• follow my art accounts on tumblr @akolnoix and twitter
• also follow me on twitter @ phantomhag where i actually make original posts. of extremely varying quality
• and on @iplaygamesfortheoutfits i post the outfits i put together in various video games
if you're into kingdom hearts, please check out my mod for GBA chain of memories! it's a partial retranslation with the intent of clarifying the repetition of certain terms+phrases, and restoring some implications that were lost in translation in the official release. if you've never played the GBA version this is the perfect opportunity to do so (especially if you couldn't get into recom's gameplay, i promise it's much more approachable)
[patch download + additional info]
[cutscene compilation]
i'm working on a project to edit the entire existing english fan translation of the manga Liar Game to fix its misgendering of fukunaga. for links to that and more info check THIS POST
i'm also working on a side by side comparison of 999's ds and port (novel mode), which you can watch on youtube! i'd highly recommend checking out at least the first two videos, as they'll give you a good idea of just how extensive the changes to the script are (and they are extensive. whether that's a good thing or not is up to you!)
Like. Look. Listen. I have taught introductory quantum physics at a university level, and I need you all to incorporate this into your trans advocacy: There are situations where you need to make a decision to prioritize being comprehensible to your target audience above being The Most Unassailably Correct.
Teaching a toddler to wash hands because yucky when the Ethics Understander crashes through the roof. "STOP RIGHT THERE," the Ethics Understander shouts at me. "The disgust response is not a legitimate substitute for a considered value judgment, and in fact, weaponizing disgust instead of grounding those judgments in a more rigorous framework is fundamental to reactionary rhetoric!"
The toddler looks at me. "You are a fascist, auntie. I have seen the light and will now go eat chewing gum from the pavement, unless you can educate me on a rigorous framework on the microbiology of pavement chewing gum this very instant."
i think it's funny when a character is almost exclusively referred to by their last name by other people and this carries over into their internal monologue when someone writes from their pov. not even on a first name basis with herself
Just make an original story and gooooooooooo. Carrie snaps after years of bullying, because as a kid she started preaching the gospel at the lunch room and they laughed at her. She was ALREADY a long standing target when the story opens. And also, her main bully was at home, but suddenly the iconically unhinged Mrs White is. Not abusive?
A Shining Nikki Directory: Events and Designer's Reflections in Release Order!
The narrative of Shining Nikki is one of its greatest strengths. But as the game is now, unless you've been playing since launch there is no way to know when to read events, what order to read them in, or even know that major events aren't contained within the "Main Story" tab itself.
Even if you have been playing from the beginning, the EN server doesn't always release events in the correct order ("Journey Review" has the events sorted an even less accurate order).
So i've tried to make a directory that places everything story-related in its original release order. This includes all the designer's reflections, and includes links to any transcripts i can find.
I hope this helps nikki fans, whether you just want to read the main story or see everything you can get your hands on!
you may be familiar with disney twisted wonderland, the gacha game in which various disney villains are used as direct inspiration for handsome anime boys. well that game was so successful that disney is trying to do it again but this time they're just animeboyifying whatever
here's mickey, goofy, donald, and chip & dale. yeah they turned mickey & friends into anime boys. they're an idol unit or something. they're technically not anime boy versions of the source characters, they have different names. mickey's guy is "Neo Michel". not michael, michel, like he's french. chip & dale are "Ruska Moncrief" and "Ranka Monk", they have different last names, they're not brothers anymore so that they can be yaoibait instead, anyways this post isn't actually about these guys I'm just setting the stage for the actual humanizations I wanted to show you
They also did monsters inc. And. Well it's obvious from the designs who mike and sully are. but you will also notice. the blonde one on the left. with glasses. monsters inc is kind of famously about just the two guys so they didn't really have a lot of other non-villain characters to take anime boys inspiration from, I guess, so, well,
Yeah it's her. they made an anime boy version of the mean receptionist slug. her name is roz btw, as all of boygachagame twitter has become extremely aware of in the past 3 days as we speculated prior to the release of the full image who tf the third guy was. the anime boy's name is "noah slugger". at this point no parody of the types of things gacha games will make gijinkas of will ever be able to live up to what disney is officially spending their own real money on designing
im serious. why do these scenes exist. why is Jin harassing Sawamura one of (if not) his first scene (depending on if you count flashbacks). what purpose do these scenes serve…assuming, that is, that they serve any purpose at all. and thats what i want to talk about. i wont be focusing on meta, rather i want to see if i can find a reason, in character, behind Jin’s actions. i have plenty of meta thoughts as well, and they are included, but first and foremost this is analyzing his character, and what i believe the scenes are trying (trying) to do.
