#Carol you may be the worst but you deserve better than this too! D:

[fortune-maiden]

I feel like this show has run out of things to do with Carol. She’s gone from the kind of stupid and very selfish driving force of the friend group to the most background of them

I’m glad the love triangle plot is over but why does it feel like the writers had literally nothing else planned for her ^^”

[dramioneasks]

FAQ FICS: Music/Singing/Dancing

These fics contain music, singing or dancing as a major theme component in the plot of the fic.

Two Weeks By: MissWitchx - T, 23 chapters - Tired of Draco's arrogant claims that he can 'get any girl he wants', Daphne proposes a challenge to knock him down a peg or two. However when Draco unexpectedly accepts, the stakes are raised and neither Slytherin wants to lose. Elsewhere, Hermione has her own point to prove, but when she finds her path crossing with Draco's, will either of them succeed? 4th Year A/U *COMPLETE*

FortePiano By: I'm All Teeth - T, one-shot - "He actually didn't like having to sit down at the bench and memorize songs, notes, chords, but he loved the satisfaction he felt when music was played well and there was rarely anyone around who could play piano better than he could." One shot.

Defying Gravity By: damnedscribblingwoman - T, 2 chapters - The one where Hermione and Draco star in a musical. At Christmas.

The Pianist - goldhorse - M, 6 chapters - Music can change everything !

7 times By: viv-heart - T, one-shot - Dramione, Muggle Music AU, Do you believe in love at first sight? No? Neither does the famous pianist Draco Malfoy - at least until he finds himself mesmerized by a young woman he doesn't know. Written for Moonsong78

Tango By: MrBenzedrine - M, WIP - A slow burn fic about Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy taking dance lessons to learn the Tango. As the comedy builds, so does the tension -too bad Draco's set to marry Astoria. Dramione. WIP. ***FIRST PLACE: BEST ROMANCE 2017 Dramione Awards***

Painter - snowywintertales - T, one-shot - AU. It is war, made up of loss, of her, Harry and Ron, and, somehow, of his unbroken dignity and her flowing sensibleness. D/Hr.

On First Dances By: luckei1 - K+, one-shot - It's the first Christmas after the war, and the great divide in the wizarding world has yet to begin healing.

Of Warmth Divine - Darkrivertempest - T, one-shot - Something strange is afoot in the wizarding world. When Draco and Hermione investigate further, they are unwittingly drawn together in a most unexpected way.

Bright Lights and Cityscapes By: EaglesLoveSnakes - M, 31 chapters - After the war, Hermione decides to dance again. Draco, a widower, has a young daughter. The only dance studio around is a Muggle one, owned by the one and only Granger, but no matter what, Draco wants his daughter to take ballet like she wishes. Even if it means he's unhappy. A story unlike any other, that deals with love, life and the world of dance. Rated M for future chapters.

Dance Lessons By: xxLucindaxx - T, one-shot - Over a series of dance lessons Draco and Hermione realize that the war changed a lot - including them.

Something Beautiful in Return By: smithandbarrowman - M, 26 chapters - A betrayal of the worst kind has Hermione Granger seeking a place of solitude, where she can leave the world behind and be by herself. All Draco Malfoy wants is privacy, and his name to be forgotten. But is that the only thing they both want?

Stargazing By: In Dreams - M, 3 chapters - Hermione takes up stargazing when she returns to Hogwarts for her eighth year. But she ends up watching a constellation of a far different sort.

Caroled - Misdemeanor1331 - T, one-shot - A good administrative assistant is worth her weight in Galleons. A bad one, however…

Requiem and Rhapsody By: RunningQuill - M, WIP - "They had won the war, but everything in the room screamed of defeat." The Wizarding world is a sinking ship under the rise of a ruthless Ministry. Believing the Horcrux hunt over, Hermione Granger is proven wrong when she agrees to shelter a dead man walking. Draco Malfoy did not live. He existed. (Dramione with a slow burn, post-HP7, EWE.)

