#osokatsusan

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aaaaaa I missed seeing these guys do fun slapstick-y animation 😭 I'd be fine with season 4 being a series of super short shorts like this (…especially if they made them silent comedies like the opening scene of TakoPa 😔)

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takoyaki party thoughts (MAJOR SPOILERS)

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THE FIGHTING YOWAI...... THE FIGHTING YOWAI IS REAL

I... maybe be stupid because when I got to that scene my brain rapidly flicked between "BABY TOTOKO FLASHBACK...? TOTOKO BABY SIBLING...? TOTOKO'S FAMILY FRIEND NEW BABY...?" until Sof (my bf whom I was watching it with) piped up "TOTOKO'S BROTHER???" he says he's more of a casual Ososan fan and is mostly invested in Kara as a character and supporting his gf's special interest but still picks up on details like that before said gf. his brain is enormous (like his d

when I saw that this movie was directed by Hikaru Yamaguchi who started her career as an animator on Deen Higurashi I joked "this movie better have punishment games and time loops" but I was surprised when it DID kinda turn into a time loop story in the last 15 minutes or so, or at least Totoko tries to turn it into one but Reality Ensues? I think my only major problem with the movie was how that interesting idea wasn't fleshed out particularly well, and they don't explain how they broke out of their "time loop" at all - they do imply Totoko, Matsuyo and DekaDayon came out of the experience making small positive changes in their lives but they don't SHOW them coming to the conclusion that they SHOULD. it felt like the movie skipped the big emotional climax and cut right from a random exterior shot to the denouement

that said, even if the movie stumbled at the last hurdle I did really enjoy 90% of it - I'm a Hipipo apologist but I do think TakoPa is the FUNNIER movie, with super snappy comedic pacing and jokes coming thick and fast (...heh) as opposed to Hipipo's meandering pace and repetitive jokes, only really finding its comedic footing about halfway through when there's a timeskip indicated by the Matsus getting their tans (and stumbling a bit even then). just like my favourite parts of Hipipo were the boys bonding and vibing with the tribe, my favourite parts of TakoPa were the whole Akatsuka Ward gang just hanging out and having fun, each getting their little moments to shine but ultimately being one big, very weird found family

come to think of it Hipipo and TakoPa kinda feel like two sides of the same coin: people are inevitably gonna have preferences but ultimately, it's a good thing that last year gave us a movie for people who love the broad, cartoony, larger-than-life aspects of the show (hello) while this year gave us one for those love the down-to-Earth, slice-of-life aspects. I think that's a better way to celebrate Osomatsu-san's 6th anniversary even if this year is its 8th anniversary but the official Twitter still says TakoPa is for the 6th so just go with it (and, coincidentally, Osomatsu-kun's 60th anniversary) than giving us one big movie that tries to be too many things at once and fails at all of them (...like the time they already did that. this is a certified Eiga no Osomatsu-san (2019) hate blog.) I'm kinda surprised I haven't seen anything about a double feature screening of both in Japan because that would just feel so right

one of the few things Hipipo and TakoPa have in common is some nice moments of wordless storytelling: Hipipo had the three montages of the Matsus interacting with the tribe and TakoPa's opening 10 minutes are almost dialogue-less, save for some background character chatter and an "itadakimasu" from Oso. both could be seen as a budget-saving measure to get around the expensive seiyuu cast, but they also work as an artistic choice - if they commit to the bit and make s4 into a straight-up silent comedy as a way to resolve the issue of the title character's iconic voice actor being a scumbag, I'll be all for it tbh

