, if there’s a appropriate time for it

64. has your character ever ghosted someone after a sexual encounter? Yes

65. how would they react if they were ghosted by someone they like after a sexual encounter? He’s already been ghosted by Meredith Stout and he doesn’t think it’s a big deal. It’s unpleasant but why focus on something that doesn’t work if you can find more opportunities?

66. do they prefer kink oriented sex or spontaneous passionate sex? If he had to choose then it would be the latter 

67. how do they get down on their own? quick and easy or do they have to romance themselves a little? Quick and easy, all he needs is imagination and a shower. Just don’t disturb him

68. in what outfit do they feel sexiest? how do they dress to impress? Anything that’s clean, fresh and comfortable to wear

69. do they like having music on while they have sex? share three songs they’d play while getting down. He never tried it with music but he’s always open to new experiences and suggestions

#:[subject - V]: #:[dossier - V]: #:[query]:

[gyakutengagotoku]

GS4 vs AJ:AA - Episode 1, Part 1

Look, guys! I’m being productive again! Hooray, it feels exhausting just as I remember it did!

As done before, every post I make will contain differences between the source Japanese and localized English versions of the same game, as well as further details about them, up to the following “To be continued...” screens and eventually the ending credits. As always, there are so many ways the localization can dress up certain lines in the original script to make them into jokes or at least more colorful, so I’m not going to pick out every one. It would take us an eternity longer than my hiatuses to finish otherwise.

To think it took a freakin’ indie game that's like Mafia but with astronauts and tasks to bring me back to the Ace Attorney community and back to my blog’s roots. Is this what they mean by “Circle of Life”? All I know is that I’m constantly running around in circles, both metaphorically and literally.

--

> Court Lobby

<Kristoph> やれやれ。ずいぶんカタくなってる みたいだね。 You look tense, Justice. Wound up tight.

<Apollo> そ。そんなコトないです！ カンゼンに大丈夫ですから、オレ！ W-Wound up, sir? No! I'm loose! I'm fine!

<Kristoph> 声がウラ返ってるよ‥‥ まあ。ムリもないかな。 That screeching noise... Is that your voice? I suppose it's to be expected...

初めての法廷が、殺人事件とは。 まさしく“オドロキ”ってヤツだね。 Your first trial, and it's a homicide. I guess "Justice" doesn't start small, eh?

Enter Apollo's signature "I'm fine!" catchphrase, or as it's originally known, "Daijobu desu!"

In the third box, "ウラ返ってる" from 裏返る (uragaeru) in this context is translated fairly, though it specifically refers to a "crack in falsetto" kind of squeak or screech. (Yes, squeaky Apollo.) Now, it's interesting to note uragaeru in a different context can also mean "to double-cross". To be fair, it's also a common phrase, like being "betrayed" by your own cracking voice, but the foreshadowing power...

In the fourth box, yes, they changed the name puns to suit the localized name. Kirihito (Kristoph) is just saying what a "surprise" it is for his first trial to be a murder case.

>

<???> たしか、きみは‥‥ So, you're...

<Apollo> あ、ハイ！ オレ、大丈夫ですッ！ Fine! I-I'm fine!

<???> ああ‥‥“大丈夫くん”か。 Ah... Mr. Fine, is it?

<Apollo> え。 Uh.

<???> 変わった名前だとは覚えていた。 I did remember you having an odd name.

<Apollo> （さっそく、ゴカイされちまった） (Well, we're off to a great start.)

I'm just putting this here to assure everyone that Nick does first call him "Daijobu-kun".

>

<???> そろそろ時間だ。‥‥行こうか。 It's time. Shall we?

<Apollo> は、はいッ！ Y-Yes, sir!

<Apollo> （‥‥そうさ。 　今は、とにかく集中するんだ） (...OK. I need to focus.)

（オレの‥‥王泥喜　法介の、 　初めての法廷に！） (First trial, here comes Justice!)

I want to comment on how catchy Apollo's other lesser-known catchphrase is. Poor Odoroki doesn't have anything as cool as this.

> Courtroom

<Kristoph> 弁護士は、依頼人の希望を最優先 させなければなりません。 A defense attorney must always cede to his client's wishes.

この王泥喜くんは、依頼人の ご指名なのですよ。 And my client specifically requested Mr. Justice.

<Judge> ふむう‥‥わかりませんな。 Well, of course he wants justice!

現在、最高の弁護士と言われる 牙琉　霧人（がりゅうきりひと）。 But to entrust his case to this greenhorn... Why?

それをさしおいて、 こんなワカモノがねえ‥‥ I do not exaggerate when I say that you're the best defense attorney in town, Mr. Gavin.

<Apollo> （だ、大丈夫。発声練習の量なら、 　先生にも負けないさ！） (OK, so Gavin's got trial experience, fine. But does he have Chords of Steel!?)

I just love this line from Apollo. Perfect timing and delivery. Odoroki's line is good too, though comes off as a tad more innocent: "I-It's fine. When it comes to  vocal training, even Sensei can't beat me!" Though I have to say the image of Kristoph screaming during voice training is too funny to pass up.

> Enter Defendant

<Judge> まことにザンネン��す。 This is truly an unfortunate turn of events.

ひさしぶりの対面が、 このようなカタチになるとは。 I'm sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances.

‥‥成歩堂　龍一 （なるほどうりゅういち）くん。 Long time no see, Mr. Wright.

<Phoenix> 忘れてほしいですね、 ムカシのことは。 Let's put the past behind us, shall we?

今のぼくは‥‥そう。 しがないピアニスト、ですから。 These days, I'm merely Phoenix Wright, piano player.

I may have mentioned it before, but I'll make a note here that the Hobohodo meme has its own version in the JP fandom: "ピアニート" (piani-to or pia-NEET), which is portmanteau of pianist and NEET, the most famous of Japanese government welfare programs for the unemployed. It's also slang for "hobo".

>

<Payne> これが、被害者の命を奪った凶器。 ‥‥グレープジュースのボトルです。 This is the weapon that took the victim's life. A bottle of grape juice.

彼のお気に入りで、 いつも飲んでいるようですな。 Grape juice is apparently our defendant's drink of choice.

Many of you already know, but just in case: The localizers never censored Nick's fave drink. It was the JP devs who had to work with such censors back home, but eventually they just kept it as a running gag to put non-alcoholic fruit juices in fancy wine bottles. It wasn't until SoJ when the devs could get away with featuring a bit of alcohol. Their previous game was slapped with a CERO-C (15+) due to graphic images, so Eshiro and co. were pleasantly surprised to see SoJ get the classic CERO-B (12+) again.

Not to mention, very expensive high-quality fancy fruit juices do exist in Japan and can cost way more than your usual middle-grade wines. Japan and their fancy fruit culture and all. (I forget exactly, but I recall there were plenty of group pictures of the devs on their blogs and Twitters over the years where someone had gotten them fancy bottles of fruit juice as Christmas gifts. The memes live on.)

> After 1st testimony, decline tutorial

<Apollo> 先生が出るにはおよびません！ ここは、オレでじゅうぶんッ！ No need for help here, sir! I think I've got this one covered!

<Kristoph> ‥‥“手下”みたいなセリフだね。 大丈夫ですか？ I think you'd better do more than think. You know it, or you do not.

<Apollo> （大丈夫！　 　発声練習は積んできた！） (I'm fine! The Chords of Steel are ready for battle!)

The differences here are subtle enough that I hesitated on including this, but Kirihito straight-up calls out Odoroki: "Sensei, you won't need to step up here. I'm enough for this!" "...Sounds like something someone unreliable would say. Are you going to be fine?"

