#British virtual band Gorillaz

[t-jfh]

(Nexus Studios)

Gorillaz evoke a stylized 3D-world in the Cracker Island music video.

Band members 2D, Murdoc, Noodle, and Russel of the BRIT and Grammy-winning virtual Gorillaz turned to Nexus Studios to create the psychedelic video for their new track Cracker Island’ ft. Thundercat. Directed by artist and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and Nexus Studio’s Emmy-nominated director, Fx Goby, the live-action/animated hybrid music video takes viewers on a late-night jaunt to the City of Angels.

(Nexus Studios)

In the Cracker Island music video, director Goby draws on his multidisciplinary expertise with 2D and 3D animation as well as live-action.

YouTube video >> Gorillaz - Cracker Island ft. Thundercat (Official Video) (Released 29 July 2022 - 3mins.+39secs.):

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Gorillaz — Riffing on the perils of the metaverse and living online.

Gorillaz: Cracker Island album review – smaller, subtler, and better for it.

Damon Albarn has reined in the excess – though there are still cameos from the likes of Bad Bunny and Stevie Nicks – for a trim album that is one of the band’s best.

By Alexis Petridis

The Guardian - 23 February 2023

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Gorillaz featuring Peven Everett perform Strobelite at WFUV 2017.

YouTube video >> Gorillaz feat. Peven Everett - Strobelite [Live at WFUV] (Recorded 16 April 2017 / 4mins.+37secs.):

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Little Simz covers Gorillaz Feel Good Inc for Triple J - Like A Version.

YouTube music video >> Little Simz covers Gorillaz Feel Good Inc for Triple J - Like A Version (Released 1 August 2019 / 4mins.):

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[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Gorillaz - Stylo 2010

"Stylo" is the first single from British virtual band Gorillaz's third studio album Plastic Beach. The song features guest vocals from rapper Mos Def (who played Ford Prefect in the 2005 film Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and Bobby Womack. Bobby Womack knew nothing about Gorillaz and was initially unsure about the collaboration; however, his granddaughter liked Gorillaz and convinced him to do it. Womack was told to sing whatever was on his mind during the recording of "Stylo". "I was in there for an hour going crazy about love and politics, getting it off my chest", said Womack. "Stylo" is a playable song in DJ Hero 2. The music video features Bruce Willis and was nominated at the 53rd Grammy Awards in the category of Short Form Music Video, but lost to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". :'( "Stylo" recieved a total of 64,6% yes votes! 💖

[thunderlina]

LOST MEDIA: Gorillaz - Plastic Beach Web Games

I come to you tonight with one request: I want help in tracking down the Plastic Beach point-and-click adventure game from the Phase 3 (2010-2012) Gorillaz website.

In 2010, coinciding with the release of their third studio album, British virtual band Gorillaz gave their website a huge overhaul, including the release of several new flash games. The centerpiece was a point-and-click adventure game (untitled, usually just referred to as "Plastic Beach") in which the player was able to explore the island of Plastic Beach, similar to the games available on earlier websites where the player was able to explore Gorillaz HQ Kong Studios.

Along with this game were a few others: Escape to Plastic Beach, a three chapter long action/adventure game (the third chapter of which cost €1.50 to play, and was available both for PC and iPhones.) Just recently the developer, Matmi, hinted at trying to re-release these, but they went silent regarding it and nothing has come of it so far.

There were also two smaller Flash titles, Submatronic and Gorillaz Fishing. Not entirely sure what these two entailed but they were listed on the website and, like the adventure game and Escape are not playable via the Wayback Machine nor are they archived elsewhere.

From my research, it seems the website had some kind of DRM software that the older websites (which have been archived over at zombiehiphop.xyz) didn't, since the Plastic Beach game used full tracks from the album and EMI was worried about piracy. Before anyone suggests it like was done in other places where I've asked about this, no, the game was not released on a CD or DVD. Because of this, all four games unique to the Plastic Beach era website are lost. The iPhone port of Escape to Plastic Beach was also removed from the App Store years ago, and as such is also completely lost.

As of right now, all that still exists are low-quality videos of the adventure game in action, a few screenshots, and a handful of Flash files I've dug up from the Wayback Machine.

The loss of this game represents not just a loss for Flash preservation, but a huge loss for Gorillaz fans as it was an integral element of the story of the Plastic Beach era. Without it and much of the other content from the old website, the already incomplete story that Jamie Hewlett and the rest of the Zombie Flesh Eaters team were trying to tell lives on almost wholly through secondary accounts. While recordings exist, it is simply not the same as having access to the full experience.

I ask of you all to please consider my words and help me do something about this, instead of wallowing in hopelessness as it seems the community has been doing for oh so long now.