Two At The Piano By: Laser Lance 720 - T, one-shot - While camped out at Grimmauld Place with the rest of the Order, Draco and Hermione find that an old piano may be what's needed to keep them both sane through this war. As well, the piano may prove to be all that was needed for the two of them to finally understand the other.

A Certain Step By: DarkRiverTempest - M, 5 chapters - Frustrated with the Minister for Magic and in possession of two left feet, Hermione is forced to take dance lessons. Under her instructors, she not only learns to move with grace, but gets more than she bargained for in the process. Veela!Draco

Together they flew By: MarinersRevenge - T, one-shot - “It felt like forever. It felt like all the cliched feelings people say when they meet someone who shared even a modicum of connection. Mostly it felt like she had been splayed open and her soul had cast itself out into the ether.” Muggle University AU Part 1 of Tiny Star

Taste Of Your Kiss By: AkashaTheKitty - T, one-shot - PostHogwarts. Could maybe follow canon, forgetting the epilogue, I suppose. OOC and HIGHLY improbable. Just a feelgood funny romance I wrote to relieve some of the angst I had gotten from writing Silencio. I don't care if you read or review :PR

So Sweetly by Felgia Starr - T, WIP - AU! Hermione Granger is an insecure singer and dancer who is hated by the press and the media. Draco Malfoy is an alcoholic singer and actor who is also hated by the press and the media. Their manager told them to make a joint album to gain more fans. The problem is, they can’t stand each other. Will they manage to create an album? Or will they drown in all the hate?

Popstar By: cra-z-stephie - T, 12 chapters - Newly made popstar Savannah must attend clases, Head Girl duties, and still be able to keep all of this from her friends as well as attend her many media appearances. The thing is she is at Hogwarts. HGDM GWBZ and many others.

Something In The Way She Moves - Snapes_Goddess - NC17, 20 chapters - “Of all the gin joints in the world, you had to wander into mine.”   Draco Malfoy smirked as he looked down at the familiar witch.  He hadn’t seen her in nearly a decade, not since they had left school.  “So, Granger, what brings you into my bar?”

Band Days - nerdzeword - G, one-shot - Hermione has run out of excuses to tell her friends.

Song of The Slytherin by Queza De Santi (dsantiqueza) - T, one-shot - ‘The Slytherins’ are an up-and-coming band in the Wizarding World, but when they lose one of their back-up singers, who takes her place? And, is it really such a bad thing, after all?

Tango by SiberianCypress - M, 2 chapters - Hermione, along with Harry, Ron and a few others came back to Hogwarts to finish their lost year and get NEWT’s. But there is one more thing awaiting the graduates - the last ball and three necessary dances. Waltz, foxtrot and, unfortunately, tango. When Hermione finds herself unable to crack the last one, maybe an unusual teacher might help?

The Voice By: suri29 - M, 34 chapters - Blaise and draco are business partners and are on a business trip. Blaise takes Draco out to dinner one night and they find themselves with none other than Hermione Granger. But why is she there? M mostly for language & discussions of sex,not too graphic

Hermann/Hermione - lilycat - M, 9 chapters - A wild tale in which Harry and Ron devise a cunning strategy to get Hermione the recognition that she deserves. Intrigue, chaos, humor, and naughtiness ensue when Draco falls hard for the lovely illusion. Humor/Romance- D/Hr. Complete.

Thank you to everyone who suggested fics!

[starscreamwastaken]

By popular demand, here hare my essays comparing and contracting “The Decent of Inana” with “Last Stand of the Wreckers,” and Cain and Able to Megatron and Optimus in the Aligned continuity. Hope you all enjoy. They’re both pretty short. 

