#Final Fantasy 8 review

[zambogirlpiano]

Final Fantasy VIII - "Julia" - Piano Tutorial [BEGINNER]

🍥This is a #synthesia #tutorial of “Julia” from #finalfantasy8

📻Source ▶Video Game: Final Fantasy VIII

🎹Music sheet ▶Patreon: patreon.com/ZamboGirlPiano

I accept song request in Patreon

Subscribe and like if you want to see more of my Tutorials. Leave a comment to help the channel ~ Bye

[ladyirisreviews]

Final Fantasy 8 - Review

We finally arrive at the infamous Final Fantasy 8. Before I played it, I was under the impression that it would be the worst Final Fantasy game in most aspects, but the reality is more complicated than I expected.

Like, no doubt this game has very obvious problems you can't just overlook, but behind all of the problems there were ideas that could have been executed better and would have resulted in a much better game, I like the base ideas of this game a lot, but it misses the mark is such obvious ways it's kind of sad.

This game has the most complicated plot so far in the series, with the most reveals out of any game for sure, but I'll try to keep the summary just to the starting incident.

You follow Squall, a student in a military school called Balamb Garden, as he is about to undergo a field test to become a SeeD, an operative that does jobs for people and organizations from various parts of the world that commission the garden to do so, with the garden acting more or less as a mercenary group.

The field test turns out to be a mission to protect a kingdom called Dollet, from an invasion from the republic of Galbadia. Squall's rival, Seifer, is assigned the captain of his team, consisting of them both, and Zell, a hyperactive martial artist, Squall and Zell follow orders, but Seifer decides to act on his own, forfeiting his chances at passing the test.

Squall and Zell pass the test, alongside a transfer student called Selphie, and they are immediately assigned on a mission to aid a resistance group called the Forest Owls, who oppose the Galbadian occupation in the city of Timber. it's in this mission that Squall and his team learn the true nature of the Galbadian army and their recent hostilities.

So the plot in this game is kind of all over the place, even more so than in Final Fantasy 7, there are a lot of early mysteries that make the game very confusing on the first pass, and there's also a lot of unsatisfying answers to these mysteries and reveals that don't quite make an impact.

But even if I have a lot of issues with the game's plot, it does still have good moments and character interactions, with some flashback scenes being my favorite parts of the game, and the character pairing being actually genius in my opinion.

Squall is a lame character, he is ultra-serious and doesn't communicate properly with people or let them know how he is feeling, which contrasts with how unserious the rest of the main cast is, with some of them regularly making fun of him for putting such a tough exterior, so on the surface I do like the characters a lot, but it's towards the end of the game and with the numerous reveals that they kind of muddle the relationship between the characters and makes things complicated for no reason.

The same criticism goes for the plot in general, there are a lot of unnecessarily complicated things in it that make it less compelling than it could be. Most of the ideas are actually very interesting and if done well, this could have been one of the better plots in the whole series.

Not only do I think the plot is flawed, but the gameplay also has its fair share of flaws.

Once again, the main battle system is the ATB, with 3 characters active in your party at most, just like in Final Fantasy 7.

The limit break system is back but with a big change, instead of limit breaks having a gauge that fills as you take damage, when you hit around 30% health you will have a chance to use your limit break, the lower your HP is the higher the chance, making them a matter of luck instead of something consistent, through most of the game anyway.

Instead of learning magic you collect it and equip it to your characters, each can have a maximum of 100 copies of any spell, and upon casting the spell you use up a copy as if it were an item, MP is not a thing on this game.

The big systems this time are the Guardian Force system and the Junction system, the Guardian Forces, shortened to GFs, are summons you can equip to your characters, you are free to use the summon on every fight as many times as you want without using any resources, also characters can equip as many GFs as they want.

GFs can level up by gaining EXP at the end of combat, dividing the EXP the character gained by the number of guardian forces it currently has equipped. GFs can also learn new abilities by gaining AP at the end of combat, which is not divided like with EXP, everyone gains the same amount of AP.

One type of GF ability is being able to Junction a spell to a certain stat, boosting the stat considerably, different types of spells boost stats by a different amount, and each copy of it a character has increases the stat by the same factor.

The stats you can Junction vary from GF to GF, so you need to equip multiple on every character to be able to Junction most stats at the same time.

Another GF ability that only a few have is being able to transform enemies into cards, the lower the enemy's hp the more likely they will be transformed into cards, also enemies transformed into cards won't give you EXP, but they will give you AP, the same goes for enemies turned to stone.

The purpose of these cards is to play a minigame which I'll describe later, and to transform into items and spells with other GF abilities.

Finally, there's a command called Draw to steal spells from enemies, the spells you can steal depend on the enemy and the level of said enemy, the amount of spells you draw also depends on the user's magic stat and no more than 9 spells can be drawn per character on one turn.

That was a lot, but it was needed to explain it all to properly explain my issues with the general gameplay. As you can notice, everything links back to the Junction system and the GF system, and to me, the weak link of it all, that makes the gameplay be frustrating and grindy, is the fact you lose spells when you use them.

Spells are tied to your stats, so using spells that are junctioned immediately reduces your stats, so right away you are discouraged from using your spells, not to mention that to even get good stats you need to grind for the spells, so getting to the 100 cap for a spell takes longer if you are using them in between you grinding for it.

The grinding itself is also quite slow, forcing you to spend several minutes on a single encounter to max out on the spells they offer. In some situations, you can't even replenish your spells due to you getting them from a boss fight or card and item synthesis, and these stronger spells rarely come up on random encounters, so these stronger spells are even more of a no-go and should be limited to only junction to a stat.

All of this makes using magic in combat feel like something that should be avoided, and to only rely on your normal attacks or GF summon, which makes the battles stale, not to mention the summon animations are kind of long, the draw command also can immediately cast a drawn spell, making it not cost anything and letting you continue with your arsenal maxed, but you are limited to the spells the enemies have, which most likely they will resist, and when you cast spells in that way they are considerably weaker, so it's not even worth it most of the time.

The game also punishes you if you play the game as if it were a normal RPG, leveling up shouldn't have a negative connotation but in this game it does, leveling up not only increases your level but also increases the levels of the enemies you encounter, meaning everything grows stronger alongside you, so ideally you actually want to avoid leveling up.

To avoid getting EXP you need to either turn enemies into stone or turn them into cards, which adds an annoying layer to the combat, not every enemy is susceptible to being turned into stone, but turning them into cards can be very tedious, you need to be careful to not be so strong that you kill the enemies in one hit, but also deal enough damage to make them close to death, and then have luck on your side so they actually get turned into cards.

This makes the gameplay loop boil down to:

Holding back against random enemies.

Spending minutes drawing their magic if you don't have it already.

Turning them to stone.

Attempting for minutes at a time to transform them into cards if you can't turn them to stone.

Checking if the cards can be turned into a strong spell or item that can be transformed into a strong spell.

Not using the cool spells because they are more useful being junctioned to a stat.

And repeat endlessly.

And like I mentioned, most of the frustration is because spells are lost when used, it would still be frustrating if that wasn't the case because of the leveling system, but at least you would be free to experiment in battles without worrying about your stats and having to replenish used spells.

The leveling situation is also the reason limit breaks are useless unless you are fighting a boss, using them on normal enemies will just make the game harder so there's really no point, and even on bosses it can be easily abused. Because there's a random chance you will get to use it when your hp is low, you can constantly press the change character button to reroll that chance to guarantee it every time, or use a late-game spell that lets you do them no matter what, an exploit that wouldn't exist if the gauge worked like in Final Fantasy 7, and even if the exploit was not a thing, depending entirely on luck to unleash your best attacks feels lame to me.

This shows the reluctance of the Final Fantasy team to reuse concepts and polish them, they always want to add a new gimmick, which is respectable, but it sadly means they almost never get to polish already established systems, and in this case, with such a flawed, but interesting system, it's sad to know it was never picked up again.

There's also the card minigame, each monster, and all major characters have cards, and each card has a number for each side, the way the game is played is on a 3x3 board, with a player randomly selected to go first playing a card wherever they want, followed then by the other player, if upon setting a card, it touches an opponent's card, the game checks if the number in the side of the card that was played is higher than the side of the card it touched, and if it is the card is flipped, changing its color to that of the player that flipped it, this goes on until all 9 spots on the board are filled.

Upon victory, you can pick one of the cards you flipped, but there are special rules in different parts of the world, which you can then spread to other parts of the world, which is a confusing process to me, but it can make winning cards way faster, there's also some special rules to the game itself that can also spread.

It's a fun minigame, but the reward being cards links it back to the Junction system, which ultimately means it's an alternative grinding method, one that doesn't require you to fight at all, and if you spread rules correctly it transforms into the most efficient grinding method, which makes me feel conflicted about the game even more, a minigame being more rewarding than the actual main game is just bizarre to me.

But after all this criticism it doesn't mean the game can't be fun, bosses can be very fun, if you ignore trying to steal as many spells as possible from them, and the final dungeon is definitely the best one out of all Final Fantasy games I have played so far, dungeons are not the series' strength but this final dungeon is very good indeed.

Also if you asked me I would say this game deserved a remake more than Final Fantasy 7, not because this is a better game, it definitely is not, but because the amount of improvements they could have made is far greater.

If spells weren't used up when casting them it would immediately be a better game, if they still don't want an MP system it could be replaced with spells having a cooldown to avoid spamming, and to make random encounters not tedious they could limit the number of spells that can be drawn to just a few, making progression feel more organic rather than a grind-fest.

