Funari

Eggs being added...

I hope that's the last of them, but don't be surprised if I quote-post other tidbits I forgot along the way

BUT! As of today, the main "Like a Love Letter" series has a full thread of references! Ah, so exciting! Not much else, just...neat to have this all organized~

AND ANOTHER THING!! (I keep finding big references I miss from this chapter omg)

Emi had a radio gig on the 5th, shortly before this strange silence from both their accounts during the 6th-8th

My recreation of Emi enjoying a drink with...someone. Whoever it is, they're clearly the photographer, though!

She drink (with whomst?)
#funariart

Everyone else only has the house to worry about, I have so much going on in my life so I'm grateful I'm still IN the loop but not for every tiny update. Leigh felt it was news I needed to know, but not ASAP, hence why I'm learning about this now

Not sure what that will do, but the house-smart folks in the group are thinking we may have some ability to make some agreements to close on this sale. We know electricians and construction folks within our families, for one

I'm just sending good vibes that we will get the house in general lol

We're at an interesting phase of the house stuff. Appraisal and inspection. Inspection happened two days ago.

Turns out the current owners of the house lied about there being new electric wiring when they listed the place. Inspection turned up OLD stuff. Appraisal is happening soon

Snippets of my summary for the episode where Emi goes into the topic of "Choice." (...) ALL the way back to childhood, back when kid Emi considered doing archeology instead of playing piano. Could you believe the kind of life Emi would have now if she picked archaeology?? She goes to list those other Fork in Road moments in her life -What if she had taken the exam to enter Waseda U(niversity) -She used to be great at swimming. What if she took that sport's program? -When she started focusing on music, her professors said she did better in opera, so maybe focus on that? In the end, she chose to keep learning piano, but something traumatic happened. She doesn't go into it, but it was enough to make her stop entirely, even telling her parents to get rid of the piano at their place. Lock it up, rid of it! She regrets that and even apologized to her parents about it

A machine translation of the message Manami left for fans on Instagram in March 2025. This description fixes some of the little errors. "Everyone, I have an announcement to make. I, Higa Manami, am pleased to announce that I have joined the talent agency, Content Three Inc. Before I knew it, I had been working as an actress for 20 years. As the number of memorable encounters and experiences, both personal and professional, increased, I began to seriously consider how I wanted to move forward in life. In the midst of all this, I began to feel like taking on a new challenge, similar to that feeling of stepping into a new world back when I moved to Tokyo 20 years ago. With that same passion and drive as I had back then, I am now making a fresh start at a place I have been fortunate enough to be offered. I will continue to keep my original intentions in mind and work sincerely while working on new projects, so I ask for your continued support."

Just one random interview from 2025 with Manami, this one specifically being from an interview for her Winter 2025 drama, "Niko Tama." This one is fascinating to view both in her "being more like myself" view and a general relationship point of view. The following fixes errors and adds some context as this was a machine-translated screenshot "This is just my opinion, but humans can be disingenuous, so I try not to make decisions based on gains and losses. If I were to meet someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, I would want to see that person's inner self rather than their circumstances. If we're compatible, we hook up, and there's no need to force it any further. I think a relationship is like a mirror, so if I choose someone based on profit and loss alone, the other person will probably do the same. I think that doing so will lead to strain. That's why I think it's important to face myself every day and properly listen to my instincts. I try not to lie, even in interviews like this, and to honestly express whatever I'm thinking at the time. I think that means taking responsibility for my way of life and my own words. That being said, my past self and present self are completely different people, and I may change in the future as well, and I want to be able to enjoy those changes as they happen."

A snippet from NemuCha when Manami was talking about how she used to be and then when Emi came into her life. "(...) I guess I'm aware that I have a habit of putting up a wall to protect myself. Acting, for me, is a form of communication, and I was playing the role of Higa Manami, but...I was surprised to see someone who was the complete opposite! I realized that there really aren’t many people who can easily expose themselves in front of others, and, from then on, when I saw Emi, I would take a good look at myself and wonder what kind of person I truly was. Even while I was playing Nomoto-san, I thought, maybe I should break out of my shell a little more, and I was able to break out of my shell while filming, and that's why I have the experience of knowing what I can now do based on what I learned from Emi."

Pt 3, Finale:
-Further referencing that one episode of Relaxed Tuning with the different paths in life Emi could have taken/times she changed course
-Manami changing agencies and being able to more honestly express herself since 2025. Tying it to Emi is just an interpretation from NemuCha lol

The infamous photo of Manami being a little possessive over Emi, from the 2025 year-end party with other folks who worked on the Tsukutabe drama with them

While I don't have any screenshots from Emi OR the main musician on-hand, I did react to the news when I saw it. I was talking about the political climate both here in the US and then the China-Japan stuff that got serious toward the end of 2025. Emi was going to tour in China with that artist but suddenly, the artist had to post a message of cancellation. So here's me pointing out that had to be the reason for the cancellation and that I hoped Emi found stuff to do in December, which she did

A photo of some fancy coffee Manami was enjoying. Her caption reads, "I thought I was a latte person, but before I knew it, I only ordered black coffee. Tastes change, don't they? It's strange."

