The Next Step Towards World Conquest: Secret Society holoX Live 2026 First Mission

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Ever since their debut in 2021, I’d been looking forward to the day that one or more members of hololive’s 6th generation—Secret Society holoX—would get a dedicated live 3D concert. Then, last year, they made the big announcement during their anniversary: a full-gen holoX concert would be set for April 2026.

Now that I’m on the other side of the event, titled “Secret Society holoX Live 2026 First Mission,” I can say that it was one of my all-time favorite VTuber concerts I’ve watched online. Some of it comes from my clear bias and favoritism towards the talents themselves, but there also a lot in terms of presentation that both elevated the whole endeavor and made it feel unique. 

In its current form, holoX is a roster of four: the diminutive alien leader La+ Darknesss, the mature hawkgirl XO Takane Lui, the energetic coyote scientist Hakui Koyori, and the cute/cool samurai bodyguard Kazama Iroha. A fifth member, the orca intern Sakamata Chloe, has moved on from hololive and did not appear (More on that later). Lore aside, each of them also have different tastes, histories, and approaches to music and dance. Thus, First Mission was an opportunity to experience their particular flavors both alone and together, and with a live audience that is normally absent from their online-only anniversary concerts.

La+ Darknesss

As holoX’s strongest dancer, La+ has the best stage presence in her generation despite being literally the smallest member of hololive, on top of a wonderful singing voice that swings between boyish and girly. She’s one of my absolute favorites in VTubing for those reasons and more. Getting to see her different choreographies across her original songs all in one place was a real treat—the last time was years ago with the Nissin collab, and she was just recovering from a severe illness that affected her physically and vocally. Here, she really showcased her musical leanings, which is basically aggressive Kpop, idol music (both real and fictional), and cool and complex Vocaloid fare. 

I did notice a couple things about her dance routines. First, I finally got why she steps in place with her arms stretched out during a part of “Love Bug.” She’s talking about “sense of distance” and is mimicking backing away in order to not get too emotionally attached. Second, her dance for her first original, “Aien Jihen,” was simplified in some places compared to previous performances, with other flourishes added elsewhere. I assume these were adjustments made for the live concert format and the fact that she had to keep coming back on stage. Overall, I am a satisfied La+ fan.

Takane Lui

Out of everyone in her generation, Lui has made the biggest push into a singing career. She may not have the conventionally dulcet voice of a Hoshimachi Suisei or an AZKi, but what she does have going for her is a distinct sound and a wonderfully eclectic mix of genres in her original songs. That variety—I would say the greatest in hololive—was on display at First Mission, between the Latin inspiration of “Evil Eye Wink” and , and she hit every performance exuding a sense of confidence that pairs well with her husky voice.

Hakui Koyori

Since the beginning, Koyori has been one of the most prolific and consistent streamers in all of hololive, while balancing that with a variety of projects that include idol aspirations. More than any other member of holoX, her music and dancing are both conventionally energetic and poppy. While I still believe she’s vocally strongest when using a deeper voice and a more “rock” feel, I could tell that she is pretty close to hitting that sound while also still delivering with songs in the former vein. 

Kazama Iroha

If all the other girls are like waves crashing down and making big splashes, Iroha is like a gentle current that still has the power to erode its surroundings. Her voice is both mellow and vibrant, her reputation as the most athletically fit member comes across in how stable she is when dancing, and her songs tend to have a calming Japanese aesthetic that plays into her samurai motif. Iroha’s sweetness is one of her defining features, and it’s amazing how much it comes through in every performance. 

All Together

With each member of holoX being quite different from one another, one new element for this concert that really unified their particular styles was the presence of DJ fu_mou. He became the bridge between each performance, and the flair he added to each song also made them sound new and unique compared to the original songs, as well as past birthday and anniversary concerts.

There were also some really great visual transitions. Whether it was the use of smoke to bridge a medley between the four or a glitching holoX logo slowly coming into view before revealing the next performer, it was one of the smoothest presentations I’ve ever seen for a live VTuber concert. The main exception might be NePoLabo’s Twinkle 4 You, where the girls actually remained in the background even for the songs in which they weren’t the focus.

Together with their multi-person songs, whether it was in the form of duets or full-gen numbers, holoX ended up feeling like a really cohesive unit. The way they contrast with each other has always worked well aesthetically, and here they got to show off their individual strengths and help create something greater than the sum of its parts. I also have to call attention to their cheeky fakeout, where the encore seemed to be another instance of “Our Bright Parade” like so many other in-person concerts, only for it to be another awesome holoX medley.

The Elephant (Orca) in the Room

I alluded to this earlier, but there is something that I think needs to be addressed: the looming question of whether Sakamata Chloe would make an appearance. While she is indeed no longer considered an active hololive talent, Chloe has actually appeared once before post-graduation, in Murasaki Shion’s own graduation stream—a benefit of her “affiliate” status. Given that Chloe was the best singer in holoX, as well as someone actively working towards having enough of a repertoire of original songs to someday have a solo live of her own, I (and apparently many others) held some hope that the orca who had swam out to sea would make her way back for this special moment.

