Huat Zai

Fuck, those are huge shoes to fill, don't want to be in his position.

Close friend of Kentaro Miura says he’s known how the series would end for almost 30 years. Fans around the world were heartbroken last year when manga artist Kentaro Miura, creator of Berserk, passed away due to acute aortic dissection. The artist’s unexpected death was marked with tributes and shows of respect from the manga, anime, and video game fan communities, with mourning taking precedence over answering the question of what would become of the unfinished Berserk manga. Now, a little over a year since Miura’s passing, publisher Hakusensha has come to a decision, announcing that Berserk will be resuming serialization with new chapters this month in manga anthology Young Animal and continuing on to a conclusive ending. Given the unique artistic and storytelling style of Berserk, fans may be apprehensive of anyone other than Miura drawing and writing it. The art for the new chapters, though, will be handled by Studio Gaga, Miura’s team of assistants and apprentices who assisted him in drawing Berserk and are thus the most capable of carrying on its visual legacy. As for the new chapters’ story, that too is coming from an appropriate source: Miura himself. It’s unclear whether or not Miura knew his health was deteriorating prior to his passing, but Hakusensha says that he often spoke with Studio Gaga and his editors about plans for upcoming storylines and character concepts. The publisher has also found plot memos and character design drafts that Miura had written and drawn to be used in upcoming chapters. The most reassuring revelation, though, comes from manga artist Kouji Mori, who was friends with Miura for decades. “Nearly 30 years ago, Miura called me and said, ‘I need to talk to you about drawing a rough draft,’” Mori recalls. Miura was getting ready to draw the Eclipse, a pivotal moment in the Berserk manga, but he’d planned the story out much farther than that, and spent the following week walking Mori through it. “In that very moment, the storyline for Berserk was completed, until the very last chapter. Strangely, the story for Berserk went on exactly as we discussed at the time, with almost no changes. I continued to talk to Miura often, whenever there was a big episode. We did so ever since we were students, consulting each other while working on manga,” Mori says, adding “While he was alive, Miura said, ‘I haven’t told anyone other than you, Mori, about the story in its entirety.’” That knowledge has weighed heavily on Mori since Miura’s passing. “A great responsibility has fallen on me…I thought, should I talk to fans about it through an interview? Or should I publish an article with some illustrations? But that wouldn’t convey the scenes that Miura described to me, or the [dialogue] lines of Guts and Griffith…” While Mori was grappling with this, he was contacted by Hakusensha about Studio Gaga’s desire to complete the chapter that Miura had been part-way through before his death. That in turn led to the decision to resume Berserk’s serialization and see it through to its planned conclusion, which Mori hopes would please his friend. “I thought, if I run away now, Miura would say ‘I talked to you about it so much, but you didn’t do it!!’”, and so Mori will serve as supervisor for the remainder of the series. ▼ Promotional video for Berserk’s 41st collected volume, the most recently released Both Hakusensha and Mori are quick to assert that they will be sticking as closely as possible to the story Miura envisioned, and not putting their own adaptational flourishes on it. “I have a message and promise to everyone,” says Mori. “I will recall the details as much as possible and tell the story. Also, I will only write the episodes that Miura talked to me about. I will not flesh it out. I will not write episodes that I don’t remember clearly. I will only write the lines and stories that Miura described to me.” Hakusensha is more succinct, pledging that “Mr. Miura said so” will be the guiding principle for the resumed manga. To further establish that this is still Miura’s manga, Berserk won’t be getting an altered title for its new chapters, and the numbering of collected tankobon volumes will continue uninterrupted, with Volume 42 the next to come. Crediting for the series going forward will be “Kentaro Miura: Original work, Studio Gaga: Manga, and Kouji Mori: Supervision.” As for how much more Berserk there is to come, it’s looking like a significant amount. Hakusensha says that the current Fantasia arc will get an additional six chapters, after which the story will enter a new arc, so it looks like this is going to be much more than just a hasty wrap-up. “Of course, it will not be perfect,” Mori humbly admits. “Still, I think I can almost tell the story that Miura wanted to tell…Many of you may not be fully satisfied with the Berserk written without Miura, but we hope everyone’s thoughts will be with us.” Berserk has never been a series to shy away from how cruel and ugly life can be, but there’s definitely something heartwarming and hopeful in the touching devotion Mori is bringing to his new role as caretaker for his friend’s life’s work. https://soranews24.com/2022/06/07/berserk-manga-to-restart-with-creators-friend-who-knows-planned-ending-as-supervisor/

