I've gotten all the bad endings and next is on to the finale. I'm not lined up for Mayyushi's end though so I'll have to go through again to see the real finale.
Sometimes I find it kind of sad how serious Okabe is now but then he starts doing his chuuni thing again and I remeber how obnoxios it is. It was a little funny that even he was like, "does this mean my innocence is gone?" Guess so... Getting to see more of his sweet side and how much his friends mean to him definitely makes him a more bearable protagonist. It just also makes him a little boring.
Feris's ending was really good in a psychological horror sort of way. On Feris's side, she's dating this guy she doesn't really know, who has replaced the person she loved. For Okabe, it was really heartbreaking that none of his friends know him anymore in this world. Really everything about who he is doesn't seem to apply to this version of him. I'm a little intrigued by what happens next in this timeline.
The other endings and some of the twists so far have been pretty meh so I won't bother with that. Speaking of twists thouggh, I can't believe I didn't think of the Suzuha and Daru connection. I really thought she must be Okabe's daughter. That and a future version of Okabe being Titor were my only theories, both wrong, and now I'm theory-less for the rest of the game.
I'm typing this on my old laptop that has every disease because my new one is not currently functional. My friend who had been borrowing this one had it connected to the internet at their place but I'm scared of it downloading some weird update and getting bricked so at the moment I'm just making entries locally.
I have read more BL manga but I'd only be complaining about them so let's just pretend that never happened... Meanwhile!
I don't know why they didn't translate the title in the English release but whatever. Speaking of which, even though I'd been hoping for a physical release in English since I first read it, I hate those huge omibus volumes. They're so unweildy and uncomfortable to hold... Well now I want them anyway.
Right, so this isn't the first time I've read Yokohama and it's actually one of my all time favorite manga series.
I'm really appreciating Ashinano's profile pictures on the inside flaps this time around. The one where he's a blimp and there are these kind of turn of the century lookin people admiring him is especially good.
There is such a deep apreciation for this fleeting moment in time that it feels a little melancholy even though Alpha is generally having a pretty good time. But you're both watching this beautiful thing fade away. There's also the enjoyment in little every day things, even though time skips along pretty fast in Yokohama it's all about stopping to smell the roses. Alpha's camera really captures it in a certain way, how she can't explain that looking at her pictures isn't just a picture but the whole experience of being there again.
The nostalgia has a lot of layers. Ojisan and Koumiishi having their shared history, but especially Koumiishi having worked on the robots in her youth now seeing the results of that work and that this world won't last either. And director Alpha who will only really get to see the aftermath far in the future. Kind of more like a nostalgia borrowed from the future. Even now will be someone's "back in the day" eventually. Well, even Alpha wasn't that old yet telling Makki she's lucky to be living in the same time as Takahiro.
Having the number of photos you can take on one cartridge seems quaint and old-fashioned to me though so my reverance for old tech might be making me a little biased.
Which reminds me, I have an old Instax camerra from before they realized they should make them look cute. For years I thought it was broken but I put some batteries in it and took a photo.
A little washed out, I guess from the film sitting inside the camera for a decade or so. Immediately I am experiencing the quaint, old-fashioned feeling of worrying about wasting film.
Yokohama is so nice and slow paced, taking such joy in the little things, that the passage of time becomes an ominous presence. There was even a little inside cover flap comic about how the Misago (who doesn't age) can't recognize Makki and Takahiro since they got older. But she misses them!!! Augh!!!
My reread has taken me to about volume ten so far, so I might have some closing thoughts in the future when I'm all done. So far I've saved a bunch of the pages with interesting layouts, or because Alpha has a frog-shaped incense holder.
A quick one since I didn't like... any of volume two. I kind of finished it but skimmed through the ending once I realized we were just glossing over the rest of Sumino's life. Ugh.... uuuughhh.....
Nothing happened and not in a fun way. There wasn't even the tension of expecting or wishing for something to happen, it was just. Nothing.
