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HAHAHAHA! Well done!
I'm so hyper fixating with Kyou Kara Maou that i spended half of the night and battery energy making this meme, i thought i would have time to write some fanfic or draw something later but this took some work and time. I also interpret Murata in the bisexual spectrum independent of him being transgender or cis, but we know he works so much as trans allegory, I like to interpret him in the gender fluid spectrum, i also interpret gender fluid Josak. If you don't interpret Gisela as lesbian then take the second image.
Anyway, this is the Kyou Kara Maou Tumblr post for today. Their headcanon identities order even got in the LGBT+ acronym order, unless you count even being in a ska band as a queer identity in the middle hahahahaha!
Playing with Kyou Kara Maou fanfiction scenarios is so fun!
I've recently gotten into Kyou Kara Maou, specially on the fanfic side of the fandom (Wolfram is my favorite character, surprising absolutely no one) and after reading my fair share of different fanfic headcanons, I gotta say... I LOVE when the main catalyst for Yuuri coming to terms and accepting his feelings for Wolfram is when someone else is visibly down bad for him. SPECIALLY when said person is Murata. I find it hilarious, like
Yuuri, five feet deep in denial and digging even deeper with a toy shovel: well he's good looking but every demon I've met is handsome to some degree, it's not THAT big of a deal.
The lord of if whateverthehell, Prince of whothefuckcares, ready to risk it all after Wolfram blinked in his general direction during a ball: Well if your Highness doesn't want the engagement, I would gladly take your place...
Yuuri, thinking the pros and cons of causing an international incident:... Who the fuck are you, go back to your country. Get out of my castle. CONRAD!!!
Or like
Yuuri, about five minutes away from an identity AND sexuality crisis because Wolfram is currently looking very sexy as he trains his men into the ground: Okay yeah I'll admit it, he's the most beautiful person ive ever seen, but it doesn't matter. I'm a Japanese man, I'm supposed to like girls. I don't want to kiss Wolf!
Murata, kinda also a Japanese man but very much bi and ready to try playing with fire, always down to tease Yuuri and not afraid to be horny on main: I do. Step away from the line if you don't want to get on the ride, your Majesty.
Yuuri, feeling like violence MIGHT be the answer sometimes: beg your fucking pardon
Wolfram after remembring what was like to live with many stepfathers that just meeted his mother for one day. Maybe he also passed this though how he views his relationship with men and he hopes he can live a stable and loyal relationship with his fiance. Here he is crying comfortably in bed.
This meme was supposed to be used in a fanfiction of mine.
do you ever wake up asking yourself how that anime you were following when you were 12 ended
A fic for the commemorative illustration of Kyou Kara Maou! S
This pic:
You can read the manga here, too. And, directly support kkm and the Royal Couple.
Yes, I wrote a fic for it, and, yes, I am not guilty.
So great to see them!!! Wolf looks adorable!!!! I'm looking forward to it!! (left a comment there screaming about the Royal Couple!! 😉)
I'm so glad it is free to view and comment, I can finally directly support the Royal Couple and MaruMa!
Kyou Kara Maou S
The website’s open and here’s the new Royal Couple pic
https://comicbushi-web.com/episode/13933686331795933166
YES!!!
Kyou Kara Maou Super
https://twitter.com/TakabayashiTomo/status/1347483797764259853
The website said so but Takabayashi-sensei just confirmed that SHE is going to write the story for the manga (unlike MAtsuku manga where the story was written by GEG). THIS MANGA WILL BE NOVEL CANON!!! HYPE!
Some more points (Cause, I would love to see more MaruMa novel readers!):
In the engagement scene, it is easily overlooked in the anime but, it is mentioned in the novel that half the reason Wolfram went out of control in rage was because of the shampoo Yuuri used from Lady Cecilie's collection. It functions to heighten the emotions of s person, mainly aimed to increase the level of attraction from a simple admiration to more intense reaction. But, since the third son, with his already fiery nature, was already royally pissed and highly disappointed with the decision of putting some random otherworlder (let's just accept this as a word for now) instead of someone like his older brother (Gwendal) who has been devoted to the country for ages. (Novel vol 1 chapter 4)
There is his immature attitude as well, and his discriminating behaviour which I won't deny, but the novel has a lot of character development for him- instead of the anime just repeating the same skit every single episode, that made even me search up fanfics where I could see some justice!(The only thing I'm glad for the anime is the cliff scene-which solidified my love for yuuram) Till I came upon the glorious collection of MaruMa novels!! The sheer amount of YuuRam moments makes my eyes water. I can never forget that taisetsuna hito that Yuuri randomly blurted during his musings.
P.S: I love CrossHeart. It makes me go, "This is Wolfram". Because he is so passionate and emotional, I am totally convinced that he'd never cry if Yuuri left, because he cares for Yuuri's feelings. The thought of him turning a lot into Gwendal is highly plausible than him crying silently, because he is just that kind of a person. I'll end it here, or there won't be an end..
Just read that awesome novel. Trust me, I found it after I watched the anime (and read the manga) and I think that way is better that knowing about the anime after the novel, because then you wouldn't feel royally pissed while watching it and you'll also find the novel even more amazing (though it already is).
PROMPT IDEA
I know its a wholesome anime (and i don't know if there's a manga of them) but have you ever think that Wolfram's treatment to Yuuri is a bit on the abusive side?
I mean come on they know that he's from a different world so they should expect he doesn't know their culture, yet when Yuuri accidentally propose to Wolfram, he challenged him into a duel without an out and when he loses he's suddenly ok with the engagement? He's bossing Yuuri around, getting irrational jealous and being confrontational about it.
And Yuuri. . . I think Yuuri got thrown into the deep that he's just agreeing to avoid conflicts. Being the teenager that he is. Has no one ever pointed out by to them?(OC or crossover)
What I feel about Wolfram is that he's born royalty and suddenly gets dethroned by an outsider. He wants an in or control inside or just didn't want to get demoted to just a noble/soldier. He's family is just along with the ride (subconsciously or not) aside from Conrad (because I love him!). He has so say in it 'cause he half human and didn't know about it mostly.
Kinda dark don't you think? Sorry can't stop thinking about it. So here!!!
Ignore the lack of shading and colouring. I just outlined it. Someday, when I start digital art then I'll correct this. It didn't turn out that well, but it is decent- so it's fine.
Volume 15, Chapter 8:
He’s about to say something formal again so I pat his back hard without hesitation, and it gives me a feeling of reality, like “Ah—right here”. I’m here, and so is Wolfram.
“Because we’re already back.”
We’re all here, be it Conrad, Murata… or Josak.
“I can’t say for all of it, but I brought us back with my own strength.”
“Uh-huh.”
The sea breeze caresses Wolfram’s hair, and he nods his head firmly in reply, very naturally extending his hand to me, standing on the side of the port,
“Come home, everyone is waiting for you.”
Nobody knows how things will turn out in the future, but this country will definitely change.
I follow the creaking staircase as I climb upwards, preparing to return home.
----
This is my attempt at illustrating Wolf extending his hand to Yuuri in this scene. I have wanted to do it for a long time, so I did. I'll get back to it and improve it someday, but for now this is it.
I'll be satisfied as long as I see the Royal Wedding...
But, yeah. Takabayashi-sensei left us with a pretty bad cliffhanger because it makes you too curious and you want to tie all the loose ends. It's sad that she had to scrap such a wonderful ending because, even though it is sad and dark, it was a brilliant idea. And, I was already looking forward to the dark side of MaruMa that T-sensei slowly kept on adding- like the whole Seisakoku arc, the whole Darco arc. And how can we forget that face off between Yuuri and Wolfram! The way their relationship progresses. Conrart's choices and Shinou's interventions.
That cliffhanger just goes to show the complexities of Wolfram's character even more. Yuuri is starting to somewhat merge with his Ue-sama side (sort of? do I remember it correctly?).
Shinou just makes me question whether he is a good guy? or bad guy? or just a psychotic guy cause he stayed in his little dimension for so long? idk. And how will Murata react to Shinou's involvement?
There are so many of these aspects, and I feel that a darker tone to these is more interesting. MaruMa is not just a gag novel. It is a lot more than that. Takabayashi sensei has created a wonderful, mind boggling world with such interesting and unique characters.
It's a shame she had to scrap that idea- a lot of it was also due to the anime using the 'going to Earth' aspect of it, I'm not blaming anyone here(Sensei you don't have to care about those things, please follow what you want!)- but I hope she'd come up with an even better one.
