The Jumpman. When you see this iconic silhouette, you think of Micheal Jordan and his Jordan’s shoe line. The long-running Jordan brand has this…magical effect on its fans. Because of the name and man behind the shoes, and their limited supply at each release, people will line up for hours their local shoe store – just to obtain them. Few fans are so passionate about Jordan’s that they will risk the safety of others to obtain a pair. That’s the power of Jordan’s.
Jumpman
Sailor Moon: The iconic champion of love and justice. She is recognized by her blonde, twin tail odango and sailor suit. Sailor Moon inspired many around the world to better themselves, fight for good and be a kind-hearted person to their friends. Sailor Moon is a character many look up to and draw inspiration from.
In an alternate timeline Sailor Moon inspired children to become shooters.
It seems that being an inspirational, long-running recognizable brand from the 90s is something both Sailor Moon and Jordan have in common. And that’s about it. Sailor Moon is a role model of kindness and selflessness. Jordan…yeah. Just type “Micheal Jordan Asshole Stories” on Google and have fun reading the stories about how much Jordan is a piece of shit on the court and off. You never heard any stories of Sailor Moon being a horrible person to others.
For a week, I ran a giveaway on my Yuki The Snowman Facebook page for the Loot Crate exclusive Sailor Moon Bottle Opener. The requirement for entry was that you must state your favorite Sailor Scout and why she is as such. I expected nothing more but basic replies such as “Sailor Mercury is my favorite because she’s smart”, “I love Sailor Jupiter because she’s my tall waifu.” and “Sailor Pluto is the best Scout because I like older women and I want her to mommy dom me”. I wasn’t expecting that people will go in-depth with their favorites. It’s a simple Sailor Moon Bottle Opener; there’s no reason to write a motivation post on their favorite character just to win a tool to support their alcoholism.
I feel attacked.
After adding some final details (and shameless sharing on Facebook and Instagram), the contest started. The first few comments were basic answers as I expected. However, as time went on there were a few that caught me by surprise.
One commenter stated that her favorite Sailor Scout was Uranus (Haruka). Uranus was the first positive queer icon she saw on TV – and seeing her as such helped shaped sexual identity.
There was a fan who revealed that as a child, she imagined herself as Sailor Moon to help her get through an abusive childhood. During the time of her abuse, she would pretend that her parents were monsters from the Negaverse and that as Sailor Moon, it was her duty to defeat the monsters (her parents). She went on to say that being recused from her parents felt like she was Sailor Moon being recused from the grasp of Prince Demande.
On the lighter side, a Sailor Moon cosplayer revealed the reason why Sailor Moon is her favorite because she aimed to be like her: caring, loving, and a supportive friend to all. She took the (rather cheesy) Sailor Says PSA took heart and let them mold her into becoming a better person in life.
After reading these comments it hit me: The Sailor Moon brand touched so many lives. The series gave power to these fans; may it be to do better with their lives, inspire them to do good for others, or help them through troubling times. It’s not uncommon for fans of fictional media to have a favorite character based on traits they see in a character they relate to. For some Sailor Mercury fans (like myself), they connect to her because they might have been bullied and outcasted during childhood for having great grades and/or spending time reading books. Seeing a superheroine like Mercury reading books made their childhoods a little easier, and inspires them to hit the books – regardless of what their peers may think.
It’s goofy to say, but these Sailor Scouts empowered us. They inspired us to do better or to find ourselves. This I believe is why the Sailor Moon brand has a strong, 25 yearlong following – netting new fans every day. I wonder: did Naoko Takeuchi ever thought she would create such a legendary and empowering series when she started creating the series back in the 90s. I wonder if she’s proud and happy that she made such an impact on the lives of her fans because of her brand.
If you’re out here reading this article and you have a brand, please – keep working on it. You never know if it could help people and make them a better person.
As a person who brutally reviews and talk about anime with joyful smite, you come across people who get mad at you because you don’t like an anime they enjoy. Shoot, you don’t have to be an anime reviewer to run across these folks. You know, the people who go “Turn your brain off and enjoy the show!” or “You’re not allowed to talk about a show you like” and my personal favorite, “Fuck you, you darkie for trashing my waifu this is why you blacks get shot by cops and lynched!”
Anime fans are goofy.
Typical entry-level visual novel fan.
I don’t see the idea of getting all in your feelings over the negative opinions on an anime. I get it: you invested endless hours on a show. I know what it fell to fall in love with a character that you have a personal connection with. That’s cool. What’s not cool is being all mad because somebody said something like “I don’t think this show wasn’t that good.” or “This show was trash.” They just didn’t feel the show the way you did; that’s okay. You cannot expect everyone to think your favorite anime is awesome as much as you. You cannot hold everyone to your standards when it comes to appreciating every show this medium has to offer.
You will be disappointed.
If you come across somebody who says “This show suck” or something, just ignore them and move on. You are confident (I hope) with the show’s enjoyment level. You love the show. Why does it really matter if others don’t like your favorite show? Why do you get in your feelings because somebody negatively review a series you enjoy? If you get all angry over the opinions of others over a cartoon that you did not even create, you need mental help. Like forreal. Does Wit Studio send you a Chise Hatori cosplayer to give you head for every 20 time you defend The Ancient Magus’s Bride? Let me know because I would totally defend Touhou Project to get head from a Junko or Yukari cosplayer. Space MILFs and older gap women are two of my things. But really, what is the point of defending your favorite show against somebody who will never change their opinion about it?
Let’s be honest: Everyone is critical about something. You included. It’s human nature to judge something and either have a positive or negative reaction to it. Anime is not excluded in this. I bet you there are many shows that you’ve watched and did not enjoy. Don’t bullshit me. People who say they’re not judgmental on any anime are full of shit. We all have anime series that we don’t’ like enjoy. We all have shows that we love to bash. I bet you there’s a show that came out this Fall 2017 season that you straight up hated and spent your precious time talking shit about.
And it’s’ fun seeing the results of having a negative review on a show.
To conclude this little rant, people won’t like your favorite show. Deal with it. If you love a show and somebody else doesn’t, that’s on them. The simple fact that you like that show should be more than enough for you to not be bothered by somebody else’s negative opinions. You need forreal help if you get angry about it.
The 2018 convention season draws near. You’re always broke from spending $500 on half-naked anime girl figurines. You love to spend $300 on anime Blu-rays, but somehow, you don’t have enough money for a convention. Do you think your mommy and daddy are going help you pay for your weeaboo dress-up festival? Of course, they’re not! You’re a grown man (or woman) now. Just like your friend whom you borrow money from for cons, they’re tired of funding your hobbies. Maybe you’re not broke, but you suck at money management. You’re the type of person to not have their priority together and splurge your cash on useless crap.
Bedroom of a man who disappoints his their parents.
Because I’m a nice person, I’ll teach you how to get your money right. I’ll promise you that with my guide, you’ll have more than enough money saved up for you next convention adventures. It’s my duty and ethical obligation to help my fellow nerds stack money for their passion.
Your friends prasing you for saving and stackin your money up oh wait you don’t have friends my bad.
My guide is not for you begging ass, broke ass nerds (who always mooch off their friends). This is not for people who refuse to make money on their own. This guide is not for skeptics who believe saving money is impossible. Go away. You’re wasting my time and yours – but mostly my time. Do you tend to blow a check, or dip into savings for wants, rather than needs and raining days? Good. Get the hell off this guide – people like you will never learn. My advice is only for those who are serious about saving and getting their money right. I only help people who are willing to better themselves.
If you’re still here then that means you’re serious about wanting to save for conventions. Let us begin.
HOTEL
Obtaining a hotel room should be your utmost priority (next to buying a badge/pass). There are two categories for convention hotels: The main hotel(s); where most of the action takes place, and the secondary Hotel(s); for those who want a cheaper option and/or avoid crowds. The main hotel’s full price can range from $230-$1500 depending on the convention, location, hotel brand, days etc. Secondary hotels range from $180-$1000.
Most conventions hotels will accept room bookings about eight (8) months in advance (before con starts). Normally, the convention’s social media team will provide an update on when this will happen. Once they give the dates for room bookings, you want to start stacking up immediately.
Let’s say that you want to book with the Waverly Hotel (the host hotel of Anime Weekend Atlanta [AWA]). The hotel will allow room registration on October 3, 2017,* (the time of this writing) and the convention starts on September 20, 2018. The total cost of staying at the Waverly for four days is $700. This gives you about 50 weeks (or about almost 12 months) to stack. Ignoring assets and other forms of income, let’s say you get paid bi-weekly. You’re given 24 paychecks prior to saving if you’re working a regular 9-to-5.
Let’s do some math.
$700/24= $29.16. $29.16/2 bi-weekly paychecks = $14.58 $14.58 is how much you need to take out of your check a pay period. Put the $14.58 in a savings account (or any other accounts you do not have normal access to). If need be, consider opening a new bank account separate from your main one. If you bank at Bank of America, open an account with Commerce Bank, and then deposit the hotel money in that bank. Destroy any and all credit/debit cards linked to the bank – you do not want to spend any money on that account. Repeat until you reach your target goal.
(Please note that many banks are different with their savings account. Some may require you to have a minimum amount of savings to keep the account open.)
What if you’re splitting a room with four people (you included in this four)? Well, that’s simple! $700/4 people = $175 per person. Take your $175 and divide it by 24 checks. That’ll equal to $7.29 a check that you need to put aside.
Regardless if you’re alone or with a group, keep taking the money out of your check and stack it up until it adds up to the total amount of what you need. Remember not to touch it until it’s time to transfer your funds into your checking account, or when you need to give the money to whomever the name is on the hotel’s bill.
With the hotel taken care of, it’s time to tackle your badge situation. Now, should you save up for a badge, or go all in and buy one ASAP? That is dependent on you and your situation.