as enjoyable as TakoPa is, it's still ultimately an hour long bottle episode, with only previously established locations and characters (Nyaa's daughter gets more screentime than ever before to the point where she FEELS like a new character, and an absolutely precious one at that, but her existence WAS pre-established in s3) and taking place mostly in the main characters' home - not inherently bad, but an odd choice for possibly the last piece of "mainline" media in a franchise. the only thing that kept it from being completely underwhelming in that regard was some smart meta commentary that the Japanese fandom also picked up on so it definitely wasn't just me projecting: Totoko (we, the fans) wanted to keep the party (show) going forever in order to escape her (our) cruel reality and feelings of inadequacy, even at the cost of making her friends (the staff) burnt out as fuck. I find it deeply meaningful that the party did, in fact, end (even if they glossed over HOW), and they didn't give the movie a surreal, nihilistic ending like so many episodes of the show - if Totoko can continue to work on her idol career, Dekapan can find new animal friends even after the death of old ones (nice oblique reference to his love for cats in -kun!!!) and Matsuyo can reach out to other women around her own age, maybe we too can find meaning in this world even if the sextuplets can't. I wonder how much of the script was written before vs. after the Sakurai scandal sealed the show's fate (maybe)...

come to think of it, a good succinct way to describe Totoko in this movie is as the character I WISH Takahashi had been: a vessel for us, the fans', feelings towards the Matsus who ACTIVELY tries to affect the characters' world in ways that challenge both them and the viewer, rather than a passive damsel waiting for them at the end. you go TakoPa Totoko four for you TakoPa Totoko

back in November when I'd watched all three Ososan movies that existed at the time - Eiga no Osomatsu-san (2019), Eiga Osomatsu-san (2022) (the live-action one, yeah it's confusing) and Hipipo - I thought Hipipo, despite its flaws, was my favourite of the franchise's movies. I felt the same way immediately after the credits of TakoPa finished rolling... but as I went around unblocking Japanese Matsutwitter accounts now I no longer have to worry about spoilers, I found a poll that kinda made me rethink everything??? for nearly a year I'd been operating under the theory that the Western Ososan fanbase just "didn't get" Hipipo and that the show's true target audience of Japanese adults who'd grown up with Osokun would validate my positive feelings towards the movie - but that poll made me question if said positive feelings were just a result of the context in which I saw Hipipo for the first time (unspoiled, reacting to it along with the man I love, and by my own power instead of Crunchyroll's). regardless of whether or not I SHOULD, I now feel kind of apologetic to the Japanese fandom for insisting that the Western fandom "just didn't get it" while forgetting that oh wait, I'M a Western fandom. at this precise moment I'm not sure how I feel about the 6th anniversary movies overall; maybe it's still a case where one is "objectively better" than the other but I still prefer the "worse" one for personal reasons? is that allowed??? or maybe I don't passionately love OR hate either of them the way I passionately love the TV show and passionately hate Eiga (2019). maybe it's too soon to properly assess my feelings and I should rewatch the two back to back in a few months/a year, idk

but I will say this: of the four movies, three of them made me cry on first viewing (Eiga with sadness, live-action with laughter at one particular scene, and Hipipo with joy, also at one particular scene). TakoPa was the only Ososan movie to NOT make me cry - I guess by that metric it's the most "meh" of the four, at least for my taste, but still a worthwhile entry in the franchise and a satisfying note to (possibly) end it on

Ichi NEEDS to catsit for DekaDayon

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A Dress Isn't Just A Dress: Finding yourself in Love Live's "Love Wing Bell" - Anime Feminist

While I may reject the concept of wedding dresses both as a feminist and an individual, as a transgender woman I feel differently. Within th

"There’s a rather destructive tendency to view art as a window through which we merely gaze at its creator. It’s more than that. In the gleam of sunlight on a window, we see our own reflection; in the same way, when we stare deeply at a piece of art, we see certain truths reflected back at us."

maybe it's a tenuous connection but: whenever I think about how I love the designs of the "bad future" Matsus despite the unfortunate implications of fat versions of them being presented as such, this article always pops into my head

having a piece of media that you know on an intellectual level is problematic positively resonate with you is a very surreal experience, but not an uncommon one - I was relieved when this article taught me that, and I empathize with the author on several levels

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tiny brain: Matsuzo’s flashback in s2e4 proves the popular headcanon that the sextuplets were born premature and had to fight great odds to survive is false; it’s a gag anime it doesn’t have to be realistic galaxy brain: flashbacks only show the important details; Matsuzo’s flashback in s2e4 skipped ahead from the sextuplets’ tumultuous birth to them being discharged from hospital and his joy was at being told all six of his sons would get to go home and grow up

(a WIP/preview of my big “sextuplets’ birthday” piece which! I’m so stoked to have time to do this year!!!!!!)

