More seiyuu stuff and Fafner

[insaneneko]

I haven't had the resolve to dive into that mess that is Okiayu madness over at seiyuu yet, but a post that had nothing to do with him caught my eye. The seiyuu list was impressive, so I downloaded the first zip and was really happy to find that the song is good and disgustingly catchy. I mean, the song is sung by some of my favorite female seiyuu--Paku Romi (Ed from FMA, Heimdall from Loki), Minagawa Junko (Ryoma from PoT), Kobayashi Sanae (Touya Akira from Hikago) and Saiga Mitsuki (only recognize Maria Ross from FMA and Wolfram from KKM of her credits, but I can't remember her voice...in any case, she can sing!)--and they kick ass! I love that there's one version with everyone singing, then individual versions so that you can really appreciate their voices. :D

I can't believe I'm fangirling over female seiyuu...finally...been too focused on the guys lately.

On a side note, I burned Unmei no kodou on a CD with a bunch of songs I kept meaning to play in my car (Must Be Dreaming, Eternally, etc.) and am playing it on the mini-stereo...and damn, it sounds so good out loud and not on headphones...*shiawase*....

There are many more productive things I could be doing, but instead I sit here wasting time...I should do something semi-useful like watch PoT, especially since people are claiming the anime is winding down. I'm curious about the MomoRyo episode that people mention, even though MomoRyo isn't my thing. But I'm far, far behind...*sigh*...

Oh yes, anyone who has seen the end of Sokyuu no Fafner...objectively, is it a good show? I've heard that it picks up mid-series, but I'm not sure if that's in terms of the show actually being good or just some kind of fangirl reaction (I try not to read things that might spoil me...I'm not partial to spoilers unless I know I won't watch something). I need to burn off anime files from my hard drive (too full!) and I have the first six...I'm wondering if I should just grab them all and burn them on a DVD or not bother...

Comments

[mirichan.livejournal.com]

Wolfram from KKM?

Oh... that means it's the woman who did Okita Souji in PMK ^_^

Shiawase

Oh yeah... what does THAT means? I found a song by Utada Hikaru with part of that in the title...

And I'm gonna go download the female seiyuu tracks then :)

And I can't help on Soukyuu no Fafner. I have it all but haven't watched it yet... and probably won't for a while (stupid ass*les, they killed the character of the actor I wanted to watch this for at the end of ep. ONE)... so I did not watch much more than the first 3 eps.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Hope you enjoyed the song. :D

"Shiawase" is "happiness," but in that context I'm using it as *happy.*

The first episode did not impress me in any way, but I know some anime start out really, really slowly...or badly, but then pick up.

[mirichan.livejournal.com]

I did not listen to it yet... was snipping videos and listening to music I could use for AMVs (Who wants to live forever, mostly... and Utada Hikaru songs I got from WinMX)...

As for Soukyuu. They killed Nakata's character by the end of 1, if I remember right. That did not go well with me :)

[prillalar]

Thanks for linking up that post -- the song is great and the voices are making me melt.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm totally addicted to it...What a great cast of singers.

[datenshi-blue.livejournal.com]

I liked Fafner... (despite the fact that I hated the last episodes with a vengeance). But objectively, the impression I got once it was over was that I had missed every other episode. There's a lot of stuff that doesn't make any sense, and I know it would if they only had taken the time (and episodes) to explain it better.

I know a lot of the people that was following the show loved it, ending and all. There just so much cheap senseless angst I can take without getting pissed off. And the plot is kinda full of holes.

Still... I kinda enjoyed it.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Hm, your description does not make me want to see it...even though you say you kind of enjoyed it. I guess I'll just grab it and burn it and maybe one day watch it.

[leviosa8.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the hint to seiyuu. Oh God, it is truly overwhelming the amount of daily downloads. But it is so worth it!