Japanese voodoo dolls with foreign politician photo keep getting nailed to town’s shrine trees ”Praying for his death” reads wara ningyo note. Summer is the traditional season for scary stories in Japan, and right on cue, we’ve got a spooky tale coming out of Chiba Prefecture. It’s also a pretty bizarre situation, but we’ll start with the creepy aspects. In Japan, there’s a kind of doll called a wara ningyo. That translates to “straw doll,” but wara ningyo are no innocuous arts and crafts projects. Instead, they’re Japan’s version of voodoo dolls, created as an effigy for someone you wish harm to befall. Instead of damaging the wara ningyo directly, though, you’re supposed to nail it to a tree inside the boundaries of a Shinto shrine between the hours of 1 and 3 a.m., in a ceremony called ushi no toki mairi, or “shrine visit during the hour of the ox” (in the old Japanese time-keeping system, the hour of the ox was designated to what we now call 1 to 3 in the morning). ▼ A wara ningyo The standard curse inflicted by wara ningyo is supposed to be death, but these days most people with murderous intent tend to opt for more direct means. Because of that, the dolls are now pretty rare outside of horror movies and anime, but since the start of last month, wara ningyo have been found nailed to trees on the grounds of seven shrines in the town of Matsudo, about 20 minutes east of downtown Tokyo. In a modern twist, each one of them also has a photograph of the same person’s face attached to the head. So just who is the intended target of this dark magic? None other than… … Russian president Vladimir Putin. Oh, and just in case whatever spirits are supposed to carry out the curse don’t recognize the Russian head of state by sight, at least one of the dolls, the one found at Masudo’s Kanegasaku Kuamano Shrine, also had a piece of paper folded up inside of it with Putin’s full name, current age, and date of birth, all written in Japanese, as well as the message “Praying for his death.” Even prior to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, Putin wasn’t the most popular politician internationally, and the ongoing conflict hasn’t done anything to improve his image in Japan. That said, it’s pretty shocking to see such old-school methods employed in protest, as Japanese Twitter reactions show: “I was actually at one of the shrines where this happened and saw the wara ningyo nailed to the tree. Couldn’t believe my eyes.” “Having a hard time imagining Putin dropping dead because some Japanese person put a curse on him.” “Do wara ningyo curses have the kind of range to hit people overseas?” “Those are some really beautifully made wara ningyo.” “Hammering a nail into a shrine’s sacred tree? That’s gonna get whoever did it some divine retribution raining down on them.” As alluded to in the last comment, in the Shinto religion nature is held to be divine, and a shrine’s trees in particular are often considered sacred. At Kanegasaku Kuamano Shrine, for example, the doll was found nailed to its camphor tree, which is more than 200 years old and predates even the shrine itself. Priests and shrine caretakers are asking that whoever is carrying out the ushi no toki mairi cease and desist, and while the curse itself is not a chargeable offense, local police are investigating the incidents as crimes of trespassing and vandalism. https://soranews24.com/2022/06/08/japanese-voodoo-dolls-with-foreign-politician-photo-keep-getting-nailed-to-towns-shrine-trees/

Optimism bias

There were countless photographers there, only jeff widener was at the right place and did the right thing.

A 45-year-old man in China wants to divorce his wife of 16 years after finding out that he raised three daughters with her when none were fathered by him. The man, whose surname is Chen, is from Jiangxi province, eastern China. He first suspected that his wife was cheating on him when she started avoiding his calls and said she wanted to work away from home earlier in 2022, China Jiangxi Radio and TV Station reported on June 8, according to the South China Morning Post. Man worked away from home Chen has always been working away from home to support his family, but he never suspected his wife, whose surname is Yu, of cheating on him. While apart, they communicated via frequent voice and video calls. Tracked wife down After his wife's request of wanting to work elsewhere, Chen tracked down his wife using her mobile phone’s GPS location which led him to a hotel in eastern China where she was staying on March 1. The next morning he witnessed his wife with a man she had been having an affair with when they were checking out of the hotel. Forgave wife Despite the confirmation of her infidelity, Chen forgave Yu. But he also sought a paternity test that then revealed his youngest daughter was not his biological child. However, he chose to keep his family and marriage together. Underwent more paternity tests Chen then underwent further paternity tests and found that his two other daughters were also not his biological children. Yu then cut off contact and Chen could not locate her. Chen then approached local media for help in finding his wife, where he was seen crying with his head in his hands. Chen said during the interview: “None of them was my own child.” Media tracked wife down When she was tracked down by the TV station, Yu shot back and justified her actions. “I don’t think I cheated on him. Is biological paternity really important? Couples who are sterile adopt kids all the time,” Yu said via a phone interview. She also criticised her husband for divorcing her just because he found out their three daughters were conceived with another man. She said, according to SCMP: “Please try to empathise with me. The three children called him ‘dad’ for many years, but now he says the daughters are not his own. What is the difference between him and an animal?” SCMP reported that the woman has been slammed unanimously on Chinese social media. Interviews with divorce lawyers revealed that the man might have a case of seeking compensation under the law. https://mothership.sg/2022/06/china-man-divorce-wife-children-not-fathered/

