I guess blocking out the pain is an ability that must be learned?

Has to be learned. Given the state Sayaka was in when she did it, probably not easy to do and involves conceiving of yourself and your body very differently from normal.

I always love when doujins have fight scenes. I mean in works where those fights and enemies are half the story, especially in games, it seems an absolute shame when they're left out.

Keep in mind that like you said not all people manifest autism in the same way so what I meant to say that by "pretty sure" that it was a strong possibility. Of course the writers could have meant something else entirely or could have not thought that she might be interpreted as having it.

I'm not sure if the writers would ever intend to be direct about writing in mental illnesses/neurodivergent characters. I get the impression they're just writing in as many characters with distinct, interesting personalities/backgrounds as is reasonable, who still fit into the world in some way.

Which isn't to say those interpretations aren't valid, but that there's no evidence to point towards it being intentional on the writers' parts or not. Like even for something like depression, you've got a bunch of depressed teenagers, but is that word ever used anywhere? Instead there are all of these metaphors/stories about despair, witching out, trying to find meaning and hope, etc. So do the authors intend to talk about depression or a more philosophical idea? And the example of for Mito having autistic traits, would the writers be showcasing autism or another flavor of being human then?

On the the issues of wishes has it ever been said whether or not reviving dead people is possible? If so why didn't Homura simply wish to revive Madoka instead of what happened in the original series?

There's been some discussion on this online. My take is that personal desire trumps logic in those moments. Homura clearly wanted to save Madoka with her own hands, to be stronger, so that's what she wishes for. Another argument could be made that Madoka would be upset as hell seeing Mitakihara destroyed and everyone they know dead, so Homura wanted to prevent that too. And maybe Homura wouldn't have enough potential to bring back an entire city. Plus lot of chances for things to go wonky with so many fates being rewritten. But personal desire overriding any other ideas is my main answer.

Funny enough, I actually did not like Yuunagi Marbled

That's fine--I'm sure your life will be unchanged now that you are dead to me.

Nooo, so mamy Yagakimi memories we share, how could you Bla.

Also, you might wanna give Kodama Naoko a miss too.

Yes. Because she never, writes anything that's good or fluffy

Ha yeah, I may never read NTR for the rest of my life but she has some other nice works.

On the other hand, Liz does behave like a spoiled child and often mistreats Maki simply because she can't handle her own emotions. The way she reacts to getting those earrings, for instance, is just childish. So yeah, she can be an idiot at times.

Can second that she's an idiot under her cool stage presence. An idiot who verges more and more towards being completely unlikable for me. She makes Maki get out for something she could have had no way of knowing about, slaps her to "share the pain" again for something that Maki has no responsibility for, cheats on her at the drop of a pin, and then doesn't make any sort of commitment despite feeling guilty af. Standing up to her senpai could happen soon. Or if she wants to wholeheartedly aim for the senpai, you know what, go for it. It's going to spectacularly blow up in her face but at least Maki's not being strung along then. Although tbh the real outcome of her leaving Maki would probably be Maki being heart broken and a blob so I doubt the story will go there. Or if Maki's passiveness is taken to the eleventh, maybe she'll try to be happy for Liz.

Well if it wasn't clear Izumi's treatment of Maki is what pisses me off. Though Maki pisses me off too to a lesser degree. The senpai is already a cookie cutter seductress/paper-flat source of drama so whatever.

I just want to see them face consequences for their actions damn it.

Re Mito, does she act that weirdly? She seemed pretty normal to me in her MSS if airheaded at times.

I saw that the illustrator for the memoria "A Once Empty World" (beautiful memoria title by the way) is called H2SO4. Who names themselves after sulfuric acid???

This was peak wtf am i reading. If I had to choose, I guess chapter 0 would have been the best. The later Kyousuke chapters were nice just because I have no qualms about seeing him beaten into a pulp over and over. Not that he does anything wrong in the original, but his exaggerated fan personality is shit.

What on earth. This is such a wonderful gem of a story. I can't even. It's beautiful.

