okusawamiikun’s 30 Day Challenge!

Day 30: Cover you want to see

Silver Spoon's OP 1, Kiss you, by HaroHapi! It's a fun song from a fun slice-of-life anime about farming, that's all there is to it really

So that's a wrap I guess, this challenge was super interesting to do!

The card artists always do an exceptional job with facial expressions and I feel like this new set esp captures each girl's personality so well?? They're all smiling in the trained art but with so much individuality

All. this. uncontained emotion. AYA YOU'RE KILLING ME STOPPP. Look at the slant of her eyebrows this girl cries at the drop of a hat and never tries to hide it and you can tell

The face of someone who's trained herself to force down her feelings. Combine that with how she's kinda defensively shrinking in on herself and guys I am in p a i n

More of a classic :D face but idk in the context of everyone else crying/being super worked up it puts emphasis on Hina's carefree optimism?

There's a reason Samurai Eve is my fav card in the game rn I'm weak for that bold determined look. Eve is fearless and strong-willed and more than just another nice girl

That wide geeky unassuming smile? It's so Maya? I can just hear her doing a little "huhehe" while in tears, her voice catching and can you tell I like to stab myself in the chest

So. Eyebrows are good things to possess and I am glad they exist

(ALSO I just noticed the attributes lmao, four of them may have the power of smiles (wrong band?) but Eve . . . Eve has transcended that realm and rules over them all)

I'M

HELP

I DON'T USUALLY SCREAM ON HERE BUT THIS RINARI STUCO EVENT IS MAKING ME COMBUST I'M SMILING SO HARD THIS IS IT I'VE LOST IT HAVEN'T I

Spoilers ahead! (I only know very basic Japanese but I at least understood the gist of it ghfg)

It just. It was everything I wanted that the anime didn't delve into. Rinko and Arisa being socially anxious dorks who can't even hold a conversation with each other at first, then discovering their common interest in books, then getting nervous all over again bc one conversation where they managed to break the ice doesn't mean everything's fine and dandy. Then chaos ensuing in the student council room and both of them panicking before Rinko sees that Arisa is in the same state as her and calms herself down, bc as I said in this post anxious people do tend to be calmer when there's someone freaking out beside them (I feel incredibly smug rn it actually happened aaa). I'm so proud of Rinko. Look how far she's come, she just steps up like the leader she is and takes control of the situation

But that's not all. THEY OPEN UP TO EACH OTHER AFTER THAT. Rinko, who barely said a word to Arisa before, just pours her heart out and tells Arisa everything about her desire to change and her reasons for becoming stuco prez. And Arisa? Arisa responds with admiration. When Rinko starts doubting herself Arisa immediately goes, "No no I think that's amazing!" Pure gfs validating each other? My heart?? And you know what? Arisa understands. Both of them understand each other's struggles so well bc they're very, very similar and that puts Arisa in a safe space to open up to Rinko too. Which she does, and that, needless to say, is a Really Big Deal. It's not like she hasn't been honest about her issues before, but it isn't something she's comfortable doing, and here in Rinko's presence it just happens without anyone needing to push her bc how else do you respond to someone so much like you, who just voiced her insecurities and feelings like it was nothing?

I'm so happy rn, I've been in this formerly barren, content-less hell by the name of RinAri since April 2018 and I was nervous watching this event video tbh bc what if my interpretation of the characters was completely off and they had no chemistry and I'd have to leave this hell to implode in defeat, at least where canon's concerned? But no, Bandori gave me more than I could've asked for and it was the cutest thing oh my god I love this game

Ok if there are any inaccuracies please tell me, my knowledge of Japanese comes from beginner uni courses and some recognition of kanji from Chinese and I am very Not Okay atm. Thank you for listening to me ramble I'm gonna scream to the rooftops (or I would if it wasn't the middle of the night)

okusawamiikun’s 30 Day Challenge!

Day 19: Favourite costume set

I know I put Ako and Rinko on the wrong sides shh

This. All of this. The black and purple with gold trim, the antique watches, the tiny gears, the sheer gloves/cuffs, the variation between skirts and pants, those hats that could take someone's eye out . . . there's so much detail and it looks incredible when everything comes together

It's not Hikawa Day anymore here but still hbd my children <3

okusawamiikun’s 30 Day Challenge!

Day 26: Favourite rarepair

Yes they're my best girls but iN MY DEFENCE Rinko was only my third favourite when I started entertaining the idea of them being a thing (which was way before they had any sort of notable interaction, why am I like this). Anyway hear me out I swear I have actual reasons for this

So we've seen that shy characters—well, Rimi at least, but it's reasonable to assume others would have the same effect—bring out Arisa's soft side. And while I love Arisa and Rimi's friendship and would totally read a fic with them as a ship I don't really see their relationship as romantic, I just can't shake that little sister vibe Rimi has.

