Tsuzuki/Hisoka (Yami no Matsuei)
Sep. 3rd, 2004 08:40 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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ship_manifestoTitle: Partners: Tsuzuki and Hisoka
Author: Brigdh
Spoilers: Not really.
Email: Brigdh@yahoo.com
Personal Website: nextdooruniverse
Hisoka: Wanna hear our fortune from this morning?
Tsuzuki: Tell me! Tell me!
Hisoka: Our compatibility is...
Tsuzuki: Yeah? Yeah?
Hisoka: Positively and absolutely... zero.
Tsuzuki: How mean.
Hisoka: But I don't think things can get any worse. We've already hit rock bottom. All we can do now is climb up.
-Yami no Matsuei, episode 11
Yami no Matsuei. The title translates into the somewhat less pretty "The Descendants of Darkness". Yeah, translates. This is an anime/manga series, complete with all the big-eyed animation and occasionally confusing cultural references that entails. If you're feeling skeptical already, trust me, I know where you're coming from. A few years ago I'd never seen an anime, nor did I have any particular desire to do so. It wasn't that I had anything against them, it was just that when I went looking for angst and drama and humor and romance, I didn't go looking in Japanese cartoons.
Which was a total mistake. From the moment of my first contact with Yami no Matsuei- which was the music vid Possession by WTF- I wanted more. More of the amazingly beautiful characters, more of their funny and sad world, more of the tragic backstories and light, daily banter, more of the fascinating, complex relationships that tied one character to another. And of course, more of the ever-present subtext, which constantly seems to be trying to erase that 'sub' part.
Tsuzuki:He's cute when he's quiet. Maybe I'll kiss him.
-Volume 1, Chapter 2
It's hard to put the appeal of Tsuzuki/Hisoka into a few words. They don't fit into any of the typical categories of pairings. They're certainly not childhood sweethearts, or rivals, or archenemies. They don't quite fit the 'snarky partners' vibe of buddy-cop dramas. You could describe them as 'best friends turned lovers', but that doesn't feel right either. And they do have traces of the epic, destined type love, but... Well, Romeo would never have started an 'I need you!' speech by calling Juliet an idiot.
They are my OTP. I am completely, embarrassingly devoted to the pairing, for over two years now. I don't think it's possible to watch or read the series and not see that there's something special between them, however you might choose to interpret that. What it all comes down to, for me, is pretty simple: Tsuzuki and Hisoka fit together. Neither of them is perfect- they're both pretty far from it, actually. But they balance each other. Where one is weak, the other is strong. Where one is afraid, the other is brave. Where one despairs, the other prevails. They're both needy and crippled and broken, but together, they hold up. They become better. And there's something wonderful and beautiful in watching that.
Plus, they're both really, really pretty.
Hisoka: You're happy that I'm back to being sharp-tongued?
Tsuzuki: Yup. Happy.
-Volume 3, Chapter 4
So, how about some background? Tsuzuki Asato (that's the Japanese name order, by the way: family name first and given name last) was born in 1900. He killed himself in 1926, after spending eight years catatonic in a mental hospital, a state possibly triggered by some catastrophic event. He's the taller, dark-haired one in the picture. He's also the main character in a series that starts up seventy years later.
Yami no Matsuei, you see, is about shinigami- that's "gods of death", the Japanese equivalent to the Grim Reaper. It turns out that the Underworld is really just a giant bureaucracy, and even death isn't enough to get you out of paper work and budgets. According to the mythology, there's a special registrar to keep track of the lifespan of every person in the country, and when and how they're supposed to die. But things don't always go right. Sometimes people die when they should live, sometimes people live when they should die, and sometimes a demon or vampire or sorcerer shows up and starts really confusing things. This is why the shinigami are allowed to hang around: when things go wrong, they're sent in to investigate and fix the problem. They're like undead FBI agents.
Every shinigami starts out as a normal human being, one who died before they were ready. That's the only requirement for getting the job: a tie to the mortal world so strong that the soul refuses to move on. It's a great system and provides plenty of willing workers, but it doesn't exactly lead to a staff that's what you could call stable and balanced. As a safeguard, the shinigami work in pairs, to protect and keep an eye on one another.
Tsuzuki has a bit of a problem with that. He just can't keep a partner. It's not his fault, but anyone put with him always resigns or dies or moves on or demands reassignment. He's 96 at the beginning of the series, and he's never managed to stick with a partner for more than two years. Tsuzuki is an immature, lazy slob who's content to stay in the backwoods where cases are few and easy instead of doing actual work. He's a drunk, a glutton with a huge sweet tooth, and prefers to pretend that paperwork doesn't exist. He's touchy-feely and clingy and just wants to become very bestest friends with everyone he meets. He's far too sensitive. He can't stand to hurt anyone or anything and has no respect for himself. And, apparently, his bouncy, happy, scatterbrain personality covers a huge well of self-hatred and suicidal tendencies.
Kurosaki Hisoka dies in 1996, after three years of an illness that no one was able to diagnosis, let alone cure. He's 16 at the time. After accidentally overhearing that he may have been murdered rather than dying naturally, he becomes a shinigami to discover the truth and gets shunted off to serve as Tsuzuki's partner.