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

*laugh* It's plain insanity. So hard to keep up. >_

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

The rumours about Tenipuri ending seem to be true for once...though I'm sure they'll continue with OAVs or something later on. MomoRyo isn't my thing either (I just see their relationship as purely platonic/brotherly, plus I don't really want to, uh, imagine Momo naked ^_^;) but it was a nice ep for the two. To be honest, I was more intent on the BackOff!sparks Fuji threw at Momo and the conversation between Tezuka and Ryouma.

As for Fafner...It started out looking promising but by ep 11 the plot appeared to be tied by a shoe string so I stopped following it. I did watch the last ep out of curiousity and my reaction was basically "what?", "what??" and "WHAT????". I gave up and decided I'd watch it for the completely gratuitious angst and fanservice. It's not a horrid series but if you're looking for meaningful content then this ain't it. ;>

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Hm, my mind tried to imagine Momo naked...and failed...*shudder*...even though I actually own some MomoRyo doujinshi, they are either mostly non-H serious stories or H funny stories, so I guess they don't hurt me much. And the art is gorgeous. :D

I guess I'll just have to watch that episode (some time far into the future) to see.

I heard Fafner was disgustingly angsty. I'm prepared for that. Or at least, I think I am.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

My shallowness means that I just can't read a lot of pairings in TeniPuri because I don't want to imagine one or more of the parties involved naked. ^_^;

Fafner has gratuitous angst coming out the wazoo. It gets so over-the-top you have little choice but to sit back and relax and let it run its course. Fanficcers have an absolute field day with it though.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

*laugh* I don't read many pairings in PoT for a variety of reasons. Golden Pair bores me, I hate Inui even though I think that InuKai is very close to canon (according to the anime), I can't begin to understand a canon reason for TezuFujiTezu, and the pairings involving members of other schools baffle me because for the most part I don't know enough of their personalities to care. ^_^;

Well, I now have Fafner in all it's glory on my HD (though soon to be burned off)...I guess if I'm in the mood for great amounts of angst, I have it right there.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

It's amazing how much "evidence" the anime throws out to let the viewers pair up (heck, orgy up) the characters that are completely non-existent in the manga.

I'm one of those weird people who don't see the Golden Pair as being particularly slashy and while Tezuka/Fuji is aesthetically pleasing I just can't see where the fans are coming from. At all. I'm all for subtle but those two have all the chemistry of a log. ^_^;; Which is a pity because it seems most of the really good writers in the Western fandom are into it but when I try to read their stories I get bored to death...
I'm fairly neutral about the rival schools with the exception of Fudoumine, whom I love. Guess I'm just a Seigaku girl at heart. :P

Out of curiosity, why don't you like Inui?

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Or all that "evidence" in pictures from the calendars and goods...if they aren't doing it consciously, then the staff is made up of some serious slashy fangirls/boys in denial...

While I don't particularly see Golden Pair as slashy either, I accept it as one of those stereotypical slash pairings. *shrug*

I can understand the appeal of pairing Tezuka and Fuji both aesthetically and personality-wise (IF you have certain fandom stereotypes of their personalities), but I prefer them as rivals (for Ryoma's affections)...I think their personalities (either canon or fandom-created) are brought out better that way. I haven't really tried to read the pairing, even though it is amazingly popular in English (though...I don't think it's that popular in Japanese...^_^;). I don't bother for pairings I just can't see...unless it's short humorous stories. But I don't bother looking for short humorous stories, so unless they fall into my lap somehow I'm not going to be reading them. :P

I'm totally a Seigaku girl. Only exceptions are characters you see a decent amount of, like Atobe (and I guess Oshitari now...).

As for Inui, I have a problem with characters who are supremely confident and have this need to TALK constantly in a way that just oozes that...I think it was the Inui vs Tezuka kounai ranking-sen so long ago...in the anime, Inui keeps talking and talking and talking and saying crap like "kondo wa katasetemorau" (or something similar, I can't remember anymore)...and that just annoyed me to no end. Confidence is fine, even condescension i can take to a certain degree, it's when they keep reminding their opponent and the viewer I just can't stand it. >_< After that, while I think he is an important member of the team and I enjoy his character as part of the ensemble, I have absolutely no desire to read anything that deals with him personally.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

I bet it's deliberate. I must say I'm very impressed with the producer's ruthlessly effective marketing strategy even when I want to curse them for their unsubtle manipulation. :P

I heard lots of fans going on about the Golden Pair before I started watching the anime so I was expecting it to drip off the screen...but they strike me more as Best Friends than lovers. I certainly see where other fans are coming from and a case can be made for it (same with MomoRyo) but I just didn't read it that way. ToriShishi on the other hand seems almost canon in the anime.