That didn’t happen in the end. Moreover, the girls made mention of an “intruder” at the venue, but that turned out to be not Chloe and instead the jester-like Japanese comedian Gorgeous (seen most recently in hololive at Inugami Korone’s 6th Anniversary). While I had hoped she would be there, I understand that having a talent who left come back immediately for the next major event sets a somewhat bad precedent. Not only does it feel it diminishes the importance of the members who remained, but having the VTuber alumnus show up at the very first group concert creates the unenviable assumption that she would show up every time. Whether it’s Chloe or her fellow affiliate, Amelia Watson, the news of their appearance always risks overshadowing everything else, and is best used sparingly if at all. 

In fact, in one of the last MCs of the night, all of them spoke about how performing without Chloe came with some conflicted feelings, including fear that fans would be disappointed. While the details and length of each speech differed between each talent, they all came to similar conclusions that essentially both the five-person and four-person iterations are important parts of the history of holoX. In my opinion, this is the healthiest approach to a difficult and emotional situation.

Final Thoughts

I am so glad that I finally got to see holoX perform in front of a live crowd, and to fulfill their dream of a full-generation concert. I hope that all of them someday get to be on that big stage again, whether as individuals, as a group, or even in some other form entirely. Secret Society holoX will always be near and dear to my heart, and I don’t see that ever changing.

PS: By the time this goes up, it will already be May 25 in Japan. Happy Birthday, La+ Darknesss!

A Completely Real One Piece Theory: The True TRUE Identity of Imu Revealed!!!!!!

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I present to you a very real and thoroughly researched theory that will shake the foundation of One Piece and its lore: I have figured out the true identity of Imu.

No, I don’t mean that he is the secret centuries-old ruler of the world. Nor am I talking about his recent face reveal. Rather, I am certain that Imu is actually the reincarnation of Jack Dawson (as played by Leonardo DiCaprio) from the film Titanic.

Evidence 1

Imu is king of the world in One Piece. Jack famously says the aspirational phrase, “I’m king of the world!” He has found a way to fulfill his desire in his new life.

Evidence 2

Imu has some kind of negative relationship with his ocean-covered world and is antagonistic towards its nautical culture and the pirates who inhabit it. Jack died after having to escape the Titanic, and I believe this grudge against water and boats has carried on.

Evidence 3

Imu also has a grudge against the giants in One Piece. In other words, he is the antagonistic towards a titanic race of people.

Evidence 4

Imu has some kind of connection with a woman from his past: Nefeltari D. Lily. James fell in love with Rose Dewitt Bukater. Both women have flowers in their names (Lily, Rose). Imu is also obsessed with the clan of D, and Rose was a D(ewitt).

Evidence 5

The first chapter of One Piece is titled “Romance Dawn.” James’s last name is DAWsoN.

Looking Ahead

I am absolutely confident that as the story further unfolds, more proof for my theory will surface in the pages of One Piece. 

(In all seriousness, I plan to write a real post about Imu, but that’ll have to be for another time.)

Pokémon Champions Has Me Thinking About Mega Evolutions

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Mega Meganium

Pokémon Champions is a new game focused on competitive battling, and it has included an old and beloved mechanic that’s been mostly absent for a decade or so: Mega Evolution. I’ve been thinking about why it’s still among the most popular additions to the series, and I think it has to do with the fact that it makes individual Pokémon feel special in terms of both gameplay and aesthetic.

Introduced 13 years ago in Pokémon X and Y, Mega Evolution is a temporary transformation that greatly boosts a Pokémon’s abilities in battle. It can make historically weak Pokémon stronger, while also potentially addressing some of the power creep that had afflicted the series over time. However, not every Pokémon can do it, so it can come across as bias or favoritism from the developers.

Because Mega Evolutions from the start were reserved for only a chosen few, one could not truly call it a universal game mechanic, and later generations replaced it with more all-encompassing ones. While there were some special attacks exclusive to specific Pokémon and some exceptions, pretty much everyone could perform a Z-Move (Generation 7), Dynamax (Generation 8), and Terastillize (Generation 9). However, even if they might be considered better mechanics in terms of gameplay and balance, none of them seemed to capture people’s imagination the way Mega Evolutions did. 

Ironically, I think that the aspects that make Mega Evolutions a problem are also the very things that make it appealing. The other mechanics are in many ways fairer, but having them be so fleeting or so universally applied means a cool factor is lost in the process. Z-Moves are flashy attacks but only last for one turn. Dynamax goes for three turns and just enlarges the existing 3D model, and the few who get unique Gigantamax versions are only truly differentiated in gameplay with a single unique attack (called a G-Max move). Terastillization is more enduring and has lots of depth in terms of player interaction, but it also uses generic animations with the notable exception of Terapagos. 

