(no subject)

[skygiants]

For the 17th, bookblather asked about the thing that should have a fandom MOST and inexplicably doesn't have one, which means: IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT 7 SEEDS AGAIN. >:D >:D >:D

So for those of you who don't remember when I fell head over heels a year and a half ago, 7 Seeds is a manga about a bunch of teenagers who have just woken up to find themselves in a bizarre and terrifying post-apocalyptic Japan full of things that want to eat them. These kids -- carefully selected for their skills and arranged to wake up in groups of seven, plus one adult helper -- basically represent the last, most stupid, and most implausible plan of a whole bunch of really stupid and implausible plans developed to save humanity from METEORIC DOOM.

Bear in mind that when I say "carefully selected for their skills," I mean most of them are like "THE BEST TEEN BASEBALL PLAYER IN JAPAN" or "THE BEST PIANIST IN JAPAN" or "KNOWS THE MOST LANGUAGES IN JAPAN." Real useful apocalyptic skills here!

Then of course there is Team Failboat, who were selected for being the most socially maladjusted children in Japan, because our genre-savvy sinister mastermind did not want to gamble against the possibility that the only way to save the future would be to bank on a Wacky Band of Misfits.

7 Seeds has everything. It HAS EVERYTHING. A short list of stuff that fandom SHOULD LOVE that 7 Seeds includes:

- hilariously implausible doomsday scenarios!
- teamwork and friendships!
- kickass female characters!
- assholes who turn out to be surprisingly lovable!
- a ZOMBIE PLOT!
- a HUNGER GAMES PLOT!
- a PLOT about EVIL MUSHROOMS THAT GROW ON CROCODILES!
- infinite numbers of attractive teenagers to smush against each other in infinite combinations!
- plus a lot of CUTE PUPPIES!

In addition, a short list of stuff that I love that 7 Seeds includes:

- an incredibly diverse array of female characters who have really important relationships with each other!
- character development! in spades! for everyone!
- really thoughtful and well-done handling of trauma and abuse and cycles of abuse and the recovery process!
- teenagers who have realistic short-term crushes and then move on without having it be the source for endless angst!

There are a lot of things I love that I wouldn't wish a fandom on, because a fandom would probably do terrible things. But -- maybe optimistically -- I don't feel that way about 7 Seeds! There is just so much POTENTIAL. Like, okay, yes, probably if fandom did ever glom onto 7 Seeds, sixty to seventy percent of the resulting fanworks would be variations on dudeslash starring Awful Angry Ango, because that's just how fandom rolls. But I could ignore that and focus on the remaining 30%, which would be TEAM-BUILDING FIC and backstory fic and "today everyone has to face a new and EVEN MORE RIDICULOUS PERIL!"-fic and ridiculous AU fic and, like, silly crossover fic and some hilariously random pairing fics and at least a FEW amoral architect lesbian fics. AND IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL. I would be so happy!

Comments

[dharmavati]

YESSS 7 Seeds really needs more of a fandom presence but yeah I know what you mean about the terrible fanworks (personally I have no opinions on angsty Ango dudeslash but I think almost all the fanfic I've come across has been angsty Ango het and there are not enough NOPES in this world!!!!). I need more cute fic/art actually like so much of romances and interactions are pretty romcom and lovely and fun, even in gen stuff, focus on the teaaaaams would be so entertaining, I want it all!!!

[skygiants]

I have come to terms with how much of an Ango focus any fandom would inevitably have (UGH), I just want the fandom to be large enough that even with the awful Ango focus there's room for ALL THE OTHER THINGS TOO. Teamfic! Hijinks! I'd be happy to read just about all the cute pairings for PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ANGO!

[dharmavati]

SIGHING LOUDLY about Ango focus but yes, I agree, if this fandom gets bigger, we can have more things about the characters we actually enjoy! I'm trying to get a few friends into the manga as their tastes will probably align better with mine and we can talk more about the NOT ANGO things in our own corner. :D

[sovay]

- teenagers who have realistic short-term crushes and then move on without having it be the source for endless angst!

Okay, that's pretty cool.

[skygiants]

IT'S SO GREAT. Because they all start out in groups of seven, and gradually realize that there are more people in the world! So there are a couple different instances where people develop a crush on someone else in their team, because it's the END OF THE WORLD AND THERE ARE SEVEN PEOPLE LEFT, and then they meet someone else they like better and it's totally fine and normal!

I mean, I also appreciate the teenagers who wake up in a group of three instead of seven and just basically settle into a big puppypile. And I also appreciate the teenagers who institute a ban on reproductive sex, because they don't have any contraceptives in the post-apocalyptic future, so instead they get stoned and have a lot of oral. And I also appreciate the teenagers that everyone thinks are an item who eventually reveal that they tried to have sex once, thought it didn't work at all and decided they'd rather not do it again. It's all so refreshing for shojo manga!

