i finished marineford arc!!
this is the best arc in my opinion! i have loved the arcs before, but as heartbreaking as it is, i love to see characters push past obstacles and limits.
this arc made me cry several times. ace is one of the most beautiful characters ever written. he's incredibly tragic, but i love how he became such a fantastic person despite the odds against him. growing from his rage, becoming a kind person who loves so strongly, and someone that many people look up to - all of these things make ace so amazing. i know that ace will always be a favorite of mine.
what i felt this arc did so well with was how balanced everything was. the writing, when it came to ace, luffy giving his all to save ace, garp feeling stuck in the middle, and the humor with buggy were all done so well. there was never a dull moment while watching.
the childhood episodes were so beautiful yet bittersweet. watching luffy try so hard to be ace's friend made me so emotional. ace, sabo, and luffy becoming an unstoppable sibling trio was so adorable. i loved how they were the first people who showed ace that he WAS deserving of human connection. all three of them became better because of each other. after losing sabo, ace took his significant brother role seriously, and luffy decided he would become strong enough to never lose anyone again. it was such beautiful writing.
luffy losing ace broke my heart. ace dying defending his father figure and saving his brother is so in character for him. he's never backed down from a fight, always protecting the people around him no matter what. although i wish ace was able to escape, i know that he did what he believed was best for his family. it's incredibly tragic yet beautiful.
i was so sad that the straw hats never met up with luffy. i was hoping that they would be able to reunite at some point. although i wish they were reunited as a crew, i also loved that luffy was going through one of the hardest things without them. it makes the situation that more upsetting. luffy wasn't surrounded by the people he trusted most to try to save his big brother.
watching luffy mourn his brother destroyed me!!!!! i cried so hard watching ace die that i had a migraine; it broke my heart completely. luffy screaming and crashing into trees while trying to forget what happened at marineford was HORRIFYING. we've seen him be so happy in every arc, and now we see luffy at his lowest possible moment. but instead of letting his rage consume him, luffy is reminded of the people he still has in his life. he can't allow himself to give up because he has people he wants to see. luffy lost his brother, but he still has his crew. watching luffy realize how much he misses his friends made me cry so much. he truly loves and cares for them. if it weren't for the connection he has with his crew, luffy wouldn't be able to move forward.
overall, this arc was AMAZING. pretimeskip was incredible. so many fun arcs and incredible ones, like skypeia, water 7, enies lobby, and marineford. i'm excited to see the crew together again in post timeskip.
vinland saga s2 ep8 is so far my favorite episode of the series. so beautiful to see thorfinn finally acknowledge his emptiness, but have people tell him that you CAN find something to live for. that he CAN change. slowly, he's starting to allow himself to feel again. after the first few episodes, which show us how defeated he is, it's so nice to see him upset about what happened to their farm. thorfinn's gradual curiosity about farming and his small attempts at opening himself up have made me so emotional. i can't wait till the day he can smile again <3
i just LOVE finding a ship that is built on such amazing writing, and you can see how the characters impact one another. romantic or platonic, being able to watch two characters grow closer in such beautifully intimate ways is one of the best parts of consuming media. you can see all the author's hard work pay off with each interaction. it's so beautiful. and all the people that create fanart, edits, fanfics, of these ships pay all the love forward. it's such a beautiful and fun way to appreciate media. there is nothing better than discovering a new ship and falling in love with the characters as a pair AND individuals.
i missed killugon so much that i went back to the manga to reread some of their moments together, and this scene during greed island is one of my favorites.
i love how childlike they look in the art. it reminds you that even though they have moments where they fight enemies to the death, they are still children at the end of the day. things like friendship are normal to kids, but killua was never able to experience any of it until he met gon.
the way killua’s eyes widen, almost shocked someone thinks of him as a friend and that it’s gon of all people who feel that way. killua is so used to a world with no emotion or joy, and now he gets to spend all his time with his best friend, who ALSO feels the same way towards him.
to gon, being upfront and honest with his feelings is normal. he was raised by his aunt, a very caring woman, and it was easy for that kindness to become a part of gon's personality. it's easy to say that killua is important to him, that killua is someone he can count on no matter what.