If I were to make commentary I'd end up commenting on every single chapter. It's a tightly woven story with clear ideas it wants to express plus a believable build-up and resolution, which I adore. I loved a lot of things about this. A personally relatable favorite is how Mirei's power to stop time is inverse to her willingness to interact with others. That line about how difficult it must be to live in a world where you can't run away, as well as her own difficult integration back into society is heart-breaking and then heart-warming. Haruka's desire to break all the rules, live freely as she chooses is similarly relatable and heart-breaking. Then the story's climax in a immensely public confession/meltdown scene was satisfying for dramatic tension as well as fulfillment of the story's themes.

I'm so proud of Mirei for standing up to Haruka!!! She returned time to normal just to force Haruka to confront that rebellious side of hers, the "real" her, and reveal it to others. Similarly I liked the twist that Haruka could move freely during the time stop not because Mirei wanted to share the time with her, but because she wanted to share in Mirei's time. In the beginning the initial explanation didn't make sense because it didn't seem like Mirei had paid any special attention to Haruka so that was random. But once we see Haruka's side of the story, it all makes sense.

Have to say, it's really amazing how their classmates barely react to Mirei/Haruka suddenly appearing out of place or straight up disappearing during the middle of conversations. Don't they think it's weird or have any thoughts about how abnormal that is? Oh well, the plot requires such non-reactiveness.

I liked this a lot! It's a shame the animation studio went MIA and then declared bankruptcy. Maybe I'll watch the movie at some point.

Ugh. It had a good start but I was never a fan of this author's characters. That's not to disparage them, it's understandable why some of their characters would act the way they do, but regardless I am not a fan of manipulative games, love triangles, zero attempts at communication, and cheating.

I know we use “author” as shorthand for a manga creator, but in this case Momono Moto is simply the artist; the writer is first-time manga creator/voice actress Kitta Izumi. I’m sure MM’s influence is substantial, of course, but credit/blame where it goes.

Will keep in mind. Actually the style of the starting story was different enough that I didn't realize Momono Moto contributed until I looked at who the authors were and assumed MM must have contributed to the story cause the above elements were very present.

Except Yuunagi Marbled. Everyone should read Yuunagi Marbled.

Oh, I can also recommend her one-shots. A girl in ultramarine is still one of my favorite yuri stories. But anything in her one-shot collections should probably be okay.

Edit: personally, as someone who does enjoy Momono's trademark schemes and drama, I think Yuunagi Marbled is a bit too bland. But as far as Momono's work goes, it definitely fits OP's taste more than, say, my personal favorite.

Funny enough, I actually did not like Yuunagi Marbled and from what I've read of Ignorance that's available on dynasty, I found there were some cringe, hope-nothing-bad-happens moments but I'm hopeful for it overall. So I guess Momono's works are pretty hit or miss for me and it varies for which ones I personally find enjoyable or don't.

Ugh. It had a good start but I was never a fan of this author's characters. That's not to disparage them, it's understandable why some of their characters would act the way they do, but regardless I am not a fan of manipulative games, love triangles, zero attempts at communication, and cheating. I guess I'll stick it out though to at least see where this goes. Also art is pretty.

And just to be fair, there is one main reason I'm sticking around, and that's because it's explicitly exploring being lesbian in what amounts to "the real world". Izumi's desire to change the world around her is nice to see in a fictional setting and not actually something I see often. Her song in particular was great.

It is disappointing that as of now Maki has been relegated to obedient, servile girlfriend and I hope she shows more character soon.

last edited at May 24, 2020 9:27PM

Aw how sad. And the sakura bloom even more beautifully with another dead dream to feast on. It's nice that this work references the more morbid idea that sakura are only so beautiful because of the corpses underneath. I can't think of a more complete combination of every Japanese trope involving transitions, ephemeral beauty, and death. You've got the cherry blossoms, the high school graduation, the dreams ending at graduation, the yuri/yuri love that ends at that time, passage into adulthood, spring and probably a couple more. It makes the ending and release all the more painful. Especially since both at the beginning and the end, it is Re saying "bye-bye" last.

I actually wanted to stop by for a completely different reason, which is that I love the credits page picture. Touhou for the win.

Except they're not living together.