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For the headcanons thing, Osomatsu and Totoko (since someone asked Choro already)!

Osomatsu

Headcanon A: he’s very bad at asking for things and articulating his feelings in general - partly because he’s a spoiled brat who’s used to getting everything he wants and I like him that way and partly because he grew up with good old fashioned Sextuplet Telepathy. when you’re so like your five best friends that you can read them more easily than books, it’s only natural that voicing discomfort with a situation feels like more trouble than it’s worth

Headcanon B: while he doesn’t approach Iyami and France levels, he has a healthy curiosity about the United Kingdom ever since learning that’s where the term NEET originated: the more he’s read about it (mostly online thanks to “borrowing” Totty’s phone), the more he thinks it sounds like paradise. middle and high school are one big thing, so no-one has to take high school entrance exams? the drinking age is two years below that of Japan? everyone loves beer and curry? horse racing is considered classy? some newspapers have topless girls on the third page?! when can he move there of course, if he ever met an actual British person, they’d beg him not to set foot in the country

Headcanon C: he acknowledges the fact that his life is pretty much completely defined by his brothers and is kind of… disturbingly chill with this??? at least to the point where he knows he never needs to worry about it long-term because he’s a self-aware gag anime character who can warp reality when the situation calls for it. …confession time: as much as I like Oso he’s a tricky one to come up with headcanons for, especially angsty ones, because part of the reason I like him is that he’s the epitome of “what you see is what you get” so I’m left scratching my head when I try to look under the hood and don’t really find anything new (that’s my failing, not yours for picking him don’t worry :,D)

Headcanon D: when it comes to his bros’ (and childhood friends’) romantic relationships, he’s capable of being the ultimate wingman when push comes to shove. there’s bound to be a few awkward, fumbled encounters with him while the two potential lovebirds are getting to know each other - but once he’s hung out with his bro’s love interest enough times to predict their reactions, he’s a master of gently leading them into convenient (and comedic) situations that could lead to smooching

Totoko

Headcanon A: thanks to a mix of her father’s teachings and her own curiosity, she knows a lot of legends and idioms relating to fish, which she likes to casually slip into conversation without realizing they’re not quite common knowledge: she’s been known to compare her idol aspirations to a carp’s dream of becoming a dragon by jumping over a waterfall (thanks Magikarp for teaching me that one) only to be met with confused silence from those around her

Headcanon B: having such a dominating streak, she likes the feeling of being taller than all the boys around her - as she was when she and the sextuplets were in elementary school. as adults they caught up to her in height and even overtook her by a few centimetres, so she got into the habit of wearing shoes with a slight heel - it’s a long-term goal of hers to gradually build up to being able to walk in the highest stilettos possible

Headcanon C: (this is basically @eri-descent‘s Totoko headcanon worded differently but I promise she and I came to this conclusion separately it’s just that good) she’s painfully aware that all she’s really got going for her is her looks (her words, not mine); from high school onwards, she tried to brush off her lack of academic success as “oh well, exams are hard for everyone” despite knowing deep down that her preteen self’s acceptance of the “pretty face” role was a self-fulfilling prophecy - she always had the intelligence, just not the diligence to apply it. as a result, she gets incredibly self-conscious around girls who have the self-reliance and friendliness she believes she lacks - doubly so if that girl also happens to be conventionally attractive, thus giving her two edges over Totoko

Headcanon D: when Kinko got on the train home and the sextuplets talked about wanting to see her again, Totoko’s big worry wasn’t that they’d want to date a girl besides her: it was that she wouldn’t be able to date Kinko if the boys were in the way, so she quickly changed the subject to them needing to shower her with attention again. she plays longball and her plan works; Kinko’s next visit to Tokyo ends with her exchanging email addresses with Totoko and in what seems like no time, they’re a long-distance couple. on top of Totoko getting a wonderful girlfriend, she and Jyushimatsu strike up a friendship over this thing they now have in common

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Choromatsu, Dayoko for headcanon meme?

