#(It was also super obvious to me who actually WATCHED THE EP and end and who didnt based on their reaction to these sequences)

[jaegerisim]

Vent post y'all are gonna hate me for.

I viscerally hate how the Duffers treat most of their non white or queer characters and I hate even more viscerally, how y'all big byler blogs in your circle jerk of other 5 big byler blogs casually like to ignore many red flags the show has.

Y'all like to say: "tHe DufFeRs ArE gReAt WrIteRs" and it's like girl, who are you lying to??? They aren't top shit writers at all. The Duffers are pretty mid imo. Yeah, they run a good show that's fun to watch and theorize abt , but that doesn't mean they're good writers cuz they're not.

1. they completely side lined Will during s3 for the sake of their straight romances: lumax, jancy, mlvn, duzie and partly stobin (even if stobin wasn't endgame, thankfully, Steve's intentions were clearly wanting to date Robin and they gave it a lot of screen time). Will was sidelined bc he didn't fit the straight romance plotline bc they planned to make him gay or whatever. Now in s4 Will and his feelings have been used as mlvn toilet paper. Yes, we like to say this is build up for byler but canonically, Will's feelings have been used to clean the shit mlvn leaves behind.

2. Billy was sympathized a lot during the last 2 seasons. They gave him the sad backstoryTM in order for ppl to feel sorry for him. Billy's backstory is literally Jonathan's but whatever.

3. El's anger issues are constantly girlboss-ified. They down play her bullying situation and literally just use it for El to be a ''girlboss" without realizing how triggering that is. As someone who has lived bullying, seeing it be ignored by canon and fanon is super sad. The whole Rink-O' Mania experience must have been so traumatizing for her yet, everyone absolutely forgets abt it 🤷🏻‍♀️

4. Robin, Erica and Argyle are stereotypical characters. Robin is the quirky lesbian with social anxiety, Erica is the badass black woman and Argyle is the Latino stoner that sells weed to white kids and works as a pizza delivery guy.

5. Altho Argyle and Eddie both do drugs, (Eddie actually sells K-12 to a minor and nobody batted an eye. He has a huge fan base). Eddie is held in a pedestal bc "poor thing 🥺 he lives in a trailer with his uncle 🥺". Tell me a single fact you know abt Argyle that isn't "he smokes weed", "he is Jonathan's only friend", "drives a van" and "he works at a pizzeria". Exactly, Eddie is given a useless backstory and Argyle isn't.

6. Dustin stopped being important to the plot sometime around s2 and s3. He is only there to curse and be mildly funny. My guy needs to hangout with ppl his age cuz he only hangs out with seniors.

7. El needs to stop having so much "I'M THAT BITCH" screentime like I need in s5 for El's arc to not just be her becoming more powerful and falling in love with Mike. I need the Duffers to explore her trauma and problems.

8. Angela should have been run over by the van.

9. Patrick should have been given a backstory that isn't the basic "strict black parents that hit their kids cuz they are a disgrace". Patrick's backstory is actually racist af, fight w the wall.

10. As Lex already said, they didn't trigger tag the ep where Jason and his friends assault Lucas and Erica. Like wtf? Why was that necessary? Why did I have to see a black boy being held at gunpoint by some white guy?? Was it relevant to the plot?? I don't think so. And then I've got to see ppl online be like "Jason wasn't that bad. He was just mourning" like bitch you can stfu. This is what happens when you make the racist assholes conventionally attractive.

Also the fact that Lucas's arc is fulfilled by him fist-fighting Jason and "embracing his weirdness" aka accepting he is black. His arc was not fulfilled at all cuz that ending spoke so loud to me. It showed how little empathy ppl have towards the struggles poc ppl living in the Midwest have. Y'all circle jerks can only see racism when it's super obvious.

Furthermore, parents complained when ST showed "an excessive amount of smoking" yet nobody batted an eye when Billy tried to run over Lucas, when Erica (an 11 y.o ffs) was chased by white kids or when Lucas was held at gunpoint by Jason.

All of this happened while they focused on Max's guilt and mourning that, yeah, are important but certainly not less important than racism!!!

11. In s3, they gave us that whole Nancy vs The Bigots arc that was honestly just triggering and useless. It didn't help Nancy's character at all, quite the opposite it put unnecessary angst.

12. Lonnie being presented as an abuser just for him to never be spoken of again. Can we please get to explore the trauma he left the Byers's with?

13. The fact that both queer relationships are considered "sloppy seconds" is extremely sad. Both Vickie and Mike are rebounding from their failed relationship with Robin and Will. These 2 ships have caused more commotion than Jancy and Jopper together! (These last ships are technically sloppy seconds too but everybody forgets that. Shocker!!)

14. Last but not least, ppl blame Argyle for being the one to get Jonathan into smoking weed as if Jonathan probably wasn't the one looking for it. Let me tell you, that you only find weed if you look for it.

[mikuni14]

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo - Ep 7-8

There have certainly been many smart words written about the finale, I've managed to read only one post so far (and I totally agree with it), I've got a busy end of the week and don't really have time to read more. So I'll quickly list what I particularly liked about the finale:

as far as I can tell, the series probably wrapped up all the threads. Some things may be a bit incomprehensible, but I think that may have been the creators' intention, so that we could guess many things rather than be told specifically by the series. Like, for example, the reasons why JuYeong stayed and took care of DoHoe's father. There could be several such reasons and each one is good (and each one could be wrong lol). Such a wrap-up of threads, a satisfying finale and leaving viewers with a sense of closure is not that common in BL series, especially those that aspire to be more serious, we all know that 🤷‍♀️ so I really appreciate it!

the actors are excellent, I really liked, for example, how looking at DoHoe's body, figure, face, one could clearly deduce his current condition. This zombie-like rigidity, apathy versus ease, a broad smile, uncontrollable bursts of laughter... it was just 👌

I liked this juxtaposition of the oppressive, homophobic, obedience-enforcing and punishing version of religion, with the positive version of religion, i.e. "and the truth shall set you free" :) Because yes, truth, honesty, liberated DoHoe, made him feel free at last, made him feel at peace

I liked this "simple, ordinary" ending in general, where the answer turned out to be a simple, ordinary truth and honesty. Even if it involves pain, loss of something, consequences. And how even these consequences cannot overshadow the overwhelming sense of freedom and peace that is immediately visible in DoHoe. I like the lack of a sugary-sweet ending: DoHoe suffers the consequences of his lies, although as viewers we root for him and want him not to be punished at all

I absolutely love JuYeon's unconditional feelings, how he helps DoHoe over and over again, just like HyeonHo, who, even when rejected, after a difficult conversation, is still ready to help DoHoe

just like the unconditional standing by the child, even at their own expense

JuYeong, when he is serious and so matter-of-fact, when he sees reality for what it is, not believing DoHoe's "mean" but also empty words about breaking up. How many such situations have we seen, when one rejects the other for Noble Motives, or Out of Fear, or for some other Bullshit Reason, when due to an irritating lack of communication the other leaves hurt and then, frustrated, we watch them suffer for several episodes convinced of their unrequited love 😬 JuYeong is not like that, he knows DoHe, he believes in his love, he doesn't believe DoHoe's words because he knows him - this knowledge of the other person, their past, their personality is something I love in my romances, and what makes me believe in love watched on screen as a viewer. Personally, I can't stand this trope when someone is pretending or saying something ooc for them and the other person just buys it. I always ask then: do you even know who you love? Because it's so obvious ooc for them! 😤Super happy that JuYeong is like "I'm not going anywhere and I don't think you actually mean it"

I love how they talk about themselves, their relationship, their life together, their future together, like a real couple, real people 🥰

I love JuYeong because he educated himself in various, sometimes serious, sometimes funny topics 🤩 I often hear men people complaining that they can't handle various things because their parents / school / no one taught them, while Google and books in the library are free. JuYeong asks the internet how to live and how to be a perfect little boyfriend for his pookie and the internet answers him lmao, this is just so simple and perfect. JuYeong is the best!

teddy-bear pajamas! (I will put a gif of them later, love it so much!)

HyeonHo is so fiiiiiine

(apologies for the screenshot from the gray pages but I can't make them on Gaga)

To sum up: I won't hide the fact that whether it's my own fault, or the fault of the subtitles, or the plot, or the aura of depressiveness, but episodes 4-7 were incomprehensible and chaotic for me in some parts, overly complicated at times with conversations full of ambiguities and understatements to the point of being incomprehensible (but I also completely buy the fact that I'm just too stupid to catch all the nuances lol). Overall, the series is very good, although unlike Where Your Eyes Linger, I can only watch it once. The series showed the long-term effects of domestic violence very well, realistically but with respect for the victims, without sugarcoating, without idealizing the victims. It also showed struggling with traumas, which is not always successful, it also shows how important unconditional support is, but also coming face to face with the unpleasant consequences of untreated traumas. It shows the value of love, friendship, honesty, doing what is right, without irritating moralizing. The series had a very realistic vibe, I was able to imagine all of DoHoe's feelings, and the actor convincingly played him as a lost kid, tangled in his own guilt, traumas, lies, yearning for love and hope - even though he is an adult.

The only tiny reservation I have about the series is that I would like more of JuYeong, who has also suffered so much, but from the beginning he has been a strong,leading force in their relationship and is often "the adult one". However, his type of personality, his openness, courage, honesty and straightforwardness are responsible for the fact that he copes relatively better with difficult situations. So it's not really any complaint, more an observation ;)

But apart from that, this series is really good aaaand has a good, happy ending, yay!💖

[the-chessboard-is-personal]

season 2 time wahoo another damn liveblog am I right??