With TezuFuji, I can almost understand it and in any other fandom putting characters archetypes like them together would be right up my alley. But it's like the theoretical potential is there but the actual potential isn't. Both of their interactions with Ryouma are so dynamic while their interactions with each other are...practically nonexistent and, well, dull. Plus I can't help seeing Fuji as Teh Uber Seme (no small thanks to the JFandom) so the thought of him weeping crystalline tears because of Tezuka gives me the willies. ^_^;;
Funny thing is, I'd kill to find proper Tezuka<-->Ryouma<-->Fuji.

though...I don't think it's that popular in Japanese...^_^;

That's really interesting. Online, I measure a pairing's popularity by the number of sites it has and the main TezuFuji Webring outnumbers the FujiRyo and TezuRyo ones. Granted, not all sites register with webrings but they're a handy measuring stick. Is it very different doujinshi-wise?
But yes, JFandom doesn't revolve around TezuFuji the way WFandom does. Sometimes I try new pairings just for the heck of it (like AtoRyo) and there are some very good English writers for TezuFuji but I'm afraid I couldn't appreciate their stories because their interpretation of the characters was so different from mine.

I usually root for main characters so Seigaku it is. ^_^
Except for Fudoumine, I like some individuals from the other schools but am not crazy for the school as a whole. I wouldn't have liked Atobe as much as I do if it weren't for the crack fanfic.
I love humour - the rare times I went looking for fanart I always headed straight for the 4-komas. XD

Ah, I see what you mean about Inui - he can be rather condescending and smug at times...I suppose I just can't take him seriously because of the Inui Juice and he does change later on (I liked his match against Yanagi in the manga a lot). InuKai is practically anime canon but I don't want to imagine him naked either. :P

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

I've seen nice Golden Pair manga doujinshi in anthologies, and I just don't see the romance...and like I have said before, even if they were a real couple I'd be bored of them (same like how WayaSumiWaya in Hikago does absolutely nothing for me...not enough tension...). Same deal with MomoRyo. Case can be made, but it mostly bores me.

As for TezuFujiTezu, the fangirls seem to find their "moments" in canon. Not sure where, but they certainly squeal. ^_^; I agree that their interactions with Ryoma are more dynamic...or rather, how many times do they actually talk to each other? I mean, really? The only time I can count as a potential TezuFujiTezu moment was their conversation after the interrupted game between Fuji and Ryoma...Even now in the Senbatsu arc I don't remember Tezuka and Fuji talking much (if at all beyond a simple greeting), and Tezuka certainly seems almost solely focused on Ryoma. *shrug* Of course, I am firmly of the opinion that there is more evidence for AtoTezuAto than TezuFujiTezu, if you want to go for a non-Ryoma pairing for Tezuka.

I swear I've read some Tezu + Fuji x Ryoma fics, but my mind is drawing a blank...hm, will have to do some research.

As for my comment about TezuFuji not being that popular, I meant as popular in Japanese fandom as it is in English fandom. It really surprised me how much a pairing I don't even see much canon basis on being so...big...

I'm certainly not a Fuji-uke person. He just is so seme in my mind...But you didn't mention Tezuka-uke! *laugh* I can see why that appeals to people, even if I am quite opposed to it. Though...I can understand where RyoTezu comes from...I don't disagree with it...I just don't need to read it. ^_^

I am very much a main-character fangirl. Yes, I'm utterly boring, but that's just the way I am.

I wouldn't like Atobe so much if I never heard Suwabe Junichi's character vocal message tracks...

