Shirabe Meshi 49 is out so that means 48 is finally free to read 😀
Kirika and Shirabe stand onstage in front of an audience, thanking them for being there and letting them know there will be a handshake event afterward.
Yes, it's the debut of idol unit 2ABABA~
Okay, fine, there's a reason for this. One month prior, SONG was discussing Alca-Noise attacks that had been occurring at locations with idol related events and the only thing they all have in common is that they all involved female idols who are just starting out. Of course, nothing too bad happened because SONG acted swiftly, but now agencies are cancelling events left and right due to fear of something happening
They can't be sure if it's just some alchemist committing acts of terrorism, someone who has a personal grudge against these idols, or even a rival agency sabotaging them, and since they aren't able to narrow down the list of potential suspects...
They're sending out some of the younger girls as idols to catch them in the act
Kirika jumps at the chance, trying to convince Shirabe to do it with her (like how they sang together at the school festival when they infiltrated Lydian). Shirabe tries to put it off onto Hibiki but Hibiki says that she feels like Miku would get mad at her so Shirabe gives in.
Naturally, Ogawa, Tsubasa, and Maria are going to help out. They appear on TV with Tsubasa to get their name out there, start posting photos and videos online, and Maria is giving them some lessons
After some of the sessions with Maria, Kirika and Shirabe start to realize that singing as idols is totally different from singing for fun or with their Gears and Maria has to get it into their heads that even though they're just performing for the operation, it's real to the fans who will be coming to see them "So keep lying to yourselves, girls. If it's a true lie then you'll have no regrets!" (obviously thinking of the way she acted in G and uh...having regrets)
(Side note: The part about a "true lie" and having no regrets is a reference to the lyrics of Wild Arms XF's OP)
Back to the handshake event at the idol festival, it's going about how you'd expect: Kirika is a bit more bubbly while Shirabe is definitely less so until a fan shows her a picture of food he made following her video and she says it looks good.
Kirika starts feeling jealous because Shirabe is only supposed to give that sort of "fanservice" to her and Shirabe starts feeling the same about how Kirika is smiling for everyone
Of course, the Alca-Noise attack, as they were...hoping? I'm not sure hoping is the best word, because obviously no attack would be better, but at least the suspect will show themselves?
So yeah, it turns out a girl was lashing out at all new female idols because a male idol she liked got some backlash after it was discovered that he was dating one
As Ogawa is evacuating the others, one of the Alca-Noise turns on the girl and Kirika has to swoop in to save her, telling her that she gets how she feels but acting like this won't make her fave happy at all
The girl takes one look at her and says "I'm switching faves" (to Shirabe's dismay)
Back at home, Kirika and Shirabe discuss how SONG will finish up the investigation and how it's also rough to suddenly disappear on their fans when they supported them as much as they did
Kirika asks Shirabe what's for dinner and she answers omurice
"Oh right, the same thing you said looked good before..."
Shirabe goes on to explain that what she made in the video was dressed omurice that prioritizes aesthetics but what she'll be making is the more traditional wrapped type. Even without the explanation, Kirika can tell from the way it smells that it's the one Shirabe always makes for her
When it's done, Shirabe writes on it with ketchup: "I love you" saying that the only one she wants to give "fanservice" to is Kirika, causing her to squeal out Shirabe's name. "Though you can easily tell pretty much anyone you love them"
Kirika wraps her arms around Shirabe and assures her that that's "a true lie"
She then takes the ketchup and writes on Shirabe's omurice "suki sugi" so when you put them together it says "I love loving you too much" (the title of their XDU duet)
And they feed it to each other
They describe the flavor as nostalgic though Shirabe quickly points out that she hasn't really been cooking long enough for it to count as nostalgic for either of them. She also says that omurice tastes different depending on who makes it
And Kirika replies to that with "so this is your 'taste of home' then?"
"Home? Mine and...Kiri-chan's..." she short circuits and Kirika has to jump up to check on her
So just as quickly as they debuted, 2ABABA disbanded. SONG made everyone who witnessed them in their Symphogears swear to never speak of it as that is confidential information. However, rumors persisted, and the urban legend of fighting phantom idols was born
I actually have not read Turning since September, and it was only the first two chapters after that 2-month hiatus. I put it down to let it marinate for a bit, but the spoilers I've briefly seen this week have kicked my ass, so I'm starting my catch-up. [Note to self: Discussing Katchian's current trial situation, and then being silly about the White Gloves' pinky.]
Katchian's fucked. Wholly and sincerely fucked. He can pay for his crimes, or he can dig himself even deeper and be far more destroyed than if he were merely found guilty of murder, negligence, and deceit. No, Kishiar's gonna use his desperate run from accountability to set him up for conspiracy to treason, too.
To the nobility in attendance, it's probably not so big a deal that a single commoner was murdered within a plot. Like yea, it's sad. Seeing his sister in turmoil over it is a pity. But in the end they're commoners and this is a show. After the Apeto trials and what they unearthed, they probably don't feel that bad about Lenore's death, either. But working alongside those who are connected to people trying to destroy their country? He'll be done once that whole plot comes to light. His name in history will be blotched and stained beyond measure.
Oh, it's so delicious.
Anyway, Kishiar brought up theories about why one of Mr. White Gloves' pinkies has disappeared:
It's a result of Yuder's soul being mended more and more. This makes Yuder wonder if there were more than just gloves at the start.
It was a price the gloves had to pay to help them during their Connection attempt in Paletta that resulted in Kishiar syncing with his 1TL self.
