#Dante basco critical

[atla-confessions]

So what i actually came here for:Dante Basco is a good voice for Zuko but irl he gives Iroh.That pervy old misogynist man energy(see him selling Zutara shirts.Nigga wtf were you messaging with that)

X

[puppyeared]

Atla live action 😐

[fcalloway]

Travis discussing Laura's dream come true

- AWNP Unplugged

[yourhighness6]

I Just Listened to the First Episode of Braving the Elements and I Know I'm Late to the Party but I Have Very Incoherent, Babbling Thoughts About It

(now that I heard Janet and Dante talking I needed to draw young Zuko and Korra. I think they'd be friends. Like, they'd get into fights [with Sokka, too] about who's muscles are more impressive and dumb jock stuff like that. Their respective girlfriends would be so tired.)

Anyway, I think the UGGs ad was a great way to start this out. Really set the tone. I'm also vibing to the theme music cuz I literally haven't listened to it since I rewatched the finale a couple of weeks ago.

[I had no idea Dante Basco was in a dance group as a child I'm laughing for no reason now. I shouldn't judge though I was a drama kid too lol]

I feel like they're doing the whole "the LIGHTS, the CAMERA, the CINEMATOGRAPHY" thing while they're talking about the opening scene. you know what, i'm fine with it.

Basically them:

"Kataang."

"...And I digress,"

The animal crossing segment is cute Appa finally getting the appreciation he deserves

"thINgS HapPEn SoMEtiMeS" has the same energy as Zuko telling Suki "oh, sorry about that" when she reminded him he burned down her village

"I love GranGran" do you Zuko? DO you??

(jk they get along after the war when he apologizes properly)

Aww they brought up Greta Thomburg. I forgot how old this podcast is, but that was a really great message about how the young are the ones saving us and stuff. As a Zoomer [do people still say that?] I can say confidently most of us have no idea what we're doing but we're opinionated and we're here and we're ready to fight for the environment and social justice and shit

HE SWORE

HE SWORE TWICE

HE SWORE THREE TIMES IN LESS THAN TWO MINUTES

Idk about ya'll but I don't think Nick should be letting Mr. Basco represent them I mean that was like three whole "damn"s that is some inappropriate behavior right there

"they're people of privilege" This hit me so hard for no reason. Like it's really obvious, especially in Book 2, that despite all of the abuse Zuko went through he was still in that whole royalty mindset where he basically expects things to be handed to him for most of his arc.

I mean, yeah, that speaks for itself, and there are other instances too. I think Zuko's arc largely corrects a lot of his entitlement, which is a great thing to see throughout the series, but IROH. For some insane reason, maybe because he's very wise and seems content with the little things in life and is basically trying to oppose books 1 and 2 Zuko in every way possible, I never really thought of him as privileged but now it's so obvious that he is. IDK I think that was an interesting thing to point out. It almost makes me value Iroh more because he obviously had to go through a similar journey to Zuko's unlearning all of the arrogance that came with his position and came out of it on the other side as a kind, wise individual who cares deeply for other people and puts the fate of the world before his own. Still interesting to think about on my next rewatch of B1 though, I'll have to start looking out for those behaviors in Iroh.

ANYWAY

Dante Basco, trying so hard to be impartial: "Kataang!"

Janet Varney, one with Zutara nation, apparently: "Meh"

OMG THEY TALKED ABOUT THE SPYGLASS!! I know that scene with Zuko standing on the boat was supposed to be all suspenseful and scary and everything

But I just laugh

I can imagine Aang being like "Aww Zuzu thanks for noticing"

OMG I love Katara finally getting some recognition!! Like there's this meme about the world being saved by "nagging" or whatever and it kind of annoys me. Like, she's calling Sokka out on all of his sexist behavior and that's "nagging"??

Let's be honest it's because she gets kind of "emotional".

Whatever. She deserves to be emotional. Let's be honest the Avatar world was saved by Katara deciding she was done putting up with her brother being a misogynistic ass. [END RANT]

Okay, honestly, I liked it. It was funny, it was cute, I can see it being good, I'll keep listening to it... But, I felt like we were only getting surface level thoughts? There were a few moments where I was like "GODDAMMIT JUST SAY WHAT YOU THINK" which is kind of annoying on a podcast that's supposed to be reviewing the episodes. Like, really? That heavy pause after Dante mentioned Kataang? Janet hesitating to say what she thought when it came up again? C'mon guys, I know you don't want to start anything but the ship wars are not stopping no matter what any of us do at this point because there will always be people on both sides of the war that are toxic and like to start drama. They're not saying everything they want to about the ships and that's a fact. We know it. They know it. Bryke knows it. Also, Dante having not read the series bible was funny but it's only going to be a good joke for so long. Know your shit if you're doing a podcast on it.

I might just be complaining because I need to complain, it's only the first episode, after all, so I want to be clear that I really did like it. 10/10 would recommend, I just hope they maybe get more into the fandom stuff as we go along instead of just looking at the episode. Dig a little deeper, discuss controversial stuff, have a little fun with it, READ THE SERIES BIBLE.