Don't go Malaysia to sarpork all these, no problem

Proves again, exercise to death, bui bui live forever.

@The_King no ceilings at your new house ya, not even for the guns.

Respect

In ‘Singaporeans Abroad’, we share with you the stories of locals who—thanks to living in a globalised world—have found success in different corners of the globe, whether financially, romantically, or for the pure joy of adventure. We’ve recently heard from Kenneth, the Singaporean head chef at the world’s best restaurant, and Vino, a Singaporean living through Sri Lanka’s protests. Now, we bring you Mathias Heng, a conflict photographer and photojournalist covering war zones, social issues, and humanitarian crises for the past 37 years. Recently, he witnessed the war in Ukraine with his own eyes. Growing up in Singapore, most kids around me aspired to become doctors, lawyers, or bankers. I never really knew what I wanted to be, but I knew it wasn’t that. With time, I slowly figured out that I wanted to work in a creative field, and by the time I was 14, I decided to enrol myself into Boys Town and take up a course in graphics, production, and photography. Once I graduated, there was only really one pathway for photographers in Singapore at the time, which was working in the commercial field. While I did try taking up jobs in fashion for a while, overall, it was hard to stray from the industry. It was so hard to be a photographer that out of the 12 students in the creative course I took, I was the only one who pursued photography full time. I remember how many people would ask me: “how are you going to make money doing photography?” But I’ve always believed that you have to follow your heart and do what you want, or you will regret it later. After a few years of working in fashion and commercial photography, I noticed myself growing increasingly dissatisfied with my career. I didn’t feel like I was tapping into my maximum potential, and there was so much outside of my comfort zone that I wanted to explore. I was always interested in humanity and looking at the human experience across the globe. I wanted to use photography to be a journalist, but there were no journalism schools in Singapore at the time—my only option was to self-teach and self-fund my projects. Eventually, I started using the money I was earning from my commercial jobs to fund my side projects in conflict photography across the region. Mathias Beijing and the start of my career One of my first breakthroughs came about in Beijing during the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. I was there by chance for another job and happened to be there when students started pouring out onto the streets to protest. I did manage to take some photos, but I remember how everything was crushed very quickly. The army came in and started shooting in the middle of the night, and by the following day, everything was cleared. After that experience in China, I knew this was the field I wanted to dedicate my life to. It is difficult, especially when you witness brutal events that impact you in a magnitude of ways over time—but they are historical and need to be documented. As a society, we should not let history repeat itself. I hope that photos may help us remember why. Regionally, I started growing my portfolio in conflict photography, but in Singapore, my work was not recognised. I remember taking my photos to editors and constantly being turned away. I was always told there was no appetite in Singapore for confrontational photography. Instead, these editors were looking for photographers to take pictures of ministers cutting a ribbon or shaking a hand, so I never got hired. At this point, I was in my mid-twenties, and I thought to myself, what do I have to lose? Why am I trying to prove myself here, and struggling, when I can take a chance abroad? So I took the leap and moved to London, where I worked for a couple of years, and from there, I ended up in Australia for a while. Iraq Iraq At the start, when moving abroad, there will be obstacles. Especially if you go to a country with a different language, you will need to give yourself time to acclimatise, get used to the local culture, and pick up a few words. Integrating can be challenging, but it is not impossible. The more you put yourself outside of your comfort zone, the more you will grow as an individual. Travelling and moving gave me so much exposure to the world and opened up my horizons. And professionally, it changed everything. I finally started covering massive global conflicts and getting commissioned to travel worldwide. With this, however, came exposure to a lot more danger. Iraq In Iraq, I came extremely close to dying—twice. We were on a train from Baghdad to Basra when