[sovay]

And I also appreciate the teenagers that everyone thinks are an item who eventually reveal that they tried to have sex once, thought it didn't work at all and decided they'd rather not do it again.

HUZZAH THAT DOSE OF REALISM.

[meganbmoore]

Apparently there is a bit of a fandom on tumblr. It hates Hana and talks about how it liked Ango more after he attacked her and explains why it's understandable. (And she's self righteous and every bad thing except the apocalypse itself is her fault.)

I cried and ran away.


BUT TEAM FAILBOAT YES TEAM FAILBOAT IS THE BEST. Especially once the emo duo joins up and struggle to hold onto their emo but fail because team failboat has anti-emo mojo.

[skygiants]

Hey, there is also the fandom on tumblr that is . . . me . . . posting earnest screencaps of Chisa . . . um.

I LOVE TEAM FAILBOAT WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL. I love their earnest efforts to turn the apocalypse into a wacky comedy. I LOVE THEIR TALENT SHOWS.

Every so often I turn to my old roommate (who I made read the manga) and say "remember when Semimaru was the bad guy?" and we just laugh and laugh. OH, THAT WACKY SEMIMARU AND HIS SOYBEANS. There was a time I thought I would hate him forever!

[meganbmoore]

Oh, Semimaru...

And yeah, given their earlier chapters, who ever would have thought that between Semimaru and Ango, Semimaru is the one who ended up both the nicer character and the more acceptable potential love interest. For anyone. Ever. (I mean, I do get Ango and see how his experiences and trauma led to him doing the things he did but that doesn't make it ok or an understandable reaction because he opted to do them and about 90% of the Summer A/Spring/Autumn Issues were caused by him.)

THE TALENT SHOW. THE LAST STAGE IN THE PLOT TO LURE IN AND DESTROY THE EMO DUO. It worked so well that either they adopted the Emo Duo or the Emo Duo adopted them, I'm not sure which.

[skygiants]

RIGHT? Like, I don't particularly ship Semimaru with anyone (Semimaru/soybeans?) but I just spend all my time wanting to pat him on the head now! (To be fair, some of the blame also lies with Ayu and her decision to run medical experiments on a ten-year-old child.

....OH THAT WACKY AYU. <3)

[meganbmoore]

The manga wants me to ship Natsu/Semimaru and...well, i'm getting to where that might be ok. Maybe.

OH AYU. Though, to be fair, I don't think she would have run any experiments that she thought would actually hurt him. Not that that makes it too much better.

[skygiants]

I trust Yumi Tamura to bring me around to pretty much ANYTHING, although as I have said before at this point I mostly Natsu/herself, with occasional Natsu/Matsuri. Although the other day I found myself thinking, 'what about Natsu/Ban?' But mostly this is because their ship name would be Batsu. LIKE THE PUPPY.

[remindmeofthe]

*AGGRESSIVELY ADDS 7 SEEDS TO TO-READ LIST*

I think I'd sort of vaguely tossed it on there, but then I forgot about it. BUT NOW I REMEMBER.

[skygiants]

YES YES PLEASE

every time I convince someone else to read 7 Seeds an amoral lesbian builds another house

[jinian]

*dead*

[remindmeofthe]

omg

Arashi: MY GIRLFRIEND IS DELICATE AND FRAIL AND NEEDS MY PROTECTION
Hana: *dives off a cliff to escape some cannibals, nbd*

Yes good thank you for bringing this to my attention.

[skygiants]

HAHAHAHA OMG HANA IS THE BEST ACTION HERO.

Later on some people meet Arashi after meeting Hana and are just like ".....Hana is a formidable woman of iron nerves! This dude is running away from bugs. WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS RELATIONSHIP."

[remindmeofthe]

SIMON & GARFUNKEL SONGFIC

[skygiants]

THEY MADE HIM AN OCARINA

OUT OF A POTATO

[oyceter]

I have nothing to add except everyone should read this and then go on to read 7 Seeds!

[skygiants]

IF ENOUGH OF US KEEP TALKING ABOUT IT SURELY . . . SOMEDAY . . .

[bookblather]

This sounds like the BEST THING EVER where can I get it? I mean, is Team Failboat actually honestly the ragged band of misfits trope trying to be invoked? Because, well, you know, AWESOME.

[skygiants]

It PRETTY MUCH IS. The sinister creators of the post-apocalyptic survival plans ACTUALLY SAY to each other, "but what if all our talented, well-adjusted chosen survivors fail? WE NEED A BACKUP PLAN!"

To be fair, Team Failboat is their second backup plan. Their first backup plan is building a team via intense survival training and trauma. The best part is when these two teams meet and Team Failboat conquers Team Trauma with sheer flailing enthusiasm.

[esmenet]

I STILL HAVE TO FINISH 7 SEEDS.

[skygiants]

YOU DOOOOOO it just gets better and better all the time!