(btw I might make more Korra and young Zuko fanart. It was fun, and now I have ideas for them meeting in some weird spirit world thing)

[yenleak]

My controversial opinions about Zutara fandom as a part of it:

1. This community should admit its mistakes as well as point out inadequate individuals here.

Fans who spread sexist and violent ideas on ship to please their delusions are not good fans and should not represent us. We are very supportive of each other in this fandom, but if a person is talking outright shit, then it's better for us to point something out. Let's normalize being critical in your own community.

2. Criticizing the characters is good. Expressing an opinion about their actions is just as good. Calling characters slurs and spreading hatred against them? People became too comfortable with it.

Aang and Mai are exactly the same imperfect characters as the rest. Mai is a victim of Bryke's writing as much as Katara. But if they wronged Katara in terms of her role as a character, Mai was not given this role at all. They didn't even plan to give her any development. She is not a piece of shit for being flat, and I actually love how some fics reveal her character from a new angle. Her demonization by people is caused only by the desire to make Katara look like the better partner for Zuko (southern lights is a good example). Which is kinda mysoginistic. Mai might not be great, but she's never been bad.

The same can be said about Aang. I love him as a separate character, but not as a partner for Katara, and I can think of at least seven reasons why, but calling him a nasty harasser is kinda too much. This is also Bryke's fault and how abruptly they decided to show us that Kataang is the final couple. They hurried and made something weird and messy out of their love line. I know that this is a popular topic in our fandom and, again, I love reading character analyses and anti kataang metas. I 100% admit that he made Katara feel uncomfortable throughout the third season. It's just that this constant villanization of him, the main character, sometimes looks forced.

3. Katara would never give up her body and freedom against her own will. Arranged marriage fics do not convey her character in any way!

This is my personal opinion, which you may disagree with, but these fanfictions are such bullshit. If the whole ship is about how they understand each other, how ! choose! to be with each other, then why making them fall in love in such conditions? We are the ones talking about how Zutara is definitely not colonized x colonizer ship, but these fics put them in such position. The only trope associated with arranged marriage that I like is when 1) Katara marries Zuko in her late 20s and after the war and both of them are friends at the beginning; 2) when it is agreed for the benefit of both sides

4. STOP WHITEWASHING THEM PLEASE!

5. Zuko and Katara will never be parallel to Dramione and other similar ships.

After all, if Dramione is all about from enemies to lovers, then Zutara is from enemies to friends to lovers which makes a huge difference.

6. Katara is not a sub...

7. There's nothing wrong with stating that Zutara is for the girls.

I've seen a lot of people shitting on this opinion, but the only male openly shipping them is Dante Basco. We often point out how Zutara is made through female gaze, so what is wrong about this statement?

((anyways. I love our community so so so much! You all are wonderful, from meta makers to writers and artists. Never listen to antis and never let them make you feel bad about your choices. After all it is their choice to spread negativity which immediately questions their mindset. ))

[jasmine-tea-latte]

JTL's long but not as long as it could've been review of Netflix's ATLA

So.

I’ve finished watching the Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and I have a lot of thoughts. Because despite some of the more questionable changes, I overall enjoyed this as an adaptation.

I wish I could say that I was surprised by the criticisms I'm seen so far, but unfortunately, I’m not. As much as I adore the OG series for being one of the greatest animated shows (or television shows, period), it’s been placed on a pedestal over the years and any adaptation of it will always be held to an impossibly high standard. And for better or for worse, a lot of fans have their nostalgia glasses on when it comes to the show, so any deviation from the source material is going to receive some form of backlash. I say this as someone who clearly still loves the show 19 years later, otherwise I wouldn't be here writing about it, ya know?

Anyways, if I had to give it a grade compared to the OG series, I’d give it a B- or a C+. If I’m grading it as its own thing, I’d bump that up to a B+ or A-. There are some elements (pun not intended) that definitely should have been kept in, and some changes that I thought were done well.

TL;DR – I had fun watching it even during the parts that made me cry, and the parts that made me say “… well that was a decision.” I’d love to see the last two books be adapted as well, if for no other reason than to meet Toph Mothereffing Bei Fong and see all of Team Avatar together.

(Also because I’d LOVE to see The Ember Island Players, especially if they managed to work in a few fun cameos. Can't you picture Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Play!Toph and thee Dante Basco as Play!Zuko, hamming it up for all it’s worth? Shut up and take my money!)

(And of course, the Last Agni Kai for obvious reasons)

So I’d recommend at least checking it out if you’re interested. I’d also like to recommend that if you do, watch it from a pragmatic standpoint that it’s a condensed adaptation, not a shot-for-shot remake.