for killua, hearing this means the world. a boy isolated from the outside world, taught to be an assassin, tortured, and ignored, is now face to face with someone who cares about him and isn't afraid to say it.
it's such a simple scene on the outside, but these boys have only recently met, and it is almost like fate brought them together. killua and gon have become so close in such a short time, and yet it's hard to imagine a moment when they weren't by each other's side.
this scene brings back so many memories for me. it reminds me of how, as a young kid, you may be embarrassed to tell someone how much they mean to you, so you duck your head, trying to avoid contact while you think to yourself how happy you are.
since i watched hxh, killugon has become such an important duo to me. as individuals, they are incredibly written characters, and watching them become friends was my favorite part of the series. they mean so much to me! every scene they have together makes me so happy, and i hope we are able to see them again soon <3
sorry. i'm still here. is this not insane
katsuki bakugou has been a favorite of mine since i was younger. watching him develop throughout the years has been so emotional for me & seeing him change is so beautiful. he’s an incredible character that i’ll love forever. he saw his weaknesses, acknowledged them, and grew to become a better person & hero. his development didn’t happen overnight. it was written so perfectly. he changed slowly over time and watching it happen was amazing.
this ship is my number one favorite ship of ALL TIME. their relationship is so beautifully written. from shoyo and tobio not having a team to creating a lifelong rivalry that will last forever. i talk about them so often, and i don't see that stopping anytime soon. the love i have for them knows no bounds; i genuinely believe they are soulmates. the bond they share, their growth, and the overall relationship between them is perfection. i really don't think there's another ship like them for me!
they have grown on me SO MUCH this year. not only is skip and loafer one of my favorite pieces of media ever, shima & mitsumi's relationship is one of the best things ever to me. whether they are together romantically or platonically, there's no denying that these two characters mean so much to one another. they impact each other, they make each other so happy, and in turn, it makes ME happy!! i am just so in love with this ship. whenever i see them together, i just start to smile so big!!
they are so nostalgic for me & finally reading akayona and seeing them become even more special to each other was just amazing. my favorite shoujo couple ever. they just love each other so profoundly & would do anything to protect their other half. i can’t get enough of them! hakyona is so beautifully written, and i could not imagine a more perfect example of peak shoujo slow burn.
i recently watched hunter x hunter this year, and i have been infected with the killugon virus. they grew on me so much in such a short amount of time. watching gon and killua become so close and special to each other was so amazing to see. there's no denying that killugon means the world to each other. they are written so beautifully. discovering killugon was the highlight of this year for me. THEY ARE JUST SO SWEET AND MAKE ME SO HAPPY.
recently read aslfua this year & when i say im OBSESSED!!!!! this is such a perfect slowburn & if you know me, you know i LOVEEEE a slowburn. such a cute ship, first love type of thing. friends to lovers. awkward & silly. they are so comforting to me. such a well done manhwa full of love and friendship. just perfect.
SLOWBURN EXCELLENCE!!!!! CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LOVERS!!!! she was there for him in his worst times. HE VOWED TO NEVER MAKE HER CRY AGAIN. THEY GREW TOGETHER. THEY DID EVERYTHING TO HELP EACH OTHER. they are so perfect!!!!! i just can't explain to you how much they mean to me!!!
i will be honest, bakudeku was not a fav of mine when i first got into mha but after i finally read the manga for the first time, i can now say i am on the bakudeku train. katsuki and izuku are both favorite characters of mine, and they were written so well as individuals and as a ship. they mean so much to each other. they serve as fuel to accomplish their goals, as a friend they can count on, and as a duo that can take on the world. bakudeku is very special to me!!!
i find them so warm and gentle. tohru was finally able to be vulnerable with kyo and kyo finally knows what it's like to be loved. they went through so much as kids, and i just love knowing that they will always have each other no matter what. they are my favorite part of fruits basket!!! just such a beautiful couple!!
ao haru ride is SO special to me. it was one of the first shoujos i ever watched, and i recently have been obsessed with them. kou is such an amazingly written character, and i love how futaba was the one who "saved" him. they were middle school sweethearts who found their way back to each other. they have so much love for one another, and i'm so happy they got their ending.
MY FAV HASHIRA 😭😭😭😭😭
Just Giyuu and Mitsuri friendship <3