i. I read translations so it is possible I am not receiving the full picture (if at all possible I cross-reference the anime and the manga as best I can). I also do not have the same cultural background as the author.
ii. discussion/clarification of images is kept in the alt text.
iii. at some points this devolves into general Jin analysis
iv. i refer to Jin as a sexual harasser, sex pest, and sexual assaulter. i have deemed all three fitting. please understand that these topics are serious and reader discretion is advised, even though i will not be discussing them in depth.
first things first: I believe the scenes are intended to serve a purpose (and not intended as solely ‘hahah sexual harassment’ jokes). do I think it should have been done a different way? absolutely. do the scenes fulfill their purpose? …thats a little more complicated, but I am going to say, overall, no, they don't.
so…what is the purpose of these scenes?
from my interpretation of the text (and some outside material), I believe it is most likely intended to have us, as an audience, understand that Jin abuses his side effect (and the prestige that comes along with it)* . my main evidence for this is, unfortunately, not from the manga (or anime) itself…rather it is from Ashihara Daisuke's “bonus character pages.”
*abuses, in the sense that he uses it to “pick out” women, and uses his station, “talented elite” to create power imbalances between him and most other border members (and even a superior like Sawamura).
also, this is his first scene that isn’t a flashback from Mikumo. this scene is the first direct way we, as readers, are introduced to this character. a nightmarish first impression. that, if nothing else, is exactly why I believe these scenes aren’t just there to have a harassment joke. joke scenes are usually for throwaway characters or predeveloped characters…not for newly introduced semi-protagonists like Jin. and yet, this is his first impression. him using his self-granted title, talented elite, and making women uncomfortable. it is certainly not a kind first impression.
this first (and following) scenes introduce a few key character traits for Jin. most importantly, that he
i. does what he wants
ii. is socially competent
iii. is respected (-san)
these scenes also set Jin up as an ally, seeing as he helps Mikumo and later works with Kuga and Mikumo to fix the RAD infestation (specifically stating that he doesnt wish to turn Kuga in, as well).
extrapolating slightly, I believe it’s fair to say that Jin does what he perceives as…advantageous…? for himself, for border, etc. (do note: not everyone will agree with my previous statement). to further this goal, Jin uses his side effect. his side effect gives him an immediate advantage when it comes to planning, and so he uses it to achieve outcomes he believes benefit his community, and those he cares about, the most. despite that generally admirable goal, I think many of his scenes are intended to make us understand him as a fundamentally selfish, and to some extent performative, character.
I think his performative tendencies are a lot easier to prove so I'll start there. getting obvious stuff out of the way: exclusively using his trion body around other agents, referring to himself as the talented elite. these are not behaviors exhibited by a naturally confident person, in my humble opinion. to me, these are actions designed to create an air of intrigue and power around a person…to make oneself seem cool. while the fried rice crackers could also be included in his performative actions, I do hesitate to include it. I think he just genuinely likes them. however him sending boxes of the rice crackers to people rooms is performative, but its funny enough that I can let it slide**
**while editing I remembered that when someone eats while in an active trion body, they don’t get any satisfaction from eating it. but they can taste it. Jin is on thin ice here but yet again ill let him keep his crackers.
for another example, I want to look at when Jin gave up his black trigger (aka, his masters black trigger).
