#I haven't seen the drama or read the novel in a while so I may be misremembering things

[love-little-lotte]

A Look Into My New Guilty Pleasure: Poldark (2015 Series)

My biggest weakness is period dramas — especially period dramas with a talented cast, sweeping romance, terrific scenes (preferably set in some kind of country/provincial side), and lots and lots and lots of just sitting around and talking.

That's probably why Poldark has captured my heart. As a big fan of Outlander, it's no surprise that I fell in love with this show. Outlander and Poldark have so many similarities that I may make a lengthy post about it, but for today, let me just rant about my new guilty pleasure. I'm so obsessed with this show that I actually finished watching the entire five seasons in one week!

Poldark is based on Winston Graham's novels and adapted by Debbie Horsfield. I was so excited to start this show, with a male protagonist originally written by a man, created and written for a series by a woman. I haven't read Graham's novels (I'm going to one of these days, I swear!), so I'm not sure how well Debbie's adaption worked. I've read many Reddit threads, though, and some fans of the novel are not that impressed with how she omitted and added details to the show (will get back to this once I've read the books or at least the seven ones that were used in the show). The show has also been adapted in the 70s, so this was not the first time Graham's novels were seen onscreen!

Despite not having read the books, I fell in love with the story, the characters, and the cast! The show follows Ross Poldark returning to Cornwall after fighting in the American War in the 1780s. He looks forward to marrying his childhood sweetheart Elizabeth but, believing him to be dead, is now engaged to his cousin Francis. He then tries to resurrect his family's mining business and hires a young girl Demelza to be his kitchen maid (whom he eventually marries) while also crossing paths with the villain George Warleggan, a corrupted banker who stops at nothing to ruin Ross's prospects and personal life. As the show progresses, we also meet other characters, including Prudie and Jud, Ross's servants, Verity, Ross's cousin and Francis's sister; Ross's friend Dr. Dwight Enys and his love interest Caroline Penvenen; Sam and Drake Carne, Demelza's brothers, and Morwenna Chynoweth, Drake's love interest.

Yes, this show has a large ensemble cast, and trust me, there always comes a point when you hate or love them. Especially our protagonist Ross Poldark. Ross... is an interesting character. He's terribly, terribly flawed and many times times, I'm so infuriated with him to the point that I want him to suffer. I swear, you cannot go through this series without screaming at Ross. (When that moment came up in Season 2, I swear I had my middle finger ready every time Ross showed up on my screen from then on.)

But my favorite character in the show is Demelza, Ross's wife who started as his kitchen maid. She's the heart of the show, the voice of reason, and even though she makes questionable decisions along the way, you can't help but get on her side no matter what. She's the perfect fiery yet gentle match to Ross's stubbornness. He treats her like shit many times in this show, which makes me angry to no end, but they eventually grow to be understanding, loving partners.

And it also helps that Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson have one of the best romantic chemistries I've ever seen. They're terrific actors as well and they bring the characters to life so effortlessly. They just seem like they have the best time shooting this show. I kind of want to rewatch Loving Vincent now just because they're in that movie, even just in supporting roles.

Poldark is a roller coaster, with so many ups and downs (mostly downs, to be honest, please give Demelza a break!) My favorite season has got to be Season 1. Season 1 had the best Ross and I loved the early stages of his relationship with Demelza. It also has my favorite episode: Season 1, Episode 8. That episode broke me so much, thanks to Aidan and Eleanor's perfect performances. It's the only time I ever cried watching this show. I usually cry in period dramas (I've cried countless times in Outlander and Downton Abbey), but for some reason, I only cried once in Poldark. Most of the time, I'm annoyed and infuriated (hahaha but I still love it!)

The romance in Poldark is also quite unique, something I haven't seen before. Ross and Demelza emotionally hurt each other many times in this show, and they don't have the best communication. It's not an ideal marriage, but that's what makes it so raw and real. It hurts when Ross sleeps with his first love Elizabeth or when Demelza falls for the much-sensitive Hugh Armitage, but these are challenges people face all the time, and it's interesting to view it in characters and circumstances through 18th-century lenses. Plus, it can be very tiring to see perfect couples onscreen all the time. So watching Ross and Demelza's relationship thrive, suffer, and reconcile is very refreshing to me.

Nevertheless, Ross and Demelza are still able to work together. Seasons 2 and 3 showcase the worst moments of their marriage, from infidelities to insecurity, but the love between them still perseveres and they learn to forgive. In the end, they realize that they belong together.

And despite the unconventional marriage, Poldark is not a stranger to grand romantic gestures. Two of my favorite Ross and Demelza moments occur in Season 2:

A real funny, old-married-couple type of bicker in The Beach Scene:

And of course, showing all intimacy in The Stocking Scene:

(Let's just not talk about what happened 2 episodes after this!)

The romance in Poldark not only ends with Ross and Demelza. We also got two really good couples in the series: Dwight and Caroline and Drake and Morwenna.

And these love stories don't just happen! They're fleshed-out characters with proper backgrounds and their own problems, especially Drake and Morwenna's relationship. Morwenna is one of my favorite characters, and she doesn't deserve all the shit thrown at her. The last season of Poldark is not the best (bordering on bad, actually, especially the last two episodes), but watching Drake and Morwenna get their happy ending is worth it.

Finishing all five seasons is bittersweet. I enjoyed most of the story and fell in love with different characters. I kind of regret watching everything in one week haha. But what can I say? As soon as I finish each episode, I'm so tempted to start another episode. I think the last time I stayed up until 5 AM the next morning to watch TV shows was Yellowjackets. Poldark's just too good to binge! It's one of my favorite TV shows now. Maybe I'll watch Sanditon next...

I want to write more about Poldark soon, maybe a comparison with Outlander or maybe just a post about each character. I realized I hadn't talked much about Elizabeth, Francis, and George in this post; I was too preoccupied with the love story aspects and Ross and Demelza. We'll see!

[wangxianficfinder]

hi! i have a question. i seem to recall wwx and jc planning to plan the best wedding ever for jyl, so when wwx couldnt attend her wedding, he's sad bc of it too. is this in any of the canons? novel, donghua, audio drama, cql, manhua, anywhere? or was it just a headcanon i saw, or something i read in a fic? i'd appreciate it if anyone remembers the exact source of canon that has that info (if it exists at all), but if not, i just need some kind of confirmation that at least one of the canon does contain that info. thank you for your help!

I believe Wei Wuxian mentioned it to Lan Wangji when he tells Wei Wuxian about her wedding during their lunch together in Yiling, right before Wen Ning wakes up. As far as I know, it's in all of the adaptations, but i haven't seen the Donghua, Manhua or the Audio Drama so don't quote me on that. I distinctly remember it being in the Novel though, so it's at least there.

If I am wrong, please correct me, I read way too much fanfic lol 😅

Edit: IT'S IN EP 29 OF THE UNTAMED! I JUST CHECKED 😂 around 6 minutes and 50s in, while they are eating together, Wei Wuxian says,"Lan zhan, Do you know? My senior sister, she deserves the best man in the world. I and Jiang Cheng once said we'll make my senior sister's wedding one that everyone praises on mentioning for a hundred years. None would be equal to it. I'll watch my senior sister marry with absolute splendor." (Used the YouTube subs so may not be exact) I think fanon expanded on the quote and that's where the idea that WWX and JC planned their sister's wedding together came from.