Till then, I have to thank all the people involved for all the 17 vols of the novel, the doujinshis, the short stories, the drama cds and all the other things MaruMa related.
P.S: We need a readaptation of the novels as an anime, and this time more properly. I don't know what people have against Wolf to morph his character to how he is portrayed in the anime- and Yuuri, and everyone else. Their character developments are completely disregarded and just their initial ones are kept.
Anyway, I feel like I talked a lot. This event was truly amazing and I enjoyed it a lot- even though I couldn't contribute much to it.
Let's keep loving MaruMa like this!
20th Anniversary MA Event - Fourth Week Activity From November 23 to November 30 Tuesday - Theories about the future of the plot in the novels
Hello everyone,
First I apologize because this post is really delayed, my attempt at scheduling something beforehand failed miserably.
Today I encourage you to share your theories about the future of the novels! Please go crazy if you want, anything you may want to write about this is welcome. Do art too if that’s your cup of tea~
I would also like to feature an old discussion where @marumafan talks about this topic here. She has really awesome posts about the series in general so you can dig a little bit more in her blog too if you want.
And I’ll share my personal view under the cut at the end of the post as my entry for today ^^
Remember to tag your posts with #MAnniversary 2020 and #MA Event This is the link to the main post
Don’t hesitate to keep sharing your art and fics tagging the event even if this week theme is different.
Keep reading
My long due fanfic which should've already been posted in the first week of the MA Event. But as they say, better late than never!
It is a Yuuram fic but with everyone playing cupid, heh. I don't know how it turned out, but I think it is good enough. It is a bit long, but I hope you read it (and find it funny). Idk why but Yuuri and Wolfram just don't kiss! Even in my fanfic! I just can't make them kiss each other. I had such a hard time! I have to thank my friend here, she really helped me out with her suggestion or this fic wouldn't've been completed.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
Just to add, Wolfram behaves more impulsively because of Cecilie's shampoo, and all the events that happened after it. So, Wolfram wouldn't really have done all that if not for his heightened emotions and his disdain for "the new maou" that came up suddenly. I feel like people tend to forget that part and label Wolfram as impulsive, when clearly he is not. He is just your cute haughty Wagamama Puu- "A yapping Pomeranian" in Yuuri's words. And we see his character development as well, and a lot at that, while he also keeps this cute to a fault side going.
Wolfram is a precious little one, and I'll always defend him.
How the Royal Couple came to be-
Since I really didn't have anything to share yet (cause my fic is making me sweat buckets) so I thought I could share this awesome part of how our Royal Couple were engaged. It is so amazingly written that every line makes me laugh and hold a different emotion.
You feel it more once you thoroughly know all the novel characters, or have travelled with them through some part of the 17 volume long adventure. It is a wonderful and tender feeling, when you know how they'd grow from this point on. And develop because of a misunderstanding of all things!All you need is a quick read of chapter 4 of volume 1 and you find so much.
Conrart's years of wait and his mission when he assures Wolfram that he can never mistake Yuuri.
Gwendal's years of dedication and calm care when he accepts Yuuri but had increased frown lines when he concluded that Yuuri didn't want to be a Maou- knowing him it was probably his way of taking care of him, probably indirectly saying "You don't need to burden yourself with something you don't want to do".
We also see Wolfram's judgement, as even though he was annoyed but he had his reasons because he didn't want to witness this country go through another war. All he wanted was a ruler who loved this country and he'd serve him gladly. Thankfully he did get one.
We see the forshadowing of Julia's soul when Yuuri mentions he can always know when Conrart is smiling.
We see a Günter in the initial stage of becoming Heika fanatic and spilling juices all around.
We see Cecilie's love for her children, and her husbands. Their unique but endearing mother-son bond.
We see the acceptance of homosexuality as another form of love. Because, love is free to pursue!- in Lady Cheri's words.
We also witness Shin Makoku's culture, it's delicacies and know how different it is just as much as it is similar. (Admit it, we are all secretly glad for Yuuri's clumsiness- and him not wanting to punch the beautiful face🤣)
All of this woven humorously, just like how Takabayashi-sensei does. And, I realise, yet again, just how much this novel means to me.
How the Royal Couple came to be-
Since I really didn't have anything to share yet (cause my fic is making me sweat buckets) so I thought I could share this awesome part of how our Royal Couple were engaged. It is so amazingly written that every line makes me laugh and hold a different emotion.
You feel it more once you thoroughly know all the novel characters, or have travelled with them through some part of the 17 volume long adventure. It is a wonderful and tender feeling, when you know how they'd grow from this point on. And develop because of a misunderstanding of all things!All you need is a quick read of chapter 4 of volume 1 and you find so much.
Conrart's years of wait and his mission when he assures Wolfram that he can never mistake Yuuri.
Gwendal's years of dedication and calm care when he accepts Yuuri but had increased frown lines when he concluded that Yuuri didn't want to be a Maou- knowing him it was probably his way of taking care of him, probably indirectly saying "You don't need to burden yourself with something you don't want to do".
We also see Wolfram's judgement, as even though he was annoyed but he had his reasons because he didn't want to witness this country go through another war. All he wanted was a ruler who loved this country and he'd serve him gladly. Thankfully he did get one.
We see the forshadowing of Julia's soul when Yuuri mentions he can always know when Conrart is smiling.
We see a Günter in the initial stage of becoming Heika fanatic and spilling juices all around.
We see Cecilie's love for her children, and her husbands. Their unique but endearing mother-son bond.
We see the acceptance of homosexuality as another form of love. Because, love is free to pursue!- in Lady Cheri's words.
We also witness Shin Makoku's culture, it's delicacies and know how different it is just as much as it is similar. (Admit it, we are all secretly glad for Yuuri's clumsiness- and him not wanting to punch the beautiful face🤣)
All of this woven humorously, just like how Takabayashi-sensei does. And, I realise, yet again, just how much this novel means to me.
I'm looking forward to this!! Let's hope I can make in time with my fanfic😅
Hello Everyone!
A day like today 20 years ago the first novel of our beloved series was published in November 2000. This is an incredible anniversary and that’s why we’ll celebrate the whole month with events!
I hope you can join this special occasion and contribute a little bit by sharing your posts and art here in tumblr.
This is not the first event run by this blog, if you want to see what we did in previous years you can visit my tags MA Event, MA Event 2017 and MA Event 2018.
The dynamic of the events is to have some deliver themes and inspiration divided in different sections. This event will run weekly, except for the last week of the month when we’ll have daily content shared to inspire you even more.
Please save the date around the last weekend of November for our Live Chat! I’ll post more information about the exact date and time along the next weekly posts.
20th Anniversary MA Event - First Week Activity Share your MAlove, share your MArt! From November 1 to November 8
This week we’ll draw fanarts, write fanfics or make any other kind of media to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series. We have list of 365 prompts in case you need a little bit of extra inspiration, please check under the cut and try to mix anything you pick with a festive mood to make it really special ;D
Remember to tag your posts with #MAnniversary 2020 and #MA Event
Keep reading
This is beautiful!
The part about Yuuri and Wolfram belonging to Greta before themselves is so true and so sweet♡
The daughter of Izura, the daughter of Svelera, the daughter of the demon king.. dear little Greta.
Much went wrong very early in her life. All she wanted was to belong to someone. But being the daughter of an entire country meant something very different- it did not mean love and comfort, but responsibility and an impossible task of proving oneself worthy of love. Thankfully, that painful journey led her back to her childhood. And it brought her two fathers closer together to create a family - before Yuuri and Wolfram belonged to each other, they belonged to Greta.
Down that road from outside the Bloodpledge castle where Huber left her to inside the heart of everyone that lived in it, Greta found where she belonged.
PS: this is what I think Greta looks like, all grown up. ❤
PPS: I'm not too good with drawing anime characters (or anything else, really) and I'm just too scared to even attempt for fear of messing them up. But I tried anyway. 😅🙈
This opinion is beautiful! And so is the painting!
Yuuri's parched lips trembled a little as he blew the little air that remained in his lungs into the mateki. His little gamble was the only thing that stood between an aggressive hoard of raging Svelerans ahead and a rampaging sand bear behind them, this is all that stood between life and death - and not just his own but that of his friends who had followed him into the human lands and the mine workers whom he had promised hope. This was the first time that he realised how much he stood to lose, how much he had to protect. He was scared that too much was being asked of his half-hearted, long forgotten musical education.
