I've been doing a lot more writing and observing as of late. Since this blog is basically my "non-art" blog, and things can get mixed in, I decided to make this pinned post that has all my more personal posts about this series.
Personal = original essays/observations made by myself. You can find all the reblogs and sillier posts if you just use the "tsukutabe" hashtag here~ This post will be updated as I make more observational posts!
Note: MUCH of my writing relies on folks having already seen/read through the materials at least once. Sometimes I add Japan-only chapters in my conversations, as the newer chapters are available for free on Comic Walker for a limited time, and I try to catch them on release day. However, while that doesn't happen AS MUCH, it's still a warning!
ANOTHER NOTE: Tumblr and its strange way of flagging stuff has, unfortunately, gotten some of my posts over time. You will have to have your filter settings set to be able to see some of these, like the "Kasuga's Height" post. It's completely safe! But it got auto-flagged and no sign of my appeal ever being answered. Bleh.
ESSAYS
General:
When Nomoto and Kasuga, individually, started falling for each other (Drama)
When Nomoto Stress-Cooks [with Dec 2024 update] (Comic)
Kasuga was S-U-F-F-E-R-I-N-G (Both, but Comic-centric)
Age Estimations (and a personal anecdote) (Comic)
[OPINION] My NomoKasu Intimacy Headcanon (Mature Talk)
Chapter 40 (Comic)/Episode 30 (Drama): Divergence - First Intimacies
SMALLER OBSERVATIONS
Artistic Eyes and That Scene (Drama; Ep 30)
Kasuga's Height (Comic)
Implication that Nomoto and Kasuga are familiar with their appearances before the fateful elevator encounter (Comic)
Mini-Essay - Kasuga's Early Years of Freedom
Two posts where I wonder about Nomoto's family/her mom: 1 | 2 -best read after reading Vol 4
Kasuga's First Smile (Comic)
The Insert Image in the beginning of Vol 2
Kasuga's Subtle Blushes (Comic)
Arriving at the Farmer's Market (Drama)
The Softification of Kasuga Totoko (Comic; Only Vol 1)
Nari Has a Silly Moment of Realization - Kasuga, Be Selfish! (Drama; Ep 26)
How One Article of Clothing Can Alter a Scene Drastically...for the Better (Drama; Ep 8)
The 3* Times Kasuga Wears Her Hair Down in the Drama Like She Does in the Comic
Season 2: First Scene Shot vs. Last Scene Shot (Drama)
Silly Kasuga Hair Trivia (Drama)
Emi may have had legit props from the drama for her MV!
Story Timeline Estimation (as of Chapter 52)
Tsukutabe-related Asks - Art Blog (more common) | This Blog
Other
The Proto-Tsukutabe Comic from 2020
Special Photoset: All the S1 end cards, [mostly] cleaned up for your pleasure!
Special Photoset: The Confession from Episode 22 (Drama)
Photos of (and Words About) the Season 1 DVD Set
A Message from the Scriptwriter - S1 DVD (translated)
Nari Makes a Dumb Edit (Drama)
Nari Makes a Dumb Edit 2 (Drama)
Nari Makes a Dumb Edit 3 (Drama)
Photos of (and Words About) the Season 2 DVD Set
2024's "Nari's Year of Tsukutabe" Superlatives Series: Comic | Drama | General
2025 Tsukutabe Superlatives
Quick Google Translation of 'ping-pong' (the song from Episode 10)
Every Important "Nomoto Looks at Kasuga" Moment (Drama)
Nomoto's Apartment Layout (Comic)
All of Nomoto's Social Media posts from S2, translated (from the end cards)
"Akatsuki" - A Sort-of Unofficial Tsukutabe Tribute Song by Emi Nishino
What it's like to hear Manami and Emi's voices while reading the comic (An approximation)
My fan-translation/summary of the NemuCha podcast that featured ManaEmi talking BTS and stuff (via Drive)
My fan-translation of the little interview bits from a S1 PR teaser
Nari's Tsukutabe Fan-Translations - Mostly just bonus comics that aren't picked up officially
The ManaEmi Tag - This tag is mainly used whenever I document their escapades, but I also use it when I wanna blab about their special bond. There are also essays hiding in there, too!
I don't usually post music videos anymore, but here's the latest from Masayoshi Oishi - "High Maintenance Girl." I really love the song and the aesthetics of the MV itself, which give off this mid-20th-century vibe with modern effects. That sticks with me lol
If you pay attention, though, one of Oishi's bandmates for this MV is....Emi Nishino! And that's how this MV ended up on my radar: Emi boosted its release earlier today and I checked it out~
My goodness, Emi looks amazing in this MV. Makes a gal wanna draw her in the suit and shades~
*Note: Shirasuboshi are semi-dried whitebait (fish) while mentaiko is pollock roe. Also, Nomoto's referring to another extra comic where she got Kasuga stuck in a simulation mode over a ham-to-eggs ratio question. This particular comic will be translated when Vol 6 comes out!