Well Mai has the keys to Saki's place for some reason.

End takeaway for me no matter if they're in a relationship or not is just how together they can keep each other's flowers watered. In the non-sexual sense. XD

Ouch. What a painful twist.

Funny how this doujin ends where the story within the story ends. With us not knowing what happens to the main character. I don't think Renko would be unhappy, but Mary should have just let her known.

Fascinating story. Glad I checked it out after seeing recent posts in the forum. It seems like this could easily be seen as both metaphorical and literal, though I'd lean towards metaphorical.

Given how Yuu reacts with pleasure when being licked, I'd assume it's a representation of (physical/emotional) intimacy healing wounds. I mean wounds being healed is literally what's shown. And that bathroom scene with the two of them pressed up against each other. It's pretty blatant those are basically kisses, with the person who drinks the other's blood being the one who does the kissing. It makes Yuu taking in Fushiko's blood near the end more meaningful, since even though she's practically led to it by Fushiko, she does finally do it. Presumably the first time she kisses Fushiko instead of the other way around.

Darkness, black mist, whatever is a standard symbol of a host of things: despair, loneliness, emptiness, etc. Impossible to say what exactly it means here but whatever it is, I'd hazard a guess it comes back because Fushiko knows she has to leave soon, not because of anything Yuu says, which matches what she said about how it's not Yuu's fault.

Oh and Yuu probably asks her why not talk to some of their other classmates cause Fushiko's focus on her does unsettle her. She probably doesn't understand Fushiko's attraction to her or her own growing attraction. Her reaction changes over time though. In elementary school she just thinks it's too much; in middle school she starts wanting to keep the other girls away from Fushiko. Too bad she doesn't realize her feelings until the end.

Since 18 is the age at which people finish high school in Japan/go to college, them becoming adults and being able to make their own choices, move locations, see each other, etc. is probably all that means.

That last panel is really ominous and I can't tell if that's the intended effect or if it's meant to be a calming darkness. Considering Yuu says the black mist is terrifying, a panel of pure black except for bubbles or some shit doesn't leave the best impression.

I'm tired of speculation now, but what a cute story of two young girls falling in love. That's all that matters in the end right? It's a typical plot line with a potentially dark twist.

last edited at May 24, 2020 4:34AM

Did you try using a magical girl with a taunt memoria? Taunt, ignore defense, endure (similar to FGO's guts) and similar things are not buffs but instead granted effects, which are not removed by any ability that removes buffs.

It's also fairly easy to tell which is a buff an which isn't one: buffs have red icons while granted effects are yellow so there's usually no confusion as to which one is which.

I did not know that, that will be helpful. And then status effects are purple? Wait but the wiki says evade, damage up, and reduced damage are granted effects, and those three were all removed too by EX 4 boss.

And well many people who don't have so many strong megucas as us often do rely on those strategies to win harder challenges.

I used Kanoko when I first started playing because her charm connect was useful. Well actually the real reason I used her at first was because I liked her design, and then I found out her charm connect could give me an extra turn to live lol.

I was turn from killing it and Homura had like half health. Didn't have any of her discs, but Madokami had connect, only accel disc though. So I think, good I'll cast it on Homura to make sure she'll survive to next turn to finish boss off. Then of course first time in the fight, boss pulls remove buffs out from its ass and kills Homura. It was the first time ever where I'd actually benefit from survive part of Madokami's connect. So fucking cheap.

Exact same situation happened to me. Or well I'd used both of the support Homura's memoria atk up/def up skills, plus a guaranteed evade connect and thought I was good to go to kill it next turn. Instead it removes buffs and my support Homura had like no health left so she gets obliterated in one hit. My remaining megucas do insignificant damage to the boss so that was that.

On another topic, I found out a few days ago that Madokami says "Homura" when activating a memoria skill. Has anybody thought that the way she says it sounds really gay? It sounds really gay to me lol.

Have you seen the end of OG Homura's event? the very last scene takes on such an unambiguously romantic tone, specially with the CG setting up the atmosphere, that you would have to be blind or in denial to see it as anything but...