But yeah in short, this game is as bad as I expected and at the same time way better than I had expected, parts of the plot really stuck with me and I did have fun sometimes with the gameplay, next time I play I will be using the built-in cheats to max out spells I get, which will make the gameplay so much better to me, and will let me experience the moments I liked without it being a chore to get to them.

As for if I would recommend this game, I would only do so if you already have played most Final Fantasy games and want to see something different in the main series, you could appreciate what it tries to do with its systems but you really need to have tempered expectations, at least it is very likely you could like most characters, so that's something you could look forward to, but if you wanted me to recommend a really good game, this one isn't it.

[slumbering-girl]

Finally finished with FF8

And here are some incoherent thoughts and a giant cactuar.

I think I only made it through with the emulator speedup feature, because the game is sooo slow in combat. Some combat animations takes ages. I also cheated a bit with save states.

I got most of the girlfriends (Guardian Force), some only because save states and a guide, but I tried going through unspoiled. I ignored most of the side content, the base game was enough and I didn't find Chocobo hunting or advanced card game rule manipulations enjoyable.

Graphics were great for PS1 game, I couldn't believe what they could do on this system!

Combat and stat management was also very much enjoyable (minus the speed of some parts of it), although I had to create a spreadsheet to see where to put my GF's strengths. I enjoyed the controversial magic system also.

Cast was very much likeable, including Squall which was a bit of a jerk, but at least it was explained why. I also cried a bit.

The last dungeon was urgh, as usual in most of jrpgs, but final boss was somehow very easy, much easier than one optional girlfriend fight.

Overall, it was a nice play, much better than FF7!

[thevellaunderground]

The Symphony of Pixels: Gaming’s Musical Evolution in 2024

1. The Rise of Dynamic Soundscapes 2024 saw the introduction of dynamic soundscapes that adapt to player actions, creating a unique auditory experience. Game songs like Minecraft’s “Eld Unknown” and “Featherfall” have utilized this technology to enhance immersion, where the music changes tempo, intensity, and even genre based on gameplay. In 2024, the gaming industry has witnessed a significant…

[henriquelage]

Nostalgia can be a bad partner, but what about anti-nostalgia? What is the value of the things we leave behind? Why does “Final Fantasy” approach the JRPG genre in a different way? What does it have in common with “Star Wars”?

(with ENGLISH SUBTITLES)

[ittsybittsybunny]

ATLA Live Action Series Review:

The Good

Aesthetically this show felt right. Sure sometimes the outfits didn't quite feel lived in, but I always felt like I was watching a fantasy world with decent effects and interesting design. Also, I really enjoyed the sets!

Bending: Yes some of the fights feel very quick, but the bending looks cool. It is certainly better than 10 benders lifting one big rock. I can honestly say the opening bending fight scene gave me so much hope for this show.

Kyoshi Warriors: I loved seeing them in live action, and I thought Suki's performance was great!

Omashu: I think the mashup of the mechanist made sense since that is an important character overall and I would hate to see him cut. However, both Jet & the secret tunnels felt sloppily thrown in.

Northern Water Tribe: I really loved the way it looked, and appreciated the two episodes we spent here. I think Yue gained more agency in this interpretation, and why shouldn't the moon spirit be a waterbender. Also, episode seven felt the most in tune with the original show's spirit.

Zuko: I think he was one of the most fleshed-out and best parts of the show! Dallas Liu really captured Zuko's spirit, and the scene between him and Aang in episode 6 was wonderful!

Soundtrack: Hearing the original soundtrack bits is always great, and when I first heard the ending music I was so excited.

Is the show perfect, no - but I wouldn't mind a season 2.

The Bad

Pacing: Turning 20 episodes into 8 was bound to lead to some cuts...but oftentimes times things felt too quick or disjointed. I think there were editing problems contributing to this for sure, but sometimes things skipped around too much without a clear purpose as to why. Also, why bring in plots from later seasons when you barely have enough time already?

Writing: This show definitely suffered from exposition dumping, though it did get better as time went on. I think the biggest example of this is actually opening in the past rather than the present. We do not get to learn along with Aang that the world has changed, instead, we get to learn that 100 years have passed....which doesn't hold the same tension or worldbuilding.

Clunky Dialogue: Along with exposition, clunky dialogue is another example of bad writing. I think sometimes I felt like the acting was kind of meh in the beginning, but then over time I began to realize it had far more to do with the lines characters were trying to deliver. The actors themselves are not bad, just cursed with awkward writing and lines that feel out of touch with the setting they're in.

Main Trio: I don't entirely know that I believe Katara, Sokka, and Aang are friends as opposed to 3 people stuck together to save the world. Aang feels a little too somber for a young kid running away from his responsibilities, Sokka is protective, but not exactly the heart of the team, and Katara is sort of just there until the last two episodes. Where is her struggle, her desire to learn so strong she steals from pirates? Also, while Gordon Cormier did a great job, Aang does zero waterbending on his own, is overly serious, and tells Katara not to fight. Where is his desperation to protect his friends? It feels like they all lost emotional depth.

Tension: Bringing Ozai, Azula, and Zhao out in the beginning immediately causes us to lose the realization there is an even bigger bad. Part of why Ozai is so terrifying is he is a primarily silent villain until the third season when we finally see the face of the "big bad evil guy" behind it all. Yes, they add to Zuko's backstory, but again, they are revealing the villains too early. Azula is the antagonist of season 2 and one of my favorite characters, so I hope they do more with her in the future. Finally, Zhao is supposed to be an example of the uncontrollable nature of fire unrestrained, instead, he comes off as vaguely threatening with the supposed true power being Azula.

Characterization: While all characters are bound to lose something in a shorter show, it still felt like certain characters were more mutilated than others. I am sure there are 100 different opinions on who, but I think the biggest victim was Katara.

Katara: Katara manages to go from a complete novice to a bending master in what feels like a matter of days. The journey feels short, and that makes the results feel largely unearned. Katara is one of the strongest personalities in the show, determined, kind, and fiery. In many ways, she is the unpredictability of water - equally dangerous as it is necessary to live. She is the child of a war who lost her mother, forced to grow up too soon, and even raised her older brother. Yes, Katara often gets stereotyped as the mom friend, but overall she feels underutilized in this show. We really don't see enough of her journey until the very end.

Iroh: Iroh was always comedic but most importantly wise. Even when Zuko is trying to give himself advice, he mimics Iroh. Instead, he seems to be used more as comedic relief without the underlying experience. He just doesn't feel right. Also, he kills Zhao instead of Zhao getting himself killed - which is less about Iroh and more about the writing than anything.

Ozai is weirdly a little too nice. Yes, he burned Zuko and pits his kids against each other, but he feels toned down in a show claiming to be more mature than the original cartoon.

Azula is perhaps more realistically worried about losing her status as the golden child, but she is also missing the cruelty she and her father share. I understand worrying about making your character cartoonishly evil, but the Fire Nation is currently a deeply nationalistic empire trying to control the world. Where is the deep-seated belief that they are better than other people, not just trying to bring balance to the world? There is a line between creating complexity and toning down the very real evil inherent in this plan.

Roku: I can only say what the fuck was that. He was barely there, and not the serious master to Aang's youthful exuberance.

The Ugly

Show, Don't Tell: The show's single biggest issue seems to be speeding through story parts by simply stating things. Instead of allowing the audience to discover, trusting that we are smart enough to understand, let's just blatantly say things like Zuko is the only reason the 41st division is alive to their faces. Even though in the context of the story Ozai literally already said that.... it's the division, the division for Zuko, Zuko's division.

Thematic Misunderstandings: I think this show makes several minor changes with major implications, such as airbenders actively fighting the firebenders, when airbenders are known for their pacifist nature and the lie of an Airbender fighting force is actively propaganda. Similarly, Aang very quickly accepts his role as the avatar and doesn't even run away in the beginning. Without this conflict between his desire to be a carefree child and the fact that the world needs him - the show loses a key aspect of Aang's character. Also, the obsession with downplaying the avatar state as something dangerous feels like a disservice to the tradition, connection, and strength of the avatar, which can be permanently destroyed as the trade-off for that kind of power. It's dangerous for the balance of the entire world, not just because it's powerful!

The Agni Kai: Zuko's fight against his father is one of the defining moments of Ozai's cruelty, not just because he is willing to fight his child, but because Zuko tried to do everything right. Zuko shows deference to his father, apologizes, and most importantly refuses to fight! The determination not to upset his father and still be grievously injured and banished is a hugely important theme for the fire nation and Zuko's life as a whole. He tries to do everything he is supposed to and only regains his father's acceptance after he "kills" Aang. Zuko's struggle between moral vs. social right and wrong in contrast to his family is hugely important to his character.

-----

TLDR: ATLA was a fantastical animated television show that was never afraid to show character development and flaws. When you turn 20 episodes into 8, you are bound to lose something. You hollowed out the middle, leaving the shell of important moments and events without ever wondering if all the times in between formed the true spirit of the show.

Rating: 6.5/10 It's perfectly fine and worth a watch. Not a disaster, but certainly falls flat of the original.

[facts-i-just-made-up]

"Mario & Luigi: Brothership" Cross-Platform Release Marred By Glitches

FIJMU News 11-8-24 by K. Robert Omb

The much anticipated new Mario & Luigi RPG had met with mixed reviews for its native Switch version, but Nintendo's first venture into cross-platform releases hit an even greater challenge when the PS5 version was found to contain several glitches, including numerous assets that don't even belong in the game.

