For real, this will take you at least 15 minutes to read. I hope I won't be a bother if I ask you to read this. No rush.
So, here it goes. I'm going to show you the importance that is KyouTen for me and for a lot of IE's followers. Even nonshippers, I dare to say.
But first, let me tell you a few things about this blog.
I can't really remember when I created "i-smell-kyouten" (that didn't have this name at first, but has lots of transformations. One of them was "kyoucchan to tecchan to sakkabooru" and I was really proud of that url, you can't even imagine) was probably more than 5 years ago. I don't really want to go look it up right now, as I'm in need of venting about the things I've wanted to say for a long time, ever since the finale of IEGalaxy.
(Pardon my English, I've improved a lot these years but I still struggle with it, I hope it is still comprehensible.)
This blog was born for the sole purpose of publishing my works and occasionally talk about my favourite anime and fictional characters. Sometimes I spent my time making new memes (I still remember the kirino-candy one during chrono stone!era; never forget.), but all in all, I wasn't supposed to invest a lot of my time (url) on social networks.
But then KyouTen happened.
I'll be honest with y'all, I didn't fall in love with them at first. It was just an enjoyable show, with cute kids playing one of the sports I liked the most, but that was it. Then the backstory of Tsurugi happened and my wig was violently snatched.
And you know what? It looked cliche at first, but it worked.
That's the point on IE. Something can seem cliche, but it still sticks in your mind, no matter what. This happened with the first match Tsurugi plays with Raimon.
Yes, the one in which the other team threatened to break Tenma's legs. Oooh, and Tsurugi lost it there. It IS because of his brother's momentary conditions of course, but something in my mind told me that Tsurugi KNEW that Tenma didn't deserve that kind of treatment. Above all the fact that Tenma GENUINELY LOVES SOCCER, like he did when he was little. And how Yuuichi still does, even after having his legs immobilized.
First conclusion: Tsurugi actually cares for Tenma's wellbeing, even if he doesn't really know him.
The anime shows that he kind of distances himself from everything, like he knew he show a side of him he didn't have to (of course even helping Rain in win the matcj; it was all a mistake); it all brings to him to worry about Yuuichi's future.
Hence, we have Tenma following Tsurugi and ending up in the hospital where Kyousuke was going to.
(From here, the "you. Me. Bed. Now." Gif was one of the greatest things ever.)
I have really shattered memories from now on, and I'll probably miss some steps. Anyway, going forward after some matches, Yuuichi finding out about the deal Kyousuke made with Fifth Sector and big bro scolding Tsurugi, all of this brought the latter to open up more to people.
With people, we mean Matsukaze Tenma. The one who him "the path of true soccer".
Can you believe it's already 5 years since that confession? What I do believe is that Tsurugi was soooo sincere about it, he talked with such a relaxed expression and voice that I don't know how can I fall more in love with a voice if not with this one (Oohara-san, I see you there, shout out to you my man.)
And that's where I was going. The Fire Tornado Double Drive.
I don't even need to say more. That's the hissatsu even my brother considers the gayest but most powerful ever.
(He even used it the most in Strikers. He isn't a fan of yaoi. As in, he thinks that I find every kind of friendship between boys as gay. And him saying that that hissatsu is the gayest thing he ever saw says a lot, I think.)
That hissatsu represents their efforts, blood, sweat, tears, feelings, worries; everything about that special technique represents THEM. It's their special attack. An upgrade of their beloved Gouenji's famous technique.
And the scene where they perform that new hissatsu is so SATISFYING that you can't help but watch it a thousand, infinite times because it's THAT good.
So, do you remember after the match, they win, Tenma has the trophy in his hands and talks about how Soccer must be happy right now and Kariya is a partypooper? From whom does Tenma find support for his words?
This is kind of a resume of the first season. But you can guess from here that TENMA and TSURUGI were destined to meet.
Think about a world without Tenma. Would Tsurugi still return form his old self?
Then, what if Tsurugi weren't with Tenma? Would he enjoy soccer as much as he did with his presence? I seriously think not.
They complement each other.
No matter what kind of love, because LOVE is important in any kind of form.
But Tenma is part of Tsurugi's being, and vice versa.
Chrono Stone? Oh. Don't let me start. @linabigface has made lots of posts about the game that tells you exactly what I am talking about. I don't even need to rant about it.
Galaxy? Will sum it up in a sentence.
Tsurugi is whipped for Tenma.
Need an explanation? Fine.
Since episode one, Tsurugi can't seem to not call Tenma's name at least once per episode. I remember there is a very good video in nico that counted the times Tsurugi called Tenma and it surpassed the 50 times, if I'm not mistaken.
He's scared about Tenma when he knocks out for a moment, when he falls on the ground.
(again, oohara's job here is fantastic.)
He even separates "Guys..." with "Tenma". (The episode in which he comes to know the truth and he's watching the distance. I really don't remember what was happening actually, I'm so sorry this is the sign I'm finally getting old!)
He only smiles when there's Tenma around? TSURUGI SMILES?! Can you see the contradiction?
Do we have to talk about the last match? Please, I actually don't want to. It brings me moments in which I honestly cried for hours because I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. But the battle was epic. And both of them be brought out their Spirits at the same time, it HAS to mean something.
Their souls are so in sync that they bring the best from each other.
The photo they take in the ending is a true blessing and I'll never forget about it. Not only Tsurugi is genuinely smiling, but both the boys lean on each other with such comfortable expressions, like THEY LOATHE THE CONTACT.
(Moments I didn't mention but have a special spot in my heart:
-Tenma discovering the Tsurugi that was traveling with them is a fake. He falls on the ground BREATHLESS (game version). Thank you Terasaki-san, for being such a skilled voice actor.
- Tenma finally meets Tsurugi again on the field, but the latter wears the opposite team's uniform. He smirks as if he's enjoying the thing. (He's just really happy to play against Tenma, like a true soccer maniac). Hence, Tenma asking himself if he did something wrong and existential crisis.
-"We've always been friends!" -Matsukaze Tenma
-Both crying out each other's names. It's not a secret that I saved that as a ringtone.)
All this ranting was useful to tell you a specific thing.
You can't forget of KyouTen so easily. Not when it was part of your childhood. When you kept on drawing, reading, writing about them everyday of your life. And never regret it.
I'm so happy that the fandom, and the KyouTen fandom specifically, is still intact. Even more, it's GROWING. Thanks to Ares, to Hino's continuous work and love for this series, we still have ways to remember of the boys, we hope to watch them one last time.
(Let's be honest, I don't think I'm the only one that, after knowing about the multiple universe that is Ares, started thinking about the cast of Go making an appearance, at least in the future.)
Back to the original topic.
KyouTen is what brought a lot of people together. Even non shippers acknowledge their relationship. Is THAT powerful, that truthful, that pure, that honest, genuine, that makes people look up to them at least one time. They make people curious about them.
I've already said this, but kyouten are SOULMATES. There's no other way to describe them.
(And they have an unofficial child. Yeah, I didn't forget about you, Kyouma.)
I think it's time to end this post. For those you have read this all through the end, thank you for being with me and I hope I've made you resurface some of the lost precious memories you had with Kyousuke and Tenma. I hope I didn't bored you and made this a good 15 minutes reading.
To make this a little interesting, and because I AM interested about your opinions, tell me what you think about KyouTen, go in depth if you want!