The exclusivity of Mega Evolutions makes them more exciting, and the anticipation over who gets one reminds me a bit of character reveals in fighting games. The fact that they get unique designs contributes to their special feel, and this specialness is expressed through significant stat upgrades and often new Abilities that enhance their specific identities. I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that the last truly enduring generational mechanic was Abilities from Generation 3, as they felt like further expressions of the Pokémon instead of a layer applied on top of them. Of course Gyarados can Intimidate opponents—look how scary it is!

This difference somewhat reminds me of two things. First, there are the changes in the depiction of techniques from Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel, Avatar: The Legend of Korra. In the first series, a technique like lightning bending is the exclusive domain of Fire Nation, but by the time decades have passed, it’s used by regular skilled workers in car factories. This is meant to show the march of progress and the proliferation of knowledge, but it’s not a change all fans enjoy. Rather, they prefer when characters are special in ways others can’t hope to duplicate because it emphasizes each character’s identity more. If something like Dynamaxing actually gave each Pokémon a distinctive improvement instead of just doubling HP and creating more variety in the actual Dynamax attacks, I think it would be more highly regarded.

The second is that classic player categorization of Timmy, Johnny, and Spike created by Magic: The Gathering developers in the past. Timmy gets the most joy out of attacking with powerful creatures, Johnny thinking up interesting strategies, and Spike winning and overcoming the competition. The other generational mechanics outside of Mega Evolution have clear appeal to Johnny and Spike, but not so much to Timmy. And while we might see Timmy as not as serious as the others, he’s a reminder of how much presentation can matter (and I don’t mean in terms of graphical quality, like you often see people complain about).

Nowadays, Mega Evolution is quite an old topic of discussion, but I never put in my two cents because I had fallen out of Pokémon during this time. I think the mechanic’s popularity in terms of general perception compared to its successors is a real lesson in how gameplay and aesthetics intersect. Maybe in Pokémon Winds and Waves, we’ll see something capture that spirit more successfully.

Reflecting on My Nadesico Nostalgia: RIP Sato Tatsuo

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I was saddened to learn about the recent death of Sato Tatsuo, director and writer of Martian Successor Nadesico. It was an anime I first watched in my high school days, and it was very formative to me as a young otaku. I remember just rewinding VHS tapes to watch my favorite scenes over and over, and finally getting the whole series on DVD was a dream come true.

The series is a riff on the mecha genre and a genuinely good science-fiction drama, as well as an insightful commentary on the way human beings view and interpret media, warts and all. The pale, blue-haired Hoshino Ruri was also one of the most popular characters of the period, playing off the Ayanami Rei trope and giving her a bit more of a biting edge. If I were to describe her using more recent characters, she was like Ram and Rem from Re:ZERO fused together, a mix of gentle and sardonic. 

Though I’ve never looked into this, I get the sense that Nadesico might have even been an introduction to 1970s giant robot aesthetics for many newer anime fans through the show within a show, Gekiganger 3. I remember finding it really hilariously hokey back then, but I could feel myself become more fond of it as I shed my immature perception of super robots. 

Many years later, there were murmurs of a potential sequel to Nadesico after The Prince of Darkness and the games, and I recall Sato mentioned that something happened that prevented it from getting off the ground. I can’t seem to find the old news articles about it, though, so my memory might be off.

It’s also unfortunate that Sato died this year, when multiple figures of Ruri have been coming out and 90s nostalgia is riding high. Goodsmile even made a retro website for their release! It could have been the opportunity to revel in and celebrate his most famous work. In the meantime, I’m going to sign off with one of my favorite anime songs of all time, from The Prince of Darkness.

My First VTuber Con: OshiUplink

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Ever since 2020 and the rapid rise of VTubers in the US, they have become an increasing presence in North American nerd conventions. And out of this interest has emerged cons fully dedicated to VTubers, notably Offkai Expo in California. Just like with anime and manga, the west coast is well positioned to get guests and attendees from different parts of the world (especially Japan), but it can be a real travel commitment for lots of people, including myself. 

As if to answer that demand, OshiUplink has appeared. It’s not only Canada’s first VTuber convention, but also a more convenient event for those closer to the east coast. 

OshiUplink took place from May 2 to May 3 at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre, only a few minutes away by car or public transportation from Pearson Airport. As per its name, it was a hotel with a bit of venue space that could be used for panels, meet and greets, small concerts, and so on. Although it lacked the official heavy-hitting presence of hololive, Oshi Uplink included VTubers ranging from small and new to established major names—notably Dokibird, Densetsu.exe, and Ironmouse. In fact, the announcement of Doki as its first featured guest (along with the con’s location) is what convinced me to attend in the first place. 