(*NOTE: AWA has yet to accept room bookings at the time of this writing)
The Badge
Is it better to just go all in on a badge and pay for it now? Should you stack up for badge overtime and buy one in the future? Let’s go over each option and decide which is best for you.
ALL IN:
Let’s say the badge is $45 at its cheapest (usually the first tier of pricing). If you can spend $45 and not be hurt by it, then go for it. Yes, you’ll lose money, but you won’t lose time waiting for your badge in line at at-door registration. Trust me: Losing time is worse than losing money. Money, we can gain back – time, we will never recover. You’re investing $45 in extra time – extra time you can spend on panels, autograph lines, chilling with friends, etc. To be quite honest, that’s a win-win.
Losing both time and more money is lose-lose.
SAVING:
So you can’t afford to invest in a badge quite so soon. That’s okay; you can stack up to the desire tier pricing. Maybe you want to save up for the second tier that’s coming up in two months. Or perhaps you want to wait and save for the final tier before online registration ends in six months. That’s cool. I can work with you on either or.
The second tier badge price starts at $55, the price increase will start on December 3rd, 2017. This gives you four paychecks until December 3rd. 4 paychecks divided by $55 equals $13.75 ($55/4=$13.75)
For the six months option (October 3rd to March 3rd): 12 paychecks/$75 = $6.25 a check. Again, just like your hotel money, place this money in your savings and do not touch it until you hit your target goal.
Travel
How you will get to the convention is up to you, and it will be different from person-to-person. Sadly, humans cannot teleport, so you must figure out a mode of transportation. This section will be broken down into four sections: Air, Road, Rail, and Public Transportation/Ride Share
AIR:
Admittedly, I have never traveled to a convention by air. From what others told me, it’s best to book your flights as soon as your hotel and/or badge. I would personally put aside around $100-$200 a check for about 8-10 months if you have 100% confidence that you’re traveling by air. You might go a little over your target goal for the tickets, but it’s better to have more cash than what you think you need. Do not delay as airline tickets will increase their price as your departure date draw nears.
It’s not wise to wait.
RAIL:
In general, you want to book your rail tickets (such as Amtrak) months in advance. I say that you want to buy your train tickets around the same time you booked your hotel rooms and/or badge. The sooner, the better. Why? Because you don’t want to waste more money as time passes. Use the same method for booking and saving money for an airline flight as you would use for plane tickets as mentioned above.
CAR: This will depend on how far you’re traveling, your car’s MPG, and how many people you have riding with you. A trip to STL to CHI will cost you around $60-90 in gas. From STL to ATL will cost you $90-120. Again, this is dependant on your car and the people riding/driving with you. I would start saving up for gas money about three months before the convention.
Let’s take St. Louis to Atlanta as an example. When traveling with my friend to ATL, he charges me around $40 for the trip. I put aside about $20 a paycheck a month prior to us heading to Atlanta.
I really hope I don’t have to break down this simple math for you guys.
PUBLIC TRANSIT/SHARE RIDE: If you need to use public transit, taxi services, or a shared ride to get to a con, please research what bus, train, etc. you need to take for the convention. Bus and train fare will be dependent on the city you’re in, as well as share riding to a convention. In general, I say put aside at the $10-$30 for your choice of public transit and share ride a month before the convention (if need be).
If I know I’m doing a $20 Uber to get to my convention hotel, I put aside $5 from each paycheck about two months prior. So $20/4 bi-weekly checks = $5 I need to put aside.
Don’t forget to tip your driver. Don’t be a cheap ass.
FOOD
You gotta eat and stay fueled up. Ever danced at a rave on an empty stomach? It’s not fun. Fast, cheap food or dine-in at a high-quality restaurant? Cook your own food if you have a kitchen suite? Again, this section depends on your budget and needs. If you’re planning on eating out in fast food places, your budget should be around $40-100. Are you planning on eating out at non-fast food places? You want to save around $130-200. If you’re cooking your own food, I say around $60-200 depending on how many people you’re feeding. Before I forget, you should have about $20-40 aside for a snacks budget just in case you’re walking around the convention center all day and you need lite fuel (such as cereal bars, fruits, etc.)
If I’m planning on eating out at fast food places, I place my budget at about $60 for the convention weekend. Knowing this, I give myself a month before the convention to put aside $30 a paycheck until I hit $60.
When I’m in Chicago for Anime Central, my friend, his crew, and I go to Hofbräuhaus for one night and dine in. Knowing that he preps for this dinner, I put aside around $40 two months prior. Two months gives me four bi-weekly paychecks. With this, I put aside $10 a check until I hit $40 and keep that $40 in my savings until it’s time to transfer my funds into my checking account.
PARTY GOODS
Same
This section is optional and you don’t need to party to have fun at cons (but it’s better that way). If you’re like me, then you’re about convention partying life. Therefore, this section is for you. In all honesty, this varies from person-to-person and their needs. If you’re just going to one party, you may need just one or two bottles, a few mixers, and a case of beer, which will run you about $35-$75. If you’re hosting a room party, then you may need to spend about $150-$1200. Feel free to check out my “So You Wanna Host a Room Party” article for more information.
I usually wait until after I check into my hotel and have everything ready before I buy my liquor. You do have those people who love to drop out of the hotel room at the last minute. That extra money could help in a situation. It does suck though.
Boy does it suck.
But you can make it not suck by stacking up six months prior to the convention if you’re 100% sure you’re hosting a room party. I’m projecting that my room party for Anime St. Louis* 2018 will run me $600 in alcohol, mixers, and other goods. Given my room party will be on that Saturday (May 5th, 2018), I must plan on saving my money aside for the party on December 5th. For two weeks up to May 5th, I will put aside $50 until I hit my target goal.
Math time!
$600/6 months = $100 must be saved each month.
$100/2 bi-weekly paychecks = $50 taken from each check.
Of course, your room party budget will be different from mines. This is just an example of breaking down the math and planning.
*Disclaimer: I am not hosting a room party for Anime St. Louis 2018. Do not come up to me asking if I’m running a room party. This was just an example.
Adding it all Up
We have the numbers; now let’s add them all up. The total will be your target goal for savings. Below is an example based off my personal funds for major conventions, so your numbers will vary. Some will save more money than I. Others will save less. This is all dependent on the conventions you’re going to as well as funds and time.
HOTEL: $700
BADGE: $45
TRAVEL (Road): $40 for my share of gas money
PUBLIC TRANSIT: $6
FOOD: $100
PARTY GOODS: ~$120
TOTAL: $971
I’m going to take that $971 and divided by 11 months (until Anime Weekend Atlanta).
$971/11 months = $88.27 I need to put aside each month until the week before AWA for 11 months. By going bi-weekly paychecks I can put aside $44.13 per paycheck. This does exclude any forms of secondary sources of income. Applying my other sources of income to build up will make me reach my goal faster and earlier. This is giving or taking some items away (such as badge and alcohol)
Tips on Making (More) Money
Conventions aren’t cheap; that’s not a secret. I know people are struggling to make ends meet as well as putting towards their hobbies. It’s a cash drain, believe me. I understand. However, you can always make extra money to add to your funds. I’ll break down a few simple and easy ways to make extra money for you to use for the con.
WORK EXTRA HOURS/USE PTO
This is the simplest way to gain extra money. If you see that there are extra hours or shifts to be picked up at your job, jump on that chance. Does it suck that you have to give up free time to make more money at the job? Yes. Is it awesome to have a little bit of extra cash in your pockets for the convention? Yes. Go through some hardships now so you can have a better time later. If those hardship means working more hours at a job you don’t like, so you can go to a convention and escape from the workforce for a few days (or even work on your business AT the con), then do it.
If your job allows it, you can use your Paid Time Off (PTO) hours that you’ve stacked and use those hours on your off day. Then, when you get paid, put the PTO money into savings.
SELL/FLIP PRODUCTS ONLINE
Do you have old video games, comics, mangas, etc. laying around at your house that isn’t of use to you? Sell them on eBay to make extra dough! After you research and study the value of the items you want to sell, just create a listing for them on eBay, Amazon, Craig’s List, etc. You can either sell your own product if you have your own business or flip other people products. I personally flipped items from Loot Crates to gain extra cash for funds.
SELL DRUGS/INVEST IN A DRUG DEALER
Don’t do it. You’re not a dope boy/dope boy investor in college anymore. If you are a dope boy then all I have to say is be careful and watch out for the haters and fake friends.
…Althrough you could sell drugs to the partiers at conventions to make extra cash. Just a thought.
INVEST IN A LEGIT BUSINESS Your homeboy is a real estate investor or owner and has a great track record of returns on investments? Invest with him.
If you need more ideas to increase your income or have a new source of income to fund your weeaboo hobbies, I recommend the following, as they have helped me with increasing my income and manage my money:
Saving money for conventions shouldn’t be so hard. Yet, so many weeaboos struggle to do so. Sometimes, people attend conventions without a budget or money at all! Having a budget and money saved aside will help you out in the long run, as it’s nice to have extra money. Not having money at a con isn’t fun. Nobody will help you out – it’s up to you to have cash. With this how-to guide, I hope you learn how to save and manage your money for future convention events. I believe everyone should have money save up to maximize their fun at cons. Start saving now! Do not wait until it’s less than a month before the convention to save. Apply what you’ve learned from this guide for the future!
Besides, nobody will feel sorry for your broke ass. Get this money and save it.
After watching the emotional first episode of Inuyashiki recently I was given a brutally realistic reminder of how society doesn’t treat elders well. In our lives, we must look after and care for our loved ones of the older generation as they age — as they took care of us.
In the first episode of Kino Journey’s – The Beautiful World-, Kino encounters a man who desires to live in an infamous country where murder is not frowned upon. However, this man learns a life-ending lesson on action and reaction when he attempted to rob and murder Kino. Just because you can do something doesn’t necessary means you should go out and do it. It can cost you greatly — even your life.
