What I'm Reading/Watching: Karaoke Iko and Famiresu Iko
Thursday, September 25th, 2025 07:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
delphiKaraoke Iko! | Let's Go Karaoke is a coming-of-age comedy manga by Yama Wayama, which was adapted into a five-episode anime series this year and a live-action movie in 2023. The manga also has an ongoing sequel series called Famiresu Iko | Let's Go to the Family Restaurant.
The story starts out with young teenager Oka Satomi living in Osaka and dealing with the stress of being the leader of his school choir right when his changing voice is forcing him out of the soprano role. His worries about the future are thrown an even bigger curve ball when he's approached (*cough* kidnapped) one day by a local gangster named Narita Kyouji who has watched him perform and has a request: teach him to be a better singer so he can win a karaoke contest.
Kyouji's in a jam. His boss has a love of both music and tattooing, and to keep his men in line, he holds a quarterly karaoke contest where the loser is volunteered for his amateur tattooing practice—usually getting an image the boss knows they'll hate. Kyouji is determined not to lose and, in a fit of bad decision-making he potentially can't even explain to himself, decides this choir boy will make a good tutor.
Satomi starts spending time with Kyouji at the local karaoke parlour, and the two bring out sides of each other that neither seems to be able to express in their separate lives. Things then come to a head as the school year finishes up and Satomi's final concert is scheduled for the same time as Kyouji's karaoke competition, with an unexpected event disrupting both performances.
The sequel manga, Famiresu Iko, picks up three years later, when Satomi is a university student in Tokyo working part-time at a restaurant. He's visited regularly by Kyouji, and the two have to figure out what a relationship looks like between them now that they're both adults while dealing with complications related to Kyouji's criminal affiliations and Satomi's desire for a normal life (or belief that he should desire a normal life).
The premise of the series is enjoyably absurd, but the story is also rooted in reality in the right places, with strong characterizations and a good dose of feelings in there amid all of the ridiculous and dry humour. And admittedly, I'm just obsessed with Kyouji and Satomi's dynamic. Anyone who knows me knows what a sucker I am for two people who have nothing in common on the surface, who are both a little off or out of touch with themselves, but who somehow fit together in an unexpected way.
The series isn't marketed as BL, but queerness runs through the series and adaptations in both textual and subtextual ways that I'll put under the cut.
( Spoilery and Speculative Rundowns of What's Going on Between Satomi and Kyouji in Each Version )
Karaoke Iko! (Manga)
( A Page from the Karaoke Iko Manga )
Famiresu Iko (Manga)
( A Page from the Famiresu Iko Manga )
Karaoke Iko! (Anime) Note: contains some animated blood splatter and rescue from implied attempted sexual assault.
Karaoke Iko! (Live-Action Movie
The story starts out with young teenager Oka Satomi living in Osaka and dealing with the stress of being the leader of his school choir right when his changing voice is forcing him out of the soprano role. His worries about the future are thrown an even bigger curve ball when he's approached (*cough* kidnapped) one day by a local gangster named Narita Kyouji who has watched him perform and has a request: teach him to be a better singer so he can win a karaoke contest.
Kyouji's in a jam. His boss has a love of both music and tattooing, and to keep his men in line, he holds a quarterly karaoke contest where the loser is volunteered for his amateur tattooing practice—usually getting an image the boss knows they'll hate. Kyouji is determined not to lose and, in a fit of bad decision-making he potentially can't even explain to himself, decides this choir boy will make a good tutor.
Satomi starts spending time with Kyouji at the local karaoke parlour, and the two bring out sides of each other that neither seems to be able to express in their separate lives. Things then come to a head as the school year finishes up and Satomi's final concert is scheduled for the same time as Kyouji's karaoke competition, with an unexpected event disrupting both performances.
The sequel manga, Famiresu Iko, picks up three years later, when Satomi is a university student in Tokyo working part-time at a restaurant. He's visited regularly by Kyouji, and the two have to figure out what a relationship looks like between them now that they're both adults while dealing with complications related to Kyouji's criminal affiliations and Satomi's desire for a normal life (or belief that he should desire a normal life).
The premise of the series is enjoyably absurd, but the story is also rooted in reality in the right places, with strong characterizations and a good dose of feelings in there amid all of the ridiculous and dry humour. And admittedly, I'm just obsessed with Kyouji and Satomi's dynamic. Anyone who knows me knows what a sucker I am for two people who have nothing in common on the surface, who are both a little off or out of touch with themselves, but who somehow fit together in an unexpected way.