According to Play Station 5 expert Pete Stanton V, "We are seeing leaks from other PS5 character models being accessed by faulty code that worked on Switch, but accesses data outside of the game on PS5. We have already seen assets from Final Fantasy, Blinx, and even the Silent Hill 2 Remake."

The last game mentioned has been most controversial according to local parent Lou Calperrin, who states his 7 year old child had hoped to play an innocent cartoonish Nintendo game, but ended up being chased through the Mushroom Kingdom sewers by someone named Eddie Dombrowski.

According to the young Calperrin child, "He wouldn't stop until Luigi made him some Pizza. He liked that well enough and took a lot of pizza back to some foggy town somewhere." Popular YouTube personality "Silent Hillside" could not be reached for comment on the newly discovered origin of the pizza, because I did not try asking.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - it was a pretty darn good time, frankly

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 12fin - Everyone looked like they were having a lot of fun in the fight sequences. I’m very happy for them. I’m not surprised they shot Khem and Chart. A little shocked it wasn’t also Yai, TBH.

I found this final episode rushed. According to rumors, The Sign was originally slated to be 14 eps, and it probably should’ve been. And I don’t say that often about Thai BL. But we all knew it was getting too bloated for its britches, so I'm not surprised they fumbled the ending. For me personally, it just wasn't that bad. It was fine and I was fine with it.

Tho, Billy does not look good with facial fur, messes up those gorgeous angles.

I was ultimately amused that the solution to the mythology thread was simply to talk to the river god and persuaded him to give up... off screen. It felt very old school wuxia. Or like Aeschylus or something. I did adore the stinger, Saint was basically like “I want wings too”. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

This show is literally everything (except straight) all at once. It's BL, queer, band of brothers, romcom, erotica, PNR, fated mates, police procedural, fantasy, mystery, suspense, and slasher. It’s the king of genre mash-up chaos. Sure, it's madness but there is genius in it. Was it a crazy unhinged mess +1 roll for damage? Yes. Yes it was. Did it manage to hold all those tangled threads together? No it did not. Was it also a charming, sexy, engaging, non-stop piece of entertainment? Sure thing. I think this show is basically my KinnPorsche, and frankly I’ve been chasing that dragon naga since KP aired. Is it perfect? No. But it was balls to the wall FUN and that gets a 9/10 from me.

I'm thinking of doing a full recap review (partly because I have so many great screen shots.)

Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube grey) ep 10-11 of 12 - Since this series is following the yaoi so closely, I knew these were the separation eps. (Also I knew with would be a soft non-doom ep 11, Japan rarerly does these.) I like that they used it to show improve communication and development in all relationships, but, frankly, TayNew are just best when they are TayNew together on screen. So yeah. Let’s keep them back together, please?

Meanwhile, TayNew gifted us a gorgeous loving sweet sex scene. Thanks OG for doing us a solid. 

I wanna add, it sure is fun to see New play as soft and vulnerable character, I feel like he hasn’t done that since SOTUS. 

(Read all about distribution issues here.)

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 12fin - 1/3 of this is a sweet romance about a student doctor falling in love with a student chef, and the rest of it is utter dross. Look the OffGun bits were GREAT.. In fact, I think they’re better AS A PAIR in this show than in any of their other BLS. And I'm a hard sell on any OffGun being better than PickRome. Saying that, how can I review a show where I could only tolerate 1/3 of it? Because I didn’t like any other aspect of this show, no other pairs and no other plots. That gives me: 9/10 for the OffGun bits, 5/10 for everything else. Frankly it probably should be an 8 but I gotta go with my gut and it's upset about this so 7/10. Sorry boys. It’s GMMTV’s fault. Your heart was in this show, mine wasn’t. 

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 4 of 12 - These two are so good at making heart eyes at each other. It’s ridiculous. They don’t need any cartoon images or noises. Moot crush but "I wanna flirt and court more" is so flipping awesome. I love this for them… and us. 

1000 Years Old ep 2 of 12 - It’s very silly and we have been gifted with the dorkiest vampire ever. But... the smell thing makes me so happy. And I like that the vamp uses chan/nai or tan = v old fashioned. Nahlak. I love our ghost girl. Did you notice she wasn’t in the room with them but they left an empty chair for her? Also nahlak.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 6 - Kai was pretty much just “you're a workaholic but I basically married you whether you like it or not.” SMOOCH. What can I say? I'm a sucker for this dynamic.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - How is this show so cute? How do they both love and hurt each other so much. They are both just scared of loosing each other. Gah.

Unknown (Taiwan Sat Youku YouTube) 1 of 12 eps - Youku dropped the first ep to their YouTube channel but I doubt we can expect that to continue. Still, it was nice to be able to watch it in a convenient way. I enjoyed it. But I am cautious about it. Of course this is possibly two of my favorite tropes of all time (stepbrothers or a variation + hyung romance). So I’m looking forward to the romantic thread, but from the gritty style, it feels a lot more like a Taiwanese short. Which means it could go very dark and may not end happy. 

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - I just don’t know if the main couple should be a couple. But when they finally get around to talking to each other, they sure are lovely. Also how great is it to see a uke initiate a kiss? Even if it’s not a very good kiss. 

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 2 of 8 - I am still not sure about this one. I am not contesting its quality, just saying it’s not for me. Also I’m not wild about what amounts to basically a redo of everything that already happened in the first episode from a different perspective. I know it’s a tall order with Japan, but I would like (when it’s a short series) for each new installment to actually move the plot (such as it is) along in someway. Am I asking too much?

It's done but I have no time

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam, it's on YouTube. I will give it a try when I have a window of time.

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch.

It's airing but...

Dead Friend Forever (Thai iQIYI) - rumors are it's interesting but full of unlikable characters. I'm waiting to know how it ends.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far. Ends next week TF.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - I tried but I can't get into my WeTV account anymore and I'm way too lazy to figure it out. Should I bother to go grey for it?

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand YT) - High school sweethearts who had a bad break up reunite when both of them have full time jobs but coming out is still a problem. You can watch this on YT but it has no Eng Subs.

Next Week Looks Like This:

We're light on content right now, but frankly I'm so busy with work I don't really mind.

3/6 Born to be Y (Thai ????) 10 eps - 14 contestants who audition to compete in Born To Be Y, a program that searches for the best couple of the year to work together on a giant project. Described as semi-reality series. So I probably won't bother.

3/7 Deep Night (Thai iQiyi) 10 eps - Multiple romances set in a host clubs. Nice to see First back on my screen but this is not my favorite setting.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

The eyes have it.

Your random BL moment brought to you by my ult-bias being a hyung smartass to his maknae.

(Last week)

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #8 – The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham James

This has been on my tbr for long enough that I entirely forget what originally put it there – the only thing I actually knew going in was that the author was ‘the My Heart is a Chainsaw guy’ (I have not read My Heart is a Chainsaw yet either). Given the genre, that was honestly probably ideal. As was the fact that a blizzard hit a couple days after I started it and I’ve been reading it looking out on a frozen snowscape – it’s very much a winter sort of story.

The story’s told in five parts of wildly varying lengths, each with it’s own endearingly cheesy b-horror movie title and each following a different protagonist. The first four each follow one of a friend group who, as a bunch of fuckup teenagers, trespassed on hunting grounds that were really supposed to be reserved for elders and shot a bunch of elk they had no right to – including a pregnant young cow who was for one reason or another special. Ten years later, the Elk-Headed Woman drags herself back into the world, and begins getting her vengeance for the death of her and her child on each of them (and everyone they care about) in turn.

I have a longstanding opinion that a full-length novel is just too long to sustain a real horror story – by 300 pages things have fairly reliably collapse into urban fantasy or action or farce. The breakup into different parts solves this very well – they’re all very much connected and interwoven, but each feels like its own distinct narrative unit with its own tension and rising action.

And this is very much a horror story in the classic, just barely short of shlocky sense. A trespass against vague but understood sacred laws that leads to horrific and bloody retribution against everyone involved is as close to archtypal horror as you can possibly get, after all. The last section is even focused on a Final Girl! Specifically, it’s a subgenre that I can’t really name but feels very familiar to me – and one I’ve always been a huge fan of, anyway. It’s somewhere downstream of The Count of Monte Cristo, a story where the agent of supernatural doom spends the majority of the story consciously working in the background, manipulating events and exacerbating the protagonist/victim’s flaws to lead them to a contrived but tragic end? Think the netflix Fall of the House of Usher, but like about the exact opposite end of the socioeconomic spectrum.

Class is very much something the book cares about. All four protagonists grew up poor on a reservation with little in the way of wealth or opportunity, and by the time they’d turned eighteen all four of them were the kind of young asshole who made life just a little bit worse for everyone around them dealing with the same shit. Ten years latter the three of them who’ve survived that long have gotten over themselves and matured in their own way (and to their own degree), but none of them are exactly flush with cash or living lives of bourgeois respectability (though Lewis comes close). The precarity and only tenuous connections to the society around them just make them better prey for what’s hunting them, of course – in every case, death comes after the (either metaphorical or very viscerally literal) destruction of the few close ties they have, and the only one to survive is also the only one who could really expect people to come rushing to their rescue.