(liveblogging ii season 2, for if it's not obvious. same style as last ii liveblog)

1 - woahh! okay I love the style tbh. wait. Super Mario 3D World/Initial release date: November 21, 2013. this episode: Apr 2, 2013. INANIMATE INSANITY PREDICTED THE DOUBLE CHERRY???? ...huh. weird. why does MePhone have an app for that? y'know, RESURRECTION?

2 - MePad ? can teleport? ?? yeah that egg is gonna be relevant again isn't it

3 - BOW INATOR?? holy shit holy shit ohhg waow,,there is something in this episode that I want so much. lmao. "umm huh, lmhuehyahahuh.." (<- me attempting to spell what test tube said at the end of the ep)

4 - I didn't think the elimination song sucked.. hey wait why does it sound like they get killed or something when they go through the portal. also where does the portal lead

5 - SEVEN?? MeOS SEVEN??? oh huh. is that why someone who dies in space can't come back? OH THE NO SERVICE COMMENT WAS FORESHADOWING!!? wait why is that how it works. why does MePhone specifically get notifications about people dying. wh- okay?? that was ominous ?MePhone what does that rnean. ..chESS MENTIONED

6 - aaand there's another one. ANOTHER TWO??? .oh :| ...what the entire fuck. and yep this episode makes me uncomfortable. who would've FUCKING GUESSED

7 - oh so THAT'S where the portal lead. ..as down as the WHAT- ouhjghhu nooo... not a song

8 - ah yes, MePhone got The Common Code- oh. also idc what the objects say, ftrEwy7u9iop8oaTE7gI is a wonderful name for a challenge. or a password. each new MePhone gets less understandable because of the "techy" voice effec- oh he's dead. [sees Steve Cobs's reaction to the egg] ohh okay. one moment [walks away from the computer]please don't be like dsmp please don't be like dsmp please don't be like dsmp please don't be like dsmp plehokay. oh I don't like him

9 - ...I'm not crying you're crying.,, uohg this is the second time a show like this has had something that felt like it was directed at me. and the other time was Gothi talking to Xanu in Fool's Gold,.,. which was also about moving on.. is.. is that wh- oh hey a gravity falls reference. haha lol :) ...oh this is the depression eppisode. BITCH -> 🌮 <- BITCH

10 - aha! I've figured it out! the secret is MPABZCEAS!! holy fucking shit my joke was immediately kind of relevant. wha..suitcase?? y'know that voice kinda sounded like MePhone

11 - wHUH SMG4 SOUND?! oh wait that sound probably isn't from SMG4, that's just the first time I heard it. still though, neat. ...wild theory. I'm gonna sound like Fan here, but. "Is anything on this show real?" seems.hmm idk. sus. I call foreshadowing. hokay something's definitely going on with Suitcase. oH FOR FUCK'S SAKE yep don't like this episode either

12 - oh fuck they're in episode 1. oh fuck they're in HWUH ?? ..ohh MePhone hates Cobs too. hey if anyone's read this far, I want to know who's your favorite character from the alternate timeline, because why not! mine is Traffic Light

13 - woahhh MePhone backstory! oh. oh I do Not trust that "screen protector". HEY HEY WHAT WAS THAT WHISPER [turns on captions] oh. oh REALLY. HMM. ...wh. what. what what what what what ROBOT ADAM?? MEPHONE 3???? WHAT WHAT WHAT AAAAAAAA UH OH! UH OH OH NO UH OH!! ohkay this is the panic time, the time in every show tumblr freaks out about where things go CRAZY. OKAY OKAY I'M READY AAAAAA

14 - so the person who told me I should watch ii said I need to watch all of season 3 after this episode. I have no idea why! oh fuck! but anyway. that rneans I'll be splitting this section into actual paragraphs since this is the last episode of this liveblog. (<- said that before starting the episode). anyway.

okay. okay Fan just got abducted. ..hhhow did he know that. how did he know that MePad let Marshmallow leave. .hey hey what's with the shot of that panel with the hole in it. maybe I'm just tired but that doesn't seem..right. and not in the bad writing way.

uhm. hey 17:36 isn't supposed to be hitting me too whY IS IT HITTING ME TOO WAUGH.

"is that what you said to Pickle" OHH DAMN MY HEART DROPPED LIKE THE SCENE HOLY SHIT. wait IS FAN DEAD FOREVER??

wait didn't test Tube get eliminated? why did Microphone go through the portal??

looking at the comments for. tbh I forgot what reason when i saw this one

uh knew what KNEW WHAT OH FU-

anyway. so Fan glitching is. gonna be foreshadowing? oh boy let me guess... uhh.. wait why would Fan glitch. other things that glitch are..the tree MePhone made for Cobs? MePhone himself when Tissue Box sneezed on him?? that MePhone 3?? but none of that has anything to do with Fan..

unless.. AHA!

FAN IS A PROJECTION MADE BY ONE OF THE NEWER MEPHONES

COBS IS GOING TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE AS LONG AS FAN IS THERE!!

although with Fan eliminated, th- oh there's an after credits scene?

UH. UM. WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT

AND THE OMINOUS OUTRO THEME. UH OH

okokokokokokayokayokayokay. that's obviously some kind of MePhone. the Meeple logo is there and it's phone shaped, so. that's pretty obvious. but not one that's been seen before, right? like not even a model that's been seen before, because none of them have the grabby hands.

because of the red X imagery I'm gonna guess this one is called MePhone X. and if not, well I'm gonna refer to it as that until I find out otherwise

with how scary that moment was clearly intended to be, we can all agree that Toilet just got permakilled, right? like. despite not being in space? that was definitely. not anything good that happened to Toilet there. I'm just gonna assume Toilet's dead, yep that just happened. aaand now there's a seemingly murderous (although maybe it had a grudge against Toilet for some reason, but I find that unlikely) MePhone roaming around. n e a t .

thiiiiinking that thing is the exception to the "each MePhone we see is dumber than the last" rule that seems to be present. hm. wonder who the Big Villain is going to be

welp it's too late to binge s3 rn so uh. yeap. okay. sure. that's a thing

[haloreigns]

Subtle and not so subtle Clues/Hints that both Cell and Freeza are gay AND that Freeza has a crush on Cell🔽 UPDATED

- In ep 1, Cell and Zarbon have a "moment."

- When Freeza is choking Cell with his tail, he says, "You've awakened something I think.." Alluding to the fact that he may be into choking.

- In ep 3, the obvious, "I choose tails." "So you're giving me head?" Line is obvious.

- Before Freeza throws the ball at Cell, he calls him a "comely cockroach." Comely means pleasant to look at or attractive.

- "No Freeza, fuck ME."👀

- In ep 4, Freeza's response to Dodoria saying Cell's being topped by Froginyu is to instantly, without hesitation say, "Who hasn't?"

- When Froginyu lunges at Cell at the recycle and trash bins, Cell says in the background, "Do not lick me there! I do not know you enough to lick me there!"

- In ep 6, Freeza was watching Cell from his window the whole time.

- In the Christmas special, Freeza's eyes lit up when he saw Cell's gift, but I also think his heart lit up, if you know what I mean.

- Seeing them both sitting next to each other peacefully listening to King Cold's story brings a tear to my eye.

- In ep 8, Freeza is constantly needing to talk to his dad, it screamed coming out to me.

- Freeza's eye roll and tail whip when Cell came up behind him REEKED of sass.

- When Freeza sees Cell and King Cold talking, he says, "What if he hasn't talked about me all day?" Who is talking about? Cell? Or King Cold? I think Cell.

- Freeza says Cell has gotten him down in the dumps because he's been stealing all the attention, but I think there's more to it than that.

- Dodoria implied that Freeza's feelings of abandonment were coming from within. "Maybe it's not about Cell, maybe it's about you."

- When Freeza is having trouble sleeping, he says, "Damn you, you Chartreuse Charlatan!" And at first I thought Chartreuse was the color purple so I assumed he was talking about his dad, but after looking it up, Chartreuse is the color of Yellow and Green, so he was actually talking about Cell, meaning that he couldn't sleep because Cell was on his mind.👀

- In ep 9, when Cell finds Freeza trying to break into his garage, he assumes he's is having a midnight fling with Super Kami Guru.

- I can't lie, when I first watched this episode, I thought Freeza and Cell were going to start making out after they both slapped each other.

- The amount of times Freeza says "shut up" to Cell in this episode (Not in a mean way, but in a somewhat endearing way) is definitely a testament to Freeza's crush.

- "I dressed as your father so I could lure you into here and have you all to myself in the dark." "So you admit it!" Need I say more.

- "What do you do in your free time?" Cell was actually attempting to try and get to know Freeza😍

- Cell tried to understand why Freeza is so damn bitter about being dead. "Why do you even bother now?!"

- Freeza's tone changed when he said, "You really think you're going to get out of here?" It felt like a wall was coming down between the two of them.

- Seeing them both finally have a decent conversation and ask each other, "Do really believe that you can do good and go to heaven?" Is really refreshing, they should talk more like this in the future.

- Cell being able to pick up on Freeza's daddy's issues within 2 episodes.

- "Goodnight, Lord Freeza." Cell has never once called him Lord Freeza until this moment??