> Press 4th statement

<Judge> ふむう‥‥ Hmm...

ポーカーといえば、５枚のカードで “役”を作って勝負するゲーム。 As I recall, in poker you make five-card "hands".

たしかに、イカサマが 起こりやすいのでしょう。 I can see how it would be easy to cheat.

<Phoenix> フッ‥‥ “役”を作るゲーム、ねえ‥‥ Heh... Yes. A game of "hands".

<Apollo> ‥‥？ ...?

Now that I find this dialogue again, it's even deeper than I'd ever thought. In both JP and EN, Phoenix's line works just as well as the other despite having different double entendres. In EN, he makes a pun between the poker hands and people's hands; while in JP, the term used is "yaku", which is normally used to refer to hands in a card/mahjong game, but in more general cases, it means "role" or "responsibility". Naturally, in this case, there are a lot of hands and roles being exchanged rather quickly.

This case is dang amazing and I regret forgetting so much of what made it spectacular.

> Press 5th statement

<Phoenix> 賭けていたのは、ただひとつ。 おのれの“プライド”だけだよ。 The only thing at stake in our game... was pride itself.

<Judge> ほほう。 なんだか、カッコイイですな！ Ho ho! Well put, Mr. Wright.

私も“ポーカー”で ヒト勝負したくなってきました。 I've got a mind to play a hand of poker myself...

<Judge> あなたの“有罪”を賭けてッ！ The stakes: your fate!

<Apollo> （“ヒト勝負”感覚で 　決められてたまるかッ！） (Um... Can we get back to the trial now?)

For once, I'm gonna go with Odoroki's line as the cooler one: "(As if we're going to decide this trial like a game of "life-or-death"!)"

> 1st witness, before testimony

<Olga> 逆居　雅香（さかいまさか） ‥‥と申します。 My name... is Olga Orly.

レストラン《ボルハチ》で ウエイトレス‥‥していますの。 I am employed as waitress in Borscht Bowl Club restaurant.

<Judge> しかし‥‥なぜ、カメラを？ Then... why the camera?

<Olga> もちろん、《ボルハチ》ジマンの ボルシチもお運びいたします。 Of course, it is my pride to serve borscht that is naming restaurant.

でも、ワタシ。他にも、いろいろ サービスをいたしますのよ。 But I also perform -- how it is said? Other service.

Just making a note here on how well Olga's lines are written. They really make it obvious that she's "not a native speaker" (for now). While in EN, they just made her English a little broken, in JP, she speaks in a very stiff and formal Japanese, as she is a waitress, but also on the occasion can sound a little off to a native speaker without being broken, per se. She also has a distinct "watashi" among a few other common words that are written in katakana to show a sort of accent.

>

<Payne> さて、証人。 事件当時は、どこに‥‥？ Now, witness. Where were you at the time of the murder?

<Olga> ワタシ、あの部屋にいたんです。 ‥‥《ナラズモの間》。 I was in room. The Hydeout, we call it.

<Apollo> “ならずものま”？ Excuse me? The Hydeout?

<Olga> 伝説のギャング“ナラズモ”が タイホされたというお部屋。 It is room where famous gangster "Badgai" was arrested.

‥‥事件があった小部屋ですの。 Is room where murder took place.

<Apollo> なんだってェェェ！ Whaaaaat!?

<Olga> ‥‥そのビックリしたカオ、 ステキです。 Your look of utter surprise... It is lovely.

あとで法廷の前に 張り出しておきますので‥‥ I will post by courtroom door later for you!

ほしい写真の番号を、みなさま お書きくださいね。 Dah, dah, photos will be numbered, and you will write which ones you want copy of.

Okay, everyone knows how bad/obvious/cringe the name puns can be in Khura'in or certain ones from AAI, but please, does anyone not remember "Badgai" here? (Tbf, I forgot too, so I'm not one to talk...)

Btw, his original name is "Narazumo", literally "ruffian", and it's completely in katakana, which makes me think it's a codename or alias. She also specifies that he was a "gangster", not yakuza as we'd assume. Japanese gangs are a bit closer to gangs that we know of in the West, especially that they're more known for foreign influence to their styles than the much more traditional yakuza.

Also, I'm disappointed there was no Odoroki pun here. Sure, she doesn't know him, so it wouldn't make sense, but still a missed opportunity. Also also, she actually talks to the rest of the court when she says "you", so she's selling photos of Apollo's freakout to everyone. Classy...

> 1st Witness Testimony, press 3rd statement

<Apollo> “ロケット”‥‥？ His "locket"...?

<Olga> あのお客さまにとっては 大切な“お守り”のようでした。 I believe it was good-luck charm, dah?

何度か握りしめながら、 勝負をされていましたから。 He gripped it many times as he played that night.

<Judge> なるほど‥‥大空へ飛び立つ チカラがみなぎるのでしょう。 Yes, he must have felt as though it might carry him to the moon and the stars!

なにしろ《ロケット》ですからな。 Though if it were small enough to fit around his neck, it wouldn't have much lift...

<Apollo> ‥‥あの。ちなみに “ロケット”というのは‥‥ Um... The defense would like a clarification: this is a locket we're talking about?

写真を入れたペンダントのコト、 なんですけどね。 I mean, a pendant with a picture in it, right? Not a "rocket"?

<Judge> 知ってます！ Of course! I knew that!

ロケットのカタチをした アレでしょう。 It was probably a pendant shaped like a rocket. That's why she called it that.

<Apollo> ちがいますよ！ カタチはカンケイないんです No, a locket's a locket! It doesn't matter what shape it is!

<Kristoph> ‥‥深追いしてはいけない。 それが、社会のルールです。 It's considered bad form to poke fun at the hard-of- hearing in our society.

<Apollo> （モヤモヤするなあ） (Hard of hearing, or hard of understanding?)

This entire conversation is just a joke on how "locket" and "rocket" are written the same way in Japanese, and I'm surprised how well it still works in English.

To clarify, Kirihito's line at the end is a bit different: "...Refraining from pursuing a line too far is a well-known rule in our society." "(Doesn't make me feel any better.)"

> After 1st Present, just before new statement added

<Apollo> （ヤレヤレ‥‥ 　慎重すぎるんだよな、先生は） (There's such a thing as thinking too much...)

（イシバシを叩いて 　コワすタイプ？） (This horse is dead, let's stop beating it!)

<Kristoph> 聞こえてますよ、オドロキくん。 There's such a thing as thinking aloud too much, too.

It's conversations like this that make me wonder if characters can actually hear what the MC is saying/whispering or if they're breaking the 4th wall to hear their thoughts. Here, it's even more ambiguous in JP than the usual between Nick and Maya in prior games. Or are they suggesting that even when Apollo is thinking, he's still loud?

> After 2nd Witness Testimony, before cross-exam

<Judge> なるほど‥‥ Ah, how many times have I heard these words:

『むしゃくしゃしてやった。 　今は後悔している』‥‥ "I done it in a fit of anger, Yer Honor, and now I regret what I done".

‥‥の、パターンですな。 ...A common tale, but true.

<Apollo> （成歩堂さんは、ハッキリ言った。 　『７年間、負けたことがない』） (Methinks the judge watches too many old court movies.)

（‥‥この証言には、ゼッタイ 　“何か”あるはずだ！） (Mr. Wright said he hasn't lost in seven years, so this testimony must be wrong!)

I don't usually include entries for examples where the localizers dress up the text from the original, but this one here really bugs me. I'm not sure if it's a reference to some classic film or just a tip of the hat to classic American court drama movies in general.