MY TIME HAS COME.

Choromatsu

Headcanon A: he’s extremely indecisive and bad at thinking for himself. being part of a six-person hivemind until your early teens would do that to anyone, but of all the bros Choro is the one who depends most on other people, or society as a whole, for the “right” opinion (for instance, in “Choromatsu Rising” he needs to be told when a girl’s body is nicer than her face or that she’s stylish) - it’s why he’s so comfortable in the tsukkomi role. who needs original thought when you can just heckle your bumbling brothers? to get sappy for a moment: this is also a big reason he loves his brothers the way they are and feels safe with them, though the part of him that craves societal approval prevents him from admitting that

Headcanon B: I’ve shared this one with at least one person before but since his punishment in Hell made me love it even more, here it is again: his best subject in middle and high school was art. this wasn’t because he was particularly skilled at drawing (though he does enjoy drawing chibis of the underground idol du jour or his own face), but because of his appreciation for the female form and ability to memorize the history of its depictions. to this day, he insists that appreciation is purely aesthetic - but his brothers all know he’s just a freak for Renaissance bazongas

Headcanon C: his interest in idols stems from self-esteem problems that reared their head somewhere around high school and lead him to believe he wasn’t interesting or capable enough for anyone to approach him and form a meaningful relationship, again due to being one of a set of interchangable brothers who didn’t make an effort to forge his own identity until (in his mind) it was too late. even if he’s never fully consciously realised his own motivations, it’s easier to just pay someone for a handshake and a bit of eye contact than to take the risk of rejection

Headcanon D: when it comes to real life people he’d want to actually date as opposed to just be a fan of, he’s likely to go for slightly fuller-figured women: girls who don’t perfectly fit the standard of the society he’s so desperate to fit into seem more approachable somehow, plus they’re so soft! even if Nyaa-chan’s more fun to actively follow because she’s local to Akatsuka Ward, he definitely thinks the idol industry was onto something with the trend of chubby girl groups in 2014-15ish look bub the meme asked for “my own reality” and that’s what you’re getting

Dayoko

Headcanon A: her birth name is 大王子 which, coincidentally, is read “Daioko” - “great king’s child/daughter” (yeah, as in Azumanga Daioh). however if she were ever to escape Dayon, she’d start writing the “daioh/dayo” part in katakana - both as a way to remember how she met her boyfriend/eventual husband and as a courtesy to him and his almost kanji-illiterate brothers

Headcanon B: after meeting Choromatsu she started saving up loose change Dayon sucked up to buy things that remind her of him - and, being the stubborn sort, actually succeeded. that Choromatsu-kun plushie that cost 50,000 yen? all hers, baby (since Dayon’s stomach is technically within Japan Totoko and Hatabou don’t mind shipping there)

Headcanon C: she’s ¾ Indian and ¼ Japanese (her name mentioned above was something of a good luck charm from her parents who wanted her to succeed in a country where she didn’t 100% fit in); before Dayon sucked her in she was subject to the racist/colourist attitudes that are a sad reality of modern Japanese society (at least based on what I’ve read, though it’s slowly but surely improving) and a big part of what appealed to her about the Dayon Tribe was the safety guaranteed by its homogeny (you can’t discriminate based on skin colour or accent… if everyone looks and sounds the same). because of that, she has a great deal of empathy for Choromatsu’s fear of leaving the safety of NEETdom and otakudom - his problems aren’t quite on the same level hers were, but that was all the more reason to encourage someone who had more of a chance at making it in the outside world than her… at least, that’s what she thought before that incident…

