Latest Posts by urbondivik - Page 4

A little tidbit about this year's April Fools (my JP isn't that good though so there's probably some misinfo):

Mikudemy is a prestigious music school known all over the world, and just recently(?) open a Shibuya branch

they learn about music, but there are also classes about art and video making, also normal school subject stuff

one of the subject is idol history

there's a choir competition(?) in fall, but apparently they need to perform with an instrument, Rui plays an udo drum

the graduation exam(?) is top secret and only be told on the day of exam

Each group gets admitted to school in different ways:

Leo/Need normally gets an invitation letter, but with an additional letter that they might get "something special" from the school.

MMJ is invited to the school through MMJ!Miku, who might/might not have an acquaintance at that school (Mikudayo)

VBS got a challenge letter alongside their invitation letter from someone unknown (hinted to be VBS Miku with help from Mikudayo).

WxS helped Mikudayo who got her foot stuck in a ditch(?), so she personally invited them to school.

25 got in through 25 Miku's acquaintance who invited her to the school (Mikudayo)

WxS!Kaito is actually worried whether it's okay for him to be a student, but VBS!Meiko(or is it alongside L/N!Luka?) assured him that it's fun to be closer to the kids.

They're divided into 4 class, which is said to suit them the best:

Cautious Heart: Honami, Haruka, Kohane, Tsukasa, Mafuyu, L/N!Luka, VBS!Meiko

Haruka commented that their class should be called the Brave Class because of Kohane and Honami

Haruka calls VBS!Meiko as Mei-chan so Honami can call L/N!Luka by Luka-chan

Tsukasa thought that L/N!Luka is a doppelganger, before Luka said that she knows 4 people with the same name and face as hers.

(Also I thought Tsukasa called Mafuyu as Asahina, but apparently it's Asahina-san, I'm totally right about Tenma-kun though so yay!)

When they talked about graduation, Tsukasa and Mafuyu assured Haruka, Kohane, and Honami that because everyone in the class is taking lessons seriously, they should be okay. Mafuyu said that it's probably Dayo-sensei that issued the challenge letter, and Tsukasa agree because Akito and An would definitely take that challenge.

Tsukasa summing up their conversation with they should spend the remaining days until graduation confidently, and the four of them answered him. Tsukasa naturally takes the leader spot again lol

Passion Heart: Saki, Minori, An, Rui, Mizuki, MMJ!Rin, VBS!Len

Rui said that the name both suit them and not, but Mizuki said that it definitely suits the Rui now.

Apparently Saki also has her Tsukasa style introduction lol

Mizuki and Rui think it's nice that their name is easy to find, but Len and Minori said that it's fun to be able to know who their classmates would be. Rui had a monologue that he didn't care about it before because nothing would change every school year, but now it's different

Solid Heart: Shiho, Airi, Akito, Nene, Ena, WxS!Kaito

Akito thinks that their class' name is lousy, he's kinda pissed that Ena is in the same class as him (Shiho agreed that she also didn't want to be in the same class as Shizuku www)

Ena is surprised to meet WxS!Kaito lol, saying that 25!Kaito always have an annoyed face(?) and prickly. WxS!Kaito basically said the same thing as L/N!Luka iirc

Nene thinks that Shiho and Ena sings very well

Airi says that Akito (who's watching Ena's interaction with Shiho and Nene) might find it weird to see Ena acting like a big sister

Pure Heart (protag 25!Miku class): Ichika, Shizuku, Toya, Emu, Kanade, 25!Miku

Not much is known about Pure Heart class (somehow I haven't got any of their area convo after the class division, so this class story might progress during the day until the end of April Fool).

Emu immediately befriended 25!Miku (there's a cute animation of Emu running to 25!Miku and Kanade)

There's also small plot about a sport(?) fes:

Each Miku helps the class in preparing for the sport class (VBS!Miku helps Solid Heart, L/N!Miku should be helping Cautious Heart but they don't really need the help, MMJ!Miku should be helping Passion Heart but they also don't need the help... by elimination, WxS!Miku should be helping Pure Heart class)

Soccer Baseball: Saki & Mizuki (Saki never plays it before even in grade school), Tsukasa & Honami (Tsukasa thought that Honami seemed like she's good at it lol), Akito

Table tennis: WxS!Kaito & Shiho & Airi, Kohane & L/N!Luka, MMJ!Rin,

Basketball: Mafuyu & Haruka, An (she challenges Haruka for a match)

Undecided: Rui

Cooking(?): Meiko

Round and round bat (the one where you spin around a bat and then run to the goal I think?): Nene & Ena (Akito interrupted their convo lol), Minori (for variety show exp), Kanade

Futsal: VBS!Len

All in all, this year's April Fool is as fun as last year!! And there's a new song!! By 27(?) of them!! I can only hear Tsukasa www

post kamikou mafuyu.