Hisoka is the latest heir of an ancient, noble family, and his upbringing was strict, cold and severe. It didn't help that he's an empath and his parents locked him in a cell for fear of the shame he might bring to them. He's the blond one (and don't ask why a traditional Japanese family are all blond-haired and green-eyed. It's better not to think too hard about it). He doesn't like to be touched, he doesn't like people, and he doesn't like to share feelings or really talk at all. He's very stand-offish and short-tempered. He gets his work done, is neat and tidy and avoids most extremes- except for when he's angry, which is often and scary. He's stubborn, sarcastic and rude, obsessed with being seen as mature, and is generally your average teenage brat.
They do not hit it off well, which is a huge understatement since Hisoka reacts to seeing Tsuzuki for the first time by pulling a gun on the poor man. Sure, it's only because he thought Tsuzuki was the vampire they were chasing, but it's not exactly a promising way to start a new partnership. Things get better after that.
Eventually.
Hisoka: Wha... What are you doing, ready your blade! I have to defeat you! I have to get back Tsuzuki!
-Volume 8, Chapter 2
Tsuzuki and Hisoka do have one thing in common: they desperately want you to think they are simple, one-dimensional. Neither of them is very good at keeping up the act, but they sure try hard, even though they see through each other with ease. Tsuzuki isn't stupid or lazy; he carries more guilt and remorse than one person should ever have to feel, and he will never get used to the cases that require them to take a human life. He clearly believes that he's worthless, and yet he craves acceptance and love, a dichotomy that drives him to present himself as the office idiot, someone funny and friendly and likable.
Hisoka is not nearly as cruel as he tries to be. He pushes people away to protect himself from yet another betrayal. He's angry so that he doesn't have to be afraid; misanthropic so that he doesn't have to be lonely.
But it's not all a front, either. Tsuzuki is genuinely sweet and kind, more than capable of the easy, frank affection that Hisoka can't manage. He does like sunny mornings and ice cream and puppies, and he takes joy in little things. He's gentle and patient and pretty much everything else Hisoka's not going to be if he has a hundred years to grow up. He's absolutely honest in this one area, if nowhere else: he would never betray a trust, nor hurt a loved one. Tsuzuki always cares, no matter how it hurts him. And Hisoka is brave and strong, which he might realize if he stopped trying so hard to be braver and stronger. He is straight forward; when he says something, he means it. Tsuzuki, who is forever doubting and uncertain- especially about himself- relies on that unflinching steadiness. Hisoka isn't concerned about the right thing to do. He barges in and just does something, whether it's taking on a monster head-first or dealing with Tsuzuki mid-nervous-breakdown. He's fiercely loyal and protective, and too stubborn to ever admit giving up would be a good idea, but that means he keeps fighting where Tsuzuki surrenders.
A relationship between them isn't going to fix all their problems. Because, boy, do these two have problems. I haven't mentioned most of them, because they tend to constitute spoilers, but they're bad enough that I'm incapable of watching the anime without yelling at the screen, "Therapy! You NEED to be in therapy!" Tsuzuki/Hisoka doesn't provide a fix-it for the darkness in both characters' pasts, nor will it instantly heal all their wounds. But it does give them the opportunity to try again, to make something better out of what life has given them. And by the end of the series, I wanted that badly, wanted them to be happy after all they'd been through. When written well, Tsuzuki/Hisoka is needy and messy and hard and rough and trying, but ultimately uplifting (Most of the time. Dark fics can be pretty freakin' depressing). They've got a fun dynamic. They're nearly constantly arguing over little things, or annoying each other. They'll do something so sweet for each other, and then try to hide it or pretend that they don't care. And in little things, you can see their confidence and devotion to each other- the way Tsuzuki is always finding excuses to touch Hisoka, and the way Hisoka watches Tsuzuki when he thinks he's not looking, and how, when it's important, when things matter, all the stupid frustrating stuff falls away and they would do anything for each other.
They just go together. They trust each other, depend on each other, and irritate the hell out of each other. They risk their lives to rescue each other- and throw away life to be together, and reclaim life because of each other. They're steadier, happier people together- sexual relationship or no- than they are apart. To me, this pairing is the hope that no one is broken past repair, that you get another chance, and that love sometimes actually does save the day.
There's this moment at the end of the Kyoto Arc, where Hisoka's wrapped around Tsuzuki and they're both crying, and Tsuzuki finally, finally, brings his arms up around Hisoka, and everything is destruction and terror on all sides, everything is a roaring black inferno, and the building is crashing down all around them, and then Tsuzuki just... relaxes into Hisoka's hold with this little noise of happiness and contentment. Yeah. That's my OTP. In the midst of hell, but together. And surviving.
Hisoka: Why do that for me? Why? I... I don't deserve...
Tsuzuki: Because you're my partner.
Hisoka: Stupid.
-Yami no Matsuei, Episode 3
Recs:
Karmic Ocean Dried Up by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ranalore
Long Way Down byyasminm
Stupidity bythreewalls
Learning the Ropes byrackhamrose
The City of Lost Causes by Dorian Gray
Monsters Under the Bed by Katalyst
Hatsuyuki by fuu
Little Things, byciceqi
The series bybeeblebabe and geekerypokery:
Wall
Good Enough
Breakfast of Champions
Sodomy of Errors
Traditions bybeeblebabe alone
Twice as Hard bygeekerypokery alone
The Sleep To Dream AU series byamet (incomplete)
The Price of Falling series bysephyelysian (incomplete)
Vids:
Momentum byboniblithe
Translations from the manga are from theria.net, minus the excess line breaks and exclamation points. Translations from the episodes are from my fansubs.
Author: Brigdh
Spoilers: Not really.