I enjoyed Inui's match with Yanagi. I can tolerate him in the context of the story (especially if it's the manga, or it's one of those crack episodes)...I just don't want to read about him as a main character in a fic.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

Hear you on the Golden Pair. They're very comfortable around each other and I'm happy with their portrayal in canon so no interest in reading fanfic about them.

*laughs* I'm scratching my head right alongside you for TezuFuji. What little they say to each other may have some deeper meaning but I can't see what it is. The only really significant conversations were both about Ryouma which makes me see it as a Tezuka->Ryouma<-Fuji affair. Tezuka's fixation on Ryouma, however one chooses to read it, is Very Very Obvious (his eyes keep following the boy!). And Fuji's interest is also clear. The only way I can see anything happening between them is if it's something to do with Ryouma but no Ryouma in the picture means I'm not interested. I do see AtoTezuAto but I think it'd be much more interesting if it was Atobe<-->Ryouma<-->Tezuka. I am such an OT3-er. XD

As for my comment about TezuFuji not being that popular, I meant as popular in Japanese fandom as it is in English fandom.

Ah, right. Usually the biggest pairings are also the ones most easily extrapolated from canon (like AsuKira and AkiHika) so TezuFuji confuzzles me.

But you didn't mention Tezuka-uke!

Uber Seme!Fuji rather out-seme's Tezuka in my mind. XD;;
I prefer Tezuka as seme as well but I do enjoy RyoTezu-ppoi stories where it's Ryouma who holds the emotional upper hand in the relationship so in my mind that makes him seme regardless of physical technicalities. Tezuka physically tops (and I prefer that he does) but Ryouma can be sasoi!uke and that arrangement pleases me. *grin*

FujiRyo on the other hand doesn't have that kind of dynamic because, well, Ryouma has a much harder time twisting Uber Seme!Fuji around his pinky finger. And Fuji is very practiced in the game of manipulation so Ryouma's rather at a disadvantage to start off with...according to a lot of JFanon!FujiRyo anyway. I think Fuji's a harder nut to crack than Tezuka and it's easier to turn him into a caricature than have to tackle his complexity. After all, Fuji is the one whose perception of tennis is at odds with everyone else's and unlike the other two he's not ALL TENNIS ALL THE TIME.

I am very much a main-character fangirl. Yes, I'm utterly boring, but that's just the way I am.

Allow me to be boring with you. XD

(This is stuff I really should stick in my LJ but like I told Manon, I've discovered that I end up nattering in other people's LJs more than I do in my own. Discussions like these are so much fun, thanks for putting up with me. ^_^;)

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

I realized what can constitute fangirl moments for TezuFuji...things like where in that silly SD episode with the Seigaku family Tezuka nad Fuji are cast as the grandparents (i.e. married to each other)...but following that logic Inui/Ooishi would be a so-canon pairing. ^_^;

I think Fuji-uke is possible when people interpret Fuji's character to be a certain way...I think one example is white Fuji. You know, the eternally giving and kind guy, which I've had the misfortunte to read in FujiRyo fics. Another dynamic I think exists is when Fuji is the sly manipulator and just wraps Tezuka around his little finger...I don't agree with that one either, but...we're all interpreting these charas, after all. :P

I do enjoy stories where Ryoma is in charge mentally (read my little rant from the other day about a manga where the uke is completely in charge...damn amusing stuff...) and Tezuka is just...either hetare or helpless...

I don't mind having discussion whereever, as long as they aren't in community posts. ^_^ It's nice finding someone with the same pairing tastes, though. AND can read Japanese!!!

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, those completely crackpot episodes provide support for all sorts of bizarre and random pairings so I can't take them seriously. ^_^;

It's really easy to take one or two aspects of a character and emphasise them to point of distortion. But it's true that in the end characterisation is in the eye of the beholder and when it comes to personal preference no amount of discussion or argument will change anyone's mind. I still wish I could comprehend the whole TezuFuji deal though. :P

Oh, that manga you talked about with the complete role-reversal was hilarious. Sounds like something I'd like to read. XD

*laughs* To think that the whole reason I moved to JFandom in the first place was because it seemed no one liked Ryouma uke pairings. It got kinda lonely so it's great to find like-minded company. ^_^ (Now if only I had time to read everything that's out there...)