Some things that I liked, and some that I didn’t are below the cut:  

(SPOILERS, obvs)

Aang – I really liked this version of him, and though his actor’s still young, I thought he embodied the upbeat, playful side well. I also liked that they removed his one-sided crush on Katara, and – don’t shoot me for this – if they went with Kat@ang later based on how they did their characters in this first season, I wouldn’t be entirely opposed if it’s built on actual friendship and not an unrequited crush. (Still Team Zutara for life, but I don’t think that I’d *hate* it if the show went in this direction.)

Katara – I thought her actress did great when it came to portraying the nurturing, sensitive side. What I didn’t like was them removing nearly all of her feminine rage. Let her be angry! Let her lose her temper and be hot-headed! This post sums it up nicely. That being said, I do think she did well enough with the direction she was given. Here’s hoping we’ll see our girl eff some stuff up if we get Seasons 2 and 3.

Sokka – Fantastic and sarcastic. I really liked his actor’s interpretation of him, and it definitely felt more in line with the character we all fell in love with during the OG show.

Zuko – out of the main cast, I think his performance was the best. He had to step into a major role, taking over from a beloved performance that is still hailed as one of the greatest redemption arcs in modern media with a lot of expectations riding on his shoulders, and I think that his actor knocked it out of the park. It’s different from Dante Basco’s interpretation, obviously. But as I watched each episode, I kept thinking, “there’s our grumpy fire boy.” The scene where he’s throwing the temper tantrum over losing his journal, while Iroh’s standing back and watching? I thought to myself, “this boy is the worst, he’s perfect.” Plus the flashbacks to his life before scarring were done well, and even though I knew what was coming re: the Agni Kai against his father and subsequent banishment, I still got emotional.

Also, regarding the Agni Kai – on one hand, I feel like his absolute refusal to fight back was such an integral part of that scene and understanding who he is as a character. That being said, I didn’t *hate* that in this version he was pushed into defending himself, albeit by holding back. That one shot where he hesitates to attack Ozai, only for his father to use that same move against him moments later… oof.

My ONLY complaint with this version of Zuko is that he didn't say "honor" once.

Other thoughts I had:

🟣 I really liked that we got to see more of the Air Nomads and life at the Southern Air Temple prior to Sozin’s attack. I also liked the explanation the show gave of having all the Air Nomads gathered together for a festival celebrating the comet, which makes more sense if they’re all (allegedly) under one roof.

Additionally, witnessing the genocide itself… I was crying. Especially during the final showdown between Gyatso and Sozin, and the realization that we were witnessing Roku’s (former) best friend slaughter one of his other closest friends.

But why wouldn't they send the children out on the flying bison to escape instead of having them all cornered?!

🟣 I really enjoyed getting to see interactions between Ozai and Iroh, which was one of the biggest missed opportunities in the OG show.

🟣 MY GIRL JUNE. That is all.

The part where she flirts with Iroh was also a nice flip on what happened in the OG show, with his covert pervert crush and all. Plus Zuko’s face when she calls his “dad” cute? Peak Zuzu. Also, poor Iroh hahaha.

🟣 Suki! I really liked the Kyoshi Island episode, plus her awkward flirting with Sokka by kicking his ass.

🟣 I really wish the whole subplot of Kya’s necklace hadn’t been cut, tbh. The flashbacks involving her were good, and as devastating as it was actually seeing her death, it does hammer home the point what a horrifying experience that was (side-eyeing you, everyone making the jokes about Katara always bringing up her dead mother.)

🟣 THE SCARF SCENE. Nice try, Netflix, but I know better than to get my hopes up again from 5 seconds of slow-mo. Did I still screech when it happened, though? Ofc I did!

🟣 The twist with the 41st Division was bittersweet and I may have (okay, definitely) cried.

🟣 Combining Jet’s subplots with the Mechanist’s and putting them in Omashu wasn’t too bad. I do wish the message of “not everyone in the FN is evil” from Jet’s episode had made it into this version, tbh.

🟣 Overall, I liked Jet + the Freedom Fighters. Also, props to his actor for capturing the pretty boy / f*ckboi attitude well.

🟣 Loved Chong and the hippies, of course (SECRET, SECRET, SECRET TUNNEL, YEAH!) and I don’t mind that they were included this early.

🟣 I loved the change to the Cave of Two Lovers and having Oma and Shu be lesbians.

🟣 I feel like if the show’s renewed for a second season and we come back to Omashu, there’s a chance they could revisit the COTL with Katara and Aang this time around.

🟣 The random lady smacking Zuzu with a broom – “how dare you hit that child?!” – was hilarious, and Dallas Liu’s facial expressions of “wtf” and “fml” were a thing of beauty (starts at 1:40 in the video below)

🟣 CABBAGE MAN! I just love that they got the original voice actor, hamming it up and screaming at the sky.

🟣 I LOVED the Blue Spirit episode, and all of the flashbacks, plus the voiceover about masks and seeing past!Zuko contrasted to present!Zuko, as presented in this gifset? RIP my heart.