Anyhow Arisa would be really sweet to Rinko and she'd also understand Rinko's social anxiety even though they're not affected to the same extent. I saw a post recently about how anxious people often have no problem doing something they'd usually avoid for someone even more anxious than them, as long as it is for the other person and not themselves—which is, from personal experience, so true. I can see Arisa being that way, and Rinko too depending on the situation.

Arisa would also look up to Rinko as a pianist and as a person. She'd admire Rinko's slow but self-assured way of talking (when she's not stuttering), and in turn Rinko would find Arisa's quick-fire style kinda charming.

Rinko would see right through Arisa's pretences because her emotional intelligence is off the charts and would know to respect her boundaries. But if Arisa ever lets her brusqueness get the better of her and accidentally says something she shouldn't, Rinko is also confident enough to stand up for herself. She wouldn't let Arisa try to cut her off and blame herself either.

Naturally, since both of them are introverts who need time to themselves but crave time with others too, they'd have days where they just sit together in silence and read/game/browse the net. They could get each other into their respective hobbies too—bonsai would be calming for Rinko, and Arisa, if she games, probably doesn't do it as much as Rinko does. And student council interactions? Staying late doing paperwork and falling asleep?? Yes???

So uh there you have it bye

Hello let me just inform you on this lovely day that I'm sCREAMING RN

RINARI RINARI RINARI FEED ME THE GOOD RAREPAIR CONTENT CRAFT EGG I HAVE WAITED FOR THIS DAY

. . . I got excited for a moment but alas the curse of the Challenge Live strikes again

At least that shiny AP star exists for a fleeting while I guess

Out of curiosity, who else liked the first season of the anime more than the second one?

I feel like people talk smack about S1 a lot—I mean I wasn't too impressed by it at first either but a rewatch in the lead-up to S2 was enough to change my mind. Idk I think certain scenes might come across as melodramatic bc they rely on implication more than anything, which is a lot easier to appreciate the second time around when you know the characters/franchise better. For me at least it went from "She's bursting into tears, ok I guess" to "It may be sudden but her fear of letting others down hasn't been shown, that's all" and "This is Star Beat we're looking at, her reaction makes sense." The best part though imo is and has always been Kasumi's arc. Heck that hurt so good and felt so genuine.

I think S1's greatest strength is its character development, which holds despite its flaws. At the risk of being accused of favouritism lmao, I generally prefer the game's writing (while acknowledging a visual novel is way easier to write than an anime), but it's such a shame that out of all the PoPiPa girls only Arisa is regularly given the spotlight and depth S1 shows, though granted S1 Arisa has more of a supporting role so you could say she deserves it. Rimi though? Rimi's Gift of Song and Earnest Song for Me are great but more please. (Also JP players, I haven't gone through all the mixed event stories involving PoPiPa girls so slap me if there's one that suddenly decided to be super deep)

This is a S1 appreciation post but I'm not hating on S2 or anything! I just liked S1 better and I'm curious about what you guys thought

The fact that the PoPiPa version of Returns is a full minor third/one and a half steps higher than Tae's is really funny to me bc somewhere along the way they must've had a conversation like

"Hmm can we bump this up into C major"

". . . Ok Kasumi we know your voice is super high but why would you voluntarily make yourself hit F5s for no reason"

"Because uhh . . . C major is the easiest key!"

"??? Most of our songs are in other keys and you're fine with those??"

". . . Well! Um! It's symbolism! A 'return' to the uhh . . . simplicity of our roots amirite hehe~"

At which point everyone just gives up and goes with it but hey, it sure ended up sounding nice

Heck I'm glad there were hints, I started in the witching hours when there weren't any yet and gave up scrolling through all the help pages hh

As an idiot who spent an embarrassing amount of time replaying the new 2nd anniversary Bushimo and Kurafuto Eggu voice compilations and comparing them to the old ones, I just wanna say that 1) the seiyuu sound like they’re a lot closer to their roles now as you’d expect and 2) I’m kinda hearing character development in some cases? I’m probably overanalysing but??

Little changes that make me stupidly happy: Tae sounds simultaneously more airheaded and mature, Arisa’s voice is deeper and less ojousama-like, Ako’s is even more energetic than before, Eve’s has more bushido oomph (like I actually almost heard bushido instead of Bushimo), Ran’s is more assertive, as is Tomoe’s, Kokoro’s has become the literal embodiment of sunshine, Kanon’s is more serene, Misaki sounds less jaded and Kaoru . . . I didn’t think she could get more ikemen but boy did she nail it

They . . . they grow up so fast . . . I miss Akeshan and Yurishii something fierce but stan Nonchan and Yukki

I wanna hear Nonchan sing