Some other reason he hasn't considered yet
The price possibility was like a punch to the chest. If that's the case, it spells more risky Connection interactions with the world of the cracks. The pinky is the thinnest digit. What if the bigger and fatter fingers are being saved for higher-risk situations?
It may also translate to missing memories and emotions never fully recovering. I've read Tsubasa, I know how bitter that can be. Though the gloves *did* say that it wasn't painful.
Then Kishiar sprung the "third option" that neither of them could know at this point, and I was immediately like,
It's a countdown
Those gloves are a part of Yuder's soul that were originally part of Kishiar's soul. That is a KISHIYU BABY and they conceived the night before when Kishiar finally bit him back, SORASAN OUT
THL Route Review: 1/21 (I think? Someone tell me if that number's wrong)
Well, it's finally happened. After 77 full hours of gameplay, I've fully cleared through one of the branching routes in Hundred Line. After 52.4 hours of sloughing through route 0, I decided to go just by what I thought were the best choices for each choice, and ended up finding my way to my first real route. Call me Makoto Naegi with the luck, because I fear I may have found the route most catered to my tastes in a game in this style first try. Let's talk about the Killing Game Route.
Keep in mind, this is all my authentic read and opinions on the route with it fresh in my mind, and I wrote all of this and posted it immediately following completion of said route.
1- Quadricule of Dreams
It would be disingenuous of me to start this with anything other than the part that punched me in the gut and rapidly became my faovirte part of the whole entire route- the killing game polycule that develops between Takumi, Tsubasa, Yugamu, and Darumi. Of all the places to find a semi-canon full-fledged polycule where everyone has a dynamic with everyone and there's a genuine core bond and an endgame goal between all parties that's achieved by the end of the story, the KILLING GAME ROUTE OF A KODAKA PROJECT WAS NOT WHERE I EXPECTED IT TO BE. And I won't pretend that its execution is pure perfection, but fuck, man. A group of traumatized, kidnapped teen soldiers then forced to go through a life-or-death hunting gauntlet all finding some form of comfort in each other and adapting to love and protect each other in their own unique ways is deeply, deeply meaningful. That despite everything, it's their mutual love for each other that not only motivates them to continue, but shows them the right path to take to get to the right ending.
Takumi and Tsubasa are the most developed part of this cule, and the pairing that's very expressly canonized, but their dynamic completely won me over by the end of it, as not only do they develop and come to trust each other as friends first, they also both avoid becoming absorbed by the ship they become apart of. Tsubasa doesn't just become "Takumi's boyfriend" following their kiss, and Takumi doesn't become obsessively protective over Tsubasa and Tsubasa alone the way he had in route 0 with Nozomi/Karua. He's shown repeatedly to be fighting for Yugamu (and the others, when applicable) as well, even when it's not quite given the same level of attention. The sole exception for this that comes to mind is..... well, the "Escape Your Fate" ending. Which is very distinctly a bad ending for a reason.
Speaking of Yugami, he and Takumi were fully where I thought the route was going at first with how much emphasis they were putting in the early parts of the route. Yugamu being the sole person not to shun Takumi after the start of the game and Kurara's death, developing a bond of trust within the ASA, losing Hiruko, and subsequently learning of Yugamu's original intentions to stoke Eito's flames instead of his felt like a near-perfect setup, particularly with just how quickly Takumi was comfortable with the idea that Yugamu may have FULL-ON ALTERED HIS BODY without his knowledge. Which, speaking of, Takumi being comfortable with Yugamu's deepest-running kinks, and Yugamu going out of his way to emphasize that he refuses to go forward with said kinks without express consent, paired with nearly every pass he makes at Takumi being made in the form of an invitation Takumi has the full freedom to decline, is just so oddly refreshing from a Kodaka-made pervert character, and makes his back-and-forth with Takumi feel that much more comfortable, natural, and two-sided- this is the kind of comfortable banter that they have, even when it flusters Takumi easily.
Tsubasa and Darumi come out of fucking NOWHERE, and immediately become adorable. There's something about Tsubasa's ability to not only roll with Darumi's worst thoughts, but also indulge her in a much more wholesome softness than Darumi's ever really been allowed to receive before now, that makes me forgive the complete lack of buildup to their kiss. Darumi was the character I was the most worried about stagnating in the killing game route, ESPECIALLY following Hiruko's death, so having someone so deeply self-destructing and depressed get a taste of comfort not at the expense of her personhood and find a place in the group that doesn't leave her on the outskirts after so long living there is just the treat she needed, and Tsubasa gives her that. (There's also something to be said about Tsubasa having a preference for people that are just constantly screaming at everyone else in their heads and helping them figure out how to focus that voice.)
Takumi/Darumi's lighthearted rivalry and Tsubasa/Yugamu's friendship from the ASA can't really be forgotten either in this conversation. It doesn't escape me that Yugamu and Tsubasa, the two characters who can upgrade our weapons and potions for mechanical upgrades, become close friends and stand on either side of Takumi for most of this route, and they make it so that when all 3 of them are together, there's chemistry as a full group and not as thought they're both solely here for Takumi. Darumi and Takumi, meanwhile, end up technically rivals for Tsubasa's heart, but ultimately, neither of them are trying to force Tsubasa into a hardline decision and still trust and value each other as parts of the group by the end to be excited to live together with everyone else.