Speaking of close ties the protagonists have – the book’s conception of gender is fascinatingly weird, or at least fascinating in the sense that I’m not at all sure how intentional it is. Of the four main victims, one dies alone at eighteen, and the other three who survive the next ten years are all pretty much explicitly saved (or at least improved and uplifted) by a relationship with a woman who, if not flawless, is basically strictly his moral and practical better. Even the most consistent fuckup of the group has a redeeming feature of being willing to do just about anything for his daughter (despite having lost the chance to really be a big part of her life several times over). With one exception, these women all then die, messily, entirely and explicitly to fuck with and ruin the lives of their men. It’s like someone read Women in Refrigerators and went ‘well there’s an idea...’. It’s blatant enough that I feel like it’s got to be making a deliberate point, but (unless it’s just genre emulation) what the point is does escape me slightly.

Also on the note of stuff I’m quite sure is going over my head at least a bit – basketball! It’s a pretty vital thread running through the entire book, to the point that one of the big set pieces of the final act is literally a basketball game with the monster. Which, like, I watched enough bad anime as a small child to find contrived game-playing under unclear mythic rules with things that really want to kill you instinctively endearing, but I can’t really do anything with this except just point at it.

So as the title might imply, this is a novel that’s concerned with race – all but I believe exactly one character is either is either Blackfeet or Crow, more than half the book takes place on a reservation, and a chunk of the rest is spent having to deal with racist assholes of varying severity. Now, I admit that I have at this point a probably overly cynical view of books that end up on breathless ‘socially conscious horror’ or ‘s/ff from diverse creators you NEED to read’ lists online, but I was still rather pleasantly by how matter-of-factly this was handled? I suppose the best way to put it is that culture, upbringing and racialization deeply inform everyone’s characters, but it never feels like the book is preoccupied with providing some assumed naive and impressionable audience any Important Lessons or provide Good Representation to valourize or emulate? Which is probably just a sign I need to raise and re calibrate my expectations, but.

The monster doesn’t exactly work as, like, a coherent character in terms of her skills and abilities, but as a monster the Elk-Headed Woman is great. But then I love contrived fucked up tragedies and am a longstanding partisan of Spooky Deer Horror, so I suppose I would say that.

So yeah, fun read!

[evidence-based-activism]

Are there any statistics that show just how gendered kink communities are when it comes to all aspects of bdsm (like dominance/submission, sadism/masochism)? What demographics are most likely to engage in kink? How many people engage in paraphilias and general reasons as to why?

Yes! To start, I want to point out the some of the issues we have with research in this area:

The BDSM/kink community is often “underground," limiting outside-researchers’ ability to study them as a group.

These practices are taboo in many cultures, meaning some individuals likely lie, hide, or refuse to answer questions about this topic in population surveys.

There's disagreement about what specifically constitutes "kink/BDSM"; ambiguities in definition lead to inconsistent results across studies.

These – and other – limitations have to be kept in mind when considering the research on this topic. That being said, here's what I did find:

Are there any statistics that show just how gendered kink communities are when it comes to all aspects of bdsm (like dominance/submission, sadism/masochism)?

This international survey [1] solicited responses from individuals online (FetLife and Facebook/Reddit discussion groups) and through university research organizations and other sex-related organizations. From their final sample size of 810, they looked at the relationship between the "side of the slash" (i.e., where "left" is dominance-related roles and "right" is submissive-related roles). From this:

41% of men were "left only" compared to 9% of women

32% of men were "right only" compared to 62% of women

29% of both men and women were "both"

This clearly illustrates the gendered nature of the community roles.

Other studies:

This representative Finnish study [2] found that of those who had participated in BDSM, 37% of women had "tried" a submissive role compared to 23% of men.

A 2019 review [3] found that women were more likely to report interest/participation in a submissive role.

A 2013 study [4] found that 75% of women reported assuming the submissive role compared to 33% of men. This same study found that only 8% of women reported assuming the dominant role compared to 48% of men.

What demographics are most likely to engage in kink?

To answer this question, we need representative population studies.

This 2015 representative USA study [5] looked at specific behaviors and found about 32% of people had "spanked or been spanked as part of sex", which was the highest percentage for the list of possible activities. (They do not report the value for engagement in any kink activity.)

This 2008 representative Australian study [6] found 2.2% of men and 1.3% of women engaged in BDSM in the previous year. In addition, bisexual people are substantially more likely to have engaged in BDSM

This 2017 representative Belgian study [7] found ~40% of both men and women had tried BDSM. However, when considering scale scores, instead of binary interest, men reported significantly higher interest in every category. In addition, men were substantially more likely to report interest in all of the fetishes asked about. Again, non-heterosexual people were also more likely to report interest in BDSM.

Lastly, this 2019 review of 60 studies [8]:

Found widely varying estimates for participation in BDSM, ranging from 2 to 20%. However, up to 70% reported at least one BDSM fantasy. (We should keep in mind here how these studies are operating with varying definitions of BDSM.)

Confirms that men are more likely to engage/be interested in domination, and women in submission. They also confirm "men are more likely than women to report engaging in unusual sexual behaviors".

Indicates that "BDSM practitioners appear to be white, well educated, [and] young" as well as "non-heterosexual"

How many people engage in paraphilias

Paraphilias are usually defined by what is considered "unusual" sexual behavior [9], while paraphilic disorder applies when the behavior has a substantial negative effect on the individual/those around them [10].

It's possible up to 10% of people may express paraphilic interest, but cultural differences mean this figure may not be widely generalizable [9]. Further, almost all of these individuals are male.

In addition, most individuals with paraphilic disorders are male, with some specific disorders being considered a male-specific disorder [10].

and general reasons as to why?

There are a lot of theories for people's interest in kink/BDSM/paraphilias. The earlier review [8] discusses many of the theories for kink/BDSM (which has overlap with paraphilias). These include:

Previous child abuse/trauma

Attachment disorders/issues

Disinhibition ("that having social power leads to behavioral disinhibition; powerful people are more likely to act impulsively because they can")

Neurological and biological differences

Leisure/recreational activity

Evolution ("sexual arousal by a power difference between partners is a successful mating strategy")

Sex drive (i.e., having a higher sex drive)

All of these have some supporting/opposing research. The main point I drew from this is that it is "highly unlikely that there is a single cause of BDSM interests".

Conclusion

In conclusion, most kink practitioners fill gender-stereotypical roles. Prevalence rates are highly dependent on what behaviors are counted as kink, although men tend to be more likely to engage in/fantasize about most behaviors.

I hope this helps you!

References under the cut:

Bryce Westlake & Isabella Mahan (15 Nov 2023): An International Survey of BDSM Practitioner Demographics: The Evolution of Purpose for, Participation in, and Engagement with, Kink Activities, The Journal of Sex Research, DOI:10.1080/00224499.2023.2273266

Paarnio, M., Sandman, N., Källström, M., Johansson, A., & Jern, P. (2023). The prevalence of BDSM in Finland and the association between BDSM interest and personality traits. The Journal of Sex Research, 60(4), 443-451.

De Neef, N., Coppens, V., Huys, W., & Morrens, M. (2019). Bondage-discipline, dominance-submission and sadomasochism (BDSM) from an integrative biopsychosocial perspective: A systematic review. Sexual medicine, 7(2), 129-144.

Wismeijer, A. A., & Van Assen, M. A. (2013). Psychological characteristics of BDSM practitioners. The journal of sexual medicine, 10(8), 1943-1952.

Herbenick, D., Bowling, J., Fu, T. C., Dodge, B., Guerra-Reyes, L., & Sanders, S. (2017). Sexual diversity in the United States: Results from a nationally representative probability sample of adult women and men. PloS one, 12(7), e0181198.

Richters, J., De Visser, R. O., Rissel, C. E., Grulich, A. E., & Smith, A. M. (2008). Demographic and psychosocial features of participants in bondage and discipline,“sadomasochism” or dominance and submission (BDSM): Data from a national survey. The journal of sexual medicine, 5(7), 1660-1668.

Holvoet, L., Huys, W., Coppens, V., Seeuws, J., Goethals, K., & Morrens, M. (2017). Fifty shades of Belgian gray: The prevalence of BDSM-related fantasies and activities in the general population. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 14(9), 1152-1159.

Brown, A., Barker, E. D., & Rahman, Q. (2020). A systematic scoping review of the prevalence, etiological, psychological, and interpersonal factors associated with BDSM. The Journal of Sex Research, 57(6), 781-811.

Bhugra, D., Popelyuk, D., & McMullen, I. (2010). Paraphilias across cultures: Contexts and controversies. Journal of sex research, 47(2-3), 242-256.

Beech, A. R., Miner, M. H., & Thornton, D. (2016). Paraphilias in the DSM-5. Annual review of clinical psychology, 12(1), 383-406.

[mirageofadesert]

C-Drama Review: Love Game in Eastern Fantasy

Broadcast: Tencent, 2024, 32 Episodes, Genre: Romance, Wuxia

My Rating 6/10

The heartwarming story struggles with its delivery, lacking clear direction. It relies on the audience's attachment to the characters and their growing relationship, only to ultimately leave these elements underdeveloped.

Acting: 6/10 World-building: 5/10 Production: 8/10 Storytelling: 4/10 Pacing: 6/10 Re-watch Value: 6/10 

Summary with minor spoilers

Ling Miaomiao (played by Yu Esther) accidentally finds herself inside the latest novel of her favorite author, taking on the role of a supporting character and villain she had disliked as a reader. The novel turns into a computer game with quests, an experience system, and the constant threat of death—some more permanent than others. She has no choice but to complete the main questline to survive. Along the way, she teams up with the mysterious and moody Mu Sheng (Ding Yuxi), his sister Mu Yao (Zhu Xudan), and Mu Yao’s love interest Liu Fuyi (Yang Shize). Together, they battle monsters and unravel supernatural mysteries that are intricately tied to each character’s past.