The Meet & Greet Experience

Over these past few years, I’ve become a fan of not just bigger names but also many less notable VTubers, so the fact that OshiUplink provided an opportunity to see those more obscure talents was a real boon. I’m the type who doesn’t go all-in on specific characters or entertainers in any of my fandoms (Ogiue Chika is the closest), so the sheer variety appealed to me. One distinction the convention made is between “featured guests who have official events done as part of the con schedule” and “unofficial guests who have a presence through vendors and exhibitors.” The former got to use the Conference Centre rooms, while the latter had to be set up in the exhibit hall or other means, such as an iPad being literally carried around. The official guests also had Meet & Greets that were first come, first serve ticketed events (the prices for which varied according to individual VTubers and what I presume to be their or their management’s choice). This was in contrast to the unofficial guests, where one had to just line up and wait to talk to them, or flag them down if they were part of a more mobile operation.

All solutions for how to handle guests meeting fans have their strengths and weaknesses, and I like that OshiUplink ended up with different approaches because of that official guest vs. unofficial divide. My only complaint is that having the official guest tickets on a separate website from the OshiUplink registration site got confusing: I ended up managing to get a Dokibird Meet & Greet, but only because I had purchased the more expensive Founders Pass, messed up trying to get the Dokibird one during the early sale, then got a second chance during the general sale. Neither of the systems were a lottery either, which one can argue is a fairer method.

In the end, I talked to a number of VTubers: Dokibird, REM Kanashibari, Poma Pom, and Paige Terner from V4Mirai, Roca Rourin and Akugaki Koa from ChromaShift, Eva Ananova, Izumi Teeny, PillowDear, Chroniko, and Nene Amano. And all of it was relatively painless, official ticket shenanigans aside. 

Musical Performances 

I also attended four concerts over the weekend, none of which were full 3D and only some of which were truly live, but were still fun regardless.

ChromaShift held a relay called Aurora Harmonies, the highlight of which had to be Roca’s cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” As the first big morning event of Sunday, I have to wonder if at least a few people were introduced to her incredible voice. Another performance that sicks out to me was Lalabell Lullaby’s “My Heart Will Go On” (Celine Dion being a fitting choice for the first VTuber con in Canada).

The full Densetsu.exe roster—Victoria Roman, Phoebe Chan, and Mint Fantôme—went with a series of duets and full group performances. My favorites were their cover of “Magia” from Madoka Magica, Vicky and Phoebe’s “Lion” from Macross Frontier, and their original song “Densetsu MVPs,” which does a nice job of showing off their respective singing styles. 

The Hyper Link concert was an eclectic mix of VTubers: the aforementioned Nene Amano and Eva Ananova (whom I only learned about the day of!), but also Kirispica, Kiichan, Penny Puffball, Yukinoshita Peo, and rachie. I had varying degrees of familiarity with all of them and their singing, making for a nice variety. Highlights for me were Spica’s city pop medley accompanied by her own piano playing, Nene’s Nico Nico Douga Medley (and yes, I did recognize a lot of the songs), as well as rachie’s English Vocaloid covers, notably “Monitoring.”

I only caught a portion of the OshiUplink Sunday Music Relay due to scheduling conflicts. I saw Yumemi (who was actually there in the flesh and also had merch at the official OshiUplink booth), Lazuli (whom I’d never seen), and Juna Unagi (whom I was introduced to at Fantôme Thief’s Revenge in 2024). I’m glad I got to see at least the tail end.

And while I didn’t get to see it live, I checked out the VOD of the Undercover Encore concert by the VTuber group Vivaria. There were a lot of group songs, and not just Vivaria members, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear “Live and Let Die.” 

A crowd of wotagei lightstick performers were in the audience for each concert I attended live, and presumably all the others as well. I found their participation to range from entertaining to overwhelming. I can appreciate the hard work they put in or the dedication needed to make this all happen, but I also think they can sometimes draw too much attention away from the main show, depending on the circumstances. 

Panels

The majority of my time was not spent at panels, but I did attend a few. 

The group Beastiez did a playthrough of Oregon Trail, which I enjoyed a lot as a kid. They were hilarious, especially when riffing off the various mishaps and bowel-wrecking diseases that afflicted their characters. My only complaint is that they didn’t do the rafting section at the end, which I consider the highlight of the game. It was like seeing someone skip an awesome final boss, though they were technically going overtime, so it may have been a way to quickly wrap things up.

I also watched Dokibird 1v1 her fans in Apex Legends. The way she bantered with fans while gunning them down was classic Doki and a combination of charmingly abrasive trolling plus nervous energy. Her panel was as advertised, and it certainly did not disappoint

By the time I got to the Ironmouse Panel, it was a Q&A, and I could see just how much her fans adore her. Incidentally, I’m the one who shouted “Rhea Ripley!” when she was trying to figure out who’s her second favorite wrestler.

Then there was a group discussion by literal mom VTubers and what it’s like to have children while in this field. In a space where extreme fans can get scarily parasocial and get angry over the very notion that a girl might have a male significant other or even sexual experience, seeing them casually discuss topics like pregnancy, relationships with their children, and even bad exes was refreshing. 