Thank You.

Footage of the adventure game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUnvkZFPu1Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmAo_POMRHY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW6KHLLgBss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWIkwVDIJNQ

The handful of Flash files I dug up via the Wayback Machine: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RKpP9o-j-4jFkdQEDN54ye5LGZIrBd_7

[sataron]

sorry i just remembered how i used to watch and listen to clint eastwood as a kid and consequently remembered how fond i am of this band.. i have nothing but love.. much love. many love for the virtual animated british band called gorillaz.. oggh

[moonbiscuitsims]

Noodle appreciation on Sims 4 Gorillaz Project

2D's room pics Russel's room pics Murdoc's room pics ("mature") More Gorillaz themed posts

From the wiki: ヌードル (Nuudoru), better known as Noodle, is the official guitarist and former occasional backing vocalist of Gorillaz.

Born: Osaka, Kansai, Japan on 31st October 1990.

Instruments: Guitar, keyboard, synthesizer.

Occupation(s): Songwriter, Guitarist, Vocalist, Ex-Super Soldier

Nationality: Japanese

Religion: Buddhism and Shinto

Created by: Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn

Inspired by D.A.R.E. I used the video for extra reference especially for the front side of the room which i couldn't see well in the reference pics.

Theres a cute little scene in the MTV Cribs Gorillaz short where noodle kicks Murdoc out of her room. The cute ceiling lanterns are missing in this pic because I forgot to start the tab camera from a zoomed out position and they fade when you zoom in my bad.

In the Phase 1 room, that little blue chair was actually Noodle's bed but after she has the white one, so I made it into a chair. If you understand it, please ignore the sign probably meaning something extremely random I can (slightly) read hiragana/katakana but not kanjis sorry I hope it doesn't mean poop or something bad it was just for aesthetic.

I made her room quite messy, because I have an obsession with messy rooms and Gorillaz aesthetics did tend to be quite cluttered and messy.

I like to imagine Cyborg Noodle stole Noodles soldier clothes, so that's why she is wearing them. She is still a badass who loves to train just in case.

The literal description of Kids with Guns. Obviously guns are bad, this is fiction, don't use guns.

I used tons of Cyberpunk 2077 cc for this room and other parts of the building. So that giant head is a Beta version of Shaun Ryder before he could drunk-British karaoke sing D.A.R.E. with Noodle in her secret room. No one is going to convince me that Gorillaz is not slightly cyberpunk, they're a virtual band with holograms, with cyborgs, weird talking robot heads, dystopian and apocalyptic themes and beaches made of plastic.

The bathroom and many parts of the lot were made up but there was no way I was gonna make a poor innocent little teen girl share the disgusting toilets and bathrooms with three dirty grown men ( ×m×) Hers is also slightly dirty but nowhere near as bad I'll post them in future posts.

I created these sims a long time ago, they were so much fun to make, I even made my own (terrible) cc to make certain clothing items more accurate. The lot they live on is Kong Studios, I kind of mixed all the Phases, but my favourite was Phase 2. In the future I hope to do more Phase 3, after that everything is a bit unknown to me as Gorillaz were kind of on hiatus for many years after Plastic Beach and I fell out of touch with them, only to realise quite recently they have tons of new music 🧡

For the inspiration I used I'll leave reference photos I found, from all the old online flash games there use to be, I loved them it's a shame that part of the internet is over x), as well as using their music videos and Rise of the Ogre comic. They're all super bad quality because 240p videos and footage of the 2000's.

Overall I had a really fun time making them and taking these pics, I know they're old but it gives me a lot of nostalgia and I love their music and the entire project. Also I use tons of cc so I don't know if I'll be sharing a CC list, I started making it only to see I was taking 3 hours for barely any of it, so I may (possibly) share it in the future with the lot and sims files, but for now I'm just showing the project. I might also make some cosy lets play videos with them just chilling for my YouTube.

Any support for my posts is greatly appreciated 🧡

[twinknote]

feeling like the opposite of hit song by british virtual band gorillaz. feel bad inc.

[k00289924a]

This is Jamie Hewlett a British comic book artist and illustrator. He is best known for co creating comic book series Tank girl and also is co creator of the virtual band Gorillaz and is a major inspiration and influence on why I want to get into art.