So tru

THE CAUTIOUS HEART CLASS WAS MADE FOR TSUKASA TENMA YOU CAN'T TELL ME OTHERWISE

Their image colour is orange and their image shape is a star lmao

Tsukasa Tenma's class domination

TSUKASA TENMA IS IN CAUTIOUS HEART CLASS BECAUSE HE ALWAYS MAKE SURE HE DOESN'T WORRY HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY. TSUKASA WOULD USE HIS WORDS AND TONE CAREFULLY AND EVEN LIED TO MAKE SURE THEY WON'T CATCH ON THE PROBLEMS HE'S DEALING WITH SO HE WON'T MAKE THEM WORRY ABOUT HIM.

It's time for another pointing out stuff in the Mr. Showtime song

The "Oh, flowers and songs, please comfort me" reminds me on something.

Something in the wonderland sekai. The combination of flowers and songs.

The singing flowers

Edit:

On the side note, I also wanna talk about the previous lines

It says here that Tsukasa wants to "blow away" the melancholy and the next line about wanting to be comforted by flowers/lights and songs/sounds.

Will Tsukasa Tenma finally seeks theraphy with the singing flowers? /j

Edit part 2:

I wonder if "Oh lights and sounds please comfort me" means that Tsukasa wants company.

Because like, for the lights, there's usually the thing where when looking at a house's window and there's a light in the house, it usually means that there are people there.

As for the sounds it's easy to say it's the people's voices. Like the noise of talking with others.

This can be link to the dazzling event on Tsukasa past. Where Tsukasa did at one point feels lonely living in the house when he was a kid because his parents usually come home late and Saki stays at the hospital.

Thus Tsukasa spends most of the time alone in his house. Although, he is pretty much in denial about how lonely he feels. Which is why Tsukasa wants lights and sounds to comfort him. He wants someone by his side.

Edit part 3:

Other interpretation would be that lights and sounds can be the shows Tsukasa likes to watch. Since the stage is bright and the sounds are the actors on the stage.

However with that said, I don't know if watching shows still consider as a comfort to Tsukasa. Especially during pop in my heart event and the phoenix event.

That could change tho. There might be someday where Tsukasa would enjoy the shows without worrying about his own acting.

Tenma-kun and Asahina-san gives of the malewife and girlboss attitude

No I won't elaborate

What mikudayo doing?

NYOOMMMMMM

Qsmp in a nutshell /j

@avephelis posted this as an incorrect quote on another post, wanted to doodle it real quick as an excuse to draw qsmp!jaiden more

#Kaitofuckingpiss

"Take one step at a time Tsukasa-kun"

VS

"Fight your mom, Mafuyu"

Trying to interpret what each wonderland sekai vocaloids has similarities with Tsukasa

Putting some of them with question marks cause that is just me guessing

STARSSSS

Tsukasa's feelings when designing the vocaloids' outfit:

It's spring mother fuckers

WxS Rin the explorer

I think wxs Kagamine Rin lorewise is interesting because she first shows up at the welcome show but then she went bye bye till like the Shiho's mix event. Her excuse is that she randomly just travel around sekai to bring smiles to the whole sekai.

With that info, it means that Rin is the one with the most knowledge of the Wonderland Sekai. Having travelled around the sekai while Kaito and the others stays at the stage show since they do shows there for the plushies.

LOOK AT THEM GO!!!

Okay okay okay

Kanade and Tsukasa have very opposing energies in the Journey 3DMV (more notable if you see the fixed camera version)

do you know who had just about the same energy as Tsukasa? It isn't the exact same, but she's on his wavelength?

Minori.

Look at them.

This man need to go to therapy

Emu's face wtf HXSHHSHHSHWJHDHDH

“What?”

wdym this isn’t how it goes

Tsukasa Tenma Analysis???