🟣 The flashback to Lu Ten’s funeral and showing Zuko being the only person to join his uncle, sharing a sweet memory of his cousin while Leaves from the Vine plays? Beautiful. Ditto to the flashbacks of Iroh standing up for his nephew prior to the Agni Kai and the scenes of them getting ready to set sail to search for the Avatar. “I don’t need a babysitter.” “How about a friend?” how about excuse you I did not ask for these emotions how dare you.

🟣 I actually liked the inclusion of Ozai and Azula + Mai and Ty Lee. I also loved the opening of Ep. 3, showing how she was able to infiltrate the team of rebels. RIP to Kevin Tran (in advanced placement), though.

🟣 I loved that Katara rallied the women waterbenders and they were able to help during the Siege of the North. I also liked her reaction when she's talking with Yugoda in the healing huts and realizes why she's been sent there. It gave us a glimpse of the fiestier / headstrong Katara we all know and love, and if the show gets renewed I hope we'll get to see more.

🟣 I really enjoyed them giving Aang and Zuko a few minutes to talk / form a connection after he was unmasked as the Blue Spirit. That was nicely done.

and finally...

Nothing else to add, just chef's kiss.

(gif source)

Anyways! I might make a more extensive list of my personal pros and cons, but for now, I’d still recommend giving it a shot.

[kiwisandpearls]

Kindly take your last post out of the Zutara tag.

People are allowed to criticize Aang. People are allowed to point out the failings of the writing behind his character. He's fictional. His feelings won't be hurt. It shouldn't matter that people hate him.

(Some people who dislike or criticize him aren't even Zutara shippers. And those that are have said that their dislike of Aang has nothing to do with liking Zutara)

What's not okay is attacking Zutara shippers who are real people over their opinions on a FICTIONAL character.

The problem with posts like yours is that they're so hypocritical. You always make out Zutara shippers to be the problem. Do you know what Kataang fans have done? They've doxxed people, sent death threats. They had a rape Discord a few years ago. They've continuously harassed DANTE BOSCO, calling him a pedo because he likes Zutara. They literally recently harassed an NATLA writer on Twitter because she likes Zutara.

Stop calling out Zutara shippers for not liking a fictional character when Kataang shippers have some real damage to real people.

…I—

I literally did not put my post in the zutara tag. I put them in the ‘zutara fans critical’ and ‘zutara stans critical’ tags because 1. I didn’t want to put them in the anti zutara tag because it wasn’t meant to be an anti zutara post and 2. I obviously did not want to put the post critical about zutara shippers in the general zutara tag. I’m guessing you most likely just looked up zutara because like again, you can check yourself, I did not use the general ‘zutara’ tag.

also I never said people weren’t allowed to criticize aang. My point was actually that you don’t have to vilify aang to excuse zutara and/or excuse your dislike of aang. Criticizing aang isn’t “aang forced katara to be with him and would be a horrible boyfriend/husband to her” criticizing aang is “aang was in the wrong for how he talked to katara after the ember islands play”.

“What's not okay is attacking Zutara shippers who are real people over their opinions on a FICTIONAL character.”

i’m not???? Where do you see me attacking zutara shippers, genuinely point it out to me because if I was being hostile to them that wasn’t my intention.

I would’ve just ignored and maybe deleted this ask if I weren’t completely baffled by it. How is me making this one post about how certain zutara shippers should just admit they have a negative opinion of aang and much prefer zutara to kataang instead of coming up batshit reasons to claim aang is a horrible person is me somehow attacking zutara shippers for…having negative opinion on aang, and turning a blind eye to kataang shippers that are just as if not worse?

trust me, I think kataang shippers who make up reasons to explain why zuko would also be terrible for katara is just as annoying as zutara shippers who make up reasons to explain why aang would be terrible for katara. And I don’t think kataang shippers, or any shippers, doxxing and harassing zutara and other shippers is ok in anyway. I just didn’t mention it because I kinda thought it would be obvious that kataang shippers that also harass people are just as bad as zutara shippers that harass people. Maybe that’s asking a little too much of the internet but idk.

Also, I didn’t know kataang shippers were harassing Dante Basco. I didn’t even know he was a zutara shipper, I’m not that deep in the fandom. I’m not even that much in it at all lol. So even if I were to talk about kataang shippers what did you want me to do about it? Telepathically figure out kataang shippers have been harassing him lol? Not saying that it’s ok nor surprising, I just straight up didn’t know.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group A Round 4: Symphogear vs Trese

#A6: Symphogear (Senki Zesshou Symphogear)

Sad lesbians sing while fighting monsters

#A8: Trese

Badass woman deals with the supernatural

Details and poll under the cut!

#A6: Symphogear (Senki Zesshou Symphogear)

Summary:

The world is beset by creatures known as the Noise. Nothing can touch them, and if they touch a human being, both turn into carbon dust. But, with the symphogear system-magitech battle armor powered by music and singing, humanity has a chance to fight back.