Comparing to Anime Cons

The vast majority of my general convention experiences have involved anime cons, and unsurprisingly, a VTuber one shares a lot of similarities. In fact, OshiUplink actually reminded me more of anime cons from 15 to 20 years ago than what I see today, regardless of size. I think it’s because VTubing occupies a niche space in a way anime used to, and a lot of the interactions between attendees seems to be centered on trying to convey either one’s passion for their chosen subject or to find like-minded fans who understand what makes VTubers special. This has both upsides and downsides, the former of which is a kind of casual atmosphere and the latter is potential for awkward intrusiveness. It can be a double-edged sword for me, personally.

And while there’s a lot in common with anime cons, one major difference to me derives from the inherent differences between storytelling forms such as anime and manga and the way “creator” and “product” are often one and the same with VTubers. An anime con might have some attendees who adore an anime for its characters and world, others who love the artists and voice actors, and so on, and these different groups of fans can be distinct. With VTubers, however, all that divide is blurred to the point of non-existence. It’s kind of like if the author of Frieren was actually Frieren, and you got to talk to her through a screen. It makes the question of whether to attend panels (to learn or to see a presentation) or have direct meetings (so you can talk 1-on-1 and have that more personal experience) both easier and harder. 

Because of the greater connection to streaming, I was worried prior to attending that the vibes of the con would be unfavorable to me. Fandom culture has become one where many people are trying to figure out how to leverage attention for more attention, possibly in order to parlay that into a career. While I don’t begrudge people for trying to figure out how to make life work for them, I’ve heard less than stellar things about events like TwitchCon—particularly the way it can be less of a celebration and more of a networking and clout-chasing gauntlet. I feared that I would see this on a smaller scale. Fortunately, I didn’t really get that sense from OshiUplink, or at least not on a clearly obnoxious scale. I might just be so out-of-the-loop that I wouldn’t be involved in those circles where it happens. 

Miscellaneous

Similar to many hotels of its kind, being near the airport means being a good distance from the more popular and populous areas. I spent the Friday before the convention traveling to downtown Toronto and enjoying the food, namely getting some Jamaican food at Allwyn’s (beef patty with slaw in coco bread, along with some curry goat on rice) and having a side-by-side peameal bacon sandwich comparison between Carousel Bakery and Paddington’s at St. Lawrence Market. Personally, I ended up liking Carousel’s more because it was more tender and easier to eat.

Doing all that required grabbing the hotel shuttle bus to Pearson Airport, then catching the UP Express train to Union Station. The trip was actually quite convenient, all things considered, and only took about an hour each way total, but that’s not time I wanted to use during OshiUplink itself, especially because the hotel shuttle only ran every 30 minutes. Fortunately, the food options around the hotel were not the worst, and many were within 10 to 15 minutes of walking. I got to try Harvey’s, a Canadian fast food chain that serves burgers, fries, and poutine. I got a buffalo chicken poutine and a Skor shake, though I wouldn’t recommend the latter: The toffee would either get stuck in the straw and make it a challenge to drink or end up at the bottom needing to be scooped out. 

The hotel itself also helpfully provided some fairly quick food options. They were of course overpriced, but not as bad as I thought. I tried the in-restaurant hotel breakfast (another peameal bacon sandwich!), as well as the to-go Indian butter chicken, and both were very solid. 

The artist alley was a little more crowded than I liked, but I did end up buying some official merch, as well as a Dooby3D sticker.

Final Thoughts

As I was winding down Sunday evening, it occurred to me that as far as I could tell, OshiUplink ended up running incredibly smoothly—especially for a first-year convention. I suspect the staff and perhaps even the volunteers had significant experience with events like this, and I give my highest compliments to them; things can go very wrong, very easily. Perhaps it was because the fan base skews older, but the way the concert audiences would actually listen to the reminders to not run into the main events room made it feel like everyone was on the same side. 

I don’t know if there are plans to bring in those heavy-hitting companies. If they do, they might need a larger space or an attendance cap at this Sheraton. I’ve also read some complaints that at least one of the panel rooms were extremely small (around a 40-person capacity), which meant certain events, especially concerts, filled up fast. But even if a bigger venue isn’t in the cards, OshiUplink seems to be in a pretty good situation. I personally got to meet a lot of VTubers I’m a fan of, learn about ones I was largely unfamiliar with, and feel a combination of forward-facing optimism and a sense of nostalgia for times gone by.

Will I attend next year? It’s uncertain, as I might end up prioritizing other places for travel, just because May is turning into a really stacked month for cool things to do. But even if I myself don’t go, I really do hope OshiUplink comes back for the benefit of the fans, the creators, and the VTubers.

Boys Curry: Simple, Classic Dishes in Jinbocho

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A cup of soup, bowl of Japanese curry, a plate of white rice, and a plate of ginger pork with ketchup spaghetti and cabbage.

While walking in Tokyo, I happened upon a restaurant that had pages from a manga on its windows. Upon closer inspection, the comic was actually depicting that very restaurant: Boys Curry.

Located in Jinbocho—which is something of a curry epicenter in Tokyo—Curry Boys looks and feels like a restaurant from another generation. That makes sense, since it turns out to have started in 1982.