Shout-out to all the in-between frames I've captured in my various re-watches of the Tsukutabe drama. They make for amazing reaction pics and edits/memes
[In English] Super duper booper JULY ☀️ 🗼 💫 🍺
[In Japanese] I've been really interested in Tokyo lately. I want to stop pretending to know Tokyo and actually learn more about it. 👶 When I spread out an old map, I realize that Edo was surprisingly small. I guess I'm more of a fan of Edo. 🍡 There's still so much I don't know.
I hope everyone is doing well.
These are just the Emi photos, though. If you wanna see the rest, here's the source!
If it wasn't obvious already, Vol. 6 confirms something about Nomoto:
She's got a mild feederism kink.
She loves to cook big meals, she loves watching Kasuga eat (and it gets more pronounced as the series progresses), and, in Vol 6, there's two things, really. One is a brief moment in the main story (shown in the panel above) where she REALLY enjoys watching Kasuga eat. She feels content and relieved after having some rough days, but the portrayal is something else lol.
But then the second example is a bonus comic where Nomoto is legit lamenting that Kasuga lost a little bit of weight thanks to her actions (that is, giving Kasuga the meal sizes she needs to be healthy and a wider variety of dishes as opposed to Kasuga relying on junk food to get full like she was before meeting Nomoto). Don't take this as Kasuga is going to lose a bunch of weight in the future! Sensei made it obvious that Kasuga before was sad and malnourished. She's also getting older, so metabolism is gonna slow down. She will still be plump and happy, but healthier about it.
Nomoto lamenting the loss in Kasuga proportions in relation to the size of Earth and even getting a cutesy chibi image of a gigantic Kasuga towering over the Earth was basically telling us she has a thing for Kasuga getting beeg, though.
At the very least, she can still make Kasuga her meals and watch her eat. The fantasy remains a fantasy, completely fine. Maybe she can even feed Kasuga a few bites herself. Give it a new twist, as long as Kasuga is okay with it~
And hey. They're adults. As long as no one's getting hurt – and it sounds like Nomoto won't really push her fantasy too far as Kasuga is showing slight confusion in response – there are ways to enjoy this in a safe and sane way, just like any other kink.
Are the parties consenting or at least setting boundaries that are respected? Is no one getting hurt? There ya go. Let them enjoy themselves.
I support and celebrate that we are seeing a healthy kink thing going on in this story 🙌🏽
It's been a while since I've done a deep dive into the world of Tsukutabe and made some essays about it! I've been inspired by a recent chapter (so, if you don't want spoilers, I suggest you just hold off on this until we get Vol 7), and it made me think back to something in Vol 5.
You remember Chapter 40, right?
Chapter 40 was the story where Nomoto and Kasuga celebrate their approval over the new apartment application, and also take their relationship a little further. Just a little bit. And it was all thanks to consent.
Consent is a pretty big deal, I think. It's good to ask for permission first before trying something completely brand new. You don't know everyone's personal boundaries! What may be okay for you may not be okay for this friend, or that lover. And what if you're touched-averted, like Yako is? You should seek permission first if you want the relationship to remain strong. Yako learned this the hard way, and she talked to Nomoto about it so she doesn't make the same mistake. Supporting one another, yeah!
It's something that these two took to heart ever since that night. There are chapters in Vol. 5 and 6 where you have that brief moment where one asks the other for permission. Kasuga asking if Nomoto wants to share a bed after they start moving into their new place comes to mind instantly. However, I couldn't help but notice that hand-holding graduated rather quickly! Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
That first kiss was consent in action. It was also their first time. It was awkward, and that's okay! This is new for them! But you have to admit, it was VERY awkward. Even Kasuga's little moment of calming Nomoto down right before they kiss, she suddenly (though gently, based off sfx) grabs Nomoto and all she can do is lean forward and say "Okay."
It's pretty funny, not gonna lie~
But they kiss, and it's glorious.........and it still is, but you can see it in their language here, right? Nomoto's still feeling so nervous about it happening, even after it's over she's kind of a mess. A happy mess, but a mess nonetheless. There's then a comment from Kasuga talking about how just because people are dating doesn't mean you can just pounce of them whenever. Consent!
But hey, let's fast forward a bit. Chapter 55. Based on context clues from the previous new chapters, it's now June (though whether it's "a few months later" June or "one year later" June, I'm not sure yet, especially as Vol 6 has a comic where the girls celebrated Halloween...). Chapter 40 took place sometime after Valentine's. Might be late February, might be early March. Either way, time has passed.