- Mod C

---

evadingreallife said: 1/2 I'll be honest, i cant find it. Ive been running some word searches through my copy of mdzs and the closest thing ive found is this quote from wwx when lwj first tells him jyl is getting married:

2/2 “Lan Zhan! Do you know? My shijie, she deserves the best person in the world.”

He slammed the table. On his slightly drunk face was pride, “We’ll make this grand banquet one that everyone admires and praises, even after a hundred years. None would be able to compare to it. I’ll watch my shijie married with absolute splendor.”

Lan WangJi, “Mn.”

Wei WuXian laughed bitterly, “Why did you answer? I won’t be able to watch it anymore.”

Maybe cql expanded on this? Bc i remember it too but ive read so many fanfics that i may as well be mistaking it with some kind of frankencanon

Ah, that's actually the quote I was thinking of! I might have also misremembered it if it's not expanded in the Drama 😅 - Mod C

[halflingkima]

Recent Reads

I'm not usually one for monthly wrapups or whatever – if i think a book is good, i'll recommend it; if i think i a book is bad i'll yell about it. most of my reads are middling so it's unworth it. but february was a struggle month so i figured i'd commemorate what i did indeed read cuz it feels like a read nothing and that is false. i haven't done any Official Storygraph reviews yet so instead of forgetting the entire experience, i thought i'd document it here in the meantime.

What's Your Vibe by Kat Majik: Milo is demisexual and works in a sex shop; Stevie is bisexual, agoraphobic, and a sex shop customer; the two negotiate a relationship while feeling out the edges of their own identities.

Best book I read this year so far. Cute fluffy romance with a queer friends group and without shying from the scrutiny (including self-inflicted) that demisexual & bisexual people handle on the regular. as a demi bisexual semi-agoraphobic, this spoke to me. Also, iirc, there was no sex in this, which was so deeply refreshing. the inciting incident is that the demisexual character experiences immediate physical attraction and has a bit of a crisis. were this not written by a demisexual, the focus would be on milo exploring sexual experiences, but it simply was not. as a nearly 30yo virgin, reading a book featuring a 30yo virgin was, to be frank, healing.

this is also the book i made a vaguepost about while i was reading it cuz i am lowkey afraid the author may find me through such vagueposts.

When You Get the Chance by Tom Ryan and Robin Stevenson: Cousins Mark and Talia – both gay – find themselves in Ontario on pride weekend and take a spontaneous road trip to Vancouver pride.

This was my zipbook for the month (if you're in california, ask me about libraries' zipbook programs!), and ngl, I regretted it a little bit. This was pitched to me as a cousin/bff road trip and that is absolutely not the story here. This is a family drama centering on the queer teens of the family. It was clearly a hand-off where one author wrote each pov. The plot is strange and pointless. It is absolutely not a road trip book. Nothing interesting happens, glad i got it thru the library instead of buying it myself.

Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral: Teenage piano prodigy Glory has gone missing from inpatient care, where she was admitted after uncontrollably playing Chopin's Chopsticks.

this was in the free bins at work and i found it intriguing. it was published in 2013 which i think is its downfall. the format is cool and innovative. it's like a graphic novel, but using photography and mixed media (like newspaper articles & report cards). the beginning implies a sorta mystery/thriller/missing person story, but it's more of a (traditional, played-out) romeo & juliet deal. i think it could've been produced today and it would've been way more interesting and better executed, given the general popularity of and respect for graphic novels in general.

Paper Girls, Vol. 6 by Brian K. Vaughn: With the girls split across the timestream, they must survive, find their way back to each other, and return home in one piece.

I powered through this in january and i gotta say, it's nothing special. the timeline got predictably confusing, but the narrative doesn't do anything to help you with it. i was also disappointed in the ending even though it wasnt as hopeless as it couldve been. still disappointing in general. i've also seen this on "good sapphic rep" lists and i'm not sure i'd agree with that. ngl, i think i've already forgotten most of the series, let alone what happened in which volume.

A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy: Emmett wants a career as an openly gay country singer, and his first step is performing at a country superstar's amusement park; Luke was brought up hating country music, but his concerns over his mother's illness lead him to reluctantly take a job at the amusement park.

This was pleasantly better than i expected it to be. i thought it struck a perfect balance between pride & the gravitas of coming out, big dreams of stardom and small dreams of the future, young love and adult themes, and ultimately, realism & camp. there was a clear dolly parton insert character here, and yes, the characters meet her in person. but honestly, bc it's balanced with some southern-style casual homophobia, it didn't feel too outlandish for me. the fact that this book remained steadfastly YA while not shying from discussing things like terminal illness & coming out in the south really impressed me.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce: Alanna of Trebond steals her twin brother's knighthood commission, disguising her gender, and uses her powerful healing to help her fellow knight, the prince.

i started this series (of series) in junior high and never finished it cuz it wasn't published yet lol. i've always wanted to revisit it so i finally began again and i gotta say. i had thought i'd forgotten most of what happened but no; not much happens at all in this book. the prince got sick and i was like aw hell yeah the story's getting started and then it was over. that was the climax. thank goodness it's in audio now cuz idk if i'd have the patience to reread the series otherwise.

Tea Leaves by Jacob Budenz: A collection of queer short stories leaning into the witchy, the horror, and the speculative.

I was so hoping this one would be a success, but it fell apart pretty quickly for me. Mostly, the stories just drag on far too long. There are promising premises and the writing style isn't untenable, but almost every story needed a heavy editing hand.

The Lawrence Brown Affair by Cat Sebastian: An agoraphobic inventor hires a new secretary and finds himself falling in love, not least because this secretary helps him cultivate a relationship with his young son.

I found myself moderately invested in this one. i liked the couple, but wasnt rly invested in the characters on their own outside of the relationship. this also felt a little piecemeal plotwise. single dads are in my tropebox but that doesnt rly come up until 60%ish. so far, i've largely preferred sebastian's sedgewicks series over the turner series.

Mister Invincible: Local Hero by Pascal Jousselin: Mister Invincible is the only true comic book superhero – his powers allow him to use the format of comics themselves to save the day.

This was a very cute read! It read just like a sunday comics strip, like beadle bailey or garfield, but elevated to an deliberately meta level. I picked it from a branch of my library knwon for artsy books and this one fulfilled.

Beneath the Sugar Sky (Wayward Children #3) by Seanan McGuire: Everything has returned to normal at Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children after the twins escaped; until a dissolving girl falls from the sky, demanding to see her mother Sumi – who is a recently murdered teenager.

I've seen this one talked about mostly as the most disappointing of the series - it's fine, but ppl tend to agree its the weakest. after i tricked my own damn self into disappointment with the previous one, i found this a delight! i especially loved that we visited multiple worlds.

Rizzio by Denise Mina: On the evening of March 9th, 1566, a conspiracy to assassinate David Rizzio, private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, took place.