Going in, you’re immediately greeted by a horseshoe-shaped counter, and everything from the cooking to the service was done by an old man and an old woman. I love restaurants like this, as it reminds me a lot of Manhattan Chinatown, especially in years past.

The menu was about as simple as it gets, and I ordered their recommended combo: curry rice, ginger pork, and ketchup spaghetti with a side of broth for a nice hot drink. It wasn’t a mind-blowing experience, but everything was incredibly solid and for a decent price of 1,300 yen. If there was a quintessential Japanese curry that wasn’t trying to keep up with current trends, this was it. Flavorful but not very spicy, it was a welcome throwback, as was everything else.

This was actually my very first time eating ginger pork, despite the fact that it’s apparently second to tonkatsu in terms of Japanese pork dishes! I definitely understand the appeal now, and it’s not nearly as gingery as I was expecting based on the name.

A comics page from Boukyaku no Sachiko in the restuarant window. The character Sachiko is enjoying the food at Boys Curry.

At the end, I asked the owners what the manga on the windows was, and they told me: Boukyaku no Sachiko. It’s been running since 2014 in Weekly Big Comic Spirits, and it’s currently over 25 volumes! I haven’t read it at all, but I’m considering doing so and maybe even posting my thoughts on the blog.

May the 1st Be with You, Everyone: Ogiue Maniax Status Update for May 2026

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April somehow felt both much too fast and far too slow, but here I am on the other side. I haven’t had quite as much time to watch anime as I’d like, but I have been enjoying the hell out of Witch Hat Atelier.

I’m still worried about the fate of our world, but what else is new. Seeing people’s voting rights taken away as the war and violence rob people of their humanity makes me feel helpless at times, but I also always know I can do more. Life is good for me at the moment, and I should use that for the benefit of others.

Thank you this month to my Patreon members, and the following cool folks.

General:

Ko Ransom

Diogo Prado

Alex

Dsy

Sue Hopkins fans:

Serxeid

Hato Kenjirou fans:

Elizabeth

Yajima Mirei fans:

Machi-Kurada

Blog Highlights from April

Loose Connections: Soul of Chogokin Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa

Some thoughts on the Soul of Chogokin Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa.

Orangey Orange, Grapity Purple: Drawn to Dawn Concert Review

My review and report of the hololive Drawn to Dawn concert featuring Takanashi Kiara and Ninomae Ina’nis

Large Friends, Bigger Comrades: Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to Be a Kamen Rider

One of my favorite manga authors got a new anime! Do you like…Kamen Rider?

Kio Shimoku

I wrote two very important posts related to Kio Shimoku this month, so I hope you’ll check them out! While it’s more a mindset than anything else, Ogiue Maniax was close to being 50% Ogi this month.

I Actually Met the Author of Genshiken! Kio Shimoku Live Drawing Report
Libido Limbo: The Climax of Spotted Flower
Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights April 2026

Closing

Congratulations to VTuber REM Kanashibari for her 100,000 subscriber celebration! She’s been one of my faves for a while, so it was great seeing her hit such a major milestone.

Kio Shimoku Twitter Highlights April 2026

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https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2040675708322852873

The web-exclusive Spotted Flower Chapter 51.5 is currently available.

The first two to three pages of a manuscript are always the hardest to work on, and Kio worries that this might never change.

Kio wishing Happy Birthday to the artist Tamaoki Benkyoo

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2041891973850939463
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2041891550607897011
https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2041891973850939463

Cherry blossom photos!

Kio would like to see the cherry blossoms from Yoshinoyama, but that’s easier said than done.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2041908016434573531

He did see the cherry blossoms around Tochigi Prefecture, though.

Kio says the boobs of the main heroine in Dekapai Kishi Makari Tooru! (The Big-Boobed Knight Goes Unpunished) are so distracting that it might just be hiding a panty reveal.

It’s raining off and on.

Kio’s been so busy lately that he almost forgot about the release of the 4th Girls und Panzer film short. He feels that he’s gotta see it!

Kio believes he owns this kit for the Auge Arusqul from The Five Star Stories. He hasn’t actually built it. Though.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2043351303733334046

Kio realizes there are music videos for the Vocaloid song covers in the movie Cosmic Princess Kaguya.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2043601149169959149

A picture of the fan booklet that came with the fourth Girls und Panzer Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu! movie. Kio finally saw it and wants to watch it again.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2044069839749476373

Kio is grateful that you can still buy physical paper copies of Dokaben volumes even today. (Dokaben is a famous and extremely long-running baseball manga that notably uses real baseball teams.)

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2044071692520276089

A Spotted Flower drawing that’s also a reference to How Do You Like Wednesday?

Kio is very excited for the Five Star Stories model kit Magnapalace Knight of Gold by the brand Our Treasure.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2044794524539797908

Re-posting some old drawings, like this one of Madarame and Jin. (I previously covered this, but it’s been enough years that this is probably worth showing again.)