Hewlett's style of his characters is just amazing as every character has its own unique design while still being in Jamie's style. above is an example of one of his many characters. This is noodle who is apart of the virtual band Gorillaz. I really like how he draws hands and the little details he adds to them.

here's another example of Hewlett's work which was used as the cover of his art book titled Jamie Hewlett: Works from the Last 25 Years which came out in 2020 showcasing all of his work. what I like most about his work is how he does the eyes and face of characters with little detail it makes the facial expression feel more realistic then cartoon which I really like but it still shows that kind of quirky side to it as well.

this is Hewlett's comic tank girl which he co created with Alan martin. this was first time I was introduced to Hewlett's work and when I read the comics I feel in love with how he drew. how his work ties into my brief is that he created the characters for Gorillaz and did animations and illustrations for the band to their music and helped with the story of Gorillaz through is art.

[heavenforblog1111]

Feel Good Inc is the lead song from the second album 'Demon Days' by the band Gorillaz released on 9 May 2005. It features an American music group called De La Soul. Gorillaz is a British virtual band consisting of virtual characters- 2-D, Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs. This band was created in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett. The song is one of the best creations by the band and is ranked high at several different lists. Song Meaning At the start of the music video, we see a large city which almost looks like an industrial wasteland. Somewhere within the city, a huge tower is located which extends high up even above the clouds. The tower is the building where Feel Good Inc. is situated. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyHNuVaZJ-k Inside the tower, we find that a huge party is taking place and 2-D is sitting at the chair on the stage in front of several people who have gathered to have fun listening to his music live. Murdoc Niccals is surrounded by women as he plays the guitar. Now, 2-D seems somewhat depressed and starts singing. In the lyrics he talks about how humanity is moving forward probably hinting at urbanization which leads to a lot of destruction of nature and unhealthy living for people. The people in the concert seem dazed and almost asleep probably through the influence of dr*gs or s*x. 2-D mentions how people's lives have changed a lot since the past. The fast paced modern life causes people to be stressed out for most of their day to day life. This has impacted 2-D in a profound way as he doesn't get sleep probably because he is dealing with tension all the time. Now, in the chorus he is singing about windmill. This is him reminiscing the olden times in villages where people used to live carefree and a healthy lifestyle. He is looking at Noodle who is having fun playing music on a green island floating in the air. He wishes he could be in her shoes as he is gazing from the window. I remember the beginning of the formation of 'Feel Good. Inc.' quite clearly. I had a beat that was a little bit '80s, very upbeat. But maybe halfway through, my attention wandered. I played something more acoustic, just something that reminded me of the countryside. So I wrote down some keywords to help with the lyrical imagery. 'Windmill' was one of them. It was a trigger to symbolize a different time and also a reference to the 'dark, satanic mills' that William Blake wrote about in his verse of 'Jerusalem.' I remember that it all started when I was reading the ingredients off the back of a [potato chip] packet. The windmill imagery line is a representation of a note of optimism, a memory of a simpler time. Uh, like maybe, a snapshot of an older world, more innocent. Noodle on Feel Good Inc Then De La Soul enters the scene where the rapper is singing about controlling the artists and using them to make money. De La Soul is probably the head of Feel Good Inc corporate where they use artists to create music for the company. He is singing play these ponies at the track, its my chocolate attack. This could refer to how the company is using music almost like a weapon to make money or influence their customers in some way. The rapper is the leader who is actually revealing his tactics. 2-D has no choice but to follow what the leader is telling him to do. The windmill appears again and noodle is blissfully playing music with her guitar. The helicopters enter the scene where they are chasing the land mass floating in the air. This is perhaps referring to industrialists wanting to capitalize on the free land that they can obtain for themselves. El Manana is a continuation of the Feel Good Inc music video where in the helicopters start attacking noodle firing bullets at her. Meanwhile, 2-D keeps repeating Feel Good in order to make himself feel as if he is fine. This is probably an attempt to help him escape the depressing situation he is put in. So, that is the story behind the song in my opinion.

[sidrial]

Pick 1 album and discuss.

If you don’t recognize any of these, listen to at least 2 first. I will add music 🎶 links in the comments.

#Alsmusiccafe

Episode 322

01 07 24

#Gorillaz #DepecheMode #TheCult #SistersofMercy

[vanehernandezblog]

Project 6 - Artist Research

Artist/Project 2: Gorillaz Immersive Experience.

Last year the british virtual band Gorillaz created an immersive live performance experience on Times Square and Picadilly Circus to promote their back then new single Skinny Ape; this experience combined Real-Time animation and AR immersive technologies. During this experience fans could watch the band’s iconic animated characters play a concert “in real life” through the ´Gorillaz Presents' app in their phones, powered by AR Core.

'Directed by Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and the Emmy-nominated director Fx Goby, the Skinny Ape performances are created by Nexus Studios and utilise Google’s ARCore Geospatial API, using AR to transform public spaces with cultural experiences. It has been staged in partnership with Outfront and Ocean Outdoor.' (Paine, 2022)

This is a wonderful example of how AR can be implemented in many new and never explored before ways inside the music industry, there's so much potential and it's an amazing way to keep the artists connected with the audience in a more "real life way".