If someone could help me pinpoint this one, please do.

> Press 2nd statement, press further

<Apollo> チップについて、くわしく 話していただけますか？ Maybe you could explain a bit about these "chips"?

<Olga> そ。そう言われましても‥‥ E-Explain? What is there to be explained?

<Objection!>

<Payne> チップはチップです。 Poker chips are poker chips.

いつまで待っても‥‥ キップにはなりませんぞ！ They're not fish and chips, not a chip off the old block, not a motorcycle cop, not a...

Okay, the "motorcycle cop" bit got me. I swear this was a popculture reference (was it a song? It sounds so familiar), but I don't remember exactly where it was from! Someone plz help.

As for the original script, Auchi makes a silly pun. "[Poker] chips are [poker] chips. No matter how long you wait... they won't become tickets!" (chips = chippu, ticket = kippu)

>

<Apollo> ‥‥はあ。 ...Thanks.

（セッカクだ。 　なにか聞かないとソンだな） (Now that I've pressed her I'd better ask something...)

たとえば‥‥そのチップ。 “円”ですか？　“ドル”ですか？ What are these chips worth? Are they in dollars? Or rubles, even?

<Olga> ‥‥あの。 先ほども申しましたけれど‥‥ ...Nyet. As I have been saying before, it was game, not gambling.

ギャンブルでは ございませんでしたから‥‥ Hard perhaps for capitalist to understand.

<Olga> “１０００点”と “１００点”の２種類。 Two types of chip: 100 points chip and 1,000 points chip.

おカネではございませんの。 It is not money, dah.

<Kristoph> ‥‥オドロキくん。 ...Justice.

<Apollo> はいッ！ Sir!

<Kristoph> 今の証言‥‥ ちょっと、おもしろいですね。 Don't you find her comment... interesting?

<Apollo> え‥‥ In more ways than one, sir.

<Kristoph> 私ならば‥‥そう。 証言に加えていただくところですが。 I'd have it added to her testimony, myself.

As funny as that capitalist line is, it's not found in the source, sorry, guys. Her text in Japanese is very formal, so it takes an extra box just to complete her sentence.

Also, worth to note that Odoroki here mentions yen and dollars, but not rubles, despite the restaurant being Russian-themed. Whether it's writer oversight or just Odoroki being uncultured will remain a mystery.

Lastly, Apollo's last line here makes him seem quite confident, but in the original, he seems just as confused as ever. This is made clearer when Apollo later presses the new statement.

> Press new statement

<Apollo> あの。小さい方が１００点、 大きい方が１０００点‥‥ Um. The small ones are 100, and the big ones 1,000...

で、いいんですよね。やっぱり。 Uh? Right? Right. Of course.

<Payne> フン！　 聞くまでもないでしょう。 Hah! Don't waste our time!

<Apollo> はあ‥‥ *sigh*

‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥‥ ...

<Judge> 終わりですか？　それで。 Is that all?

<Apollo> ええ、まあ。 Um... Yeah. *gulp*

（くそ。牙琉先生のせいで 　ハジをかいちまったぞ‥‥） (Great. Mr. Gavin made me stop her, and now I'm the one who looks dumb.)

<Kristoph> オドロキくん。 Oh, Justice?

<Kristoph> 私にハジをかかせないで もらえますか？ Please try not to embarrass me like that.

<Apollo> え！　オレがですか！ Huh? Who? Me!?

The subtleties of this joke conversation were lost in translation. After Apollo wastes time with that question, he grumbles to himself: "(Damn. Thanks to Garyu-sensei, I've made a fool of myself.)" "Odoroki-kun. Would you please not pin this embarassment on me?" "Huh! Me!?"

> After Present, select "Number of chips"

<Apollo> おかしいのは、チップの枚数‥‥ ですよね、先生？ The odd thing here is the number of chips... Right, Mr. Gavin?

<Kristoph> ‥‥なぜ、私に？ ...Why are you asking me?

<Apollo> その。念のため、というか！ Uh... Just in case?

<Kristoph> ‥‥オドロキくん。 もう少し、キチンと考えましょう。 Justice... It's your case I'm concerned about.

チップなら、写真を見れば すべて、写っています。 If you're wondering about the chips, just look at the photograph. It's all there.

老眼の裁判長さんでも カンタンに数えられますよ。 Even our judge with his failing eyesight could count them.

<Apollo> （‥‥あの裁判長なら、それでも 　まちがえるような気がする‥‥） (That's not the only thing failing the judge.)

Damn, what a burn. Odoroki in the OG script simply went: "(...Knowing this judge, he could get even that wrong...)" which is a fair effort, but not a wildfire level of damage.

> 3rd Witness Testimony, press 4th

<Apollo> 口論の内容は、おぼえてますか？ Do you recall what the men were arguing about?

<Olga> そうですね。たしか‥‥ Dah, I believe so...

被害者サマが『イカサマだッ！』と 叫びましたの。それに対して‥‥ The victim, he shouts, "you are cheater!" and then...

“異議がある”というようなコトを 被告人さまが‥‥ ...the defendant shouts something like, "I have objection!"

<Payne> ‥‥出ましたな。 おトクイの《異議あり！》が。 Shouting objection, eh? Old habits are hard to break!

まったく‥‥ハッタリづくしの 人生ですからな。被告人は。 First he bluffed his way through the courtroom, now he bluffs his way through life!

<Objection!>

<Apollo> しかし！　勝負の結果は、 成歩堂さんが“負けている”！ However! Mr. Wright lost the hand!

むしろ、アヤシイのは、 勝った被害者・浦伏さんでしょう！ That seems to cast the shadow of doubt on Mr. Smith!

<Olga> “イカサマをやった上、 　勝負にも負けた”‥‥ Humiliation from losing even when cheating...

そのクツジョクが、被告人の方の ココロに、火をつけたのですの。 That is what set fire to defendant's heart!

<Judge> ‥‥そして、火のついた 被告人は、どうしたのですかな？ So what did the flaming defendant do next?

Oh my God, as soon as I saw that "異議がある" (igi ga aru) my mind flashed back to those ridiculous Google Translated trailers of Gyakuten Saiban & Kenji on Nico Douga. Imagine if the devs at the time decided to play with Google Translate to see how "異議あり！" would look after switching it from Japanese to English and back. It would be one of the biggest brain plays by a game developer ever... which probably means it wasn't how it went, but it's fun to think about.

Anyway, I also like this snippet of dialogue for the judge's "flaming defendant", clearly alluding to "Phoenix" Wright. In JP, the bit about setting fire to his heart is just a common idiom in the first place, but who knows? “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney” had been selling fast in the West, so they could have been inspired.

> After Present, point out on the cards, examine victim's hand

<Apollo> 裁判長！　見てください！ 被害者のカードには、１枚‥‥ Your Honor! Look at this! One of the victim's cards...

ウラの色がちがうカードが まぎれこんでいますッ！ The back is a different color!

<Payne> え‥‥ええええッ！ Eh...? Ehhhhhh!?

<Olga> そ。そんなバカなッ！ Th-That's impossible!

アタシがシカケたのは、 成歩堂のほうなのに‥‥ But I put that card in Wright's hand...

あッ！ Ack!

<Kristoph> ‥‥今、なんと言いましたか、証人。 ...What was that, Ms. Orly?

<Olga> い‥‥いえ‥‥その。 アタシ‥‥わ、私は、ええと‥‥ No... Ny-Nyet! Er, I merely said, eh... Dah, I have, eek!