Email: Brigdh@yahoo.com
Personal Website: nextdooruniverse
Hisoka: Wanna hear our fortune from this morning?
Tsuzuki: Tell me! Tell me!
Hisoka: Our compatibility is...
Tsuzuki: Yeah? Yeah?
Hisoka: Positively and absolutely... zero.
Tsuzuki: How mean.
Hisoka: But I don't think things can get any worse. We've already hit rock bottom. All we can do now is climb up.
-Yami no Matsuei, episode 11
Yami no Matsuei. The title translates into the somewhat less pretty "The Descendants of Darkness". Yeah, translates. This is an anime/manga series, complete with all the big-eyed animation and occasionally confusing cultural references that entails. If you're feeling skeptical already, trust me, I know where you're coming from. A few years ago I'd never seen an anime, nor did I have any particular desire to do so. It wasn't that I had anything against them, it was just that when I went looking for angst and drama and humor and romance, I didn't go looking in Japanese cartoons.
Which was a total mistake. From the moment of my first contact with Yami no Matsuei- which was the music vid Possession by WTF- I wanted more. More of the amazingly beautiful characters, more of their funny and sad world, more of the tragic backstories and light, daily banter, more of the fascinating, complex relationships that tied one character to another. And of course, more of the ever-present subtext, which constantly seems to be trying to erase that 'sub' part.
Tsuzuki:He's cute when he's quiet. Maybe I'll kiss him.
-Volume 1, Chapter 2
It's hard to put the appeal of Tsuzuki/Hisoka into a few words. They don't fit into any of the typical categories of pairings. They're certainly not childhood sweethearts, or rivals, or archenemies. They don't quite fit the 'snarky partners' vibe of buddy-cop dramas. You could describe them as 'best friends turned lovers', but that doesn't feel right either. And they do have traces of the epic, destined type love, but... Well, Romeo would never have started an 'I need you!' speech by calling Juliet an idiot.
They are my OTP. I am completely, embarrassingly devoted to the pairing, for over two years now. I don't think it's possible to watch or read the series and not see that there's something special between them, however you might choose to interpret that. What it all comes down to, for me, is pretty simple: Tsuzuki and Hisoka fit together. Neither of them is perfect- they're both pretty far from it, actually. But they balance each other. Where one is weak, the other is strong. Where one is afraid, the other is brave. Where one despairs, the other prevails. They're both needy and crippled and broken, but together, they hold up. They become better. And there's something wonderful and beautiful in watching that.
Plus, they're both really, really pretty.
Hisoka: You're happy that I'm back to being sharp-tongued?
Tsuzuki: Yup. Happy.
-Volume 3, Chapter 4
So, how about some background? Tsuzuki Asato (that's the Japanese name order, by the way: family name first and given name last) was born in 1900. He killed himself in 1926, after spending eight years catatonic in a mental hospital, a state possibly triggered by some catastrophic event. He's the taller, dark-haired one in the picture. He's also the main character in a series that starts up seventy years later.
Yami no Matsuei, you see, is about shinigami- that's "gods of death", the Japanese equivalent to the Grim Reaper. It turns out that the Underworld is really just a giant bureaucracy, and even death isn't enough to get you out of paper work and budgets. According to the mythology, there's a special registrar to keep track of the lifespan of every person in the country, and when and how they're supposed to die. But things don't always go right. Sometimes people die when they should live, sometimes people live when they should die, and sometimes a demon or vampire or sorcerer shows up and starts really confusing things. This is why the shinigami are allowed to hang around: when things go wrong, they're sent in to investigate and fix the problem. They're like undead FBI agents.
Every shinigami starts out as a normal human being, one who died before they were ready. That's the only requirement for getting the job: a tie to the mortal world so strong that the soul refuses to move on. It's a great system and provides plenty of willing workers, but it doesn't exactly lead to a staff that's what you could call stable and balanced. As a safeguard, the shinigami work in pairs, to protect and keep an eye on one another.
Tsuzuki has a bit of a problem with that. He just can't keep a partner. It's not his fault, but anyone put with him always resigns or dies or moves on or demands reassignment. He's 96 at the beginning of the series, and he's never managed to stick with a partner for more than two years. Tsuzuki is an immature, lazy slob who's content to stay in the backwoods where cases are few and easy instead of doing actual work. He's a drunk, a glutton with a huge sweet tooth, and prefers to pretend that paperwork doesn't exist. He's touchy-feely and clingy and just wants to become very bestest friends with everyone he meets. He's far too sensitive. He can't stand to hurt anyone or anything and has no respect for himself. And, apparently, his bouncy, happy, scatterbrain personality covers a huge well of self-hatred and suicidal tendencies.
Kurosaki Hisoka dies in 1996, after three years of an illness that no one was able to diagnosis, let alone cure. He's 16 at the time. After accidentally overhearing that he may have been murdered rather than dying naturally, he becomes a shinigami to discover the truth and gets shunted off to serve as Tsuzuki's partner.
Hisoka is the latest heir of an ancient, noble family, and his upbringing was strict, cold and severe. It didn't help that he's an empath and his parents locked him in a cell for fear of the shame he might bring to them. He's the blond one (and don't ask why a traditional Japanese family are all blond-haired and green-eyed. It's better not to think too hard about it). He doesn't like to be touched, he doesn't like people, and he doesn't like to share feelings or really talk at all. He's very stand-offish and short-tempered. He gets his work done, is neat and tidy and avoids most extremes- except for when he's angry, which is often and scary. He's stubborn, sarcastic and rude, obsessed with being seen as mature, and is generally your average teenage brat.