References

Paine, A. (2022) 'Gorillaz to transform Picadilly Circus and Times Square with immersive AR performances', Music Week, 12 December 2022. Available at: https://www.musicweek.com/labels/read/gorillaz-to-transform-piccadilly-circus-and-times-square-with-immersive-ar-performances/087096 [Accessed: 8 November 2023].

[girlhugger]

i know this won’t happen in the powerpuff reboot bc I doubt any of those writers actually give a hoot and half about powerpuff lore enough to learn it but I think it would be absolutely hilarious if in one episode they were up against the gangreen gang again and they were like “where the hell is ace?????” and arturo has to explain he’s still not back from touring with the Gorillaz

This idea can be made even better by having murdoc in ace’s place as the temporary new leader of the gangreen gang

[thatswherey0urwr0ng]

Get To Know Me: Favourite Bands [5/5]

Gorillaz

Gorillaz are a British virtual rock band created by Damon Albarn (Also the lead singer of Blur) and Jamie Hewlett in 1998.

The band consists of 4 animated members:

2-D - Lead vocals, keyboard and melodica

Murdoc Niccals - Bass guitar

Noodle - Guitar, occasionly vocals and keyboard

Russel Hobbs - Drums and percussion 

Gorillaz have released 5 studio albums to date:

Gorrilaz (2001)

Demon Days (2005)

Plastic Beach (2010)

The Fall (2011)

Humanz (2017)

The Now Now (2018)

They are most famous for the songs Feel Good Inc, Clint Eastwood and Dare.

My Favourite Gorillaz songs:

On Melancholy Hill (Plastic Beach)

19-2000 - Soulchild Remix (Gorillaz)

Superfast Jellyfish (Plastic Beach)

5/4 (Gorillaz)

Rhinestone Eyes (Plastic Beach)

Favourite Album:

Demon Days

[unownzone]

Soul Eater OC Tip #2: Use a punny name

Using a punny name will make an OC fit well into the Soul Eater universe because there are hardly any characters in Soul Eater who don’t have a punny name. A punny name does not mean it is limited to including puns or wordplay. The names of Soul Eater characters will often have a name that references to Greek mythology, weaponry, animals, monsters, music artists, or even famous criminals.

The following is a list of canon characters and their name origins.

Maka Albarn

“Maka” is a wordplay of the Japanese word, kama, which means scythe. It is popularly known that Albarn is a reference to Damon Albarn, the creators of Gorillaz, an English virtual band formed in 1998. This is the most popular guess due to the creator of Soul Eater, Atsushi Ohkubu, being well known to be a big fan of pop music.

Black Star

The name may be a reference to the color and shape of a shuriken, a throwing weapon popularly associated with ninjas. It may also be a reference to the Radiohead song, Black Star. The lyrics to the song also mention a “falling sky,” while Black Star makes the pun about a falling star in his debut episode.

Death the Kid

Other than the fact that is the “son” of Lord Death, a Grim Reaper, or death god, Death the Kid’s name references the famous outlaw, Billy the Kid(1859-1881). Billy the Kid was active in the American Old West. He killed eight people before being shot and killed when he was 21. Death the Kid’s name referring to an infamous figure of the Old West may also be connected with his double pistol slinging. Many Western films depicted cowboys or criminals wielding two guns for dramatic effect.

Liz and Patty Thompson

Thompson is a reference to the Thompson Submachine Gun M1921, or more popularly known as the “Tommy Gun.”

Franken Stein

The name is a reference to the 1818 novel written by Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. The book depicts a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who discovers the secret of life and creates his own creature, or Frankenstein’s monster. On one hand, Stein’s occupation as a scientist and his ability to make Sid into a zombie is a reference to Frankenstein. On the other hand, Stein’s appearance with the screw in his head and stitches on his skin reference to Frankenstein’s monster.

Medusa Gorgon

In Greek mythology, Medusa is one of the three Gorgons, often described as winged women with snakes for hair. Out of the three Gorgon sisters in Soul Eater, Medusa is the most faithful to the Gorgon reference because of her snake theme. Arachne is a reference to the story in Greek mythology about a weaver who was turned into a hideous creature we now call spiders. Shaula is the Arabic name of the second brightest object in the constellation Scorpius.

Ox Ford

The name is a reference to Oxford University in England.

Harvar D. Éclair

The name comes from Harvard University in the United States. The last name, Éclair, comes from the French word for lightning.