- Even though Cell ended the argument, Freeza is obviously unsatisfied and wanted to argue more.🤡

- Their sleeping positions before they go to sleep and right when they wake up is a DEAD giveaway.

- FREEZA WRAPPING HIS TAIL AROUND CELL DURING THE NIGHT??

- Also in ep 8, Freeza was having trouble sleeping ALONE in his bed, because he couldn't stop thinking about Cell, but he's able to sleep without discomfort on the hard concrete floor with Guru's annoying snoring in the background, but he's cuddling CELL that's the only main difference. There's no WAY this is a coincidence.

- In ep 10, Cell has a problem with Bojack being in his "personal bubble" but he sure didn't mind Freeza's tail wrapped around both of his legs in the previous ep.👀

- Freeza's neck roll when he says, "The basic bitch holiday." This man is FRUITY.

- Cell's line, "Top me, Zarbon." He knew what he was doing idc.

- Cooler's expression when he saw Freeza looking after Cell when he went to pee👀 he KNOWS.

- Their miscommunication when they think they're both talking about Cooler and Bojack never gets old.

- Cell mistakes Cooler for Freeza's ex, and Freeza doesn't say anything like, "I don't even swing that way!" He just simply corrects Cell and says, "My brother!" TFS is planting seeds I'm dead serious.

- "So he seems to hate everyone, what's his deal?" "Don't act like you care!" Oh really Freeza? Don't act like you're JEALOUS.

- In Ep 11, when Raditz bumps into Cell and Cell says, “Why, is me being here a problem?” He strikes the FRUITIEST pose I’ve ever seen, and his tone indicates more.

- When Cell comments on Lord Slug working out, he says that he has a big… chin, I think we all thought he was alluding to something else.

- When Cell and Raditz overhear King Cold being hard on Cooler, Cell says he’s close to understanding how Freeza feels, which I’m hoping will lead to some sort of conversation and understanding between them. We’re this close to them at least being cordial I swear, Enemies to Friends to Lovers is seeming more and more evident with each episode😩

- And finally, Cold flirting with Cell, wrong family member, but I’ll take it, I’ll also take it as Cell being gay, because I’m sorry, I do NOT see him with any woman and it’s obvious that he’s not straight.

That's all! For now..

[fleabagsjoy]

Ok so i just binge-watched Oniisama E (Dear Brother) and i have.... thoughts. And feelings.

(SPOILERS AHEAD!)

Not super eloquent ones, I don't have any type of degree or formal education on writing or media analysis, i'm just word vomiting what i think and feel without any sources or facts to back it up so i hope that's okay. And i feel like i should preface with the fact that i didn't actually watch the last four episodes because i dreaded having to sit through Kaoru and Mariko ending up with men idgaf about, and instead read a summary of those last four episodes on Wikipedia.

With that being said, i absolutely loved this anime, i had already watched Revolutionary Girl Utena and everyone who enjoyed that one was talking about this anime so i figured I'd give it a try too and i don't regret it at all. The characters, the setting, the ANIMATION, the main plot and subplots (some of which i enjoyed more than others), i enjoyed it all.

I don't want to point out the obvious about the ending, we all know. But i was prepared, went in with the mindset of completely ignoring eps 36-39, specially the "Real Love is Heterosexual Love" speech that it pulls in the last couple episodes, so i'm not that upset by it. I will say that putting "you will only know what true love is when you find a man for yourself" is some twisted, sexist and lesbophobic stuff to put in an anime where Nanako, Rei and Mariko canonically fall in love with girls and whoever came up with that will not be seeing the pearly gates of heaven. And if that wasn't enough, they had to make the girls end up with men because uuhhh i guess they have to! But anyways, i still read the summary of what happened in those last four episodes.

I read a review from 3 years ago by medivhtirisfal that mentioned this and i'm so glad i'm not the only one but this really reminds me of a series of books that i used to collect when i was younger about an all girls boarding school and all types of adventures and mischief they got up to (the St. Clare's series) and i guess part of me always craved more of that. Oniisama E scratched that itch i suppose, i'll always crave all female casts and to see interactions and relationships that form between them, all types of relationships really: sisterhood, platonic, romantic, sexual, healthy, toxic, simple, complex... women stories matter! And i love when they're the center and backbone of the plot.

Now back to the actual anime. I haven't read the manga yet, don't think i will for a while even though i do like the mangakas artstyle from the few panels i've seen. But like i mentioned, Oniisama E reminds me of those books i used to collect, it's a string of events that happen during the first school year at an all-girls academy of our main character Misonoo Nanako.

It was very satisfying to see Nanako be a bit more submissive when everything and everyone was new to her vs. becoming more confident in her decisions and standing up for herself and others she cares about later on. She was always very caring for others, but i do feel like she let herself be shoved around in the first few episodes so seeing her stand up for Rei against Fukiko and quit the Sorority because of her loyalty not just to Mariko, but to herself and her values, made her one of my favorite characters. Also who can't relate to falling in love with Rei... Asaka Rei was undoubtedly one of the reasons that got me to watch the anime.

I gotta prepare myself before i write a paragraph for her because wow... too much to unpack. I can't elaborate better than some other Asaka Rei understanders about the intricacies of witnessing her own mother take her life in front of her daughter, after telling her to protect and take care of Fumiko, and how that pressure of committing to her mother's final wish lead to Rei's confusion of feelings for her own sister, devoting her everything to her, even her life. I suspect never dealing with the loss of her mother properly is what lead to Rei's severe depression and inability to understand all types love and bonds that she could have with other people, seeing Fukiko as her beginning and end from that moment.

Needless to say that, as much as i wanted her to realize this and free herself from this torment so she could deal with her trauma properly, she had to do it by herself so she could gain some sense of self and build an identity outside of someone she worshiped for so long and SPECIALLY before getting into a relationship with anyone (r.i.p. nanakorei). She's the most tragic character in this story to me, all of this started at a very young age and she had no way to get out of it and when she got close to that, the plot decided to say NOPE. NO CHANCES OF A HAPPY ENDING FOR YOU. Bottom line is: she desperately needed therapy. Veeery early on.

I have to follow up with Ichinomiya Fukiko, a really toxic and abusive teenage girl with too much power over the other girls at school, she lives in a bubble built for incredibly rich people (as do many of the other characters), leader of the Sorority (an academy "elite club"). One of the best things about shoujo ai like this is that all female characters are so fleshed out and have so much to give to the viewers and Fukiko is no exception. I will say that i fail to see a character that has so much (negative) impact on most of the other main characters as she was very often abusing/taking advantage of/humiliating others.

It's definitely because of her upbringing but she always bottled up her feelings to keep up a façade of composure, with Nanako's constant defiance, after confronting her feelings for Henmi and her relationship with Rei, as well as after the abolition of the Sorority, we gradually got to see different sides of her. She's... complicated. Not an evil mastermind or anything, her attempts of sabotage seemed very desperate adn half-hearted, but she could still be very cruel and take advantage even of people she claimed to love. Still, Fukiko was one of the main driving forces of the story and i can always appreciate a character like that.

Of course that leads me to Orihara Kaoru! She is probably one of the most consistent characters in the anime, loyal, determined and resolute, very sure of where she stands, oh my god... i'd crush on her so hard too if i was one of the girls at the academy. I loved the relationship she had with Rei, the soulmateism was off the charts, they had an incredibly intimate bond that no one could replicate and, besides Nanako, i felt for her the most when Rei passed away. I'm pretty sure her having to face the past between her and Henmi was also a big part of her character but again, i really don't wanna witness how that ends so i'm not gonna elaborate too much on what happens in the last four episodes, which is unfortunate because i'm sure a lot of her own development as a character happens in those but whatever...

I didn't expect this when i started Oniisama e but Shinobu Mariko is my favorite character!! It took a while for her to grow on me but i love her a lot. Mariko is mostly known for the misandrist lines (which... real) and i appreciate that she never really changed that (until #those episodes but i won't consider them strictly canon for my sake), but she had such a great story arc with facing her loneliness and facing the problems she had with her parents. I'm no psychologist but BPD is heavily implied and from what i've seen by other fans with BPD, a lot of symptoms were shown throughout the anime, which i appreciate since Mariko wasn't villainized and was instead shown as someone with her own issues with boundaries and relationships at first but that she could manage and balance in a healthier way later on... it's not something you can easily see in anime, specially not from this time. I was really happy when Mariko, Nanako and Tomoko became a great friend trio who could rely on each other halfway through, another testament to her character development.

Tomoko was one of my favs as well! A lot of other characters were very interesting and had important moments in main characters arc like Misaki and Henmi. It's been a while since i've seen an older shoujo but the animation and editing was fascinating to me, very gorgeous, over the top sometimes but we need that! What happened to that! Anyways it's very beautiful, i appreciate it. The intro song will stick with me too and the damn Academy bell... Very melodramatic, but very fun, it's a hit for me!

I'm still grieving Rei so i can't really face anything that happened in eps 33-35. We're past making the lesbians suffer, NANAKO AND REI DESERVED THEIR DATE ON THE BEACH!!

I fear i will be upset by that for the time being but hey, that's what fanfiction is for.

[mayapapaya33]

This is dangerous to write because I'm a bit behind in C3 but I feel relatively safe that The Chained Oblivion isn't a major player in C3. I don't think they're secretly Predathos or the Luxon. (haha watch me be completely wrong lol. If the answer is revealed post C3 ep 86 shhhhh! No spoilers in general, don't be a dick.)