Episode 112 of Dragon Ball Super has me thinking; Frieza will be the one to defeat Universe 6. You may be asking “How so? How can you be so sure?” Well, this odd theory I have comes from the fact that the final warriors of Universe 6 are made up of two Saiyans and two Nakemians. And as well all know, Frieza has a fantastic history with members of those races.
His hand slipped.
Frieza hates Saiyans. I’m talking your racist neighbor getting mad every-time he sees those “illegal” Mexicans across the street level of hatred. The mere sight of those uncivilized monkeys fuels Frieza with great, furious anger. Frieza wants nothing more but to kill any and all Saiyans – even if they’re from another universe. Frieza mentions to Cabba that wants to play fun with Kale and Caulifla. Frieza, he’s a fan of games with full cooperation from others. Those are his favorite type of games after-all. Like the classic chocking game. That’s a game where Frieza wraps his tail around his buddy’s throats, and starts squeezing the life out of them until they choke to death.
He’s also a fan of the game “Shoot people’s pressure points with non-lethal Death Beams Barrages until they’re begging for the sweet release of death.” I think Kale and Caulifla will become great fans of those games. It’s going to suck when Frieza decides that he’s bored and stops playing with them. Maybe he might bring them back with the Super Dragon Balls if Universe 7 wins. Plus, having two Saiyan monkey girls just means he’s respect diversity and equal gender rights in the work place!
Diversity quotas don’t fill themselves now.
Now, let us imagine Frieza meeting the Universe 6’s Namekians. Just picture his joy! He’ll become so happy that Universe 6 has Namekians too! Frieza will get all warm and nostalgic – reflecting on his youthful days of Planet Namek. Days where he made those green people bow at his feet. Ahh, that was a great period in his life. Shooting Dende in the head. His troops hunting and killing the lot of them. Ripping that one Namek who look like Piccolo arm off. I think his name was Nail or something I dunno they all look alike. Frieza strikes me as a fellow who loves reliving his glory days of being a ruthless dictator on Namek. I mean, look how happy Frieza was when he was healing Goku. It brought back lovely memories of Namek. I hope him meeting those Nameks of Universe 6 will re-spark that happiness once more.
Nail vs. Lord Slug
Here’s where my theory comes to play.
It’s strange that the final four warriors of Universe 6 include members of two races that Frieza has a past relationship with. In the past five episodes or so, Frieza was given some shine story-line wise. We can assume that Toei wants to build some focus on Frieza, the Saiyan girls, and the Namekians (whom were given a little shine in Episode 111). Before I forget, let me bring reminder you that universes who were shown to have low numbers (sans Universe 11) were doomed to erasure (as we’ve seen with Universe 9 and 10).
See where I’m going with this?
I predictthat in the near future, Frieza will take out the Saiyan girls and the Nameks. Therefore, with their elimations, Universe 6 will be erased. They’ve lost their leader and strongest warrior — Hit. Their morale is low. Frieza’s hatred for Saiyans has no bond. He also doesn’t take too kindly to Namekians either. I may be wrong, but I think Toei is hinting that Frieza will be the one who will slaughter Universe 6.
That or this all a red herring from Toei. The Namekieans are going to get a Toriyama handjob, the Saiyan girls are going to get a Toriyama finger bang, and get an asspull powerup and defeat Frieza and we’re all being mislead by Toei and Trollriyama.
You only get one shot. If the first episode of an anime doesn’t impress me, it’s getting dropped. So, did My Girlfriend is a Shob**h impressed me in its first episode?
No.
It’s often said that the best way to court attention is to generate controversy. Companies and brands understand this well. Let me use some examples real quick. During the 2000s, Rockstar Games used the negative press of their Grand Threat Auto series as a positive in order to boost sales. It worked in their favor. Vince Mcmahon, CEO of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), saved the company with the Attitude Era; a controversial period during the late 90s that used politically incorrect and sexual themes aimed at adults. Hell, there’s a certain notorious cosplayer right now gaining attention through controversial lewd cosplays.
please don’t lewd the time loop lolis please don’t lewd the time loop lolis please don’t lewd the tie loop lolis for the love of Oyashiro-Sama don’t lewd Rika or Hanyuu
So, when I first heard the title My Girlfriend is a Faithful Virgin Bitch, my eyebrows rose a bit. The title alone was enough to grab my attention. “Jeez, Japan. You guys are getting bolder.” I told myself. For real, who goes around calling their girlfriend a “faithful bitch”? I’m not a domestic violence expert, but I’m sure that’s a red flag for an abusive relationship. I mean, congrats on finding a girl who ain’t fucking other dudes behind your back, but did you really have to call her a faithful bitch?
With a controversial title like that, I had to do some research on the anime. I went to My Anime List and some anime pages on Facebook to gain some knowledge on Shobitch. Fans of the original web manga were going around telling others not to panic!
“It’s not like all other trashy, horrible romcom anime out there today! Shobitch is different!” One zit face ridden weeb stated “Shobitch is not bad at all! It’s funny and cute! Don’t take the title at face value.”
For a second, I had faith in this stranger’s words. Maybe he’s telling the truth, and Shobitch isn’t like all the other romcom anime series out there. The title is just something to bait people into watching it. I should give it a chance. Just because the cover art shows the main girls looking at a banana, commonly used as a phallic symbol, doesn’t mean this anime is going to be ecchi trash. Have faith in these weebs, Benjamin!
…And then I remembered why I don’t have faith in most anime fans.
I went to my favorite source for anime, pulled up Shobitch, and played the file. The anime starts with a boy and girl in their teens in some field lookin’ stupid. The girl speaks.
“I, right here and now…will raise my skirt and display myself to you.” Joy. Oh joy. Another romcom opening up with a panty sho- hold up! Did this bitch straight say she ain’t got no panties on? Am I 10 again sneaking into the living room at 2AM to watch that Wax-a-Million music video on B.E.T. Uncut?
But seriously. This anime isn’t opening up with a panty shot. It’s a straight up vag shot. A censored vag shot, but a vag shot regardless. Or maybe not, as the dude was dreaming the whole thing. Doesn’t matter, really. As I’ve stated before in my Hajimete no Galfirst impression review, if your anime opens up with panty shot, then you have no confidence in your work. So, if your anime opens with a girl flashing her vagina in the opening scene, then you should never work in the anime industry.
Just quit my man.
Goddammit, Wax-a-Million
Dude wakes up and gets an eyeful of some girl’s ass. Great. I see where this is going now. Next, he spots his crush (the girl in his dream) and talks about her in some inner monologue bullshit that I don’t care for. Kosaka Whatsherface is her name. The guy wants to be her boyfriend. He plans to confess to her later that day. They meet up after school. He confesses and Kosaka accepts. Not only does she accepts, Kosaka tells dude that she’s gonna learn 48 different positions for him so they can have a good time.
…what?
“Benjamin. Abandon ship. Why are you torturing yourself by watching trash tier anime? Go play that Fire Emblem 4 romhack with those Touhou characters. Go watch better anime. Don’t do this to yourself.” My gut was trying to tell me to stop but I refused. It’s my duty, obligation, and responsibility to tear apart bad anime – no matter what ill results may come to me and my mental health.
I should have I listened to my gut.
The OP begins. We see Youmu Konpaku, err, Yuki Nagato, wait no, Kosaka Whatsherface (look, all silver hair, blue eyes anime, and video game girls look alike to me. I don’t care; I’m anime racist) half naked and dressing. As she leaves her house, the camera pans up to her skirt for a panty shot. At that point, I stopped watching the OP. I went on my phone to watch some fight compilation on World Star Hip Hop (WSHH) to past the time. As I’m scrolling through WSHH my eyes peep the TV screen to check if the OP finished I was greeted to Kosaka, completely naked, sitting on a cake. Oh, and she was taking a loud of white frosting on her face in a suggestive matter.
Whew boy.
The OP ends and the episode resumes. We get some annoying brunette girl screeching, running down the hall and glomping Haru from behind. She’s followed up by another girl wearing some catgirl bullshit trying to take both of them back home with her like she’s Rena off Higurashi or something. Later, Haru daydreams about Kosaka. He debates if he should talk to her about her about asking her hobbies and interests.
To the surprise of nobody, Kosaka appears. Haru gets all giddy inside. He has a chance to ask her what she enjoys face-to-face. And hey! Kosaka has the same idea in mind. She wants to get to know her new boyfriend better as well. You know, it what makes a strong, solid relationship. Communication is key in these things.
You gotta ask your new boyfriend or girlfriend things. Things such as what they’re favorite color, what type of foods they love, who is their favorite music artist, and what do they like to do for fun. Oh! Don’t forget to ask what kinda fetishes do they have in the bedroom. Yeah, Kosaka asks Haru what type of fetishes he’s into for some odd reason.
…at least she’s thoughtful. I guess.
The scene transition to a boob gag to remind us that Kosaka is well endowed (as it wasn’t obvious enough in the OP). As she helps their teacher, she places her breasts on top of the books, and carry then them out. She then asks Haru if he’s a masochist because…I don’t know nor do I care anymore. In less than eight minutes, I could tell that this anime was just going to be terrible. It was at this point I started asking myself questions:
“Do I hate fun?”
“Am I secretly a masochist and is my pain kink is watching terrible anime?”
“Is this what they mean to turn your brain off and enjoy something even though its horrible?”
Besides this anime sucking, what also sucked that I drank all my alcohol from the day before (to relieve work-related stress). That bottle of Peach New Amsterdam vodka sure would have helped get me through this trash. Maybe being under the influence of alcohol would have made this a little bearable. Wait, actually no. It wouldn’t. It would have just me even angrier that I was wasting my time on such bullshit. Then again, in retrospect, Drunk Ben is smart enough to turn off this anime so he wouldn’t have to suffer any longer.