Propaganda:

This is the best example of music fights I’ve ever seen. They sing WHILE fighting. It’s amazing. The fight choreography, how the music plays into it, and let’s not forget the incredible character development. The entire cast is full of characters that would be the highlight of any other show. And last but not least, it is off the walls insane fun. You think it reaches its heights at the end of season 1, but no. It keeps climbing, and you are along for the ride.

Trigger Warnings: Drugs, Emotional Abuse, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Guns, Kidnapping, Nudity, Slavery, Suicide

All warnings apply to the main characters, some are for the later seasons (drugs, guns (especially S2)). Slavery and kidnapping are rather said than shown and are from a flashback.

#A8: Trese

Summary:

In Manila, where dark supernatural forces pervade the criminal underworld, it’s up to one woman to keep the peace—but there’s a storm brewing.

Propaganda:

It’s the first Filipino anime (at least, that I know of) to feature the country’s supernatural creatures, so if you’ve only watched Japanese anime up to now, you will find the magic in Trese very novel. I also like how the protagonist is a woman when the Lakan, in Philippine history, tended to be a man. She’s also quite badass. Although she has two bulky twin sidekicks who can serve as her bodyguards, she is in no way less than them when it comes to fighting. The show’s on Netflix with different language audios. If you’re gonna watch it in English, you can even hear Dante Basco (Zuko’s voice actor) voicing one of the minor characters.

Trigger Warnings:

Child Abuse – for the episode about a reanimated baby

There’s Violence from fight scenes. There’s also Gore for when the monsters get killed brutally, but because of the art style, it doesn’t appear that extreme.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form with your revisions, and I’ll consider adapting those changes.

New: Starting round 5, screenshots will be included in the poll post. You can submit screenshots through the form linked above, or through here, via ask or dm.

Guidelines in submitting screenshots:

No NSFW or spoilery images.

Pick some good images please. Don’t send any blurry or pixelated ones.

You may send up to 9 screenshots, but not all may be used.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I don't think the kataang fandom is perfect/ has never harrased people all fandoms have bad apples but im getting annoyed with how much zutaras keep insisting that they were never the bad guys and were always jut the victims of the ship wars. that kataangs are nothing but big bullies who wont let em ship in peace. . when i myself was met with hostile aggression from their fandom as a aang and mai supporter zutarian they were ruthless ,angry, called anyone that didnt agree with em abuse supporters.. bryke D suckers. SExist ect. i just wish that they would be humble and admit that their fandom has lots of bad apples but no its always Kataangs bullied us.. we did nothing wrong and are the victims of the fandom. I'm tired.

Yup, them calling out when Kataang shippers are being dicks is one thing, and I'd even accept them doing it more often than they call out "one of their own" because duh, obviously the bad apples of the zutara fandom would not be hostile to them, so they could genuinely not know about some things.

But denying anyone "on their side" could EVER be bully? Pretending there isn't nearly two decades of evidence of Zutarians threatening and doxxing people and telling them to kill themselves? Acting like there's any truth to all the conspiracies and full on lies about Bryke, Ehasz and a "secretly planned Zutara endgame" just because said conspiracies and lies would put Zutara as the underdog and the writers that liked Kataang as cruel, unfair, downright abusive bosses? Acting like it isn't super hypocritical to imply Bryke are PEDOPHILES for "self-inserting as Aang to date Katara", but praising Dante Basco all the time for being a die-hard Zutara fan and understanding that him liking a ship doesn't mean he's attracted to actual children?

Not to mention the classic: screaming "But what about what THIS person did?" whenever someone calls out any bad apple in the Zutara fandom - like one cancels the other out.

Zutarians don't just deny their fandom has bad apples, they go out of their way to protect them from any criticism - and then wonder why the sane zutara shippers end up finding a safe place in blogs like mine, even though I constantly make my negative feelings on the ship very clear.

Decent people don't turn a blind eye to harassment just because they aren't the target of it, and the more the Zutara fandom tries to excuse the actions of bullies in their community, the more decent people will avoid said community like the plague, regardless of how they feel about the ship, which in turn keeps all the bullies and enablers off in their own little bubble because literally nobody else wants to interact with them.

[crystal-lillies]

Some positive things, widespread and personal, from 2023

Hello all here's my annual good things roundup, and as always I'll be missing a good lot of stuff that happened bc I'm pulling from the top of my head and also I'm running late.

In no particular order:

Some great indie animation stuff this year, with Hazbin Hotel news and episodes of Helluva Boss continuing and then the Lackadaisy pilot and fundraising campaign success!

Got the end of The Owl House early in 2023, and while it was not the ending we all would have hoped for, it was an incredible ending all the same and absolutely so well made.

Avatar: The Last Airbender has a new official TTRPG game, several of the OG cast did a playthrough of it, AND the trailer for the live action TV series doesn't look half bad! Also, Toph's VA has been reacting to the series. Overall it's been a great year for ATLA fans.

CLAMP announced that the continuation of the CCS Clear Card anime is on its way, and the Clear Card manga finished this year! The kids are okay!