It's at this point when Olga's cover is blown, and in JP, it's more obvious because she stammers between using "atashi" vs "watashi". It's not very common to hear beginner Japanese students refer to themselves as the cutesy "atashi", though one who's a bit more well versed in the language or in anime may pick up on it.

> After Phoenix takes over the court, select when the cards were swapped, select "Olga Orly" who swapped them

<Phoenix> たしかに、あのゲームでは赤・青の ２種類のカードを使っていた。 Mixing a card from the wrong deck... when the backs are different colors?

しかし‥‥逆居　雅香は、 カードを配っていた張本人。 Remember that you're talking about Olga Orly... She was the dealer.

‥‥そんなミスを すると思うかい？ Do you really think she would make such a novice mistake?

<Apollo> （まあ‥‥オレでも 　まちがわないだろうな） (Actually, I have trouble imagining even the judge making that mistake.)

This is another case of the localizers dressing it up. Odoroki says here: "(Well... even I wouldn't make such a mistake.)" as if implying that he's the lowest common denominator here, haha!

> Back to Court Lobby

<Phoenix> 人間の思考・感情というものは ‥‥かならず。 Try as they might to conceal it, everyone reveals their true thoughts in the end.

身体から“情報”として 発信されている。 Their body language can become a valuable source of information.

<Apollo> そ。そんなバカな‥‥ You're kidding!

<Phoenix> たとえば。あの証人‥‥ 逆居　雅香を思い出してごらん。 That witness, for instance, Ms. Orly.

<Phoenix> 彼女は、ある証言をするとき‥‥ かならず“首筋をさする”。 She would touch the back of her neck during certain parts of her testimony.

‥‥気がついていたかい？ Did you notice?

<Apollo> ���。いえ‥‥ （それどころじゃないよ、フツー） Uh... No. (C'mon, who'd notice that!?)

<Phoenix> “クセ”“コトバ”‥‥ それらが発する情報を読み解くこと。 Words, habits, twitches... It's all information for the reading.

それが、勝負に勝つ “鉄則”だよ、オドロキくん。 That's the secret to winning, Apollo.

まあ‥‥ぼくも“ある人物”に 教わったんだけどね。 Someone taught me, and now, I pass the secret on to you.

It's this quiet moment between the two of them that really parallels with how Mia used to talk with Phoenix, and it's beautifully poetic. And I'd like to note that even Phoenix's speech pattern throughout this convo is quite reminiscent of how Mia talked, but with a bit of Phoenix's own style. Though in that last line, he could possibly have meant Mia, but more likely meant a certain someone with a similar power to Apollo. Ya'll know who I mean, (W)right?

>

<Phoenix> ああ。それから、もうひとつ。 今回の事件だけどね。 Ah, almost forgot. One more thing. About this case...

ぼくはまだ、誰にも “本当のコト”を話してないんだよ。 You should know, I haven't told the truth to anyone yet.

<Apollo> えええええッ！ （や、やっぱり‥‥） Whaaaaaaaa--!? (I knew it!)

<Phoenix> もちろん、“理由”がある。 これからアキラカになるだろう。 I have my reasons, of course. All shall be revealed.

そして、ぼくの作戦には‥‥ きみが必要なんだよ。 And Apollo... I need you to be there, defending me.

きみの“能力”が、ね。 I need your power.

<Apollo> オレの、のうりょく‥‥ （声のデカさ、か‥‥？） My, um, power? (I had no idea my Chords of Steel were that special...)

The translation here is close enough, really, but Odoroki specifically describes it as the "intensity" of his voice and it's only the best answer.

--

Welp, I guess it’s back to the drafting board again and I may make this out as a daily or every-other-daily upload. We’ll see. I assure you, you won’t be waiting until next month, though!

#gsvsaa #gs4 #ajaa #turnabout trump #part 1

[fy-enhypen]

“I want to show everyone I can keep growing” - NI-KI

NI-KI was rushing around but showed no signs of tiring out. He found the basketball hoop and kept taking shots until he made a basket and, whenever he could find the time, practiced his moves for the cover dance video. Until he achieved what he was going for. Your Korean has gotten a lot better.

NI-KI: I guess it’s because when I was a trainee I learned a lot from watching reality shows and audition shows like I-LAND, and the other members also taught me a bunch. We discuss a lot before filming anything. If there’s some grammar or words I don’t know, I go right to JAY, since he’s good at Japanese. I don’t have a hard time in everyday life, but sometimes I get help from others while filming when there’s something I’m not sure about.

I guess you must have had many opportunities to take in not only the language but also the culture.

NI-KI: The food culture is very different; I can’t really eat spicy food. I like boiled mandu with meat inside so I’ve eaten a lot of those. (laughs) I think I learned a lot about Korean history and traditional culture when I went to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

The modern hanbok Jung Kook from BTS gifted you is also symbolic of Korea’s heritage.

NI-KI: Yes, you’re right. I thought it was cool when I first got it because I was also learning another part of the culture, plus I was happy to receive a gift from him. I still wear it every day. (laughs) My teammates save their gifts for special occasions, but now I wear mine way more than any clothes I’ve ever worn. It feels like I get good energy from it.

Was there a reason you came here after performing as a kid dancer in Japan?

NI-KI: I saw some idols including SHINEE for the first time at the Tokyo Dome when I was in grade school—not only dancing, but performing while singing, and that really stuck in my mind. After that, I was determined to become an artist like them and be the one on that stage someday. So now, here I am, in Korea. Actually, the dance moves I learned when I first came to Korea were totally different from what I was used to doing. The singing was, too, so I felt I wasn’t good enough so I practiced every single day. Any time I learned a new move while I was a trainee, I made sure to practice it until it was perfect before the next class.

You had a bit of a crisis while practicing for your debut: You were sent to the GROUND on I-LAND. When you became the dance representative and lost, you held back your tears even as the others were crying, until the producers came to cheer you up, and then you finally burst into tears.

NI-KI: I felt terrible for losing, but I didn’t want my teammates to see me cry, so I held it in. But when the producers suddenly showed up … I was thinking how there were so many things that didn’t turn out well since starting I-LAND and had no idea what to do, but then the producers said we did a good job and suddenly I started crying too.

NI-KI: Up until that point, even though I wasn’t sure if I could debut, I just wanted to make sure I had no regrets, so I tried my best to show everyone who supported me how much I had grown. In the end, when all seven of us put our arms around each other’s shoulders, I thought, “Wow, we’re really debuting!” Looking back now, I think it was fate for us to be together. I’m happy to have been able to debut with them.

What’s it like to live with six older team members?

NI-KI: We take care of each other when we’re having a hard time or feeling sad. Our sense of teamwork is getting better every day, too. The others are still really considerate towards me, especially JAY, who I could easily communicate with by speaking Japanese. Now we use Korean except for when we’re joking around.

During the debut show, you said you feel closest to JUNGWON.

NI-KI: I think it’s easiest to talk with him because we’re the closest in age. They all take a joke well—I love to joke around—but JUNGWON is especially good about my pranks.

But you share a room with someone else. (laughs)

NI-KI: SUNOO and I sleep in the same room. There wasn’t much of a chance to be close with JUNGWON during I-LAND, and SUNOO and I shared a room back then, too, so I got used to sleeping with him.

The other members often brag on TV or social media about you, the youngest member. How do you feel when you hear them complimenting you like that?

NI-KI: It’s a little bit embarrassing. (laughs) I still have a long way to go, so I feel kind of self-conscious when they talk me up that much. But still, I like it when they say I dance well. Sometimes I feel like, “I nailed it this time,” and it feels good when I hear them say it, too.

