RuthisianCodex

@Kity you are very talented! How do you do most of your art? Is it digital or do you use colored pencils or paint? 

Youthful

Welcome in. Wish I could help but I'm not familiar with any buddah anime. 

4 hours ago, Wedgy said:

I wanted to expand on this a bit further with a couple more thoughts.

I find a link metaphorically between the Zodiac curse and the abuse. It represents the difficulties they face with trust and love that were broken in some form or another by their upbringing. I don't know if it was intentional or not on the author's end, but I find it uncannily representative. When a victim of abuse is offered love and comfort, they can sometimes become a cornered animal and this can change how others view them, so they push people away. The Sohmas quite literally will push people away. 

When you're in the midst of such a situation, you're likewise afraid to part ways with the abuser. Often, the abuser also is a source of dependance for the victim. As explained in a recent episode, the parents of Zodiac children are given a much higher salary from the family for their burden. 

This brings me to my next observation. Tohru exists as a clear picture of cutting the cord. She has no parents, and effectively lives on her own. We saw early on that her home situation wasn't great, either. But, in emancipating herself, she's happy at the end of the day, even if it's not easy for her. One could make the argument she depends on Shigure and the boys, but I see that as an example of a healthy codependency.

Sorry for the soup of inner musings. That's what happens when you take a good shower I guess.

I definitely agree with your analysis of the link between them being Zodiac animals & their distance from others & I'd like to expand on what you've pointed out.

The real tragedy of their denial of closeness with others is that it's not only based on Akito's manipulation & abuse; there are actual, traumatic consequences that have resulted from them embracing who they are. This combination of ingrained fear can make it next to impossible for them to not self sabotage to at least some degree because they've experienced first hand how far some people will go if they don't like who you are. 

Everything from bullying at school to suicide to losing the love of their life to being imprisoned, these Zodiac members have been through Hell at every turn. And you know what the worst part is? These types of things don't just happen in anime, they happen in REAL life. That's what makes this hit so hard for me. People get bullied, kill themselves, leave their significant others, & even get jailed due to not being what society may deem as acceptable every single day. I mean these things are happening right now as I type this. Think about that for a moment. 

People also shut down emotionally or verbally, self harm, & fall prey to delusional thinking or risky behaviors due to these issues as well. Ayame is great example of this by way of his overly sexual nature & endless need for attention. Any attention is good attention to him no matter how uncomfortable it may make the people around him. Haru is another example due to his going 'dark' when he's upset & becoming extremely confrontational & violent. In both of these characters, their coping mechanisms for stress are extreme. Shigure honesty gets a kick out of seeing those around him upset so he behaves in a majorly passive aggressive manner to ensure that there is always at least a little chaos going on. He then tries to play it off as joking around but in reality it is actually quite mean spirited. 

Overall, I think that what the creators of Fruits Basket have done is utterly brilliant & I'm so glad I've started watching this show. 

I think this would be a cool cosplay to do

12 hours ago, Wedgy said:

I was thinking about Kureno's appearance (finally!) and it had me thinking on something that I can't precisely recall about the manga because it's been so many years since I read it. Kureno is basically enabling Akito by allowing her to control him- he even says as much to Arisa (even if she doesn't understand the context) that he isn't allowed anywhere. This is because he is another victim of Akito's abuse. I'm noticing now a lot more about the larger, darker themes of Fruits Basket and the domestic issues it brings to the viewer's attention. Almost every Zodiac has experienced some form of abuse, and Akito's name is written all over it. However, they all accept it that "this is just how things are"; Kyo doesn't even seem to consider the option that he could simply run away, to a different country if he has to, to avoid solitary confinement. And there don't seem to be many other Sohmas willing to stand up and say "that's not right!" There could be an element of their curse that keeps them tethered to the family, but if there was, I don't remember it ever being brought up. 

Any thoughts about this?

YES! The devastating & lasting effects that stem from a life ruled by a dysfunctional family structure paired with domestic abuse is a huge theme in this show I feel. Also, the show highlights the different ways that grief changes people. 

One example is in episode 24 between Kyo & Tohru. He actually states that he's so afraid of losing another person that he's going to do as much damage to them as he can. Basically, if I'm gonna get hurt, I'm taking you down with me. Because of my own life experiences & my experiences in helping out at organizations that help abuse survivors, that whole scene messed me up. Not only do we have someone who has been traumatized by abuse & neglect almost to the point of no return, but also he feels so helpless that the only viable coping mechanism is to lash out at others. Yet underneath all that pain is an overwhelming desire to be loved, accepted, and to feel safe. And he treated her like this from the start because his past experiences had tricked him into believing that he really is unlovable & unwanted. Geez, my eyes are watering just typing about this! 