But yeah, I really like Tsubasa and her beautiful little polycule she built with her own hands :)
2- The Game Itself
One of the few things I knew about the game going in (I've been dodging and weaving spoilers as best I can, but something always slips through the cracks) was that one of the routes was going to be a killing game. Naturally, this being a Danganronpa Guy game, I assumed it'd be in the format of a Danganronpa trial-and-execution game, but I'm incredibly relieved I was wrong. I can't imagine how ridiculously outlandish a Danganronpa game would look like with a cast this collectively fucking batshit insane would look like; anybody who calls V3 too outlandish would be put to SHAME.
A hunting competition, on the other hand, blended in pretty well with the established setting with the invaders, and made for some really fun scheming from the ASA. Between every unnecessarily long cut of "Detach yourself..... It's just work.... Detach yourself.... It's... just work...." Takumi was doing his best to push that braincell into a corner and lock tf in, and while I'd initially thought keeping track of the rankings would get tedious, they do a good job of keeping it in the background while actual shit is going on until that exact background thought it became would turn into a detriment. The bees and sponsor-in-a-weird-astronaut-beesuit were confusing, sure, but like, fuck it. We're fighting human bioexperiments with blood missiles launched from my blood car to protect a 16-year-old baby until the government's Kill That Baby project finishes buffering and launches the Baby Blood Nukes. Weird bees ain't shit. The game functions with pretty clear guidelines, and hidden rules that both aren't difficult to ascertain and make sense within the narrative. Cool beans.
3- Eito Aotsuki
I'm operating under the assumption that his just. Being here? Is going to be paid off in one of the other routes (and simultaneously, depending on your choices, this could've then been the payoff for other players who played this later on!) but fuck if I wasn't confused! And laughing! This reveal was so fucking funny oh my GOD. Of COURSE it's fuckign. Eito Aotsuki. Who else would it be? Someone with a motive that goes beyond just "hates you hates you hates you hates you hates you"??? NO! You'll get "The entire population is so fucked, thank god I'm the only normal one" AND YOU'LL GODDAMN LIKE IT!!!!
Maybe this retroactively becomes more meaningful and intriguing- I genuinely hope it does!- but as it stands, it's so laughably out of pocket that it just reads as one of the people that worked on this game seeing that half the game is decided by killing Eito right away and going "Unacceptable. You will fit my evil twink into your plot expeditiously" and BOOM you get successor plotline. I feel like I should be angry with this, but it's honestly so thrown in there that I can't even. It's just so.... needy of him. You really can't go without reminding us how much you hate us 5ever, huh, buddy? Do you need to go to the calm-down cage? I'm assuming that's where you go when we spare you, not that I'm doing that until I've gotten every ending possible squeezed out of the 'kill Eito' part of the map :^)
4- Nozomi's Family
I thought the vampiric nursing thing was cool. I thought it was cool! It was neato. I'm struggling to articulate it. I think what it comes down to is, vampirism and cannibalism as a metaphor for love has always been, in my opinion, a pretty fucking sick way of looking at relationships. Usually, this is used in a way that denotes a toxic drain or a desire to possess in a romantic or sexual relationship, but seeing it in a mother/daughter context and doubling it as a 'nursing' was a bold choice that I kind of just wasn't expecting from this route. This game doing cannibal/vampire shit with the blood, yeah, no, we started absorbing hemoanima at the start of the game. But I completely wasn't expecting it with this context, and I have to give Kyohei Oyama his flowers for doing it in a way that didn't put me off. Instead, it acts as a demonstration on the trauma Nozomi has faced from her mother's actions, and the parasitic relationship that motherhood is sort of expected to be. Nozomi feeds on Eva, and Eva not only doesn't argue with it- she demands it. She disregards her health and safety at the expense of protecting Nozomi because Nozomi's just never had that before, and Nozomi in turn learns from Eva about the world on Earth's surface and is taught empathy and mercy for Eva's people, relying on Eva as a source of information by literally having her history beamed into her mind.
And following Eva's death, she doesn't give up or fall right back into her old habits- not completely, anyways- as when Takumi and Tsubasa introduce her to Kamyuhn, she finds her role reversed, and now gets to be the protector for Kamyuhn (and later unnamed HemoBaby) under the promise that it won't come at the expense of herself. Her birth mother had swung too far into her projects and left her to both need to be cared for, and need to care for others. And while Kamyuhn is competent on her own, human connection and someone making the conscious choice to dote on her like a child, rather than a divine being, is something she wants more than she says aloud, if her excitement at the news of possibly having a sister is anything to go by. They're a family bound together in the choice to rely on each other from opposing sides of a war- jointly seeing the humanity in each other across layers of propaganda through the very weapon meant to drive them apart.
5- Takemaru's Little Ducklings
Mother Hen Takemaru being the only one to look at the killing game and thinking "hey I'm gonna make sure the MIDDLE SCHOOLERS don't get killed" and then drawing any lines he has to to keep said kids from getting dragged into any more life-threatening nonsense than they already have been is very telling to the kind of guy he is. It's not so surprising considering his character introduction was him being the one to raise the question of what was going to happen to the young kids and elderly who literally couldn't fight back in the complex, a complex that they all remembered in utter chaos. And while it was admittedly annoying hearing him call us cursed and a jinx on the basis of poor luck and circumstance, you can't really argue with results. Kako and Ima both survive the full game, and that's solely because of him. Nobody else was stepping up to bat for these actual children, after all.