“Last Stand of Inanna”

The Descent of Inanna tells the story of Inanna, her descent into the underworld, being tricked, trapped, and eventually freed. Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers tells the story of a group of Autobots who descend on a captured prison, their struggle, their deaths, and the ultimate outcome. While these stories may seem drastically different at a glance, I found a few comparisons between Ereshkigal the queen of the underworld who trapped Inanna, and Overlord the character who captured the prison, as well as The Wreckers and the beasts who free Inanna, and the Autobots and the god who sent the beasts. I also managed to find similarities between Inanna and the prison itself, Garrus 9. Both stories have an intense role of “good” and “bad” however Last Stand of the Wreckers, in the Transformers style, contains  more ultimate evil and ultimate good themes. The reason for The Wreckers visit and the Beasts visit also differ in their intention, however accomplish a common goal.

While trying to compare these two works I first tried to equate Inanna to the Wreckers themselves, as both parties go alone into dangerous territory. The Wreckers themselves could be a parallel to the artifacts Inanna brings into protect herself with. Like the artifacts, which were removed in the seven gates, at every point of the Wreckers journey a member of the team is either killed or injured beyond repair, making the odds of the last Wrecker standing escape quite low. However, Inanna reminds me more of the Prison the Wreckers infiltrate. This Prison, Garrus 9, like Inanna, is captured and made a “corpse” by Overlord, the cruel death loving protagonist of the Wreckers story, who I compare to The Queen of the Underworld Ereshkigal. It is likely there is a greater reason behind Ereshkigal taking Inanna, but it appears as though she does it simply because she can, and the ultimate enemy of the Underworld is generally set up to be Heaven, where Inanna hails from and is a representative of (The Descent of Inanna). Overlord takes over Garrus 9 for attention, but while he is there he goes on a killing spree for the pure sake of it. (Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers) Making others suffer was literally what he was built for, (Transformers: More than Meets the Eye) and he does it as well as the Queen of the Underworld herself. It takes three years for anyone to be sent to Garrus 9, and in Inanna’s story she tells a servant to send someone after her in three days (The Descent of Inanna). The Wreckers remind me of the beasts in that they are disposable, and hold no greater meaning beyond that of their mission. Not only that, but both are sent by a “holy” figure. In Inanna’s case it is by Enki and in the Wrecker’s case it is by the Autobots, who hold themselves on a pedestal of Righteousness because their leader was assigned by their god, Primus.

The Descent of Inanna and Last Stand of the Wreckers does a good job of blurring the lines between good and evil, while at the same time setting up a character we are meant to root for and one we are meant to root against. The difference, however, is that The Wreckers do have an ultimate bad guy, and in the end he is defeated. Whereas in Inanna, while Ereshkigal loses Inanna, I would not count anything that happens as her being defeated. She is actually quite respected, considering her status. She is still a goddess and is still in high standing, despite what she had done. Overlord, on the other hand, is burned nearly to death in order for anyone to escape Garrus 9, which very few do (Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers). Another major difference between these stories is the intent. The Wreckers, unlike the Beasts, do not descend onto Garrus 9 to rescue anyone or liberate it, they go in to get data that would incriminate the Autobots. The only reason they fight Overlord as all is because defeating him was their only way out. While the intent is different the outcome is the same in both stories. One must stay for another to go. The only way Inanna was able to escape the Underworld was if someone took her place. The only way the Wreckers were able to escape Garrus 9 was if they defeated Overlord. In both cases there is an ultimate need to fulfill the ultimate goal.

The Descent of Inanna and Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers, while aesthetically very different, end up being very similar in the end. It is easy to equate certain characters from one story to certain characters in the other. The series of events I find to be very similar, and even though the intent differs, the ultimate goal becomes the same in the end.

“Brother’s Keeper”

The book of “Genesis” has no lack of siblings and their rivalries. The most notorious among them is the story of Cain and Abel, a pair of brothers whose differences lead one to do unto the other the unthinkable. Killing one’s own brother. The older of the two, Cain, is an example of the human at his worst, while Abel is the example of what can happen to man when human is at his worst. These two brothers share a similar story of another pair of “brothers” in a piece of today’s modern media. The quarrel between the Transformers characters of Megatron and Orion Pax, later known as Optimus Prime, follow in the footsteps of these Biblical examples. One, like Cain, is arrogant, and misunderstanding of God’s way and words. The God in this case, is meant as a literal entity,  as well as a higher power known as The Council. Megaton, like Cain, presents to this higher power an offering. In their ignorance though, the offer is not accepted, and the higher power shows that it is in favor of Abel, or Orion Pax, as opposed to Cain and Megatron. Both instances result in death.

