Gintama tells us that family isn’t always about genetics. More often, it is a product of chance meetings, shared laughter, and battles fought side-by-side. It is about falling under one roof, and it doesn’t matter if you’re an alien from the farthest end of the galaxy or the madao next door, family is family.
If family isn’t always a matter of genes, what makes a mother, then? Sometimes it means picking up every difficult stray that comes your way and showing that love isn’t about favors earned or deserved. It’s about being the center of gravity to a hard-luck town and protecting it at any cost. Tough job for any lady, then again, Otose’s survived a war and a half.
On this special day, we’d like to dedicate this post to the one and only Terada Ayano-friend, guardian, landlady, smokers of a thousand cigarettes and the living legend of Kabuki-cho. Happy Mother’s Day!