Kako and Ima basically do nothing besides stand behind Takemaru and yesman him until he's dead, and they're accepted back into the group with little to no real struggle. I kind of want to be upset about this- no, I am- but at the same time, they're children, especially comparatively to the rest of the cast. They're children who've survived harsh conditions their entire life, and then they survived these new conditions because an adult in their life stuck his neck out to help. So their making it through to the end and being accepted as part of the group again because Takumi never fully gave up on his pack mentality is... It fits within the story, considering Takumi looped expressly to save as many people as he possibly could. I'm amazed more attention wasn't brought onto this; it stayed completely background because Takumi wasn't there for it.
What I really wish had come up more, though, was Takumi's regret with Takemaru specifically. Takemaru was one of his first allies in the original timeline, and pretty consistently remained one. He hyped Takumi up to save everyone else when he set out to travel through time, he stood up for Kako, he was a stable rock for the group. To have that wrenched from him because of Takumi's poor choices and alienating him, as well as that alienation leading to him choosing death, is something that I really feel should've given Takumi more turmoil, in addition to every other death of someone who'd survived in the original timeline. And conversely, Ima managed to make it to the end this time around, no thanks whatsoever to him. We're not even gonna mention that?
(For that matter, we're not gonna touch on childhood-best-friend NOZOMI surviving? I feel like we're not making a big enough deal out of this, even if I do prefer their platonic dynamic to any weirdly romantically charged one.)
6- The Endings
The Killing Game Route has 8 endings, 7 bad and 1 good. Thankfully, the one good is actually the one great, and is surprisingly hopeful (until you see that its name is a DR reference. It's less surprising then.) And the 7 bad range from good-bad to Escape Your Fate ending.
The good ending of the killing game route is the perfect encapsulation of everything the route is trying to say- we never see the end because what matters is the people you keep fighting to make it to the end with, the siblings survive without having to sacrifice each other, the adoptive siblings successfully protected each other, the quadricule's dream of living together in dreary domestic poverty is intact, pushing them forward, keeping them afloat as we approach the mysterious satellite. The mission to go through all 100 days to completion fails, but success would mean genocide so nobody gives a shit. What matters is that they survived, and that they survived together. That the love matters and motivates just as much with the living as it does with the dead.
The Escape Your Fate ending features Takumi deciding "but fuck everybody else, I have a girrrrrrlfrieeeeeend" and tricking Tsubasa into abandoning Yugamu, Darumi, Nozomi, and everyone else just so he doesn't cave and stab children and Takemaru. This then leads to Tsubasa getting her blood drained while asleep and defenseless as he's oblivious. What the fuck Takumi.
Most of the other endings are relatively on beat with the route's theme of protecting the ones you love at the cost of your life in a both literal and metaphorical sense- if he refuses the hand Yugamu extends, he dies. If Takumi abandons Hiruko, he dies. If he refuses to respect Moko's love for Nozomi, the Academy collapses. If he kills the baby for his blood and forgets their friendship, he dooms the entire surviving group to death at the hands of V'exhness. Escape Your Fate also follows this pattern- it just makes me more upset than the others. It makes the narrative feel cohesive, even when the endings themselves are clearly 'WRONG ANSWER, TRY AGAIN?'
7- Characters
Most of the characters who were significant players in this route got glow-ups. Tsubasa, for example, was already my favorite, but now she's like.... double-triple my favorite, good Lord. Her character arc as she learns to stand up for herself not from a sick pouch-induced minigame, but because the fighting spirit of the people around her inspires her to make change in herself, is sooooo good, especially from the lens that she was one of the first to believe in Takumi after Gaku's death prior to the true start of the route. She's a good voice of reason following her arc in the early-to-mid game, and quickly establishes herself as a lead to such an extent that I'm really gonna struggle not to look to her in other routes as a main character. I don't know how I'm gonna handle it when I come across a route she dies in.
Yugamu was another massive glow-up; he was sort of just there in route 0. Smart cookie, down for organplay, but just sort of there so that the 2nd-to-Last girls wouldn't immediately be mistaken for a yuri-cule. And yet, he becomes the most consistently dependable and devoted character in the cast, with a running undercurrent of that same flavor of self-blame for every misfortune that befalls the group Takumi feels when it comes to those he considers his friends. His flaws and quirks don't disappear- far from it- but he's not flanderized into just those gags either, and his fierce loyalty to people like Kyoshika and Takumi made him a bright spot in my playthrough that I didn't anticipate.
Of course, I have to give flowers to the 2nd-to-Last girls as well (an exception being Kurara, who dies at the start of the route) for their time in the game as well. The girl group felt like a really natural group despite their very differing personalities, and similarly to Moko in route 0, you could feel how losing Kurara shook them; there's a distinct absence within them, a differently-shaped hole from the one Moko had left behind, and it can be attributed well to the fact that we actually saw all of them together as Takumi's friends prior to the game this time around. Moko is a character I'm eager to see last longer in other routes; not only was she awesome in combat, but she had a sunny outlook I really enjoyed and I need her and Nozomi to kiss. Kyoshika was an utter delight while we had her, and grabbed me by the throat a la Supreme Overlord of Ice with her warrior's confidence to face her death aided by Yugamu to save everyone. She's growing on me the more time that passes.