Game movie wins! Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, along with The Super Mario Bros. Movie, were both great adaptations and fun movies where previously adapted movies of the same properties were so awful they make Artemis Fowl look barely passable!

Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse was super freaking incredible cinema and stupendous animation and score. And the animators got a break from having to cram the Beyond the Spiderverse movie in a year jfc.

The WGA and SAGAFTRA strikes I wouldn't consider positives on their own; however, the overwhelming solidarity across the lines and from us the fans and everyone in the same working boat helped the WGA and SAGAFTRA strikers stick it to the studio execs being literal cartoonish villains and get the things they were asking for after a brutally long strike period where the studio execs absolutely wanted them all to lose their homes and suffer. Power to the workers! WGA and SAGAFTRA strong!

BARBIE. No notes. 100000/10. You go girl.

But also the meme of Barbenheimer, absolutely genius.

GOOD OMENS SEASON 2!!!! HOOO BOY Neil Gaiman really shook us to the core with these ineffable celestial lads

The Marvels was a lot of fun! Kamala Khan and adult Monica Rambeau finally got to the big screen and they were so good altogether with Carol Danvers! Sadly didn't get great box office, but the movie itself being good makes up for that in my eyes!

Wonka was also a lot better than expected! Very fun and wholesome and heartwarming! Not bad Timothee Chalamet, not bad.

Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina season 2 was incredible, and a Mighty Nein animated series was also announced to be in the works! Plus, we got a Mighty Nein live show in London! And Candela Obscura premiered this year as well! And the Exquisite Exandria cookbook dropped in August and it's been so amazing.

Dimension 20 has been popping off this year as well, and several of its cast started Worlds Beyond Number, which is on a whole other level of inspirational and awesome.

On some personal notes, I got to spend time with good friends this past year (and getting one into TLOVM and Critical Role too, which has been fun)

And in that vein, I got into a bonafide Dungeons and Dragons campaign this summer, based from a oneshot I played in April by putting myself out there and trying something new. And man, this campaign has been one of the best things in 2023 let alone maybe my whole life. I'm so grateful to be a part of it and to keep going.

And this past summer, I got to go to a convention and meet several of my favorite actors including the cast of Smallville, Charlie Cox, Dante Basco, and Jason Liebrecht! It was so much fun.

I spent my birthday with my whole immediate family and went to Disney Hollywood Studios and had such a blast!

And I started more actively sending my writing out to litmags! While nothing has been accepted yet, I am ever more determined to be published!

There is much more good that happened in 2023 but for now, this is a good sample to end the year and beckon the new one forth with the same and even more positive vibes.

[pandynogatonga]

weird al yankovic as the voice of jegbert

moist critical as the voice of dirk strider

aubrey plaza as the voice of aradia megido

john dimaggio as the voice of the aimless renegade and all members of the midnight crew

matt stone doing butters as the voice of tavros nitram

dante basco as the voice of rufioh nitram

danny devito as the voice of andrew hussie

sungwon cho as the voice of doc scratch and all members of the felt

jack black as the voice of the mayor

[dudeshusband]

based solely on the first episode, the live action atla is less fun than the original, everyone is right about that. it seems like the goofiness is lacking. netflix has a habit of making things grittier than they need to be.

the person who plays sokka is a good cast, he looks oddly like him.

i like the kid who plays aang, he has a LOT of potential. he's genuinely quite enjoyable.

i like iroh. no complaints.

the person who plays zuko plays him well so far. of course there's nothing like the va work of dante basco though.

and hm, katara. i like katara and i like character this actress has played before (ka'kwet from awae). i think i'd need to see more before i could have a good opinion. she's not hateful so far or anything. i've heard some criticism so i guess i may be disappointed and quickly.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group A Round 3: #A8 vs #A2

#A2: Girls do DIY together, but after a new industrial revolution

#A8: Badass woman deals with the supernatural

Details and poll under the cut!

#A2: Do it Yourself!!

Summary:

This series takes place after the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Serufu and her childhood friend Miku/“Purin” both applied to an elite school, where advanced technologies are incorporated into the curriculum. The tech-savvy Purin is accepted into the school, but accident-prone Serufu is rejected and enters a traditional school instead, driving a wedge into their friendship.

On her way to class one day, Serufu encounters Rei, who has a passion for old-fashioned crafts and is the head of the school’s Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Club—which is in danger of closing due to a lack of members. Realizing that this may be her chance to repair her relationship with Purin, Serufu joins the club in hopes of creating projects that could bring them together once more.

Propaganda:

It’s just a really feel-good series with some great characters. I adore all of them and their dynamics with each other, especially the main dynamic between Serufu and Purin as it develops. I’m a really big fan of the show’s angle on stuff such as do-it-yourself crafts following another industrial revolution, just because it does frequently bring up the question of “What’s the point of DIY if in a year or two/maybe even now a robot could recreate the exact same result?” through characters like Purin (who is the major character with the lowest opinion on these kinds of crafts at the start, since she’s in the technologically advanced school and has beliefs more in line with the efficacy of technology rather than the joy of human creation), with the short answer largely being because it’s just fun!

