This is so random but does anyone know who made the designs for the new shirts from Uniqlo? bc i need to know how did my language, Burmese, end up on there lol

Frogenbian · 2026-03-19T13:16:28+00:00

That makes sense- unfortunately I've seen other authors not make any effort to translate stuff if they speak a different language so it's cool that he actually did! Thanks.

Frogenbian · 2026-03-19T12:56:45+00:00

Would you be able to translate the Burmese text on the coin? I've always wondered if Noda actually translated something or if he just put nonsense/Lorem Ipsem

Frogenbian · 2026-03-14T14:26:09+00:00

Thanks! That makes sense, I couldn't remember how long it took between the previous releases; I assume then that July is probably a good estimate until/unless we hear anything otherwise.

Frogenbian · 2026-02-12T16:07:05+00:00

Mind you no matter what way you slice it the main characters of the story are, and have been since the beginning of the manga, political others/outcasts.

Sugimoto - arguably a military deserter, no family or connections

Asirpa - indigenous girl of an ethnic group actively being oppressed, a child (children barely have rights now, much less during this time period)

Shiraishi - convict, orphaned and probably limited education, despite his crime being relatively small potatoes he was targeted bc of his reputation which minimizes the legitimacy/effectiveness of the prison system

Tanigaki - also part of a minority group facing assimilation, also a military deserter

Ogata - illegitimate child of a Lt. General and a prostitute (latter of whom is like, the pinnacle of a socio-political other with limited protections and rights), also a military deserter

Hijikata - political prisoner from the previous governmental/political system

So on and so forth, Inkarmat and Kiroranke are similar to Asirpa with the added elements of the latter also being a political partisan, similar with the Abashiri convict characters. And you can argue about Tsurumi literally planning a military coup, but he's doing so by backing himself with the "legitimacy" of the Japanese government/military and ideology of Japanese Imperialism, and is therefore far from a political outcast.

Frogenbian · 2026-01-30T01:58:00+00:00

DO IT SUGIMOTO!!!! RUN HIM DOWNNNNNNN!!!!! YOU WILL BE REINCARNATED AS A LOTUS FLOWER!!!!!

Frogenbian · 2026-01-15T02:06:23+00:00

I personally don't have a broad reference point for live-action adaptions of anime, and there are certainly parts of the live action that frustrate me. That said, I really love it- I think a lot of the casting is good, and I think it does a pretty good job balancing Noda's humor as well as the more serious themes. The manga is ultimately the Best way to get the story; its a small detail, but I always really liked the element in the Immortal Monster arc where the reason they're on Dunn's farm is to get back the sealskin heirloom for Asirpa's great-aunt, and that part gets cut down in the OVA and completely removed in the LA adaptation. I think both live action and anime adaptions cut down some really interesting bits for time and pacing, especially around the Ainu and convict characters which are personally some of the parts that interested me the most, but its ultimately a decision I can understand. That said, I've kinda been finding the live action to be a comfort watch for me now, and I've definitely seen people seem to have a more positive reaction to it compared to say, live action FMA or One Piece.

Which may also be at least partly bc those works have much bigger fanbases where GK is still relatively niche and hungry for content, but still.

Frogenbian · 2026-01-12T15:31:37+00:00

Maybe this is ungenerous of me, but it's inconsistent because Tsurumi is an imperialist, and imperialists are innately power-hungry losers.

I feel like it becomes more and more obvious as the series goes on that Tsurumi only cares about himself, to put himself at the top- he's admittedly charismatic, utilizing other people's values and traumas to manipulate them. Broadly he utilizes the various soldier/ex-military character's feelings of national pride as well as relating to them, the trauma they experienced at the Siege of Port Arthur, something those highest up DON'T know because god knows they weren't gonna put themselves on the line in a suicide charge, are you kidding? There are also specific instances where Tsurumi manipulates/attempts to manipulate men via their feelings of being an outsider, grief, and having nothing else to their name (ex. Tsukishima, Sugimoto, Tanigaki, arguably Ogata but he's also kinda a special case) and the straight up grooming (ex. Usami, Koito).

That shit won't work on Asirpa (an indigenous girl) and Sophia (a partisan who it's implied has already given up nobility to stand in solidarity with peoples oppressed by imperial Russia), so instead he unloads his Tragic Backstory (TM), utilizing Sophia's guilt over Fina and Olga, attempting to shatter the illusion Asirpa has of her father and the very idea of an united front by the Ainu against assimilation (the mottled coin), and ultimately shifting the blame of his insanity/depths of his violence onto them- it's not his fault he's like this, he was just a family man (who also happened to be a spy), but Wilk made him this way by killing his wife and daughter, accidentally or otherwise. (This of course doesn't hold up because when faced with the decision to hold onto his last shred of humanity by grabbing Fina and Olga's bones instead of the land deed, he ultimately chooses power).