Darumi finally got her killing game!!!! Good for her, I say. Even better, though, that she found a dream to continue living for once it ended. For all her love of eroges, I'm honestly surprised she hadn't already thought about it, but maybe it's moreso a matter of self-assurance to try. Darumi is a pretty violent depiction of how bad depression and physical/mental abuse can effect someone, and how deeply dark the coping mechanisms people in that situation can find comfort in. It's fitting, then, that it's not the killing game itself that inspires her newfound will. If anything, the killing game worsened things, fulfilling her unrealistic pipe dream and showing off just how empty and unsatisfying it was. Hiruko dies at her hands, at Hiruko's own request even, and all it does is secure her inability to die in self-destructive indulgence. She disappeared for the mid-game and I thought "damn, really, that's it?" up until Takumi approached her for help and it started coming into clear focus. Darumi's salvation was never going to be through ugly death and misery, but through human connection, something she's never felt in any sort of positive light. Her family and childhood was deeply abusive, and Hiruko begged her to kill her, even when she was trying to protect her. Murder and suicide and death as a comfort is a fiction- and it should've stayed a fiction. Which is exactly why Darumi's reality gets to become a comfortable polyhouse with crummy conditions built on love, and a dream to create a work of fiction that can reach people like her who need that sort of escapism. It's incredibly poignant for her character, and makes her feel all the more rounded out. A far cry from being reduced to a "when's the killing game?" gag in route 0.
(Damn, I had more to say about Darumi's arc than I thought)
8- Takumi Sumino
I'd still say I'm not his biggest fan, but Takumi was a lot more bearable of a protagonist than he got to be in route 0. His relationships within the group felt more fleshed out and grounded, less reliant on tropes (Nozomi ily but I'm looking at you), and he just generally felt like less of an asshole. I'll never get over him watching Ima stab Takemaru and threatening to "retrain" Kako when she asked him permission to fight and then siding with Ima about it, but thank god there's no massive fumble like that in this arc. Takumi's generally spacey and slower to pick up on things than some of the other lead cast members, but he has a lot of heart that I could feel the absence of previously around most of the cast in route 0. He feels like he's earned the protagonist role now, and his arc being centered around trying to save as many of his friends as possible even when they hate him, that love turning him to commit atrocities that make him sick to think about, and finding the will to continue because he's loved in turn is a good arc, and of course, fits well into the theme.
Conclusion
While I doubt I'd tell anybody to drop the full $60 on this game for the Killing Game Route alone, I'd definitely encourage anybody curious to find a no-commentary playthrough that includes every "bad ending" along the way. This was an engaging, thought out, meaningful story with a major focus on the different forms of human connection and love that can shape and save lives of those touched by it, and a queer undercurrent that can't be denied(even if they were afraid to follow through and give us that one vulnerable conversation that'd lead to the polycule being undeniably canon).
I'm equal parts excited and terrified for what's to come. The other routes could continue to impress, or they could be utter dogwater. Who's to say? Maybe it'll depend on the head writer- in which case, I certainly hope the one who wrote this wrote more than one.
This is random and out of pocket but after reading Umineko, I’m reminded of Krauss whenever I think of the relationship my country has with China. Cz my dad often say we’re their “little brother”, the “big brother” bully us and we can’t fight back. Then in turn we bully our “little brothers” and the cycle of violence repeats. But I feel less resentful about that now.
Some context: I’ve just been watching U23 Asian Football Cup, and my country won the bronze medal :) We lost to China for a myriad of reasons, one of them being what I said about them being our big brother so we can’t win against them. My dad said the night that China won against Uzbekistan that China will go on the offence against us, because they have to. Against anyone else they would’ve been fine going defensive, but not against their “little brother”. It would go against the grain and all that. Although we had to lose, it’s a shame that some of our players got injured. That was unnecessary :(
But anyway, even though I knew we would lose against China, it was great to go up against Korea and win. I didn’t expect our team to use China’s strategy of going full defensive and drawing out until penalty. I heard from my dad that our team made a promise to see Korea at the finals but we both lost so we got to duke it out at the bronze medal. We would’ve been fine losing to Korea at that point, but our players stayed so persistent with defending. Even the translator (assistant coach) was screaming for them to take a breather. That got me in the feels man. 😭
UPDATE: Japan won against China 4-0 just like the predictions I had seen. I’m getting the zoomies hours afterwards. They were wearing blue uniforms, it was peak ✋😭🤚I wasn’t cheering for either team when I started watching but it was clear that Japan played fair while China played rough. Particularly the last minutes from the second half. There were many instances where Japanese players fell down from being hit where the referee could not see. Legit looked painful to see when they played back the footage.
Anyway, all in all it was a good watch. I had a blast scrolling through football memes and discussion highlights as always. My favourite was memes of our number 7 player being The Collector, getting yellow card, red card, scoring a goal for each leg and every style. I can’t verify the accuracy since I didn’t watch this UFC from the start but it was funny to hear them phrase getting a red card in a positive light. My second favourite is of course Korean goalkeeper going right 6 times until he went left and we shot right. “99% percent of gamblers quit before they win” and “why do you signal turn left but you turn right” was my favourite comments from that 😭 And my third favourite is how our coach is Korean, so he could translate all the coaching from Korean teams while he himself coaches in Vietnamese. So the translator became the coach and the coach became the translator ((PEAK ✋🤚 ✋🤚))
Okay I’m not done I still gotta talk about how hours before the finals I was watching predictions for what happens if either wins. There were comments about how China would start mass producing football movies if they won. There were Captain Tsubasa references made, which makes me want to watch that now that this cup is over. I’m still taking meds so I can’t really do much besides watching shows lately.