I know a lot of ppl say to not use Saki for Tsukasa angst and they’re right! But if you wonder what would be good for Tsukasa angst, a good idea is to read the event stories, card stories, etc and try to read in between the lines. Some ppl find it difficult to do that some some things I noticed was;

- he puts others over himself and is actually really selfless so he tends to take care of others more than himself

- he puts on a facade which makes people think he’s a selfish attention seeker but he’s just trying to make people happy

- he was left alone for most of his childhood, he lives in a huge house but it was always empty

- he didn’t have many people to rely on growing up, not many friends either

- people think he’s weird/loud/annoying so they tend to avoid him at school or public places

- he wants everyone to think he’s okay even when he’s not because he doesn’t want to be a burden/he doesn’t want ppl to worry about him or make them sad in any way

- he works his ass off and is a perfectionist 

There’s probably a lot more but I’m kinda tired and I wanna watch chainsaw man lol so please comment if you see this and think of any and I’ll add it onto the list!! Also remember that it is a bad thing to use Saki’s illness for Tsukasa angst because her illness is a big deal and not just leverage to make another character seem sadder or have a ‘more interesting backstory’ 

- also please don’t be afraid to correct me and Ill be sure to fix up any mistakes I made!

Next Tsukasa event is like: taking him to a therapist

A very thorough; very long analysis of Tsukasa's latest card.

I first want to preface this by saying thank you to Tsukasa for coming in only 40 pulls. I still have a good amount ready for your next limited!

:)

This card has made me go insane.

This an exaggeration on my part, but it seems like every time I look at this card I find another detail I've overlooked that just makes me love this card even more. It's an understatement to say that the artists of the Project SEKAI cards put a lot of thought into composition, lighting, and the theme for each set--especially for story-driven cards. So this post will be my in-depth analysis of this card and my personal thoughts and theories.

This post is separated into parts in hopes of this post having some semblance of organization.

Card Artwork Composition

Tsukasa's trained artwork from the card A rush of Excitement shows Tsukasa at the very forefront of the card. The camera is positioned slightly upright--giving the viewer the feeling as though they're looking up at Tsukasa. The art is also positioned at an angle, giving a sense of movement which works to emphasize Tsukasa's pose: A confident stride toward the warmly lit stage. The bright light fills the dim backstage with light. This is further emphasized by the billowing movement of the flag he clutches behind him, the tail of his suit, his bowtie, and his hair. He's giving the viewer a bright smile full of confidence

His card highly contrasts Rui's card Blowing in the Evening Breeze. He's static--sitting farther away from the camera. A barrier separates him from the viewer: a tilted hourglass that he watches with a solemn expression. He's surrounded by clutter and darkness floods the room he's in--only a small sliver of light reflecting against the hourglass and highlighting Rui's eyes.

For Nene's card A Childhood Friend's Gaze, there's more movement (shown by her hair and skirt), but she has a bittersweet smile and is seen stopping to look at a nearby hourglass. The light behind her is similar in color to Rui's: a bright white, unlike Tsukasa's warm yellow.

Overall, Tsukasa's card seems very out of place when you compare it to Rui and Nene's cards in the same set. Additionally, there's a large emphasis on the hourglasses in their cards (I'll discuss more on that later).

I feel like this decision to make Tsukasa's card such is very intentional on the artists' part and was the first thing that caught my attention when I saw them. Rui and Nene's cards have a solemn vibe to them--fitting alongside the plot of the set's corresponding event. Tsukasa's not so much.

It's almost as if he is ignoring the weight of it all.

Background Analysis

Let's return to Tsukasa's card.

Tsukasa is backstage, the warm light of center stage behind him floods a usually dim area with glowing light. This symbolizes Tsukasa's dream to be a world-renown actor and that the steps he takes in the present bring him closer to that light--his dream.

But this isn't an event about entering the stage. It's about leaving--saying farewell. A Sorrowful Farewell at Curtain Call--the part of a show where all affiliated actors bow to the audience and the show comes to a close.

It's strange that this card illustrates the polar opposite of the event name itself.

Now, let's talk hourglasses.

The appearance of the hourglass is especially important throughout the event. Hourglasses represent the passing of time--finite time specifically. They could have chosen a simple clock, but the idea of limited time--which the hourglass best represents--fits perfectly when we think of the future end of WxS. Their time together is limited and their goals--the closer they become--will pull them farther apart.

Rui's is situated behind one, glaring at the large hourglass. The hourglass is tilted, but the sand is still falling representing Rui's wish to stay with WxS longer (hence the hourglass being tilted in an attempt to stop the sand from falling to the bottom). This event focuses on Rui's shattering realization that his time with WxS will end in order for him to achieve his dreams. He'll have to let go of the people who accepted him and back into a world where that situation is not guaranteed.