our train suddenly stopped. After over half an hour, there were still no signs that we would be leaving soon. At this point, many villagers started coming out to look into the train. It was supposed to be a discreet, express train to our destination for security reasons, but crowds around us started growing bigger and bigger. At the time, any foreigners (and of any colour) in the country were assumed to be Americans— the enemy. So three men came up with rocket-propelled grenades pointed at us. When I saw the weapons, I shouted “RPG,” and everyone took cover. The correspondent I was with jumped out of the train carriage and managed to talk the men out of their plan, and they eventually left. At this point, it would have been unsafe to continue our journey on the same train, so we found a vehicle to travel by instead. That night, when we got to Basra, fights broke out, and we got to work taking photos. Everything was peaceful the following day, and you could see life going on, so we went to the local markets. There, two men came up to me in greeted me in Arabic, saying “assalamualaikum,” to which I politely replied with “mualaikumsalam.” The guy in front of me shook my hand and looked me up and down. Then, he started talking to the man behind me in Arabic, which I couldn’t understand. I later found out from my correspondent, who understood Arabic, that the man who shook my hand said, “What are you waiting for? Shoot him!” to the man behind me. “I can’t shoot him. Look, the British troops are on patrol,” he responded. The moment he said that, the correspondent said, “Mathias, we have to go.” “No, we need to stay to take photos,” I replied, unknowing. Then, his voice became stern, and he said: “We have to go right now.” I realised something was wrong, and we walked away to find shelter. There, he told me everything that had just transpired. If it weren’t for the soldiers patrolling the area, I think I would have died right there. Ukraine Ukraine Most recently, I have been doing a lot of work in Ukraine. One day, I was on the frontlines when the conflict grew intense. There was a lot of artillery, shelling, and firing, so we left to take cover. As we were walking, we could hear the whizzing sound of a drone, but we couldn’t see it. The sound of its blades grew louder, and eventually, we spotted a drone flying far above our heads. The moment it went out of sight, the Russians started firing in our direction, and we started running while shells were landing 80 meters from us. Eventually, we found a safe spot and hid there. Ukraine Ukraine When I tell people these stories, especially about my recent time in Ukraine, they often think I’m crazy for putting myself in such dangerous situations. But for me, the more I’m faced with these situations, the more I value life. And it sounds contradictory—if you love your life, why would you put yourself in a position that risks it? What it means, to me, is to be more intentional with my life. I’ve seen enough, and I’ve realised that material wealth means nothing to me. I don’t care about watches or branded clothes. What matters is that I’m healthy and can do what I love, because I have realised how fortunate I am to have that as an option. Ukraine Life on the move Now, I’ve decided to be based out of Paris. There are a lot of photo agencies there, and generally, their culture is more photo-oriented than most others. As much as I’d like to be based out of Singapore, there isn’t a market here. People are interested in photos, but a different kind. Despite this, I still make it a point to visit Singapore very often, especially whenever I travel to Asia. Ukraine After years of doing this job, I still enjoy travelling. And while that doesn’t tire me, what becomes difficult is the sense of no belonging that comes with always being on the move. I often stop and ask myself, where do I come from? Where is my sense of belonging? But I remind myself that it’s only normal to feel lost, especially when you are in a career like mine. I don’t intend to slow down for now because I still feel that fire in me. I’m dedicated, and I’m always looking to get more impactful pictures that are strong and reach out to people. I want to help tell the story of humankind, and I don’t want to do it for me but for the people out there, the audience. Not everybody gets to go to a war or conflict zone, so I can at least hope that my photos send the message of what it is like. Without proof, it’s hard for people to understand the extent of what is going on in the world. That is why journalism and photography are such essential tools of communication. They offer eyes to people who would be blind otherwise. https://www.ricemedia.co/mathias-the-singaporean-conflict-photographer/