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2044935990641656022

Kio is surprised at the announcement of the Neo Geo AES+. He feels like he might have brought it into existence by drawing a Neo Geo in Spotted Flower.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2045535480075403327

Another old Hashikko Ensemble drawing, this time of Kurotaki Mai.

Kio thanks a foreign fan of Zenbu Sensei no Sei. and also hopes to see it made into an anime.

https://twitter.com/kioshimoku1/status/2046882292698882547

Kio is excited to have gotten the DVD of How Do You Like Wednesday? special on Iriomote Island.

The Afternoon 40th anniversary exhibition released its key visual, featuring Genshiken among numerous other works. The follow-up tweet lists all the authors and titles.

Libido Limbo: The Climax of Spotted Flower

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For nearly seventeen years, Kio Shimoku’s Spotted Flower has been a uniquely thrilling and terrifying rollercoaster of a manga. The series defies easy categorization: It’s very much a drama featuring otaku, but even more an exploration of varying sexual dynamics and relationship types. While cheating becomes a major plot point in the series, it’s not the fetishized NTR kind, albeit the series does delve into plenty of fetishes in general. What began as a tongue-in-cheek, off-brand Genshiken romantic what-if proceeded to transform over time into an increasingly complex and sprawling web of a relationship chart that ensnared and entangled its characters.

Now, Spotted Flower has ended—or at least the physical magazine in which it was serialized has come to an end. There seem to be some vague rumblings about its future, but there’s no word yet. And I am going to spoil the final (?) two chapters 50 and 51 immediately, because 1) I bet anyone who’s read it over the years is curious, whether morbidly or otherwise, and 2) it acts as an important preface for the rest of what I want to discuss.

The Finale

When last we left off in Chapter 49, everything seemed to come home to roost for its protagonist, the Husband (i.e. Not-Madarame). His Wife (Not-Kasukabe), fully aware of his act of infidelity, gives him an ultimatum: Get hard or get out. It’s also important to note that despite his getting railed by their genderqueer friend Asaka-sensei (Not-Hato) in the past, the Husband remained flaccid during that act, which is one of the reasons the Wife has even given him a chance to redeem himself. 

Chapter 50 focuses entirely on a conversation between the Husband and the Wife. She recalls in the present the events that first truly brought them together: a discussion over drinks where she brought up the time he was confessed to by a bunch of the girls (just like in Genshiken Nidaime). She admitted to feeling relieved that he didn’t choose anyone, and from there convinced him to get a hotel room. In the present, the Husband expresses his frustration that he honestly wants badly to get an erection, but it just doesn’t seem to be happening. The Wife, rather than getting fed up, tells him they have plenty of time, and goes to sit down. 

However, when she goes to sit down, the moonlight hits her hair in such a way that it reminds him of her younger self (back when she dyed her hair), and something sparks inside the Husband. He even goes as far as having her roll up a fake cigarette, and this image of the past she’s inadvertently presenting gets him to talk about just how much he used to masturbate to her, and that he started since the very first day they met. While the Wife is not a fan of how very detailed the Husband is about describing his past fantasies, the results can’t be denied, and she notices that he’s downright throbbing down there. 

Chapter 51 then winds up being 33 pages of explicit scene of the two going at it hot and heavy, interspersed with scenes of the rest of the old club discussing whether or not they were basically a “sex club” in practice (probably not, but it’s difficult to discuss over the moans of the other two), and then the boys all getting together to play fighting games. I would very much like to share even a single page from this chapter, as the images of sex juxtaposed with dudes having some (actually) innocent nerd fun is quite striking, but I would end up having my Patreon age-restricted. 

Thoughts (and Many of Them)

The Husband has rediscovered his libido and deep lust for his Wife. What began as a pseudo spin-off about a horny pregnant woman trying to get her man hard became a story about feelings of male inadequacy, only to loop back to the original premise. All’s well that ends well, right?

And yet, the journey to get here was so tumultuous that some readers (according to online comments) jumped ship partway through. It became too difficult to continue reading Spotted Flower, as the darkness and betrayal began to ruin Genshiken for them in the process, despite it being “non-canon.” Madarame and Kasukabe was a popular fan pairing that didn’t pan out in Genshiken (Madarame ends up with Sue), at least among Genshiken diehards, and it was like their consolation prize was a poison pill. The fact that Kio kept introducing more character analogues only served to create a sense of doubt about the intentions of the story: What if this is the actual Genshiken canon, and we were all played for fools?

I also believe that there’s another factor compounding all this: We increasingly live in a time when feelings about NTR/cuckolding/cheating in general have become more extreme. I personally don’t prefer it as a genre, nor do I think it should be outlawed or anything, but what I have also seen is that a complicated mix of emotions related to fetishes, fear of emasculation, and moral panic has left us in a state where things like “girl dates one guy over the other” is incorrectly described as “cucking.” While I highly doubt that most of the people obsessed with these labels were reading a manga as obscure as Spotted Flower, and the series literally came out over 15 years ago in a rather different period culturally, it is certainly a manga that doesn’t consider vanilla monogamy to be a sacred cow. 