I likely would not have been as disappointed had i known any specifics about this piece of history going in. i expected some espionage, a focus on rizzio as a main character. instead, he was dead by page 20, and the rest of the book sprawled on, debating how mary could keep her crown. had that been the book that was pitched to me, i likely wouldve still picked it up! but i wouldve had more accurate expectations.

Bloody Jack by LA Meyer: Orphan Mary Faber finds herself aboard a ship of Queen VIctoria's British navy, masquerading as a boy – Jacky.

I've been wanting to get through this series since junior high and after rereading this one... i remember exactly why i never did. its the driest piece of historical fiction wrapped in a difficult accent. most disappointing now is how tragically heterosexual it is. i dont need every genderbend story to be explicitly about transness but it does seem weird if its never addressed; and I'd also prefer if 15yos weren't swearing marriage vows ngl. I'm gonna read the second book, but i may throw in the towel after that.

[culttvblog]

What's on my Laptop

Possibly a strange title but this post is simply a run-down of shows of which I currently have episodes in a file on my laptop, either waiting to be seen or waiting to be blogged about. They have all been available online recently and I have downloaded them. Among other things the purpose of this post is to celebrate that I can still find new stuff uploaded and shows I haven't seen yet!

I posted a few weeks ago about Second Verdict, the 1976 series in which DCSs Barlow and Watts reprise their fictional police roles to reconsider historical mysteries. I also have the 1973 Jack the Ripper series, in which they also consider this mystery in their fictional personae. Jack the Ripper isn't one of my enthusiasms, but I have read reviews saying that this is possibly the best account of the state of the evidence at the time but can't guarantee that it's still up to date fifty years later. I also don't tend to do historical series, but I do like the reconstructions of the Victorian characters giving their evidence in this.

Strangers (1978 to 1982) is a crime drama series which I was slightly too young to see at the time, although I remember watching The Professionals with my dad. It's another case of one character having an incredibly long career across several series, in the form of Detective Sergeant George Bulman, who first appeared in The XYY Man (1976 to 1977). This was a series about a man with the XYY syndrome (which was then thought to cause criminal tendencies) who was a cat burglar but finds after leaving prison that his services are in demand with both the criminal fraternity and the Secret Service. It's been a while since I've seen it, but The XYY Man is a show that I've been meaning to blog about for ages and is in my permanent collection. Bulman then appeared throughout Strangers, where he is something of a maverick. The premise is that he is part of a team drafted to Manchester to investigate crimes that have defeated the local force. To be frank I'm finding the episodes inconsistent, possibly because it was written by a number of writers, although I will certainly be keeping some of them, which is a sign I don't think they're rubbish. Bulman then appeared in Bulman (1985 to 1987) which is about his life after retiring from the force. You very nearly had the first series in the series of posts I did on Birmingham on tV because it is set very close to here. The show accurately describes the emotions and difficulties in his life, so is far from an easy watch. All three of these series are complex, quality dramas.

You will be getting a blog post about this so I won't say that much at this point. Saturday Live (1985 to 1987, and changed its name to Friday Night Live in 1988) is of course not to be confused with the US series Saturday Night Live (1776 to the present). I've avoided its various revivals and specials because this show is like mainlining the eighties. It's a comedy and music show, featuring among others, Ben Elton, Harry Enfield, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, The Joan Collins Fanclub, Tracey Ullman, Craig Charles, Adrian Edmondson and Rik Mayall. They also had American comedians in as guests to do stand up: I've never heard of any of them but there is literally no rubbish in this show. It's the absolute best of the comedy of the time and it's great.

I have a few episodes but have only watched one so far of Bugs (1995 to 1999), which was a conscious effort by the BBC to make a 1990s Avengers, featuring a team of tech experts facing the technological threats of the time. If Saturday Live is like mainlining the eighties, this is like mainlining the nineties. It had input from Brian Clemens and features my long-term pash Jesse Birdsall, swoon.

I have never got on very well with Armchair Thriller (1978 to 1980): I do actually think this might be me because as far as I can see every online review raves about this highly eclectic series. It may also be that having read the novel form of Antonia Fraser's Quiet as a Nun while staying at Ampleforth Abbey in my misspent youth I was always going to be disappointed by an adaptation. At present I have High Tide (1980) and have seen and enjoyed the first episode. Leaving the actual subject matter aside, I think it's a story of the sort where a misunderstood but flawed character sets out on a pilgrimage to solve a mystery in his life which has usually involved an injustice.

Just to include one non-TV item I have found a number of the Mexican Lucha Libre films starring legendary luchador enmascarado El Santo (Rodolfo Guzman Huerta, 1917 to 1984) with English subtitles on the Internet Archive. I had wanted to see them for ages, having read about them but was handicapped by not speaking a word of Spanish and most of them only being available in questionable region 1 DVD form with doubt whether they've even got subtitles. I am delighted to say that having seen some of them, I love these films. I have no cultural understanding of Lucha Libre at all so can only say that I frankly prefer him in wrestling gear for the whole film because the mask makes wearing street clothes look weird. They're a wonderful, weird world where his superhuman powers are definitely more than those of a wrestler but he still stops for a match in the middle.

Oh, alright, I know you want to end with Stephen Fry's dance moves on Saturday Live...

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[llycaons]

ep1: okay. huh. interesting. this was good?

the art was actually gorgeous. the backgrounds and landscapes and villages are richly detailed and atmospheric, moreso than in the drama, which sometimes had a bit of a cheap look in the set and costumes. I don't like a lot of the animation - I dislike how things move with cgi in general - but the op is beautiful

the tone was consistent and engaging, both visually and in terms of music and action. this is such a fucking relief because a big issue in cql was that the tone was all over the place

I didn't love the music because I'm not really into music but it was fitting for the scene it was in

every visual adaptation of this story has the unenviable task of presenting the first scene in a way that's engaging, not too confusing, and enjoyable, but also in a way that imparts a whole lot of information about the character's background and the worldbuilding

I almost wondered if this might have been a mistake on the part of the author to try to jam in so much crucial information at the very start of the story, but it reads a lot more smoothly than it's been adapted in either show, and it doesn't seem to have hurt readership. I mean, I really liked how it opened in the novel. it was unique, definitely ambitious, and I do think it paid off, it's just hard to adapt into a show where everything has to be verbalized naturally or shown on screen

regardless, this intro is so much more coherent than the one in cql. this mini-arc has never been my favorite (in fact, it's probably my least favorite given the misogyny and my low investment in the mxy disguise, the mos, the modern-day plot, and the juniors, relatively speaking) but they put a lot of effort into making it faithful to the book while putting their own spin on it. and it's fun! the action scenes dragged a bit for me but overall it was done really well - I love that they included little details like protection wards sewn into lan clothes

and they just explain things! they just explain what's going on and what they're doing! out loud! can you believe?? it's that easy???? hmmm??? my first time watching cql I was googling so much...that was a rough opener and not a great first episode, but the intro at nightless city interested me enough to stay watching. but literally they did not explain SHIT

half of my "novel details and explanations" posts could probably be covered by watching the donghua. cql is so long and came after the donhua there is NO excuse to make things this confusing for potential watchers unfamiliar with the novel! (did they assume their audience would be mostly novel fans??? then why did they change so much?? did censorship restrict cql more than the donghua???)

character-wise, wwx is naturally a lot closer to his novel counterpart than the drama was. he's careless, easily amused, a troublemaker, not afraid to make a fool of himself, cut losse from any of his former commitments, loves alcohol. grabbing a bottle while chasing mo ziyuan was a nice touch. he does edge into annoying gremlin XD territory but that's almost counterbalanced by his darker moments of necromancy. almost

but really, this is a spot-on rendition of novel wwx

they gave a lot more personality to little apple, funnily enough, though not quite the personality she had in the book. (also, can donkeys gallop?)