The series isn't marketed as BL, but queerness runs through the series and adaptations in both textual and subtextual ways that I'll put under the cut.
( Spoilery and Speculative Rundowns of What's Going on Between Satomi and Kyouji in Each Version )
Karaoke Iko! (Manga)
( A Page from the Karaoke Iko Manga )
Famiresu Iko (Manga)
( A Page from the Famiresu Iko Manga )
Karaoke Iko! (Anime) Note: contains some animated blood splatter and rescue from implied attempted sexual assault.
Karaoke Iko! (Live-Action Movie
Fanfiction: Unaccounted For (Project: Eden's Garden, Wolfgang/Diana)
Friday, September 26th, 2025 09:41 pmrionaleonhartI doubt my first effort at Eden's Garden fanfiction will make me popular within the fandom, but, look, someone had to write this.
Title: Unaccounted For
Fandom: Project: Eden's Garden
Rating: 15
Pairing: Wolfgang/Diana
Wordcount: 2,200
Summary: Diana was in the boiler room for fifty minutes before the blackout. What happened during those fifty minutes?
Warnings: drugged kissing, fear of sexual assault, generally miserable
( Unaccounted For )
Title: Unaccounted For
Fandom: Project: Eden's Garden
Rating: 15
Pairing: Wolfgang/Diana
Wordcount: 2,200
Summary: Diana was in the boiler room for fifty minutes before the blackout. What happened during those fifty minutes?
Warnings: drugged kissing, fear of sexual assault, generally miserable
( Unaccounted For )
The Friday Five for 26 September 2025: House Work
Thursday, September 25th, 2025 05:45 pmanais_pf posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
thefridayfiveThese questions were originally suggested by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bricksonbricks.
1. Do you consider yourself to be a good housekeeper? Why or why not?
2. Are there any household chores that you enjoy doing? If so, what and why?
3. Which household chore frustrates/angers you the most?
4. When doing household chores, what do you do to make them seem less of a "chore"?
5. Which chore do you find yourself doing most often, and why?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!
bricksonbricks.1. Do you consider yourself to be a good housekeeper? Why or why not?
2. Are there any household chores that you enjoy doing? If so, what and why?
3. Which household chore frustrates/angers you the most?
4. When doing household chores, what do you do to make them seem less of a "chore"?
5. Which chore do you find yourself doing most often, and why?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!
My One True Passion In Life Is Being A Jerk.
Wednesday, September 24th, 2025 11:25 amrionaleonhartHere is the problem with venturing into the realm of fanmade Danganronpas (or Fanganronpas, as the community inevitably calls them): where do you stop?
What I'm saying is that, having got into Danganronpa: Despair Time, I've now investigated Project: Eden's Garden.
Eden's Garden is a playable Danganronpa fangame that can be downloaded free on itch.io, but, as my laptop is very much not a gaming laptop and might struggle to play it, I've watched the development team's official no-commentary playthrough instead. The prologue and first chapter have currently been released.
The first thing that strikes me is the absolutely insane level of polish and production values; this game is better-looking than an actual Danganronpa game. I think it's the most impressive fan project I've ever seen, and I've seen some impressive fan projects in my time!
I do think I love Despair Time more. Despair Time is a lot messier, but its characters grabbed me more powerfully, and I think it does a better job of capturing Danganronpa's comedic tone. I do really enjoy Eden's Garden, though; I found the case in the first chapter absolutely gripping, and I'm looking forward to more!
I wouldn't say I love Damon (yet?), but I like him pretty solidly. Arrogance is an unusual and interesting quality in a Danganronpa protagonist. I enjoy that he takes himself very seriously and gets embarrassed if anything threatens his pride, and I really like every glimpse we get of him feeling some sort of connection to the others in spite of his 'I can't rely on anyone else' attitude.
I'm also glad Damon is extremely bisexual, in true Danganronpa protagonist fashion. I love that he sees his room has a male pinup calendar and a) assumes it's a jab at him, b) finds it unwelcomely sexy and c) tries to conceal its existence from the others because he thinks they'll draw conclusions about him.