Jacqueline O’Lantern Dupré

The name is a reference to Jack-O-Lanterns, as Jacqueline’s weapon form is a lantern with holes in the shape of a scary face. Jacqueline du Pré(1945-1987) was a British cellist.

As seen from the examples above, many Soul Eater characters have punny names with references to various popular figures and objects. Keeping these examples in mind will be useful when naming a Soul Eater OC!

If the name origins of some characters were not discussed in the post, please share them!

[charlottecolas]

Feel Good Industry

I want to say a few words about Gorillaz, and more precisely about their most successful song to this day – Feel Good Inc. I can’t get too much into everything, about the artists or the song, within the limits of this post, as I’m talking of a band which has been active for over 20 years, and that has had a lot to say and express through their music, partly, but not only. 

Gorillaz is a virtual band (tho one of its founder Damon Albarn didn’t like the term “band”) that was formed in 1998. Now, as you may know, if the musicians are very real, a significant part of their promotion is done through the 4 fictional members of the band (which you can see in their music videos). One of the many interesting things about Gorillaz, and an integral part of their identity as a group, is the universe they have created and in which their fictional characters evolve. They have for many years now topped the charts on multiple occasions and established themselves as a great band of the British pop music. Their music is hard to characterize, as they explore a great variety of styles, from pop to alternative rock, hip-hop, electronic, and more. Another thing to note is that as I mentioned earlier, Gorillaz have expressed themselves multiple times on different issues through their songs such as the environment or Trump’s election. 

Now when it comes to Feel Good Inc, I found myself interested in what they maybe had to say about the music industry. I say “maybe” because the song is very open to interpretation and has resulted in many different readings from the audience. Today I’d like to share a possible reading of this song (mainly based on the music video, as I found the lyrics more difficult to interpret) which concerns the music industry. Damon Albarn has expressed himself a little about the subject, criticizing notably the bands you saw on MTV in the late 90s, which got him to create Gorillaz. 

The ‘Feel Good Industry’ depicted in the video, this huge and long tower, could then be seen as representing the music industry, and its corporations which traps the artists and the audience inside. Then, when you step in, that’s when you see it. The unpassionate/soulless artists trapped in their own music who play for a passive audience that doesn’t pay attention, the dream (you see out of the window) to make authentic music. Following this interpretation then, this song along with its music video, seems to criticize capitalist music industry, where artists must comply to the corporations’ rules to sell and make money. It becomes clearer in the rap part of the song by De La Soul (I’ll link the Genius to the song which explains the references well). Here we could see a representation of the dumbing down of audiences, that are given addicting ‘feel good’ songs, easy to listen to, and that are being controlled with such, which would align with Adorno’s vision. However it needs be said that the world depicted in the video is still fictional (which makes it hard to know how much relates to it and how much reflects reality).

The black helicopters at the end, could be seen as the music labels going after the musician’s dream of artistic freedom, something they would want to avoid because unprofitable to their industry. 

Of course, Gorillaz is part of this music industry, and their song was (ironically?) very successful, and I wonder how people read into the potential meanings when enjoying the song, and how these two are linked? It seems to me anyways that the group expresses a wish for artistic agency while being aware of the realistic commercial workings of the music industry. 

Again, this is just one of many readings. 

sources:

https://genius.com/Gorillaz-feel-good-inc-lyrics

Gorillaz - Wikipedia

Feel Good Inc. - Wikipedia

[ihatetaxes99]

The Skeptic Appreciation Post (Although He Is Kind Of A Dick)

Why am I dedicating a (rather long) post to a random background character in BNHA who contributes almost nothing and is honestly rather underused?

Because no one else will (and because it's fucking fun.)

That joke would work better if I could actually show the clip, but regardless, please gather round, for today I intend to take you on a journey that explores one of the most easily forgotten characters in the series. Hell, let's staple Vigilantes on and say he's the most easily forgotten character in the franchise? Pop Step and the rest of the idols? They're at least unforgettably annoying. Mustard? He scored pretty well in recent popularity polls for a character who hasn't appeared in 200 plus chapters. Muscular? He actually appeared again and at least has a cool prosthetic eye and relatively flashy Quirk. But Chikazuko? I almost never see anyone discussing him and in my humble opinion, the gangly fucker deserves some time in the spotlight. Especially considering he's technically the only remaining MLA executive and thus, will probably play some sort of important role soon.

Anyway, spoilers below, continue at your peril and enjoy the Skeptic Appreciation Post.