Cain is the brother who “tills the earth.” (Genesis 4:2) Abel is the brother deemed “the keeper of the sheep.” (Genesis 4:2) Cain’s job implies a heavy amount of physical work, while Abel is a watchful eye meant to keep others safe. Abel is portrayed as being slightly more devout than his brother, in the way in which he works to please God. When an offering is called to be taken Abel picks his best lamb while Cain, not wanting to waste his best crop, gives God scraps of the land. Similar to how Cain does more physical work, Megatron works as a Gladiator before becoming a true revolutionary (Transformers Exodus). Orion Pax, on the other hand, watches and files away information as an Archivist, similar to how Abel watches over his herd. Further, the image of the Shepherd is often associated as a holy figure. A shepherd is often used to refer to God’s “deliverer” of the people. This role that Abel plays, along with his willingness and devotion to God, could have been why God favored Abel over Cain. Orion Pax, like Abel, was also favored, and granted an artifact called “The Matrix of Leadership” turning him into Optimus Prime (Transformer Prime 27) In essence he, too, became a shepherd, and it was his voice that was heard over Megatron’s.

It is no secret that brothers are prone to fighting, especially when brothers differ so much it is not surprising at all. Cain was hard and arrogant, believing himself the better of the two and deserving of more. Abel, on the other hand, can be described as “gentle and timid” and “a dreamer of kind and peaceful dreams” (Weisel 41). Orion Pax, being a young and curious soul, can also be described as soft in the way Abel is a lover of life with an unrelenting want to discover and explore. It is the complete opposite of his soon to be friend, Megatronus. While Cain, throughout his story, is not an advocate of violence like Megatron, both are lead to it through jealousy and rage. Unlike Cain Megatron never succeeded in killing his “brother” Orion Pax, but his anger lead to the destruction of many lives nonetheless. Had Cain not fallen to his knees before God and admitted his guilt, the same fate may have befell him. Megatron and his followers, like Cain, were cast out and cursed to wander for the rest of their lives. Though one wandered and found a wife and settled, the other went on fighting for the rest of their life.

Like the story of Cain and Abel the characters of Megatron and Optimus are meant to represent the ultimate “good and evil.” Cain and Megatron being the Ultimate Evil, and Optimus and Abel being the Ultimate good. The fact that I can find parallels between a story about humans written hundreds of years ago, and story about fictional space creatures written in the twenty first century demonstrates that these themes are universal.

(Cites for both)

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. Eds. Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom and Pheme Perkins. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. New Revised Standard Version.

Wiesel, Elie. Messengers of God: Biblical portraits and legends. Bibliophile Library, 1987

(Wiesel, Élie, and Marion Wiesel. Messengers of God: biblical portraits and legends. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2005 (?))

Irvine, Alexander. Transformers: exodus. Del Rey, 2010

Dubuc, N. (Writer). (2012, February 18). Orion Pax Part 1 [Television series episode]. In Transformers Prime

Roche, Nick Et Al. Transformers last stand of the wreckers. 681336, 2010

2. Wolkstein, Diane and Samuel Noah Kramer (trans). "The Descent of Inanna." The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The Ancient World, Beginnings - 100 C.E., edited by Paul Davis et al., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004, pp. 28-39

3. Roberts, James, et al. Transformers: more than meets the eye. IDW Publishing, 2016

[recentanimenews]

Staff Picks: Our Favorite Anime of 2019

Welcome to the third post of our annual “Staff Picks,” in which the Ani-Gamers team selects some of our favorite anime, manga, and video games of the past year. This time we’re covering anime!