My review - spoilers ahead!

The drama’s main storyline is revealed episode by episode, which makes it difficult for a cohesive narrative arc of suspense to develop. Instead, the audience’s interest lies in the evolving relationship between the two leads. Unfortunately, this relationship never fully blossoms into a love story—at least not on screen. The anticipated emotional revelations and romantic moments are more implied than explicitly shown, which I find to be a very odd creative choice. Even the dramatic revelations about Mu Shengs real identity, Liu Fuyi's guilt and Mu Yao's possession barely have any emotional impact. The rest of the plot simply isn’t strong enough to carry the series on its own, so as the finale approaches, the show regrettably becomes increasingly dull (but still rather sweet).

The chemistry between the main cast is decent and effectively supports both comedic and dramatic scenes. Despite its flaws, this is the first drama in a while that I’ve actually managed to finish!

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 30/11/2024 (Kendrick Lamar's GNX, Wicked Soundtrack with Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo, Stromae & Pomme)

Kendrick Lamar is Santa, Ariana Grande is Mrs. Claus, and God, do we have a lot of elves. I suppose that makes Gracie Abrams Rudolph, since she’s leading the pack for a sixth week at #1 for “That’s So True”. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, gang violence, potential spoilers for Wicked Part One

Rundown

As always, we start our week with the notable dropouts, those being songs exiting from the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This episode, we bid adieu to: “Two Faced” by Linkin Park and “Running Wild” by Jin – both off the debuts last week – as well as “São Paulo” by The Weeknd and Anitta, “Love Somebody” by Morgan Wallen, “Indestructible” by Andy C and Becky Hill, “TOO COOL TO BE CARELESS” by PAWSA, “Diet Pepsi” by Addison Rae, “BACKBONE” by Chase & Status and Stormzy, “Slow it Down” by Benson Boone, “The Sound of Silence” by Disturbed, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe, “Riptide” by Vance Joy, and finally, “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls. It is safe to say that at least some of these tracks make their return once Father Christmas has dropped the gifts off at the chimney.

Now for the festive flood, and whilst I won’t mention gains for pre-existing holiday tracks outside of the merriest three, we do have plenty of Christmas-related returns this week – every year has the chart week where the floodgates open for holly jolly hits – and even some seasonal new entries which we’ll get to. For now, we welcome back: “Driving Home for Christmas” by Chris Rea at #75, “Holly Jolly Christmas” by Michael Bublé at #72, “Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes at #66, “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” by the late Dean Martin at #65, “Step into Christmas” by Sir Elton John at #56 (I love that one), “Winter Wonderland” by Laufey at #55 (more from her later), “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Bublé at #51, “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” by Band Aid at #45 and “Merry Christmas” by Ed Sheeran and Elton John at #31. Our three jolliest jingles are “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at #20, “All I Want for Christmas is You” at #10 and “Last Christmas” at #8. I would say it’s too early for all that but my tree’s already up, and the only gain we get outside of this is “Messy” by Lola Young at #41, which I can’t complain about.

As for our top five… I suppose it’s best to break the news now. Kendrick Lamar’s new #1 album GNX and the soundtrack to Ariana Grande-led fantasy musical film Wicked have both debuted three songs – the maximum under UK chart rules – and they’ve all landed high up in the top 20. We can see quite early how this affects us, as Kenny takes “luther” with SZA at #5 and “squabble up” at #4. The top three, however, has not shifted in the slightest, with “APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars at #3, “Sailor Song” by Gigi Perez at #2 and of course, Ms. Abrams at the very top. Now, before we get into the big events, we of course have the filler episodes.

New Entries

#67 – “Christmas Magic” – Laufey

Produced by Laufey and Spencer Stewart

We start our week – of course – with the Amazon Originals. For those who don’t know, Amazon Music makes original holiday tracks with often famous artists, either for their bargain-bin Christmas films or as standalone tracks that automatically play when you ask Alexa for Christmas songs, hence run the streams up from automatic and passive listening but don’t have much of an impact on a lot of the population’s streaming rotation because they simply do not have access to it. It’s a questionable approach, for sure, but now it has been the norm for so many years, I no longer feel the need to complain about it. I used to review suggestions in protest, but this year, I decided that it’s really not difficult to find these songs without an Amazon product or subscription, and I may as well review them even if for the most part, they’re just vaguely festive slop. Plus, sometimes they are cover versions and hence I can talk about chart history. This does not appear to be the case for either of our new Amazon tracks, starting with Icelandic jazz singer Laufey’s “Christmas Magic” – if there’s any time of the year where her bordering-on-easy-listening style is going to gain the most traction, it would be Christmas, and this is fully a traditional Christmas song, with bursts of swing sax and sleigh bells backing what is basically a list of clichés. Laufey sounds nice as always, but it’s so short and there’s so little to it in all avenues of music – performance, lyrics, instrumentation – that it really can’t rise above vague pleasantry.

#49 – “It Can’t Be Christmas” – Tom Grennan

Produced by the Ghosts of Capitalist Past, Present and Future

Find Tom Grennan in around 30 days time and tell him what day it is, he won’t believe it. Anyway, we have our second Amazon-exclusive track, another original, this time from British pop-rock boy Tom Grennan, a semi-regular fixture on this series for the past few years. The horns are flatter here than on Laufey’s song, the tempo is fixed at a staggered classic soul pace which has never always fit holiday music for me – it’s usually used for Christmas songs that are more longing relationship, by-the-fireplace kind of songs, but there’s a cold angst to that drum rhythm to me, especially when in this context of a manufactured mix and song structure cut down for optimal length and audience retention. Grennan’s delivery flails into a really pathetic rasp, especially in that rough bridge, it sounds like a first take, and the staccato backing vocals don’t do much to sugarcoat it. It plays out less like an original Christmas song and more drunken karaoke from a wannabe Teddy Swims. Thanks, Bezos, we really needed this in the repertoire – besides, if you’re going to make a sincere attempt at introducing your song into the Christmas canon, why make it platform-exclusive to a platform largely not considered a major competitor in that particular medium? It’s like making a blockbuster film only available in cinemas located in Bedford – like, sure, people can see it but you have to go to Hampshire and not everyone’s going to be in Bedford all the time, in fact, most of the country won’t, though it’s not that difficult to get to anyways. And yes, Tom Grennan is from Bedford, and no, I didn’t know that before I wrote this analogy in, seriously.

#21 – “Ma Meilleure Ennemie” – Stromae and Pomme

Produced by Stromae, Mako and Luc Van Hayer

So, this kind of came out of nowhere. Stromae hasn’t charted internationally in a while and does not do so very often nowadays, especially in the UK, but he’s a Belgian singer best known for his 2009 smash hit “Alors on danse”, which this has amazingly out-peaked and once I found out why, I was a lot less excited to figure out why this duet with French singer Pomme had made a big splash when no non-massive event is otherwise getting through the holiday freeze. To keep it simple, as we’ll be talking about in-universe nonsense a lot for the rest of this episode, this is a song from League of Legends spin-off Netflix series Arcane, about a complicated relationship between two characters that starts off really antagonising and blossoms throughout the series, especially the second season which has recently premiered. I actually really like this song too, with the slightly off robotic vocoder functioning as those emotions coming to boil and bubble up inside the two characters, but not feeling too coherent yet, and Stromae’s spoken delivery fitting wonderfully over a reggaeton beat with a lot of space in the mix for phased wave synth pads and choir swells that take a human touch to a potentially over-produced and slodgy rhythm that comes with slowing a reggaeton drum pattern down and fuzzing out the mix. It’s a pretty good song outside of that, on strength of its chorus and concept, which fits what I’m told is the premise about a city and its seedy underbelly. If there’s cyborgs in the show, this is such a cyborg-coded song, and that’s the kind of in-depth observations you read this for. Between this and “Enemy” a few years back, maybe this show has something to it. Now speaking of shows I’m out of my depth on…

#17 – “What is This Feeling?” – Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo

Produced by Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Oremus, Greg Wells, Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Maggie Rodford

So, I have not seen Wicked, and I probably never will – it’s the first part of a musical I have no interest in stretched out to a film adaptation of two and a half hours. No amount of positive reception will bring me to see that. However, I had cleverly predicted this outcome and enlisted a duo of undercover spy agents to research and recount details of the piece to inform and assist with this episode. For the sake of anonymity, I shall call them Jessie and James, and yes, I’m Meowth, that’s right. Bear with me here, as like a third of this episode will be plot details for a movie I haven’t seen, but I will try and keep it brief as unlike Kendrick’s songs, these have very little chance of sticking around once the hype has dissipated. This song is from when the two students at “Shiz University” (again, bear with me) first meet: Galinda, an elite sorceress played by Grande, and Elphaba, the titularly wicked witch played by Erivo, write to their parents about each other and their initial experience as roommates. Apparently, this is near-unchanged from the musical version (which is itself adapted from a novel, itself adapted from The Wizard of Oz), and acts as a reversion of the “hate-to-love” trope in conventional musicals, by presenting two characters who absolutely love to hate each other and finding exhilaration in a quickly-onset and potentially longstanding loathing. My secret agent calls it a “toxic yuri anthem”, whatever that means – I like the intensity of the strings and especially the horns as the song ramps up, and for a show tune, the soundtrack version is less flat than many a musical track sounds in studio quality, even if the drums don’t hit like they should. I do find Ari – sorry, I mean Galinda’s lengthy description of her green counterpart being met with a short and snappy “Blonde.” from Elphaba pretty funny and, if I were more attuned with the narrative, probably an appropriate summary of their characteristics. A song about mutual hate written as if it were a cutesy love ballad is a cool take, especially in the bombast of a musical, but it doesn’t fully connect with me all the way through, it loses me a bit once we get into the choir parts. You know what didn’t need to take time to lose me?