The next scene shows Kosaka eavesdropping on two girls talking about their relationship issues. Kosaka butts in. She tells the girls that the best way to get their boyfriend’s attention is to say “Nyan” after each sentence. Ya know, like one of ‘em socially awkward annoying high school weeaboos who wear cat ears all day. Her next advice to the girls was to not wear any panties around their boyfriends to make ‘em happy. Yeah. This is the character of Kosaka: A perverted airhead who think sex and being a catgirl will solve everything in the world. Kosaka is a tad bit off (as her peers states) Maybe she doesn’t know how a relationship work. Maybe she thinks sex should be a priority in it. It’s her first time having a boyfriend, so I should be a little merciful. But I won’t.
At was at this point I got bored with this anime. I simply turned off my TV, went on social media and started ranting about how terrible Shobitch is. After my rant, I dropped the anime.
I’ve concluded that I shouldn’t do these types of shows. Maybe there are good, romcom anime that isn’t utterly perverted (or the perverted jokes are actually funny) but I haven’t discovered them yet. My Girlfriend is a Shobitch isn’t one of them. The jokes doesn’t make me laugh (given I’m way out of pubtery I gues). Both main characters are utter idiots, with Kosaka being an airhead, monotone pervert. Her voice is as boring as the show. The only good things I can say about this show is that the animation is decent and the girl is more sexual forward in a genre where its the male who is sexual forward. Also, I will admit it was (laughably) cute to see Kosaka work hard to be a good girlfriend to Haru.
This show is getting dropped. I have better shows to watch and review.
First Impression score: 2.5/10
+The animation is decent
+Kosaka is a pervert rather than the male lead unlike most romcom shows
+It feels a little different from most romcoms
-Jokes weren’t funny
– Jokes were obvious
– Too overly sexual
-Episode opened with a vag shot
-Obvious harem set-up
-Fanservice transition shots
-Alcohol did not make this show better – only worse
-Kosaka looks like a lame ass version of Yuki Nagato off Haruhi
My Girlfriend is a Faithful Shobitch (c) 2017 Diomedea, Studio Blanc
Not all anime will have the honor being great and watchable all the way through. There are many shows that you will wind up dropping due to the low quality of the show.
At what point do you drop a show? I usually drop an anime on the first episode I can sense and predict it won’t be great beyond that point.
Your father has finally given in! After years of belittling and disowning you for it, he wants to watch those weird, girly “Chinese cartoons” with you. Your football jock buddy has been curious about those anime cons you attend often. He wants to bang him a hot, but depressed/mentality disturbed cosplay girl. But he wants to watch some anime first (so he won’t appear like a total tool). Your African-American youth pastor just heard about this Bible Black anime and wants to know if it’s about Black people going to church (spoilers: it’s not). Your entry level weeb girlfriend has finally grown some taste. She doesn’t want to watch Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon anymore. She wants something more deep and artsy.
Suggesting anime to newcomers and casuals alike can be a difficult task. The world of anime is full of diverse shows begging to be watched. The effort to suggest a show to your normie friend might be overwhelming; as there are millions and millions of anime out there in this world. You can’t choose one over another to start them out with. You may be thinking “Well, I can show them the classics! Everyone loves the classics!”. You’re right. You can show them a classic anime series. Good luck with that though. Some people don’t have the time to watch 100+ episodes of a “classic” series (whatever that means). Your friend might not like a classic anime series like Fist of the North Star. The violence and length of the series might them him off.
You could try a short and sweet classic series. Like, let’s say High School of the Dead. It has that 1970s grindhouse movie influence with the violence, gore, and sex appeal. Yeah! That might work. Then again, you don’t want to show your dad an anime full of fanservice and big tiddy animu girls (it’ll give him clues on why you’re such a kissless virgin).
“But Benjamin! I can suggest Cowboy Bebop to my normie dad, right?! It doesn’t have high school girls being sexualized like HSOTD! It’s a modern classic!” Sure! You can do that. But what if they hate space adventure sci-fi series? They’re gonna be bored with Cowboy Bebop and drop it after five minutes.
(And you wonder why you’ll never have a great relationship with your father. No wonder he’s more proud of your sports playing older brother than he is with your Chinese cartoon watching ass!)
Now, do you see why it’s hard to suggest anime to non-anime fans? Many of you assume that they’ll like an anime because it’s a classic. No son, it doesn’t always work like that. But don’t fret! I, Benjamin “The Greatest of All Time” Snow, will use my oh-so-superior, borderline arrogant, and elitist anime wisdom to great use. I myself will help you suggest great anime to your non-anime watching friends. You can trust me; you guys already know my tastes are great (and if you don’t know, now you know). So, how do you go about suggesting new anime? Well, it’s real simple and easy.
Check this out.
The best way to suggest anime to non-anime fans is this: show them anime based genres, TV shows, movies, etc. they already like. That’s it. Seriously. It’s neither complex nor deep. Your dad, he loves the sport of boxing, right? He loves boxing movies such as Rocky and Million Dollar Baby. Get him to watch the classic boxing series Hajimete no Ippo by Studio Madhouse. Simple. Very simple.
Your brother, he’s a kung-fu film fan, no? He spends hours emulating spinning kicks and karate chops in front of the mirror. He idolizes Jackie Chan: the legendary martial arts master and actor. The classic martial arts adventure Dragon Ball is right up his alley! Dragon Ball was inspired by many kung-fu movies that Toriyama (a major movie fan) watched in his spare time during the development of Dragon Ball. Your brother might catch some classic kung-fu movie references in this epic series.
Is your friend a sci-fi nerd who loves long-running, story-driven space epics like Star Trek? Have him check out Legend of the Galactic Heroes; a series with vivid characters of various backgrounds. He might even enjoy the military and political narrative themes of Galactic Heroes.
Now, that wasn’t so hard, right? You just need research anime series that will match non-anime friend’s interests. Don’t suggest shows that you like – your friend may not like them. Remember: one bad experience with a show could turn them off from all anime forever. You don’t want that.
Now, what if your friend or family members are already casual anime fans? They have a few popular series under their belts such as Death Note or Naruto, right? Yet, they want to branch out to other series but don’t know where to start. I gotcha, it’s just as easy as suggesting anime to non-anime fans.
Since you have a general idea of what shows they like, you can suggest new series based around their favorites. If they like Bleach then, they may like Yu Yu Hakusho. If they like fanservice, have them watch Monogatari. Your little sister enjoys Sailor Moon? Have her watch Card Captor Sakura or Madoka next. Over time, you can show your casual friends more artistic, deeper anime such as Paranoid Agent or Ani*Kuri 15. It will take some time for your casual friends to get into series that aren’t considered mainstream. Be patient.
Before I go let me say this: Do not get offended if your non-anime or casual anime fan friend or family member doesn’t like the shows you do. If they like a show you don’t, let them enjoy it. Attacking shows that they like, or getting upset that they do not like the shows you enjoy only makes you an insecure little bitch.
Don’t be a little bitch.
(Note: The Shit Art Online image is for clickbait views only. Never suggest such a trash series to anyone it doesn’t deserve money or more fans.)
You only get one shot. If the first episode of an anime doesn’t impress me, it’s getting dropped.
So, did Just Because! impressed me on its first episode? Boy, it was truly impressive.
Let me ask you older folks a question: Do you remember your final dayss of high school?
Reflect on this period of your young life for a moment. After years of dealing with bullshit from normie peers, popular kids in their cliques, preppy rich kids, obnoxious football jocks, and teachers who never taught you shit, all of that was coming to an end. You were deciding if you should stay in your hometown for college. Perhaps you desired to relocate to a new, unknown city to expand your education and see something different. Maybe you didn’t want to go to college. You were in school for twelve years of your life; adding four or six more years of school through college and university would drive you crazy. The very thought of more schooling right after high school pissed you off, so you just went straight the workforce, military, or whatever.
During these four years, you had a few people in your circle whom you grew close with and you formed a bond. Throughout these four years, you and your friends hung out after class. It’s possible that you might have skipped class to visit your friend. Hell, some of you even skipped an entire day of school to kick it with your friend all day a few times. Your crew were tight. As graduation drew near, you dreaded if bonds you made will soon break forever; as you and your friends aimed to go your own paths in life.
That’s Just Because!: Pine Jam’s original anime about four third year high school students entering the final period of their high school career. Eita (the main character) is one of these students. What makes him unique from the others is that he recently transferred to their high school (rather late, as it’s the end of the second semester). Yeah, he’s yet another typical anime high school student transfer into a new school. That’s nothing new in anime. However, what makes Eita, different from other “mysterious transfer students” in anime is the fact that this guy knows a few people at his new school – including his old friends, Haruto and Mio. With that fact, he isn’t that mysterious.
From left-to-right: Hazuki, Haruto, Mio, Eita, and Ena
Ten minutes or so into Just Because!, we’re introduced to the cast, as well as insights to their lives and motives. We have Mio; a studious girl who spends her free-time prepping for her college entrance exams (much to the dismay of her less studious friends). Next, there’s Haruto; the school’s baseball captain. He’s deciding if he should stick with baseball after graduation, or enter the job force. Then there’s Eita (whom I’ve already talked about) Next, Hazuki; a third year band student who spends her time practicing with her fellow band mates. Finally, there’s Ena; a second year student fighting to keep her Photography Club alive (which is doomed to be disband by the school).
With the characters and their goals presented this early, we are given a chance to care and know a few things about about them. That alone hooked me in into Just Because!. I want to see the characters grow and evolve overtime. I must note that it’s highly possible that this anime will have a solid amount of characters. Given that there were at least six through ten main and supporting characters introduced in episode one, I can assume that there will be more as the series progress this season. I for one cannot wait to see these characters interact with one another; especially Eita, Haruto, and Mio (as they were friends back in middle school). Ena seems pretty interested in Haruto and Mio’s baseball game. She spends most of the episode snapping away at their one-on-one game.