Tomoyasu Chikazuko. What is there to say about him? Well, as fate would have it, a decent amount. First of all, who is he? Well, from what he know of him, he's a man whom I would speculate to be in his late twenties to early thirties (he has that general hipster vibe) and serves as a key executive on the Meta Liberation Army, later becoming a Lieutenant in the Paranormal Liberation Front. As of now, we know nothing of his backstory or how he joined the Army. This can obviously open the doors to a lot of fun speculation about his character, but I'll hold off on completely baseless theories for now. We also know that he serves as a board member of Feel Good Inc., a presumably rather powerful tech firm. I think it's worth noting that he is only a member of the board of directors, as opposed to say, being the company president, meaning he is not someone who would have the final say when it comes to important decisions. Right away, this opens up some interesting implications that I shall get into later on in the post.

Chikazuko is a man of extreme intellect as well as a short temper, as we see when he harasses Giran. At first, his role in the story is to act as the MLA's main source of information, using his satellites to track the League as well as being the one to recover Giran's client list (the anime has potentially retconned this fact in the first episode of MVA, or at least removed the confirmation that he was the one who recovered it, but I'm going by the manga here, since it's what I know more and frankly, it's better.) Essentially, it's made quite clear that the Army would not be in such a powerful position over the League at the start of MVA without him. We can also see that he's a grand puppet master, controlling an army of goons that follow his exact word. His mannerisms are exaggerated, more like a cartoon character than perhaps anyone else in the series, and he seems to, much like Compress, have a flair for what he does, albeit a more sadistic one.

Now, with the basic information out of the way, it's time to address the elephant in the room:

Yes, Skeptic is undoubtedly a massive walking Gorillaz reference. Specifically referencing Demon Days, judging from the company name and his general design, looking like a cross between Murdoc and Demon Days era Noodle. Now, this is something that I absolutely adore. Gorillaz is personally my favourite band and as someone who wasn't spoiled on the events of MVA before reading it, I would be embarrassed to admit the squeal I made when I first came to that splash page introducing the members, with the Feel Good Inc. building in the background. However, I personally believe that the callbacks to a British virtual band that hasn't been particularly relevant in ten years are not just because Horikoshi likes the band, although I'm sure that plays into it. I'm not a huge Star Wars person, but I can tell that some of the references in BNHA use the context of the references to enhance the story through the context, and I think it is a similar story with Gorillaz.

So, what is Demon Days, to the less informed who may be reading this? Well, simply put, it's the second album by the band Gorillaz and notably their most popular one to date, really being the only album by the band to break into the mainstream consciousness, at least over here where I live. Chances are, most people reading this have probably heard Feel Good Inc. or Clint Eastwood or DARE on the radio before, even without realising it. But what is Demon Days about? Well, essentially, as an album, it focuses on the theme of societal decay. It explores the idea of increasing moral degeneracy around the early to mid 2000s, with songs covering war, the entertainment industry, drug abuse, the growing desensitisation to violence and apathy in general. Now, how would this tie back to our poorly-groomed friend? Well, I do think that if you pay attention, you can pick up on how Skeptic, to an extent, represents some of the main themes of the album.

For an example, I would like to introduce the song O Green World, one of the first in Demon Days. The song, at least to me, embodies a message of complete societal collapse, with 2D being stuck in a world where only the tortured squawks of crows feasting on the earth can be heard. Overall, in a less literal sense, I perceive the song to be about nihilism, about a person who has become disenfranchised with the world and sees it as no more than a rotting husk, with no one left to care, only crows that feed the disgusting nature of what is left of the world. And yes, I do believe that Tomoyasu at points represents this edgy bullshit. His infamous rant to Giran after lamenting on Curious' demise seems to show a certain level of disgust for most people. Anyone who isn't Destro is filth to him and since Destro's death, which he notably laments as being tragic, things haven't been the same.

But anyway, this is a bit of a stretch as it is, honestly just my own speculation, and I can't sit here writing about an old British band forever, so I think it's time to move onto something more concrete.

An interesting point when it comes to Chikazuko is that it appears he doesn't have much respect for anyone, as I said before. However, this seems to extend beyond his enemies and underlings, as it is implied that he doesn't even hold respect for his leader, Re-Destro.

Look at these panels here. First of all, he has his phone out at the dinner table, which for me at least, has always been one of those things you just don't do. When you're eating a meal, assuming you're a typical polite person, the idea is that you focus on the food and making conversation. This goes double for a meeting with your boss and co-workers. But Tomoyasu has no trouble bringing it up to either play a few rounds of Angry Birds or check with his contacts. It's an interesting display that seems to show an inherent lack of respect for his leader, an idea helped by the crumbs of food still around his mouth, implying a level of sloppiness. And then, of course, there's what he says next. 

"Your word is as good as Destro's." Not "Your word is ultimate" or "I shall follow what you say", he insists on comparing Rikiya to his ancestor. Now, on one hand, this may make sense, as Re-Destro has literally named himself after the original, but it seems here like Skeptic respects Rikiya only for his blood and no other reason. 