A single, terrible note emanated from the instrument as his nervous breath rattled through it. It did not offer much promise to his vassals or his recently inducted subjects. However that single tone reverberated through the blood rushing through his veins and resonated through the sandy dunes that surrounded the quickly evolving, flammable scene - magnified thousand times over. At once, a strange tranquility descended upon Yuuri and he felt more rooted to this world and all its lifeforms than he had ever experienced before. He thought to himself, 'If not me.. who?'
He took in a deep breath and blew in with all his mind and mind. Before he had realised as much, his fingers moved in practiced symphony, emanating a song that remained quietly buried under adolescent humdrum, somewhere in his childhood memories. He thanked his younger self for having practiced so hard for the little concerts back then - for close to no effort had to be made for this one, orchestrated in the middle of a desert.
He stopped playing and opened his eyes. To his great disappointment, not much had changed - his heart fought madly against the sinking feeling rising steeply from his guts. Quite suddenly then, a swift wind picked up, and in the distance, just above the Sveleran sand clouds he saw dense thunderstorm gathering ominously. He blew into the instrument harder and concentrated deeply, until he became one with the rain that fell on the white hot sands and the lightning that clamoured overhead the assailants until they finally retreated.
Yuuri had gone back to playing the demon flute many times since that first time - and now he knew that the mateki was another instrument that gave physical form to his majutsu - he could assimilate, within his being, the element of water using the mateki. Therefore, although in the beginning his practice caused cyclonic thunderstorms for days on an end, now he could make it simply drizzle happily or bring it pouring down in sheets of deep mourning.
He realised much later what maryoku meant or what majutsu did. It was not a magical stone that had to be mined or a glass of water that could be drunk. In fact, it was not a tangible physical entity at all. It was nothing and everything at the same time. He played the flute looking for that feeling where nothing but the music of the flute remained - everything around him evaporated like a stale dream. A state of peace and longing, of lost and found, of holding on and letting go at the same time. People called it meditation, concentration, practice.. and until he was 15 he called it those things too.
But now he knew better. That feeling of transcendence was majutsu.
P.S. : all of this is entirely a personal opinion, not canon.
As always, thank you for your analysis @marumafan !
YuuRam is so much more than just a possessive other world handsome guy and an ordinary japanese high school student (Yuuri would be so glad to hear it) who crossed over and got engaged. It's about time people saw their bond. It is beyond the boundaries of freindship or lovers... It is so much more.
Hi! I’ve been reading your KKM analyses, and I absolutely love them, most especially the YUURAM ones! Can you do some detailed ones on Love Letters and Crossheart too? Please, please?!
Hi @celinelean!
Of course! I'm having a day and may not be drawing, so why not?
Also to everyone who likes analyses/discussions, you can always leave some questions/requests in my mailbox if there's anything you're interested in. I'll try my best.
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Love Letter
"Love Letter" was Takabayashi-sensei's first new short story in about 6 years. The first part features Yuuri and Wolfram writing sweet stuff about one another.
The excuse of being 'from Greta's point of view for her homework' gave them both the excuse to express their true feelings.
(Now a cultural point here: The more I live in Japan the more I notice people never tell you the truth about anything. They either don't say anything and let you know 'in some way' or you never find out. A fan of maruma I once met, who could speak English, thanked me for continuing to talk about a topic even after we had disagreed at some point about something. She said people who disagree in Japan simply drop the topic XDD . True story. XD They avoid talking about 'truths' in general. So I feel like this whole keeping your true feelings hidden is a very Japanese thing (which is the target audience for maruma, don't forget). So in this story, both Yuuri and Wolf can express their feelings for one another.)
As for the things they like about each other:
The first thing Yuuri sees that Wolf has written in the cards was some compliment about his awesome black hair. But when Yuuri asks if he should write about Wolf's appearance "How good looking he is" " How his green eyes are like gemstones", "How even his eyelashes are blonde", Wolf's like "Of course not, that's not something Greta cares about". (Wolfie, never change. XD)
Wolf also writes: "How well he gets along with his spouse" which really shows along with his entire demeanor during this story, that even though there's no official title, he really thinks of himself as already married to Yuuri.
Yuuri then writes: "He never abandons his PARTNER" Again, this is a word you use for people you're romantically involved with, but in a more 'earthly' slang. This reminded me of the Seisa arc when, during the bed scene, Yuuri mentions how happy he is to have Wolf there.
He writes another 12 good things about Wolfram, and he mentions that "his left cheek was hot due to the flames of the fire" , implying his right cheek was blushed due to what he was writing. So he's putting in there things that make him blush.
Yuuri asks then if they will get these cards back, and Wolfram assures him that yes they will. Yuuri:"So that we can read them many times and remember how much Greta likes us."
Wolfram: "Of course"
Meaning: Yuuri: "So that I can read many times all the wonderful things you really think about me?" Wolf: "Of course"
However, Yuuri tells Wolf about the futility of having the cards, when you have the other person right there living with you. Yuuri says" Even without something like this, I'm sure that the feelings would be conveyed, " (XDD see this is what I'm talking about! This Japanese mentality of ‘expressing in some way without words’ what you feel)
BUT! this is when Wolf says that in that case, the cards would be more useful to remember people who live apart from you.
So Yuuri's 20th thing he likes about Wolfram is " He tells me things straight to the point".
This means, it's Wolfram who pretty much tells Yuuri to go visit Conrad and have him write stuff about him, cuz he's not living in the castle and so that Yuuri won't miss him.
Wolfram asks if Yuuri's going out. Yuuri says yes. Wolfram's last card says: How honest he is. Yuuri's last card says: How kind he is.
And I mean, damn! If this isn't yuuram af, I don't know what is.
Second part is what was introduced in the first part, Yuuri goes to visit Conrad, he's living above Jozak's bar in a cold, dirty room. And Conrad writes and gives him the card about Yuuri, and it 'warms Yuuri's heart'.
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Comments on Love Letter: I used to think this was a lot more conyuu than it is, but re-reading it and seeing that it was all Wolfram's idea to begin with (and Yuuri knows it was Wolfram's idea), it really shows that strong relationship between Wolfram and Yuuri and includes Conrad's current situation (not living in the castle) as a trigger for getting in a little conyuu in the story and making those fans happy.
You see this 'conyuu afterthought to please the fans' in the first two stories she wrote after the break "Love Letter" and "Lame star Wars". After that, they're all yuuram centric stories. And before the break, they were very much so as well.
It's very clear in everything Takabayashi sensei writes, that she really likes her main couple, and had always planned for them to end up together.
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Crossheart
This is an older story (2010ish), even if it was only published as an extra for the omnibus release in July 2013, and it was also used as part of drama cd 70 released in January 2013. But the contents of this story are the origin of another story published in 2011, so it must have been written before that. (EDIT: I found the original information at Ray Clover: CROSSHEART IS FROM APRIL 2006! (file: asuka1302). It was published as a mobile story, and republished as an extra in the omnibus re-release! )
The title: Although it could be a combination of crossword and heart, like hearts crossing/intertwining; or crossword and the last word of the puzzle" kokoro->heart", I like to think that sensei, knowing a bit of English based it on the phrase: "Cross my heart and hope to die"; as in 'a promise' -> which is the topic of this story.
Then the intro line starts with "That day, there was a strong wind blowing since morning, so I couldn't really go outside." This line, much like the title of novel 4, has the concept of 'wind blowing' that makes reference to the proverb 「明日は明日の風が吹く」`Ashita ha ashita no kaze ga fuku'. Tomorrow, tomorrow's wind will blow. Which means something like "there's no point in thinking ahead" or "What comes next is up to life". Whenever sensei writes that enigmatic first line, it usually carries a lot of meaning and foreshadows what is to come.
The story starts with Yuuri and Wolfram alone at the office. Some event is taking place and everyone but them is busy. Yuuri is doing a crossword and struggling. Wolfram finally gets closer to see what's bothering him.
The first hint for the crossword, is 'a pet name for children'. Wolfram then remembers his mother used to call him Honey-chan (Hachimitsu chan). Yuuri immediately likes the name and says "Maybe I too will start calling you that from now on, honey-chan."