This brings me to my next point: the music and amiation.
The animation of Just Because! isn’t horrible. It is fine for what it is. The visuals aren’t on the levels of say Kakegurui or Made in Abyss, but it’s not bad. Some characters’ faces did look weird in shots were they’re not moving or interacting. I do not know if they’re off model, or if the animators purposely made them look weird. It’s isn’t jarring but it’s noticeable (after maybe two or three rewatches like I did for this review).
The animation does however shine during Haruto and Eita’s one-on-one baseball game. From Eita’s building power for his pitch and throwing his body weight into it, to Haruto’s attempts to hitting the ball as his body swings with his bat, the animation feels fluid and even realistic. You can visibly see the momentum in their actions – may it from the speed of Eita’ pitching or Haruto’s foot digging into the ground as he twists his body into his bat’s swing.
I cannot forget the amazing brass and string music that carries this scene. The song is a strong, proud brass fanfare in B-flat Major (with a key change to E-Flat Major). It starts with horns playing the melody with flare and pride as it slowly fades. As the brass backs off, snares and band drums As Eita and Haruto’s game builds up, so does the music with crescendo in sync. The brass section backs off, letting the percussion section carry Eita’s and Haruto’s silent stare down. The brass melody returns after four measures of rest as Eita pitches furious strike after furious strike. This continues on for about twelve measures
The brass sections backs off once again and the strings are introduced during Eita’s and Haruto’s final stare down. Haruto steps and grinds his feet into the ground with confidence. Eita winds up his pitch, matching his opponent’s confidence. As the cellos and violas plays the melody, Haruto hits the ball with great force, sending it over the field. The piano finishes with gentle arpeggios an the strings holding a chord in unison as the cast watch in awe of Haruto’s out-of-the-park come-from-behind home run.
I love how the music helps tell the story of Haruto and Eita’s game. It enhances the scene’s emotion of two good, old friends recently reunited as they go against one another in a friendly batter vs. pitcher one-on-one game. There is much to be praise on how well the music went in sync with the game (such how the music build up as the game grew intense to the strings playing as Haruto landed a home-run). The music played in this scene should serve as a reminder on why it’s important to use music as a story telling tool in anime.
The first episode of Just Because! has me execited for the series throughout the Fall 2017 season. Its hard for me to be sold on most high school anime series in which the main character is a transfer student. However, given this transfer student knows a few people in his school alreay, this kills the cliché “mysterious transfer student” from the get-go. I’m also digging the premise of the main cast being seniors in the last few months of school as they plan their lives after high school. I have yet to see an anime that does this personally. Character motives where clear from this episodes, therefore you start to care for them a little bit. The animation, while a little weird at some points, isn’t bad. If they animators use more expressive, fluid animation for more scenes just like the basegame scene, then I’ll be happy. The music is this anime’s strongest point. It’s well produced, light-heart just like the anime itself, and it has shown its usefulness in carrying a story.
Note the details that went into this sheet music, especially where the eighth rest are circled to indicate where the performer must rest in beat.
While I’m on the subject of the music, I must say that “In Unison” is the perfect song title for this scene (assuming that’s the name of the track). Haruto gets inspire to resume his baseball practice against Eita after he hears Hazuki and her band play the trumpet parts. There are shots of the school band playing the song, which gives the illusion that they’re playing in unison. Then we have Mio watching the two boy play the game, but more so she’s fixated on Eita (it’s theorized that she has an unrequited crush on him; a crush she held since middle school). Finally, there’s Ena as she snaps the action on her camera.
Truly in unison, especially since this scene connects our five main characters, directly or otherwise.
Overall, the first episode of Just Because! is highly positively impressive. It has everything I look for a first episode that makes me want to stick around for the series run. I really wish Pine Jam dropped the entire series on Netflix or something so I can marathon the show in one sitting to gain the full experience of the story. I can’t wait to see what they will do with their original anime.
Gave Just Because a second watch recently and it was just as great as my first run through. There is something about it warm, mellow and almost melancholic tone of the first episode that males me appreciate the hard work and love that was put into it.
Plus, for some reason this anime that for real makes me feel pretty nostalgic about my last year of high school nearly ten years ago (given this anime explores the final semester of 3rd year students). How the show explore students and their journey of their final months in high school is its strongest point story wise given its through many different students, not just one. Also I got a give respect to Pine Jam on making the cliche “Mysterious transfer student” gimmick new with the transfer student knowing some of his classmates since they went to the same middle school.
If Pine Jam don’t fuck up, I can see this show being one of the top dogs of the Fall 2017 anime season.
You only get one shot. If the first episode of an anime doesn’t impress me, it’s getting dropped.
So, did Love is Like a Cocktail impressed me on its first episode? As an alcoholic anime fan, yes. Yes it did.
(Warning: I was drunk when I wrote this)
Let me start out by saying that I feel personally attacked by this anime. I swear, this anime was created for somebody like me: a hardworking 9-to-5 employee with an addiction appreciation for liquor and spirits. I can relate to Chisato Mizusawa –the main female lead of this show. When somebody suggests going out to drinks or invites me over to their house for a fine cocktail or some beers, I get excited. Like Chisato, my lips parts as if I am about to sip on some Hennessy on the rocks. Mention alcohol and hanging out and I’m down for whatever. I match you a bottle or a case of beer.
Honestly, which hard working adult doesn’t enjoy an after work drink? May it be at a bar with a few friends, at the homeboy’s crib, or coming home to see your husband or wife treating you to a cocktail that they created themselves? Sora (Chisato’s husband) knows what he’s doing. This dude is a real husband. He treats his wife to a fine cocktail and dinner each time she comes home. Fellow men: this is the type of husband or boyfriend ya need to be, especially if your mate is a hard working woman. Real talk, if I ever get married, I want to be like Sora, man. Helping my wife feel better after a long day of chaos at the office or the gig.
Sora, you’re a real man.
Anyway, remember how I say I feel attacked by this anime? Well, like Chisato, I’m not really good with alcohol myself. Despite my love for booze, my alcohol tolerance is shit. A single cocktail can get me drunk? Yeah. That’s me. I can respect a tasty drink like Chisato. I mean, just look how happy she looks when she drank her husband’s cocktail, the Plum Splet.
Man, I gotta give props to this sho. They even go the extra mile by showing the viewers how to make the drinks so you can make them at home. That’s awesome to me, given I have a hobby for mixology. My only complaint is that they don’t tell you if you need to shake the shit in a cocktail or go into details on how to make it.
I also like how they show Chisato’s true personality show when she drunk with her “I get weird when I drink” line. And like Sora said, there are some people who can’t be themselves unless they’re drunk.
Kinda strange how alcohol work that way.
To conclude, I’m looking forward to this show. Chisato’s a cute female lead character whom I can relate to and I love her interaction with her husband so far. The mixlogy information is a nice ad that I did not expect and personally, its gonna help me out with my hobby with that. If you love a sweet romantic comedy and alcohol, then I recommend you watch this series.
With all the hardships she went through, I’m pretty convinced that Satoko is Higurashi’s punching bag (and it’s pin cushion). To say that her young life is rocky is an understatement. To start, she killed her own parents (whom she believed were trying to kill her) by pushing them off a deck. The village of Hinamizawa treats her like an outcast. Her uncle Teppei abuses and belittles her. Finally, her beloved brother (who would protect her from the abuse) is missing – leaving Satoko all alone in the world. Well, she has Rika, her best friend. The two are for each other greatly; as if they were sisters. The hardships they’ve suffered in young lives drew them closer to one another, creating a everlasting bond between the girls.
Rika and Satoko are inseparable friends.
Expect for that one timeline where Satoko was a bullying bitch to Rika.
One day, Satoko went off on her own without telling Rika (which alarmed her) and haven’t return since. She fears the worse – her Uncle returning to the village; therefore forcing Satoko to move back with him. Acting on this fear, Rika decides to confirm or deny her worries, and makes her way to the Houjou’s house. Rika arrives, with Satoko showing up behind her (who was returning from an errand at the “request” of Teppei). While Rika is relive to see Satoko “safe” and alive, she is shocked at her physical and mental state. Satoko appears drained. She’s not her normal, happy, and cheerful self.
Alarmed, Rika hits up Oisihi’s line. She requests to get in contact with her friend Mamoru , hoping he can save Satoko. However, Mamoru was away on vacation, ending her plan before it could start. Rika then decides to visit Dr. Irie and Miyo at their clinic. Rika figures she could convince the two to mobilize their personal militia (the Yamainu) to kill Teppei (in order to save Satoko, or at the very least, rescue her without violence). The two decline the request; stating that the Yamainu couldn’t move to attack due to the police investigating Teppei (he was the pimp of Rina, who was found murdered days prior). At best, they would have to wait until after the Cotton Drifting Festival to attack Teppei – which by then would be too late (due to the time loop).
The next morning, Rika’s classmates are asking why Satoko hasn’t shown up to school. Rika (who is visibly depressed) ignores them, but decides to inform Chie-Sensei on the situation. Chie-Sensei figures she should contact Child Counseling Center (an even worse version of the terrible real world child protective services [CPS] ) to see if they can intervene. Rika see this as hopeless, since Satoko filed false reports of abuse on her previous step-fathers, but Chie decides to take action regardless.
Chie visits the Houjou household in an attempt to talk Teppei into letting her speak with Satoko and get her back to school – which fails. Chie returns to the school, telling The Club about her lack of success. Shion goes off, demanding answers on why Chie backed down against Teppei. In her rage, Shion decides that rather than wait for the legal system to make a move, she would kill Teppei and rescue Satoko herself. She doesn’t want Satoko to suffer anymore hardships.