Nene's card has many hourglasses, but here they stand upright and act as supports for the building behind her, symbolizing her dream. She's somewhat come to terms with the thought of WxS disbanding as showcased in past events (Mermaid Admiration and Island Panic) and can deal with it although with a bittersweet smile. She focuses on the good times she had and the good times yet to come with the troupe.

But take another look at the hourglasses in Tsukasa's card.

The hourglasses are small, upright, organized;

caged.

He doesn't interact with the hourglasses at all--not even a glance at them. He's focused on us, the audience, and the stage ahead. You can argue the idea that he just doesn't realize that his time with WxS is slowly fading away, but Tsukasa is a lot more aware than that. We've seen this shown multiple times throughout multiple event stories. He does know, but he doesn't want to think about it. Ignorance is bliss, after all.

Why sulk about the future if you just focus on the present? Why reminisce about the pain of the past if that doesn't make anyone smile? Forget the pain in those bad memories. Push them away, lock them up and never think of them again.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

This is further shown through the flag he carries behind him. We've seen this flag in his card in only two instances. His 2-star and 4-star from Wonder Magical Showtime. These two cards symbolize a great shift in the story of WxS: the formation of the troupe and their promotion to park ambassador respectively. The flag partly covers parts of the hourglasses as though he's involuntarily trying to hide them. The flag Tsukasa carries has been a symbol of WxS since the beginning. It's almost like he's trying to reassure everyone. "Everything's alright. We're still good ol' Wonderland x Showtime!"

Tsukasa has yet to come to terms with the future of WxS and the pain that it will cause him. So he does what he does best: he ignores it and forgets it. He smiles, reassuring us and the people around him that there's nothing to worry about.

But the hourglasses remain unchecked, and the longer Tsukasa ignores them, the more sand that will fill the bottom. They're bound to break someday under the weight, and Tsukasa will be left to pick up the pieces if nothing changes.

TLDR: Tsukasa, sweetie, it's okay to be sad.

YEAH LETS TSLK ABOUT TSUKASA ROOM!

Tbh I'm having a hard time thinking about both of these Tsukasa related stuff. It doesn't screams Tsukasa Tenma that much.

I meant like for his room I would see Tsukasa as a minimalist that only need things that he found useful like the large mirror with a spotlight for his posing and the fancy chair for some theater reading.

And for Tsukasa square design I see Tsukasa as an organiser that arrange the things he interest in without caring much for the looks but he still put some colours here and there for attractions.

So yeah both of these doesn't show Tsukasa the way I thought it would be. For someone who is loud and likes to stand out I thought his room and square theme would be a bit more standoffish. They still stand out but in a different way.

Yes I'm overthinking but I also have daily madness over Tsukasa's room.

opinions on tsukasa tenma

buckle your fucks up.

"EVENTS, DISSOCIATION, SEGA."

contrary to popular belief, i genuinely think that tsukasa hasn't been overlooked by sega. at this point, after the "on the stage of dazzling light" event, it can definitely be assumed the sega knew what they were doing. he's been heavily dissociated through a lot of the events, and though a lot of people took that as sega being comedic, i dont think that's the case. in those scenarios, everyone around him looks uncomfortable. this all kind of came to a hilt with the new event. i think his group has finally fully realised how messed up his thinking is; rui definitely being taken aback by seeing this side of him. he dissociates through a lot of his day, and the constant muttering, quietness and panic in his tone through a lot of the event is almost unlike anything we've ever seen before. tsukasa isn't comic relief to sega, i don't believe. he's a funny character, but in the moments i've mentioned, he's an example of how laughing at an uncomfortable scenario will make you regret it.

tsukasa's memory issues have been played as a joke for the majority of the game's run time, as have his dissociation issues. but seeing rui's expression of pure unsettled concern when tsukasa abruptly stops the rehearsal session is definitely a step in the direction that sega wants to properly persue. when tsukasa stops that rehearsal session, his line delivery wasn't perfect but it was better than last time. however, he calls the stop because of his panic in not getting it perfect. he is, above all things, a perfectionist when it comes to his acting. he's used to playing the roles that he's good at, so he can perfect them better. but with the role of torpe, he's thrown right back into a panicked state of not being able to perfect an aspect something he's good at. in a softer voice than we've practically ever seen, tsukasa practically mumbles to rui "how do i put this..? it's like i can only feel [the role] on a surface level, or... something like that?" - tsukasa tenma, using elipses, and being very unsure of himself. tsukasa tenma, using elipses, and being very unsure of himself.