They do not hit it off well, which is a huge understatement since Hisoka reacts to seeing Tsuzuki for the first time by pulling a gun on the poor man. Sure, it's only because he thought Tsuzuki was the vampire they were chasing, but it's not exactly a promising way to start a new partnership. Things get better after that.
Eventually.
Hisoka: Wha... What are you doing, ready your blade! I have to defeat you! I have to get back Tsuzuki!
-Volume 8, Chapter 2
Tsuzuki and Hisoka do have one thing in common: they desperately want you to think they are simple, one-dimensional. Neither of them is very good at keeping up the act, but they sure try hard, even though they see through each other with ease. Tsuzuki isn't stupid or lazy; he carries more guilt and remorse than one person should ever have to feel, and he will never get used to the cases that require them to take a human life. He clearly believes that he's worthless, and yet he craves acceptance and love, a dichotomy that drives him to present himself as the office idiot, someone funny and friendly and likable.
Hisoka is not nearly as cruel as he tries to be. He pushes people away to protect himself from yet another betrayal. He's angry so that he doesn't have to be afraid; misanthropic so that he doesn't have to be lonely.
But it's not all a front, either. Tsuzuki is genuinely sweet and kind, more than capable of the easy, frank affection that Hisoka can't manage. He does like sunny mornings and ice cream and puppies, and he takes joy in little things. He's gentle and patient and pretty much everything else Hisoka's not going to be if he has a hundred years to grow up. He's absolutely honest in this one area, if nowhere else: he would never betray a trust, nor hurt a loved one. Tsuzuki always cares, no matter how it hurts him. And Hisoka is brave and strong, which he might realize if he stopped trying so hard to be braver and stronger. He is straight forward; when he says something, he means it. Tsuzuki, who is forever doubting and uncertain- especially about himself- relies on that unflinching steadiness. Hisoka isn't concerned about the right thing to do. He barges in and just does something, whether it's taking on a monster head-first or dealing with Tsuzuki mid-nervous-breakdown. He's fiercely loyal and protective, and too stubborn to ever admit giving up would be a good idea, but that means he keeps fighting where Tsuzuki surrenders.
A relationship between them isn't going to fix all their problems. Because, boy, do these two have problems. I haven't mentioned most of them, because they tend to constitute spoilers, but they're bad enough that I'm incapable of watching the anime without yelling at the screen, "Therapy! You NEED to be in therapy!" Tsuzuki/Hisoka doesn't provide a fix-it for the darkness in both characters' pasts, nor will it instantly heal all their wounds. But it does give them the opportunity to try again, to make something better out of what life has given them. And by the end of the series, I wanted that badly, wanted them to be happy after all they'd been through. When written well, Tsuzuki/Hisoka is needy and messy and hard and rough and trying, but ultimately uplifting (Most of the time. Dark fics can be pretty freakin' depressing). They've got a fun dynamic. They're nearly constantly arguing over little things, or annoying each other. They'll do something so sweet for each other, and then try to hide it or pretend that they don't care. And in little things, you can see their confidence and devotion to each other- the way Tsuzuki is always finding excuses to touch Hisoka, and the way Hisoka watches Tsuzuki when he thinks he's not looking, and how, when it's important, when things matter, all the stupid frustrating stuff falls away and they would do anything for each other.
They just go together. They trust each other, depend on each other, and irritate the hell out of each other. They risk their lives to rescue each other- and throw away life to be together, and reclaim life because of each other. They're steadier, happier people together- sexual relationship or no- than they are apart. To me, this pairing is the hope that no one is broken past repair, that you get another chance, and that love sometimes actually does save the day.
There's this moment at the end of the Kyoto Arc, where Hisoka's wrapped around Tsuzuki and they're both crying, and Tsuzuki finally, finally, brings his arms up around Hisoka, and everything is destruction and terror on all sides, everything is a roaring black inferno, and the building is crashing down all around them, and then Tsuzuki just... relaxes into Hisoka's hold with this little noise of happiness and contentment. Yeah. That's my OTP. In the midst of hell, but together. And surviving.
Hisoka: Why do that for me? Why? I... I don't deserve...
Tsuzuki: Because you're my partner.
Hisoka: Stupid.
-Yami no Matsuei, Episode 3
Recs:
Karmic Ocean Dried Up by
ranaloreLong Way Down by
yasminmStupidity by
threewallsLearning the Ropes by
rackhamroseThe City of Lost Causes by Dorian Gray
Monsters Under the Bed by Katalyst
Hatsuyuki by fuu
Little Things, by
ciceqiThe series by
beeblebabe and geekerypokery:Wall
Good Enough
Breakfast of Champions
Sodomy of Errors
Traditions by
beeblebabe aloneTwice as Hard by
geekerypokery aloneThe Sleep To Dream AU series by
amet (incomplete)The Price of Falling series by
sephyelysian (incomplete)Vids:
Momentum by
boniblitheTranslations from the manga are from theria.net, minus the excess line breaks and exclamation points. Translations from the episodes are from my fansubs.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-09-29 05:10 pm (UTC)*squee* I love you! You are so helpful, thank you! Okay, as it happens, I did check for Descendants of Darkness as well -- no luck in the store itself. But they have the box set at Amazon.ca for $79.99, which living in Canada and all, I don't know if that's good or bad. I hate the economy :P
Netflix would be helpful, again, if I wasn't in Canada. I checked out Zip.ca, though, which is essentially the same thing, and they have episodes 1-3 and then 4-6, but really nothing else.
