So, if you remember in one of my welcome to 2017 self-gift, there was an X21 CD+DVD item in there as well and I mentioned the reason why I bought it. That reason is that in most, if not all the Making Of videos for their PVs, there is always some Izumikawa Miho and  Igashira Manami loving going on in there.

As you know, from the very beginning during the early days (See this post and this post and this one) I was (still am but not the main ship) Miho/Mai (Suenaga) shipper but then the more PVs I watched the more I fell in love with Miho/Minami.

It hasn’t been until one of the recent Making Ofs that I realised the reason why. I mean I know the reason, it is because there was a great lack of Mai/Miho in the Behind the Scenes videos but then in the latest ones I finally understood why that was. From her own mouth Mai explains that she is doesn’t like being filmed unless it is for the job. Seems she hates talking on camera.

Meanwhile Manami is a whole other beast. She is like the exact opposite of Mai. So energetic, so talkative, so active, so much so that I am wow’d that Miho can keep up with her. But then I am reminded of the way Yukirin always puts up with Mayuyu’s antics no matter how silly and then it hit me – It’s love. You can do anything for the one you love and viola, so begun my shipping of the two!

And so, knowing that there were gems hidden in the PV making of videos, I begun to collect them and dear Readers am I glad I got that Magical Kiss DVD (It is the one I was missing). If I were going by the level of yuri as others judge it, then the Magical Kiss DVD was the one to have! It has the ultimate gay moment between Miho and Manami and also in it I learned that there was a hidden gem I had missed in that the thing I am talking about that happened in this DVD seems to be a series of something bigger – something I did not know of until now!

I am planning to go back in the very beginning and start digging up graves for all of that juicy hidden treasures but for now, let’s talk about the Making Ofs for ‘Kagami no naka no Parallel Girl’, ‘Magical Kiss’, ‘Yakusoku no Oka’ and ‘Natsu da yo’! I am still collecting the rest of the videos in order to go over them with a brush so that post will have to wait.

With that said, let’s jump into the action…

 

 

 
 
 

Starting with the ‘thing’, yes, that is Miho getting down on her knees and asking for Manami-chan’s hand! Yes, that is them running up to ring the ‘Bell of Happiness’ that newly weds ring in order to live a happy and long life together, hand in hand! And yes, they just hit my target right in the soul with them melting together at the hands as they thread their fingers together, like, I am saying it for the thousandth time but hand-holding get me more than two people kissing and since kissing is better than seeing them having sex – there is just something unromantic about sex, well, with the exception of Ahgassi of course.

Wanna know how deeply sex and shipping affect each other? Well, every time I read a fic for example, and my ship has sex, I mostly stop reading right there or struggle real hard to continue the story. I just don’t know why. It is why I mostly prefer stories that start out with the main ship not having romantic feelings for one another because then I will spend some time with that story as the sex part is very far away in, if it is to happen. Some things are an exception, like The Handmaiden as stated, and some really well written fics, like those Rei/Usagi ones that were on ShoujoAi.com back in the day, if anyone remembers.

Anyway, hand-holding is where the FEELs are at when it comes to yours truly and yes, I know in Japan that girls hold hands or the time even as the are not that close and thus I hear you thinking that it should make it less romantic and I hear you but in there lies the trick! If the two people are a ship, hand-holding means something totally different and you can even feel it. Of course it might just be one’s projections but the fact is that hand-holding being no usual, couples could hide in plain sight and no one will be that much wiser. it is when they get into kissing that others start to notice.

And so here, Miho and Manami, Idols as they are, the farther they can go is hand-holding and…

 
 
 
 
Or staring with affection at one another

Or

 
 
 

making each other laugh

Or

 
 
 
 
 
just be close to one another…
 
 
 
watching each other…
 
 
 
Pampering each other

even in the face of rivals…>.<

And speaking of MaiMai, how can I not mention her and this triangle?!

 
Even the cameraman knows there are two ships here.

Mai showing up as Miho puts earrings to Manami’s ear, coincidence? Ha!

And look at that Miho! She looks at Mai like bread and butter but look who she is closer to! This is how you prevent war people!

Such a pimp!

That freakin triangle!

A smile as she drinks in MaiMai…

A peace-sign towards Manami-chan

Damn it all Miho >.<

And while we are on this triangle thingy…

Miho and Manami-chan doing some private Eye-twittering!

Captain: Hey, I am here too you know!

Miho: We love you too Captain *cheek hug*

Captain: …>.<

I love Miho so much. And while we are on Captain, there is something that has been on my mind since forever when it comes to the group.

 
 
 

Miho is usually paired with either the Captain or Sub-Captain or the three of them. Since in X21 Captain is the top dog (for centre and face and all that), this makes me wonder what Miho’s role is in the group. On events like Live, when the Captain is missing, she is usually the one in ‘charge’ so to speak, leads MCs, centres, and all that. Her role is really intriguing to me.

In addition, other that Captain, she is the only other one I remember having gotten a solo job outside the group, even though that was just a web show but still. Captain of course has already been in like, three movies and some dramas (and there is a movie I really need to write about of hers). The only other member who has gotten solo work that I know of is Manami-chan, in fact she is doing that as we speak. It is a drama I believe, which has seen her missing in the latest LIVE concerts of X21.

But back to shipping, it seems that Manami and Miho has begun warming their way into the managers’ hearts as well. While before it was mostly Miho and Sub-Captain…

 

Or Miho and Waifu…

 

Now though it seems that we are beginning to get some Miho/Manami in the PVs as well and if it wasn’t for the fact that Captain had to be Centre or one of the Centres for each single, I would even have thought we would be getting a Manami/Miho single soon…

For now though, I guess we will just have to be enjoying them in the behind the Scenes where they can be themselves and fool around as much as they want…

Oh we know she’s gay af for Manami-chan dearest Honoka. no need to tell us!

 

All this hand-sex is killing me >.<

 
Jesus Miho, won’t you at least let go just long enough to applause and bow?!


So cute the way Manami-chan clings onto Miho’s shoulder, just…so cute >.<

I ship these two so hard >.<

That is that, but before I go, here be some bonus caps…

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Easy there Miho
 

 
 
Dance off lead by Waifu and Husbando?! Interesting…




Too Cool!

And with that…