And then of course, there's this:

Tomoyasu, as we have seen up until now, is extremely loyal towards the ideals of liberation and the Army. So, who the hell tells the leader of an organisation they respect to "think about what you're saying" and "amend that statement"? Even Rikiya himself seems shocked and it's completely unprofessional. I mean, if I went to school and told the principal to pick their words carefully, I would probably get suspended at the least. It shows a clear disrespect towards Rikiya as a person. Because he doesn't see Rikiya as a person, just the next Destro. Furthermore, just before this was when he was annkuncing Curious' death and, unlike Re-Destro who sheds tears, he shows no emotion. It's all clinical to him. A close ally died. Whatever. It happens. No, he's far more annoyed about Giran's half-delirious state. That's a man who has his priorities in order.

And this can be seen even further at the end of the arc when he comes to collect the League to go to the meeting:

It's clear from this that he holds a lot of resentment towards the League still and does not consider them his equals. While Hanabata is more reasonable and willing to respect Rikiya's decision, Chikazuko is not. We even see this later on during the war where his immediate reaction to the hero raid is to blame Bubaigawara. Because it can't be a problem with him or the Army. No, it has to be the League of Villains. They must be responsible for this mess. He would much rather blame them than himself or the Army. It makes you wonder how he would react if the original Destro had appointed Shigaraki as the new Grand Commander. Would he be more accepting? Perhaps.

So, this is an interesting development for his character. We can see here that although he holds dear the ideas of liberation, he doesn't seem particularly open towards anyone he comes into contact with, including the man who is making his dream a reality. I'm curious to see what will happen now that Re-Destro has been arrested. Will he perhaps denounce Rikiya as a fraud, as someone undeserving of Destro's legacy? His allegiance does seem very shaky at best. But I suppose time will tell.

Now, what about his name? Specifically his codename. Well, Skeptic is one of the easier members of the MLA to understand the meaning behind their codename, alongside Curious. Obviously, his name refers to the emotion of skepticism. Someone who's always doubting, always refusing to accept things at face value. Now, doesn't that sound familiar? Indeed, many of the things we have already discussed could be connected to his namesake. His unwillingness to accept the League, his disrespect towards his commander, his inability to accept that he may hold some blame in Hawks' betrayal and that it was someone else's fault, he certainly seems like a very skeptical person.

But then, what about the scene? You know the one. Arguably Skeptic's big defining moment and, if my belief is correct, the reason why he hasn't been written out of the series yet.

Yes, his grand failure. The one time that he has failed in his life. Just what is it, exactly? Well, we know that this failure is likely not something Rikiya is aware of, judging from how Tomoyasu speaks to him about it. It was also possibly something big, considering how he reacts at the memory. Is this failure the cause of many of his less savoury traits? Perhaps he lost a loved one. Cliché, but a possibility. Or maybe something that compromised his position within Feel Good or an unknown company that he may have worked for in the past. We just don't know what this failure is, unfortunately, but I do think that from how it's showcased, it is something that will likely be answered soon. After all, why else would he still be around when inarguably more important villains like Re-Destro and Compress are now gone from the spotlight? Although, I will say, I hope he didn't do something that got him rejected as a hero. Between Gentle, Dabi and Tenko, I think the idea of potential heroes who fell from the mark has been explored enough in the series. I'd prefer something different. 

Now, earlier I also mentioned that he is stated to merely be a member of the board for FGI and not the main head honcho. Now, although this isn't necessarily tied to him specifically, it does make me wonder if all of the company is corrupt. We know that he was able to use their satellites without much issue, so is the whole board in bed with the MLA? If so, what potential did Skeptic show that led to him becoming the only executive? Do they have something to do with his one failure? How have they reacted to Tomoyasu's exposure? Hell, for that matter, what about Detnerat? We know that Hearts and Minds dissolved less than 24 hours after Hanabata's arrest (which is bullshit, by the way), but I'd be interested to hear what happened to these other companies that had high-ranking members involved with the Army.

But regardless, what more is there to say? Well, there seems to be a lot of parts to Tomoyasu Chikazuko's personality. He's nihilistic, he's narcissistic, he's loyal not to people but to causes and he has a clear anger issue that I doubt we've seen the full brunt of yet. What a charmer, am I right? In all seriousness, when I first read MVA, Skeptic was the second least interesting MLA member just above Geten. However, upon re-reads, I've come to discover there's a lot more to him than I and perhaps a lot of people give him credit for. I'd say after all of this, I actually now like him more than Curious, probably on the same level as Hanabata. But, unlike all of those, Skeptic has a chance. A chance to reach his full potential that so many of the Liberation executives missed out on. He's not licked yet. Thanks to Sako, he's still out there, and I highly doubt he was only rescued so that not all of the MLA were captured. I do think there was a reason he's still with us, Horkoshi has a habit of planning things quite far in advance (see both Chikara Yotsubashi and Oji Harima.) So, I do believe we'll see more of him in a major role soon. And I hope that if we do, then he gets the appreciation that he deserves.