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Does anyone take those crack pairings seriously? I find it amusing how people seem to specialize in writing for crack pairings...of course, not amusing enough to actually read them...

Talking about distortion, I hate those turn Ryoma into weepy wimpy shoujo heroine fics...I used to come across those often and it'd completely make my eyes roll. I refuse to accept that interpretation unless...unless...um...would there be a situation where I'd accept it? In any case, that's a hard characterization for me to swallow.

As for TezuFuji...you and me both. :P

The manga I spoke of is awesome and everyone should own it. Really. It continues to give me lots of laughs every time I pick it up.

Ryoma-uke fans unite! I'm glad they exist in English fandom, too. Too bad there aren't that many really good writers, though.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

Heh, the fans don't need to use the Random Slash Generator because the series does it for them. The crazy ideas are funny but, like you, not enough to get me to read.

Gahh, can't stand weepy wimpy infantalised (I prefer it to "feminised") characters. Ryouma's no fun without the snark and constantly challenging to his seniors! To reduce a character to that state believably would require several hundred pages of buildup and justification I doubt I'd want to read.

Might see if the furuhonya has that manga next time I pay the place a visit.

Ryouma-uke fans are so few in WFandom. I can understand the reluctance to slash him since he's the one of the few characters in the series who actually kinda looks his age (though not so much in the manga which is what I go by). Guess we're just incorrigible. XD;

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Infantalized, huh. I can't think of it as anything but feminized, unfortunately. The weepy histrionics can only make me think of heroines from bad melodramas...Just thinking of all those bad amnesia and death fics where the forgotten/left behind one just falls apart into torrents of tears and drowns in a sea of angst makes me shudder...

Heh, your furuhonya would be pretty awesome if it had a manga that came out about a month ago already. ^_^

I think a lot of people in English fandom just don't like Ryoma's character, which seems to me a big part of why we just don't see him as a major player. I suppose the age thing might play a part, but to me a lesser part.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

I use "infantalised" because, frankly, I have a hard time thinking of those weepy spineless shoujo heroines as "women" - they might as well be infants mentally/emotionally if not physically.
I have to be in a masochistic mood to read those. ;>

A month ago? Aww, guess I'm out of luck then.

I've heard some people can't stand him but is it that widespread? It seems I, and a good chunk of JFandom, think he's cute. I find his attitude a lot easier to take because he can back it up and the boy is sharp as a razor blade. When it comes to basic human nature Ryouma is a lot more insightful than a lot of fans give him credit for. I think he's much more capable of seeing people sans tennis than Tezuka. Then again, if he were real I'd probably want to drop an anvil on his head too. ^_^;

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

For some reason I keep hoping that things will improve and it'll turn out to be a decent fic...and I get to the end of the fic and wonder how I could be so delusional...

I get the impression that it's fairly widespread. Of course, that's only from my bits of contact with the fandom at large. I think the Japanese see him differently as the non-Japanese which makes him more acceptable to them...of course, they create some of the most irritating female characters ever in their anime and love them, so there's probably something wrong with them...^_^;

I personally find Ryoma to be cute as well. Before I read the manga, I figured his personality would rub me the wrong way, but I was pleasantly surprised when I found I liked his snarkiness. I think it helps that I end up thinking of any deficiencies in his character as Nanjiroh's fault for being a jackass father...

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

Hope springs eternal. ^_-

Ah, ok. It's not hard to see how Ryouma would rub a lot of people the wrong way...especially in the anime since he's even more prominent there. The Japanese turned BL into a major commercial industry so of course they're already a tad touched, as it were. XD (I think those irritating female character tropes say a lot about Japanese society's expectations of women which are decidedly unpleasant to the Western eye.)