So...it looks like I am reduced to BEGGING ON MY KNEES FOR THE FANSUBS. I will do anything! I will draw you really bad fanart! I'll...um...
Well, is there anything you want in particular? Besides Hisoka plushies?
But Viz doesn't matter, because fans are cool and free translations are available on the net. The best site is thera.net, which is the only complete translation of all eleven books plus extra. If you need pictures with your dialouge, there's also Sakura-Crisis for the first few books.
Wow, this is sort of an odd feeling, because pretty much any anime story I've gotten into, I've always read the manga first. I will definitely check these sites out, though. I really can't thank you enough, :D. You've done so much research! I feel so throughly convinced to dive headfirst into this fandom.
So now I've watched both those vids (THANK YOU. AGAIN.) and guh...gorgeousness. Although I'm already feeling a strong resentment towards Muraki. He gets in the way and he has a head in a tank. Plus um, the thing with the knife is still freaking me out.
Yay! I'm totally going to check out her other videos now!
I just knew: oooo. Pretty!
Mmmyep. That was exactly my mindframe throughout the whole thing. So. much. pretty.
I'd love the explain what's going on in the vid- hell, I'd love to ramble on about every single plot point in YnM
You will definitely, definitely get the chance to do that with me. I express my love for things by picking them apart, piece by piece. So I will maybe try and get a handle on things myself, but would it be okay if I occasionally descended on you to ask thousands of questions? Maybe?
Of course...I still need to see the anime. Ahaha.
[Again, thank you so much. This was SO helpful! :)]
no subject
Date: 2004-09-30 06:52 pm (UTC)The Nagasaki Arc:
Episode One (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=4526984391789BE9D7018F39AF2EC039)
Episode Two (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=31BB1A5167EF08E1695D187FF7EEE540)
Episode Three (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=6637C30A36FF5C37BC0F9810FDD46890)
The Devil's Trill Arc:
Episode Four (http://s4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=07A7C4209A1618F2279A4828AC87227D)
Episode Five (http://s2.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=F41ADDE5BE1BD54682DBDE19EDB6B6BA)
Episode Six ()
I'll send you the others too, but these are already uploaded, so I figured I'd go ahead and give you the link so you can start watching.
Well, is there anything you want in particular? Besides Hisoka plushies?
Hee, don't worry about it. It totally makes me happy just to be able to share the pretty. I keep trying to force my rl friends to watch it, but no luck yet.
Wow, this is sort of an odd feeling, because pretty much any anime story I've gotten into, I've always read the manga first.
I was just talking about this with a group of people actually! We decided that Hisoka's characterization is much better in the manga, because the visuals of the anime really contribute towards the girly, weepy, portrayal of him that's in a lot of fanfic. But on the other hand, the anime's plots tend to be much more streamlined and have less of the giant plotholes, plus Tsuzuki's characterization is a bit more consistent. In the end, I can't decide what I should recommend people watch/read first. I read the manga first, but I think a lot of people watch the anime.
Although I'm already feeling a strong resentment towards Muraki.
*grins* You'll probably hate him even more once you see the shit he does. I just want to squish him into bloody mess for touching my boys. Mwahahahahaha. >:)
You will definitely, definitely get the chance to do that with me. I express my love for things by picking them apart, piece by piece. So I will maybe try and get a handle on things myself, but would it be okay if I occasionally descended on you to ask thousands of questions? Maybe?
Of course! That'd be so cool; I love to talk. *bounces* Come and ask me stuff anytime. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2004-09-30 07:18 pm (UTC)And lemme know if there's anything wrong with these.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:28 pm (UTC)THANK YOU. SO MUCH LOVE. WHEEEEEEEE.
You're like my crack dealer! Whom I am really insanely grateful to.
Okay...so that was a bad analogy. :-)
no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 03:08 pm (UTC)The King of Swords Arc:
Episode Seven (http://s2.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=824D583E41D79E99804808EA8285B03F)
Episode Eight (http://s2.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=F5A6F58CB5C93E8A8C23ADAB78F7E4B7)
Episode Nine (http://s2.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=77BCC7D244AC463228422FA9C1878D10)
The Kyoto Arc:
Episode Ten (http://s2.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2DC924BC092C17983C491CEA2A74654F)
Episode Eleven (http://s2.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=934895ED70F97F9CF9B27AD66AB768FE)
Episode Tweleve (http://s2.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=D58F47123725D6406C5E3D5F5DD47590)
Episode Thirteen (http://s2.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=BDF6616E5009125E1130D9F9FD81AE61).
They aren't the greatest fansubs in the world- there's a really annoying time delay on one of the King of Swords episodes, for example, and a lot of them are missing the opening and closing credits- but they're not awful. In fact, in a lot of places, I think the translations here are actually better than they are for the offical version. I hope you like them!
no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:33 pm (UTC)You officially rule the world. The tiny world of me. It's a good thing it's Friday, or chances are I wouldn't be going to class tomorrow.
"Lit 160, or Yami no Matsuei...hmm...hmmm *fires up computer*"
I don't mind so much about opening and closing credits, as it can be tedious to watch them over and over again. The video quality itself is pretty great, and as long as it has a solid translation well...you gotta love the fans, hey?
Thank you again, so much. *grins* I'd offer you my soul, but I think fandom ate it.