Okay my last note I swear. This whole thing honestly made me feel somewhat closer to the average citizen of China, when I learnt that quite a lot of people (who commented anyway) betted on Vietnam but Vietnam lost 😭 I read a comment that said “now I understand what betters mean when they say I may love my country but I won’t bet on my team.” The support was overwhelming especially from SEA bros!!! Our pinoy bros!! I feel the love across the sea, it was very healing in this trying time. 💗💗
2025/04/10 Blog post by Wakana おしゃべりガーデン第20回目‼️〜今日はヨットなLittle Danceの日です〜
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Talk Garden Vol.#20‼️〜April 10 Is "Little Dance" Day〜
Episode 20 of my podcast "Wakana's Talk Garden" has been uploaded! ︎🎉🎉 This time, it unexpectedly became an episode filled with lots of singing😂 Today, my concert "Wakana Spring Live 2025 ~Little Dance~" is being held so I hope that everyone who is coming to the live will listen to the podcast afterwards while remembering all the special moments from today's performance. For those who couldn't make it (😢), I hope that this episode will at least somehow make you feel like you are experiencing a live performance😊
Thank you so much for your love letters💌 filled with so many thoughts and feelings from everyone😭✨ I'm really really happy hear that everyone is listening to my music passionately and with all kinds of feelings in mind😭✨ The number of messages was the highest ever, and it was hard to choose which ones to read in the episode but believe when I say that I was screaming with joy😭✨And I read each and every one of your letters😊♡ Thank you so much‼ ︎ Now I really want to do another singing episode like this😂
Please wait for the day when my singing will be featured in an episode again🎤
So, the next talk theme was decided based on a letter from one of you! Next time, it will be [Everyone's Memories of Medical Checkups]! ＼(^o^)／ I also had one last month, lots of things happened😂I want to talk about it soon😂 I'm looking forward to hearing your interesting and fun stories, as well as some serious ones!!
Anyway, today is April 10th, the day of my live performance, so I'm both excited and nervous while writing this post!! ＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ It's frustrating that I can't tell you anything yet, but everyone, please wait a little while longer~!! 😆
Some photos from the final rehearsal 📸 So many motivated faces＼＼\\٩( 'ω' )و //／／ Also, a few of my better but slightly blurry jump photos📸 Why does she always take jump photos?... Because I think I can create something interesting and fun! *laughs*. There's no particular reason😂 I feel romantic in dynamic photos😊 Finally, my Y-pose! There's no particular reason for this either😂 I'm naturally flexible, so I can still do this even though I'm not trying at all😊It's strange😊 That's the only reason😂 I'll keep doing it as long as I can!
Sorry for the short post this time😅💦 I'll be writing about the live soon, so please wait for it〜😄 That's it for today! Until next time〜☆( *'▽'*)/
＊＊＊Wakana＊＊＊
Wakana’s Talk Garden #20
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Episode #20
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・Share your favourite Wakana song!
♪Orange - Flag - Hard Rain - Asu wo Yume Mite Utau - Shirushi♪
For next month’s episode which is scheduled to air on May 10th, there is the following talk theme:
・Everyone's Memories of Medical Checkups
The submission deadline is 04/30.
Wakana Spring Live 2025 ~Little Dance~
Tweet by Wakana | Instagram post + post 2 by Wakana
[Title] 『Wakana Spring Live 2025 ～Little Dance～』
[Date/Time] April 10, 2025 Open 17:45 / Start 18:30
[Venue] Hulic Hall Tokyo
[Performers]
Vocals: Wakana
Music Director/Keyboard: Takebe Satoshi
Drums: Tsuruya Tomoo
Bass: Hamasaki Kenta
Guitar: Ueda Koji
Manipulator: Maeda Yugo
Setlist
1. Butterfly Dream
2. Yureru Haru
3. Hard Rain
4. Orange
5. Rapa Nui
6. KEMONO
7. Mononoke Hime (Ghibli cover)
8. Sekai no Yakusoku (Ghibli cover)
9. Haru wa Kogane no Yume no Naka (Kalafina cover)
10. believe (Kalafina cover)
11. Hirari Hirari
12. 442
13. Tsubasa
14. Flag
15. where
16. Happy Hello Day
En. 1. Asu wo Yume Mite Utau
En. 2. Ato Hitotsu
『Wakana Classics 2025』 Announced
During today's concert it was revealed that Wakana's annual acoustic live will once again be held this year! Further details will be revealed at a later date (Source)
[Tile] "Wakana Classics 2025"
[Date] December 18th
[Venue] Hama-rikyu Asahi Hall (Music Hall)
[Performers]
Vocals: Wakana
Music Director/Piano: Sin (Hashimoto Shin)
Violin: Yanagihara Yuya
Cello: Yuki Takahiro
I made a summary of the new tidbits of info from the recently released HNDR reviews and videos. If some stuff isn’t right, lmk! Of course, spoilers ahead.
So I read/watched about 10 no-spoiler critic reviews and video reviews of the full game. Links at the end of the post.
Interesting stuff:
The first playthrough is the same across all plays, and it doesn’t count as one of the 100 endings. It took reviewers around 40 hours to finish. It’s probably one of the longer (if not the longest) plays since from here on out, players can skip battles they’ve already played.
The whole game takes 100+ hours to complete. Noisy Pixel took 140 hours.
The order of players recruited seems to be: The first 4 -> Eito -> Tsubasa -> Gaku -> The 5 other students (Nozomi, Kurara, Kyoshika, Yugamu, Moko?) -> Shouma -> Kako -> Ima? (I don’t think I saw screenshots of Ima getting recruited but I’m assuming he’s the last one). Also for some reason, Moko doesn’t appear in some screenshots with the other 2nd LDA students in battle.