#13 – “Popular” – Ariana Grande

Produced by Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Oremus, Greg Wells, Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Maggie Rodford

Now I do know this one! Is it because Ari had covered it prior with MIKA? Yes. Do I like that version? No, it’s horrible, but that is in part why it stuck with me and also in part why I cannot watch this film, as if I at any point think of MIKA in a cinema, security may need to intervene. Yes, I still find this song really annoying in whatever form, but what I didn’t know until now is that I’m somewhat supposed to. The musical’s most famous but not most iconic track, performed by Galinda alone, shows her as a bit of a smug, superficial pest obsessed with “improving” her newfound friend Elphaba that she sees as needing to be changed drastically to gain approval from her peers. The “la-la-la” hook is still incessant, but it plays onto “political performance themes” (quoting my spy) and given its status as both a fan and general audience favourite, I’m sure it’s exciting in the film’s context, and though one of my confidantes loved the extended outro, I find lengthening “Popular” to be somewhat like making sure your murder victim gets slapped around before you stab him, especially since the instrumentation is largely barebones. I get why the song is like it is and at least it’s not the MIKA version, but I’m still not a fan.

#7 – “Defying Gravity” – Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande

Produced by Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Oremus, Greg Wells, Jon M. Chu, Marc Platt and Maggie Rodford

It turns out, coincidentally, that the songs’ chart order also reflects that of the musical, so we observe the character arcs in real time. A seven-minute showstopper, “Defying Gravity” may be the most impressive number, so immersive as a song in thematic context that it’s part of why the film has been split into two different parts instead of released as a whole: it’s built specifically to bring a curtain down to intermission, so the producers cut the film not long after so the events following such a grand, iconic moment didn’t end up “hugely anti-climactic”. I mean, the song is called “Defying Gravity” – leaving the audience with a song that, according to my team of associates, gives them goosebumps, may be more powerful than bringing the film back down to Earth at any point, if it were possible. For the sake of chart history, Elphaba’s stage performer Idina Menzel recorded the song as a single, and therefore, this is the one song from the musical we get here to have charted several times, first with Menzel for a #60 peak in 2008, secondly with the cast of the TV sitcom Glee in 2010 for a peak of #38. To track that in the real world, the #1s at those dates were Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” and Tinie Tempah’s “Pass Out”… which both kind of make sense for such an extensive, transforming song about the two main characters coming to grips with how they’re just too vastly different to go in the same direction, and because of that, it’s a particularly powerful song for Elphaba. One of my friends – I mean, undercover employees prefers Adele Dazeem’s version but Cynthia Erivo’s performance here took me aback by sheer strength in just the audio so I’m sure I’d be impressed seeing its scenes play out on screen or stage. That hook really clings to you as an earworm and whilst getting there each time may not be the most fun to follow, that makes it all the more satisfying once you’re there, and this really is a special tune, even out of narrative context, so I completely understand why, despite the length, this is the highest-charting from Wicked. Once again, thanks to Team Wicked for equipping me with details regarding the film and its source texts because doing actual research is for nerds. Who the Hell would write a chart show based on actual research, facts, history and fair analysis for over half a decade? ...Well, maybe Spectrum Pulse.

#6 – “tv off” – Kendrick Lamar featuring Lefty Gunplay

Produced by MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD

All three of Kendrick’s top 10 debuts from his most recent surprise album – dropping in the middle of the afternoon UK time last week – appear in a row from #6 to #4 and we also don’t get any of the denser tracks, which is to be expected but does mean we partially lose a layer we could use to discuss the album with. This isn’t a problem, though, for if there’s any album in his discography that Kendrick wants you to feel and not overthink about, it’s his series of West Coast tributes seemingly made in just the past few months that he calls GNX. I’ve always been less enamoured by Kendrick than many others, because of what in my opinion is a spotty catalogue and messy approach from his output, DAMN. onwards, but a lower-concept, mixtape-esque record from him may be just what I’ve wanted him to get at since To Pimp a Butterfly. There are themes worth getting into on this album, for you to evaluate and take piece by piece, but there’s nothing cryptic, which isn’t necessarily a problem for me regardless, I can enjoy plenty of abstract rap, but it also means the album’s less heavy, more of a concise product that tells you quite explicitly how Kendrick is feeling. Hateful, he is feeling hateful and he's absolutely proud of finally having the angle and time in his career where proving himself isn’t necessary, and he can pull up to the Super Bowl with a set of new bangers he hasn’t gotten sick of yet, or even thought too hard about in the first place. There’s a real release in this album that comes with the post-Drake beef success: near-unanimously crowned the winner, dragged through the mud and coming out clean as a whistle in the public’s eyes, he realises that he can show off some jams that’ll resonate with his folks in California and boost that scene to worldwide status. As silly as it sounds, it might be my favourite Kendrick Lamar album.

Now as for the three track we have here, I’ll zoom through them, as we have two energetic West Coast bangers and one R&B cut, starting off with what might just be my favourite track, and I’m sure many agree: “tv off”. Produced by Mustard, who takes the same Monk Higgins album to flip as he did for “Not Like Us”, alongside Sean Momberger, Kamasi Washington, Jack Antonoff (of all people, he’s all over the record) and Kenny’s long-time producer Sounwave, Kendrick starts off with what may be the mission statement of the album: he’s finally bought his dream car, and he’s set out on the goal of making hits for the people: “fuck being rational, give ‘em what they asked for”. Once letting you know his rationale, he sets the score over a shrill sample chop that rings of all the malice he self-admittedly approached this project with, the beat animated by his manic flipping between his now signature goofy voice (a nasal whine), restless yelling and deadpan, sick-and-tired rambling. The main conceit of the song is authenticity, how Kendrick feels like he’s the only real one in the game, and there are not enough people like him, which leads to catchy flows and great brags like how he can afford to cut his grandmother off if she doesn’t agree with him (so much for keeping the family close), but also comes with the underlying knowledge that he’s admitting he himself is not enough to save his culture from losing the plot. Of course, the song only really switches into gear with the beat switch, as over a menacing loop from a Disney soundtrack of all places, Kendrick memetically screams “Mustard!” when the beat drops as if the guy who produced “Freaky Friday” was a Dragon Ball antagonist. His scream is not just for the meme, though, he explains why: he wants to walk into the Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana with the energy of his hometown of LA, and part of that is screaming California’s biggest producer as part of Kendrick’s own personal victory lap. That’s kind of beautiful, but you wouldn’t know it from Kendrick’s grimy verse and intricate rhyme schemes all enveloping from an already ruthless Biggie interpolation. I particularly love the second half verse from the “prophetic”-“cosmetic” bar onwards, the fricative mouthful leading into that second pained “Mustard!” release is such a great moment. And if you don’t know who Lefty Gunplay is, well, you weren’t supposed to, not only was he initially uncredited but he, as one of many West Coast underground rappers Kendrick gave shine to on this record, only provides the outro here, itself a bit of a memetic mantra of how it can get “crazy, scary, spooky, hilarious”. Theories have arisen that this reflects Kendrick’s four main diss tracks against Drake, but I see this more as just what happens when you see Kendrick in this aggressive mode because this album shows that it can get as zany as it can get genuinely threatening, and Lefty Gunplay’s voice fits like a glove, as expected for a largely unknown California rapper – there are a few others on the album, with Dody6 and AzChike in particular giving really standout performances. Part of me wonders if Lefty had a longer verse on this and that one line was just the part Kendrick liked the most so he looped it at the end. Either way, let’s move on to:

#5 – “luther” – Kendrick Lamar and SZA

Produced by Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington, Bridgeway, Rose Lilah and M-Tech

Earlier on in the album is a more lowkey cut with SZA, the laidback duet “luther”. One of the few tracks of its kind on the album, it is an honest-to-God love song from Kendrick, promising his girlfriend – presumably his fiancé Whitney, played by SZA – that better days are coming, in part because he’s there for her and is on the way to make her life as perfect as he sees her as. Kendrick promises that if the world was his, she’d have no enemies – in this case, he says he’d gun them down, of course – and wouldn’t have to suffer any pain, playing on the sample from “If This World Were Mine”, specifically the cover by Cheryl Lynn and Luther Vandross. As with many SZA tracks, it’s a piano and acoustic guitar-led trap-inflected slow jam, but with all kinds of very special and very Kendrick additions, like the string swell that tries its hardest to make you not notice that Kendrick’s first verse is the same set of bars repeated with two extra bars (it’s not fully successful), and how the beat is reduced to just the bass mid-verse so Kendrick can play with his “fah-fah” ad-lib melodically for longer than he needs to, but it’s still cut and further immerses you into the fantasy of a perfect world. For the rest of the song, SZA and Kendrick switch from going back-and-forth, completing each other’s sentences on the second verse, to harmonising entire verses and refrains together, in a catchy serenade that still plays with the pace of the lengthy chorus in interesting ways, whilst having Sam Dew and Ink fill in some of the vocal gaps Kendrick simply can’t. Kendrick’s less-than-perfect vocal here is part of the self-deprecation he accumulates in the song – he’s helpless to reach his goal of having a perfect world he has control over, but it’s in pursuit of this perfect woman who loves him regardless: “she a fan, he a flop, they just want to kumbaya”. Overall, it’s a charming, loveable little track that I’m very glad was included and could see sticking around – as much as I love it, “tv off” is probably being swapped out next week, but the higher two are probably going to be charting for a while.