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Date: 2004-10-02 02:47 pm (UTC)I do! Even though
It's a good thing it's Friday, or chances are I wouldn't be going to class tomorrow.
I *so* know what you're talking about. I got my fansubs by downloading them off Kazaa (they were much more widely available before the DVDs came out), and I was obsessive. I would refresh Kazaa over and over and over again, trying to find the one copy in existence of the episode I needed, only to get it half-way downloaded when the person would go offline and I'd have to give up. I drove me crazy. Which is why, when I finally managed to get all 13, I saved them in a million places. I still have three complete copies of them on CD-ROM, just in case I lost one CD.
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Date: 2004-11-05 06:14 pm (UTC)See, this is what I do with songs and stuff. Why does Soulseek hate me so much?! Ha, so many memories of getting to like 70% and then having the person go offline. There is nothing quite like bloodlust at two in the morning for someone you've never met.
I love that you have three cd copies of them all (well, okay, I admit, they're worth it.)
GAH. Did I tell you I can't stop watching Momentum? Seriously. I just keep watching it, and watching it, and getting happy butterflies in my stomach,
and ogling the pretty...Of course, I am sort of a vid whore...but still. GORGEOUS. I had to go and download that song and everything.
Thank you so much, again. My life would have been so devoid of pretty if I hadn't discovered this! :-D
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Date: 2004-11-07 02:53 pm (UTC)Ha! Exactly. Or the rage when no one has the song you want? I always feel like shouting, "Come on! I know someone out there has a copy of this! Why are you not online when I need you?"
I had to go and download that song and everything.
A lot of Vienna Teng's songs are *so* Tsuzuki/Hisoka. I particularly like 'Eric's Song', but 'Gravity' is also good.
And speaking of vids, there's a new one out by the same people who made the Possession one: Descent (http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=23814).
Thank you so much, again.
No worries! I really do love to share my fandoms. I'm just glad that you liked it; it's always embarrassing to reccommend something and have it not go over well.
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Date: 2004-11-08 04:43 pm (UTC)I have definitely, definitely never shouted that at the computer. And I've never spent six days obsessively trying to download a song that didn't have results the first few days - but I know it's out there somewhere!
A lot of Vienna Teng's songs are *so* Tsuzuki/Hisoka. I particularly like 'Eric's Song', but 'Gravity' is also good.
*grins* I already have those two downloaded. I went to the website after my zillionth viewing of Momentum. She has some really beautiful songs. (And then, when you apply them to Tsuzuki/Hisoka? Love.)
Whee! My vid addiction is satisfied for the moment. Also, I adore that song, and it was pretty perfect for the anime, I think. Whenever I listened to it before, I always kind of thought of it as an epic song. And I consider Yami no Matsuei an epic story.
No worries! I really do love to share my fandoms. I'm just glad that you liked it; it's always embarrassing to reccommend something and have it not go over well.
Oh yay. No, it definitely went over well. Too well. I now have an almost obsessive love for trench coats. Why does nothing in real life look as good as it does in anime? *sighs*
Also, it's infiltrating my icons...
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Date: 2004-11-19 09:05 pm (UTC)Ha! I totally know what you mean. And haven't bought an orange sweatshirt to wear, nu-uh. There's actually a girl on my friends list who designs clothes, who says she been inspired by YnM for some new styles. I can't wait to see what comes of it.
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Date: 2004-10-05 06:07 am (UTC)Sorry, I don't really know what else to say, but... OMFG I HAVE SOME OF YAMI NO MATSUEI ANIME NOW!!! Now I can at last rest in peace!!
Thank you!! <3 <3 <3
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Date: 2004-10-05 08:08 am (UTC)And no worries! Just trying to spread the YnM love. ^^
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Date: 2004-10-06 11:01 am (UTC)Oh, but one question... Why are some of them avi and others rm? I just realized that there's something wrong with my media player, it doesn't usually show avi files...... ;_;
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Date: 2004-10-07 04:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-01 05:25 pm (UTC)Okay, I've downloaded all except Episode Six [the link doesn't appear to be working? :-(] Whee! Thank you so much, this is so exciting. I watched the first one as soon as I had a break between classes, and now as soon as I get home I am definitely going to keep watching them. Pretty! So very pretty. With the purple eyes and the flowy trench coats and the FIGHTING OVER FOOD. I love it.
I was just talking about this with a group of people actually! We decided that Hisoka's characterization is much better in the manga, because the visuals of the anime really contribute towards the girly, weepy, portrayal of him that's in a lot of fanfic. But on the other hand, the anime's plots tend to be much more streamlined and have less of the giant plotholes, plus Tsuzuki's characterization is a bit more consistent. In the end, I can't decide what I should recommend people watch/read first. I read the manga first, but I think a lot of people watch the anime.
Well, consistent character development is always good. As is less plotholes. I was surprised the Hisoka is younger than I am, which doesn't really mean anything, but just from watching the music videos I put him as older than that. And less cranky, but I'm assuming that wears down, as I've really only seen the first episode *g* .
*grins* You'll probably hate him even more once you see the shit he does. I just want to squish him into bloody mess for touching my boys. Mwahahahahaha. >:)
And now I am dying of curiousity. He hurts..the boys? NOOOOO! DIEEEE!!! *cough* Er, or not. Lalala. I don't get too involved with characters, really. [Although it's v. comforting that you hate him too, because my general impression was that he had a lot of fangirls, and I was like, um hello? Bad guy!]