(Additional info: In MisePan2, 2011, Wolfram gets angry at being called honey-chan, because "Yuuri is younger than him" so he has no right to call him something that older people call younger people. Clearly, "Crossheart" where Yuuri discovers Wolfram's pet name comes chronologically before Misepan2. So we can pinpoint that Crossheart was written before 2011, maybe it was even a failed attempt at Misepan2. Misepan 2 came out with the last DVD box, which was delayed a year due to circumstances with Takabayashi sensei. We know this because in the afterword of Misepan2 , the author says: "I really can't apologize enough for this.... I honestly apologize to all of you for keeping you waiting. I'm really sorry for the inconveniences I caused to all the parties I kept waiting for this." So sensei apologizes and blames herself for the delay of the last DVD box. This might have been due to her health issues, which she only mentioned once, in 2010. EDIT: I found the original information at Ray Clover: CROSSHEART IS FROM APRIL 2006! (file: asuka1302). It was published as a mobile story, and republished as an extra in the omnibus re-release!)
The second hint for his crossword was the name of a famous mouse, so of course Yuuri is thinking Micky, since the last letters are cky. But it turns out to be "Rocky" a famous mouse character. So there's a legend that small animals, like mice, squirls, rabbits and even birds can see spirits. And this particular mouse is said to deliver messages from the dead to their families.
This triggers Yuuri to ask a question to Wolf: "What would you do, if I never returned?". Wolfram asks him to clarify what he meant. And Yuuri asks: Would you cry? To which Wolf says: I wouldn't. At first Yuuri is a little hurt by the cold answer, like you wouldn't miss me? But Wolfram explains, of course he'd miss Yuuri but he wouldn't cry. Because if he did, Yuuri wouldn't be able to live a happy life back on earth. Wolfram's promise of not crying so Yuuri could be happy, left Yuuri speechless and then he noticed the word that was formed vertically in the crossword.
The hint for that word: "What you use to share your feelings with your partner."
The word is never specifically said, but in the drama cd it's "ko-ko-ro" -> heart. Which would also circle back to the "heart" in crossheart.
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Comment on Crossheart: This story as well as its natural continuation, Misepan2, are very yuuram oriented. Do you want an exorcism, another contemporary story of these two, is also largely yuuram. And the same goes for all of sensei’s work including the very last doujinshi.
I also want to point out the pet name she chose: Hachimitsuchan. Again, I may be over reaching, but she has enough English knowledge to know “Honey” is something you call children AND your significant other. The fact that Wolfram eventually gets angry at it, adds to the comedy of errors, which is one of the underlying tropes in maruma. Yuuri’s sweet words are generally misinterpreted by Wolfram.
I've been saying this for years. Takabayashi-sensei has liked this couple from the very beginning and has been building their relationship for novels on end. Every story she's written, shows them happy and together. The very last one even has them married with Wolfram wondering if Yuuri would want more 'wives' (as in, what about the other ships?) and Yuuri assuring Wolf he only wants him (no other ships are sailing from this port).
People who ship Yuuri with other characters aren't basing themselves on novel canon, which is fine, of course! But the novel canon is yuuram. Note: I use yuuram as a word to denote the relationship between Yuuri and Wolfram, also because it’s shorter than royal couple. I’m NOT talking about ‘who’s top’ in the relationship. I feel like this whole ‘top’ bottom’ talk is so 90s, we should get over it, much like Takabayashi-sensei herself has expressed she doesn’t care about that whole ‘top’ ‘bottom’ thing.
Go go Honey-chan! (Wolf's gonna be so angry XD)
August 3, Honey Day
So I know there’s a lot of Wolfram fans around, and I’m always upset that there’s no official Wolfram Birthday, or Wolfram Day (Like we do have : Jozak’s Day 4/3 , Lion’s Day 4/4, Murata’s B-day 6/6, Yuuri’s Bday 7/29 ) ; but we do have Hachimitsu Day/Honey Day, which is today August 3. I think we should really start celebrating August 3 as Wolfram’s Day, since this is his pet name.
The song : The reverberating song forever
lyricist: TADD
Composer:西冈和哉
Singer: 斎贺 みつき
Like always. I get it that Conrart is best boi (no, it's Wolf obviously, but anyway) for most but that doesn't mean you get to do this.
I started off with the anime (through Youtube way back a few years) and never associated with comments or anything. Even then, with all the ConYu going on and Wolf being shown as a possessive fiance, I still preferred YuuRam over all (And why did we have Sara×Yuuri again? It is clear that Yuuri in the novels was very clear on who was the most beautifully handsome angel in existence. The anime was so frustrating later that most of the time I just wanted Wolf to be loved- Wolfram is so much more that what the anime makes him to be). Then I discovered about the manga when I was surfing through YuuRam images (after stuffing myself with a lot of ffs- mostly anime based). The manga had so many more YuuRam scenes and the plot felt better (till it stopped following the novel- but it was still acceptable). Then ofc I discovered a queer picture that looked like a manga but wasn't like it- Thus I discovered this masterpiece of a novel! (Though most of the illustrations feel so baised towards ConYu... I can baredly get YuuRam scenes). My love for YuuRam and our angel Honey-chan has been growing all this while (from anime to novel and beyond).
I am actually glad I discovered MaruMa now, as we have all the novels properly translated and all. I feel so bad for the whole franchise, as not only YuuRam but even the characters were compromised to keep up to the wishes. The best thing about this novel is how it breaks so many stereotypes! Japan has an obsessiveness with constancy. One of the reasons for ConYu gaining more favour was because of that. At that point the only known trope in Yaoi was strong tall seme×meek small uke. While at that point, when the cover was enough for you to know the positions, Takabayashi-sensei introduced a couple who were, in every way, equal.
Since we are talking about ffs, I read a lot of them before reading the manga (and still read sometimes) and most of them were YuuRam! We are talking around 2009s. At that point, most of the KKM international fans were that of the anime. Still there were so many of them who wanted so much more of YuuRam that they wrote down their fantasies and wishes in the form of fanfics. There would've been so many more MaruMa fans if only they did it justice.
Yeah, so basically, I agree with the statement that don't try to change the canon. Nothing will come of it. Not even dying patients can escape from our angel's presence (so much so that they come to life) so how can mere mortals like us compete? And, the amount of fluff in the novels is pure bliss. Yuuri is more head-over-heels for Wolf than Wolfram and he is even starting to accept it already.
In short YuuRam is Canon and Wolf deserves every ounce of love in this whole universe!
P.S: Sorry I went off on this long rant. I love this work too much! A must read work!!
Maruma novels in China
I heard something strange.
Because watching the Yuuram’s video in BILIBILI website (Like a YouTube of China) in this year, I retrieved the love of Wolfyu. (Yuuram is ok for me now. I think both of them are the same.) I read these novels(KKM) 14 years ago, but I didn’t want to find any other resource of KKM’s on the net then. I started to search them and met some Yuuram’s fans of China a few months ago. They told me some terrible things about the rumors of KKM. It really shocked me.
The Yuuram’s fans left the ship in China.
They knew Yuuram and loved them because of animate. They weren’t willing to read the original of KKM, because someone spread the rumors that Conyuu is canon in novels without any Yuuram. In this era of network development, those rumormongers spread not only this rumors but also other rumors of all of Maruma authority are Conyuu’s fans including author, painter and official staffs. It made an amount of Yuuram’s fans in China sad and broke their hearts. They didn’t know why Takabayashi sensei let Wolf got engaged to Yuuri. They thought It was unfair for Wolf after being told the canon is Conyuu. Those rumors made many of them so sad that they left this ship. Until now, many Yuuram’s fans of China believe those rumors. They also tell me the animate of KKM was ever popular in China until playing KKM 3rd season. But Wolfram’s fans were still many in that time. I know KKM 3rd season is not good. That’s one of the main reasons they left quickly. The others are those rumors.
Someone did sinister things to Yuuram.
I tell them the truth. They start to read the novels and manga. After reading those, they never believe rumors that Conyuu is canon. They say it’s incredible that they have been tricked for 12 years. It’s “two wrongs make a right”. Recently, we found the original of “Love Letter” and translated it. They were as mad as hell because seeing incomplete version in Chinese before. That lost some parts of Yuuram and misinterpreted of the original. It made like a Conyuu novel more. That someone translating it is a Conyuu’s fan. They told me that Conyuu’s fans not only spread the rumors but also attacked Yuuram’s fans.