Shion attempts to leave but is stopped by Keiichi. He tries to talk sense into her, telling the girl that she’ll only regret killing him later. Shion ignores him and threatens to kill him first (if it means getting to kill Teppei). Mion tries to stop her but is quickly stopped by Rena. Rena has faith that Keiichi will calm Shion down and convince her to see the errors of her idea. Shion picks up a chair and smashes Keiichi’s head with, which calms her down. As Hanyuu attempts to cheer Rika up (since they’re able to prevent their friend from killing Teppei), Rika refuses to believe that things will resolve in a happy ending.
Rika’s depression and doubts reminds.
Later, Mion, Rena, and Keiichi discuss strategies to save Satoko without bloodshed. Rena mentions that she was scared that Keiichi was going to mimic Shion’s actions and ideas of killing Teppei. This is funny, given Keiichi actually did kill Teppei in a timeline before (which Keiichi tells the girls he had a feeling that she once did kill the him) They come up with the conclusion that it is best for them to fight without resorting to harming Teppei.
The next morning, The Club visit the CPS office to influence them to rescue Satoko. CPS tells everyone that they’re working on it, but Keiichi calls them out on their bullshit; Stating they failed to act upon the first reported case of abuse. He tells the case worker to not believe Satoko’s words, as she hasn’t shown up to school.
Reflecting on the situation at hand, Rika breaks down in tears. She starts to beg Keiichi to save Satoko and not give up. His words gave Rika courage and inspiration to fight.
Rika’s hope is restored.
‘Gift of the silver tongue. They say it’s the mark of a good officer.’ -Revolver Ocelot, Metal Gear Solid 2 (2002 Konami video game)
The next morning. Keiichi and The Club rally their classmates save Satoko. Keiichi – the magician of words – utilize his talents to convince everyone to save her. He reminds the class of Satoko’s suffering, unhappiness,and how much she needs them. Keiichi ends his speech by informing the class that CPS weren’t taking the matter serious. It’s up to them to fight for Satoko.
With his zeal, Keiichi is able to successfully recruit his classmates into his army.
With his unit, Keiichi marches forth to the CPS offices to negotiate against them. The two groups go back-and-forth, with Keiichi’s unit not backing down. Despite their efforts and emotional appear, The Club loses. Yet, they will not give up hope. They must regroup and try again. They can not give up. Keiichi’s unit needs the support of everyone, no matter what.
Keiichi gathers new allies from all over Hinamizawa.
After a successful night of enlisting new recruits, Keiichi and the others go over their new battle plan against CPS. As they talk, they’re surprise and relive that Satoko has returned to school. However, Satoko looks like hell: She show signs of physical, emotional, and mental abuse. Everyone surrounds her, happy to see her again, but thigns don’t seem right. Satoko lies about having a fever. Cleary a cover up for abuse given nobody asked if she was sick.
Keiichi questions Satoko, asking her if thing are hard for her, which she denies. Satoko then mentions her brother; Telling Keiichi while it’s hard for her, she must stay strong for Satoshi’s sake. Keiichi gives Satoko a friendly, yet sorrowful smile and praise her for her hard work. As a reward, he pats her on the head. Satoko starts to weep as Keiichi and everyone else reach out to her. They want to help their friend; they don’t want her to think that she has to suffer alone, but she refuses the help.
Until she has a trigger.
Satoko hears footsteeps in the distance. This alone causes her to have a panic attack (as she thinks her uncle was coming to hurt her again). They manage to calm her down with injections (to combat her HImiizawa Syndrome) and let her rest. Rika and Keiichi talk about what they should do. Rika reveals that Satoko was forced by her uncle to stay with him; as he threatened to burn and destroy Satoshi room. This enrages Keiichi, who now wants to kill Teppei. Rika manages to talk sense into Keiichi by calming him down. Keiichi regains his focus. At this point, they can’t afford anyone to lose it this far – victory draws near.
The Club regroups with new allies. They march back to the CPS. While talking to Hanyuu, Rika analyze the events leading up to this point. She realize that while she has been rooting for her friend, it was just at the sidelines. Rika was just a mere spectator, refusing to take center stage . She takes it up to herself to fight at the front lines. She plans to convince Satoko to admit to the abuse.
She can no longer just stand by and watch her best friend suffer any longer.
After the meeting, Keiichi receives word from Chie that they have stir up ill will from the elders who still hold a grudge against Satoko’s family (as they opposed the village during the Dam Wars). The villagers believe that Oyashiro will curse them for allying themselves with The Club, but Keiichi continue to fight undisturbed.
Keiichi stands up and steps up to the elders. He outs them for bullshiting around, preventing Satoko’s resuce, and letting the conflicts of the past impact the present and future. He gets bold – demanding the elders to tell him if they are his foe or ally. The rest of The Club then expose the elders’ connections with the government (as they were getting favors from them). They know that the elders don’t wanna lose that connection. Using this to their advantage, the Club forces the elders to play with their cards. Keiichi’s relentless spirit and logic works: He successfully recruits the elders to his side.
With the elders and youth in his army, there’s one more person whom Keiichi must convince to fight in his war – Oryou Sonozaki – the head of the Sonozaki clan: The elder who still harbors hatred towards the Houjo family’s past sins.
Keiichi confronts her. He presents his case to her in hopes that she’ll let go of her anger towards the Houjous for just a little bit to help Satoko. When she doesn’t bulge, Keiichi threatens to kill her and make Mion the new head of the family. This isn’t a smart move on our talented magican of words as Oryou threatens to kill him. Keiichi tries again, begging her to change her mind. She still won’t buldge but it isn’t hopeless. Shion and Mion’s parents seem supportive of helping Keiichi’s cause, which pisses Oryou off. Keiichi goes off on her once again, which doesn’t piss off Oryou but her daughter, Akane. Akane tells Keiichi to fuck off and return once he matured.
Keiichi’s effort (and perhaps his stupidity) pays off: Oryou agrees to join his side and save Satoko.
The next morning, CPS is bombard with phone calls from the villagers of Hinamizawa. The pressure and heat is on and the CPS office can feel it. Supporters from not just Hinamizawa, but other villages and towns join forces to express their concerns of CPS delaying efforts to investigate the case. Somebody even pulls up on the rally with a protest van equpired with speakers. The CPS director starts to freak out. He’s corner and knows it.
Victory is in sight…or so it seems.
Oishi pulls up on Keiichi’s protest. He informs them that their assembly is illegal and they must stand down and break up, or risk arrest. Keiichi refuses. They cannot give up. They’ve come so far and worked effortlessly. Surrender means defeat; not only for theme – but as Satoko well.
Inside the office, the director is planning to escape, but is thwarted. Central office is calling. Elder members of the Sonozaki clan have reached out physically to the central offices. Learning this, the director surrenders to the demands of the people. With the pressure on, he decides to take action and calls the Houjou household.
Meanwhile, Satoko is assaulted by Teppei…
After beating her, Teppei answers the phone. The director requests him to speak to Satoko, which he agrees to. Before handing the phone to Satoko, Teppei violently grips her shoulder and tells her to tell the director that they’re a happy family. He threatens to burn Satoshi’s room down if Satoko betrays him.
Satoko speaks with the director while Teppei behind her, installing fear in her. Keiichi speaks to Satoko first. He tells him how the village is rallying for her. He promises her that nobody will ever bully or harass her again, even if she is a Houjou. The same village that once outcast her and her family is now rooting for her. They want to see her safe and sound. For a second, Satoko ponders if there is any hope for her to live a happy life in the village that once rejected her.
Keiichi then puts Rika on the phone to talk to her best friend.
Rika reiterates Keiichi’s statement. She promises her that nobody will mistreat her again. Rika tells Satoko that she almost gave up, until Keiichi show her otherwise. Rika then tells Satoko that she knows that she was doing all of this to atone for her sins. She tells her that if she wants to make up for that the sins, t she must also ask for her friend’s help. It is the job of Satoko to reach out like her friends did for her. Rika hands the phone over to the director.
The director asks Satoko if there have been any problems with her and Teppei since she returned to live with him. There is a tense pause followed by stuttering from Satoko.
“He…He-help me!” At last, Satoko admits she needs help. She stands up to Teppei, telling her abuser that this is her and her precious “Nii-Nii” (older brother) house; she will do anything to protect it – even if it means forcing him to leave.
Teppei snaps. He slaps her, knocking the girl to the ground. He then picks her up from her hair and slams her to the ground, threatening to kill her. Before he can do further damage to her, the police force their way in, arresting Teppei and saving Satoko.
Satoko steps out of the house, greeted with the sight of her friends: friends whom all joined forces to save her. Satoko spots Rika, runs over to her arms and break down crying.
Satoko is finally free. With her courage, Satoko was able to stand up to her abusive uncle and confess she needed help.
Oh Kakegurui! You were an amazing and fun series! In fact, you were maybe like, one of four shows of the past Summer season that didn’t disappoint me (unlike say Hajimete no Gal). In four months, you created a cult following of dedicated fans with superior quality episodes and entertainment. Expect for that atrocious episode 9 with that pointless Idol show (I give that trash a 2.5/10). Anyways, fans from all over the globe illegally streamed tuned in to watch 24 minutes of deranged, spoiled rich kids gamble their money and lives away. All in the sake for power and…money I guess.
They also gambled for body parts as well.
The support and love towards Kakegurui was felt online. The flashy fans showcased their cosplays – dressing up as their favorite character. The artsy ones use their visual talents to produced fanart of their favorite girl. The musically included fans gifted the fandom with the sound of music – remixes and piano covers of the OP were poppin’ up on YouTube. There was even an ero doujin staring Yumeko having sex with some guy whom she poked holes in his condom (because Yumeko loves her thrills and risks)! Hell, some fans were even inspired to gamble or challenge others to gambling matches because of this show.
Yea, you heard me right. There are some fans out there whom believes that they should gamble because of this show.