Ok so we know The Chained Oblivion is bound at the bottom of the Abyss by 6 shackles tethered to various points in Exandria. Their locations are a closely guarded internal secret of clergy of the Dawnfather and the Knowing Mistress. We know the location of one in Rexxentrum from C2. My question is, how much do you want to bet one of the shackle's fanes is in Whitestone? lol.

In C1 Matt used to tease them, and us by extension, with the Sun Tree by saying that the Sun Tree may know a LOT of information, but they were asking the wrong questions. That's been in my mind this whole time. What does Matthew McConatree know?!?! Well, the Sun Tree is a tree sacred to The Dawnfather, and rests at the intersection of powerful Ley Lines. The tree was there before the city, in fact, they built the city around the tree. The tree was planted during the Calamity directly over The Knowing Mistresses' Ziggurat temple, and the location of her wounding. We never fully got an answer as to WHY the Sun Tree is there! Is the Sun Tree just watching over the scene of the final battle or is it something more? In fact in C1 ep 70 at (3:10:35) Matt says that Keyleth senses the Ley Lines shoot off in SIX different directions! SIX! The Chained Oblivion is held by SIX chains!!!!!! COINCIDENCE?!?! I THINK NOT!!!! (Ok maybe it is, but still, Matt is ridiculously detailed in his world building, I wouldn't put it past him!)

Whitestone is so fucking cursed. It was messed up long before the Briarwoods got there, they just made it worse. It's where the final battle between The Chained Oblivion, The Knowing Mistress, And The Dawnfather started, The Ziggurat was her temple before it was corrupted, it's where she was wounded (I saw a theory somewhere that the raw essence in Whitestone's rock that can be refined into residuum is actually The Knowing Mistress' blood, which is genius, whoever came up with that, I think you are absolutely correct! That's so damn cool! It has SOMETHING to do with their battle, that much is for sure, what else could it be from?)

The battle ended in Gatshadow, so that's another candidate. Gatshadow is cool, and another important place from C1, but if I had to put money on it, I feel like Whitestone is just one of those places that never catches a break lol. Also Percy's family were originally followers of the Dawnfather (if I remember correctly). The city is a Dawnfather leaning city, Vex is a/the champion of the Dawnfather, which I hope C3 subtly develops further if only in the background. I feel like, of those who were war time converts to fight Vecna, Vex would probably take her duties as Champion most seriously especially considering her position in Whitestone and its relation to the Dawnfather. I'd love to see some Champion of the Dawnfather Vex'ahlia in later C3. (Again don't tell me if it happens).

If Gatshadow was super important strategically, you'd think The Dawnfather would have left a Sun Tree there to keep watch. Maybe he did and we just haven't run across it yet? Seems like we would have seen it on our way to fight Umbrasyl but you never know. They should check the Cobalt Soul library and see if there are any other Sun Trees in Exandria or if Whitestone is it. (The Cobalt Soul, who's favored deity is the Knowing Mistress, someone high up there definitely knows where the chain fanes are!) On second though that's probably way too obvious, having a Sun Tree in each location. They should figure out what other powerful symbols/ followers/ creations of The Dawnfather and The Knowing Mistress there are and look for those! Sphinx's and Sun Trees are only the start. This'll totally be important in Campaign 4 or 5 or 27! Matt plays the long game! He's mentioned The Chained Oblivion too many times for it to not come up again eventually. After the shenanigans around the Angel of Iron's cult and Obaan, and Aeor, Cognoza, the Somnovum, The Eyes of Nine, all that Jazz.

With nothing preventing it from influencing people even from the bottom of the Abyss, it'll happen again. So even if it's just an eternal game of whack-a-mole we'll be seeing their influence somewhere, somehow, at some point lol. "No! Bad! Quit influencing mortals from your prison in the Abyss! Bad Eldritch Abomination, the form of which, were I to look upon it, my sanity would melt into a gibbering puddle of goo! Stop That! Stay!

[namtanlovesfilm]

so far i got to say the trainee was a cute series very light hearted between off and gun and it was so worth waiting for and watching it. however the story between piploy, sea and kapook just doesnt seem right at all. i would love to hear more of your opinion on it. because i felt like in the end of the day they should all go their separate ways and focus on self love instead

I have SO MANY thoughts about the trainee lol, I almost wanna revive my youtube channel & pump out a video 😆 honestly the trainee had SO MUCH potential. I came into this show with no expectation apart from jane being hot af & offgun having flawless chemistry as always, and for most of it it actually blew me away by having a way deeper meaning than anticipated. the exploration of finding yourself & your career at the edge of entering the workplace was honestly really relatable and probably my favorite aspect of the show. I once said the trainee had some of the best writing I had seen from a gmmtv show... but sadly it didn't stick the landing for me. I feel like from ep 9 or 10 the writing really degraded slowly, although there were still very strong scenes in those eps. I HATED the 5 years timelapse in the finale, I've criticized the trope of sending a character abroad for years before but here I particularly hated it bc it honestly kinda destroyed jane's character imo? he was the greenest green flag ever, absolutely obsessed with ryan... but he's gonna ghost ryan & then come back and tell him he's leaving the day after & still kiss him?? and then not come back for FIVE YEARS and not even contact ryan during that time?? that's insane. jane could've easily went for a master degree in thailand & this whole trope was so bad I hated it, I feel like they just went for the easy way out. however, yes, the whole taebahmeejudy storyline was deffo the biggest flop of this show. I think it was obvious that the audience was gonna root for judy & bahmee more bc same sex couples are almost always more popular in the thai fandom, and also the show built up judy & bahmee's chemistry so much. even once bahmee & tae broke up, I personally thought bahmee should've spent at least six months single to learn to be by herself before jumping onto judy, but the storyline that just bc judy was slightly overbearing 3 times, bahmee decided to ditch her & go back to tae... was insane. also I think tae was a really weak character who benefited from being played by sea who's super beloved, but lowkey the only great tae scene is when he drunkenly scolds jane in the last scene of the show (and that's bc it's OOC & frankly should've been a pah moment.) but the whole situation felt unfair for everyone & I hate that judy's feelings were never explored after she cried once & then she was just shown to be okay like??? I don't think the writers accomplished what they set out to do at all. and also they focused SO MUCH on that love triangle that it robbed janeryan from being much more developed, be it the drama with nine or seeing ryan back with his family & tao-hu in the later eps... at the final ep fanmeet, pompam asked piploy what she would do if she were in bamhee's shoes, and piploy hesitated a lot but mentioned the idea of "what's right" before choosing tae still. so maybe it's a cultural difference bc tbh the whole crowd was cheering when tae proposed to bahmee during the fanmeet while I (a hater) was rolling my eyes lmao. so yeah overall I loved janeryan & pie & pah and there were so many amazing scenes, but... I SO wish I could turn back time, barge into the writers room and hijack the writing process for this show to make it stronger towards the end lol. it's definitely offgun's weakest show so far apart from puppy honey, but I still enjoyed it and, yes, sobbed like a little bitch when it ended 💚

xxx

[mustfindcreativeusername]

Granada Holmes season 1 thoughts

I (finally) started watching this with my grandma and my roommate, who decided to join us. Unfortunately grandma wasn't impressed (pacing) so she dropped it after ep 4. But me and my roommate are enjoying it! So now we're watching it together, 1 ep/day.

Anyway here are my very unfiltered thoughts. Straight from the notes app

--

1- SCAN (30 iul)

Yessss. I liked it. A lot. Loved the disguises, i didn't even recognise him in the first disguise.

..why did they change it to "Irena" tho?? At least that's how they pronounced it. Weird.

At least they didn't butcher her personality

2. DANC (31 iul)

I liked this but it seemed slower. And after they get the bad news i feel like it should've been a bit.. worse? At least make the wounds more horrible. And why is Elsie still in the house? They had time to get her to a hospital.

3. NAVA (1 aug)

I hadn't read this one so i didn't know what to expect. I liked it. We made a lot of fun of Percy. I thought at one point that he had hidden them and was playing it up but no, he really was that dramatic.

Poor Holmes hurt his hand :(

Also very funny, i actually hurt my hand like 10 minutes after the episode ended.

Like during the episode I was all "awww do you want one of my pink peppa pig bandaids :(" and guess what. Guess fucking what.

4. SOLI (2 aug)

Well well well

I enjoyed this

I especially enjoyed Holmes beating up that creep

I have not read this story either but i listened to the Sherlock and Co episode. So i kinda knew the basics but not too much, yk.

My roommate appreciated how polite Holmes was with miss Smith. And i was reminded of that one part in the books where Holmes said that he thought of one of his clients like his own daughter. (Don't know what story it's from tho, i only saw it in screenshots on here)

I think it had a good ratio of intense (the obvious) and funny (holmes being kinda mean to watson, the ending :) )

Also the whole wedding in the woods bit was insane. Who would really think that that's enforceable. Jeez.

5. CROO (4 aug)

I mean it was alright. The "david" thing was a bit weird? Especially because she muttered it in her sleep? Like i guess it's something like calling someone a karen but still. The fact that she still said "david" in her sleep was odd.

Also what... How could someone do that? Indirectly (try to) kill a person who trusts you bc you like their girlfriend. That's insane.

He had it coming. Too bad it took 30 years🤷

Also Holmes being mean to that guy in the beginning was hilarious.

Oh oh and Watson's deduction at the end? "Elementary, my dear Holmes" :)))) that was good. We cheered for him

6. SPEC (5 aug)

AAAHH YEAASSSS YESS FINALLY this is my favourite story from the books, it's one of the ones i read when i was around 10 and it was my favourite then and yeah. Love it.