sega has obviously been wanting to do this for a long while, and i think it's a gross oversimplication to say he's been 'overlooked' or 'played for laughs'. because yes, he does funny (sometimes quite idiotic) things. but emu's event was unsettling. it made me very viscerally uncomfortable to see tsukasa fail at making someone smile and then - for the rest of the event - seem hollower and dissociated. i personally believe it's because the person he couldn't make smile was a young girl crying, just like saki. it must have shaken him up. but thats my speculation. for reference, rui even mentioned it in the white day event. "tsukasa-kun's been seeming off since we got back from america, but he seems alright now". that's a decent amount of time, and then he recovered from it. and then, a few weeks in-game time later, he gets thrown through a bigger loop, and immediately reverts into that hollow, dissociated state, where he's trying to stay grounded, but obviously is lost in his own mind. sega has been setting this up, that's definite.

"ASAHINA, SEKAIS, SHOWTIME."

tsukasa, as a character, is heavily... confusing, i think. mostly because his biggest parallel is to mafuyu. which, conscious effort from sega or not, is a big part of why he's being 'overlooked' in some aspects. i mean, honestly, mafuyu is equally as overlooked as tsukasa. both characters can be simplified down to 'annoying' if you don't understand them well enough. but they're two sides of the same coin. mafuyu does everything please her parents, so much so that she's lost any identity she had. tsukasa is desperate to make saki smile because she deserves it, so much so that he never really had time to formulate an identity. sure, tsukasa loves shows. he loves performing. he is passionate about a lot. on the other hand, mafuyu doesn't like or dislike much. she doesn't feel intense emotion like tsukasa obviously does. but what we see from tsukasa are emotions that aren't forced, but are most DEFINITELY not organic. he performs and reacts in ways that are meant to make people, of course including himself, smile. his silly, stupid actions of over the top yelling make emu smile, and make himself smile. he acts outraged at rui, which makes rui talk more about his passions, which makes them both happy. but it's all done with an intention that is at it's core entirely selfless. which is why mafuyu and tsukasa are so easy to compare - they are both so painfully like each other in such different ways that tsukasa would be terrified of becoming like mafuyu to the point where he digs himself further into the hole he's in to prove a point and mafuyu is so confused by tsukasa it would draw her into performative happiness to a more intense extent. but, because of their drastic dissociation, mafuyu and tsukasa aren't getting any development, as that would cause the sekais to change drastically.

so, let's talk about the sekais. the sekais of both mafuyu and tsukasa are... drastic. and i'll save the take about mafuyu for another day. but sekais are created from the emotions never expressed. from intense feelings. tsukasa's sekai. is. fucking. horrific. an infinite world that is EVER-EXPANDING, filled with things that he has suppressed_ or not truly comprehended. saki's plushies are there, idealised versions of himself (kaito) are there, as is never-ending idealistic scenery of a childish happiness he never really got to experience. for a lot of his childhood, it's implied he's been looking after saki. always caring for her, wanting to make her smile. it makes sense, when you think about it, that the origin of his dream to be a star would fade out - he doesn't want to comprehend that everything he does is for someone else. tsukasa tenma, when alone, is quieter, and more spaced out. but when he's in the sekai, even just with the virtual singers or a plushie, his instinct to aid others kicks in and that performative happiness - well, half performative, he's happy - rears its head. the sekai is a culmination of everything he's ever suppressed, and when i realised that 'what he's suppressed' is just his childhood, my outlook on him changed completely.

the odd thing about sekais is that they can be group made or personal. and the wonderland sekai never clears that up. its heavily personal, with vague group flairs. but if you really look at it, its just personal. the virtual singers manifest in tsukasa's perceptions of others. miku as emu, kaito as himself - it's another parallel between mafuyu and tsukasa. in reality, tsukasa's emotions and perceptions are so heavily suppressed and warped, they have created an entire pocket dimension. and regarding that, the other members of wonderlands never seem to comment on it. it could be out of discomfort, or simply out of not truly understanding. the other members of wonderlands each seem to express different opinions of tsukasa. nene seems to like him, and be truly concerned, but never enough to stop him and calm him down. emu definitely likes him, and is concerned, though tends to not brings things up. and rui. he notices the issues, but lets them sit due to his own belief that he is unable to help. that is a problem for another day! but its interesting, because none of wxs ever talk about the issues they see. they express discomfort, all the way up until tsukasa is acting ‘normal’ again. they obviously care for one another deeply, and who can blame them for not acting on what tsukasa is displaying - its hard to help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.

i have a lot more to say on tsukasa but i do not want to go on forever-

all around, i believe he’s a silly funky man with a lot of concerning aspects to his character! <3 much love to tsukasa.