I wasn't revolted by the character designs <3 in fact some of them looked okay! I really dislike the juniors' designs (what are those white paper-looking things on their headpieces?) but I'm almost used to wwx at this point. even if some of his expressions suck

I saw lwj at the end there and it's like. oh he's a tree with a tiny head huh. okay. that bothers me more than the yellow eyes at this point

his opening was very impressive otherwise. I loved how the power of the guqin was conveyed through the music and animation!

lsz's voice is also a bit deep but that may be because I'm used to the drama

it was a very clear and cohesive opener, all things considered. as a first-time watcher, I don't know how invested I would be in this annoying guy but I definitely would have been able to follow the action, realize when wwx was acting up his facade and when he was helping the kids, and figure out his backstory and what his deal is with the lans.

well the very first opener with the yllz was a tad confusing. I think having the kids listen to a story was a really good intro for cql to implement (was that in the novel? I'll find out soon I guess

I don't know if I'm enjoying this but it's better than I expected and it's a remarkable relief to watch a loyal adaptation

honestly if the donghua was so loyal I don't understand why fans were so upset with the drama doing its own thing. the novel story has already been told on screen, they want it to be told again? with less of a special effects budget? no I think they made the right choice to tell a more character-centered story

having wwx not remember lwj until he starts worrying about lwj finding him...I wonder how that's going to play out for the romance. making them close friends in the flashback really helped cql because they couldn't be explicit about the ending so idk how well the donghua can communicate a novel-accurate romance without being explicit

okay enough procrastination it's time to watch the donghua

[spaceorphanssecondbreakfastclub]

SO's Book Club : Shiver

Okay, so I haven't been completely absent in my reading. I have finished a few things and wanted to get back to putting up my reviews.

Title : Shiver Author : Allie Reynolds Genre : Mystery/Thriller

Goodreads Summary:

When Milla is invited to a reunion in the French Alps resort that saw the peak of her snowboarding career, she drops everything to go. While she would rather forget the events of that winter, the invitation comes from Curtis, the one person she can't seem to let go.

The five friends haven't seen each other for ten years, since the disappearance of the beautiful and enigmatic Saskia. But when an icebreaker game turns menacing, they realize they don't know who has really gathered them there and how far they will go to find the truth.

Review:

I was going to have this one up in October in time for Halloween. Clearly that didn't happen.

The premise centers around a woman named Milla - who, in her early twenties, used to be a professional athlete, specializing in winter sports such as snowboarding and skiing. Back in the day - she and a group of her 'friends' had a lot of drama going on. In the present, she's invited for a reunion of sorts and then spooky things start happening as the truth of the past begins to come out.

The thing I'm coming to terms with with all of these 'thrillers' is that the schtick of them kind of are feeling the same. I suppose that's the point -- as I read dozens of Agatha Christie novels that have a similar sense of style to them. But maybe I'm finding these just aren't for me. I guess I expect too much from them? I don't know.

The book is split up into different halves -- the first half being in the present, and having that creepy - I Know What You Did Last Summer - vibe. And the second is the slow unraveling of what happened in the past.

The present day stuff is definitely the better part of the book. Reynolds is able to capture that unnerving, snowed in in the middle of nowhere feel to it. The tension of the present day is definitely felt, and I give this book points for having a great atmosphere. I do think it spends a little too much time before people start dying and the action to really start going, but the rely on tension definitely makes the book a very unsettling read.

Meanwhile, the stuff in the past is... idk, padded? I realize it's partly to get to know the characters better - but it feels like a lot of vamping because the reveal of the truth can't come in the middle of the book. And, as it seems like with a lot of these thrillers, the more the past goes on, the more terrible these characters seem. I get that that's part of it -- when terrible people are killed off, we shouldn't care all that much. But, meh, I feel like you should care a least a little bit about the characters.

Plus, the more 'twists' that happen, the more ridiculous I find the plot. Sometimes I think these books are trying to see how shocking they can be - and lose good character development and smart story telling choices in the process. It's definitely not bad, but I think once the truth begins to come into light, it stops being spooky and starts being a little campy.

I should also mention there is a little bit of queerness in the book -- and it feels exploitive (as in there for the shock value of it) more than it being a natural progression of the narrative.

The ending also felt a little... contrived? Idk what I really want from these thrillers, they always start out so promising with their premises! But they keep seeming to end on these outlandish twists.

Overall, I didn't hate this book like it may seem. The atmosphere was great, and I did get creeped out reading it. The part of the book in the present was decently solid (with the exception of the crazy ending) and captivating. The flashbacks felt a bit much, and I don't think the characters are all that great. But I think it's equivalent of going to a moderately well done horror movie.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

[punderfulowl]

Top 10 Anime (That I've Seen) in 2020

Well now, it has certainly been awhile. I'm currently sitting at eight months too late for posting this, but, y'know, something something life happens. More accurately, I already made this list, but wanted to try out what response I'd get from Reddit. Turns out, they're not as cool as you guys!

Anyways, as the title states, this is not a list of my favorite anime that came out during 2020, but instead my favorite anime that I just so happen to see during that year. While it's fun to have an end of the year retrospective, I find that having a list in this format not only adds variety, but also helps bring attention to anime that might have been lost in the shuffle in previous years (I also don't have enough time to stay caught up in seasonal releases).

Honorable mentions:

Aggretsuko S3, My Hero Academia S4, Today's Menu For the Emiya Family, Interspecies Reviewers (yes, really), and I Couldn't Become a Hero So I Reluctantly Decided to Get a Job

10. Maid-Sama (2010)

In hindsight, I find it a bit funny that I wanted to watch something wholesome to kick off 2020. Anyway, Maid-Sama is about a high school girl that is also a no nonsense Class President and she kind of has to be at a school where, until recently, was an all boys school. While she kills it in academics and is good at shutting down any shenanigans from the male student body, her financial situation isn't the greatest and has to balance a job at a maid cafe along with her school-related responsibilities. She does her best to hide her employment there to keep up appearances, but is one day found out by one of the boys who happens to be a big flirt and, yeah, hijinks ensue. While this anime doesn't have too many surprises, our main leads bounce off each other well enough to keep me entertained. Nothing I haven't seen already in other anime Rom-Coms, but I think it has more than earned its place at the start of this list.

