I have read the Yami no Matsuei volumes which relate to the TV show.

And they make even less sense. Which is difficult.

I KNOW I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO CARE ABOUT HOW DEAD GUYS CAN DIE, we've gone over this. I also should not care about all the inconsistent characterization - in this case, I don't think it's real productive to spend more time thinking about fictional characters than the person who made them up did.*

I nonetheless cannot stop myself. I keep trying to come up with ways to induce Tsuzuki's decisions to make some kind of emotional sense - I go, well, maybe there were a cutscene in between where he and Hisoka have a fight, or where he has a conversation with Muraki. Or gets amnesia. Maybe there's a shinigami rule that you can't kill albinos.

Tatsumi's Aura Of Competence in the anime makes more sense when viewed in light of his occasional displays of competence in the manga. Though maybe I am not well-enough indoctrinated into anime tropes - his being The Dark-Haired Guy With Glasses is surely sufficient to explain all.

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* The implication of this sentence is that in some cases it is productive. This blog's existence is reliant on that assumption, so I have no problem with it.

Japanese book covers are AWESOME.

( For some reason I was looking at the Japanese covers for Jacqueline Carey books. )

( Amazon recommends Mercedes Lackey's Mage Storms series to people looking at Jacqueline Carey books. )

( In Japan, as elsewhere, the Vorkosigan books appear to be cursed with awful covers. )

And OH GOD

the Japanese title for Brothers in Arms? It's Shinai naru clone. This literally means Beloved Clone. You can use "shinai naru" for letters or messages, like "dear," so maybe it doesn't come off quite so strongly, but 1) you only do it on personal correspondence to people you actually like, and 2) there ought to be an "e" tacked onto the end if that's what they were going for, anyway.

1) THAT IS KIND OF A SPOILER, YOU GUYS.

2) It is also hilarious.

3) Disappointingly, Mirror Dance does not get a similar interesting change in title.