Headcanon D: she’s pansexual and polyamorous as fuck

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Hi! (looking forward to the secret art thing! ^^) Two characters: Karamatsu, & Dr. Flug (Villainous)! <3

thanks and believe me I am too; it won’t be long before I’m allowed to talk about it, like… legally... it’s fairly exciting I’ll say that much

Karamatsu

Headcanon A: though he makes a point of not boasting about it, he’s one of the more academically intelligent Matsus - that English vocabulary doesn’t memorize itself, after all! while not the most serious or professional linguist (he finds himself relying on Google Translate a lot) he has a good head for memorization and information retention, which he also applies to his Perfect Fashion: it didn’t take long for sewing sequins and applying iron-on patches of his own face to become pure muscle memory to him

Headcanon B: ever since the Summer Kamen skit aired I’ve had it in my head that his weight fluctuates quite a bit, especially during changes of seasons because he goes through short bursts of diligently working out and building muscle to show off during the ~good summer~… then gains all the weight back over the last few days of August. he’s pretty chill with that though; he understands (see above) that the human body’s ability to change and adapt is part of its beauty

Headcanon C: some parts of his “sinful guilt guy” persona are attempts to emulate Ichimatsu (namely, the voice - I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Ichi naturally has one of the deeper voices among the bros and the one Ichi is hostile towards deliberately pitches his voice down); this first reared its head in high school when the sextuplets were placed in different classes for the first time: Oso, Jyushi and Todo were together in one class, Choro alone in another… and Kara and Ichi were in a third. the results of this were 1) Kara got constant exposure to what he saw as Ichi’s natural coolness (though the fourth born wasn’t “the pitch black idiot” at that point, he was always the quiet one of the brothers and that had hardened into a slightly antisocial edge by their first year of high school) and learned through observation, trial and error how to act the Bad Boy without doing anything truly bad; 2) Ichi got constant exposure to Kara’s belief he could succeed in life by parroting things he thought were cool, as well as his tendency to seek validation by being overly nice - and, by the time they graduated, could hardly stand to be around his niisan despite loving him deep down. Kara was absolutely right: too much love does ruin a person

Headcanon D: though he can’t watch the show as religiously as he’d like because the Matsunos don’t have cable TV, ever since he saw a clip of Steven Universe online he’s been a devoted Garnet Boy. though she came along well after he established his “silence and solitude” schtick, her influence did help him finesse it a bit and he constantly looks for opportunities to quote her (BANG!)

Dr. Flug (disclaimer: while I’m slowly getting the hang of liking more than one thing I’m rubbish at keeping up with more than one fandom, so for all I know these are incredibly old hat (no pun intended))

Headcanon A: he’s not a real doctor; not academically speaking. it’s an aspiration of his and he’s theoretically intelligent and determined enough to eventually get a doctrate, but one thing that attracted him to the “evil” business was the allure of being able to cut out the middleman and call himself “Dr.” as part of The Aesthetic

Headcanon B: he’s an unfortunate combination of a pun-lover and a klutz: he gave 505 his name… BUT it was a typo. he meant to type “050″… which looks like “OSO”… as in Spanish for “bear”. a pun almost as good as the experiment itself, down the drain (Black Hat shrewdly pointed out he could just destroy 505 and start the experiment over, but Flug simply didn’t have the heart)

(I love shows like Matsus and Villainous where the line between “realistic” and “unrealistic” is pretty much nonexistent)

Headcanon C: on top of being a naturally clumsy person, as a small child he made several attempts to actually fly… with just his body, not in any kind of machine. as a result he’s covered in bruises of varying intensity and is lowkey ashamed of having to explain to people who see them that he’s not badly hurt - he just bumps into things a lot, which is how his habit of covering pretty much every part of his body except his neck arose

Headcanon D: what’s under his paper bag is… a hat; coincidentally, a black hat, resembling a sock. and teeth with a gap in the front and three black hairs actually this is canon to the Spanish version