9. Haganai NEXT (2013)

It's a personal rule of mine when making these lists that I don't include sequels of shows that were in previous lists. While I DID see the first season of Haganai a couple of years ago, it didn't quite make it into the top ten at that time. Because of that, it meets the criteria for this year's list. While I found the characters were just as charming here as I did during the first season, the development of their relationships really took off. It's a shame that it will most likely not get a third season, but I'm happy with what ride this show gave me. But hey! At least I can read the light novels/manga to continue the story! Wait, nevermind, the Haganai fans on Reddit are saying that's a bad idea.

8. Engaged to the Unidentified (2014)

Based off of a Four Panel joke manga, Engaged to the Unidentified tells the story of a girl in high school suddenly getting some life changing news. As it turns out, her grandfather made an arranged engagement with her and the son of a family he knew. Next thing she knows, the boy in question, as well as his little sister, moves into her family's house! While the boy is unassuming at first, there may be more to him and his family than he lets on. Plain and simple, this anime has charmed me. There's a decent amount of drama and mystery despite the source material and I applaud it! Even though this also doesn't have much new to offer, even to the point where I would compare this to Maid-Sama, what made me pick this at the 8th spot were the color choices and animation quality. Give this a shot if you can!

7. Grimoire of Zero (2017)

It's a fantasy/adventure story starring a loli sorcerer and a huge, anthropomorphic white tiger man. I honestly can't say anything else. I won't be able to do it justice. That first sentence should intrigue you a lease a little bit. Read it, again. Please check it out. It's an underrated gem that no one is talking about.

6. ID: Invaded (2020)

Hey, here's something recent! Unfortunately, this is also not something I can say much about. There may not be too many deep characters and the secret bad guy isn't hard to figure out, but BOY is this anime cool! The best way to describe this series is that it's like the movie Inception, but instead of brain heists, it's brain murder mysteries.

5. Carole and Tuesday (2019)

A runaway rich girl has a fated meeting with an orphan and they decide to make music together...oh, this also takes place Mars. Joking aside, this show was something special with its music (a new song almost every episode no less), interesting setting (freaking Mars, dude), and endearing main cast. Shoot, the music itself would be top 3, maybe number 1, but what bogs it down is the show's second half. I can easily see myself watching this again someday, and maybe my opinion will lighten up, but for now, 5 is a dang good spot.

4. Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front - Babylonia (2019)

Part of me hesitates placing this high up on list due to this show being animated, fan service spectacle for Fate fans. However, that hesitation is overshadowed by the fact that I am a Fate fan myself and I can do whatever I want with this list. Even if you're not a Fate fan or play FGO, if you enjoy some solid fight animation, this is worth a look.

3. K-On S1 (2009)

I'll admit it, I might regret not watching the second season then putting the series on the list as a whole, but this how I've been doing these lists and I'm such a creature of habit. There's not much I can say about K-On that hasn't already been said. By itself it's an anime classic and one of Kyo-ani's biggest properties. It's a sweet and wholesome watch, but be sure to have some insulin within reach.

2. Princess Principal (2017)

Imagine you're working with a team of programmers trying to make a mobile game then all of a sudden someone asks to make a show out of it. You know, a show with different character motivations, plot, twist and turns and all that? Most might say that's just a shameless, shallow cash grab, but it turns out okay for Princess Principal. Sure, most might summarize this anime as, "cute girls doing espionage things," but with its cast, visuals, and interesting alternative timeline, it works! Apparently there's a new season or movie in the works and I am all for it!

1. Beastars (2019)

I was not expecting this to be number one, but with much deliberation (with myself obviously) this feels right. It tells a pretty unique story while showing itself to be the exception to the rule when it comes to 3D anime.....it being that it's actually good. While I acknowledge that shows like K-On are classics and deserves to be number one on many different lists, it didn't line up with my personal criteria like Beastars did. My biggest deciding factor is: Now that I've watched this, do I want more? It's true that while I'm excited to start K-On S2, Beastars intrigues me more and ever since season two was announced, I'm looking forward to that more.

Sorry again for this list being so late, but at least the silver lining is that the next end of the year list is about four months away (in theory)!

[touchmycoat]

cnovel!anon: you're reading 成化! I need to reread since it's been a while and I was too influenced by the drama the first time through. (I feel like the drama woobified Tang Fan a lot more than the novel.) Yeah, I had the same thought re 诗一行, though it may just be a common type of novel structure building from stories like 包公案 with its episodic but interrelated mysteries. How do you like it so far?

yes!!! i watched maybe 10 minutes of the first ep, went and read the first two chapters of the novel, went back to finish watching the first ep with my buddy, then am now on uhhh chapter 54 of the novel, post-kidnapping arc.

that character intro really does matter, huh? The drama opens on Tang Fan eating and the novel opens on Tang Fan dealing with sexual harassment, the difference is STARK haha. I haven't seen enough of the drama to make up my mind on this yet but I will say I spent the entire first ep asking my friend (who’s seen a handful of eps) "is he really just?? a pouty baby boy????" Not necessarily in a bad way but it'll depend a lot on how the show pans out lmfaooooo. Sui Zhou’s hot tho!! Very much my type, but am i tripping balls or does his VA have a non-Beijing accent??? He’s also not the peak icy steel of the SZ I picture from the books but I’m a fan of his aura and am excited to see how far he takes this service top malewife energy.

novel-wise, i fucking love it dude. I too am a Holmes fan so the cases are very cool, especially how MXS paces her set-ups. It feels like she really gives you a big handful of clues to figure things out yourself as a reader, and it's not super centered around TF's thought process. Also her writing style makes me chuckle ‘cause it’s soooo exposition-heavy. As a writer, I lurch heavily toward the screenplay/stageplay adage of “advance the plot through dialogue,” so it’s very refreshing to read her dense histories and interpersonal connections so confidently interspersed through the action/dialogue scenes. I feel like I’m learning a lot about novel pacing.

(Also another reason I’m excited to watch the drama and see how it adapts such a novel. Already we have the first two mysteries collapsed into one, and the implied efficiency in that move has made me perk up hahaha.)

千秋 無雙 成化 all seem to deal with the question of how to do good, huh? Thousand Autumns throws the two extremes into the same camp and have them work out the difference. Peerless explores 不擇手段可是還有底線的人. Sleuth is pretty explicit in its central contemplation of ethical principles vs. ethical action and has returned to it again and again.

id-wise, i'm vibing. I’ll confess I’m pretty disappointed there wasn’t more whump & aftercare following the kidnapping thing but I’m just a drama-loving sadist. I deeply need to know how MXS plans to escalate their relationship??? Yanshen and Fengcui maintained their antagonism for so much longer and so had reasons to keep stoking that ship fire, but Suitang is just???? settled??? They just gave me half-naked sweaty post-spar Sui Zhou so that’s nice but like, something’s gotta happen, and soon.

(also of course I’m so fucking into the bitchiest teenage prick Wang Zhi. I don’t know where the plot is going but he’s such a fucking pain and I want him to top Tang Fan too.)

[sixteenthshen]

Sorry for disturbing.