So that's where your profile picture comes from. I had not seen it before and now I'm very glad I have.

There is actually this interesting bit of trivia were Tart was localized as "Darc" in MagiReco... but we already had the official localization of her manga that calls her "Tart" all the way through...

I'm glad they localized it that way, as someone who'd never read the spin-off. I already didn't recognize her immediately as Darc, if they had kept it as Tart that would have been even more confusing. But after reading about how that became her name in the spin-off, it's actually pretty cute and it's a shame the reference was too obscure.

On another topic, I found out a few days ago that Madokami says "Homura" when activating a memoria skill. Has anybody thought that the way she says it sounds really gay? It sounds really gay to me lol.

I prefer the mute self insert over a bad MC gets a FE Fates PTSD flashback

Mm true, it is a more neutral alternative than a bad character. Though at that rate they might as well not have the character be in the story at all, whereas here the crew talks about the doctor all the time.

Indras clue skill is a lie. I got 2-7-4

Is there an equal probability of getting any of the 7 clues? Or is there more to it than just that?

I'm liking the new event a lot more than Mirrors ranking. It's good to see Mayu, Ria, and Sayuki as friends and both Mayu and Ria helping Sayuki out. Bonus points for Rena and Momoko gushing over Sayuki as well.

I was worried when I saw there were only 10 battles, but yeah the story is really cute! And of course even the idol Momoko and Rena are into is a magical girl. I like how much fun they had with this story. I mean Princess Bladebeauty and Slicey McDicey? Some superhero chain needs to pick this up for a movie.

I've heard the EX CQs have insane difficulty- especially for non-whales like myself.

95 difficulty is ridiculous. I did a double take when I saw that. I did actually manage to clear EX 1 and 2, but I was completely being carried by whale supports. My own units barely did any damage. I used a 4s Madokami for EX 1 and 4s Kyouko for EX 2. For EX 2 my own Kyouko's connect helped a little but that was all the contribution.

Edit: Oh and it's nice that they gave the event memoria fully maxed.

Edit2: EX 3 was surprisingly easy, once again with a 4s Madokami. I'm very proud of my Kaede in a Forest Tercio, she actually does a fair amount of damage now!

last edited at May 22, 2020 5:16PM

I was talking in context of turn 1>turn 2, at least for me, fights very rarely last more than turn 3, though if I had to choose, it is better to let a single girl guarantee the Puella combo, than to let a Connect happen, as even if you could survive the attack itself, plenty of secondary effects can be a serious issue in Mirrors.

Wow that's fast. When I do win Mirrors battles, it can be during turn 5, 7, or 9, but pretty much never 3. Although when I lose, if I'm completely outmatched, my team's out by turn 4.

When I play (and not autobattle) I tend towards slow and methodical dispatching of the enemies. Usually battles last 10+ turns unless it's super easy or something.

Think Veya was referring to Mirrors specifically. Though considering Veya's already rank S in Mirrors and some other comments in the thread, PVE is probably a breeze too lol.

I had something ridiculous I wanted to record for posterity, but for the longest time, I thought Claudine was Maya and Maya was Claudine. As in I switched their names. And I think it truly was because of the ship name order. You know where the person whose name goes first is shown as the top. And Maya is depicted as the top in like 80% of all CxM works. So I kept thinking she was Claudine.

It took me watching the two stage plays, ten episodes of the anime, and like thirty fanfics before I finally corrected the automatic incorrect naming of them in my mind. Now I finally associate the correct name with the correct person, but I can't help but laugh at the absurdity.

There are also some cases were you really don't want to leave the enemy with only one girl standing, since that guarantees they will get a Puella combo and that might be enough to wipe you out, plus if that girl is at max HP and she has Sword, or worse, Sword and Friends for those big crits, those hits will hurt...

With only two girls left, and assuming at least one of them has a connect (usually true after one or two turns), won't a puella combo happening basically be guaranteed? And then the puella combo girl will have the added benefit of the connect buffs? I've gotten screwed over a few times because of connect-boosted puella combos with two girls left, that really made me wish I'd finished at least one of them off. Granted some of them could have wiped the floor with me even with just one girl left.