in the first two images, he is performing. obviously. Jin tries very hard to seem…apathetic…(?) but in reality he is a fiercely loyal person, in a tough-love esque way. at least in my interpretation. given that, i’ve no doubt he wasn’t happy to give up his black trigger—not because it’s a black trigger, he’s strong enough without it, but because it is his masters black trigger. it matters to him—hence why he fought so hard for it, which Kazama noticed. while his master, Mogami, may not have been upset about the black trigger being returned to circulation… Jin very well could be upset about it. and I actually think he is.
based on the first scene, it seems Jin doesn’t want it to be in active circulation…he wants it to have one owner, offering to refer Miwa as a candidate. this does imply that Jin would prefer Fuujin to have one owner—if not himself, then Miwa (or the others he listed, like Kitora or Kazama). yet, the higher ups opted to allow all applicable agents to use the black trigger if necessary. I believe Jin offered lessons for the sake of Mogami, likely figuring that if Fuujin had to be communal, he should at least help all applicable agents, even if just for his masters sake.
note 1: Miwa was the one who suggested the wind blade be used by all agents, and while I don’t know if he did this specifically to mess with Jin’s apparent plan, it would be funny. I hope he did.
so, Jin is performative. but selfish? to prove that, lets look at our other “selfish” character, and parallel to Jin, Osamu Mikumo. Mikumo has described himself as selfish, and while he may perceive himself as such, his actions are anything but. he is so dedicated to his worldview, that should he fail to help anyone else even a single time, he will never help again, that he risks his entire life for a decoy cube, on the off chance that his friend is safe. He is passively insane. Mikumo calls himself selfish, despite his selfless acts. What about Jin?
i’ve mentioned this before, but Jin wants to have his cake and eat it too. he wants to minimize losses, fighting, everything…but he knows that the future can only result in one ending. thousands of possibilities, one result. Mikumo does not. he doesn’t, in his mind, have a choice. Jin can afford to wait for futures to pass, and Mikumo cannot. Mikumo is not willing to hesitate and allow anyone—anyone—to get hurt when he could’ve helped. but Jin is an essentialist…numbers matter to him. less overall losses means a success. he wants, personally, for Amatori, Mikumo and Kuga to be safe, and he’ll do what he can…but he wouldn’t go so far as to increase the likelihood of civilian casualties.
Mikumo says that Jin doesn’t have anything to apologize for. to some extent i wish that Mikumo did push back, purely because of how opposite this is to his worldview, but that wouldn’t be very Mikumo of him.
after the large scale invasion, Jin changes. significantly. this is most obvious in the Galopaula invasion, where he works closely with the directors to assist in the battle***
***his willingness to assist may have been due to Tamakoma-2 having a very important rank war at the same time.
During the Galopoula invasion, he is waiting at headquarters to assist, specifically saying “We’re [Konami and I are] going to stay late at HQ again” whereas with the large-scale invasion he is on his own. When he confronts to invasion force, he immediately reports their goal–to sabotage the away mission ship–which he, from my recollection, did not do during the large-invasion. Instead, he abandoned his assignment from headquarters and focuses entirely on Hyuse. This differs from Galopoula, where he is directed around the battlefield as a piece. This is likely from adapting his skills to the battles, allowing him to hop around and assist where he deems necessary while fulfilling his duties. Border is allowing him a more dynamic role in battles, where he can “pull strings” from the foreground. Its a fairly large development for his character. Jin also includes Mikumo and Kuga in his meeting with Galopoula, instead of working by himself.