The one: They even grabbed the Baidu (the search engine of China) personal webmaster of Wolf’s and destroyed it a few years ago. Yuuram’s fans found that and complained to Baidu Official Website. This matter was resolved.
The other: They impersonated Yuuram’s fans to attack themselves and took a screenshot. They spread that Yuuram’s fans were too extreme to get along with them with a false evidence.
I don’t know what to say that because it’s so preposterous and unbelievable. How crazy they were!
Now we do somethings.
My friends and I know that it’s not all of Conyuu’s fans like them. But the crazy people are more than rational ones’ very much. We think they are so jealous of “Royal Couple” that they do those terrible things.
Anyway, we decide to translate the shorten-novels in Chinese by ourselves. In Chain, they can’t search the resources of KKM on foreign website due to some restriction. I provide those resources and my friends translate those. We want to let the Maruma’s fandom see the full translation. It’s a huge project. We hope that rumors will be disappeared after promoting correct information in China. I believe we can do it.
Really, thank you for making this blog where you talk about YuuRam! There are not many places or people who talk about this wonderful couple.
Hi! I’m Chara. Thanks for all the information you have provided for all Yuuram fans (including me, of course). Your notes are really enjoyable to read. Do you know if there is any chat groups or forums that we can talk about this ship? I can’t find any. Thank you.
Hi Chara!
I wish I could be of more help and direct you to a forum, but people don’t really use forums or facebook anymore, most of the maruma fandom is either on tumblr or discord. I use tumblr to talk about yuuram and maruma, because people can post fanwork or talk about it and stay on topic. (You can simply reblog someone elses’s post and engage in conversation).
The way you find post on tumblr is by using tags . For example if you use #kyou kara maou; your post will show up here: https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/kyou-kara-maou If you’re interested in #yuuram: You can check https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/yuuram When we had more people around we used to have online meetings once every 2 months or so, we would gather for a few hours and chat all together about maruma while watching something. But as fewer people started showing up, we stopped having the meetings. The other option is discord. I tried discord for a while, but everyone kept going off-topic (talking about cats and their personal lives), and it’s not for me. I care about maruma, and want to talk about maruma. If you use discord, I’m sure you can look kyou kara maou on that website/app and find active groups. ( But the only active group I know of had fans of different characters, so it wasn’t yuuram).
So tumblr is the most organized place I know to meet people and talk about yuuram with other yuuram fans. If you find any other place, I’d love to hear about it, but as far as I know, we’re mostly around here.
Your analysis and breakdown is awesome and detailed as always. It feels really good to read these and then remember the original at the same time!
I just love the way the whole scene plays and while Yuuri makes more than just a confession to Wolf. Plus, him giving Wolf anything also reminded me of the seisakoku arc. That arc was so bittersweet♡
For the point 3 though, I think they were already an accepted couple waaaay back right after that whole slap incident. (I think it's only Günter at this point who cannot properly digest it🤣)
Can never get enough of those cultural differences🤣🤣 Meow
P.S: Conrart needs a hug at this point, really.
You said misepan 2 is one of ur favorite yuuram short stories, can u give an analysis of it please!
Hello anon!
Ok! But I would really recommend reading it. I have said this many times, there's something about Takabayashi-sensei style, the way she writes her stories, that I really, really like.
Misepan 2
Title: Misepan, means "Showing panties". So the first part (written 2 years prior and almost completely disconnected of part 2), was about a bet Murata thought for Yuuri. Yuuri said he was unpopular and Murata said he wasn't and bet Yuuri he could get someone to "show him their panties."
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Summary of part 1: In part 1, some chick was looking for a ring her bf gave her in the river and Yuuri helped her. That and the bet is the entire story.
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Intro: Misepan 2 starts in Shin Makoku. The topic of 'lost item' continues. This time it's Yuuri who has lost something very important. A hand made necklace that Greta gave him.
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The first part shows Yuuri and Wolfram around the castle. Yuuri tells Wolf he's looking for the necklace because he lost it. They meet Cherie-sama, who is wearing a maid suit and bunny ears and tells Yuuri that she wants Wolf to wear the same to attract customers for her new shop (a bar to find love).
Wolfram says he will refuse because of the bunny ears, because Yuuri hates rabbits (the mascot of Seibu Lions opposite team is an orange rabbit). Cherie mentions Wolfram used to love rabbits as a kid, because cats grabbed the attention of Gwen, and that they need Wolfram's help to cure Yuuri's rabbit-hate. (Yuuri is thinking he doesn't hate rabbits just that mascot from that team).
Yuuri calls Wolfram 'Honey-chan', and Wolfram gets angry and tells him that because he's younger he doesn't have a right to call him that. (Yuuri monologues that 'it hurt him to have Wolf remind him he is younger’)
When Yuuri mentions the lost item made by Greta, Cherie-sama remembers the 'pig soap' that Wolfram made for her. To which Wolfram mentions that it wasn't a pig, it was, of course, Cherie-sama herself. XD Cherie sama goes speechless due to the shock and Yuuri pulls Wolfram by the hand, and trots away from that place; so that he wouldn't see them fight.
Wolfram and Yuuri are alone again, and when Yuuri reveals he needs the necklace because he's going with Greta to the zoo the next day, Wolfram starts unbuttoning his shirt.
Yuuri panics saying he shouldn't be exposing his skin , people could see him ! What if some younger girl saw his bare exposed chest! Yuuri is making a huge scene as if Wolfram were undressing. He seems jealous that someone might steal a glimpse of his beautiful chest.
At any rate, Wolfram shows him a necklace, just like Yuuri's. So it turns out that Greta made the same necklace for all 3 people in the family, Wolf, Yuuri and herself. Yuuri also notices that the stone used in all 3 are the color of Wolfram's eyes.
Wolfram says he will lend it to Yuuri for the zoo trip.
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Important scene:
Yuuri holds Wolfram's necklace still around Wolf's neck with both hands, and then pushes it against Wolfram's chest.
And says he can't accept borrowing it.
Wolfram asks why, wouldn't you do the same for me, if I needed something and you had it.
Yuuri says: "Of course I would."
At this moment, Yuuri has both his hands on Wolfram's bare chest. He goes into a monologue about how anyone would get 'blood rushing' to their brain, if they had both hands on their partner's bare chest, feeling how their heartbeat is the same as their own, and were thinking about something serious. He's overwhelmed and needs to take a moment.
Then he says:" when it comes to things that I can give you, I would give you anything, Wolf. But this is different. Because it's a handmade item. I'm sure that the shape of the stone is slightly different."
--------------------------------------------------- Important scene analysis: This scene is huge. Let’s analyze:
Yuuri: 1) Has both hands on Wolfram's bare chest 2) Gets blood rushing to his brain (to be taken literal and/or a symbolism for arousal) 3) feels Wolfram's heartbeat beating at the same rhythm as his own (symbolism for being in sync, one person, in love) 4) is thinking about everything he would "do" 5) says he's thinking about "something serious"
He's overwhelmed. Can't function. He takes a while to calm down and when he does, he tells Wolfram that "When it comes to things he can 'give him' he would give him anything."
Do you remember the 5 last points? Touching Wolf, aroused, in love, thinking about Wolf, and a "serious matter".
The undertone here is that 'anything' is referring to his virginity.
There was a time in novel 2, when he thought he was going to 'lose " his virginity to Wolf. But here, he's very clear when he says, he would 'give' it to him. It's those little things in the stories that brings back a memory of past things that happened and wraps them up with a little bow.
It's such a good scene. And although it has this sexual undertone, I like to see it more for the theme of 'sacrifice'.
He loves Wolf so much there is nothing he wouldn't give to Wolf. His virginity is cool, but what about his life? Is he thinking about that? If he's thinking about everything he would give to him, and this overwhelmed him. Is he thinking about that too?
I mean, who hasn't thought of that? What would you do for a loved one? How far would you go? And here Yuuri says it clearly to Wolfram, he would give him anything.
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Second part Gwendal is trying to find Yuuri because he found out about the lost item and thinks it can cause an international problem. The rumors have exaggerated what happened. Conrad also shows up, and Wolfram tells Yuuri to escape. Conrad follows him and Wolf stays there to stop Gwendal.
Yuuri sees Wolf as the bravest man alive, then this scene happens:
---------------------- Interesting scene: Wolfram: "Don't worry! It is a husband's job to rub their henachoko wife's ass!"