But as it turns out, Spotted Flower isn’t just a series that inflicts pain, either in a malicious or sadomasochistic NTR sort of way. Instead, it is a disorganized world of adults who all have their own types of relationships where some are monogamous, others sleep around, and others are engaged in some form of polyamory or another. And here’s another messy outcome, where the Husband disastrously cheats on his spouse out of a sense of inadequacy, only to end up rediscovering his lust for her amid social pressure from friends and acquaintances. The Wife, meanwhile, has to actually forgive him and give him this chance in the first place. We see not a defense of cheating or an encouragement of it, but ultimately a marriage that has been rocky. I won’t necessarily say it’s “realistic,” but it’s the kind of relationship you rarely see in manga. 

(And if you want that kind of hurt, read Kio’s Gonensei instead.)

That all said, I understand that most series that bring up cheating—and have it actually happen—don’t finish on a happy note. One can even argue that both Genshiken and Spotted Flower “copped out” by giving Madarame and his doppelganger a relationship at the end, but I don’t see it that way.

Not every plot thread is fully resolved, but I’m satisfied by where they leave off. The Wife’s Ex-Boyfriend (Not-Kohsaka) still seems to have some unrequited feelings for the Editor. Yet, it almost seems like what he was really missing in his life (and what he was trying to find with all his philandering) was that friendship and camaraderie from the old days, given that he was the one who kicked off the fighting game session. Most of the other couples seem happy where they are.

As for Ogino-sensei (Not-Ogiue) and her two spouses, a supplemental chapter released online continues teasing at the possibility of a real threesome—this time by having Ogino suggest that if both her and her Assistant fiancee (Not-Sue) have kids with her Editor fiancee (Not-Sasahara), the two girls can share a connection by having their children be related. Sure, why not.

Closing Comments

A part of me can’t believe that I started writing about Spotted Flower almost two decades ago, and we’re only finally seeing it ride off into the sunset. Sure, a lot of that is due to the very slow release schedule, but so much has happened in my life since that first chapter came out. I literally moved to Europe and back, had multiple jobs, got married, and went through a hopefully once-in-a-lifetime pandemic (during which Kio himself started posting on social media). In a way, I’m more attuned to the maturity of the series than ever before, even if I can’t relate to the specific circumstances of the characters. 

It’s been a wild ride, everyone. Hope to see you for the next nerd life milestones.

Large Friends, Bigger Comrades: Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to Be a Kamen Rider

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When the anime for Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to Be a Kamen Rider was announced, I didn’t realize it was based on a manga by one of my favorite authors, Shibata Yokusaru. Previously known for works like the martial arts battle series Air Master!! and the bizarrely wonderful shogi title 81 Diver, Shibata is a master of mixing absurd comedy with excitement and tension. So even though I’m not a particularly big tokusatsu head, I had every reason to check out this show. 

The story: Ever since childhood, Tojima Tanzaburo has carried a burning passion for the original Kamen Rider, and he’s dedicated his entire life to becoming as strong as its titular hero. But while he’s built up his strength and martial prowess to an almost superhuman degree, Tojima is profoundly saddened by the fact that he can never use it to fight Shocker—the villainous organization from the TV series. However, when a string of robberies occur by thieves dressed like Shocker’s minions, this might finally be his chance to make his dream home true. Only, he’s not alone, and it turns out there are other Kamen Rider super fans who have decided to emulate their favorite heroes.

One of the beautiful things about Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider is the juxtaposition between fandom as a catalyst for achieving greatness and fandom as a delusion that weighs people down like an anchor. Tojima really is “training to beat Goku,” so to speak, and the result is a guy who manifested the highly choreographed and predictable fighting style of Hongo Takeshi into reality. All he does is throw the same punch over and over, but he is the embodiment of the classic Bruce Lee line, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” 

However, he also encounters Kamen Rider fans who have actually trained in real martial arts, and the difference in technical skill becomes a point of friendly yet intense competition. In other words, Sometimes being the biggest dork is the greatest superpower, and sometimes it just isn’t. The characters are essentially doing the most deadly serious LARP ever—one they’re convinced is as real as their own flesh and blood. Over the course of the series, this belief spreads out to more and more characters, developing in unexpected ways.

There’s one curious thing that immediately stands out with this anime adaptation: The characters and artwork are generally good, and that is totally not what Shibata’s art normally looks like. He has a very off-kilter sense of perspective and human proportions to the point of looking beyond amateurish, and the anime makes a firm decision to mostly hew away from that. I could understand the desire to make this change, but I did worry that it would lose some of the heta-uma magic that I so adore in Shibata’s manga. The solution is that the Shibata style comes out in certain moments, such as in characters’ exaggerated expressions or for the sake of comedy. It’s a decent compromise.

One last note: Tojima Tanzaburo Wants to Be a Kamen Rider makes a brief reference to Air Master. If we get more anime, I’m hoping to see 81 Diver get some love too.