Nozomi is the only one who can’t revive with the Revive-o-Matic.
The "scent of lavender" is mentioned in a review + in the Hiruko and Takumi scene posted in HNDR Twt. Could be Karua-related.
At the end credits, the routes each writer wrote are specified. Each writer also did the screen composition for their route (setting the sprites, voice lines, etc)
Takueito CG can be achieved in the first route after the first ending (Very important!)
Review scores are mostly high. It seems that Hndr does actually achieve what it set out to do:
100 endings that are mostly interesting and not repetitive
Engaging srpg gameplay that anyone, even beginners, can enjoy
Lots of twists and satisfying reveals
Music is a bop
Tho apparently some issues that persisted in kodaka/uchikoshi's previous stuff carried over:
some character tropes felt repetitive & overdone
hit/miss story beats
"boring" parts that take a lot of time (gift-giving, free time)
Other issues:
takes a while to really hit peak
nonlinear narrative causes pacing issues (some mysteries are solved hours and hours after they are revealed since some routes just dont give much core info)
some twists are repeated from previous kodaka/uchikoshi games
DISCLAIMER ☝️
These are just a mix of pros n cons i got from the reviews so who knows if these will ring true after release. Reviews are mostly positive though, and reviewers seem to agree the game itself is impressive!
Now some interesting screenshots:
Just some battle screenshots. The only ones missing in the 1st one are Hiruko, the twins, Shouma, and Moko. The 2nd one is probably related to the Sumikage video HNDR twt posted a few days ago.
I wonder why Moko and Hiruko are absent in so many of these.
It’s possible these are out of order, but adjacent thumbnails seem related enough. So at one point, Moko does get hemoanima-corrupted and the LDA will probably fight her.
So day 22 is when that feast CG happens. Hiruko isn’t here and it seems like Shouma’s arc starts here.
But it’s just a theory! A game theory!
Maybe this is related to that last login CG of the two LDA teams fighting.
Why does she care so much? What do you know, NOZOMI???
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy 132 - The Third Class Trial
Day 56 of 100. We didn't get to bed 'til late last night because of that attack so we slept in a bit. Now it's the afternoon.
Yeah, probably for the best. I think the sun was coming up when we finally got to bed? Which the academics describe as a reasonable time to still be cramming for that test but for anyone else, the party's over.
On to Day 57.
You and be me both. A fuckton of stabbing the cotton fluff out of plushies and then a good full-day's crash is just the thing I needed to recharge my batteries.
Bayonetta's still settled into her cell. We need to figure out what the hell we're going to do with her. Find a way to communicate and stuff. Just leaving her in here is no better than solitary confinement, and solitary confinement is torture. She needs food, water, and companionship as a bare minimum standard of human decency.
We were pretty exhausted after that battle. One out of three of its waves was legitimately tough and really pushed us. Tsubasa, Kako, and Darumi made fog machines explode. Yugamu and Darumi made themselves explode. Kyoshika made Bayonetta explode (in Darumi's memory). It was a big deal.
XD Goddammit, Shouma! I'm legitimately mad at you for how good that was. Don't make me laugh at your self-deprecation! It's not cool!
Is that where you shove a rocket up someone's bum and shoot them back to the TRC? Because if so, I volunteer Gaku. I would select Ima but I'm actually super curious to find out if the megastructure on the moon really is the TRC so I kinda want whoever we send up there to come back.
No, that only happens on the third murder and we haven't even had...
...Sirei... Hiruko....
Huh! Never mind, you're right. We are due for the double murder.
KURARA
You never liked them! Which makes you too obvious to be the killer. You're clear. The real suspect we should be looking at is you, Tsubasa. Your truck is the only thing that could transport two bodies out of here without anyone being the wiser....
AHA!!! We've found our culprit! Shot in the dark, it was temporary insanity because your masculinity was embarrassed by the personal strength Kako's been showing this last week!
Still with Moko, I assume. We should probably check in on them periodically and make sure Moko's stomach hasn't split open into a mouth and bit Nozomi's head off.
It's eight, Kyoshika. The thing wearing Moko's skin has been lying dormant for--
Wait. No. I did promise to be more trusting if she didn't start shit during last night's battle so I should probably take that back. Not only has Moko remained out while we were battling but she didn't even get up and do something while we were all sleeping yesterday off. So Moko's been unconscious for eight days and I'm ready to take that at face value.
She might still be carrying something but she's not the Imposter.
I mean, we should assume that they did something to her. I still think we should post an armed guard around her at all times until she wakes up.
Well, we were all asleep for a full day while she languished in that cage so we're already fucking up on that front. She's probably starving.
Oh good. I have the utmost faith in your abilities and dedication, Shouma. I mean that sincerely.
That's offensive, Shouma, but your heart is in the right place.
Good. That takes care of food, water, and companionship.
We should also probably start sharing languages. I have no idea where you begin with that, though. Eito reads books so you might want to chat with him about it. People who read books have a lot of experience with words.
If this were a Danganronpa, this would feel like a very meaningful clue to the eventual murdered body we're going to find inside that cage. They wouldn't be showing us the keys like this if we weren't going to find them again later, right?
...wait, Shouma, what do you mean when you say you've been feeding her since last night? Did you not sleep the whole day away like the rest of us?
Are you just hyper-resistant to fatigue or something?
So as this anime season is coming to an end. Here are the shows I actually kept up with and overall enjoyed immensely.