Last note before we step away from general analysis, part of being selfish is not considering the affects your actions will have on others. Jin doesn’t have to consider the affects on others, because he knows the affect already, due to his future sight.
so, why hasn’t he stopped assaulting women/girls?
i think, i hope, this scene is supposed to illustrate that while he is improving in some areas, he is still flawed and deserving of criticism. at least he apologizes here. he also isn’t just bothering her, he is offering information to her.
this scene does take place before he apologizes to Mikumo, and therefore before the Galopoula invasion. I do hope that signals less sex pest Jin scenes overall. one can dream (more discussion on the likelihood of these scenes continuing to appear occurs later).
are these scenes effective (in serving their purpose)?
no. I do not think these scenes are effective in what they are trying to do. while they certainly make readers uncomfortable, and they do invite analysis of Jin, it backfires severely. the loathsome actions Jin does in these scenes result in most readers ignoring them entirely, thinking them in bad taste, as a blemish on a great story. the set-up for readers to analyze Jin’s abuse of his power is so severe and, frankly, disgusting, that we as readers just reject the scenes. we do not want to analyze their broader meaning for Jin’s character…because we don’t want one of our pseudo-protagonists to be a sex pest.
all in all, do I know for sure that this is the authors intent? no. this is just analysis of what im given with a character I dont particularly like. in all context outside of the main story, Ashihara Daisuke has referred to Jin’s sexual harassment as sexual harassment, which, in my opinion, does imply at the very least some distaste for his actions. (this is a time where the language barrier is especially complex…when he says this, I do not know the tone. so I am hesitant to state that he is criticizing Jin for his actions when he refers to him as the sexual harassment elite. if anyone is able to comment on the original japanese tone of this comment, please let me know).
do I know for certain that Jin will, in-story, stop harassing women and stop bushing boundaries and groping said women? no, I don’t know for sure. but I sure hope so! because I dont think a character being set up as a mentor figure, admired by the rest of the main cast (with exceptions), should be a sex pest. I believe there’s a better way to allow readers to examine Jins power abuse, personally. I sincerely, truly hope that Jin develops past this as a character, or Ashihara Daisuke changes this aspect of his character. because while I don’t think it should’ve been included at all, I can see an interesting way for it to progress.
some meta analysis
i will say this here: i do not think this should have ever been included as an aspect of Jin’s character. while i can see its potential, now that it exists, it should not, in my opinion, have been included in the first place. Jin takes on a mentor role in the story of World Trigger, and therefore his word holds meaning. the characters value his advice and respect him (for the most part, Miwa and Kikuchihara please keep hating). he is someone established as “cool,” someone we as an audience are supposed to just…like. and because this character who we are supposed to like is also a sex pest, the audience is put into a double bind: dislike him for his actions, and therefore dislike one of the semi-protagonists, or ignore his actions and appreciate him as a cool character . and that sucks and should not be a problem.
i have never liked the pervert mentor trope and i think it’s especially bad here. i’m not asking for perfect, flawless main characters…but like, come on. i’d rather he continually inconvenience and badger people with petty tricks and schemes.
note: that’s likely how i would rewrite this. i’d have him ask Kageura for a favor when the latter is at his wits end, pester Miwa when the guy is sleep deprived, set annoying music really quiet to worsen Kikuchiharas headache. i’d let him have a nasty or petty streak. those are already a million times less creepy than using his ability to “pick out” women. and also more interesting. it also removes the need for Jin to randomly go “pervert mode” and start swiping at women’s butts, because he won’t always need things from the people he bothers.
what if i am wrong? what if Jin is forever a sex pest?
definitely a possibility especially with that Kumagai scene.
little would change for me, I dont really like Jin, but I would feel bad for the Jin fans out there. that’s mainly the reason I dont blame anyone for ignoring these scenes, because if my favorite character was a sex pest in a few scenes I would probably want to ignore those scenes too.
hes interesting enough with all his other character traits, and he is worth discussing. that should be immediately obvious with how much i got off track and started discussing his thematic parallels and character development.
if nothing happens with these actions of Jins, then I hope it is removed or rewritten.the reboot has a chance to discuss it with Ashihara Daisuke and decide on how to move forward. if they arent important to the story, then I suppose I can only hope that the scenes will be removed or retconned in the reboot.
side note
this isn’t so much analysis as it is genuine curiosity. do any other characters specifically have “girls [attribute]” as a like? from what I remember no other character has a physical attribute specifically? like Satori Ken’s profile lists “girls” generally, and he seems to be one of the more flirtatious characters. is this “girls [attribute]” Jin specific?