I was surprised to find myself not hating Ryouma because his character type usually annoys the hell out of me. What did a lot of balance his arrogance was the fact that he could back it up with actual skill. And meeting Nanjirou explained a lot too - the man is entertaining but good god what a loser when it comes to parenting. I'm frankly surprised Ryouma's as well-adjusted as he is, considering. ^_^;

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Touched. That's a good word...and don't forget the huge doujinshi publishing and distributing industry they created....^_^;

I thought a bit more about why I don't hate Ryoma (when I should)--it's because his attitude only extends so far. He's snarky and impudent, yes, but he will acknowledge true strength. When he loses to Tezuka? He is not a poor loser. He is kuyashii, but he respects Tezuka's strength and burns with a desire to beat him...they could have made him a sore loser who has a way too big an opinion of himself and convinces himself that he didn't lose or something.

His utter delight in the game itself is also endearing. His joy in the game is not to beat his opponents. His joy is to overcome challenging opponents and become stronger. And that passion is the catalyst for change for so many people in the series...

And I too think he's amazingly well-adjusted with Nanjiroh as a father. I really wonder how he'd have turned out with a Touya Koyo type father...^_^;

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely. It's always mindboggling from a traditional Wfandom POV that not only is it permissible to produce fan-works on a large scale and sell them for money, it's even encouraged. English fanzines simply don't compare.

Same here, I really liked that Ryouma isn't a sore loser and while he's happy to beat other players he doesn't spend lots of time gloating over the fact (and when he does rub it in it's to characters who are presented as being nasty). The boy does care about his fellow teammates and friends (even Horio and Sakuno who I'd happily punt into the next universe) even if he expresses it in his backhanded, socially stunted way. Which is just so cute. XD

My brain cannot compute a Ryouma who has someone like Touya senior for a father. Maybe he'd have turned out a bit more like...Tezuka?! O_O;

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Bwahahahaha...the second coming of Tezuka! A Tezuka-like Ryoma can't help but break my poor, poor brain. :D

It's true that Ryoma somehow manages to care about the annoying people who need to just go away, or people he really could care nothing about (like Dan from Yamabuki) since he has nothing to do with them.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

The Second Coming of Jesus Tezuka: Seigaku Will Never Recover (nor will the audience). *snerk*

If you can manage to look beneath the cocky exterior, Ryouma is a very decent boy who stands up for those who can't stand up for themselves (probably because he's suffered much the same growing up). And he does it even when they were the ones who dug their own graves. If I had the legions of stalkers after me that he does I'd be far less charitable and even more anti-social.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Ryoma's too normal to ever end up like Tezuka...no matter what his upbringing. :P

He's way to nice to Sakuno. He could be so mean but he just kind of shrugs her off...

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha, that's quite true. After seeing what Tezuka's family is like in 10.5 I felt terribly sorry for his father. XD

Boy, Sakuno...He really is very nice to her in his Ryouma-esque way. One of the most irritating things about AniPuri is the constant presence of those two girls and the damn reporters. >_

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I want Ryoma to just poke at Tezuka to see if he's real...

*poke*
"Echizen, what are you doing?"
*poke*
"Just seeing if you're real. You seem too perfect sometimes, like a doll or something."
*sweatdrop*
*poke*
"Will you stop it? I'm obviously 'real'."
*poke*
"It's kind of fun poking you...the wrinkles on your forehead increase each time I do..."
*silence*
*poke*
"10 LAPS!!"

....

Okay, I don't know where that came from...^_^;

What is currently annoying me about Sakuno is that she hasn't learned a thing! She can't just keep starting a sentence and trailing off, because that will get her nowhere with Ryoma! (Not that I want her to get anywhere with Ryoma, but as a fellow female I want to smack her lack of any kind of ability to learn and grow) As for the other females, they are more or less totally silly characters to me, so I just sigh and bear it.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

ROFL! That's so cute and I can totally see Ryouma doing that.

Ryouma: Buchou, I think you need a sense of humour.
Tezuka: 20 laps!
Ryouma: Geh! (see?)