You feel embarrassed when you receive compliments, but you give them out to the other members often. In the “Given-Taken” reaction video, you clap and tell them again and again how great they look.

NI-KI: I love to compliment my teammates. I’ll usually just say whatever’s on my mind. The music video really was that cool, and also touching. It was physically draining, filming for three days, but the video turned out so amazing that I felt like I became a fan, too, after seeing it.

While watching the video together, the other members saw your scenes and said it was all freestyle and that it was mind-blowing to see on the day. What did you aim to express?

NI-KI: I wanted to make a strong impression with my dancing in all the scenes, so I talked it over with the performance director and danced freestyle to make it look natural. I added a dark atmosphere to the “Dusk-Dawn” trailer by intentionally twisting my back like a zombie. I wanted to make a completely new character for the music video for the lead single. I was reminded of a movie I saw before, but I wanted to show people something that was my own.

In “Given-Taken,” you break free from the chain around your feet and float in midair, singing the lyrics, “Between giving and taking / It’s time for my proving.” What did these lyrics mean to you?

NI-KI: I’m still having a hard time with that. (laughs) Hmm … I imagined myself struggling between what I was given and what I had taken. The “given” part makes me think of everyone who supported me and my debut, and also maybe my talent and luck. And I have “taken” the debut by running towards my goal. When I was on I-LAND I worried whether I would be able to debut or not, but these days I worry whether I can do a good job as a member of ENHYPEN.

So you’re still worrying, even after your debut.

NI-KI: I was especially nervous and prepared a lot for the debut show since it was our first ever performance. I couldn’t actually meet the fans because of COVID-19, but I was really happy we could at least see their faces. I wanted to really thank everyone who watched our performance. When we went back home after the show, JUNGWON and I talked about how, “Even though we had some hard times leading up to our debut, it was touching to meet our fans through that surprise video.” And then fell asleep at around four in the morning. That’s the time I usually go to bed, and I always read the letters I got when I was on I-LAND before I fall asleep, even though I’m tired. They always give me strength.

Did looking at the fan reactions to your debut also give you strength?

NI-KI: It felt good when I read one comment saying it exceeded their expectations. There were some negative reactions, too, but I try to see those comments in a positive light. It makes me think how I can practice hard and put on an even better performance next time.

The fans also give you cute nicknames. Which one is your favorite?

NI-KI: Boongeoppang. If they draw a picture of NI-KI, I hope that a picture of a little fish shaped pastry is included too. (laughs) For me, it’s all about the red bean boongeoppang. The other flavors are good, too, but I like the simplicity of the red bean kind. I eat them head first. I like Puma, too. Some fans posted pictures of me, comparing when I started I-LAND and when we finished, and said I look like a puma.

That explains why you use the leopard emoji every time you post on the Internet. It looks like a puma.

NI-KI: I communicate online a lot since it’s impossible to meet people face to face right now. I’ll do my best to repay all the people who have supported me until now. I’ll keep that in mind when we perform. And I hope ENGENE and ENHYPEN can finally meet as one. I think it’ll be more fun to perform for them after not being able to meet them for so long. I imagine our fun future performances whenever we practice. When we get a chance to see them in person, the very first thing I want to do is thank them.

What does this future performance you see when you practice look like?

NI-KI: I remember how incredibly beautiful the lights in the audience looked from the stage, when I found my dream. I want the light from everyone’s light sticks to shine on me like they did then. And I think it’ll give me a boost when I hear all of them cheering. I want to put on a wonderful show for our fans—a performance that we can all enjoy together, where we can communicate with the fans, like if we ride around the whole arena giving out gifts like autographed balls or something.

You’ve said many times, “Dance is everything to me.” What exactly does dancing mean to you?

NI-KI: When I was three years old, my dad showed me a concert video. I remember how after that I would watch that video alone for, like, five hours every day, just practicing. That’s how much I liked dancing, and I want to keep dancing forever. I think that’s the most important feeling in my life.

What do you like most, other than dancing?

NI-KI: Microphones. Headset microphones. Even before I dreamed of becoming an idol, I saw performers wearing those headsets and thought that I wanted to wear one someday. I imagined myself with my own microphone and in-ear monitors, so now they’re very valuable things to me.

And your childhood dreams came true. Now, imagining further into the future, what kind of artist do you want to be remembered as?

NI-KI: An artist who gives a lot of people good energy, happiness, and can move them. I want to leave people with a lingering impression. My hope is that I can keep growing in every way.

#201226 #enhypen #niki #t: weverse #t: interview

[osakaso5]

IDOLiSH7 End Of Year Story 2019: Friends Meet!

Part 2: A Memorable Day

Part 1

Torao Mido: ...It's gonna fall...

Toma Inumaru: Just hold the apple in your hand already. You can always wash your hands afterwards.

Torao Mido: That's unsanitary.

Minami Natsume: I've brought wet wipes.

Haruka Isumi: You've got everything on you, Minami.

Torao Mido: I guess I'll eat it with my hands after I've wiped them...

Riku Nanase: Ah, that guy's eating a candy apple with his hands!

Iori Izumi: Nanase-san, don't point at people!

Toma Inumaru: ...Hmm?

Toma Inumaru: Riku! It's you!

Riku Nanase: Toma-san! It's Toma-san! Wow! And the rest of ŹOOĻ, too!

Haruka Isumi: S-stop yelling.

Tamaki Yotsuba: Oh. We thought it was local hooligans, but it's just Isumin!

Haruka Isumi: You guys are here, too? Ah, takoyaki.

Tamaki Yotsuba: Looks good, right? Want some?

Haruka Isumi: Yeah.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Happy New Year. We owe you a great deal for the events in Northmare and Black or White.

Toma Inumaru: Ah, Ms. Manager... Uh, right back at you...

Toma Inumaru: ...This year, we'll beat IDOLiSH7 fair and square. We'll be waiting for you guys.

Tsumugi Takanashi: Yes!

Torao Mido: Come to think of it, didn't you fall in love with me?

Riku Nanase: Huh!?

Tamaki Yotsuba: Seriously!?

Iori Izumi: You did!?

Tsumugi Takanashi: Huh? What?

Torao Mido: Ah, my mistake. I thought you might've fallen for me. Oh well, it doesn't make a difference.

Mitsuki Izumi: Yeah, it does!

Toma Inumaru: Sorry about him! This guy's got crazy luck with the ladies, so he probably misunderstood something because of that.

Yamato Nikaido: I can't tell if you're apologizing or bragging.

Minami Natsume: Mido-san. If you get too caught up in your preconceptions, you'll get burned.

Torao Mido: I could say the same to you.

Minami Natsume: Why?

Torao Mido: Because you were comparing me to Haruki Sakura. He's the real "cheater who doesn't understand the inner workings for the heart", right?

Minami Natsume: ........

Nagi Rokuya: Good evening. It has been a while.

Minami Natsume: Ah... Good evening.

Nagi Rokuya: Since you may not know this, I should let you know that you should not pass through a torii.

Minami Natsume: Rokuya-san, I'm Japanese, and mourning traditions vary from region to region, so you probably shouldn't look so proud of yourself.

Nagi Rokuya: .......?

Minami Natsume: "Happy New Year". That's also something we should avoid saying, depending on where we are.

Nagi Rokuya: Haruki would not mind. He loved the New Year, as well as other celebrations.

Minami Natsume: Fufu... That's true... I'm sure he must be celebrating the New Year in Heaven as we speak.

Minami Natsume: I'll miss him, but at least now I have more people to celebrate the New Year with.

Minami Natsume: <Happy New Year.>

Nagi Rokuya: <Happy New Year.>

Torao Mido: Sogo, what's that? A banana?