Of course! That'd be so cool; I love to talk. *bounces* Come and ask me stuff anytime. ^_^
Yay! Excellent. All right, I'm going to watch more, but I guarantee I'll have loads of questions and/or things to whine about. Or squee. *bounces some more* ^^
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Date: 2004-10-02 03:04 pm (UTC)*grins* My boys are total kindergartners.
I was surprised the Hisoka is younger than I am
Hee. I'm always amused by that, because he does come off as older. Of course, given his actual age- not his age-when-he-died, but what he'd be emotionally today- he's older than me. So when someone writes him as very young or childish, or when the argument comes up (which it does sometimes, and occasionally from very vehement people) that's he's "too young to have sex", I think, Um... No. Really not.
And now I am dying of curiousity. He hurts..the boys? NOOOOO! DIEEEE!!! *cough* Er, or not. Lalala. I don't get too involved with characters, really. [Although it's v. comforting that you hate him too, because my general impression was that he had a lot of fangirls, and I was like, um hello? Bad guy!]
Muraki has the Hannibal Lector thing going on. He's evil, but he's charismatic. People who are utterly amoral and ruthless are very attractive to a lot of ordinary people, strangely enough, which is why we have so many movies about serial killers and the like. Muraki's also insane, and had a very traumatic childhood, which can make his psyche fascinating to explore. He does make for an interesting character, though he's one for which I personally have no sympathy for. A lot of people do like him, which I can understand, and which has made for a lot of very good fic.
And then on the other hand, you have the people who write fics in which he and Tsuzuki live happily ever after together, and raise little girls in gardens of flowers. Those people are just crazy.
Yay! Excellent. All right, I'm going to watch more, but I guarantee I'll have loads of questions and/or things to whine about. Or squee. *bounces some more* ^^
Cool! *can't wait*
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Date: 2004-11-05 06:08 pm (UTC)SO I WATCHED THEM ALL AND HAVE BEEN QUIETLY DYING OF SQUEE FOR LIKE..A WEEK NOW. OH MY GOD. All right. Wow. I...so much pretty. And angst. And the need for therapy - although I'm not sure if it's me or the characters who need it more.
Hmm, so. I actually found it really interesting that as the show went on, Hisoka softened a little, at least towards Tsuzuki. I mean, it's not that he became more childlike, by any means, but he stopped acting like an uptight forty-year-old man, which was nice. And guh, oh my god, that part at the end of the Kyoto Arc? With the fire and existence practically crashing down around them - and Hisoka is just clinging to Tsuzuki and...wow. I just started bawling my head off. Because the love. It's so beautiful, and even if I didn't slash them, their friendship would be enough. *happysigh*
Muraki. Wow. I still hate him like death, but I can sort of see how people find him attractive, I suppose. It's funny that you should mention Hannibal Lecter, actually, because I was having an eerily similar conversation with a friend of mine about Chris Keller, from the TV series OZ. Same sort of deal, serial killer oozing sexual chemistry - and it was brought up that otherwise sane, normal women have mad lustbunnies for Hannibal. Which...I don't know. Personally I can't get over the fact that he eats people, but that's just me. And Muraki, I don't know. Rape is a squiffy thing with me (and I'm sure that's a fairly universal thing. Oy, that's not what I meant.) It's just, you know how people have things that they find wrong but darkly attractive, like chan or something, but then they have things that just. don't. work.? That's like me with rape. It creeps me out to the extreme, to the point where the rapist is pretty much on my DEATHHATEKILL list permanently. I mean, I try not to make any hard and fast rules about things like this, because god knows, a fic or something could come along and make me eat my words, but...yes. So that's where I stand on the Muraki issue. PLUS. HE. TSUZUKI. NO. *cough* Erm, yes. Still a little catatonic after the Kyoto Arc. Sorry about that.
And then on the other hand, you have the people who write fics in which he and Tsuzuki live happily ever after together, and raise little girls in gardens of flowers. Those people are just crazy.
Yes, but are the flowers WHITE ROSES? O.o
Gah! Again, I'm so sorry I didn't get back to you. *hates on livejournal* Thank you so much for sharing the anime with me! SO MUCH LOVE. If you ever want my soul...
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Date: 2004-11-07 03:39 pm (UTC)Aw, no! I'm so glad that you did reply- I'd figured you'd watched the episodes and hadn't liked them.
*grins* I know! It's wonderful! I've got a friend who describes YnM as 'epic', and I love that term for it. It's just so... big and huge and powerful and waaaahhhh, I don't know how *anyone* could watch the Kyoto Arc and not start crying. Like when Muraki is- and Tsuzuki has just that ONE TEAR slide down his cheek- or when he's standing there in that flimsy hospital gown and raises his arms to call Touda, and the light slowly grows and it's SO beautiful and tragic and heart-breaking and painful and, and, everything! I love my show. *collapses in glee*
*nodsnods* I like the way Hisoka opens up, too. I mean, he's not exactly an out-going person, but it's still very obvious how much he cares for Tsuzuki and the others.
I know where you're coming from over Muraki. Not my favorite character, but I do find him very interesting. I have no problems reading or writing fic with him, even quite graphic fic, but every single time I watch the scene between him and Hisoka, I have to hide my eyes. It's like... I can't quite deal with actually watching it happening.
But you're certainly not the only person to be disgusted or angry at him. No worries, though, because he is the villian. It's not like you have to like him to find plenty of other fic to read or communities to join.
Thank you so much for sharing the anime with me! SO MUCH LOVE. If you ever want my soul...