But yeah loved to finally see it on screen. I imagined the snake bigger and spotty-er but yeah. Oh and i loved the interactions between Holmes and Watson. And between them and Miss Stoner. (I told my roommate if i see one more person describe him as cold and emotionless, I'm throwing hands)

I liked that Holmes kinda felt bad for bringing Watson along because it was so dangerous, only for Watson to immediately go anything for you Beyonce :))

And then in the room, his hand shaking? Quality content. Bc yeah. It's a wild animal, it's unpredictable. (Super stressed at the end when he picked it up?? In his hands?? Like yea the leash was there but bruh-)

Also poor Watson being woken up twice :)) (does Holmes know how to wake someone Watson up like a normal person? Unclear)

Also also- "my intimate friend"

Yes

7. BLUE (6 aug)

Right so i do know the original story but i read it a while ago. I still think it's nice that they let the guy go but i remembered him more sympathetic in the books. Idk. Also, did Holmes keep the stone? I thought it was a bit of an odd choice. And how were they able to free the plumber guy without the culprit or the stone? Ehh yeaah, odd.

Also is everyone forgetting that Holmes and Watson aren't the only ones who know that the carbuncle is with them??

Anyway

God he looked so different at the beginning of the episode, before he did his hair. Also my roommate made a comment about having cigarettes for breakfast and. Yeah, petition to have this guy eat a normal meal?? *Sigh*

Also why did we see Watson with a bunch of presents and then never saw any one of them opened? Chehov's Christmas presents. I wanted to see what he got for Holmes

(At least we have the Sherlock and co episode...)

[coredrill]

currently experiencing emotions previously known only to mobile fighter g gundam fans on [googles] WHAT THE FUCK G GUNDAM ENDED ON MARCH 31?????? AND BRAVERN’S GONNA END ON MARCH 28??????? these are not the same dates but they are Close………………anyways i am currently experiencing emotions known only to mobile fighter g gundam fans on march 27, 1995

all of the new sekiha love love tenkyouken fanarts coming out today I NEVER LOSE 😭😭 also i know i said before that i didn’t expect them to Actually reference that scene cause bravern’s been fairly light on the direct references thus far but like. after the last episode i think It Could. simply bc it could (theoretically) be used in a way that makes sense for the story and their character arcs. which is how the past references have been used!!!! like. even the cross-counter fakeout in ep5 bc isami and smith are Not rivals and therefore denied that visual communication w the audience and then the cross-counter actually landing in ep11 bc bravern and superbia Are. this show is so smart and i love it so much. also i think it would be really funny if a young gay smith saw the clips of domon’s booty in the mobile trace suit that the show loves to put onscreen and was like. i gotta watch this LMFAO

the show getting more fans is v cool but Holy Wow are my notifs unuseable LMFAO. i think this worked out well tho cause all us mecha/toku freaks who have been following along the whole time could have peak “this show is a strange disease that afflicts only mecha/toku freaks” hours during eps like. 5-9 while smith was doing the same shit onscreen LMAO. it’s rly funny seeing ppl caught off guard by smith=bravern too cause by the time it happened in real time i feel like we’d all talked ourselves out of it happening simply because it was Too obvious……..idk i think it’s super fun to see the different experiences a show can give someone watching weekly versus binging it :] also hopefully this means there will be bravern stuff at cons………i’ve cosplayed as miyu at two cons already and literally only one person between them knew who i was so 😩

also i lied when i said i had no wishes for the finale. i want ep12 to show me at least one frame of isami with a smile on his face and Not end with destruction. it happened in ep4 at the bar and with japan burning. it happened in ep8 w smith and then he fucking died. it happened in ep11 w bravern and then HE fucking died. let the man be happy 😭 like i know it’s gonna be a happy ending but STILL idk how i have survived 11 weeks of this cause i feel ILL. LMAO. the shrimp emotions are Real

[dvstinctive]

Never posted before but I’m still reeling over Frank v Russia like I’m sure many of you are. What’s the consensus on if Mac knew Dennis was Johnny or not? I think he did actually know, based on 2 reasons. First reason, in Frank vs Russia when Charlie is asking Dennis for help, when he learns he can control Frank, he specially says “.. and Frank’s been aware of the puppetry the entire time?” Only then does he decide he wants to help. The 2nd piece of evidence is that in celebrity booze, Mac smirks at getting Dennis all riled up. This to me seems like a very obvious indicator that Mac is purposely getting Dennis worked up, and is enjoying pushing the right buttons to piss off Dennis.

Back to the first piece of evidence. Let’s just say all this is true and Mac did actually know Johnny was Dennis. Does Dennis know that Mac knows? Does Mac know that Dennis knows that he knows?? Maybe this is Dennis’s twisted way of trying to get closer to Mac because he doesn’t have a good grip on what love is or how to properly express it? Maybe he wanted Mac to secretly know and play along with it. Either way I’m so freaking happy. The implications!!!!!!!

I didn’t feel sure that Mac knew that Dennis was trying to catfish him because I think it’s just as believable that he is denying what happened because he’s hurt or doesn’t want to believe it was Dennis and not some beautiful mystery man who was going to sweep him off his feet, which we have seen Mac do multiple times in the series (deny deny deny) (also recently with Uncle Donald as we all know) But after watching him smirk at Dennis’s rising anger makes me really think he’s been messing with him purposely, which is the strongest piece of evidence that he did know what Dennis was doing and is choosing to pretend like he doesn’t to get a reaction out of Dennis.

No matter if he knew or not, that smirk was really interesting because it tells us that he’s messing with Dennis and enjoying getting him angry and we don’t know how long this has been going on. I don’t know about you all, but this season feels different with them. I feel strongly that something is going on between them. It might be a reach but I kinda have a feeling they either have slept together recently or really want to and are playing games with each other instead of just doing it.

In a wonderfully done post analyzing Bryan’s speech at the end of booze, it’s mentioned that Bryan knows about the power balance in his relationship with Aaron, and makes it known that he could change it if he wanted to easily. But he doesn’t because he isn’t interested in changing the dynamic entirely. Is that what is happening with Mac and Dennis? If it’s a true parallel, I can see Mac’s plan being this: He knows Johnny is Dennis. He knew that Dennis would eventually spill the beans after he thought that Mac had fallen into his trap successfully. He knows when he acts “dumb” or annoying it really pisses off Dennis so that is exactly how he acted. He constantly pestered him about Johnny and then acted like he didn’t understand when Dennis finally came clean. So Dennis is going to get all worked up and he will start to wonder why he cares so much that Mac isn’t understanding or believing him. Hence the “… places your head so far out in front of you that you don’t even realize that your neck is exposed” Dennis is going to end up being the one who is all worked up, not Mac. Mac has been in control this entire time. This could be a wake up call for Dennis to see that he doesn’t have a hold over Mac like he thinks he does. I don’t see Mac actually wanting to leave Dennis, but I’m sure he would like to feel more appreciated, and I think that is the true parallel from booze. What do you all think?

Sorry if this was super long but I would love to hear other peoples opinions! Can’t wait for the bowling ep tonight! Hopefully we will get a better feel for the situation before dtamhd.

[moinsbienquekaworu]

Yeah I've had a S4 poster on my wall since middle school and I still have a deep deep fondness for the show, I mean I'm reading fanfics for it still, but if you think that Eurus Holmes was a good and well executed idea I don't know what to tell you :')

Unstoppable force (I really really want to rewatch some Sherlock BBC episodes and my brain won't let me do anything else) vs immovable object (none of them are actually good and I don't want to go through that experience again)

[thesketchyheartist]

04/03

Banana Fish (EP 2, 9, 11, 24)

Despite the popularity, I originally did not want to watch this anime because people said they always cry/get super sad even after rewatching it. As an already not happy person, even if I must miss the masterpiece between the "definitely straight-platonic" relationship between the main characters, it would be fine.

Well, I watched it. I actually watched a clip from EP 11 on Instagram before, and I knew what the show was, but I didn't want to be too tempted by a singular cute moment at the time.

After watching, I realized what the sadness meant. Unlike Your Name from the last post, that feeling of relief when there are less than 2 minutes left of the last episode was quickly taken away. I wonder if Eiji knew what happened to Ash while he was on the plane, or if he didn't want to say or worry others. Every time Ash and Eiji talk about each other to others, it's almost like they can read each other's minds because they nailed down every flaw and thought so naturally.

I also found the ending not only way too sad but happily ironic. Ash was clearly worried every time he brought Eiji into another gang brawl or some mess from his business. Almost always, Ash and Eiji both need saving, but Ash manages to save himself and others (not everyone as we see in EP 2). He fears that despite the comfort he has with Eiji, he will only bring danger to his life. Yet, it is Eiji who kills Ash because he is too engrossed in Eiji's farewell letter. If Ash had "saved" himself either by leaving behind the letter to go to a hospital or going to Eiji in person before he left, he likely could've lived.

And what do I think about their relationship? These episodes aren't enough for me to really describe it. It's obvious Eiji and Ash deeply care about each other and understand each other beyond the surface. How they can draw out each other's strengths and vulnerabilities shows how compatible they are like when Eiji just takes it upon himself to wake up Ash after his nap when his own subordinates are too scared to do it themselves. He even hits him to get him up, and the subordinates are probably going to leave Eiji behind if Ash even shouts. Instead, Ash just grumbles like a kid and gets up to shower. Of course, he shouts for soap but Eiji still retrieves it for him quietly and very bravely.