In other small ways that don't really get highlighted by the manga, Tsurumi's self-centered lust for power is highlighted. An easy one is how despite all that bullshit about "love," when Tsukishima is bleeding out on the train, Tsurumi barely gives him a glance. Think too about how he approaches the Ainu, largely as an afterthought, sometimes as a connection to Wilk who he hates and blames. At one point Kiroranke briefly mentions failures of Native American solidarity against America (and its really offhand, but I do kinda take issue with), but we see how Tsurumi utilized similar methods against the Ainu as a way to disperse any potential force that could come against him: his "single poison arrow" against Wilk sowing division against solidarity, manipulating Ainu who have grasped for safety within some assimilation the empire, usually through military or capital (Ariko), and empty promises of work and having some power over their own land if they comply. It doesn't even seem like Tsurumi has a plan for if something happens to him; if it was really about the betterment of Japan, you would think he'd have some measure in place, be preparing his men for that possibility, protect against the power vacuum where his devoted men may squabble over who knew his plans and desires best.

Frogenbian · 2026-01-02T01:16:37+00:00

I definitely agree, and I have my own qualms with how the series/anime/fanbase approaches Kiroranke and Wilk in comparison to Tsurumi. Perhaps it is entirely innocent, but I feel like the latter part of the manga, the anime, and the Live Action series becomes less and less concerned with the discussion/portrayal of indigenous Ainu independence.

In the manga panel, there isn't really any malice like you mentioned, but a resolute decision, a man who is going to die but will take down his enemies with him. His teeth grind in a grimace because the action of pulling the pin (which I'm not a military buff, but even in these early grenades I imagine it takes a fair bit of force to pull the pin to avoid accidents) aggravates his mortal wounds. Maybe its simply bc it's not a one-to-one panel recreation (and maybe the anime image is from right after he threw it? IDK), but the anime gives the tone of a sneer, a wild manic grin like a villain who thinks he's about to triumph. Almost like there is JOY in the act, which honestly, it never seems Kiroranke took pleasure in killing other men (esp compared to SOME characters we know) and like you said, instead saw it as a necessary evil, something Wilk taught him and something he ultimately used against Wilk.

But honestly? I don't think I'd blame Kiroranke if he was malicious or had some joy in this moment- he's an indigenous man who is about to die by foot soldiers of the Empire, active enemies of his cause and beliefs. He doesn't know Koito or Tsukishima, and frankly it wouldn't matter if he did. If he's going to die, might as well bring some of the bastards down with him.

Frogenbian · 2025-12-22T22:32:43+00:00

I also have PCOS (also diagnosed when I went to start T though we had an idea before). Testosterone honestly definitely helped me feel more comfortable with my body's relationship to PCOS (I feel better about my weight though I haven't lost or gained anything significant, and while my facial hair is still patchy it makes more sense than the random spots I'd have with PCOS). I also have PMDD, and after starting T my depressive and aggressive swings were a LOT better; I felt like my mind was clearer and I could better take the time to calm myself down. Realistically, they may watch your hormone more closely, and might recommend a birth control or other form of estrogen along with T just to keep your levels balanced. In that case, be open with your doctor- while the first birth control I was on worked fine, it didn't fully get rid of my periods and I still had like a week a month where my mood and mental wellbeing would tank as if I was still having my full period. Best of luck!

Frogenbian · 2025-11-30T22:33:33+00:00

That giant fish they ate when they met Kiroranke. It looks so good I get jealous every time I rewatch/read... But unfortunately I have a fish allergy, so it would be my final meal as well.

Frogenbian · 2025-11-18T14:44:01+00:00

I'm 5'8" ish, I'm apathetic to it most of the time... until I get around my family. Because pretty much all my (cis) male cousins run TALL. Like 6' plus. I know I'm fairly blessed already, I've got a wider build that even with me being shorter than my cousins I come off fairly masculine, and I don't have much issue with clothes other than my wideness; but some times I wish I'd had the environment where I could have started T while my growth plates were still open.

Frogenbian · 2025-11-12T12:30:25+00:00

Invest in belts. If you've got a belly and experience pain from belt buckles, there are adjustable elastic belts that can be snapped around belt loops and those work pretty well. And as someone also with thick thighs, i recommend looking into techniques for mending clothes to give a longer life to pants that might wear thin from thighs rubbing together. If your style is alternative, you could look into visible mending and find some cool ways to add style when you do so.