Sogo Osaka: It's a frankfurter.

Torao Mido: Looked like a banana to me. This is an apple.

Sogo Osaka: So it would appear. What happened to the chopsticks?

Torao Mido: They got in the way, so I tossed them.

Sogo Osaka: We were just in need of chopsticks. I guess supply and demand always varies from place to place.

Torao Mido: It's the New Year, and you're already talking economics...

Riku Nanase: Ah... I got a message from Tenn-nii.

Toma Inumaru: "Tenn-nii"? You mean Tenn Kujo?

Riku Nanase: Yes. We were together until a moment ago.

Toma Inumaru: Seriously?

Riku Nanase: Apparently he bumped into Re:vale by chance.

Toma Inumaru: Seriously!?

Riku Nanase: He's asking if Re:vale can come here with them.

Iori Izumi: I suppose it's alright, but... Won't we stand out?

Toma Inumaru: In that case, we'll get going. You guys had plans together, right?

Mitsuki Izumi: Nah, it's fine. You guys can take off if someone recognizes us.

Haruka Isumi: TRIGGER and Re:vale are coming over here..?

Minami Natsume: What a coincidence... Ah...

Torao Mido: What is it?

Minami Natsume: This is a sacred tree. Maybe it brought us all together.

Mitsuki Izumi: It's huge. I bet it looks pretty in the spring when the cherry blossoms are blooming.

Gaku Yaotome: Hey, guys!

Kaoru Anesagi: You're too loud!

Rinto Okazaki: Your daruma doll stands out as well, Anesagi-san...

Momo: Look, look! This is amazing! Ah..! Is that...

Yuki: It's ŹOOĻ.

Toma Inumaru: Happy New Year. Uh... I look forward to working with you in the coming year.

Yuki: No way. We didn't come prepared because we didn't expect ŹOOĻ to be here, too.

Toma Inumaru: Huh?

Momo: Then why don't we focus on the minors of the group and have Yamato and Mitsuki go without one this time?

Tamaki Yotsuba: Ah! Is it...

Riku Nanase: New Year's money!!!

Yuki: Here. Happy New Year.  

Riku Nanase: Thank you, Re:vale!

Iori Izumi: I told you, you're too loud... Thank you, Momo-san and Yuki-san.

Tamaki Yotsuba: Thanks! I love you, Momorin and Yukirin!

Nagi Rokuya: Thanks! OH! A New Year's gift with a pretty mascot!

Momo: And here's to Minami and Haruka.

Haruka Isumi: ........ Weren't these supposed to go to guys from IDOLiSH7?

Yamato Nikaido: It's fine. You'll just have to buy us food sometime.

Mitsuki Izumi: Take it! Think of it as a gift from us, too!

Haruka Isumi: ...Thank you.

Momo: Work hard again this year. Here, Minami.

Minami Natsume: Thank you. This is all very considerate of you...

Re:vale: You're welcome.

Mitsuki Izumi: Oh yeah. Momo-san what did you want us to look at? Did you bring something cool?

Momo: It's not me, it's Tenn!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Show them your fortune, Tenn!

Tenn Kujo: Excellent luck.

Riku Nanase: That's amazing, Tenn-nii..!!!

Nagi Rokuya: OH! Special luck!

Tenn Kujo: Fufu. Did you draw a fortune, Riku?

Riku Nanase: Not yet. We'll do it later!

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: He said he'd make sure to get 'excellent luck', and then he really did.

Gaku Yaotome: That's what's so amazing about this guy. He always keeps his promise. And he even gets the gods to help him do that.

Yamato Nikaido: What about you?

Gaku Yaotome: I got 'small luck'. Not bad, huh?

Tamaki Yotsuba: I wanna draw fortunes, too!

Sogo Osaka: We should go visit the shrine and draw fortunes after we're done eating.

Minami Natsume: Don't you want a fortune, Isumi-san?

Haruka Isumi: I'm good. If I get a bad one, it'll just make me depressed...

Haruka Isumi: And I got New Year's money, that's enough for me.

Woman: Hey, are those people...

Woman: It can't be... But...

Toma Inumaru: ...We'll get going. Seeya guys around.

Riku Nanase: Yes. We'll see you again soon. Let's go out to eat, if we can find the time.

Toma Inumaru: If we've got the time, yeah. You're just as busy as us. Take care of yourself.

Riku Nanase: Yes!

Gaku Yaotome: Seeya. Take care.

Yuki: It's getting cold... Should we get a move on, too?

Tamaki Yotsuba: We haven't gotten fortunes yet. And we gotta go make offerings.

Yamato Nikaido: But Kujo already got an 'excellent luck'.

Tenn Kujo: All that luck is for TRIGGER.

Momo: I guess we'll wait in the car, then. Let us know when you're done.

Mitsuki Izumi: Seriously? Would you like some takoyaki? You can eat it in the car.

Momo: You sure?

Mitsuki Izumi: Of course! I'm gonna look around some more! Nagi's been waiting for this, too!

Nagi Rokuya: I want to eat chocolate bananas and okonomiyaki!

Gaku Yaotome: We should go find something to eat, too. What're you guys in the mood for?

Tenn Kujo: Bell castellas.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Fried squid!

Yamato Nikaido: Fried squid sounds good. Can you guys buy me some, too?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Of course! Can you buy us chocolate bananas, too?

Man: Is that...

Man: Seriously? Should we take a picture? Where's my camera...

Banri Ogami: I think it's about time we separated... I'll discuss the place we'll go afterwards with Momo-kun.

Nagi Rokuya: OH! A New Year's party! I want to go to the Cocona collaboration café! Yaotome-shi promised me!

Gaku Yaotome: Oh, right! I don't think we can manage tonight, but let's make sure to go sometime this year!

Riku Nanase: Ahaha! Then let's go with all 16 of us! Do you think Toma-san and the others will come if we invite them?

Sogo Osaka: I think they will. A collaboration café will attract less attention, so we might actually go completely unnoticed.

Tenn Kujo: I doubt Cocona-chan will expect a visit from 16 idols, either.

Yamato Nikaido: Got it. We'll have the normal New Year's party tonight. Let's split into groups for now. One to visit the shrine, and the other to buy things.

Tamaki Yotsuba: I wanna ring the bell! And I've got money for the offering!

Riku Nanase: Ah, those coins are brand new!

Tamaki Yotsuba: Yep. I bet it'll get the gods to answer my prayers real good!

Yamato Nikaido: Alright. Mitsu and Nagi, we're going to the stalls.

Sogo Osaka: Tamaki-kun and Riku-kun want to visit the shrine. Will you come too, Iori-kun?

Iori Izumi: I'm sure it'll be hard for you to look after both of them, so I'll join you.

Mitsuki Izumi: Okay, see you guys later!

Gaku Yaotome: Yeah. Later!

- - - -

Tamaki Yotsuba: I wonder if I'll get 'excellent luck'. Tenten's so awesome!

Riku Nanase: TRIGGER's going to join us later too, right?

Iori Izumi: Probably... I don't know if they have other plans.

Riku Nanase: We should've invited Toma-san and the others, too. I feel like I've been hearing it more lately.

Iori Izumi: Hearing what?

Riku Nanase: Things like "see you later".

Tamaki Yotsuba: Yeah, I know what you mean.

Sogo Osaka: We've all been busy. It's nice that we get to spend time together after so long. We've still got a lot to do...

Tamaki Yotsuba: Not on the New Year's. We can take it easy.

Sogo Osaka: Right.