TECHNOOOOOOOO

HATSUNE MIKU?!?!?!?

#kinnie moment #ikinthesetwo #projectsekai

Average WxS rehearsal

She saw her moment and got glossed up for it

YES

So, the parallels…

tsukasa tenma

aw what a funny silly goofy guy :)

:)

...😐 um. i need to talk about this kid?

he's so bright and passionate and lively and he cares so, so, SO much about the people around him. literally his biggest dream in life is to become a world famous "star" solely to make people everywhere smile. but there's all these little things about him that are easy enough to brush off due to the chaotic nature of the wxs stories - there's always something else to catch your attention. but i'm deeply concerned.

he's so... forgetful? it's played off as a quirky character trait and i think it's pretty clever that it's being approached that way - because if you sit and think about it, the things he forgets are odd. at the beginning of the wxs story, he can't remember why he decided to pursue acting. he can't remember the play he saw when he and saki were small. he can't remember her smile as she watched the actors on stage - the smile that spurred him forward into the person he's become today.

he doesn't recognize the plushies in SEKAI as being the very same plushies he used to put on mini-plays for saki while she was in the hospital. childhood memories get blurry with time, sure, but these sorts of... foundational, deeply important memories are not forgotten that way. they don't get erased, even if you are a silly forgetter-forgetful-forgetterson like tsukasa is treated as. unless your brain is repressing something.

the wonderland SEKAI is tsukasa's alone. and the only other person we've seen who's had emotions strong enough to create their own SEKAI is. mafuyu. the fact that tsukasa manages to parallel her of all the characters is so... disturbing. and hear me out:

on a certain level, i think wonderland and the empty SEKAI are similar places.

like, empty is... empty. yeah. it's easy to lose yourself there. to let go of your concerns and "disappear." all of the n25 members have commented that it's calming and that they enjoy spending time there.

wonderland is full of things to do. insane magical rollercoasters, singing flowers, talking stuffed animals - it's impossible to worry about anything there. only fun, fun, fun, fun! smiles and happy faces everywhere you look! to be blunt: it's the epitome of a distraction.

mafuyu loses herself in calm and quiet (her SEKAI, her empty aquarium) - so she can forget she exists and be nothing and rest for a while. tsukasa loses himself in constant upbeat, flashy distractions - so he can forget he exists and just play his role as the Star who makes everyone in the world smile. both of their SEKAIs are an escape in every sense of the word.

the mafuyu-tsukasa parallels go further, too. they both have emotionally neglectful parents that have pushed them into thinking they have to be perfect and successful to, like... justify their existence.

i don't remember which of the gazillion card stories it gets shown in and i don't want to dig through them to figure it out, but we See that when saki's illness started getting worse, the tenma parents stopped coming home on a regular basis. tsukasa was left alone FAR too much for how old he was. in the doll festival event, we see him running to the hospital all by himself to bring saki her dolls, pretty late in the evening, and... not a word from their parents? were they not home again, or did they just not notice?

or did they decide that tsukasa is a strong big brother who can take care of himself And saki? despite being, like... 10 at the oldest? (that's how old he seems there to me anyway)

and i want to talk about the world hasn't even started yet. because as kaito said, it's JUST tsukasa's song. this is his SEKAI. like. a brief compilation of all the lyrics that stand out to me, for bad reasons:

With a cast who can use magic and monsters who are burdened with trauma,

Even I know that everyone's destined to disappear someday...

With a ticket that's long past expired and a heartbeat fading over time,

"Let's come again next year," is said without any promises being made

...

There's too much noise, so much noise and it keeps getting worse

I want to be inspired straightforwardly, just as I always have

In a deteriorating, abandoned room I simply dream on

...

Hey! In the depths of Hell, a happy ending plays out

Hey! This world hasn't even started yet

With a thick-skinned king and an alchemist full of desires,

We'll all someday return to the earth, leaving our attachments behind

...

There's too much conflict, too much conflict and it keeps growing

It's like when our arms are all tangled together, I couldn't help but worry

So I'll brush off the dust and reboot it all

...