If you’re strictly looking at the anime output of 2019, it was yet another great year. An ambitious second season of Mob Psycho 100, highly anticipated CG productions like Promare and Beastars (still not available on Netflix!), a new music-focused series from Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop), and Netflix’s big US-Japan co-production of Cannon Busters, among many others. On top of that, Evangelion made its triumphant return to North America thanks to Netflix, stirring up some new controversy along the way.

Unfortunately, all that good stuff was clouded by the worst anime news in decades: a brutal arson attack at Kyoto Animation that left 36 people dead, 33 more injured, and many of the studio’s production materials and digital backups destroyed. The attack represented not only a major tragedy for the anime industry, but the worst mass murder in post-war Japanese history. The victims included acclaimed veterans like Yoshiji Kigami and countless young artists, many of them just out of college and eager to begin work at their dream job. KyoAni was one of the few studios with a reputation for treating their workers with the dignity that they deserve, making the loss of their talented, passionate staff all the more painful. Thankfully, KyoAni has managed to gather a huge number of donations from fans to support the victims’ families and the studio has resumed production, with the new Violet Evergarden movie scheduled for April 2020.

Below, Ink and Evan have listed some of their favorite anime titles of 2019, covering TV series and movies, action series and comedies. Enjoy, and feel free to chime in with your own 2019 picks in the comments.

Ink

#3: The Magnificent Kotobuki

It’s not that I see this title qualifying as one of the best anime of the year, it’s just that, as a WWII plane otaku and airshow enthusiast, The Magnificent Kotobuki (TMK) is one of my personal favorite anime from this past year. Watching TMK is like watching someone play Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge but with much more attention paid to the planes’ mechanical details and exterior wear as well as some very convincing weight dynamics applied to the dogfights. (The dogfights, by the way, range from intimate 1-on-1’s to squad based to air force against air force (and everything in-between) – all presented in loving detail with so many different angles and approaches that they are definitely the stars of the show.) The characters, save Captain Dodo (the stone-faced badass pictured above), are superfluous, but there’s a fair amount of comedy (mostly stock but some original gags) that works well because of the characters and how they’re used that keeps the show entertaining even when not in the air. The only downside, and it isn’t much of one, is the 3DCG animation used most noticeably for the characters; it stands out like a sore thumb against more organic backgrounds, but not so much as to make the show unwatchable. I looked forward to each episode release every single week.

#2: Wasteful Days of High School Girls

I stand by my original description of Wasteful Days of High School Girls (WDoHSG) as Teekyu x Azumanga Daioh with a load of wit via well-placed running gags and impeccably timed, snarky one-liners. It’s cast is a large ensemble, and the show does well via piecemeal introductions that eventually allow the characters’ traits and tendencies to be expressed and received differently depending on which characters are present – the depiction thereof, as someone prone to excessive compartmentalization, I appreciate quite a bit. Watching people bounce off of other people to varying degrees is great, and the aforementioned timing, crucial to any comedy, is spot-on, but WDoHSG also leverages repetition of animation and situational cuts to great effect. I’d be failing the show completely if I did not mention its AOPOTY (Anime OP of the Year), which consists of an all-female (VA-sung), almost nonsensical, gag-filled rap/pop track ("Wa! Moon! dass! cry!") that initially backs the narrative of a photo-bombing Tanaka as she takes candids of her friends (the cast) and later delves into visual gags and welcome randomness that gets more fun as you get to know the characters. WDoHSG is nothing deep, but it’s a show that consistently makes me belly laugh, and that’s exactly what I needed this year.