Iori Izumi: I'm sure we'll be busy this year, as well. We'll have to take any chance to rest that we can.

Riku Nanase: Want some cotton candy?

Iori Izumi: Don't try to change the subject when you're the one who brought it up.

Riku Nanase: It tastes good. Come on.

Iori Izumi: Wait. Let me take my gloves off...

Tamaki Yotsuba: I'll feed you. Open your mouth.

Iori Izumi: You touched a tree branch earlier, Yotsuba-san.

Tamaki Yotsuba: So what? It's not gonna kill you.

Iori Izumi: Say something, Osaka-san.

Sogo Osaka: I've gotten pretty used to Tamaki-kun's hygiene habits.

Iori Izumi: What..?

Sogo Osaka: So I've begun to take more of an "it won't kill you" attitude.

Sogo Osaka: I still won't eat anything off the ground, of course, but no matter how I worry and watch out, my stomach problems have never been caused by the things I eat.

Tamaki Yotsuba: Don't bring up my trauma...

Sogo Osaka: You're still worried about that? I told you, it wasn't your fault.

Tamaki Yotsuba: You say that, but...

Sogo Osaka: It's not your fault. I'm healthy now, thanks to you.

Iori Izumi: People really do change.

Riku Nanase: You've changed too, Iori. Here, I'll hold your gloves. Eat up.

Iori Izumi: Ah, thank you... I've changed? How, exactly?

Riku Nanase: Hmm... You used to be like konpeito.

Iori Izumi: Konpeito?

Riku Nanase: Now you're more soft, like cotton candy.

Iori Izumi: .........

Riku Nanase: But you can't be eaten unless we take our gloves off. It's funny. 

- - - -

Toma Inumaru: I didn't think we'd run into those guys at a place like that. This year feels like it's gonna be really amazing.

Haruka Isumi: Last year was, too. Ah... They're selling kids' toys on the street.

Minami Natsume: Do you want something, Isumi-san?

Haruka Isumi: As if I'd want kids' toys. ...I was just thinking about a certain someone who liked playsets.

Toma Inumaru: ........

Minami Natsume: I doubt we'll be able to see him until things calm down... Though we might not see him even after that.

Minami Natsume: It feels like he's completely cut us off. Almost like he's trying to protect our name...

Haruka Isumi: ........ He came to listen to us... During BorW.

Haruka Isumi: I dunno why, but it made me kinda happy... It was like he was supporting us for the first time...

Torao Mido: ...Hmph. Let's send him those toys. I'm sure he'll accept them, even if he won't see us.

Torao Mido: Toma. Wallet.

Toma Inumaru: Hey, your hands are all sticky. If you touch anything  with those, won't it get dirty?

Torao Mido: We ate something difficult, so we might as well have some difficult stains on us, too. Both us and him.

Minami Natsume: ...I agree. Instead of purifying ourselves and facing the coming year with cleansed souls...

Minami Natsume: We're probably better suited for having some leftover stains.

Haruka Isumi: Yeah... I'm sure he'll frown at first, but then he'll accept the dirty playset with a smile.

Haruka Isumi: We've always wanted to have some marks on us, anyway. 

- - - -

Mitsuki Izumi: Oh, over there! They're lined up all prettily!

Yamato Nikaido: Yeah, you're right.

Nagi Rokuya: How beautiful. It is a very Japanese spectacle.

Mitsuki Izumi: Get in front of them, I'll take a picture.

Yamato Nikaido: I'm good. I can take the picture for you guys.

Mitsuki Izumi: Yeah, right. Send this picture to your old man. I bet you haven't even wished him a happy New Year.

Yamato Nikaido: ...I did wish him a happy New Year. With a RabbitChat message.

Mitsuki Izumi: Haha, well done. What about you, Nagi? You could send a picture to your brother.

Nagi Rokuya: Nice idea. Let us all take the picture together, then. As a selfie!

Yamato Nikaido: A selfie?

Nagi Rokuya: Yes! I have long arms, so it is no trouble at all! C'mon, Yamato, Mitsuki!

Yamato Nikaido: ...Don't hug me so close!

Mitsuki Izumi: Ahaha! Make some room for me!

Nagi Rokuya: Here we go..!

Snap

Mitsuki Izumi: Show me. Ooh, it looks pretty good! Let's take another one with the guys later!

Yamato Nikaido: Sure. We can take another one before we leave.

Nagi Rokuya: I hope our manager, Banri, and TRIGGER will make it into the picture, as well!

Nagi Rokuya: I am happy to have so many new memories.

- - - -

Tenn Kujo: Ah...

Gaku Yaotome: What's up?

Tenn Kujo: There's a target range.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: You're right. Should we test our luck?

Gaku Yaotome: Okay, we're doing this. Let's agree that knocking over a prize is the same as getting an 'excellent luck' fortune.

Tenn Kujo: You must be really upset that you didn't get one.

Gaku Yaotome: Yeah, I was. I shouldn't have said that I didn't need one. I jinxed myself.

Gaku Yaotome: Now's not the time for me to get all soft just because our fans are supporting us. I'm supposed to be the leader here.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Gaku...

Gaku Yaotome: One round on the range, old man.

Man Running Target Range: Sure thing. ...Huh, have I seen you somewhere before..?

Gaku Yaotome: Ryu, what do you want?

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Um... Get me the DVD on the top shelf.

Gaku Yaotome: If I get that, we're gonna stand on stage in Zero Arena this year.

Man Running Target Range: On stage... So you guys really are TRIGGER!?

Gaku Yaotome: That's right. Pray for us.

Man Running Target Range: O-okay.

Tenn Kujo: Time to put your money where your mouth is, Gaku.

Gaku Yaotome: Leave it to me.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Do your best! I believe in you!

Gaku Yaotome: Yeah.

Gaku Yaotome: ...We'll drag our future to us if we have to.

Bang!

- - - -

Yuki: Did you find a good place?

Momo: Totally! The others will be here soon, too!

Yuki: They're so cute. This might be the first and last time we get to do a shrine visit with them. Next year will most likely be too busy.

Momo: Maybe... But we can always build our own shrine to deal with all the fuss.

Yuki: A Re:vale shrine?

Momo: Yep! Let's make that our goal this year!

Yuki: Sounds good. We should buy a plot of land.

Momo: Yeah, definitely!

Riku Nanase: Sorry to have kept you waiting!

Momo: Ah, they're here.

Ryunosuke Tsunashi: Look, Re:vale! This DVD is incredible!

Yuki: Uh, okay.

Momo: Is it X-rated or something?

Gaku Yaotome: No! I'll tell you all about my achievement later.

Nagi Rokuya: We have bought many chocolate bananas! They are so colorful!

Iori Izumi: Let me take a few of them, so they won't fall.

Mitsuki Izumi: How was your fortune, Tamaki?

Tamaki Yotsuba: I got 'small fortune'. I wanted 'excellent luck', but I got the same one as Rikkun, so it's fine!

Yamato Nikaido: Ooh, that's not bad. What about you, Sou?

Sogo Osaka: "Good fortune". It encouraged me to be fearless about my business ventures.

Yamato Nikaido: Good for you. I'm looking forward to your next song.

Tenn Kujo: We should get going. Here, Riku. A souvenir.

Riku Nanase: Wow, bell castellas! Thank you, Tenn-nii!

Tenn Kujo: You're welcome.

Riku Nanase: Oh, right! There's something I forgot to say to Re:vale and TRIGGER!

Yuki: What?

Gaku Yaotome: What is it?

Riku Nanase: Please continue to look after IDOLiSH7 this year! 

The End.