Hey! The best of the worst of crappy plays

Hey! A flag that'll paint over a bad ending

Hey! This world hasn't even started yet

Hey! Let's cross the end of all of this, partying forever

Hey! Spinning on a never-ending merry-go-round

Hey! This world hasn't even started yet

Hey! Let's break the plans for a harmonious future

Ring the bell that marks a new life

this is not a happy song?

it's not even like. hopeful in a bittersweet sense. it says right there in the lyrics that tsukasa doesn't... expect much out of his life, in terms of being happy and permanently surrounded by people who love him.

it's a reflection of inner turmoil, self-worth issues, fears of abandonment, fears of not mattering enough and being forgotten - fears of not being the perfect success everyone has always expected him to be. you just don't see it, thanks to the flashy lights and dazzling grins and confetti cannons going off in your face and loud drums.

idk. tsukasa's interesting this way. he seems to have repressed all of his memories of a lonely, frightened childhood. nights he had to sleep all alone in a great big house, confronting the idea of mortality from a Very young age, because no one knew if saki would survive. these are feelings unfitting for a future star - so he must discard them. reboot and start anew, so to speak.

and yknow like... he clearly understands that he does have value. in a way? he knows he matters to saki, and then to toya, and then to the rest of wxs. but judging by the lyrics of this song, he sees these attachments as very temporary (might have something to do with him being forced to confront the mortality of his baby sister without the proper support a young child Needs to work through and understand something so frightening, and his brain just didn't develop its emotional permanence skills very well) and expects to fade into the background of their lives. and i don't think seeing saki thriving now that she's out of the hospital (reconnecting with her childhood friends and starting a band) and then seeing toya thrive as well (finding His People and learning to rebel against his father all on his own) - is helping that mindset. it probably confirms to him that like, he's served his purpose in their lives? maybe they'll always love him, but they don't need him anymore. and i think he's very much expecting the same thing to happen with wxs and he is Terrified

(it's. obviously not true like he'll always mean the world to saki and toya. and even if wxs has to disband so nene can pursue her specific dreams and whatnot, he'll always mean the world to them, too. but it's true To Him. so.)

anyway i don't have a real conclusion here. so tsukasa tenma

you don’t FUCKING undertale (understand). tsukasa tenma

this is the guy who is a direct parallel to mafuyu asahina. who, y’know

y’know. very narratively and thematically and aesthetically different but at the same time they’re so fucking similar and i am DYING for colorful palette to let them meet because goddammit. kindred spirits. and while i firmly believe that at least mafuyu will register just how similar they are (not sure about tsukasa because he is very much “i am closing my eyes. i do not see it.”), i want to see what direction the actual writers will take it.

we’ve got two kids who have been emotionally neglected in a big way - who have been forced into these perfect little boxes. the prim and flawless daughter, always at the top of her class, always gentle and polite, never causes a single problem, always smiling. VS the big strong older brother who can take care of his chronically ill little sister and who never needs to be taken care of himself, who never causes any more problems for his already stressed parents, who never cries, who never stops smiling.

in their desperation for even a crumb of approval and recognition from the two people in their lives who should have been more attentive and should have been there from the very first moment ANY semblance of a problem began manifesting (their parents) - they have contorted themselves to these boxes. so much so that they have completely lost who they might have been before. all that’s left is what everyone else wants them to be.

and now we’re stuck in a sort of endless cycle of existential dread: “How much of me is real? Do my friends love me for me, or the mask? If I take off the mask, will I still be loved? If this is all I know, can I call this the real me? How am I supposed to find the real me, if I can’t? Who the hell am I?”

these are questions no kid should be asking themselves. these are questions with no answer. but at the same time, they are questions that have to be faced and answered - in one way or another. you must come to your own personal interpretation of them, or you’ll never find peace. they’ll always haunt and torment you.