The sparkles that center only around the two (you can see shading is cut off behind Eiji) in their own world are very sweet.

-04/02/24

[the-autism-album]

Okay warning this is gonna be a long long rant <4

Firstly it’s that utena is Queerbait and no im not kidding, people do think this

Even without the movie like its so obvious that its not queerbait like??

and its funny bc they said it abt the scene where utena says “I’m a totally normal girl who wants a totally normal boy” Like that scene isn’t super to be ironic and literally contradicted in the show MULTIPLE TIMES the fucking next scene is touga showing up and being like “hello I am a totally normal boy” and utena rejects him LIKE OH MY GOD

LIKE IM SORRY IT NEEDS TO BE SPELLED OUT FOR YOU??

The movie literally exists to show stupid ppl that theyre canon bc they cant fathom not being spoonfed a queer relationship

Bc apparently its not queer unless they look at the camera and say “im in love with a girl” which funnily enough IS EXACTLY WHAT UTENA DOES NEAR THE END IN THE BADMINTON SCENE

AND THATS NOT EVEN MENTIONING JURI

(But also ppl saying “just wait till the movie” is kinda annoying bc you don’t NEED the movie theyre gay enough in the show its VERY CLEAR)

Another is that Anthy has no personality which like??? Literally no, it’s true she hides her real emotions but if you actually PAY ATTENTION she has a very clear personality

And what’s worse is that the person who said this fave character is MIKI like…okay.

Theres “Nanami is so funny and pretty but shes wasted bc all she cares abt is her brother bc the author is a creep” WHICH IM GONNA LOSE IT

Saying a grooming victim is wasted is soooo??? Like also when Touga tries to kiss her she pushes him away BECAUSE SHE ISNT IN LOVE WITH HIM THATS THE WHOLE POINT OF HER ARC!!

There’s also “Utena romantizes abuse” which like??? No??? “It’s too grotesque and grizzly” THATS THE POINT????? And also no? At least not to me, Utena doesn’t shove in your face that utena is being groomed and assaulted, in fact if you aren’t paying attention you probably won’t understand whats happening during ep 33

An example of something that IS too grotesque is the assault scenes from Berserk which are literally hentai scenes and shows you the characters getting assaulted in a way that’s yes supposed to be horrifying but is also framed in a way that you’re clearly supposed to find the scenes appealing

Being uncomfortable by the raw depictions of these topics in utena to the point you don’t wanna watch it is understandable but its not a thing against the show

Also the take that 90s sailor moon is better than Utena bc of Harumichi which is so stupid but thqts a whole other rant

The entire point can be kinda summed up to "abuse bad" just cause it's got a pretty art style and doesn't slap you in the face with the message in the first like 3 episodes doesn't mean it's romanticizing abuse wha t ,,,,,,,

also nanami is one of the bestest characters and I love her and anybody who disagrees is wrong and stupid . Except pretend I had an elegant moral way 2 say that

And QUEERBAIT ??????? HELLO ????????????? DID YOU WATCJ THE FUCKING SHOW ?????(?????????????

[crying-over-gay-dramas]

this post will include major spoilers for My School President and Moonlight chicken, and sort of spoilers for Bad Buddy (I make a comparison). I also did not proofread this and wrote it all in one go without sleeping for a very long time so be warned.

Hello and welcome to me trying to articulate how and why I love every single detail of the My school President finale without sounding insane. This is going to be long so buckle in.

We'll start strong with the obvious which is their first kiss. We waited eleven episodes for them to kiss. They had all these super romantic moments, teasing us with the possibility of a kiss only for it to never happen UNTIL episode 12, the finale, when it happens without any notice, shocking myself and probably everyone else. It was unlike GMMTV's style who usually save the first kiss scene for some dramatic rooftop or beach. All that build up just for a brief peck for their first kiss? Perfection. It was so perfect for their dynamic and for the theme of the show itself. Think of all the things this show carries. First love, high school, dreams, friendship, romance. It's always been more on the innocent side, definitely the other side of the coin that is Never Let Me Go, another GMMTV BL that aired at the same time, with the same aged characters but with an entirely different vibe. That vibe, however, is what made this show really work. Because although it overall came off as innocent, it used that appearance to talk about some deeper things. But, I'll get to that later. Back to the kiss. GMMTV were truly genius for doing it the way they did. A lot of us were even convinced that they weren't going to kiss at all, especially after the scene in MoonLight Chicken from an episode aired only a day before the finale of My School President. The actors for Tin and Gunn, Gemini and Fourth, play characters in that show as well and in this episode they had their very first kiss together however due to camera angles we don't actually see it. That led us to beileve maybe these two actors just wouldn't be kissing in any of their shows, or at least not yet. So we went in to the finale either thinking they wouldn't kiss at all, or expecting a dramatic first kiss and we got neither. It was truly genius. And, as I said before it perfectly fit the theme of the show. It was exactly the style we've come to expect and love from TinGunn. Really fucking cute, for lack of better words. It also suited them because no matter how much those two managed to flirt, they still both were often awkward and flustered around each other so their first kiss being brief and in such a sudden moment fit them really well. It really was just so perfect. We didn't even need anything more in my opinion, but we got it anyways when later in the episode they do kiss more. Overall, it was really something that stood out to me and I loved how it ended up playing out. Physical touch has always been such a big part of TinnGun's relationship and development, and this was really just the pinnacle.

The Prom MV. The PROM MV. A small scene, hardly important to the story right? WRONG. The Prom MV not only provided us with some much appreciated jealous Gun which we love and missed from around ep 6 or 7 I beileve when he tares Tinn away from some girls who were flirting with him (before they had even admitted their feelings to each other I might add) but it also was a very sly method from GMMTV to insert some social commentary, something they've loved doing ever since Not Me. Tiw, apologizes to Tinn and Gun, telling them he asked for the MV to have a "BL" couple but they refused. They go on to show that Tinn's Co-star in the MV has a girlfriend, watching her on the side lines much like Gun is watching Tinn. This implies that the school board had unknowingly put into action an MV starring a gay man and a lesbian (assumed, not confirmed) playing a couple. All of this speaks volumes towards heteronormativity and gender roles and how society, specifically Thailand society in this case, but also everywhere, sees queer people. They'd rather place together a man and a woman who have zero attraction to each other than a man and a man or a woman and a woman who do. Although the message itself was serious, GMMTV still kept it light for the theme of the show, having Gun be jealous of Tinn and the girl in the MV, even pinching Tiw and telling him to yell cut, a detail we all loved. That's one thing that I really admired as I briefly mentioned earlier. The way they were able to insert more serious themes into the show without moving too far from the overall innocent and light hearted vibe.

That being said, GMMTV did let it get serious sometimes, in a way that was very well done. Besides the finale, they had plotlines that cast a more darker tone to the series, such as Gun struggling with feelings of self worth, and failure and his mother getting sick. I won't touch on that much, as I'm trying to focus on the finale here. For the finale, they had a very important scene where Tinn and Gun overhear two of their teachers saying bad things about them, regarding their relationship. This is what we can assume to be both of their times first experiencing strong homophobia directly. For it to come from a teacher as well, one they had respected was incredibly difficult. They don't sugarcoat this part of the episode. They don't give the teacher a redemption arc. Throughout the scene, the teacher holds their views and is shown as what some people are, simply just assholes. This was so important to the series, and important to the show overall, for the message and for the characters. Through this scene we get to see several different characters and their own reactions to Tinn and Gun, theirs being positive. Tinn's junior in his club as well as his mother both stand up foe them against the teacher. It's an emotional scene (that might have made me cry) and really shows you two sides to a very real and much bigger picture. Some people will only be filled with hate, and it can come from anyone. Even someone we trust. But among the hate there will always be those who will stay by your side, and some might surprise you. It's important to stand up for yourself and for whoever you love, to be proud of yourself and not to listen to anyone who tells you to be anything other than what you are. It was a beautiful and very important message and lesson for TinnGun and for us viewers.

Okay, enough being serious for a sec. Now we are going to discuss some of the smaller cuter details I appreciated. Gun officially meeting Tinn's parents as his boyfriend and the dynamic between them matching the already developed characters types of the parents. Tinn's dad being open and friendly, excitingly sharing his shared interest in music with Gun. Gun calling him dad and being nervous but comfortable around him. Tinn's mom telling Gun to call her Aunt instead of mom and her husband teasing her for it. Her staying somewhat distant from the situation yet letting things progress naturally and standing by when she usually would have interfered. It showed great character growth on her part, beyond of course what already occurred with her choosing her son over her career (We'll talk more about that later)

Let's talk about Prom. One thing I liked a lot is how Gun pulled Tinn on stage. It wasn't just romantic and very cute, but it was significant to Tinn and his development. If we look back to episode, 4 or 5 I think? Tinn tells Gun that his worst memory is when as a kid he was meant to sing on stage but forgot the lyrics. He'd been too afraid to sing since. He does sing, however in a previous episode with Gun on stage to support him when he was tired. That already showed how his love for Gun could overpower any previous fear he'd had and make himself stronger and more brave. This scene continues that theme and is important also for the fact that Tinn's mom was there to witness it. In a previous episode when she asks Gun about Tinn she found out that Tinn had sung with Gun and she is surprised. Showing again that Tinn didn't tell her things, or share things with her, much like he never shared with her his crush on Gun. But with this scene, she is there to see it herself. Tinn on stage, quietly singing along with his boyfriend. She's seeing the side to him she never was able to see, one she is finally able to see because she stopped being scared and opener herself up to getting to know her son beyond what she wanted from him.