Yuuri: "Wait isn't it, maybe, "It is a wife's job to wipe her husband's ass" ? Yeah, maybe. No, I mean, I'm sure."
Conrad: "Eh? You're letting him call you henachoko? How generous. Well, then let us rely on Lord von Bielefeld's words"
------------------------ Analysis of this scene: Preamble: Before we get into it-> Because Japan has like a 4000 year old culture, and the 'couples' terms are always 'female' and 'male', we see a lot of 'wife' and 'husband' even between two males. Some may read into it (the top/bottom stereotype from the 90s), and I will analyze it too, but there's also a lot about 'kanjis' having certain associations that don't really fit the gender of same sex partners.
Analysis:
1) Wolfram makes a joke about rubbing Yuuri's ass (and asserts he's the husband and it's his duty)
2) Yuuri says the proverb is incorrect and "Isn't it "it's the wife's duty to wipes her husband ass?" But then he says maybe I don't know, I'm not sure.
3) Conrad is only surprised at the lack of complain of "henachoko", and not all the other married couple/sexual innuendos they've been throwing at each other.
This is the Conrad I love. He's so supportive of Yuuri and Wolf. He could have said something like "Wait, how long have you been married?" and make them both self conscious, but he didn't. Conrad is great, and I love him and he deserves all the best. I'm a yuuram fan, but I love Conrad. He's an awesome character and a sweety. He's been through so much and I feel sorry for everything he's been put through, simply because the fans forced Takabayashi sensei to bring him back from the dead. (Additional info: Conrad was supposed to die in novel 5 and Takabayashi sensei spent many years trying to kill him after that, but the 'Conrad' fans didn't let her. This has lead to Conrad just 'floating around' in the novels... she was so angry she even made him the enemy for a while)
About the proverb: I couldn't find the actual proverb Wolf and Yuuri are talking about. The internet says two things: 1) it's a wife's duty to cut her husband's ear hair, and 2) it's a wife's duty to take care of her husband's arousal. Now I have no clue whether either of them are old sayings ... I simply couldn't find it.
But here's my interpretation. 1) Wolf says it's his duty to protect Yuuri as the husband 2) Yuuri says isn't that the wife's role? and in the end he's confused about the proverb. I think Takabayashi-sensei is 1, throwing sexual innuendos as usual here, and 2 is bringing ambiguity to the whole top/bottom stereotype. "Is he the top? Am I? I don't know", is what Yuuri says about this.
I think, as mentioned before, sensei addresses the top/bottom topic (because it's actually very uncommon not to bring it up), and says : yeah whatever, who cares.
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Third part : Yuuri has a scene with Conrad, where he realizes that his necklace was shorter than Wolf’s so that both, the blue maseki and the emerald necklace Greta made, won’t become entangled. Yuuri is moved thinking that Greta even thought about that.
They find the necklace Yuuri lost, and this part ends with:
"Things will always return to the place they should be."
This makes me happy. It makes me think that Yuuri will always be back to Shin Makoku no matter what. I hope that Takabayashi-sensei sticks to her words.
And there’s another clear meaning: Conrad (blue maseki) and Wolf (the emerald necklace) will not entangle and cause problems. Conrad will continue to be the friend, and Wolf will continue to be the spouse, and the ‘necklaces’ won’t disturb one another. Another very important symbolism. Everyone has their place and role, and won’t mix, entangle or bother Yuuri.
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Last part:
The end of the story goes back to the main story in Misepan 1. So Yuuri is there with the chick looking for her bf’s ring. An old dude sees them, then the three find a bag full of gold in the river and they appear on TV.
In the end, Yuuri gets shown panties "mise pan" by the old dude. And the story wraps itself with a joke.
In the afterword Takabayashi sensei admits she didn't know how to end the story. This means, for what I can understand, that she just wanted to talk about the royal family necklace and Yuuri and Wolf, while finishing up a story he had to finish for the DVD set.
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The main reasons why I love this story :
1) There’s a new canon yuuram trope:" the family necklace”. This necklace is the color of Wolfram’s eyes. Greta was the one to chose it, too. She could have chosen ‘black’, the royal color and the color of Yuuri’s hair and eyes (that everyone loves in Shin Makoku), but instead she chose the color of Wolf’s eyes. I feel this is a symbolism Takabayashi sensei threw in there to make sure everyone understands it’s not Yuuri and Greta anymore, Wolfram is 100% part of that family, and it’s his color that binds the family together.
2) Yuuri’s line: “When it comes to things that I can give you I would give you anything Wolf”. As analyzed before, this is the ultimate expression of love, and he has said it clearly to Wolfram out in the open.
3) Yuuri and Wolf as established as a couple as they can be, not only between themselves, but also by others. Out in the open they’re calling each other husband and wife (in front of Dacascos and Conrad), and no one even questions this. Meaning it’s been a long time since people have known them as such.
4) Yuuri calling Wolfram Honey-chan (and Wolfram getting angry due to cultural misunderstandings)
Anyway, it’s a really great story! Please read it!
I agree with the last point you made. Greta is her own person and Yuuri and Wolf understand and support it. And, we all know that Yuuri, being raised on Earth, has accepted the circle of life and death and it's short span (even though we still don't know about his acceptance of his long life- if he would have one). Plus, Wolfram slowly accepting Conrart shows his slow acceptance of losing his loved ones while he is still 'young'. I am sure that the moment they thought of becoming a parent to Greta they must've, at some point, thought of this issue.
This just gave me a nice fanfic idea. Mind if I borrow it?
Something I’ve been curious about but haven’t seen anyone bring this up but since Greta is a human does that mean she’ll age Wayyy faster than her dads (wolf and yuri) like she’s human so she’ll age like one right? Hence her lifespan is much shorter, am I correct? (And like does this mean she might like die before them????)
Hi anon!
This has been brought up a couple of times over the years, but it’s always good to revisit the topic for the new fans. Option 1: They can all move to Earth and age at the same rate
The ‘moving to earth’ thing would be a fix to the problem. The fathers would only be slightly older, but they could still be a happy family and all age at the same rate. (I also think Takabayashi sensei is partial to the word ‘daddy’ in English for Wolf, as shown in her work.) In Yuuri’s ‘dream’ Wolf and Greta aged at the same rate as him, meaning this is most likely what would happen if they moved to Earth.
However, Takabayashi sensei has said she does not want to have an ‘Earth arc’ (her excuse is that the anime team did it before she had a chance and now she can’t do it). Whether she’ll stick to this or not it’s up to her.
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Option 2: Magic/Majutsu/Maryoku
How did the mazoku end up aging so slowly? The green tribe. (novel 1) They’ve only been in Shin Makoku for 2000 years and people are already averaging a life span of 400 years (In “Do you want an exorcism?”, Yuuri said the "middle aged/old meddling neighbor lady” was about 250, 80x5= 400 ).
Before the green tribe showed up mazoku aged at the same rate as humans. It was the green tribe’s healing majutsu that caused the longevity of mazoku. In fact, earth mazoku age at the same rate as humans. The difference being that there’s no maryoku on earth.
What about Yuuri, what is it that he does again? Oh right, yeah, his box is the box of regeneration. And what else can he do? Yup, healing.
And who has he healed already? Greta. In fact, Greta is the only person he has healed. He tried healing Wolf, too, but he would let him.
An absolute possibility is that Greta gets so irradiated with healing majutsu that it will naturally slow her aging.
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Option 3: Natural aging, but it’s okay
Yes, Greta is the cute little princess of Shin Makoku now, but she’s getting educated to be queen. Remember when in novel 4, Hyscliff told Yuuri, what if her people want her back? What if she becomes queen? Shouldn’t she be prepared? Yuuri agreed and sent her to study abroad. In fact, she spends half her life getting educated to be queen.
Yes, she wants to be a ‘trap lady’ and have adventures now. She would love following in Anissina’s footsteps. But she’s 10.
Greta could very much end up having to return to Svelera. Currently, the revolutionary government is ‘destroying monuments of the past’ to erase the memories. So clearly people are still very much remembering their monarchs. She might be given a chance to go back. What if she’s 16+ and can choose? What if she wants to do it? There’s a another huge possibility that she’ll have to part from Yuuri and Wolf’s side much sooner. At 16, Yuuri would be 22.
But it’s okay. It’s life. When Yuuri had to see her leave for Cavalcade there were tears too, but it’s part of growing up. And if Greta wants to return to her country, she should.