There will be spoilers so be warned lol
The Unwanted Undead Adventurer
I have enjoyed this series, the way Rentt is so determined to become a mithril-class adventurer even as an undead. The 3D models for the fight scenes move pretty well with the background matching them, especially in episode 9. This series is a slow-burn, even with the story progression, but I appreciate it because we see so much character growth for Rentt and how he interacts with the people and his friends. The music is fairly average for the series, but it does have some good moments especially when Rentt is in thought or making a choice. I loved coming full circle and him regaining his "human" features even though he still is very much a vampire now. Shun Narita, the composer for the series had some standout moments (fight scenes and contemplativeness) of music throughout the season so hats off to him.
The Wrong Way to Use Healing Magic
I fell in love with the humor of this series from the get-go and not a single episode is a disappointment. It is so full of life and this past week for episode 11, the line " Now that's the wrong way to use healing magic" was used in a perfect moment. The lead up of Usato's characters growth and seeing all his hard work and "torture" from Commander Rose's training *actually* matter was brilliant. Element Garden has done a great job with the music that just gets your blood pumping. Probably will make a separate post for this series once it's over.
A Sign of Affection
The shoujo everyone is talking about, FOR GOOD REASON. To see the romance between the leads develop was so satisfying and wholesome. The development of the side characters so far is handled well, and at times the flashbacks scenes take over an episode but they are necessary. The art style and the use of lighting are done so well. It was a very cute show and always will love seeing an adult romance.
Solo Leveling
What can I say that hasn't been said already? I started reading the manwha in 2019 and have reread many times since. Hiroyuki Sawano was a great choice and the soundtrack WILL be on loop once it's released fully. Smart pacing choices to have it end with him gaining a job, this week will be a blast of an episode. Wish it had been slotted for 24 episodes... The last two episodes KILLED it, the animation, the music?! I was on cloud nine.
Mr. Villains Day Off
A perfect wholesome background anime, that is just about a Villian who loves pandas on his days off. The episodes where they focus on the Rangers aren't super interesting and makes you question the ethics of the world? It's a very cute show and sometimes, it's just a need in life. Ending was split between resolving the previous episode and the lead up to the Rangers and the Villian's battle.
Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord
The Isekai'd into an Otome game genre is SO saturated but somehow I ended up loving this show. Yumielle is so autistic coded and straightforward, no one quite knows how to react to her. Patrick is head over heels for her, not that she ever notices, and they're dynamic is adorable. I have laughed watching this show and the only reincarnation anime that didn't bog me down with guessable plot.
Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!
I fell so hard for this anime that I binge read the manga...who's art is definitely butchered in the adaption, it's so wholesome but the way episode 11 ends off MY GOD the miscommunication hurts me, and people will definitely riot watching the finale...and then picking up the manga to suffer for 40 chapters...BUT it's worth it. Tsubasa and Fuyuki all the way, they're chemistry is the best in the show as they each influence each other to open up, to be serious about the future and to help themselves grow as people. So sad to see this show go but maybe we'll get another season?
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!
This anime has me kicking my feet in joy and makes me miss my long-distance partner so fucking much. When Kurosawa and Adachi kissed? I was whooping in happiness. Adachi has a lot of room to grow with his communication with Kurosawa but pretty sure the final manga cover is a wedding outfit? My poor notes app I use to write my thoughts/observations as I watch seasonal anime is " SO GAY. KISS PLEASE." for several episodes between them. I loved that the end credits was the wedding but I can't wait to read the manga to compare it!
Gushing Over Magical Girls
I'm not one to watch ecchi shows but this, THIS is just such a delight to watch. Utena is such a loveable protagonist, a magical girl loving person who gets turned into a villain and has to "fight" the girls she loves. By fighting its not LMAO. I adore all the characters in this show and how fresh the writing for them is. Its beautifully animated and the finale was so much fun to watch!
Mashle S2 - Divine Visionary Arc
I picked up the first volume at the bookstore halfway through the season to try reading, after Bling-Bang-Bang-Born blew up, and I was not disappointed. Binged Season 1 and caught up in a day. There's just something so satisfying with gag humor and shounen fight scenes. I love everyone (besides for Innocent Zero, fuck that guy) and will for sure be binge reading the manga. The music, as always, is so hype and having rap for the fight scenes is very interesting. The soundtrack for S2 just released yesterday and has some amazing tracks on it.
Shangria-La Frontier
What. An. Amazing. Show. Never thought I'd like a VR Gaming anime as much as I do now, but this was just so vibrant and humorous. Sunraku's tenacity at gaming and taking on challenges, plus my love for rogue/assassin builds from DND, made him such a likeable character. The entire Weathermon fight to be slotted for 4 episodes was just..gorgeous and stunning. The Music?!? God its perfection. The NPC's of Rabitzu... to have characters and just to not be weird was very much appreciated to me. I sincerely wish it had the fandom that other Fall 2023 shows, cough cough Frieren, Undead Unluck and Apothecary Diaries, has because I just want more merch sobs. The cosplans I have for this show? Too many, and its already in production for another 2 cour season for this fall!!
The Apothecary Diaries
What a spectacular show and fabulous 24 episodes. The animation, the music (Satoru Kosaki, Kevin Pinken, Alisa Okehazma), the characters, the backgrounds?! I enjoyed watching the characters interact and loved the humor in the animation. I also just read and caught up with the manga in 2 days...so it's that good and a worthwhile watch and read!