(side note that i almost forgot about: while mafuyu is very much putting up a front and acting like someone who doesn’t exist, has never existed, and never ever will truly exist, tsukasa’s not going that far? it’s not a full mask. more like, he knows who he wants to be, he knows how much he’s capable of, and he just. wasn’t achieving that naturally. so he took the “Fake it till you make it!” approach. but he didn’t completely destroy his own personality and replace it with something 100% false like mafuyu did. he just kinda…deleted the less savory parts. the parts that might make people worry about him instead of smiling bright - the parts that are still very much a lonely, scared child left alone in a dark house, wondering if his little sister would die; wondering if he would lose everyone who has ever cared about him; wondering if he would be forgotten and abandoned, left behind in a pile of worthless, insignificant bits of trash like a worn-out stuffed animal. [i don’t think it’s a coincidence that his SEKAI is populated by so many stuffed animals, which are typically thrown out or tossed into storage and forgotten about as the children who once depended on them grow up. and i believe kaito’s motherly disposition towards them reflects tsukasa’s lingering desire to just… be taken care of. for once. so he can feel safe and like he’ll never be abandoned, like his loved ones will never stop needing and wanting him in their lives.] because pretending these feelings don’t exist totally won’t bite him in the ass later.)

and even with that in mind? funnily enough, mafuyu’s farther along the road to recovery and peace than tsukasa is. we could sit and debate about the healthiness of her methods - but here’s the thing: she sees the box she has trapped herself in for years, and she has separated herself from it. she understands that that is not who she is. and she’s slowly figuring out who the real mafuyu is. the person beneath layers of expectations and pressure and masking.

tsukasa hasn’t even fucking started yet. (ha. get it?)

he’s deeply afraid of and resistant to confronting his past and his true feelings. we see it in the beginning of wonderlands x showtime’s story. his SEKAI unsettles him. which is so interesting because every other character goes to their SEKAI and they’re like, aw hell yeah. love this place. they feel right at home. after all, these places are culminations of their feelings. they were made FOR them. like, the one other time we’ve seen two characters resist their SEKAI was shiho and honami!!

because they were denying their true feelings. because to embrace their true feelings would mean pain and regret and guilt and a million other things they were too afraid to deal with.

so with that, we have confirmation that tsukasa didn’t just “forget” why he decided to pursue acting. he was actively repressing those memories - those feelings. and possibly having to face them scared the shit out of him. because once they’re faced, he’s just a hair away from uncovering why he repressed them in the first place, isn’t he? within an instant, the magical wonderland mirage can fall apart. and without that… what does he have? what does he have to offer? to justify his existence? how can he make people smile if they know he’s suffering beneath the sparkly grins and showy costumes? how could he be so selfish, putting his problems onto others? didn’t his parents always tell him to be brave and strong and not to cry and put on a great big smile instead? he needs to listen to them; he needs to make everyone happy. he needs to be a star.

(and i do have to say - the use of “star” to define himself does disturb me on some level. because stars don’t live forever. and the bigger and brighter the star, the shorter its life cycle. stars expand, and then they explode - one last dramatic, breathtaking display; the ultimate show - and then they fizzle out. and then they die. i’m going to just leave this analogy where it is.)

i think another reason why tsukasa was so disturbed by his SEKAI is because he recognized in an instant the… falsehood of it. it’s just like him. all noise and distractions and bright colors and confetti and theatrical drama that distracts you from seeing what’s, really, juuuuuuuuuust beneath the surface. emu, nene, and rui feel more or less at home in it because it’s just like tsukasa!

the tsukasa they’re allowed to see, anyway.

and i do think rui’s constant poking and prodding at the inner workings of the place goes a little deeper than just his natural curiosity. he’s an intuitive person - he knows how to dig under people’s skin, how to get them to open up… but i think, to a degree, tsukasa is kind of a mystery to even him?? and he doesn’t question him right to his face because he already knows it won’t work. luckily for him, there’s a magical place created by tsukasa’s feelings that he can investigate. if he can learn more about SEKAI, he’s bound to learn more about this guy he knows and calls a friend and yet at the same time, he doesn’t know at all…????

alright, anyway. backpedaling to mafuyu for a moment - like i said near the beginning of the post, i want her to meet tsukasa. i want something to happen where they are forced to interact for longer than 5 seconds. because i think… meeting her would spark a chain reaction in tsukasa. no i don’t want tsukasa to have a mental breakdown but it’s gotta come out at some point because i don’t like the star analogy you guys.

i say mafuyu would see herself in tsukasa because like. in an Instant, she singled out mizuki as being even more suicidal than she is. despite mizuki’s bubbly and bright attitude. she sees through people’s shit without even trying. i don’t think it’d be any different with tsukasa.

“Tsukasa, are you really happy?”

I hc Rui give everyone forehead kisses. And Emu hugs

i recently found polysho (poly ship between tsukasa, emu, rui, & nene) and that’s the only thing my brain is feasting off of

it’s so adorable :(