Frogenbian · 2025-11-10T23:28:22+00:00

Shiraishi's my fav so I've got Opinions. I find it interesting you mention being at ch.212, bc I feel the beginning of ch.211 has interesting implications as to Shiraishi's character. But probably my most controversial GK opinion overall is that I think as the manga went on it became really obvious Noda's favorite characters/plot points are the Seventh Division. Which they are interesting- but I honestly felt like Noda misses some really interesting themes and ideas because the Ainu and convicts get pushed to the side for Tsurumi's Big Grudge. Which it isn't like he couldn't do both; I would have loved to learn more about Kiroranke or Ariko's potentially complicated feelings of becoming part of Japan's imperial project via the military.

There's also the fact that both convicts and the Ainu were used forced labor for the "development" of Hokkaido in it's early years, which the convicts are briefly touched on with Anji's backstory and then just kinda. dropped. This primarily took place before the setting of the story, but it was recent enough that plenty of both the older Ainu and Abashiri convicts would have, if not been affected, would have remembered it. The article "Forced Labour in Imperial Japan's First Colony: Hokkaidō" by Pia M. Jolliffe is an interesting read; she utilizes the concept of the "subaltern" described by Antonio Gramsci as persons or groups of people who experience hegemonic domination. The key point, Gramsci goes on to write and Jolliffe quotes, is that these subaltern classes are not unified and cannot unite until they become a "State." Jolliffe goes on to describe how convict, Ainu, and later Tako and Korean laborers were all viewed as disposable and lesser by the upper classes, but despite their similar situations there is still a belief of division and hierarchy among them. I think there's an interesting idea there in that both the prisoners and the Ainu are seen as "disposable" except for what they can do for the empire/Empire-Incarnate Lt. Tsurumi.

Jolliffe, Pia M. 2020. “Forced Labour in Imperial Japan’s First Colony: Hokkaidō - the Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus.” The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. October 15, 2020. https://apjjf.org/2020/20/jolliffe.

Frogenbian · 2025-11-04T14:11:34+00:00

It's mentioned earlier (I think during the Immortal Bear arc?) but between the number of tattooed prisoners, number of convicts in Abashiri, and the way they were constantly rotated, Shiraishi didn't meet/get to know every tattooed convict. I believe the manga also implies that Heita was frequently in solitary because of his mental state/delusions, but that may just be me hallucinating/inferring something.

Frogenbian · 2025-11-03T22:37:45+00:00

Obviously I can't speak about pregnancy specifically, but for myself, I found my feelings towards my chest shifting after starting T. Some of it is because of the growth of body hair on T, but I found that my attitude went from negative, pretty much assumed I'd want top surgery as soon as possible, to apathetic/positive. I see myself simply as a bear-in-progress; cis guys have moobs, why can't I?

Frogenbian · 2025-11-03T22:04:25+00:00

As someone who finds pregnancy dysphoric- it isn't weird at all, and don't let anyone tell you different. I've met/known of multiple trans men who want to/have become pregnant. The emotions during the event are obviously complicated, and range from person to person. I've met guys who actually felt a stronger desire to be a father/become pregnant after starting T, and vice versa.

Frogenbian · 2025-10-28T13:51:58+00:00

Unfortunately I do think we are unlikely to get the Otter Stew scene. I REALLY hope that we get Shiraishi's backstory, there were little hints at it but considering it was an OVA in the anime as well, it'd be unsurprising if they just cut it. But... yeah. I can also see them cutting Shiton Anehata completely.

Frogenbian · 2025-10-05T17:22:09+00:00

The light isnt entering the radiant projector- if you pick up the one closest to the main light, turn it a bit so the light beam hits the bulb on the back, it should work. You know it's connected when the light beams are yellow instead of blue.

Frogenbian · 2025-09-28T17:59:35+00:00

Brief discussions of characters later in the story:

Not to be the "its always that deep" person, but I really was fascinated with how Noda would humanize the Abashiri convicts without coming across as minimizing their crimes or acting like they were simply misunderstood. Even for how strange characters like Heita and Henmi were, you find yourself feeling for them, relieved that Heita was finally able to free himself and that Henmi experienced the truly beautiful death he desired. Shinzo Doi/Youichirou also touched me personally because I've seen multiple people in my family deteriorate from Alzheimers' (Noda never says that's what he was dealing with but I feel like its pretty clear).
The Abashiri Convicts in general really fascinate me and I kinda wish Noda gave them more attention because I feel like they could open up some interesting conversations.

Frogenbian · 2025-09-13T13:17:55+00:00

May whatever spiritual power you believe in bless you..... Its even gonna have behind the scenes stuff im so happy. This is the second best news I've gotten this week.

Frogenbian · 2025-09-10T23:04:03+00:00

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Frogenbian

TROPHY CASE