#4 – “squabble up” – Kendrick Lamar

Produced by Kendrick Lamar, Bridgeway, Jack Antonoff, Sounwave and Matthew “MTech” Bernard

Unlike how the three-song rule often dictates, we do not see the opening track on the chart this week, primarily because “wacced out murals” is a five-minute villain origin story that is coldly intense and thematically necessary… but not as much of an undeniable jam as its follow-up, “squabble up”, which appears to get the lead single treatment with a midweek video and it should be obvious as to why. First teased in the “Not Like Us” video months ago, “squabble up” starts with intense breathing under Kendrick’s promise that he’s back: one of the album’s main themes is reincarnation, and here, he sets the stage for an album that’s bangers on bangers by saying he’s done stargazing and back outside for the people, whilst also referencing the sentiment that he considers himself Tupac Shakur reincarnated, a longstanding idea in his catalogue. Sentiments are hardly what makes this song great, though, as it’s named after LA slang for a brawl as Kendrick, with a lot of wacky choices of imagery and great wordplay – sometimes about his own producers (again) – over a groove that caught me in a trance on first listen, especially with that phased 80s synth bass, taken from Debbie Deb’s freestyle classic “When I Hear Music”. The vocal sample from Debbie isn’t interpolated in any way but its theme of dancing to the music takes on a different meaning in this more sinister context – Kendrick’s guys are on the floor for different reasons. The group call-and-response vocal in the bridge comes with intrusive drum crashes, and the third verse has so many cute details in how the sample is glitched and chopped into sparkling sound effects and vocoder loops that you almost get distracted from some of the funniest lyrics in the song, especially the flatly-delivered couplet “Bitch with him and some bitch in him – that’s a lot of bitch / Don’t hit him, he got kids with him? My apologies”. One could complain about the relatively simple and staccato hooks here, but the off-key singing in the chorus has always been part of Kendrick’s charm and why he can appear so down to Earth compared to rappers who will use Auto-Tune for a hook like that, and the rubbery effects in the post-chorus keep it texturally rich. This will have its chart run hampered by Christmas, but I still can’t imagine it not sticking around because this is infectious in all the best ways, and also a fun way to wrap up the episode.

Conclusion

Kendrick sweeps, as you’d expect. He grabs Best of the Week for “tv off” with Lefty Gunplay, and just to be fair, I’ll tie his Honourable Mention for “squabble up” with “Defying Gravity” by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. As for the opposite side, Tom Grennan takes Worst of the Week for “It Can’t Be Christmas”, obviously, and though I’m personally scared of my undercover assistants’ capabilities and mob connections, I will also dare to give Ariana Grande’s “Popular” the Dishonourable Mention. I’m sorry, the song will never click with me. As for what’s on the horizon, I can’t imagine much else but Christmas tunes, particularly a new one from Ed Sheeeran, so strap in, folks. We’re in for the slowest month of my year. For now, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy, and I’ll see you… soon.

[unblinded-by-nostalgia-blog]

SPICE & WOLF MONTH!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a review of the Anime series only and does not reflect the thoughts of the original novels. They are two different entities and I will be treating them as such.

Part 1 (Episodes 1-7)

The Story

The story is about a young merchant who teams up with a wolf-girl who promises to help him get his dream shop if he takes her back to her homeland in the north.

The story is not an action series like most fantasy anime, but focuses on money and how if affects their world.

Some people may get confused with the economic talk, but the anime explains how it works well. But you have to concentrate on this series all the way through to keep up, even though it doesn't look like anything but talking going on in this series, listen carefully to what they are saying and you will be able to follow the storyline.

The Characters

The two main characters, Holo and Lawrence, work off each other perfectly, and they are both interesting characters in their own right. But they are the only interesting characters in this series (so far), and the rest of the characters get very little screen time or are not very interesting.

The Animation/Special Effects

The animation isn't very impressive. The characters just mainly sit down and don't move. When they walk, they sometimes seem a little stiff.

The animation even recycles a couple of clips in this first part, and you do notice them, even if you aren't looking for them.

The sound effects are all stock. The wolf howls, footsteps, doors closing, every sound effects you can here are reused and can be found free on any free moviemaker app!

The Dub

The dub is one of the best I have heard from Funimation! All the roles fit the characters perfectly and you know that the voice actors had a lot of fun dubbing this series!

Final Thoughts

Overall, this first part may not be the best out there, but it is still very enjoyable! Let's hope that the second part follows this part's example!

The Story 4.5/5 The Characters 3/5 The Animation/Special Effects 2/5 The Dub 5/5

Overall 3.5/5

Part 2 (Episodes 8-13)

The Story

The second half is about Lawrence coping with bankruptcy after the armour he bought loses its value.

The second half is DEFINITELY weaker then the first half, with a lot of filler and having the series go nowhere till the last 2 episodes.

The Characters

The main duo get a lot of development in this half, but the new character, Norah, isn't that interesting, all we know is that the Church doesn't like her and think she is a pagan witch (they never explain why very well) all they say is that she is too good at protecting sheep from wolves... That is frustratingly dumb for this series!

The Animation/Special Effects

The animation is still not very impressive. Even the final battle scene isn't very good, the character movements are too stiff.

The Dub

The dub is still very well done. But I think the voice of Norah doesn't fit well. She sounds too high pitched and doesn't sound like a confident shepherdess who can fend off wolves.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this second half is definitely weaker than the first half. The main problem with this second half is that it's too slow, and this is already a slow paced show. It's still enjoyable, but don't expect a masterpiece out of this second half.

The Story 2/5 The Characters 2.5/5 The Animation/Special Effects 2/5 The Dub 4.5/5

Overall 3.5/5

Overall Thoughts

Overall, this show is ok as an adaptation to the original novels. I do think that the anime is overrated, but I still enjoy it on it's own. It isn't something I would watch again anytime soon, but if you are looking for something to watch and nothing else good is on, I would recommend you watch this series.

Part 1 3.5/5 Part 2 3.5/5

Overall 3.5/5

[jaal-ama-daravv]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Review

i need to put my thoughts into words so hear it goes - dragon age veilguard review

keep in mind my playthrough was the following -

female, elf, mourn watch, romanced emmrich, solavellan import, completed 90%.

full spoilers below - you have been warned!

ill add to this if I think of anything through my next playthrough

Combat

Im gonna cop it for this but I fucking loved it. Its literally fantasy Mass Effect Andromeda. and I have ALWAYS, FUCKING HATED STAFFS FOR A MAGE. Now im a mage ninja and im in heaven.

1000/10

Story

Ill keep this short in a few words -

This is if Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, and Dragon Age 2 had a lovechild. Mass Effect 2 ending choices and companion focus, Mass Effect 3 cinematics with pizazz and impact, Dragon Age 2 haha and compantion depth.

I was genuinely in shock for some outcomes/consequences but other times im like, what, is that IT. looking at you lucanis personal quest

I wish they put more weight on the 'this may be my final mission' but I digress.

The pace was good.

minimal cameos????? I feel bad for anyone who romanced someone in inquisition that wasnt dorian or solas

I was violently sobbing at numerous points and cheering at others. The choices I made, made a difference.

7/10

Solavellan/Solas

Bioware did a good job. They ticked every fucking box for ME personally when it came to the reunion and the ending.

I called it when I said that Solas would turn around and go 'vhenan'.

also talking love to eachother in elvhen? jesus fuck my heart.

I will add that at times i felt like the game was pushing me to hate solas, where if you are coming in from a solavellan experience, can be offputting

I do think they couldve added more OOMPF to solas and his regrets. like one regret about the inquisitor, or mention. but solas keeping his vhenan card close to his chest till the end made me fucking cry like a baby so

regardless, 10/10

Romance w/ Emmrich

I LOVED this romance. It was very well written and suave. The main choice in Emmrich's personal quest does have an impact and I love that. I chose for Emmrich to choose mortality over lichdom in a 'face your fears' type of way.

the romance scene is quirky. sad boy hours there is no naked emmrich.

long story short, sacrificing lichdom causes Emmrich to clench up more and insists that he is a burden to you due to the age difference. The romance still continues but in the LICH path, Emmrich expresses that he is afraid to mourn you for eternity. which i think is way hotter. PLUS. I can HC that my rook seeks lichdom too.

The argument scene has left a hole in my heart

9/10

devastated there is like FOUR WORDS in the epilogue about any romance.

therefore, 8/10

im tired of writing fanfcition bioware just give it to me in game

argument scene

Epilogue

Now this, I have an issue with. It is way too vague. There is no mention of what the companions get up to next, and minimal mention of the world state following the final quest. I mainly remember it just telling me the story isnt over. It is pure sequel baiting, which they couldve still done AND mentioned brief 'what the got up to'. BUT, I shouldnt be too surprised considering this happened with Inquisition as well. Also, huge set up for Rook to be the protagonist in the next game too. WHERE IS THE EPILOGUE SCREEN ABOUT WHAT THEY GET UP TO. I cant with it. Don't get me started on the sequel baiting for a BIG BAD guy in the secret post credit scene where they claim to control all the whacked out characters in the past.