Some other character who've caught my attention so far:
Wolfgang fascinates me; it's always fun when a character thinks they're the protagonist. He gives me 'Phoenix Wright gone terribly wrong' vibes. A Phoenix who became disillusioned after the de Killer case and turned to prosecution, maybe. He spoke so passionately in the mock trial; there's something very compelling about him!
Desmond seems laid-back and sensible in a way that I appreciate in a Danganronpa cast; you need a few normal people to balance out the weirdos (although the weirdos are also essential). Does he have something going on with Eloise, or am I imagining things?
Diana is so sweet! I really appreciated her willingness to extend Damon and Eva some kindness when they were ostracised by the rest of the group. Ingrid also seems like a sweetheart.
I enjoy Cassidy. A lot of the things she says are very entertaining, and her voice actor seems to be having a great time.
Grace's abrasiveness is fun. I love that her soundbite when making a counterargument in a trial is 'SHUT THE FUCK UP.' I'm pretty sure she and Wolfgang are banging non-stop when they aren't onscreen, and, you know what, good for them.
I find myself weirdly fond of Kai, who is obnoxious and self-interested but also slowly seems to be coming to trust Damon.
Here are some further thoughts, with spoilers up to the end of chapter one! NB: there's some brief and non-explicit speculation on a dubcon fic concept here.
( Spoilery notes on Project: Eden's Garden. )
While I'm talking about Danganronpa and its ilk: here I am, on my periodic descent back into Danganronpa hell, and Danganronpa 2x2 gets announced? An AU version of Danganronpa 2? With different victims and murderers???
I can't believe this is happening. I am not at all prepared for Nagito Komaeda to happen to Tumblr all over again. This is an absolutely ludicrous concept for a game. I'm so pleased.
What I'm saying is that, having got into Danganronpa: Despair Time, I've now investigated Project: Eden's Garden.
Eden's Garden is a playable Danganronpa fangame that can be downloaded free on itch.io, but, as my laptop is very much not a gaming laptop and might struggle to play it, I've watched the development team's official no-commentary playthrough instead. The prologue and first chapter have currently been released.
The first thing that strikes me is the absolutely insane level of polish and production values; this game is better-looking than an actual Danganronpa game. I think it's the most impressive fan project I've ever seen, and I've seen some impressive fan projects in my time!
I do think I love Despair Time more. Despair Time is a lot messier, but its characters grabbed me more powerfully, and I think it does a better job of capturing Danganronpa's comedic tone. I do really enjoy Eden's Garden, though; I found the case in the first chapter absolutely gripping, and I'm looking forward to more!
I wouldn't say I love Damon (yet?), but I like him pretty solidly. Arrogance is an unusual and interesting quality in a Danganronpa protagonist. I enjoy that he takes himself very seriously and gets embarrassed if anything threatens his pride, and I really like every glimpse we get of him feeling some sort of connection to the others in spite of his 'I can't rely on anyone else' attitude.
I'm also glad Damon is extremely bisexual, in true Danganronpa protagonist fashion. I love that he sees his room has a male pinup calendar and a) assumes it's a jab at him, b) finds it unwelcomely sexy and c) tries to conceal its existence from the others because he thinks they'll draw conclusions about him.
Some other character who've caught my attention so far:
Wolfgang fascinates me; it's always fun when a character thinks they're the protagonist. He gives me 'Phoenix Wright gone terribly wrong' vibes. A Phoenix who became disillusioned after the de Killer case and turned to prosecution, maybe. He spoke so passionately in the mock trial; there's something very compelling about him!
Desmond seems laid-back and sensible in a way that I appreciate in a Danganronpa cast; you need a few normal people to balance out the weirdos (although the weirdos are also essential). Does he have something going on with Eloise, or am I imagining things?
Diana is so sweet! I really appreciated her willingness to extend Damon and Eva some kindness when they were ostracised by the rest of the group. Ingrid also seems like a sweetheart.
I enjoy Cassidy. A lot of the things she says are very entertaining, and her voice actor seems to be having a great time.
Grace's abrasiveness is fun. I love that her soundbite when making a counterargument in a trial is 'SHUT THE FUCK UP.' I'm pretty sure she and Wolfgang are banging non-stop when they aren't onscreen, and, you know what, good for them.
I find myself weirdly fond of Kai, who is obnoxious and self-interested but also slowly seems to be coming to trust Damon.