Earlier today while I was doing my usual shit posting on Facebook, I shared a post from the Kakegurui fanpage to my own page for this blog. The post was simply news about the new Kakegurui cell phone game coming out in Japan soon. Within a few minutes of me posting it, someone commented.
“Care to gamble?” This fan said. I started to laugh. Maybe its’ an idiot fanboy who thinks they know how to gamble because they watched a few episodes of Kakegurui. At first I ignored this nerd, but then I figured I should entertain this just for more laughs.
“1v1 me in blackjack at Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA) if you’re going! Back that internet talk up IRL.” I replied, calling his ass out. I went through his profile and discovered that he was going to Anime Weekend Atlanta (which I too am also attending). I assumed that he was just some weeaboo nerd talking mad shit online. He is probably a giant pussy outside the internet. He even had an anime profile picture; people with anime profile picture tend to talk the most shit on the internet. Based on my findings, I concluded that he wasn’t about neither about gambling life, nor was he going to meet me up at the convention.
Or so I thought.
“Bet.” He responded back, posting a photo comment of him flashing several hundred dollar bills.
‘Well shit…He IS about that life.’ I said to myself. I was dumb struck. Not only did this dude back that internet talk up, he was also totally one of those rich (or well off) weeaboos who could buy the special edition of every Summer 2017 shows on Blu-Ray and not even be hurt about it. Me? I can barely buy a $10 bootleg waifu figurine after paying the bills and investing into my brand (this blog, the FB page, etc.). I mean shit, I was just trolling; trying to get a reaction out of the dude. Well, I got my wish.
Boy I got my wish.
That aside, this made me wonder: will Kakegurui inspire fans to gamble against one another? Perhaps this guy flashing his cash and challenging me to a gambling match at a nerd convention is simply an outlier (and an idiot for posting his money on the Book). But still, it doesn’t hurt to be a little concern. It’s possible that ignorant fans will make a trend of gambling within the fandom. It’s not uncommon for fans to create trends and tributes to their favorite series.
Back in the mid-2000s, Haruhi fans were doing that Hare Hare Yukai dance at anime conventions and for YouTube videos. Recently, fans of the Dragon Ball series have gather at public landmarks, parks, and colleges to scream like Goku for the hell of it. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Kakegurui fans gamble against one another at anime conventions. Shit, people already gamble at room parties when they play card games or money match in Street Fighter or Smash Bros.. With a popular gambling series like Kakegurui, it won’t be too long until weebs think they can gamble for cash.
And they will get utterly destroyed and lose all of their money.
A Mary cosplayer losing her money at a room party.
In my personal opinion, Kakegurui glories gambling. To start, Yumeko makes gambling seems like a fun time (which I confess it is). The consequences of losing a match aren’t too extreme (sans having your life mapped out through the Life Schedule Plan). We do not see the harsh realities of having a gambling addiction either. Yumeko, who calls herself a gambling addict, thinks nothing of it. She seems well off mentally. Gambling addicts in real life have ruined their relationship with love ones and annihilated their bank accounts.
Gambling isn’t really that great when you break down the horrors of it.
If this show inspires you to gamble and you never gambled before, well, good luck to you and everything. Just know that you’re an idiot and it’s your fault if you lose. Go watch/read Kaiji or something so you can learn that gambling ain’t really all that amazing.
‘Friends…
How many of us have them?
Friends…
Ones we can depend on.’ -Whodini, Friends (1983 rap single)
The power of friendship is a tired concept in anime. It’s a trope used as either a final hour plot device or a moral boast given to the hero from their freinds as a power-up, or a motivation toll to push forward in the face of despair. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni isn’t exempt from this. However, how Higurashi tackles this theme makes it stand out from other series that uses the power of friendship such as Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh.
Oh you’re my best friend…
Using mature and controversial themes (such as child abuse, mental health, trust issues, etc.) for its overarching narrative, Higurashi makes the power of friendship, and the benefits of it feel realistic compared to other anime series.
With series main character Keiichi, we see Rena and Mion attempt to reach out to Keiichi in his time of stress and paranoia, whom he couldn’t seem to trust. Rena herself would wind up untrusting of her friends; accusing them of betraying her (as she believed they snitched on her for murdering Rina and Teppei).
Finally, The Club unites the village of Hinamizawa to rescue Satoko Houjou from her abusive uncle – including villagers who once outcast and hated her.
Join me in part one of my analysis of the Power of Friendship in Higurashi as we explore how Rena and Mion reached out to help their friend Keiichi, only to be murdered by him due to his paranoia.
Keiichi, Rena, and Mion
‘Give me a reason why not to adapt in this way,
or judge me to be guilty of so many incurable sins
Tell me why, or why not, complaining way too much,
Maybe I overlooked something fatal for me’
“Why or Why Not” by Katakiri Rekka (Higurashi no Naku koro ni ED 1)
Ever since he moved to the small and close-knit village of Hinamizawa, Keiichi grew close with new friends Rena and Mion. They walk together to school, play after-school games and kick it and chill with one another as good friends. It’s clear by their interactions and the time they spend with each other that they’re bonded by friendship.
A bond of destroyed by paranoia and distrust.
Keiichi’s distrust towards his friends began when he was informed by Tomitake about the Hinamizawa Dam War (a protest conflict against a dam construction in the village). The “war” resulted in the unsolved murder and dismemberment of the project’s director. Now mind you, this information was given to Keiichi after he was joking with Tomitake that Rena may had hid a body in the garbage dump (the land that was going to be used for the dam) where she normally hangs out at. We must also note that some of the remains of the project director have yet to be recovered at this point of the story.
This news doesn’t ease Keiichi’s paranoia. It will get worse after the Cotton Drifting Festival.
It’s the night of the Cotton Drifting Festival. After kicking it with The Club, Keiichi goes off on his own to explore the area. He links up with Tomitake and his girlfriend, Miyo. The lovers get Keiichi hip on Oyashiro’s Curse: a series of unexplained “supernatural” deaths and disappearances occurring at the festival for the past five years – with this year’s festival being the fifth anniversary. This new information in combination of the murder and dismemberment case freaks Keiichi out.
There’s more to the village than he is aware of.
Miyo explaining the legend of Oyashiro’s curse.
The following morning, Keiichi is visited by detective Oishi at his school. Oishi notifies the boy that Tomitake was discovered dead during the festival. In addition, Miyo is missing. He asks Keiichi if he believes these incidents are linked to the curse. Keiichi replies that he doesn’t believe in such things such as curses and gods. Pleased, Oishi sees Keiichi as an useful person for the case . Oishi ends their meeting with him requesting that he does not repeat anything to anyone –especially to Mion – as she is a member of the notorious Sonozaki Yakuza clan.
Oishi informing Keiichi that Miyo is missing.
Returning to class, Keiichi overhears Mion and Rena discussing the disappearance of past victims of the supposed curse. Satoshi is mentioned, which Keiichi questions Rena about the boy later. After school, Keiichi confronts his friends about the murders, the village, and the curse. He suspects them of withholding information. Rena counters this, asking him why he too is withholding information. She brings up that she knows that he spoke with Oishi (contradicting his lie of him talking to their teacher).
The friends argue back and forth. Rena grows hostile. In the height of their verbal fight, Rena questions the subject of Oishi and Keiichi’s discussion, which he dodges. Rena snarls at Keiichi – accusing him of lying. Returning to her normal sweet nature, she tells Keiichi that just like he has secrets, they too have their own.
Knowing that the Hinamizawa Syndrome causes paranoia, one can assume that Keiichi is imagining Rena becoming hostile in her actions. For all we know, Rena could have been teasing Keiichi for fun. Maybe she was concern that Keiichi was talking to a police officer that he did not know.
Later that night, Keiichi receives a call from Oishi requesting new information. Keiichi mentions Rena and Mion were talking about the curse, the murders, and Satoshi (with Oishi informing Keiichi that Satoshi was one of the victims of the curse the year before). Keiichi links everything Rena and the others told him earlier – suspecting that he will be the next victim; Confirming his theory that his friends are withholding information from him. The phone call is cut short when Keiichi’s dad comes up to his room to give both Keichi and Rena tea. Keiichi freaks out. He never noticed Rena standing outside of his room, even though his father saw Rena going there. Keiichi believes that Rena might have overheard the phone call and starts to worry.
Keiichi decides to skip school the next morning. Feeling sick, he heads to the doctor clinic. At the waiting room, he overhears that Miyo may had been spirited away by the demon. Following that, he links up with Oishi for lunch (as well as to provide the kid with new information). Oishi informs Keiichi that Mion and her family were involved in the Dam Wars. He also supplies Keiichi with new information on Satoshi’s disappearance. Finally, perhaps the most important pieces of information he can give Keiichi – Rena’s past as well the links the curse’s past victims and his friends.
Oishi reveals to Keiichi that a few years ago, Rena suffered a mental break down; resulting in her assaulting her friends with a baseball bat. She was admitted to a mental health clinic following the incident. It was documented that during therapy, she repeated the words “Oyashiro-Sama”. It was also noted that Rena believe Oyashiro was watching over her.
(Bare this part of Rena’s past in mind as it will be important later on in relation to Keiichi’s paranoia.)
Oiishi then explains the link between Keiichi’s friends and the victims. The victims had a relationship with each friend. The dam director got into it with Mion and her family. The dam project’s supporters, the housewife that died in the fourth year, and Satoshi were kin of Satoko – blood or otherwise. The priest who died and his wife who disappeared were Rika’s parents. Finally, Tomitake was friends with The Club.
With this knowledge, Oishi theorizes that Keiichi will be targeted next.