Turns out Noelle did make a Saya no Uta video already last January. Seeing the post I came to the same conclusion I did when it was first posted, that I actually do want to play the game myself (whenever it goes on sale on Steam).
I was going to mention that on my next Steins Gate update (which I have played more of) but I don't feel like writing that one right now... Not when there's more BL manga to talk about! (Not the actual reason but true nonetheless.)
A little conflicted about my titles on here. The plan was to stick with English titles if they have an official release, but I've been emboldened by the discovery that my Japanese is actually good enough to understand 真夜中の俺を見て. On the other hand I wasn't under the impression they were meeting at night... Let's just leave it as is.
This one I don't have much to say about it. The art is nice. Mayo is so cute, I like his style a lot. His hair looks way better grown out than it did in his blond era flashback.
The sex scenes are good... The next time I need to draw something like that I want to come back to this one. That's my main compliment... And I really like how busy the covers are.
Really just the art stuff stood out. Story-wise it was pretty basic. The misunderstanding plot wasn't too annoying, but imagine a world where that wasn't the plot of like, half BL manga... Well. It is what it is.
The ① is because it's a long game and I just made it to chapter four.
Even though I've never played it, my baseline that I compare all Nitro+ games to is Saya no Uta. (I'm hoping Noelle does a video on that game at some point. Even if I were to play it myself I don't think I'd appreciate it much on my own.) So based on my strange personal bias there's a conspicuous lack of gore (among other things) in Steins;Gate.
(Being self-conscious because I'm posting this online... I have played Dramatical Murder. Obviously. Who the hell do you think I am.)
So far everyone is becoming friends and hanging out doing experiments together. It's kind of cute, even. "So when does everyone become meat!?" Sadly this game isn't even 18+ so you're going to need to calm down.
But seriously, what I knew about Steins;Gate going in was that it's a classic and it's about time travel. I also thought the story was linear but it looks like there are character routes. I don't have a favorite yet but if possible I'd like Lukako to defend me in battle. Despite that I also feel the worst for her as an acquaintance of Okabe. Well. Just keep up those practice swings Lukako!
There's a lot of text that makes me wish I was reading a book so I could skim through it and go back more easily if it turns out I needed to actually read some of that. I like a little technobabble but christ.
Okabe himself is pretty obnoxious. It helps a lot that the other characters are used to his shit and pretty much just ignore him but he's a lot. I can't tell yet if Feris is messing with him (fingers crossed) or if she's really like that too. But when he's scared and his voice suddenly gets soft it's so cute it makes me want to put him in a Saw trap. Who said that.
I thought I'd read more of Arai Niboshiko's works before but maybe not. Fish Tied with Fate I have, I think I remember it having similar vibes to Give Me A Nickname. Fish being darker for sure but both kind of ominous and distant. And The Chemistry Club's Glasses was more laid back. That one I really liked. Moratte Kudasai I think I've read but don't remember. I guess it was just the three of them after all.
Over the course of... however long (a few days?), I've read (or re-read) a few of them. And those were these ones below.
On today's episode of my BL pet peeves, the main characters being introduced by having some random girls talking about how hot they are. It's bad! Nevertheless, we persist.
Jose and Amou initially seemed to have something intriguingly weird going on but turns out it's just a lack of communication. They're both just hoping the other will figure it out without them having to say anything.
I guess it's a little more complicated for Amou, who is obsessed with Jose but trying to be cool about it. At this point I can't imagine why he thinks Jose would have a problem with it but whatever.
Tsurugi is cute though. In the beginning I was a little worried about him, and then I was disappointed that there was no need. Sorry for being sadistic, Tsurugi.
Finding out that Zuisen's middle school boyfriend stood him up when they were supposed to run away together came a little late. The situation was resolved before you even know what Zuisen is actually threatening Ano about, or that he even had a reason beyond finding Ano annoying.