I wouldn't really call those "a wish that you would desperately fight for with all your heart".

Yeah I guess that's true. It really makes me wonder how Kyubey decides who can contract. I still think them becoming a magical girl has to reflect some desire on their part, even if it's not always apparent in their wish or the conditions under which it was made, but there's definitely a precedence too for Kyubey just showing up when it's convenient like with people in danger and we all have wishes anyway, so how one person could have more potential than another is an interesting question.

As I said "meaning you can only stack effects of the same kind up to a 100%". So you can stack on 1 character up to 100% blast up, 100% accel up...

Ah so the buffs are capped at 100%, not damage itself. That makes more sense.

/cackle cackle giggle guffaw

I was already expecting to see this... :D

I'm happy I could oblige :D Everyone talking about what they wanna see next chapter and everyone is just so way off the mark. For Reasons. XD

In fact it gonna reveal that everything after the bath was Adachi hallucinating from the heat and she doesn't confess at all.

INDEED! It's actually gonna reveal that they're both still in the bath, that Adachi just passed out For Adachi-like Reasons and so hallucinated the whole fireworks confession mess, but on her way down into the water due to said unconsciousness she accidentally loses her top. And when she rouses back to fully awake just a few moments later, it's just in time to catch Shimamura fumbling with her chest to try to get the top pulled back into place.

Nah I doubt Adachi could mimic Shimamura's internal dialogue so well. XD Shimamura might be reading her like a book at this stage, but the reverse is definitely not true. XD

Well I have no doubt that something wacky will happen once again, as always.

Actually, the originite conversion into orundum is horrendous. Rolling with originite is kinda really expensive, just buy the lvl packs(which give you mlre rolls) and skins just like everyone else says.
TL;DR: 2 skins = 1 ten roll...which will probably be a purple bag anyway Kappa.

Yeah I don't care about cosmetics unless it's essentially free or doesn't use up anything that's hard to get, so I'll either save it for orundum or if I see something that really catches my interest, I'll use it on that and resign myself to having less characters. XD

Generally there is a ymmv on the main story as it does not get "good" until chapter 5 or 6 depending on who you ask. Imo, I liked it and the general direction it's taking.

I'll stick it out then. Right now I've actually become more interested in the gameplay part of it because it does require some strategy, and I'm not automatically blowing through the first five chapters as sometimes happens in games like this.

And yeah seems Doc is just self-insert as you play as a passive audience who is just watching the stories unfold.

That's disappointing, the prologue sets up the story with the entire group rushing into dangerous territory to save the doctor, and they're never going to reveal why? Or the attachment Amiya, Ace, etc. seem to have for the Doctor? I mean they're just eagerly throwing themselves into the fire trying to protect the doctor. Would be nice to have more in-universe rationale than just "the doctor is a great strategist".

I watched the original theatrical release, and huh it is definitely interesting. I have a feeling that most of the doujins and fanbase came from the anime though, because if they were just based on the theatrical release, different things would be seen more often. Like Kaoruko and Futaba, in the theatrical release at least, they have the most shipping potential out of all of them. And I would see ships between certain Seishou and Seiran girls being more likely, like Mahiru and Suzu. But welp the anime probably changes the story significantly and hopefully gives them more background.

In the end the thing I liked the most about the stage version is that it really lets the show play with the meta of being on stage. Not extremely or anything, but pushes it a little. I'm worried that might be lost in the anime. I'll have to watch that to know.

Also I've never seen any media related to Yakumo or Souda-sensei, that has to be a crime. XD Why have I never seen anything about them, not even in the mobile game. Both of them must have been taken out in the anime, which would be a shame. Souda-sensei is great in the musical.

Edit: Watched the anime's first episode, yep completely different. Well at least Hikari has more personality now. Same for the giraffe. Although honestly, is Hikari basically Homura? XD Even the way some of the lines are delivered in the first episode are reminiscent. I think some of the character's voices were changed too. Now they sound like high school girls lol. And Junna's personality seems to have also done a 180. Or maybe only on the surface. Her voice seems much deeper now.

last edited at May 21, 2020 1:06AM