I want to ask whether the copies that were posted on someone's weibo claiming that the physical copy comes with extra chapters with more sex scenes? Is it real? I haven't seen them myself yet but I've heard they sound like an Ao3 fanfic. Do they really come with the physical copy or is it just a rumor?

Thankyou in advance

No worries :) you’re not. 

I can’t say for sure if it’s original or not, to be honest. it comes in a physical PIRATED copy, that’s important to note. next, the AO3 comment on that Weibo post isn’t accurate. It just seems like a person disagreeing and using a point that’s hard to prove because AO3 is blocked. I’ve read every single TYK fic in AO3 when the drama was launched i was (so thirsty for fic! so I have a fresh memory regarding the actual TYK fics (novel, not drama fans tagging everything under the sun) and I also checked AO3 after the comment.

very long answer, hiding behind a cut so people who aren’t interested don’t get a wall of text. 

I’ve also read TYK porn on AO3 when I first finished the novel. It’s basically my go-to habit? Finish reading a Priest novel, go on AO3 to look for fan-written missing sex scenes to fill in the gaps. This wasn’t as recent (last year) but I’m fairly sure I did not read these fic before either. This isn’t to say that it can’t be fic of course, just that I didn’t find it on AO3. 

Next, TYK is actually one of Priest’s earlier novels and it was never really that popular. so there were never that many editions printed (TW and CN once each if I recall correctly). This version is definitely pirated, but it doesn’t mean everything in it is fake. The thing is, because TYK was never really very popular, there aren’t many hardcore fans who can remember stuff from that long ago.

One thing about Priest is that she posts her novel extras across many places. So for e.g. the printed novels have extra chapters that’s not on JJWXC. She also has a lofter account with some chapters of SPL (not in the English fan translation), and sometimes it goes on Weibo. AND she usually offers something new in her printed novels. The ones on JJWXC and in print aren’t free, while those on Lofter/Weibo are. 

Why does that matter? Because something that is censored on JJWXC would show up as “locked” but on Weibo etc, we wouldn’t know if there was something there at some point.

In my “research”, I’ve found all but 1 missing bonus chapter for TYK, and the ones I found are not the same as in the pirated novel. 

Her style of writing has changed over the years (this novel is 10 years or 11 years old now). She writes a lot less sexy bits these days and she’s never even written a lot to begin with (but she used to write a little more than she does now). But she always avoids writing actual sex (of any kind). The stuff I shared from OP’s Weibo is on the smuttier(st) end of her range (imo), but still not explicit. While it’s quite extreme by Priest’s standards, I still found it within the realm of possibility. 

CN fans (actually maybe all fans) always joke that they always get the gong/shou wrong for Priest novels, but actually Priest has a type that’s true about 99% of the time.

Although Priest is one of the most balanced danmei authors (in terms of CP dynamics) out there, she’s still a Chinese writer. I’ve read her het romance (Bandits) as well, and her CP dynamics are exactly the same between het and slash (female being the shou). 

The gong is always, always the possessive or jealous type (it’s just whether it’s the cute kind - Lu Bixing or the slightly creepy kind Chang Geng). The shou isn’t the type to actually get jealous seriously (because they know the gong loves them, they may allude to being jealous in a fun, teasing way). The shou is always very “strong” (physical prowess, but also mentally obvs). With the exception of TYK (arguably Can Ci Pin in the middle), the shou/female is more powerful (martial arts, or whatever) than the gong/male. there’s more but i’ll just stop here on this point.

The main thing is that the characterisation in those bonus chapters are fairly on point as to how Priest likes her couples. 

tl:dr; it can’t be proven definitively either way unless someone hassles Priest to ask. 

I’ve asked some CN friends who are somewhat-Priest fans on this as well, they basically just echoed that there are more chapters in Priest’s printed novels. They don’t really know or care too much though. The overall sentiment is: “if you like it, take it for real” and “if you don’t like it, then don’t believe it then”. So that’s all the advice I can give as well :) 

[forceuseralona]

tag 9 people to learn more about their interests!

tagged by @sharkinlovewithadolphin 🦈💘🐬

MUSIC

fave genre? Alternative/Indie, Pop

fave artist? Hozier, Imagine Dragons, P!nk, Foo Fighters, Queen

fave song? if I have to pick just one - Times Like These

most listened song recently? Easy on Me - Adele

song currently stuck in your head? H.Y.C.Y.BH 😆😂

5 fave lyrics?

I am here, I am here I've already seen the bottom, so there's nothing to fear Know that I'll be ready when the devil is near I am here, I am here All of this wrong, but I'm still right here I don't have the answers, but the question is clear

It's times like these you learn to live again It's times like these you give and give again It's times like these you learn to love again It's times like these time and time again

Ó manstu allt sem að Ungan kætti hug Er ímyndunaraflið Ákaft þreytti flug Nú geymast mér í minni myndir bernskunar

The gods may throw a dice Their minds as cold as ice And someone way down here Loses someone dear The winner takes it all The loser has to fall It's simple and it's plain Why should I complain?

I had all and then most of you Some and now none of you Take me back to the night we met I don't know what I'm supposed to do Haunted by the ghost of you Oh, take me back to the night we met

radio or your own playlist | solo artists or bands | pop or indie | loud or silent volume I slow or fast songs | music video or lyrics video | speakers or headset | riding a bus in silence or while listening to music | driving in silence (I need to focus😂) or with radio on

BOOKS **I'm skipping the book part because I just haven't read enough books to be able to answer these...

fav book genre?

fav writer?

fav book?

fav book series?

comfort book?

perfect book to read on a rainy day?

fave characters?

5 quotes from your fave book that you know by heart?

hardcover or paperback | buy or rent | standalone novels or book series | ebook or physical copy | reading at night or during the day | reading at home or in nature | listening to music while reading or reading in silence | reading in order or reading the ending first | reliable or unreliable narrator | realism or fantasy | one or multiple POVS | judging by the covers or by the summary | rereading or reading just once

TV AND MOVIES

fave tv/movie genre? Drama, Romance

fave movie? since it's almost Christmas, and I watch it every year, I'm gonna say While You Were Sleeping 😍

comfort movie? AUSTENLAND

movie you watch every year? WYWS, Far From the Madding Crowd, The Muppets Christmas Carol 🎄

fave tv show? ER, Good Omens, Outlander

comfort tv show? Modern Family, Raising Hope, Brooklyn Nine Nine, 8 out of 10 Cats

most rewatched tv show? ER!!

ultimate otp? Joe & Nicky, Ian & Mickey, Agron & Nasir, Sawyer & Juliet, Frank & Karen (was I only supposed to pick one??) Phryne & Jack...