She’ll marry, have a family and Yuuri and Wolf will have time to adapt to her being away, being grandparents, visiting, etc.
Greta will grow up one way or another. Who wants to be a kid forever? And that’s okay. When people say “Omg! she’ll age way faster!" it’s like they forget that parents don’t really have their kids at home forever. Sure you visit your kids and grand kids, but you don’t live with them. You let them go be their own person.
People make it seem like ‘she’s dying now!’, but that’s not it. She’ll grow older and separate from her fathers long before she dies. She’ll live a full life, marry? rule? have adventures? have kids? all of this in her own life without her fathers, long before she dies. (I know, they’ll visit; but if you’re old enough to understand, you know living with parents and getting a visit once a month, or every half a year, is not the same)
And sure, yeah. It’ll be sad if she passes of old age and Yuuri and Wolf are still young, but look! It’s okay.
Culturally, we say things like “A parent should never bury a child” but that’s only because due to the rules of our bodies, if a child dies before the parents it is due to a tragic event/ illness” not because they lived their lives to the fullest.
We have many cultural pre-conceptions that wouldn’t apply, if , like in this case, both the parent and child can live long fulfilled lives. As the child of old parents, I wouldn’t mind if they they were young and lived happily while I die of old age. Who would? They’re family and you love them.
When it comes to a fantasy world like this, we need to expand our mind a little bit and try to get rid of cultural bias to understand what a full natural life cycle would entail when it comes to Greta aging and Yuuri and Wolf’s perception of it.
I just want Takabayashi-sensei to work her magic already and write up the next volume! That beautiful yet exasperating cliffhanger and those extras really don't help my curious little heart!
Your analysis was great as always! I feel like there is someone there who is invested in this series just as much, if not many times more, like me.
Hi! Just wanna say I love ur blog (low key check it all the time to see if there’s anything new) but what do you believe the next book will mostly be about, what to expect from where we left off?
Hi @verydonutturtleexpert! Thanks for checking my blog, I’m sorry I’m not updating as often as I used to. It’s just a temporary thing, I’m sure I’ll be posting more often soon. Speaking of, November 2020 is the 20th anniversary of maruma, so I hope everyone’s preparing for the celebrations. As for what I expect the next book to be, I think it will have a lot of the info we’ve seen in some of the post novel drama cds, the manga, and the extras stories. I’ll explain why I’m taking these as reliable info soon.
My opinion on what might happen in the next novel(s)
First, let’s start with the afterword for novel 17: In it Takabayashi sensei said that the next novel will be titled: "The Ma!Light Burns in the Darkness! “ and that Wolfram might take a bit of a protagonist role in it . This makes sense because on the last chapter of novel 17, we could see that Shinou was threatening Yuuri’s and all of Wolfram’s family’s lives, if Wolfram dared to spill the secret to Yuuri. This means that what’s happening behind closed doors can only be witnessed by Wolfram and not Yuuri, and why Yuuri can’t tell us what’s happening.
At the same time we have the post novel drama cd 71, ”I can't sleep tonight". In it, Yuuri goes to Conrad to cry about how “Wolf hasn’t been around at night (he sneaks out in the middle of the night) and omg is he cheating on me!?” There’s also talk about Jozak’s recovery and how he has been visiting Murata at Shinou’s Shrine, and how Murata kicked Yuuri out when Jozak arrived, claiming he (Murata) had a cold. Now it seems that Murata and Jozak are plotting or doing something (yes a lot of love for this ship). The point is that they’re hiding something from Yuuri. Could it be they found out about the boxes that Wolf brought back without permission? Clearly Murata and Jozak are investigating whatever is happening with Wolf and Shinou. Why the drama cd? The drama cd was written with supervision of GEG and sensei, and it talks about everything that happened in the novels. (Wolf, Jozak, Murata).
Onto the manga: The manga was written by GEG, who we can assume had seen the plans sensei had for the following novels and ending, so we can imagine she tried her best to summarize that into the manga (without making Shinou the bad guy he’s being portrayed to be in the novels).
In the manga Wolfram falls into the box and is saved by Yuuri. This could very well be the case in the novels as well, with Yuuri finding out what Wolf’s been hiding and risking his life to save him.
If this happens, then the title will have a perfect double meaning: The bright light of Wolfram shining in the darkness (of Yuuri not knowing what’s been hidden from him), and the light of Yuuri/Wolf in the darkness of the box .
Now, I don’t think Shinou will just make the boxes ‘disappear’ like in the manga (that was a very rushed ending). Instead, with Shinou as the enemy I expect a final battle to unfold. (possibly in following novels)
Most boxes except for Earth (Gwendal's) are in Shin Makoku’s possession, and probably in Shinou’s Shrine. They had Wind box after the Caloria arc ; Fire box after the Seisakoku arc, and Water box after the Prison arc. I don’t think Saralegui is about to surrender the Earth box anytime soon so we can expect a battle with Wolf/Yuuri/Conrad(?) fighting with the boxes against Shinou . We do not know if Conrad can actually use the box at will or not). A fight with the 4 boxes would be great , but the ending seems so near and Earth box so far away (at least an arc away). Unless sensei uses a plot like “Maxine has it in Seisa and he ships it over to Shin Makoku" , which would be hilarious and fit the plot, but who knows.
What I can tell is that the climax is near... you can tell by the introduction of the ultimate enemy, Shinou, who has been toying around with everyone. It’s payback time.
In the Prison arc (nv 16, ch1), Murata said that there was a place where the boxes could ‘rest’ forever, but with Shinou’s plans to control them, it seems impossible that they could go on that last quest to put the boxes to rest until the ultimate enemy is vanished. So I can see the novel ending with the death of the immortal Shinou, and we finding out how he became immortal, what he did to Daikenja, etc. (I can even see Wolf maybe dying at some point to get Yuuri to use his ‘regeneration’ magic on him).
Whether sensei feels like doing some extras and following through with ‘putting the boxes to rest’ is unknown. And this is what I think the story might have been like... IF we wouldn’t have had the ‘bad ending’ (It comes equally to anyone I) turned to drama cd (Trick or Treat), turned to canon(It comes equally to anyone II)! Where Yuuri, at some point, during this entire mess, IS SENT BACK TO EARTH! While and I quote’ everyone is in danger int he other world’. So... yeah, I don’t know what to do with that. Maybe the box thing from the manga was changed, and instead Yuuri was shipped to earth and now he’ll be back and then we’ll have the ultimate fight? Also, how long was Yuuri unconscious in the hospital? A week? A year? Impossible to know. So yeah, that’s what I’m guessing might happen in the next novels. Oh! And don’t forget Yuuri might need to get his head fixed cuz in ‘Do you want an exorcism?”, which also has the post novel 17 info of Yuuri getting another voice in his head (Uesama Kai) after the water box incident , there was an explanation about getting the ‘people in his head’ to fulfill their wishes so they would stop manifesting.... but maybe that won’t get fixed for a while.
Julia was one of the strongest woman of Shin Makoku. And, if she, at the very least, shares even one trait with Yuuri- which she most obviously does, including a more valiant spirit than him- then I don't think sitting still would be in her list of options. And I think her death might've been orchestrated. I don't think she'd just let herself die like that even under pressure.
In essence, Shinou's a jerk and a tyrant. He should really mend his ways a bit.
Thoughts on Susannah Julia?
Hi there @halfbloodworthy!
Here’s my thing with Julia: we only know about her through other people’s words. I would totally take a full novel with her story from her point of view any day. (Would have been preferable over that ”the facade of the lady whatevs” )
Also, I feel like there are inconsistencies about her, especially when it comes to her death:
Would you really be ‘happy’ to die to let some rando become maou? What? She was gonna get married. She had trained a ton throughout her life (80+ years I calculated). She got a position in the military despite her blindness. She was a bad-ass. She fought bears. She had friends, a life, a future. She was one of the three great witches… Why couldn’t SHE be the new maou?
And here’s another inconsistency: Shinou told Conrad that Julia said she wanted him to carry her soul to earth, BUT…. according to Gunter in novel 1 ‘Yuuri’s soul’ was supposed to be reborn in Shin Makoku, but because ‘there were people who tried to take the soul , political issues, etc’ Shinou DECIDED 'after the fact’ that the new maou was going to be born on earth…. SO… how could Julia have known the future (Yuuri born on Earth) if, allegedly, not even Shinou knew?