I like Arai Niboshiko's uh, lamer characters so I thought Ano was cute. Being dopey, sincere and kind of a pervert is endearing. And makes it fun when Zuisen is coming on to him.
Kisuke is very cute, of course. Arai Niboshiko's anatomy is really nice, kind of noodly but her rough lines make it feel grounded. Kinda Egon Schiele-esque. (The other day I saw a drawing on tumblr and went, "woah, Egon Schiele-esque!" and then scrolled down to discover it was indeed one of his sketches. So you could say I'm an expert on the topic.)
By the end I'd totally forgotten that Kisuke was all about losing his viginity. Partially because I thought it had already happened by then. Not that the series felt directionless, just chill.
I noticed this in Give Me A Nickname too but Arai's characters... have leg hair. Could be I'm not too observant but I feel like manga characters rarely have body hair in general. Not that I have anything to say about it, just pointing out that I found a rare item.
That's just a great pen name there. Speaking of, there's a doujinshi artist called Article 60 of Criminal Code which is also top tier.
The hatching is gorgeous. Great art here in general. I love all Han Gitae's conspicuous shirts. It was kind of diasappointing that when Lee Jung-yool had to wear one of them he just did it with no comment. I guess he has too much else going on to have a strong opinion on Han Gitae's fashion sense.
Actually I did not finish this one. I made it close to the end... but Han Gitae begging Lee Jung-yool not to kill Myung Wonchul after he already killed all those people in the warehouse was so lame. Who cares about those NPCs, but if you kill the drug lord who kidnapped you then who is the real monster??
That and they really had no chemistry. Sorry to say. I was just wondering if this was really BL since there isn't any hint of romance between them and then they hooked up as if to spite me.
Despite doing a few things I normally can't stand, my impression upon finishing it was "aw, that was sweet." Tomoki ends up with a supportive partner and coworkers so it all worked out. Even Matsu turned out to be very cute.
Actually it didn't make much of an impact so most of what I have to say would be complaining about my usual pet peeves even though they're usually the kind of thing I'd stop reading over.
Given how Tomoki and Haru met the rape scene really shouldn't have felt so out of left field. (It's bad even if you thought he said yes earlier, Haru!)
Then the coworkers turning out to be nice and it was actually a misunderstanding. Usually that kind of thing comes across as obnoxious and trivializing but since Tomoki really was abused as his previous job it seemed natural that he'd be wary. Until the cozy scene with them drinking I didn't think of this aspect in this way at all, but it was a little too cozy after everything. Still, it was cute.
And his relationship with Haru being just sex. Since it ties back into Tomoki's other personal problems, giving Haru an impact on the story even when he's not around, it works narratively.
So there's my analysis of why this series didn't annoy me despite having an array of annoying elements.
Joining the chorus of people thanking BatsuTL for our lives.
My bias when it comes to Houjou-sensei and friends is that at the end of one of the volumes of How Do We Relationship? Tamifull talks about her schedule.
Maybe I'll write about that one sometime but knowing the author's insane schedule really casts a shadow over the whole series. Not that it's unusual but like. This is torture. It's incredible that a person can draw something that's even coherent on that timeframe. And for thirteen volumes!!
Anyway, Junko is a hero and I'm gifting her a gun.
As for Satomi and Kyouji, that artist I like posted enough about the looking back when the chapter originally released that I'm kinda. What's there to say. I already knew about it so I was spared the anguish of thinking maybe they'd see the other looking back.
Still slightly tormented about them as one tends to be. Many questions remain, like what is Kyouji thinking and what the hell is going on in Kyouji's head... Does he know how Satomi feels? Satomi saying he hopes the yakuza boss dies so Kyouji can quit is pretty... Is that a confession or am I just a fujoshi?
While at the beginning I thought "wait, who the hell are these people??" in the end I became way more invested in the manga artists than Satomi and Kyouji. My hopes for the future... sequel about Satomi & Kyouji (published in Canna...?? :3c ) or sequel about Junko (she's cool, I love her).