5 fave characters? Nicoló Di Genova, Ten, Phryne Fisher, James "Sawyer" Ford, Frank Castle (as played by JB)

tv shows or movie | short seasons (8-13 episodes) or full seasons (22 episodes or more) | one episode a week or binging | one season or multiple seasons | one part or saga | half hour or one hour long episodes | subtitles on or off | rewatching or watching just once | downloads or watches online

tagging anyone and everyone who wants to do this

[ouyangzizhensdad]

I love ur takes but I'm kind still impressed by ur persistent hate for cql. The novel is the base but all the medias adapted from it take a single aspect of the story and make it their own. Look at the manhwa, audio drama, donghua or the drama. I still dont know what ur issue with the drama is coz for a low budget drama with censorship they did everything they could for the novel fans (yes they recorded straight bit so if they had issues they will go straight but they are a drama)... yes they added a few things for the show to telecast it for the chinese consumption (they dont really need white validation unlike kdrama which has more ifandom). Both cql or winter begonia were handled very well and the dramas were overnight hits coz of the scriptwriters and directors keeping the novel story alive.

I think it's also coz u and most white fans of the novel or cql haven't seen anime and its live actions so u dont know that the live actions made in different periods of time change the story according to the area they're being released in... Itazura na Kiss has 3 live action dramas and all three are from different countries and different time periods so the way all three are adapted are alot different eventhough the base story is the same. If u want to follow the novel read that but if u want to enjoy the story cql, donghua, audio drama of MDZS and the manhwa are very nicely done. I hope just coz white cql fans have issues with the novel u dont spread hate for the drama that has made it possible for a relationship to be shown between two men. The asians arent as thick to think they're best friends, everyone who watches the drama knows that it's a gay love story

Hi anon, 

There’s a lot in there and honestly I don’t think I can address all of your points. But I’ll try my best.

I have said many times that I do not hate CQL and that I enjoyed watching most of it. It was a fun little idol drama that wasn’t a very serious watch. At the beginning I even enjoyed the fandom for a little while. Now, yes, I do post a lot of content that is negative toward CQL and/or its fandom. But you may have noticed a few things though. My criticisms (or my moments of incomprehension) are always related to:

Specific issues I have with the choices it made as an adaptation

People trying to pass CQL, a cheaply-made idol drama, as a masterpiece. This is nothing personal against CQL: it has more to do with how it puzzles me that people don’t see to know what competent and good tv looks like. I have nothing against people praising the show, but they don’t have to act as it doesn’t have a lot of basic, technical issues. 

the CQL fandom cross-posting everything, or bringing CQL canon and fanon into novel-specific discussions. People can mix and match the canons, of course, but it’d be a nice courtesy to be at least open about it so that people who want to stick to one canon may be able to do so. And it is frustrating because people like me have literally just given up on trying to read fics because authors are not forthcoming about which canon they are drawing from. That’s frustrating and a source of bitterness!

arguments that CQL is a stronger/more complex work of fiction than MDZS. Again, it’s nothing personal about CQL, it’s just mind-boggling having to explain something so fucking transparent. 

arguments that CQL is better “queer rep” than MDZS.

absolutely whack takes from the CQL western fandom.

You feel that the screenwriter and director kept the story alive, and hey, that’s great for you. Yes, I’m aware that adaptations will change things. Analysing adaptations is actually partly how I developed a lot of my media analysis skills. However, I personally believe that the story that CQL tells and how it chooses to tell it fundamentally changes so much about the narrative, the characters or even the genre of the story that it does not keep the truly interesting and engaging elements of the novel. It might be flippant to say, but even if the production team were truly doing their best (and I do believe they did), it doesn’t mean they achieved what they set out to do--and some of it may just come down to a question of skills, as story-tellers. 

Although I am white, I may not fit into the narrative you present since I have watched many live actions and animated series adapting a manga/manhua/novel. I watched my first jdrama 15 years ago, and to be illustrative, this first jdrama was Hana Yori Dango. In the past I’ve also watched many dramas that were originally japanese/taiwanese/chinese/korean and their adaptations. Hell, sometimes even adaptations that crossed to the western market. I assure you that I am familiar with a property being adapted at different times and in different countries and through different mediums. I’ve also interacted with the other adaptations of MDZS. The thing is, what this has showed me is simply that doing something differently doesn’t translate necessarily in doing as good of a job. Adaptations can fail, either by virtue of what they fail to do as their own work of fiction, or as adaptations of an existing property. 

I’m not trying to shit on to what CQL may mean for chinese audiences or diasporic chinese audiences as well. When I point out the fact that Wangxian is just subtext in CQL, it’s not because I think “asian audiences are dumb” but because the reason why subtext may be acceptable under censorship is that it keeps a level of plausible deniability. Some people will of course recognise it for what it is, but some will simply not pick up on it or refuse that reading. I also do take pains to remind people how the flow of capital that allows for these adaptations to exist may have to do with how far the portrayal of the subtext is being pushed over any concerns for the original story or nebulous gay rights. I do find it interesting though that CQL is often presented in fandom discussions as this unprecedented occurrence in Chinese media, since there was very heavy subtext in earlier live action adaptations like Guardians or the side couple in Love H2O, just to think of quick examples. 

But obviously anon, my more salty or bitter posts about cql seem to bring up frustrations, so if it is an impediment to your fandom experience it might be best to simply unfollow me. If you wish to stay for the novel meta and avoid these posts, I do tag them with either “brine corner” or “cql negativity” or “cql vs mdzs”.

[i-read-shitty-comics]

Digimon Survive

Genres:

Adventure, Drama, Isekai, Fantasy

Average Rating (Imdb): 8.2

Synopsis:

Takuma and his friend are on a historical extracurricular activities camp during spring break. Later they are discovering another world when being attacked by a Digimon.

My Rating: 2

Recommended to:

Digimon fans who are starved for new content, but everyone else should never even touch it.

Instead, here is a list of thing you can read/play instead:

If you want a visual novel/tactical rpg, Fire Emblem is always good or at least better than Survive.

I'd even recommend the really bad ones over Survive because at least they are so ridiculous at times that it becomes funny.

If you really want a visual novel tactical rpg with monster tamer elements then go for Devil Survivor. I haven't played any besides 2 but at least that is a million times better than Digimon Survive can ever even dream to be.

If you want a monster tamer game in general, there is Pokemon, Spectrobes, Monster Rancher, Pokemon clones on mobile, the Dragon Quest Monster Joker games, Monster Hunter has that now as well and there probably are a lot more titles I don't even know about.

If you really want a Digimon game, go for the old ones you can get for cheap or play them on an emulator on your pc. Replay a Digimon game you already have.

The only thing you get out of this game you can not get from anything else is if you really want a tactical rpg visual novel mix with Digimon in particular.

Alternatively you could grab Pokemon Conquest for a less edgy for the sake of being edgy vibes experience but if you really want Digimon in a tactical rpg, Survive is sadly your only option.

My Opinion:

This will include A LOT of spoilers, which is why I put the recommended to section first this time. I just really want to rant about how awful this game is so I will not hold back on spoilers.

Shout out to ma boi Scared btw, for letting me rant about the game to him while playing it.

Now believe it or not but I actually really wanted to like this. Espacially because I like both visual novels and tactical rpgs so this should have been right up my alley. The prologue was pretty fun to play as well. Sure the pacing was pretty slow but nothing that really bothered me. If anything I appreciated this slow approach to getting you into the game because with a slow pacing like that I thought it would put a lot more emphasize on the characters and really gets you to know and feel for them before they may or may not face their death.