Furthermore, considering the last novel, novel 17, where Shinou is pressuring Wolf (to allegedly practice to control his box) to keep a secret from Yuuri, “or else Yuuri and his family gets it”, I wonder if Shinou didn’t do the same to Julia and said: “Aight girl, either you die or Adalbert”, and that’s how she “happily gave her life” -> for Adalberts.
Who would be happy to die for someone who you know nothing about? What if Yuuri was an asshole? A tyrant? A piece of shit? How could she had known?! And she was young, in love, engaged! Loved by everyone, it seems.
I also have my serious doubts about Cherie, and how much she has been Shinou’s hand on land to get things happening .
Oops! She magically chose the 3 descendants of the 3 keys? And guess what? She befriended the 4th key… well well well. Isn’t that a nice little coincidence? And she also called in Conrad to get his opinion on the dress. Oopsie daisies, it must be all that air in her head. And then Julia died.
Seems pretty fishy to me.
So my opinion on Julia: She was probably cool af. She studied a lot to be one of the best, so that’s also pretty chill. I believe she was probably forced to kill herself through some sort of manipulation and wasn’t actually ‘happy’ about dying. And what I can say is that I don’t believe a word from Shinou’s mouth, even if I don’t know what really happened to her.
2020-06-06 New maruma fragrances!
This post will include: Descriptions on website, plus my opinion. (please understand the scents change over time, so I changed my mind a few times while writing this).
First Review of Fragrances 2019 | Descriptions of the first three |
I went to the store. Got my shit. Took the pictures. Now let’s try them. Remember: TOP is first 3 minutes. MIDDLE is min 4 to 10. LAST is 15+
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Jozak’s Fragrance
Site description: “A strong loyalty that burns wildly An unwavering Citrus Shipley Note”
“The herbal citrus scent, which jumps out lively, reminds you of his polished muscles and merry smile. The scent of cedar wood has both a light impression as well as a firmness to it. Before you notice, a cool and calm breeze that accompanies it, will sneak up on you. A powerful yet discreet fragrance, that will make you feel the heat he has in him from going to war.”
Scents: TOP：Lemon, Orange, Lime, Orange Peel, Neroli MIDDLE：Violet, Cedarwood, Jasmine, Rose, Geranium LAST：Amber, Musk, Sandalwood, Oakmoss, Heliotrope
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My opinion: I can’t smell the lemon, orange or lime at all; I mostly smell the cedarwood and Jasmine. Although I have to agree with getting a sense of Jozak’s smile through that scent (I didn’t sense his muscles, sorry). It slowly turns into a mix of soap and musk. (Musk is just that ‘aftershave’ scent.). It’s softer at first and stronger later. When it says it 'sneaks up on you’ they use words similar to spying.
(Funny when I posted on twitter I said I liked it the best… but now that last scent… bruh.)
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Murata’s Fragrance
Site description: “ A Glimpse of Moonlight A Mysterious Hidden Powdery Note” “The grapefruit scent, which is bright and bouncy, is like his refreshing smile. However, the fresh spreading scent of rosemary indicates sagaciousness, while the gradual sweetness of Tonka Beans quietly prepares your mind. A fragrance of calmness and guidance; a hidden, mysterious scent that sharpens your senses and thoughts.”
Scents: TOP：Grapefruit, Bergamot, Lime, Neroli MIDDLE：Rose, Muguet, Cassis, Rosemary LAST：Musk, Amber, Tonka Beans ————————————-
My opinion: At first, it’s very bright. I can sense his happiness and smile through it. It really is bouncy. I don’t really see the sagaciousness here, but I get the 'mysterious feel’ they were talking about. It’s kinda like the smell you get in one of those places where they sell esoteric stuff. Is that rosemary? I like it. The musk is unnoticeable. There’s this sweetness to it. Is that Tonka Beans? I don’t know but I like it. This is my favorite scent of them all (but it doesn’t last). It’s also very soft. You have to try and smell it. Nose close to skin or you won’t smell it at all. The LAST scent (the one that remains for 1 hour or so) ends up smelling just like Yuuri’s soap deodorant. People won’t smell it, but you will :D
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Gwendal’s Fragrance
Site description: "The warmth hidden by a heavy door. An aromatic woody note that will melt your heart”
“Cardamom, which rises in dignity, reminds you of his quiet gaze. As the delicate scent of jasmine melts away, you’re eventually wrapped in the warm sweetness of the musk scent. A fragrance of silence and dignity, a harmonious combination of tension and soft tenderness.” Scents: TOP: Bergamot, Cardamom, Basil, Coriander MIDDLE：Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Jasmine, Frankincense LAST：Musk, Amber ———————————- My opinion: It starts really soft and nice. I do get that dignity feel from it, and can picture Gwen’s eyes while knitting. It feels homey. I guess that’s Cardamom and Bergamot. It develops into a mostly Jasmine and Frankincense scent. I can’t smell the Sandalwood or Cedarwood at all. It’s sweet and nice. I can’t feel any tensions. The last smell I would say it smells like Gwen playing with a kitten. I like it. It’s demure, it’s neat. Soft. ————————————-
MY Rank of Fragrances 6 out of 6: Conrad’s fragrance. It’s . Way. Too. Strong. It’s stinky. And it has a weird Patchouli/ Musk scent that will last more than 24 hours. The first part of the scent is fine. But after 10 mins is like fuck no. 24 hours of a strong Musk. Goodness.
5 out of 6: Jozak’s fragrance. I’m sad. I wanted to like it. And I did at first. But again the ‘last’ scent is too strong. I haven’t had it for 24 hours, but I can see this lasting at least 12+ hours. And that last scent, is again too much. It starts beautiful and then boom.
4 out of 6: Murata’s fragrance. It’s sweet, it’s fun, it’s mysterious! What more can you ask!? It’s strong enough that people will smell it, but it’s not a strong smell. Not sure about lasting time, but probably around 6-8 hours. (Similar in strength to Wolf’s)
3 out of 6: Yuuri’s fragrance. Soap is not so bad, ok!? It’s fresh, it’s clean, what else do you wanna smell like? It’s a shame it doesn’t last more than 4 hours (1 if you sweat). Yuuri would be bathing in this shit to be smelling like this XD
2 out of 6: Wolfram’s fragrance. It’s sweet, people will smell the 'elegance’ on you and it lasts a nice 8 hours, a perfect fit for your work schedule. It’s durable, soft, and nice.
1 out of 6: Gwen’s fragrance. Holy shit what happened? So on paper it smelled completely different. (it smelled like Conrad’s? I think the paper was sprayed with something else or wtf?). It was the one I liked least when I smelled it at the store. Now I put it on my skin and wtf, spank me and call me a kitten cuz I’m about to meh meh. What kind of wizardry is this!? Soft… SOFT it’s like omg! wtf
—— Edit: Ok, Gwendal’s fragrance doesn’t smell that good anymore XD wtf. I’d say that the ‘grown ups scents’ all smell kinda similar with that ‘musk’ thing. At least Gwen’s is soft and won’t be noticeable. The ‘kids’ have much fresher sweeter smells. Yup. I guess Gwen’s just took longer to develop , like 30 mins at least.
Was that illustration the same one Takabayashi-sensei was fangirling over when Temari-sensei sent it to her? And she wasn't able to print it out for fans?
But yeah, let's hope GEG-sama can convince sensei to continue with the novel- cause that cliffhanger cannot support my curiosity.
I want to witness that Royal Wedding we all have fantasized of!!
Yuri: So let me get this straight … So I’m the Demon King which makes Conrart my Knight and Wolfram is my fiancé so which means he’s my prince now ?
Conrart: I guess you can say that pretty much sums it up
Wolfram: WHAT!? THERE’S NO WAY IM YOUR PRINCE! For one we aren’t even married yet so it’s not official.
Yuri: Oh I guess that makes sense *awkward laugh*
Wolfram: Yea stupid yuri *blush*
Conrart: So your highness have you made up your mind?
Yuri: huh uh about what *blushes*
Conrart: About being the demon king ofc
Yuri: OH haha right I think I’m going to need a little more time
Wolfram: HEY I HAVEN’T AGREED TO BE YOUR PRINCE JUST YET YOU LITTLE WHIM!*blushing*
Yuri: Don’t call me that!
Conrart: And there goes the lover quarrel *sigh*
This is beautiful!!
i intended to draw doodles every day but i ended up skipping multiple days, so heres a slightly better doodle 😂😂