Without getting too deep into the details since I have a summary of the chapter floating in my blog, the two have a serious conversation about their relationship and how they want to present themselves. Something happened that sparked a moment of Love, and Nomoto couldn't help herself.
She pounced on Kasuga and starting loving on her!
But note the body language. Kasuga's just letting the literal glomp happen while she's also dealing with her own bout of this sudden Love spike. She lets Nomoto love all over her, both feeling a spike of Love...
And then this happens.
Once again, note the body language. Nomoto reaches up tentatively as a silent request to Kasuga. Kasuga doesn't flinch. They're both looking at one another deeply, tenderly. It's a quiet form of permission. This, too, is consent.
They have started holding hands without permission as well (first pic is from Ch 54 btw), which tells me they have found their boundaries when it comes to that, and they're fine with casual hand-holding. It seems the two have evolved in how they seek permission. They know the two love kisses, but they don't need to awkwardly ask for it as much anymore. Their gazes and body language are the "words" now.
[You should support the comic's updates if you can! Always be sure to Like it at the end, too! I'm not sure if it tracks click locations, so just copy the link I added as a reply below!]
We left the last chapter on quite the cliffhanger, huh? Thankfully, Sensei didn't torture us with a chapter in-between as a "Meanwhile." We're going straight for the continuation!
And oh.........what a continuation. I'm still recovering from my initial read!
But ahem, let's not dilly-dally! Concerns are afoot...
The chapter literally starts with an echo-y repeat of Kasuga's last line from the previous chapter: "Why don't we participate in the Sendai Pride parade?"
Nomoto has a moment to process it, but she is actually quite receptive to the suggestion. She was thinking about it, too, actually. She's opened her eyes to a lot of things, including the idea that there were other queers living among her hometown, and she wants to return so she can show solidarity. So, yes, she agrees with Kasuga. She wants to go back and attend this parade.
And...she wants to introduce Kasuga to her parents.
But Kasuga remembers how poorly Nomoto initially took to coming out online, so she's worried about how it'll go in this case. It really makes her worried. She even suggests to Nomoto to simply introduce her as a friend, don't go that far, please...
Nomoto assures her she can handle it this time. She doesn't want to live a life with lies. She wants to be open about their relationship. (also, "Please don't make that face, Kasuga-san..." Nomoto doesn't want to see her upset, aww...)
Nomoto's not sure how her parents will take the news, but one thing's for certain...she wants to say it loud and proud, "This woman is the person I love."
It's enough to calm Kasuga down and reaffirm her support for this event. Whatever happens, at least they're together~
And then Nomoto starts hyping up Sendai/Miyagi Prefecture with just a little tease of the cuisine offered there! Check this out:
Harako rice (of course), but then we got beef tongue (Ohhh I love that!), triangular fried tofu, zunda mochi (edamame filling) and some local sake! Sensei even got permission from a brewery there to show off one of their offerings, known as "Suzune." That's a legit drink! And pair off the drink with the grilled fishcake known as sasa kamaboko~
As Nomoto continues to gush about her home region, even letting us know Date Masamune is her favorite historical warlord (lol), the line that Nomoto said earlier - the one about showing off the woman she loves - finally settles into Kasuga's mind and heart.
She was really touched by it, and (after apologizing for interrupting Nomoto's Sendai gushing), she even admits that this is really, finally settling in for her. They're a couple. They're girlfriends. Lovers.
And now........may I present the full page that follows the previous two panels without any other commentary:
(you love to see it~)
Anyway, we cut to another day when Yako and Nagumo visit and tell them their plans. Of course it's all good! But Nagumo does say something very touching after hearing that this would be Nomoto's home turf, and, as a result, they're also going to visit her parents to come out to them.
Even if it doesn't go as planned, Nagumo reminds them: They at least have one another. There's love and support here, with this ragtag group of gals. She felt safe and loved when she was at a low point, and she knows they'll do the same for anyone here.
Just like that song, right?
Yeah, what she said lol.
Kasuga also has a flashback to when she heard a song with that name (you can automatically assume Yako is well aware of the song and that's where she got her response from. But Kasuga didn't know). She has a personal reflection and realizing, it's not just Nomoto, but Nagumo and Yako, too. They're all a Chosen Family of sorts
And then, the gals start talking about how to prepare for the parade! Excitement!
I'm not feeling the energy to do a proper translation edit, so here's the new bonus comic, link to the source, and a summary:
Yako is a busy woman but, ideally, she'd love to be able to eat three meals a day! But sometimes, she's too exhausted to even order out. Suddenly, she remembers she still has some microwavable rice and plant-based sausages hanging around, so she cooks them up and realizes she should add an egg to make a real tasty meal. The final panel is just an informative panel describing "reducetarian" to folks: Those that want to go vegetarian/vegan but doing so a little at a time, usually due to financial/environmental struggles since it's expensive to go 100% for some.