It's like the TezuRyo fanfics I love that are just about the two of them interacting normally and the hilarity that can ensue. ^_^

I don't mind Sakuno et al at all in the manga simply because they're barely present (they've as good as vanished by this point). But I wish the anime producers would either cut them out or give them actual lives of their own because girls are so obviously shafted in TeniPuri. Given a choice between non-existence and existence that just highlights how low the status of women is in the series I'd rather go with the former. >_

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

I love that playfulness that comes from the fact that Tezuka has an underdeveloped sense of humor. :D

Sakuno in the manga is very much tolerable. It's the anime version I have a violent reaction to...especially with that voice...*shudder*...

I don't know why they bother with the female characters at all...unless they are there to show how much better off the boys are with each other.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

I swear, if Tezuka didn't give off such a frightening aura everyone would tease him mercilessly. His type are practically begging for it. Hmm...maybe that's why he cultivated that unapproachable demeanor. XD

The girls in the manga aren't present enough to make any kind of impact at all, really. Sakuno's voice doesn't annoy me as much as her friend's - there are times when I feel like getting earplugs in self-defense against that screech. >_<
Oh, I do like manga!An a lot though and I wish we'd see more of her.

Usually girls in WJ manga are just there to be the protagonist's love interest and provide fanservice but that's not the case in TeniPuri so they're just...useless extras (even poor An).

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

But Tezuka does get teased in some fanfics even with that stern demeanor. And he furrows his brows and bears with it in his stoic way...

Her friend's is very annoying, but Sakuno annoys me because they attempt to shove her at Ryoma and I feel she is unworthy to be even considered for him (at least the way she is now). An has a great personality, but she's just not around enough. It's amazing how irrelevant the females are in the series.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

True, but not so much in the series. Only his year mates and Ryouma are unintimidated enough to even consider teasing Teh Buchou. Which makes it that much more tempting to do it in fanfic and fanart, of course. XD

I can't take Sakuno and her role seriously enough to even consider her and Ryouma actually hooking up in anyway. I still find her inability to stand on her own two feet very annoying but she mostly falls into the "too pathetic to hate" category for me.
I do love manga!An (the anime version not so much) and at least she played a role by being the catalyst for Momo's revelation, etc. so it's sad we hardly see much of her. I also think she's cute.

But overall, female characters have so little relevance to this series I'm not surprised Konomi pretty much did away with them after the first few volumes. The anime does them even more disservice by forcing them onto the audience.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

I just remembered! There's a great (unfinished) Tezuka + Fuji x Ryoma fic at Petit Blue (http://www6.plala.or.jp/fucchi/) called Isotope! Yes, it's not done, but I think what's there is worth reading (as well as the other fics on that site...). :D

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

Ah! That was one of the sites you recced and is on my list to check out. Thanks for the reminder but, unfinished? Uuu...As long as it hasn't been abandoned I'll read it anyway.
I checked out some old sites and found that Kitchen (http://yuuhi55.hp.infoseek.co.jp/) had pretty good TezuRyo, FujiRyo and an engaging FujiTezuRyo but it's unfinished and the site is no longer updated. *sigh*

The kind of OT3 dynamic I like best is when Fuji and Tezuka grudgingly agree to share rather than spending all their time fighting over Ryouma (though it's fun to watch). I'm greedy - I like them all so if everyone's involved I'm over the moon. XD;;

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

*laugh* It might be abandoned, but what is there kicks much ass. ^_^ Check it out. Really.

Checked out the FujiTezuRyo at Kitchen...I thought Ryoma was a bit OOC. A bit too 乙女　for my taste. Have to check out the others at some point.

[mitethe.livejournal.com]

I've made a note of it (just so long as it doesn't end on a cliffhanger?). ^_^

Yeah, I'd prefer a snarkier Ryouma too. I think the TezuRyo ones were rather cute, though.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

I don't remember how it ends, but it made me go *_*

Snarky Ryoma is irresistible! Kawaii no da...