Episode 5 of "Emi Nishino's Relaxed Tuning" which was simply titled "New Year's Greetings." It was uploaded January 2nd, 2026. This is what Emi was referring to about wanting to greet her listeners for the new year.

Pt 3, Ch 6:
-LITERALLY THIS PHOTO
-Emi had a tour with an artist lined up for Dec get suddenly cancelled. She still had one day-long gig, though
-Manami once made a comment in '24 about starting to enjoy black coffee
-Emi's podcast started in Dec + she made a New Year's episode JUST before her trip

Even if it's not her, it's still a cute pic. I'm sketching it out lol

I wonder who this mysterious beer lover is? (An older photo btw but the mugs in Emi's exclusive pic were about this size and style)

Big ol mug of beer could be anyone tbh. Beer culture is strong there for any gender. But it's hard not to consider a certain someone when she's been photographed enjoying such giant mugs before lol

I feel like sketching it out once I get settled at my desk lol

If anything, at least I gotta show her pose in the photo 🤣

Emi (30 mins ago) shared a sub-only photo of her enjoying a mug o' beer at an indoor shopping district (think older definition of "arcade") and I can't help it. I can't help but wonder!

She COULD be with a regular friend, but I'm wondering... Especially with that second mug of beer next to Emi lol

I feel like there's other references I skipped out on listing but some of them are just so tiny it's like...do I even need to? Lol

Like Emi's radio gig. I guess I should add that as yet another reference in the Hokkaido chapter but it was kind of passing references in the chapter itself

I need to see about finishing the LLL reference thread today

I need a show with Manami and Emi in it. I don't care if it's S3 or a different show entirely. I wanna see them acting together again

I miss that (acting) chemistry. Irl is okay. They give us updates 🤣 but I mean...if they were on a medical or police drama... I'd watch it, and I don't like those!

It's done~

Finally! I hope you enjoyed this installment! Please leave kudos, at least! Comments are always welcome, too, but not forced!

Ah...Okinawa!!
archiveofourown.org/works/779789...

Emi (blue sleeves) being held by Manami (brown sleeve), though you can see Emi's other hand coming up as well

Hands

Sketchdump of Emi and Manami holding hands followed by close up expressions of both ladies

So, um....I guess I'm still thinking about that awkwardly posed photo...and how I'm PRETTY SURE someone was holding hands with her lol

I dunno why I love playing in this one moment 🤣

[Jazz hands] Okinawa~~
#rpf #funariart

Emi and Manami enjoying Hokkaido corn. Manami has shifted her umbrella a little so Emi can also enjoy some shade

Enjoying some Hokkaido corn 🌽
#rpf #funariart

Manami and Emi hang out while enjoying coffee

Coffee, hot and cold~
#rpf #funariart

Emi and Manami enjoying a nice day at the park. They are laying on a blanket spread on the ground. Emi has her eyes closed while Manami stares up at the sky

Oh, my life
Is changing every day
In every possible way...🎵

#rpf (only this specific posing idea is, heheh) #funariart

Manami slowly approaches Emi to get all close and snuggly but then Emi surprises her with a quick turn to be face-to-face! Woah! She's so close...!

In the spur of the moment, I remembered the hilarity of September '24 and decided I wanted to channel that energy in a quick lunch doodle, with their current looks

#rpf #funariart

What am I going to do this weekend? Well rest as much as I can, but I'm gonna keep manifesting ManaEmi energies 😆

On Friday afternoon, on my side of the world, I will reveal the illustration I made for Emi's bday on all my socials (including ones Emi is also a part of) 😄

Really goofy Manami and Emi caught in mid-movement, both of them

WEEKEND!

Kasuga and Nomoto are about to plant some strawberry seeds. Kasuga is doing the physical honors while Nomoto reads the directions on the back of the seed packet

🍓

A drawing based on Manami and Emi's photo from the Tsukutabe crew's 2025 year-end party. The only photo we got of the event, by the way. Just noting how....close Manami decided to pose with Emi. She squish against Emi (harder to convey the cheek to almost-cheek one in the middle but they're right up against each other!), she hold onto Emi REAL close, holding her possessively, she even has this mischievous smirk that quietly says "She's mine~" Emi, meanwhile, is chill as she tends to be. It's pretty hilarious, to be honest

Note-less version of the previous image. Only Manami's little "handsome spark" and the little daisy bouncing off Emi's head remain.

Do you see why we call Manami the clingy one? 😏 I only exaggerated the observations *a little*!

For those that just want the art, don't worry! Here's a clean one as well~
#funariart

quick doodle ✨ I adore this kind of character design...

I think the social media reaction/concerns was still a core theme but I think I may go ahead and hint about the whole "choices in life" part, too

Probably gonna modify the summary to LLL3 when I can. I think it ended up with a different overarching theme instead of what I thought it was gonna touch on when I was posting the first chapters 😆

Summaries are the most challenging part of posting stories (text or illustrated) 🤪