At least that's what I was hoping.

The first time I started to have some doubts in the game was when they encountered that "mysterious" woman. You know, the woman that acted as if she was just taking a walk out in the wilderness where monsters could attack her at all times and acts as if she had never seen a monster before. She only stops pretending that there are no monsters when Takuma's Digimon, Agumon, talks to her directly, even though all human kids have their Digimon with them and she had seen them the whole tike while they were talking. Like encountering a yellow dinosaur that can talk is just something you do on a saturday morning.

The kids just didn't question that because, listen, it's really important that they get kidnapped for the next level ok? There was definitly no other way to get to ... whatever the developers were thinking of, I dunno, tbh.

Another thing is that the dialogues often go on for way too long for the little substance they offer, which I would be fine with if the characters would just make it fun or interesting to talk about essentially the same thing for 10 minutes.

You can probably already guess that they don't. The characters are all pretty boring. They really don't go further than the surface level. They have they are one note characters and that's it. Funnily enough I saw the same archetypes executed way better in Devil Survivor 2. There are two characters with a very similar role in that game to two characters in Survive.

Those are Daiichi who is, just like Minoru from Survive, your easy going, always joking, laid back best friend. Meanwhile Io is very similar to Aoi. Both are new to the friend group of the MC and their friend but fit right in as the more shy but very smart one that is always there for moral support.

The difference is just that Minoru and Aoi do not go any deeper than that. They are just that character archetype and that's it.

Daiichi and Io, while they aren't the deepest characters ever, are a lot more interesting than them.

Daiichi first greets you in his usual laid back and friendly, even joking manner when he picks the player up from his class. He seems to be just a nice person you'd be friends with but when you are on your way home with him you see another side of him. You see that he is scared about his future because high school is almost over and he will probably work in some miserable job that he hates soon. His future is uncertain and full of potential misery, which scares him.

The years he lives currently will probably be the best of his life and yet he doesn't really value them as much as he feels he should. Daiichi asks himself if he should even look forward to adulthood and if the system they live in is worth it if it makes so many people miserable by just trying to live their lives.

You can see something similar in Io as well. She is very shy in the beginning not thinking very highly of herself or her opinions. Before the end of the game you even find out that she had suffered from mental health problems. Over the course of the game she grows a lot more confident and relies less and less on others. She loves helping the people in need as much as she hates seeing them suffer and even seeing someone that resembled her at the beginning of the game a lot. She gives them words of encouragement and even stops them from ending their life and giving them hope.

What I wanted to say with this example is that Minoru never becomes more than a simple person who likes to joke around or reveales that he is more than that over the course of the game. Sure, he becomes more serious after one of their friends died but that's it.

Daiichi already showed in the first 10 minutes of the game that there is a lot more to him than you would see on a first glance and that he is very smart a good critical thinker despite his grades not being the best.

Same is true for Io and Aoi. Io changes a lot over the course of the game. She changes from someone who needs help from others to being the one that helps others in need and inspires changes in them. Aoi is nothing but a nice girl. Sure, she is quiet most of the time but can get loud and brash if she has to but that's all there is to her. You find out a bit more of her backstory before she dies but even that doesn't give her that much more dimension.

Now extend what I just said to every single character in the game. The only exceptions being Ryo and Shuuji, who are assholes, one more than the other, they are scared of or hate their Digimon partner. This is a thing that has to change about them to even make the game work. However that is reserved for new game +, since both have scripted death's you can not prevent in your first playthrough.

Of course not every character has to be deep, needs a tragic backstory or even character developement to be a good character. A good example would be Jungo, again from Devil Survivor 2. He enters the game as a too dumb to function himbo and leaves the game as a too dumb to function himbo. But you know what still makes his conversations interesting? That he is one of the kindest people you have ever seen. He doesn't always understand what is going on but he tries to help and protect everyone to the best of his abilities. Hell, he risks his life to safe an injured cat and help her recover.

You repeatedly see other humans be selfish and fight for themself in the game, which makes his selfless and unending kindness stand out even more.

His dialogues are also often very humerous, which is a nice bonus but the emotional core is still Jungo's endless kindness he gives even to the rudest and most selfish person in the group, though he is not unable of hating someone.

The character writing in Survive gives the characters no appeal other than their inital role and character designs, which are great. Espacially Miu and Saki's desings look fantastic and Kaito and Aoi's designs both give a really good feel for the kind of person they are. It's just sad that this is the only thing that stands out about them.

They don't really have any opinions on something or philosopies or interests to talk with them about which makes their conversations incredibly boring and flavorless.

There are a lot of smaller things I could point out now.

Like that they know that Digimon can disguise themself and yet the kids still fall for obvious illusions every single time.

That the protagonist, 14, hides from a girl, 12, that's changing her clothes, getting the clostest to a fanservice scene you have in that game with the second youngest member of the group.

That said second youngest member gets groped and it is not treated as the traumatizing thing it is but instead it is just a thing that's annoying and happens sometimes. That despite as being advertised as a game in which you can safe your characters from dieing, you are locked out of doing that until you unlock new game +.

That I encountered a bug in my playthrough that made it impossible to progress and it took me three hours to find out how to work around said bug. How Aoi is the only one cooking even though there are three 14 year olds and one 16 year old boy who could help her with it.

That the girls were the only ones that needed help from the protagonist to figure out which is a fake and which is their real partner, while the boys were all able to do that on their own. Gender and age being weirdly important to the characters without having any pay off.

The incredible amount of repetivity in certain scenes like helping someone figure which is the fake and which is the real Digimon three times after already having gone through that yourself.

Miyuki having magic for some reason.

The characters only getting their backstory explained before they die just to get some cheap reaction from the player.

And on the wrath ending, which I got, Aoi suddenly turning evil just for extra drama. That when Takuma finds out that Haru/Renamon doesn't go outside the room when the girls change you have three options to chose how to react: You either, tell him that that's not cool, which is weird 'cause Haru doesn't even appear to be 10 years old.

Other than that you can chose to let Takuma tell Haru that he is jealous of him, which is fucking creepy or you can chose to not think about it ... which is followed by a boner joke.

May I remind you that Takuma is 14 and three girls in question are 15, 12 and 11.

This game is absolutely horrible. I only played through it so I can rant about it properly and it made me want to experience almost anything else than the game itself. Without exaggerating I screamed out of joy when I finally saw the credits roll.

The worst is that this game doesn't really make me angry. Sure it's really stupid at times but I'm not angry. I'm just sad and disappointed. I love Digimon. I really do. This game however took this franchise and took everything out of it that made it stick with people in the first place. Sure the monsters are a big part of it, but what made Digimon different from Pokemon, Monster Rancher, Spectrobes and other monster tamer franchises was it's emotional core. It was mainly a story about kids with their own problems and learning to be better people who learn to deal with said problems through the adventure they go on with their Digimon.

Survive doesn't have that emotional core, despite wanting to be basically a darker version of the original Adventure season of Digimon. It tried to imitate what it thought appealed to people but completely misunderstood why it is such a beloved season and that is the true tragedy of the game.