Well, this was a bit of a ramble. My apologies for being a bit all over the place, I've never done a long form discussion of a character before and a lot of it was rambling about things that I find neat. Maybe I'll try this again another time, hopefully in a refined manner. Either way, thank you for reading and have a good day.

[tothedarkdarkseas]

If you woke up tomorrow and suddenly became the new writer for gorillaz... What would be the FIRST thing you'd add/change that you believe is important to get gorillaz on the right track, vs what would you add purely for yourself?

This is tricky to answer, because the fandom is so split on when and why Gorillaz starts going "wrong." I'd probably say I disagree with certain choices in every phase from 3 onward, but I also wouldn't say I abjectly hate any of them or any have truly worn me off the band (admittedly, this current phase has the least to offer.) I say all this to give me cushioning when my suggestions are bad/no one can agree on what's good and what's crap, haha. It's also tough to tell where the line is between The Good Of Us All and Just Good For Me, but I am absolutely aware those are very distinctly separate things.

I would start simply with more interviews. Not short statements for a magazine or ads for new products, not a cobbled together collection of ideas to fill a page in a novelty book. I don’t say that to be a hater, I think the almanac had a few worthwhile written sections, but I don't think it's controversial to say large portions were just taking up space, felt very out-of-step with the character (Paula’s revisiting comes to mind) or didn't feel like they added anything-- goofy for goofy's sake is fun in doses, very much not saying the only worthwhile interviews are the serious ones, but it can feel strange when it is the only significant written content we get for a band that have, in the past, provided actual measured thoughts about the music (mostly Noodle and Russ here) or served themselves as a satire of pop culture and mocked archetypical celebrities (particularly the irreverent, lived, sponsor-unfriendly specifics of British pop culture, as the writers are more at-home with this than, say, exploring much about actual Japanese culture in Noodle’s travels; this is Stu and Murdoc's domain.) I want to read interviews with individual members and with the band as a whole that have no focus on marketing, no focus on their own products or sponsorships, and perhaps most crucially IMO, are not reliant solely on what we’ve seen in music videos already. Honestly, the merch-plugs and promotional materials bother me way less than the short interviews or quotes (from Twitter, etc) we get just referencing the most recent events of a Song Machine video, or really blandly calling back to previously written lore without even a joke attached. I’m not trying to make some grand statement about Gorillaz “always” doing this, or this “always” being bad, I do think these critiques can be overstated sometimes-- but from the perspective of a fairly neutral fan, yeah, I think it’s as true as any subjective feeling can be that Gorillaz’s writing is fairly unwilling to say something new about the characters, maybe because the writers or actors are bound to a script with just a few plot points. Like, I just want Gorillaz to actually be funny again. I acknowledge and respect where they’ve made some attempts but I’d like to see more life in the characters-- and this may teeter into adding things just for me, but I’d like them to a bit meaner again as well. I’d like all of the characters to bring their own laddishness or snobbery to the table, I’d like them to take potshots at pop culture and start beef, I’d like the man we define as being a gross arrogant arsehole to actually come across as these things instead of the characters just rolling their eyes at him and getting virtually no unique characterization of their own-- there’s so much comedy and commentary lost when only Murdoc is allowed to be nasty, and even he can’t really say something to make an enemy. There are of course fans who love the softer family aspect but I reckon there are just as many fans who prefer the band to be sort of Always Sunny-ish, be a little bit insufferable but too much fun to quit. I definitely think there’s a way to strike that balance, because they’ve done it before. Speaking for myself I wouldn’t say Gorillaz is totally ruined and will never be good again etc etc, I don’t want to throw all my merchandise in a fire, I just think they’ve made some questionable choices in the real world, they’re struggling to stay in step now that they’ve got to be their own label, and the characters are not bringing much to the table to genuinely laugh at.

Purely for myself... first instinct/no-thought answer: I would add official artwork of Stu with a small bald spot chatting up a girl in the clinic while holding a little baggy for his prescription itch cream, and another of Murdoc leaving an alley in Soho, sneering at the camera but swiping a thumb at the side of his mouth. Or a song with Brian Molko. Or Stu recording a football chant for Chelsea on his own, ala Sleeping Powder. These are all acceptable.