No problem, really! I'm so glad that you liked it. ^^ You should come and join
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Date: 2004-11-08 05:49 pm (UTC)Well...I'm staring at your icon and trying not to cry in the middle of the library right now, so I don't think you have anything to worry about :)
I've got a friend who describes YnM as 'epic', and I love that term for it. It's just so... big and huge and powerful and waaaahhhh, I don't know how *anyone* could watch the Kyoto Arc and not start crying. Like when Muraki is- and Tsuzuki has just that ONE TEAR slide down his cheek- or when he's standing there in that flimsy hospital gown and raises his arms to call Touda, and the light slowly grows and it's SO beautiful and tragic and heart-breaking and painful and, and, everything! I love my show. *collapses in glee*
Ack! I knew I had heard someone else describe it as epic and then decided it was perfect. Yes, god, I just - it's a fairly short series in terms of episodes and such. I mean, you can watch it in an afternoon (not that I did or anything...) But once it's over for me there was just this huge cathartic whoosh. I felt like I had spent my whole life watching it and gone through war and it was just - guh. It made me want to curl up and not move for a very long time.
Re: Tsuzuki at the end, raising his arms to call Touda.
That. Oh. Wow. I still have no words for that moment, and then when everything falls into chaos, and the boys are just clinging to each other like the world is ending. God, and Tsuzuki is just sort of shell-shocked still and Hisoka is clinging to him - that whole part - from Tsuzuki in his hospital scrubs (looking so vulnerable) to the end - I was just a sobbing wreck. Ohh, I love it too! *bounces* Lovely new fandom.
*nodsnods* I like the way Hisoka opens up, too. I mean, he's not exactly an out-going person, but it's still very obvious how much he cares for Tsuzuki and the others.
Mmyep. Exactly. I mean, he may not be affectionate - but I think Hisoka expresses his feeling in little gestures, like getting Tsuzuki things - and then acting like it's not a big deal or anything. *squishes him* I love Hisoka. He's such a strong character. Considering all the things that happened to him, he could very easily just decide to never trust anyone again. But Tsuzuki slowly convinces him that people are worth it...and you can see Hisoka opening up to that. *overcome with love* I adore this show, and these boys!
I know where you're coming from over Muraki. Not my favorite character, but I do find him very interesting. I have no problems reading or writing fic with him, even quite graphic fic, but every single time I watch the scene between him and Hisoka, I have to hide my eyes. It's like... I can't quite deal with actually watching it happening.
But you're certainly not the only person to be disgusted or angry at him. No worries, though, because he is the villian. It's not like you have to like him to find plenty of other fic to read or communities to join.
Yeah, I mean, I can see where he's interesting I suppose. I mean, the character does ooze raw sensuality (though in large part I find it's the voice, and I hear the dub kind of destroys that.) And throughout the arcs I was sort of intrigued, but still rather disgusted by him. But then there was - the part with Tsuzuki, I think, either just before or just after the tear. The look on Tsuzuki's face just smashed my heart to pieces. Forced affection. I don't know why it gets me like it does, but - yes. And I sort of see Muraki as the product of his choices. Yes, he had a horrible home life, but so did Hisoka. I think it's really interesting, actually, the parallels that can be drawn between the two, and what a difference the conscious effort to be good can make.
Annnnd I'm going all lit-analytic on it now. Sorry. Thanks for saying that, anyways, just because it seems like most people in the fandom are fascinated with Muraki, and I felt rather like I was missing something.
Character essays are my heart! Yay! I will definitely be hanging out there for the next day or so. And drabbles. Gah, this is wonderful. You are too good to me, what with the guiding through this fandom and such. Thanks again. ^^
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Date: 2004-11-19 09:03 pm (UTC)Oh, that's such a lovely way to put it. And it feels so true; every time I go back and watch the series, I get sucked right in again, and even though I've pratically got them memorized by this point, I can't look away. It's powerful. And the story resonates with me so well, like one of those ancient myths that are supposed to be part of the basic threads of everyone's life.
I mean, he may not be affectionate - but I think Hisoka expresses his feeling in little gestures, like getting Tsuzuki things - and then acting like it's not a big deal or anything. *squishes him*
Yes, yes, that's it, exactly! *glomps you* Hisoka isn't one for big grand declarations of love, or talking about his feelings, but they're so obviously *there* that I don't understand how people describe him as emotionless or shut off. Just because he doesn't make a production out of how he feels doesn't mean that he feels nothing.
in large part I find it's the voice, and I hear the dub kind of destroys that
I'm not much a fan of a the dub at all- though there's a great moment in the first episode, when Tsuzuki calls hung-over Hisoka "sunshine". But I don't feel like any of the voices were well-done, and some of them were downright painful. Some people disagree with me, though, and since I didn't like it, I haven't watched much of it, just one or two episodes, so they might know more than me. I did check a few of my favorite scenes, to see how they did the translations, and discovered one horrible change: at the big climax of the Kyoto Arc, while Hisoka is making his "Live for me!" speech, they added an extra line. Tsuzuki now says, "Do you think that's a little selfish, Hisoka?" which... no. Just no. ;_; That's an awful change.
The look on Tsuzuki's face just smashed my heart to pieces.
God, me too. That scene is painful to watch. Poor Tsuzuki. The suffering that boy's gone through... I just want him to be happy.
Annnnd I'm going all lit-analytic on it now.
But hey, that's the fun of meta-essays like these!