And here comes, what I mentioned earlier. This very same scene, there is once again some discourse among the teachers about Tinn and Gun's relationship. As was shown and said earlier, she'd been put in a tough position as soon as the pictures of the two had spread, getting calls and complaints from others about the "image" it was giving the school she worked so hard to run. It's made clear from episode one how important it is to her to run the school and maintain what she worked so hard to get. However, in this episode she chooses her son. Not only does she choose her son, but she chooses her morals. We don't see the woman who denied our favorite high school band to perform again and again, but instead we see the woman who wants to run a school where her son, and anyone, can love who they want. I really enjoyed seeing that character development from her, although to me it seems it was always there. It wasn't entirely her that changed, but our perception of her and Tinn's perception of her and I think that was a really smart move on the part of the writers.

One smaller detail I want to mention is the scene where the Chinzilla members are all waiting together to find out their college/future plan results. The scene was much like one from a previous episode, when they waited to find out the winner of the contestant they had tried so hard to be. In the previous scene they are all met with disappointment. It's a very important moment for all of them and continues to follow the theme of youth and dreams. In that case, their dream didn't come true. In life, that is often the case. We don't always get what we want no matter how hard we try. That taught a tough lesson. However, in this later scene they follow that up with a positive tone. Gun finds that he was accepted and the group hugs and celebrates. It's a direct contrast to their previous disappointment and it really gave such a nice, although possibly corny message that you should never give up on your dreams and even if something doesn't work out, there's ways something else that will.

This next one I usually never ever talk about because I don't like it, so the fact that I'm not only okay with bringing it up, but okay that it even happened speaks wonders about how highly I thought of this finale. TinnGun versus GunTinn. I hate this. Like really really hate whenever this is brought up in a BL. It's stupid and it always opens up room for what we all know is a very real issue in the consumption of mlm media. Fetishization. You aren't truly a BL fan until you've been made very uncomfortable by someone discussing which of your favorite characters… yeah. So whenever this is brought up in a BL, even in a joking manner, I hate it. But I just couldn't hate it this time. Because once again, they did it so well. As usual, it was brought up by other people. Their classmates' curiosity and rather selfish need to pry into their business (in my opinion) brought up the subject. But it didn't result in anything weird, for lack of a better word. In fact it was sweet and even funny. It perfectly fit Tinn and Gun, and did show a little bit more of maturity on their part since the show has maintained a rather innocent feel around their relationship. Gun doesn't even know what the order means and Tinn has to tell him. He whispers it to him right there in the hallway and it's the cutest fucking thing. And instead of awkwardness or toxic arguments (I'm looking at you, My Engineer) it turned into teasing and gave the entire argument I've grown so tired of from BL, a light hearted tone. For once, I didn't feel uncomfortable or like they were making it some weird reference to the sick interest of fans (too harsh? Maybe. But idc) but it really felt like it was about TinnGun and their dynamic and it was just really fucking cute, there's no other way to describe it. What is also good about it, is often when BL do have that argument they will reveal which way it is one way or another, and it's just such a weird thing that they feel the need to do that. If it's a scene where they are like actually showing it, fine whatever I guess. but when they talk about it after the fact and make a point of making it clear what happened is so weird to me. Even Bad Buddy did that. I hated that scene in Bad Buddy. It took away some of my enjoyment from the show. My point is, MSP didn't do that and I appreciated that. Because it really doesn't matter, so shut the fuck up and srop being weird and trying to force gender roles on gay relationships.

Those were my main points but there are so many more details I could discuss. A lot of the focus being on Gun and his friends rather than the whole episode being about TinnGun and how important that is to Gun's character and to the show. How their support for Gun when the photos appeared online was a huge deal.

All the small references to previous events such as Tinn's dad buying a new guitar after Tinn gave Gun hid and Gun almost revealing it to him on accident. It gave such small and not entirely necessary, but very cute and funny background on previous events, tying it all together. These details also really helped the series to feel more full and real. A living and breathing story, rather than words on a script.

The entire series and especially that finale was just so well done and I can't believe such amazing work came from a silly little romance about a singer and his school president boyfriend. Except I can, because that silly little vibe is exactly how it was able to create something like this. I'm so grateful for this series and I'm so so so so sad to see it end but the end truly was perfect.

If you have read all of this… you are as obsessed as me, huh?

[xian1na]

more words about buncha spring animes

Hi, it's me again, still motivated to watch spring shows and write about them! There's nothing new on my list so far. There's also a bit of a problem because I'm kinda behind on some of these series so if you've just watched a new episode of Jigokuraku, Yamada-kun or Heavenly Delusion and look everywhere for some discussion... you won't find it here, unfortunately. Still, hope you enjoy!

Hell's Paradise (ep. 4) - We start to meet more side characters and see what their deal is. So far, it seems like they all have pretty similar goals - eliminate the competition and look for the elixir of life in peace. I wonder if there'll be anyone who takes a completely different approach. Although I guess Yuzuriha is kinda that. I mean, she still probably intends to eliminate the competition but in a less straightforward way. I'm curious to see how will her alliance with Gabimaru and Sagiri go (I have a feeling it won't be long-lived though xD). Speaking of Sagiri, I was super disappointed right after watching the episode. What's the point of introducing a cool chick with a sword, if you don't show her being cool and using her sword? i thought. But some manga readers let me know that this is just temporary and Sagiri will in fact, get to be badass. Well, fingers crossed.

Oshi no Ko (ep. 3) - I'm starting to have a feeling that Oshi no Ko will be one of these shows that everyone agrees is great but I'm just not feeling it. In my last post I mentioned that I don't like dialogues here a whole lot and that impression still stands. Take, for example, the scene where Aqua is acting in the drama they're shooting. The whole scene is silent, we can only hear the music. We don't see how did Aqua do, exactly, we can only guess from Kana's expression that it was probably amazing. Cut to Kana praising Aqua for using interesting acting methods and Aqua dismissing that as not that impressive at all actually. Well, if you say so I'm going to take your word for it you guys, but I'd really like to SEE what you were talking about. But it seems that Aqua is planning to pull out the big guns in the next episode so I'm keeping my hopes up.

Heavenly Delusion (ep. 4) - Lots of really interesting little things in this episode. Strap in, let's do some theory crafting. The weirdo babies are probably the monsters in the making. I wonder if all kids in the facility are going to be turned into monsters at some point. Tarao's sickness suggests that. I also thought that the fish with hands that Maru and Kiruko have been fighting has similar ability to Kuku's but Kuku seems to be alright, so there're other possibilities - that the kids are some sorts of inspirations for the monsters, that they are side-effects of research or something like that. Well, whatever it is I definitely want to find out. Things also look good on M&K side of things - beating the monster with the power of weed was great and I also liked the guy who was simping hard for his brother.

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999! (ep. 4) - Wow, Akane is really dumb isn't she, taking so much time figuring out that Eita is Rurihime. I thought it was obvious by the end of the last episode but instead we had to spend a couple minutes just getting that out of the way. I also laughed a bit when Akane said that if Eita is a guy then there's no way that he and Yamada are in a relationship. I wonder if this cluelessness is going to be acknowledged at some point. The rest of the episode was alright. Runa's acting like a massive brat but I expect that after a little bit of conflict (maybe an episode or two) she'll chill out a bit. Akane doesn't seem aware that she's falling for Yamada, which would explain her total non-reaction to him still being a high-schooler in episode two. Anyway, do you remember what I wrote about Skip and Loafer last time, that I expected it to be something a bit different and had to readjust my expectations? Funnily enough when I sat down to watch Yamada-kun episode four I expected something more like Skip and Loafer and ended up being a bit disappointed. Speaking of which...

Skip and Loafer (ep. 4) - It's oddly refreshing to see a show in which the characters actually talk to each other, respect each others' feelings and don't act like dumb bricks all the time. I mean, the subplot with mr drama club pres roping Mitsumi into convincing Shima to act again? I feel like in many other series there'd be a couple of episodes of drama and misunderstandings following that premise. Here? Mitsumi just talks to Shima about it, empathises with him and tells the pres to kindly, shove off! DAMMIT this show is just so wholesome and nice. And this is before we even get to the second half of the episode and the importance of just chillin' out sometimes. I like Skip and Loafer more and more with each episode.

And, just like last time, I'm also catching up on GWitch and SpyFam.

The Witch from Mercury (ep. 4-6) - Holy shit, poor Elan. I heard that Gundam doesn't mess around with characters' deaths but this still took me off-guard. And there's also the mystery of what exactly did Prospera do and/or what is the real nature of Aerial. I can't wait to watch more. Even apart from episode six, so many great things happened in these three episodes. Chuchu punch! Guel acting all tsundere! Suletta's little breakdown during the exam (I love her so much)! This show's so good.

Spy x Family (ep. 4-5) - Episode 4 was a good adaptation of the manga but didn't elevate the source material much, it was pretty by the numbers. Episode 5 though? What a wild ride. I was mostly shocked at how amazing it looked. It seems that the studio decided to slow down the pace a bit so they stretched some manga chapters (it happened in ep. 3 as well) but that really gave them a chance to shine and flex with this original material. And I'm excited for the next episode, because you know what's coming... 𓁹‿𓁹

That's gonna be it from me. Thanks so much for reading and (hopefully) see you next week!