I first watched this show before I saw a lot of AI stuff intruding upon art and rewatching it after sure was fun, because I love its ideas on the worth of doing stuff that machinery could do much faster. It’s not super complex or emotional, but that largely goes in its favor, because it really doesn’t need to be those. It’s just a fun little anime about a bunch of girls having fun together through one shared hobby that some of them had from the start and some of them adopted. I also love the opening, and the ending is a massive comfort song for me. The series can also be very funny at points, and is usually super heartwarming.

Trigger Warnings: None.

#A8: Trese

Summary:

In Manila, where dark supernatural forces pervade the criminal underworld, it’s up to one woman to keep the peace—but there’s a storm brewing.

Propaganda:

It’s the first Filipino anime (at least, that I know of) to feature the country’s supernatural creatures, so if you’ve only watched Japanese anime up to now, you will find the magic in Trese very novel. I also like how the protagonist is a woman when the Lakan, in Philippine history, tended to be a man. She’s also quite badass. Although she has two bulky twin sidekicks who can serve as her bodyguards, she is in no way less than them when it comes to fighting. The show’s on Netflix with different language audios. If you’re gonna watch it in English, you can even hear Dante Basco (Zuko’s voice actor) voicing one of the minor characters.

Trigger Warnings:

Child Abuse – for the episode about a reanimated baby

There’s Violence from fight scenes. There’s also Gore for when the monsters get killed brutally, but because of the art style, it doesn’t appear that extreme.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[shadowed-dancer]

Iroh II: *Has the same voice actor as Zuko*

Everyone: Why would Zuko’s 36-year-old grandson sound exactly like 16-year-old Zuko? No adult sounds like that!

Dante Basco, who was 36 when recording Iroh II’s lines and was using his normal voice:

[evelynda-dahling]

brb watching edgy zutarra edits set to sad music

[kataraslove]

this is genuinely one of the most despicable things i’ve ever had the displeasure of reading - and i’ve seen my fair share of shit being spewed on this website. imagine equating the abuse that jennette mccurdy experienced by her mother and nickelodeon to a fictional ship. criticize bryke’s writing all you want; there’s plenty that i dislike. but to go as far as to accuse them of pedophilia because of their preference in a fictional ship, especially when one of them has actual children and they both have wives. or to accuse them of seeing katara as their sexual fantasy when there’s nothing in the series that depicts her in a sexualized manner whatsoever. the only instance where a version of katara has ever been depicted in a sexualized manner is the imperialist play, where the show itself is critiquing racist fandom depictions (in the form of fire nation propaganda). this entire post is the very definition of using shipping as performative activism and hurling heinous accusations at people whose crime is writing that you disagree with.

among the plenty of women who had worked with bryke, from original writers to animators to storyboard artists to character designers to voice actors to even the live action writers, not one has come out and said that they experienced any type of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse or harassment by bryan and mike over the last 15 years. if many of the female cast and crew can go on the podcast and freely state that they ship zutara in front of bryke, and even have harmless shipping debates with them all in good-nature, where is the evidence that they run their studio like a hierarchy in which the slightest mention of zutara can get these women harassed?

the only writer that worked on avatar that has multiple workplace allegations of sexism is aaron ehasz - the head writer that, y’know, zutara shippers have conspired for years (and still to this day) of wanting a zutara endgame in a secret book 4.

on the topic of viewing female characters as sexual objects, did you know that zuko’s beloved voice actor dante basco, who is 45+ years old, has a history of:

calling a fictional 15 year old fat (mai)

making inappropriate comments towards the bodies of ty lee and katara

has encouraged zuko to grab katara and kiss her while she’s angry: “fuck it, just kiss her, zuko! that’s when you’re supposed to kiss a girl - when she’s all mad and angry.” several woman on the livestream were uncomfortable by his comments, including michaela murphy, toph’s voice actress, who had told dante (in a joking manner to ease tension) that if he ever does that to a woman, she ought to punch him in the face.

i don’t see op in the screenshot accusing dante of having sexual power fantasies of katara, even though it would be more than appropriate to accuse him because there’s actual evidence of him doing so, that many zutara shippers have downplayed as just being a joke. joke or not, given the amount of power and influence dante has in the fandom, especially as he was making these comments in a livestream with plenty of young women watching, to quote op in the screenshot, this is NOT inappropriate. why is this not treated with the same level of seriousness? why are zutara proponents, like dante and anyone who agrees with him, not being accused of abuse?

i hope you also assess the amount of grown adults in your OWN fandom who are wholeheartedly writing explicit smut of underaged zuko and katara. your smut week had an explicit no rape rule and it was still broken - BNFs on here even defended their right to write rape and non-con works of zuko and katara. popular tags in your fanworks include race play, fetishizing katara’s indigeneity. the pirate scene - where zuko kidnaps katara, ties her up to a tree, and uses her personal belonging - her FINAL connection to her dead mother - for extortion, has been sexualized since 2005. all of this inappropriate fandom behaviour is presented to impressionable young members of the fandom as healthy and passionate, so long as a zutara label is slapped on it.