The worst part about Akito to me is that she knows damn well what's she's doing is wrong but she genuinely enjoys terrorizing others because I think deep down she hates her own frailty. Remember, she's got some kind of health condition or something. Personally, I think she suffers from 'Needs to Get Her A** Kicked' disease but that's just me. Seriously though, she's like the living embodiment of misery loves company & the scene where she takes Kureno in her arms sent a shiver all up my back. They even mention that she hurt Yuki so badly that he stopped talking at one point. Good grief. All I know is that there better be a backstory on her & how she came to be the way she is because I need to know what the root cause of all of this is truly about. I'm also dying to know what is the relationship between Akito & Shigure about at its core? I want to like Shigure & admittedly, I do a little bit. But gosh, there is just something about him that I don't like & don't trust at all. 

So many characters have been directly or indirectly harmed by Akito's actions. So sad. 

Temerity

I bet I could do this 

Watching Elfen Lied and Another this weekend & then may check out either Fairy Tail or a new one called Listeners. 

#TeamMikasa4Ever

OMG...I am going here for sure if I can! It more than likely won't be at the same place because I think this was just an event they were doing for a limited time but I'm sure someone else must have a cafe like this, maybe at Universal Studios Japan or somewhere. 

1 hour ago, Nelson said:

Came in late to the party. I've seen the entire show up to this point and couldn't wait for its return since it's supposed to be the final season.

The movie was horrible.

I may still check out the movie just to say I've seen it.  But to be fair, you'd need a team of people that include James Cameron & the director of Train to Busan, & a hint of Michael Bay in addition to some of the people who work on the anime to get an Attack on Titan movie to be anything close to being as good as the show. Not to mention it would need to be in XD 3-D so you really get sucked into the aerial battles. I just learned that they have an Attack on Titan virtual ride at Universal Studios Japan & I'm already planning a trip to go once COVID-19 is under better control. 

23 minutes ago, Kity said:

Eat my victim to become the first female Colossal Titan.

 

That makes me want to re-watch the part where they are chasing down the Female Titan and she just starts demolishing everybody.

I'm just glad to finally have a group of people that I can discuss indie horror games with who actually enjoy them as well. 

Just downloaded a game called Death Coming. It's free on the Epic Store right now & basically you play as a grim reaper who goes around wiping people out all over the place while angels try to stop you. Should be hilarious.

Hello & welcome in. Hope you enjoy your time here. 

Another good RPG maker horror game that I've played is called Lucie & it's free on Steam. 

I got on Orbitz.com just to do some pricing on trips for later this year & I've gotta say the range in prices for domestic versus international travel is very interesting. A trip to Akihabara for a week costs less than $2,000 including airfare & hotel but a trip to New Mexico for the same time frame is well over $2,000 & even closer to $3,000 in some cases. Now I'm just sitting here really wanting to book a trip to Japan but I won't because I don't want to have to turn right around & cancel it.

I've actually tried this myself & it works:

I love simple videos like this: 

Most of the ingredients are easy to find, very affordable, & easy to switch out with other ingredients if you wish. 

I really wasn't very hungry this morning so I just had a bowl of blueberries sprinkled with some cinnamon. 

I could hardly get through Momiji's episode where we learn about what happened to his mom. 

That was friggin' intense. 

Hey guys! Since all my long distance travel plans for this year have been cancelled due to the pandemic, I've decided to start planning some trips for 2021 & beyond. Over the last 6 months my love for anime has grown tremendously & since I've always wanted to visit Japan anyway, I've decided to plan a trip to Akihabara, which is the anime district in Tokyo! I'd like to stay at the Tokyo Prince Hotel because they actually have a My Hero Academia suite that I would love to stay in but I would also like to spend some time in Kyoto if possible. And I'd also like to stop by the Swallowtail Butler Cafe since I'm a huge Black Butler fan as well. 

Here are some links for more information about the Tokyo Prince Hotel & Swallowtail Butler Cafe if anyone is interested in checking them out:

https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/275169

https://livejapan.com/en/in-tokyo/in-pref-tokyo/in-ikebukuro/article-a0000531/

Has anyone else here gone on trips like this? If so, where & how was it? Can you recommend any cool places to check out? 

UPDATE: Alright so apparently, the Tokyo Prince Hotel no longer has the MHA themed rooms since it was only until February 2020. However, I find it hard to believe that no other hotel in the anime district would have rooms like that so I will dig around & see what other themed hotels I can find. 

Also, for all MHA fans there is a My Hero Convention happening in Birmingham, Alabama this year from Oct 16th to Oct 18th IF it doesn't get cancelled due to COVID-19 & more information can be found here:

https://myheroconvention.com/