That night, Rena and Mion visits Keiichi out of concern (due to his absence from school). They gift him with dinner and make him play a game to see who prepped it. As they chat, the light-hearted visit turns into an interrogation of sorts. They question Keiichi on his meeting with Oishi, which Rena brings up she noticed the two at Angel Mort. Keiichi starts to worry. He tells Rena that they weren’t talking about them, but she doesn’t believe him. Mion tells Keiichi that no matter what, she’ll find out his secrets between him and Oishi before leaving.
Keiichi examines the ohagai, suspecting nothing of it. As he takes a bite out of it, he starts to freak out and spits the food out into his hand. He spots a “needle” covered in “blood” sticking out and goes berserk. He tosses the food in the garbage and screams. Fearing that his life in his danger, Keiichi hurries back to his room, grab a piece of paper and starts writing:
‘I am Keiichi Maebara, and my life is in danger. I don’t know why or who. The only thing I know is that it has something to do Oyrashiro-Sama’s curse.’
In reality of course, the Hinamizawa Syndrome is clouding Keiichi’s thoughts. As the disease grows, so does his paranoia – therefore, creating false perceptions of reality. When examining the situation outside Keiichi’s perceptive of fear, you have to take in a few points:
The “needle” in Keiichi food (and the pain caused by it) is an illusion. The sharp, painful poke from the “needle” was actually spicy hot sauce (which also explains the “blood”). This was a prank by from Mion used to mess with Keiichi and cheer him up. We can assume that Rena and Mion both knew that something was bothering Keiichi and wanted to make him happy. This can be further supportive with the fact the girls visited him to check up on him.
It’s possible that Mion and Rena knew Oishi and Keiichi were at Angel Mort through Shion; Mion’s twin sister and an employee at the café. One could theorize that Shion informed Mion that Keiichi was talking to Oishi. Keep in mind that Oishi and the Sozonakis have beef. Oishi suspects that the Sonozaki are behind the mysterious murders. The dam director (one of the victims) was Oiishi’s best friend and father-like mentor. Taking this into account, you can assume that Mion thinks that Oishi is using Keiichi to get information off Mion. Mion could also just have been playfully teasing Keiichi (as well as telling him to stay away from Oishi because her family doesn’t like him due to reasons).
The following morning, Keiichi heads to school alone; planning his next course of action against his enemies. He’s nearly run over by a van (driven by members of the Yamainu). Thinking that they’re after him, Keiichi declares that he must not drop his guard. He must fight back. Upon arriving to school, Keiichi search the lockers for a weapon. Coming across Satoshi’s locker he finds the perfect weapon – Satoshi’s metal baseball bat.
At recess, Keiichi is “practicing” swinging the bat with aggression. Rena and Mion see this, questioning why he’s playing around with the bat. Keiichi lies, stating that he’s practicing for the national finals. The girls looked on with confusion and concern. They leave, letting Keiichi do his own thing. After school, Keiichi decides to drop out of The Club’s after school activities and tells them to leave him alone.
They’re worried about him.
Rena follows Keiichi to check up on him. Keiichi sees her and snaps. He points his bat at Rena with a threatening stance; demanding the girl to walk ahead of him. Rena complies, but not before asking him why he’s emulating Satoshi’s actions from last year (as well as using his bat) Rena tells Keiichi how he and Satoshi are alike (such as carrying baseball bats despite not being athletic, being paranoid, and dropping out of the club activities). Then Rena asks Keiichi if he’ll “transfer out” of school like Satoshi did prior. Keiichi uneasiness worsens. He believes that he’ll disappear like Satoshi from the tone and body language of Rena’s words.
Reality: Rena is troubled by Keiichi’s actions. She cares for him. She doesn’t want to see another friend suffering (remember: she regrets not reaching out Satoshi when he was suffering). To take it one step further, Rena had her own bouts with paranoia, stress, and mistrust in others before receiving help. She is by all means attempting to reach out and help Keiichi.
That night, Oishi calls up Keiichi again. Keiichi tells the cop that he’s certain that Rena and Mion are trying to kill him (with the whole “needle” in his food ordeal and the Yamainu trying to run him over) Oishi asks Keiichi to find the needle for him for evidence. Keiichi fails to do so (since the “needle” was hot sauce) and thinks he had accidently thrown it away. Next, he explains how he got new information on the Satoshi situation from Rena to Oishi. During this, he is startled by Rena ringing his door bell. Keiichi goes answer the door.
Just like the other day, Rena brings Keiichi over food and checks up on him. She asks him if he had anything to eat all night. He lies to her, which Rena calls him out on. Rena brings up that she saw him eating noodles and food he brought from the market. She starts playing around by yanking on the door chain of his house in an attempt to “break in”. Thinking Rena is out to kill him, Keiichi smashes her hand in the door several time, forcing Rena to leave.
Now, if I was Keiichi and Rena came through to my crib while my parents were away for the weekend, I would totally invite her in for a few hours. Just being real.
Reality: Rena was reaching out and checking up on him like last time (since he scared everyone earlier that day) Plus, Rena is close with his mom, so it is possible for her to know that Keiichi was alone without food. And given that Rena has a playful nature, her attempting to break him was just a joke.
Returning to his room, he notices Rena standing outside in the rain, looking into his bedroom chanting “I’m sorry” repeatedly. The following morning, Keiichi is back to practicing his swing with the bat. Mion confronts Keiichi and orders him to stop. Everyone is frightened of Keiichi’s unexplained erratic behavior. He goes off on Mion, asking her why is everyone is scared. He also tells her that he knows that Satoshi never “transfer” (given his sister Satoko is still in the same school and town). He tells her that he also knows about her fights with the dam war and asked why did she wasn’t truthful to him about that fact.
Mion breaks down in tears. She becomes enrage soon after. She assumes that Oishi – the “old bastard” – was the one who told Keiichi about her fights between the dam director and express regrets of not killing him earlier. Keiichi ponders if the “old bastard” in question is Oishi.
Reality: Mion is troubled by Keiichi’s actions. Like Rena, Mion fears Keiichi will end up like Satoshi and run away. Mion is also angry that Oishi made her seem like a ruthless killer to Keiichi due to her past with the dam director. The stress of her family dealing with Oishi’s police force, as well as rumors of her family murdering people has taken its toll on Mion. Therefore, out of rage, Mion snapped. Her wishing death on Oishi was due to anger. Deep down, I just think Mion was blowing off steam.
Keiichi leaves school and walks alone again. He spots Rena and books it, hiding into the woods, but his efforts fail. Rena catches up to him. He notices her billhook in her hand and questions her why she has it. She laughs at him. She then explains about how Satoshi was doing everything that Keiichi was doing in the past, her regrets for not helping him, and if he knows about Oyashiro’s curse. She ends with telling Keiichi that only she and she alone can help him solve his problems and that she’ll save him.
Rena starts to manically laugh and Keiichi runs off in the woods.
Reality: Rena was carrying her billhook for one of two reasons:
1. To help her on her grand ‘ol treasure hunting adventures in the not-so-grand garbage dump
2. To protect Keiichi from danger, as it’s implied from Rena’s point of view of the Onikakushi-hen arc (which you can watch a video of that POV below):
Rena is very observant. Her watching Keiichi becoming like Satoshi and him pushing everyone away is something not out of the ordinary for her. Like everyone else, she clearly noticed Keiichi felt and appeared troubled. Thus, reaching out to him was a priority. She states that she felt regret for not helping Satoshi out with his problems before he left. Perhaps she felt guilty for that and to atone for her it, she vows to save Keiichi.
Maybe, just maybe, she can save him.
A few hours later, Keiichi awakens in his room (he appeared to have been knocked out by a Yamainu solider). In his daze, he notices Rena sitting at the foot of his futon. He starts freaking out, asking her why is she in his house. Rena tells him that she found him in the woods and decided to carry him back to his house to recover. While they’re chatting, Mion comes through to the house, welcoming herself to his room. Mion ask if Rena called the sports supervisor, given Keiichi has an “interest” in baseball. Keiichi (with his paranoia at its highest) asks who the supervisor is. The girl simply laugh at him.
Mion suggests that they finish the Punishment Game before he comes, which Rena agrees. Rena gets up, walks over to Keiichi, and restrains him. Mion gets up and pulls out a syringe from her pocket with a sadistic smile. Keiichi is terrified. As he struggle to break free from Rena she asks what they’re about to do to him. Keiichi remembers Oishi telling him how Tomitake died and they suspected drugs were involved.
Keiichi overpowers Rena, grabs his baseball bat and beat the two girls to death with it in what he believes to be in self-defense. After killing the girls, he spots Dr. Irie rolling up to his house in the same van that attempted to run him over earlier that week. Seeing this, he reaches into the back of his clock to recover the letter he wrote earlier.
Finishing the letter, he names Rena and Mion as suspects, list five adults in the van, and suggests that the “drug” that Rena and Mion were planning to use on him is the same as the one that killed Tomitake. He then escapes the house, dodging Yamainu guards in the process. Keiichi calls up Oishi from a phone booth, panicking. In his dying breath, Keiichi tells Oishi that he thought the suspects were human, but at this point believes that Oyashiro’s curse is real and that the god is following him. Keiichi starts to tear at his throat – effectively killing.
Reality: Keiichi murdered Rena and Mion in cold blood. There were no drugs discovered at the crime scene. The “drug” he spoke of was a marker. Rena and Mion never attempted to harmed or kill Keiichi – simply, they wanted to help him and be there for him as friends. They wanted to cheer him up and wish him to get better. Sadly, Keiichi’s perspective of reality was distorted from his paranoia and the Hinamizawa Syndrome. He could not see that his friends only wanted to help him, not harm him.
Because of his paranoia, three young lives were cut short.
The truth of Rena and Mion’s kindness and Keiichi sins would be later revealed in the Atoment Arc. Rena, the airheaded, kindhearted girl, needed help herself. Help from her own pain, mistrust, and paranoia.
And what better friend to save her than Keiichi himself?
Yuki The Snowman 