It's nothing like Odette at all.
The story is hard to follow. Particularly with Fuurin's interpretation of what's going on, I was never really sure whether to believe her. Like with the rabbit not being Nazuna's brother. At this point why couldn't her brother be a rabbit? But it seems like Fuurin was right so I guess that's how it is.
There are a few leaps of logic like that. Another instance at the ending, I couldn't tell if I should be taking Fuurin at face value and things got resolved off-screen or if she hit her head while I was turning the page.
As for the cat, I agree with Fuurin's sister that his emojis are incomprehensible. I think he'd have better luck recruiting people as a normal cat. Maybe that's part of his test.
Anyway I want to re-read Alien Nine at some point. In the meantime I read this. It's not good.
The little fang is always cute, this can't be denied.
I liked how weird Aoi and Ryota seemed in the beginning (enough that their friends mention it) but the general plot is kindaaaa..... The whole jealousy thing in this situation just comes off as pretty stupid. In a very very very (continuing) rare case such a thing can be cute. I think in Kitayama-kun & Minamiya-kun it was a little. That's the only example that comes to mind. More often it ruins the story for me, like if your partner has a problem with you having friends you need to just get out of there. I'm only invested in such a relationship insofar as it ends as soon as possible.
Fortunately this was not that case and was just kind of boring. It's a given that they love each other and they're basically already together at that point. Truly a plotline that is only padding.
A couple scenes in this series have the type of awkward conversations I like (to read)... When Aoki and Sumino run into his dad on the street and when he ends up eating at the cafe with his classmate after following Aoki there. Trying to talk around the subject. Also in the former having a somewhat harrowing encounter be treated casually... I mean, it was really funny the way it was presented but I feel kind of bad for laughing. Poor Sumino.
I liked his classmate in that other scene a lot. (Sorry I forgot her name already). Having someone else point out how weird Aoki is was very endearing. He sure doesn't have any tact around his perfect memory.
And then chapter seven came around and I realized I'd forgotten all of this was a flashback. Sumino seems so friendly with all his coworkers... I guess that was what he was like with his classmates pre-injury? Based on he doesn't seem to be enjoying it or have deeper relationships with any of them.
Ah.... volume two only just came out... eyes emoji... Aoki is so handsome on the cover.
since this is the first post i'll write a little about what the purpose of this blog cobbled together website is...
there is a maker of video essays i like who talks about eroge visual novels with a passion and sincerity that is very refreshing. it kind of makes me feel bad for reading so much bl manga that i forget about completely. even seeing an image later i only have a vague recollection... and a lot of them were really good and deserve better.
therefore i'd like to record some of my thoughts. posting online, well i'll prolly wait until i have at least a few entries but anyhow, it's not more embarrassing than happening upon this later myself and witnessing how few thoughts i really have. prolly just the art is good or whatever. i'll have... as much substance as gets me to actually write stuff here.
also if there gets to be too many posts my current plan is to create an archive by date.
as for something i've read recently. (at some point i want to go over ones i've read before as well but for now...)
I read them because an artist I follow was posting a lot about Satomi/Kyouji and as a result I am soooo normal about them. Which is kinda the biggest draw... In my youth I was a big fan of age gap stuff but I say I'm not interested anymore. However. Sometimes it's just good.
Because that's how I got into the series I wasn't expecting all the mangaka stuff with Houjou. But it's pretty funny. Wayama's work has this casual understated (humor? but also everything else) that I eventually got bored of when I read Girls' Garden. Well, I like it up until I reach a critical point of thinking something bigger is going to happen that never does.
Anyway at the time of reading Famires I was frantically trying to finish drawing a comic in time for an upcoming convention (failed) and meet a real deadline for drawing thumbnails (succeeded) so I was able to console myself knowing Houjou-sensei was suffering worse. In a way it felt like I was getting the full Famires experience...