#1: Carole & Tuesday

After watching the initial trailer for Shinichiro Watanabe’s new music-focused joint, I was skeptical; the guitar playing animation seemed loose, how much could you do with a keyboard, and something just felt off in general. (Watanabe has said he doesn’t like loose depictions of music being played — one of the reasons Kids on the Slope was so intricately animated.) I was very happy to put my initial impressions behind me, however, very soon after I started watching the series proper. It’s a title with a ton of heart that wants to resolve issues stemming from socio-economic disparity through the creation of art. The topic of privileged creator vs. struggling artist is addressed too lightly and almost dismissed via casual acceptance in the first season; resolutions come a little too easily, and arguments that should be had are, for the most part, laughed off in the face of loneliness/desperation. That, however, feeds into the show’s main focus which is healing and growth through friendship and creation/expression — coming together to be something more than yourself by being a part of something greater to which you personally contribute. And that really sets up the second cour. The pacing is rushed but no unacceptable, and the characters are as charming as they are amusing (and vice-versa), but the main reason why this is my favorite of the year is simply that it got me to watch an in-series version of a reality TV show that was, itself, fun, funny, and increasingly tense.

Evan Minto

#3: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind

The hits keep on coming for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Following up on last year’s excellent Diamond is Unbreakable, Golden Wind takes us to Italy to check in on Giorno Giovanna, the son of infamous vampire Dio. Golden Wind’s cast lacks the easy charm of Josuke, Okuyasu, Koichi, and Rohan, and it’s hard to hold a candle to Yoshikage Kira in the villain department, but at least for me the leads aren’t the real stars of this show. In Golden Wind, Araki’s overactive imagination seems to get a bit of a power-up, as everything from the costumes to the Stand powers becomes even less plausible (and thus, better). Characters walk around wearing entire outfits riddled with holes for fashion reasons. Enemy stands can do things like accelerate the aging of everyone in a train or — get this — spawn a baby assassin out of a briefcase. David Production, too, are at the top of their game on this latest adaptation, continuing their strong command of Araki’s unique character design style while bringing in new animators to craft dazzling action and effects sequences. Stone Ocean is on the horizon and I couldn’t be more excited.

#2: Mob Psycho 100 II

When it comes to anime adaptations of ONE manga series, I was always a One-Punch Man guy — there’s nothing quite like watching the coolest action concepts crumble into dust under the scrutiny of ONE’s sardonic, anticlimactic sense of humor. But 2019 brought us second seasons for both of his big series, and let’s put it this way: I didn’t even bother with the second season of One-Punch. Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 is a stellar follow-up to what was already an excellent first season (it was one of my Staff Picks back in 2016). The season picks up thematically where the previous one left off, as psychic middle-schooler Mob seeks self-improvement and greater self-confidence. Sometimes the show’s character arcs feel like retreads (the faux-psychic con man Reigen is as devious and manipulative as ever), but then it unexpectedly dives down dramatic avenues that push the characters to their breaking points. More than anything else, however, Mob Psycho is worth watching for the dazzling artistry on display in nearly every frame of every sequence. Action scenes crackle with energy, and the animators spare no expense detailing the supersonic whiplash and earth-rending force of the series’ many psychic battles. What has always set Mob Psycho above the rest, though, is the fact that even the scenes of daily life are beautifully animated, full of loose, expressive, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny character acting. This is one of the best-looking shows in years, and highly recommended for any fans of great animation.

#1: Promare

No anime experience of 2019 can compare to sitting in the largest ballroom at Anime Expo in Los Angeles, cheering and hooting along with the crowd as I watched Promare for the first time. Studio Trigger’s first feature film plays out like a compressed version of Kill la Kill and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann; it’s one magnificent set piece after another, strung together by a series of unlikely twists and betrayals. The gags are fast and exceedingly dumb, the characters are larger than life, and oh yeah, it’s about gay firefighters duking it out with eco-fascists. On top of that, the film’s eye-popping, candy-colored world is powered by a groundbreaking 2-D/3-D hybrid production, utilizing the best talent at both Trigger and their sister studio Sanzigen and merging their two styles into a unified whole. Promare may not be my favorite from its creative team (Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann are tough acts to follow), but it provided me with more pure, unpretentious fun than anything else this year. I liked it so much I made a whole damn website to celebrate it!

Check out our 2019 Manga Staff Picks and 2019 Video Game Staff Picks too!

Staff Picks: Our Favorite Anime of 2019 originally appeared on Ani-Gamers on January 9, 2020 at 2:47 AM.

By: Ink