Lightweight boxer Simiso Buthelezi has died after suffering bleeding on the brain following a bout at the weekend in Durban, Boxing South Africa (BSA) confirmed on Wednesday. Buthelezi fought in a 10-round World Boxing Federation All Africa lightweight fight against compatriot Siphesihle Mntungwa on Sunday, but the contest was stopped by the referee when he appeared to shadow box an invisible opponent. He was rushed to hospital and placed in an induced coma after it was discovered he had bleeding on the brain. He has since passed away. BSA have confirmed they will undertake an independent medical review of incident. Trainer Bheki Mngomezulu said Buthelezi had been in perfect health in the lead-up to the bout. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/boxing-south-african-boxer-buthelezi-dies-after-suffering-brain-injury-2735196

Notice how he was going into Malaysia but was caught on their side?

Three Singaporeans have been arrested in Johor Bahru for supposedly stealing RM3.17 million (S$1 million) from a money changer on Mar. 2, 2020, The Malay Mail reported. According to The Star, all three of them are businessmen in car-dealing operations. Went to JB for holiday The first arrest was made when one of the Singaporeans, a 54-year-old, entered Malaysia via the Sultan Iskandar Building's Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex checkpoint for a family holiday. The Star highlighted that he was also on Malaysia's wanted list. This triggered an alert which resulted in his detention, with Malaysia's immigration officers handing him over to the police. Following his arrest, the police tracked down the other two Singaporeans, aged 48 and 49, and also arrested both of them in connection with the case. Malaysian media did not report when the 54-year-old had entered the country or how the other two Singaporeans were arrested. Manhunt for fourth suspect The Star reported that the police are also currently searching for a fourth person, a 49-year-old Malaysian, for his alleged involvement in the theft as well. He had purportedly been working as a runner for the money changer in question for eight years. On the day of the crime, he had been tasked with transporting the money changer's cash in a bulletproof security van to a bank, according to sources quoted by the Malaysian media outlet. However, he reportedly lied about having chest pains in order to get his accompanying co-worker and the security guards to return to his workplace to collect his medication. The man then drove to Danga Bay with the money, where he met the three Singaporeans. They later divided the loot among themselves. The Johor Commercial Crime Investigation chief added that the police are working with Interpol to track down the Malaysian. It is believed that the Malaysian might have fled to the Philippines with his wife. 54-year-old Singaporean out on bail The 54-year-old Singaporean was released on bail after his statement was recorded by the police. He is supposedly suffering from a serious medical ailment. The other two Singaporeans have been remanded and are assisting with investigations. https://mothership.sg/2022/06/singaporeans-jb-steal-money-changer-arrested/

Johnny Depp celebrated his defamation case victory over Amber Heard by running up a five-figure bill on a curry feast said to be up to £50,000 (S$86,000). The Pirates of the Caribbean actor, 58, was joined by his musician friend Jeff Beck, 77, and around 20 guests when they took over the Varanasi in Birmingham on Sunday night. (June 5) The group banqueted on specially prepared Indian food along with cocktails and Rosé Champagne, the MailOnline reported. Mohammed Hussain, operations director of Varanasi, said: “We had a call out of the blue on Sunday afternoon saying that Johnny Depp wanted to come to eat with a group of people. “I was shocked and at first, I thought it might have been a wind-up. But then his security team arrived, checked out the restaurant and we let them have the whole place because we were concerned that he might be bothered by other diners. Mr Hussain added that the restaurant was closed to other diners as the party was served food including starters of shish kebabs, chicken tikka and tandoori king prawns. The main course was butter chicken, paneer tikka masala, lamb karahi and king prawn bhuna, with sides of nan bread, rice and salad. Depp finished off his meal with panna cotta and cheesecake before he and his group left around midnight. The bill for the evening reportedly came to around £50,000, paid for by the Edward Scissorhands actor. They say the venue hire was the biggest cost of the night at between £25,000 and £30,000, with the restaurant’s wine list including £1,200 bottles. Mr Hussain said: “We had to promise that we would not reveal the final bill but let’s just put it this way; money was no issue, and it was easily in five figures. “We made more money from Depp’s visit than we did from our busiest night of the week, which is a Saturday when we have around 400 diners. “In addition to the food, there was champagne, wine and all kinds of drinks being downed. Depp and his group had a great time. They loved the food, the ambience of the restaurant and the service that we provided. It was a real honour to have him here.” Depp has joined Beck on his UK tour and the pair are planning to release an album together. He has been revelling in public appearances and talking to fans after he successfully sued ex-wife Heard, 36, for US$50 million (S$69 mil) over a 2018 op-ed piece she had written that alleged she was a victim of domestic abuse. He is set to receive more tha US$10 million in compensation from Heard. — BANG SHOWBIZ https://www.todayonline.com/8days/johnny-depp-splashes-s86000-curry-feast-celebrate-amber-heard-court-victory-1918506

Never thought I'll live to see the day where an infantry man is saying that they take care of the sniper quickly... just how shitty are the Russian troops...

We know you 20 inches, don't see us small lah

SAP is a nightmare to maintain, most of the companies that use it are doing so because of a gambler's fallacy

猫王 and 猫山王 might be only be one word different, but so is 干你娘 and 你娘

Wait, what? yuan, circuit road, subway? Which country did this happen in again?

Lao hero, all the si ginnas won't know who the fool is to pity already, their idea of a man is Anyohaseyo~~~~

Why the fuck is a 16 male wearing $6300 worth of gold, cosplaying jotaro kujo's stan ah?

Here can only shoot