[frostluvrs]

you are me with all the posts about Sand. i was SO giddy in the pool scene lmao the way he was looking at Ray super calculating, like yes please, manipulate him more! Also I just love smart characters and I think Sand is one.

in my case I totally accept it's because i am bitter @ Ray for how he is treated Sand at times and not loving him back lmao I know it doesn't make sense and it's not Ray's fault he does not love him back but what can i say, it's not rational lmao I loved watching Sand not caring about Ray's feelings and only caring about revenge. super toxic of me i know haha

What do you think is gonna happen? do you think Ray is actually gonna fall for Sand at some point (that scene of the trailer 'i won't let walk away' intrigues me) or it's just gonna continue like it is now, with Ray just loving Mew and using Sand as a distraction?

Also your post about being over Raymew, same and in my case it's also not because of Sandray necessarily, i just dislike the whole pinning from afar and humiliating yourself for someone who doesn't give you the time of day, it gives me secondhand embarrasment haha so seeing Ray acting like that is hard for me haha

sorry for this novel omg! but yeah love your posts <3

firstly, don’t even apologize for the novel because i’m about to write you one back so i apologize too for you having to read this long ass answer but LOL i can’t even fault you for loving sand being calculating and not caring about ray’s feelings for once. yes it’s not rational and yes, sand is not helping by refusing to admit how he feels even when ray has given him multiple times to do it. and yes, ray has not done really anything wrong to sand before the whore comments this episode but i really just couldn’t help but smile as a sand lover in ep 6. and for me like i said in my posts i’m just glad that he’s not becoming a doormat (yet… i fear there’s still time but let’s pray it won’t happen) and we’re actually seeing flaws of his. because i was really starting to want him away from everyone in the show after ep 5 and seeing the ep 6 preview and knowing that sand was continuing to help ray even after their fight and being knocked to the ground i was just like “why god, why is he continuing to come back to this man and be around these people. GET HIM AWAY FROM THEM!!!!”

so imagine my surprise and happiness when i saw sand in ep 6 prioritize his revenge over his feelings for ray and decided that he was going to use ray’s feelings. and like you said the way he went about it was really smart. is it toxic to think like that? like you said yes but i’m just happy that sand is capable of this shit too. and it also stays true to his character. he clearly didn’t expect a blow up like that and he clearly feels bad about it and didn’t take ray’s comments to heart because he knows that he was just doing it to lash out at him and push him away. and he continued to follow him to make sure he doesn’t hurt himself or anyone else around him. it’s not like he was faking being a good guy and a genuine person with feelings for ray- this just added layers to his character. like sand, best character on the show? to me he is!

in regards to asking what i think will happen…. honestly, this show is so unpredictable (and even when predictable things do happen they happen in unpredictable ways if you get me) that i genuinely cannot tell you what i think is going to end up happening between ray and sand. there is so many possibilities that could happen that i’ve been thinking of since the show started and i know other people have theorized too that i’m gonna list below and there’s also the path i personally would like for them to take it.

so my ideal scenario (that i don’t think is gonna happen unfortunately) is that starting next episode they become closer and their relationship develops and ray’s feelings become more obvious and more clear that he’s falling. but yes, part of it is because ray becomes attached to sand in an unhealthy way. i would like for them to dig deeper into ray’s alcoholism and for sand to try to get help for ray, but ray not wanting to take it possibly. i’m not sure and i know i also haven’t thought too hard about where ray’s feelings for mew come in and continue to be a problem, sand seemingly walking away at some point and sand’s ex possibly coming back fits in but my ideal ending would be ray deciding to get help or go to rehab and sand being the constant in his life that is going to stay by his side as he gets help. whether it be in a platonic or romantic way. whether they decide to stay friends even though they know they have feelings for each other and maybe work things out in the future in an open ending. or just stay friends in general and sand is there to to be his support as he’s getting help. or they decide to continue to be in a romantic relationship as he’s getting help (yes that can be hard navigate but it can be done and i don’t really like the way half this fandom talks about ray in regards to his addiction).

so that would be my ideal ending that i don’t think is gonna happen. i know not everyone agrees because they don’t want the show to end with something so positive and that’s their opinion and i understand why but i think getting help is realistic too and i hope they show it. i’m here for the messiness and the dumb decisions but i’m also here for seeing these characters grow and i’d like to see it from ray most of all.

in terms of paths i can see happening for sandray (and this just a disorganized list of thoughts) -

- i can see ray deciding to get help at the end but him and sand deciding to go their separate ways whether it be in an open ending or they decide just to not talk to each other anymore

- i can see boeing coming back and jumpstarting ray’s jealousy and maybe making him realize his feelings towards sand. sounds very typical bl plot so i don’t know but it’s a thought that’s crossed my mind

- obviously, the most obvious scenario is ray is going to become unhealthily attached to sand in a similar way that he is to mew and that’s going to make them crash and burn badly. i do wonder if the relationship is going to become codependent with both of them though

- mew and ray’s unrequited love for mew continues to be a problem and this can go in many different paths. we have one of the obvious things that’s probably going to happen which is mew is going to sleep with ray and ray like a dumbass is going to agree even though he clearly will know that it’s for revenge against top. don’t know how that’ll develop or ruin or both sandray’s relationship but we’ll see.

- ray never seriously chooses sand and his feelings never become strong enough to surpass his feelings for mew; so that’s part of the reason they never work out. or ray realizes his feelings too late and they can’t come back from it. or ray realizes his feelings too late and they are able to come back from it (could be where the line in the trailer about not letting him leave his life comes from)

- speaking of that scene the trailer i am very curious about the context of it. it can be bad or good or both. it’s so clear that sand is trying to walk out of this relationship or whatever it is which is interesting to me because what the hell is going to happen that sand decides to leave? i actually posted about this the other day but he knows that ray loves mew and he knows that he doesn’t have a chance and seems to have acknowledged that so would he be leaving because of mew and ray not liking him back?

maybe he decides that his feelings are too strong and he wants to walk away but ray is like “um no you’re not”. or maybe ray starts acting in a way that gives sand hope again but it gets crushed once again and he decides to walk away which then once again ray is like “no you’re not”.

or sand realizes that the relationship is not healthy and decides to try to leave it in which ray is like “yea, no you’re not”. the way in which ray’s saying it kind of scares me a bit because i can’t tell if him saying it is going to be good for the relationship or bad. i also can’t read sand’s face well at all in that scene (but to be fair it’s really quick so i guess we don’t know if his facial expression changes or what it was before).

i’d like for it to be that he’s telling him that because he’s finally realized his feelings and he wants to fight for him. but it could be he’s doing it in a desperate attempt to keep sand with him while still not acknowledging his feelings or even just not having them on the degree that sand does for ray. or it could be both or none of that and it’s something completely different in context. i don’t know but it’s definitely one of the scenes i’m most looking forward to because so far nothing has happened that has pushed sand to the level of leaving so i’m curious as to what ray is going to do. and i’m also curious about how ray is not willing to let him leave so how did their did relationship develop to that between next episode and whenever that happens?

i’m also curious about that scene because i almost feel like sand leaving because he realizes how unhealthy their relationship is is not likely to happen because it almost seems like from the preview (but to be fair he could be joking) sand’s going to understand that but decide to continue to be in the ray’s life. maybe because he thinks he can help him or because he kind of likes idea that ray depends on him (not to the extent of thinking that he set ray up to lose his friends and only be able to rely on sand- i don’t agree with that theory)? or maybe because he just wants to be around ray and he doesn’t care if it’s an unhealthy attachment that ray has on him. but again, maybe he does decide to leave because he’s like “ok this is too much my feelings are too strong i can’t do this anymore” - cue ray losing his mind once sand decides that

- that scene of them arguing in the trailer where ray says his life is going to hell because of him could possibly be because sand tries to get him help without him knowing and ray blows up at him (cue breaking the wine). or they’re arguing about mew and if sand’s feelings are reciprocated by ray. or they’re arguing about something that hasn’t happened in the show yet.

- i don’t know if this is likely, but i want to see sand take a bat to one of ray’s possessions - preferably his car. other people have said that and i have to agree. it would be for my own enjoyment HFJDJDJD

in regards to raymew i’ve made several posts about this already, but i just would like them to focus more on ray’s alcoholism and his addiction. i’d rather them start focusing in on it more this second half and also it be the main problem in their relationship.

it’s just more interesting to me and like you said even taking away sandray as a relationship i just don’t find it that interesting anymore. his unrequited love for mew was actually one of my most anticipated parts of a show for some reason but now it’s just annoying me. i think it’s because of the way they’re doing it.

i don’t think it’s bad writing i just don’t prefer it and i feel like we’re going nowhere? ray says every episode in a different way that he loves mew but knows he can’t have him and mew is like “ok can you move on?”. like how many times can we keep going on and on about this? not even saying that it would make sense if ray got over him next episode or whatever and suddenly didn’t have feelings for him anymore but i wish we actually saw this plot line start to develop in a different way or a way that would make me like it? i don’t know.

and yeah, i also can’t with the unrequited love becoming pathetic. it makes sense for ray and especially where his feelings for mew come from but that “my mew” this episode really almost took me out like i cringed so bad. again, not saying it’s bad writing i just don’t really care about the storyline anymore. hopefully they can do something that’ll make me care about it but unfortunately if they’re going with the mew sleeps with ray thing that’ll just make me more annoyed by it.