Yami no Matsuei, ep. 01-13 (all) (spoilers!)

[oyceter]

I'll put up a non-spoilery overview post later, but I had to get some stuff out.

Spoilers for all of YnM!

I swear, I wrote up the first DVD of YnM separately, but I can't find it. Anyway, this is mostly just going to be on the Kyoto arc, because I was largely bored to death by the rest of it.

Well, bored to death partly. The other part was madly cackling.

And then I hit the final disc! Half of my reaction involves Tsuzuki and Hisoka and is, I suspect, fairly predictable, in that I adore the two of them together, and I lvoe how Hisoka jumps in for Tsuzuki. I love the angstilicious past of Tsuzuki's, down to multiple attempted suicides and not being able to die and finally deciding to go out in a giant flaming mess. Literally.

Most of this reaction involved me going, "AWWWWW!" at the screen.

The other half of my reaction is to Muraki and generally consisted of my going, "OMG YOU ARE INSANE!" at the screen.

This was alternated with frequent exclamations of "What. The. Fuck?!" along with the occasional interjection of, "It's a head! In a jar! You are trying to kill a head! In a jar!"

And then I'd go right back to "OMG YOU ARE INSANE!" with a generous helping of "Ewwwww! Don't touch Tsuzuki OMG GROSS! Non-consensual! Ew! Coma! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Head! Ahhh!"

Muraki makes my brain explode.

I mean... disembodied head! In a jar! With wires!

He was trying to revive the disembodied head of his brother so he could kill it again!

Head!

In jar!

WTF?!

I am so not getting over this.

Comments

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

He was trying to revive the disembodied head of his brother so he could kill it again!

Ah yes, with all the insane stuff I've been reading and watching lately, it's good to be reminded that I was watching some insane stuff right from the beginning.

I adore the Kyoto scenery, Tsuzuki's angst, Hisoka's snarky love, Tatsumi's repressed love, and the vows of love in flames. I also like the floating research chickens in tennis shoes and ruffled bonnets.

All of that stuff I like so much that it was worth putting up with much boredom earlier, but the Kyoto episodes are probably the only ones I'd ever re-watch.

PS. I wrote some YnM drabbles in memories that are now safe to read. The one set during the flaming angst is the very first piece of fanfic I ever wrote.

[oyceter]

Muraki? SO INSANE.

Also, I forgot to mention this last night in the midst of sheer bogglement over heads in a jar, but I adore Hisoka! He is awesome! I love how small and grumpy and psychic he is!

I need to read your fic and lots of other fic involving flaming angst.

Flaming Angst drabble (with bonus food!)

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

http://edonohana.livejournal.com/417.html

[seajules]

Well, the anime team did seem to make an effort to make it all coherent, but there's only so much you can do with Matsushita's cracktastic manga. Of which Muraki's entire characterization is one of the more cracktastic elements.

I don't think I've met a fan for whom the Kyoto Arc was not their favorite in the anime. The other Arcs have their moments, especially the Nagasaki Arc, but Kyoto really is the climax and culmination. Also, Oriya. Mmm, yes.

And now when I say Cain is like Tsuzuki and Muraki's bastard lovechild, you will know what I mean.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

See, I did like Oriya, because I always like the controlled swordfighters who cling to old traditions. But I would have liked him so much more if his best friend/boyfriend was not an insane mass-murdering rapist who kept his brother's head in a jar.

[seajules]

One reason I prefer anime!Oriya to manga!Oriya is because I think he would have liked it better if Muraki weren't an insance-mass-murdering-rapist-with-head-in-jar too.

[oyceter]

Muraki's characterization is SO ON CRACK!

I cannot emphasize this enough!

CRACK!

There was this point on the cruise ship where Muraki basically has Tsuzuki pinned against a wall and licks him or something and I started screaming incoherently at the screen (it probably was something like, "OMG! CRACK! WTF? GAH!").

I think I'd like Oriya better if a) there were more of him and b) his best friend were a crazy person who kept his brother's head in a jar.

Uh, yeah, still hung up about that.

But dude, Cain is so totally Tsuzuki and Muraki's bastard lovechild.

And untrue_accounts' cracktastic Count Cain/YnM/Sweeney Todd snippets make even more sense now!

[seajules]

Really, you should check out the manga. It's crackier.

I don't think Muraki can touch another living being without it being Bad Touch.

I wish there were more Oriya in the anime too. And I think he shares that wish that Muraki were, y'know, somewhat less homicidal and necrophilic. Sadly, manga!Oriya seems perfectly okay with it.

One of these days, she will write that crossover. Oh, yes. And there will be dancing.

[oyceter]

Muraki is the personification of Bad Touch.

Muraki probably defines Bad Touch.

And yes, but till that day, I will longingly read about pretty boys licking honey. Mmmm.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

Oh, Muraki and his sad childhood about which I just do not care and his brother's head in a jar and his talking aloud at the theater, ick.

But more importantly:

FIRE DEATH FLAMES ETERNAL LOVE awwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

I read the manga, which is pretty incoherent, just for the additional hit of Hisoka/Tsuzuki and more Hisoka backstory.

[oyceter]

So, yeah, Muraki got maybe a teeny weeny ensy weensy smidgen of "Aww, poor kid" from me, but that was in the split second that I forgot that he was a crazy rapist mass murderer serial killer who has his brother's head in a jar. Ick!

OMG LOVE HISOKA.

LOVE.

LOVE FIRE DEATH FLAMES ETERNAL LOVE Hisoka crawling through wreckage and begging for Tsuzuki to come back and to live WAH ANGST!

Ahem, yes. Lots of caps, but I feel LOVE FIRE DEATH FLAMES deserve lots of caps.

GAAAAAH.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Oh, Yami no Matsuei. That was the first anime I ever saw, and I still adore it whole-heartedly for the flames and suicide attempts and promises of love. Despite how crack-filled much of the plotting is.

[oyceter]

It is so, so on crack. But I love the crack, particularly when it has flames and really dramatic suicide attempts from near immortals and stoic grumpy partners begging for said immortals to live.

(though the Muraki!crack just squicks me out)

[wakinghour.livejournal.com]

Once you get through Kyoto, it's interesting how much of the crap from the rest of the series a person becomes willing to accpet *g*

[oyceter]

Kyoto is worth so much of the other stuff, including Muraki's complete insanity!

Why yes, I have indeed been going on a YnM fic binge, how did you ever guess? ;)

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Do you know where that fabulous fic was where some of the characters (Watari and Tsuzuki?) pass notes back and forth, in handwriting, explaining sex with stick figure diagrams?

[wakinghour.livejournal.com]

O.O I am unfamiliar with this fic!