5/10

~~

this is mainly me ranting and/or loving it and my personal views after my initial playthrough

i also love bioware where I will play everything they put out and be thankful I am recieiving something, but do wish they would learn from their mistakes.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, September 14

XANDER: The center of Sunnydale's Hellmouth was- BUFFY: Under the library. XANDER: Right. Now, exactly where the library was, we have- BUFFY: Principal's office. DAWN: So he's evil? BUFFY: Or in a boatload of danger. XANDER: The last two principals were eaten. Who'd even apply for the job?

~~BtVS 7x01 “Lessons”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

The Leather Jacket (Spike/Reader, not rated) by sapphistically

The mysterious time traveler had disappeared after one more night [...] (Buffy/Spike, not rated) by hiddenbysuccubi

Frosty Hearts (Buffy/Spike, M) by loverswalk89

The Ten Second Rule (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Girlytek

[Chaptered Fiction]

a long way from sunnydale, Chapter 1/? (Ensemble, Charmed xover, T) by s6ullys

Shadowed Suspicion Volume XI, Chapter 6/? (Ensemble, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure xover, T) by arcanedreamer

Aegis, Chapter 17/? (Xander, DCU xover, T) by dogbertcarroll, Narsil

In the Company of Witches and Slayers:, Chapter 157/200 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

There's A Crack In Every Wall, Chapter 5/7 (Buffy/Spike, E) by bunniesarebad

A-Z of Sex, Chapter 2/26 (Buffy/Giles, E) by KatyAmberAuthor

After Life, Chapter 6/? (Buffy/Faith, E) by Alwaysandforevermylove

Supporting Loki (And Thor), Chapter 9/18 (Buffy, Willow, Marvel xover, M) by SomeMeaninglessName

Breaking the Code, Chapter 8/? (Star Wars xover, Dawn, Buffy, Illyria, G) by Buffyworldbuilder

Situation Normal - All Faithed Up, Chapter 7/? (Buffy/Faith, M) by QuillBard

Out of Ashes, We Rise Anew, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike/Angel, T) by anneikenskywalker

Forces of Good, Chapter 20 (Buffy/Faith, M) by Faith-rulz

All Roads Lead Back, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, M) by loverswalk89

Forty-eight days in L.A., Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Blissymbolics

Stupid Thing, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Misti

Little Light, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Melme1325

Incarnate, Chapter 15 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Sigyn

Aegis, Chapter 17 (Xander, DCU xover, T) by dogbertcarroll

Enchanted Dawn, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

Viral, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Harlow Turner

A Taste of Buffy, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: [Misc AtS AU doodles] (ensemble, worksafe) by artsying-ifer

Gifset: Every Tara look: S4E17 Superstar (worksafe) by lovebvffys

Moodboard: [Moodboard with red and white tones] (Buffy, Giles, worksafe) by buffyannegiles

Moodboard: [Moodboard with pink tones] (Buffy, Giles, worksafe) by buffyannegiles

Gifset: Well, I gotta look on the bright side. Maybe I can still get kicked out of school! (ensemble, worksafe) by orion-lake

Artwork: I hate you - Episodic art for BtVS 2x22 “Becoming, Part 2 (Buffy, Spike, worksafe) by revello-drive-1630

Video: Buffy The Vampire Slayer | Full Q&A | For The Love Of Fantasy (London) 2024 by Monopoly Events

Fanvid: Tara + Willow - Fight for it by Faith Victoria

Fanart, FNTM II: I think I was in Heaven (Buffy, worksafe) by christytrekkie

[Reviews & Recaps]

Interview with The Date - Never Kill a Boy on the First Date by Slayin It with Juliet Landau

First time watcher: Few thoughts about Buffy and Spike's abusive relationship. by psychenock

PODCAST: It's Got The Spike (S4E20) by It Stakes Two

PODCAST: Buffy 2.16 Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered by Once More Podcast

PODCAST: Episode 73: Doomed (w/ Ally!) by Gym Was Cancelled

[In Search Of]

Does anyone ever say "I'm looking for Spike" in the show? requested by SoFLShelfLove

Help finding an episode !! requested by Fair-Ad-9396

[Community Announcements]

Obsessed With You 2024 by otherworldly_chemistry

[Prompt with no fills] Buffy and Giles - magic made them do it/sex pollen/f*ck or die by buffyversekinkmeme

[Fandom Discussions]

[ask by anniemurphy] Just curious are you more Fred x Wesley or Fred x Gunn or are you like you like them at different times answered by destiel-wings

ATS in their recap of Spike’s final moments on btvs in 5x2 very very intentionally [...] omitting Buffy telling Spike she loves him is actually so embarrassing of them by raisedbythetv89, messedupdoilies

Spike fit the trend of her ex’s leaving town but he came back by aphony-cree

Does anyone else feel like Buffy lowkey neglected Dawn? by coachscottsleg

[Headcanon with commentary in tags] still thinking about how pike is a way better love interest than angel (and spike) and should have followed buffy to sunnydale by froggods

Does anyone else skip season 1 and half of season 2 during their re-watch. by denn_r

Is there anything you wish the show had done differently? by HinduHillbilly

Becoming part demon: Buffy vs Cordelia by Dry-Dragonfruit5216

What's something the Buffyverse writers did that made you feel like they were "out of touch" with the audience to a certain degree? by PristineSituation498

Music fans, which episode has the best instrumental score (without lyrics)? What's your favorite track? by rfresa

Can you spoil angel for me? by Lemonstarklion

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[harpagornis]

Kizazi Moto review

Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire is an anthology of animated shorts from studios all over Africa, with the theme of afrofuturism and science fantasy (mixing frequently indigenous spiritual beliefs with the tech, and many shorts are actually about gods or spiritual beings). It's a shame that the project is attached to Disney, because this is one of the best anthologies I've seen in a long while.

So let's review the individual shorts.

Herderboy

By Uganda's Raymond Malinga, this portrays the story of a boy trying to join a band of herders, which harvest kyber crystals from cyborg cows and are under constant attack by spirits (read dark side hyenas). It's a good start to the anthology; the CGI is bright and makes good use of color, and it has a nice twist at the end.

7/10

Mkhuzi the Spirit Racer

By South Africa's Simangaliso Sibaya and Malcolm Wopé, this one bears a bright and joyous 2D animation. It features a half-human half-something boy who struggles with his Zulu identity, and that all comes crashing down in a race against gentrification. It's a delightful short with beautiful visuals and actual incorporation of cultural themes into the narrative.

9/10

Moremi

By Nigeria’s Shofela Coker, this is a pretty bleak looking CGI short not out of place in Love, Death & Robots. Long ago, soul stealing giants forced a woman to construct magical machines by giving her son's heart to the gods; this is about the summary you're gonna get without getting into heavy spoilers. A delight if you're into mythology as there's quite a few allusions to Nigeria's folklore, but I can see people getting a bit confused and the visuals can be grating at times.

6/10

Surf Sagoma

By South Africa’s Nthato Mokgata and Catherine Green, in a future where sea levels rose and mutant octopi lurk in the depths a boy is peer pressured into surfing in dangerous waters. I have to say, while this has a happy ending it is rather bleak and the CGI visuals are not particularly pleasing.

5/10

First Totem Problems

By South Africa’s Tshepo Moche, we're back to 2D, this time more Disney-esque. If I had to describe this, it'd be like a mixture of the first half of Brother Bear and Coco. It's pretty fun, though a bit lacking in substance and the family feuds can get grating.

7/10

Mukudzei

By Zimbabwe’s Pious Nyenyewa and Tafadzwa Hove, an influencer desecrates Great Zimbabwe, only to be taken to a timeline where it never fell to colonialism and became basically Wakanda. The concept alone is amazing, though the story itself is rather generic.

8/10

Hatima

By South Africa’s Terence Maluleke and Isaac Mogajane, this is by far my favourite of the shorts, it features the tragic conflict between merfolk and humans, with a Black Panther 2 reveal at the end. With stellar 2D animation and allusions to Dogon mythology, as well as a good solid plot where the reveal has just the right amount of foreshadowing without becoming obvious.

10/10

Stardust

By Egypt's Ahmed Teilab, I had the highest expectations for this one, being the only Middle Eastern short in the mix. It's an alright story, I really loved the science fantasy twist on astrology by just being handed a "destiny" in a tube with stars inside. The protagonist naturally choses her own fate over the manufactured ones... though getting there is quite spoilerific.

8/10

You Give My Heart

By South Africa’s Lesego Vorster, this is another return to 2D animation and the second one about influencers amusingly enough. The plot kicks off in a competition in which the human contestants can ascend to godhood. Godhood is very much treated like being an influencer, and amusingly one of the previous contestants was demoted by typing in all caps. Overall pretty fun and the animation is gorgeous, though the characters designs can get a bit ugly.

9/10

Enkai

By  Kenya’s Ng’endo Mukii, the final short is done in a CGI mimicking stop motion, which combined with the stellar coloration and lighting makes for a stunning visual experience. This too deals with the divine, this time the young Enkai seeking to become a creator deity like her mother. There is a big plot twist that I will not spoil, and recontextualises the whole short.

9/10

Conclusion

I give the overall anthology 9/10; barring a few hiccups, these are wonderful stories from Africa's many creative voices. Again, pity Disney has a grasp on this.