Here are some further thoughts, with spoilers up to the end of chapter one! NB: there's some brief and non-explicit speculation on a dubcon fic concept here.
( Spoilery notes on Project: Eden's Garden. )
While I'm talking about Danganronpa and its ilk: here I am, on my periodic descent back into Danganronpa hell, and Danganronpa 2x2 gets announced? An AU version of Danganronpa 2? With different victims and murderers???
I can't believe this is happening. I am not at all prepared for Nagito Komaeda to happen to Tumblr all over again. This is an absolutely ludicrous concept for a game. I'm so pleased.
doing this again 'cause the last one is very outdated
Wednesday, September 24th, 2025 04:48 pmincomplete_ruler posting in addme_fandomName: Kia (They/Them)
Age group: 20s
Country: Australia
Subscription/Access Policy: Don't give out access to people unless we've been mutuals for awhile or already know each other.
Fannish Interests: Fic writing, editing, icons, reccing, meta
I like to post about: Just whatever I get up to in the week (mostly shorter posts). I'm also trying to make a habit of journaling any media I get into, but that's definitely a skill I need to work on.
About Me: Been on dreamwidth for about five months now. For a while I've mostly used my journal as a personal diary, but recently I've wanted to make more public posts about the various things I enjoy. I've kind of distanced myself from being online everywhere else, but I'm still up for meeting new people here. I'm ideally looking for other active journals to read and maybe become mutuals with. Don't have to be in the same fandoms, but as long as we have some common interests then that's good enough for me.
Age group: 20s
Country: Australia
Subscription/Access Policy: Don't give out access to people unless we've been mutuals for awhile or already know each other.
Fannish Interests: Fic writing, editing, icons, reccing, meta
I like to post about: Just whatever I get up to in the week (mostly shorter posts). I'm also trying to make a habit of journaling any media I get into, but that's definitely a skill I need to work on.
About Me: Been on dreamwidth for about five months now. For a while I've mostly used my journal as a personal diary, but recently I've wanted to make more public posts about the various things I enjoy. I've kind of distanced myself from being online everywhere else, but I'm still up for meeting new people here. I'm ideally looking for other active journals to read and maybe become mutuals with. Don't have to be in the same fandoms, but as long as we have some common interests then that's good enough for me.
- Other hobbies: Music, language learning, reading, gaming
- I'm looking for people who are: Neurodivergent and/or queer people, nerds who post about fandom/media often (especially meta stuff but that's just personal preference), people interested in languages, people who post about cooking or just anyone who wants to see me scream into the void about things that vaguely matter to me
- Minors DNI
- Occasional nsfw+vent posts (read intro post for more info)
Be the First! Flash Round IV
Saturday, September 20th, 2025 06:36 pmdelphibethefirst is a challenge that invites participants to create the first fic for an otherwise fic-less fandom (terms and conditions may apply), and the results of an autumn flash round just went live!Be the First! Flash Round IV Collection
It features a whopping 30 fics based on a wide range of media, with a great spread of categories and ratings. You can also find creators'
fandom promos for introductions to some of the canons.
I'm still making my way through the collection, but everything I've read so far has been fantastic, and I'm compiling a list of new-to-me canons to check out. I definitely recommend manually browsing, if you're interested, since not all of the fandoms have been canonized as AO3 tags yet.
The Friday Five for 19 September 2025: Soulmates
Thursday, September 18th, 2025 03:41 pmanais_pf posting in thefridayfiveThese questions were originally suggested by polypolyglot.
1. Do you believe you can have more than one soulmate in life?
2. Are you with that soulmate now?
3. If not, how long did your relationship with your soulmate last?
4. Do you still think about your soulmate, if you are not together?
5. If you're not together, do you think your soulmate still thinks about you?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!
polypolyglot.1. Do you believe you can have more than one soulmate in life?
2. Are you with that soulmate now?
3. If not, how long did your relationship with your soulmate last?
4. Do you still think about your soulmate, if you are not together?
5. If you're not together, do you think your soulmate still thinks about you?
Copy and paste to your own journal, then reply to this post with a link to your answers. If your journal is private or friends-only, you can post your full answers in the comments below.
If you'd like to suggest questions for a future Friday Five, then do so on DreamWidth or LiveJournal. Old sets that were used have been deleted, so we encourage you to suggest some more!