#idolish7 #friends meet! #translation #i7 #trigger #re:vale #zool #other translations

[jojiship]

Studio Ghibli Films: Thoughts & Ranking

I have been binging Studio Ghibli (and other anime films) since May. I saw a lot of people in Youtube rank them and I decided to do it as well. While I don’t have a camera to record myself, I decided to post my ranking of its films. First of all, I want to say that this is quite a subjective ranking and it’s personal. These are my opinions and of course, everyone can have opinions of their own. Second of all, I think all of these films have their good sides, but there are ones that I enjoyed and there are ones I didn’t enjoy. Either way, I recommend people to watch all of these films. You won’t regret watching most of them.

This post ranks the films from 10th to 6th. Obviously, there will be spoilers ahead, so you’ve been warned.

10. The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)  – I had heard the name Kaguya before (I watch Kaguya-Sama: Love is War and I read its manga). I knew the name came from this old Japanese tale, but I never was curious enough to look it up. To my luck, I didn’t have to search it up because Studio Ghibli had made an adaption of this tale. Now, I enjoyed this film a lot. From the beginning to the end, it held my attention which is something the other twelve films couldn’t do. I loved how fast Kaguya grew up and I liked how everyone called her Lil’ Bamboo. Her relationship with Sutemaru was captivating to see in the beginning. One of the things I enjoyed the most in this film was that it showed old Japan and its traditions. Seeing the outfits, the paintings, the music and the instrument Kaguya played etc. I love when Kaguya tells the five noblemen to obtain the five treasures they were comparing her to. It also showed that they didn’t see her as a person, but rather a valuable and beautiful object. When the Emperor came and tried to take her, my whole body was screaming. He was disgusting and I was so relieved that he ended up leaving. The ending was beautiful, but sad. I had hoped that Kaguya would get her happy ending in Earth, I was such an idiot to think so. The ending ripped my heart, especially knowing that she forgot all about her memories on Earth. The animation was also amazing and I truly enjoyed how different compared to other Studio Ghibli films. Takahata was such an incredible director and he should be praised more. 

9. The Wind Rises (2013) – No wonder this film was Oscar nominated. What a film it was. It was such an incredible film with such a good story, message, characters and soundtrack. It’s another film that features planes, but I definitely enjoyed it more than Porco Rosso. I relate to Jiro because just like him, I can’t see without my glasses. It broke my heart that he couldn’t become a pilot because of his eyesight, but at least, he became an engineer. The dreams with Caproni always put me in awe because you could see the passion Jiro had for planes and their craft. Seeing a character be so focused, passionate and determined took my whole attention away. Usually, I find scenes of modeling vehicles boring, but I enjoyed every scene of Jiro doing so. The romance was beautiful to watch. The way they reunited again, the scene with the flying paper plane was so authentic and just wonderful. It hurt when I found out that Naoko had lung hemorrhage. Knowing that she did, I knew she was going to pass away. Their relationship seemed so realistic and believable to me. There was no doubt that Jiro and Naoko loved each other. The scene where the wind blows and Jiro is distracted by it, made my whole body ache because I knew that Naoko had passed away. The end scene where Jiro shows regret on building planes for war in a dream with Caproni was heart wrenching. It’s true that his craft was used to kill people and that the pilots all died in the war. It was devastating whilst being beautiful at the same time. While Caproni reminds him that he fulfilled his dream, Jiro’s words are still true. I died inside when Naoko showed up and told her husband to live his life to the fullest which I hope Jiro did.

8. Only Yesterday (1991) - I initially thought that I wouldn’t like Only Yesterday. No one really liked it and from some rankings I’ve seen in different social media platforms, it always ranked quite low. Many people complained about the pineapple scene, but personally, that was one of my favourite scenes of the whole film. Taeko tried her best to enjoy that pineapple and say that it was the king of fruits. It upset her when she realized that it didn’t taste as well as she thought. She was trying to convince herself and her family. The scenes where periods were discussed were amazing. Usually, they are never mentioned in films, but I liked that it was a plot point of the film. I love how one of Taeko’s friends said that her mom told her that it was nothing to be ashamed about. Like yes, tell your daughters that periods are normal! (Tell boys too). Also, I related in that scene where Takeo didn’t understand fractions. While I did get them quite fast, I was quite bad in math during my high school years. That kind of talk leaves scars in children, people! Although, I hated how her family spoke of her when she got a bad grade. The scene when the boy who crushed on Taeko asks her if she likes cloudy, rainy or sunny day made me smile so much. I felt so giddy during that scene and by the end of it, I was acting like Takeo did. People always praise Miyazaki (for good reason), but always tend to forget Takahata and his incredible films. Only Yesterday was a beautiful story of a woman in her twenties who was still figuring out herself. I loved how the present connected with the past and I love the contrast on how Taeko saw the world. I loved the ending when she returned to the countryside alongside young Taeko and her classmates. It was a relatable film about a woman trying to figure out herself whilst thinking about her past.

7. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) - I know some of you are going to be mad that this film is number seven. I’ve seen this film be talked about so much in many social media platforms and many people rank it as number one. While I loved this film and its characters, I have to say that I’ve enjoyed the other films after this more. Howl’s Moving Castle is a beautiful tale that gives you a lot of lessons about war, love, compassion and age. It’s quite enjoyable from the beginning. Sophie is such an amazing and interesting female protagonist. I love that she was an old lady for a big time of the film and her compassion truly was the best part of her. The way she took care of the woman who cursed her was something that I didn’t expect. If I had been her, I would have thrown the Witch of The Waste away. Howl was an amazing character as well. Every little quirk and trait of him was captivating and allured you to him. No wonder Sophie fell for him and no wonder so many people here thirst for him. Calcifer, Markl, Suliman and the Witch of the Waste were enjoyable as well. I quite loved the soft world building of Howl’s Moving Castle and the way the castle was built. The ending was a bit rushed and it felt out of place. I definitely would have preferred a better ending and the ending is a reason why this film is in this rank. However, the last scene with Markl playing with the dog, the witch chilling on a chair and Howl and Sophie kissing is chef’s kiss.

6. Kiki’s Delivery Services (1989) – The third Studio Ghibli I’ve ever watched. Before I watched every film of the studio, Kiki’s Delivery Services was my favourite. While it’s still an amazing film that I enjoy and probably rewatch many times, it’s not even in my top five anymore. Either way, the film is still amazing. While Kiki is only thirteen, a lot of young adults who are living by themselves can relate to her story. Seeing Kiki struggle with her new job, new life and being a witch, was something that needs to be shown more often in media. I loved the scenes where she delivered the goods whether it was the stuffed cat or the dish that old lady made. I loved watching those scenes as a kid and I still love watching them as a twenty year old. When Kiki can’t understand what Jiji is saying, my whole stomach fell because I knew what was happening. I remembered that scene all too well and watching Kiki realize it as well made me want to hug her. Her friendship with Tombo was cute to watch too. He was so excited to get to know her, but for the longest time, she was so cold with him. To be honest, I didn’t understand why she was so cold when his friends came, but now, I know she was intimidated. I guess I never felt anything like that before and that was why I didn’t understand her in that moment. The ending was one of the best I’ve seen. Kiki regained her power, confidence and ended up saving Tombo from falling. She found herself again and stopped having her witch’s block. This is something that not many people struggle and don’t overcome in their lives, so, watching Kiki do it is some sort of help for many people.

#studio ghibli #hayao miyazaki #isao takahata #studio ghibli films #rankings #the tale of princess kaguya #the wind rises #only yesterday #howl's moving castle #kiki's delivery services #films