meanwhile, there are plenty of kataang shippers who are in happy and healthy relationships, who have balance and say in their relationships, who communicate effectively with their partners, who enjoy kataang because it reminds them of their relationship! there’s plenty of woc (especially indigenous women) who are attracted to men, in support of kataang. minimizing their voices and their struggles, pretending like they’re victims in their relationships and/or potential relationships over a fictional ship, is the very definition of white fandom feminism. you’re not the feminist that you claim, nor are you doing a single thing to prevent actual domestic abuse that women experience worldwide, by typing up this ridiculous paragraph. domestic abuse can happen to any kind of women, committed by any man. it is not dictated by personal preferences about shipping in a Nickelodeon cartoon.

an example: a close friend of mine shipped zutara growing up and detested kataang (still does, but not as passionately). she unfortunately and unbeknownst to her at the time, entered into an emotionally abusive relationship with her ex-husband a couple years ago. she has since left the relationship, and is doing much better mentally and physically. am i going to now conclude that her shipping zutara caused her to enter into a toxic relationship since zuko was one of her fictional crushes growing up and zutara (post-atla) was one of the relationships she aspired to have? of course not, because i’m not a fucking idiot who takes something as serious as domestic abuse and violence against women to turn it into something that ships on Nickelodeon have contributed to. doing so displays an absolute lack of understanding to the casual factors that cause these types of relationships in the first place.

feigning pity and sympathy for women who ship kataang, saying that they are more likely to enter unhealthy and toxic relationships because they overlook aspects of katara and aang’s relationship that you deem as “unhealthy,” claiming that enjoying kataang in any capacity is romanticizing and normalizing “abusive” relationships, accusing real life creators, that are married with children, of pedophilia and sexual power fantasies over fictional shipping, is genuinely so performative that it only makes sense someone in deep fandom spaces would come up with something as much of a non-issue as this.

finally, your logic is that kataang - pushed by two grown men with a supposed fetish - grooms women into accepting and normalizing abusive relationships, that it’s something they should actively desire. then in the same breath you’ll go, “most women don’t even like kataang. it’s a ship only liked by straight white men.” well, which is it? are women allowed to make their own personal choices on fictional relationships or are they not? you need to come up with a decisive narrative.

i think the phenomenon that i’m observing is that a lot more women are being vocal in their enjoyment of kataang in fandom spaces, that a lot more women are participating in fandom spaces for kataang. and you guys have no idea what to do with this, because for years you touted this narrative that only men truly enjoy kataang. when you’re presented with data of the opposite, you can’t seem to wrap your head that people have different shipping perspectives as you, so you transform it into a moral issue.

i think your disdain can simply be summarized as, “the ship that i personally dislike, have disliked for years, is starting to get more defense, understanding, and praise. i don’t like this, therefore i’m going to turn a matter of fandom shipping into a morality issue of abuse justification.” yawn. boring. sloppy. lazy. please come up with something better.

Screw these guys, man. I wish could enjoy Zutara, I really do, but these guys guy ruin the ship for me. There is no way you can be a fan of this show and come up with such a gross objectively wrong take. They straight up said all the bad stuff Zuko did was irrelevant because he was fighting on the opposite team. People say stuff like this and then they ask why people don’t like them. Delusional idiocy at its finest.

It’s irrelevant that Zuko did bad shit? Tf? He was actively playing a role in the war, he was not a bystander. He and his family and his people benefited from the genocide of the other nations, and Zuko himself helped invade both the SWT and NWT! He also helped bring down Ba Sing Se which resulted in the colonization of the rest of the earth kingdom. That is not irrelevant stuff. Yeah, he switched sides at the end, and was trying to do better and fix the damage he caused, but it doesn’t erase what he did!

Also, in regards to Dan Schneider��� wtf? I’ve read Jenette’s book. It’s good. She never mentions the writers of ATLA in it, obviously. Because what does ATLA have to do with any of this? Just because ATLA aired on Nickelodeon doesn’t mean the writing team or the creators ever abused anyone????? Throwing around allegations like this is simply vile! Calling the creators of ATLA child sexual abusers is FUCKED! These men have families and wives. Mike has 2 children!!! WHAT THE FUCK

Just because your ship didn’t happen and was never intended to be a thing, doesn’t make Mike and Bryan pedophiles who rape kids. What the actual fuck. There is nothing explicit or inappropriate for children in ATLA. Absolutely nothing. I have a HUGE problem with someone throwing out false allegations against someone just because they’re mad their ship didn’t become canon. This is in no way reasonable behavior. This is in no way EXCUSABLE behavior. Drop their username, let’s quit hiding who these people are because accusing someone of CSA is a very serious, life ruining allegation.