#I have this episodes where I just randomly remember some one piece character/s out of the fucking blue???

[kudzu-san]

Breaking down over ASL and the Dadan Family and Garp I can't fucking do this man. This is so hurtful.

[queenharumiura]

Get to know me

what’s your phone wallpaper : It's a piece of Shura (Yu Yu Hakusho) sleeping while cuddled in Sesshomaru's (Inuyasha) mokomoko. Why? Just RP things. Why that piece in particular? The composition worked well with the way I have all my apps situated on my phone.

last song you listened to: Uhhh I honestly don't remember, but it was something on the radio. I can barely be trusted to remember what I had for breakfast, much less remember what I listened to last.

currently reading : I read so many manga/manhua/manhwa that it's wild to consider me making a list of what i'm currently reading.

last movie :  Ehh--- I think it might've been 'The Legend of Hei'? Tenka, confirm? Deny?

last show : I'm going to answer in terms of a show that I recall watching from start to finish and not just me randomly going 'I want to rewatch that episode again'. In this case: The Yakuza's Guide to Babysitting' is the last show I recall watching.

what are you wearing right now : Uhh... basically homewear, I guess?

piercings / tattoos? : I'm allergic to pain, so neither, but I've seen a lot of cute earrings and it had me considering. I don't think i'd ever do a tattoo because they're permanent and that's a huge commitment to make. I'd have to think forever about a design, a meaning, a location, an artist, etc. It's a lot of pressure for me to think about. I would take too long to think of something and it's just not worth it. This is why I never touched Animal Crossing, because I knew i'd just take too long just analyzing everything and needing everything to be JUST RIGHT. So, if the question was a preference kinda question, i'd be more likely to go for a piercing.

glasses ? contacts?: Glasses. I can't really do contacts. That said, my glasses normally sit atop the top of my head like overqualified headbands. My prescription safety glasses at work have been used for their actual purpose more than my actual glasses. I've gone to the movies countless of times and went: ah-- I forgot my glasses. I'm dumb, yes.

last thing you ate? : The menu said 'chicken noodle' and it was under 'noodle and soups' so I assumed it was chicken noodle soup. I was wrong. idk what it actually is. I just know it's chicken noodle'.

favorite color(s) : Pink. Purple and black are close seconds. In terms of favorite colors from a sentimental/nostalgic reason: Jungle green and eggplant purple for dA RP shipping reasons.

current obsession : I don't think I have an obsession at the moment. IF I did, i'd be so gungho about it that you'd probably not see/hear me for quite some time. I'm currently just living every day like i'm a floating plank of wood on a calm ocean surface. My last obsession was... I think... watching a particular streamer I really liked. To be very subtle, he is known for using a sprout in Among us. Pretty sure that's right. Prior to that my obsession was the 'Trash of the Counts Family' novel until the licensing got pulled. Before that was the 'The King's Avatar' novel.

favorite fictional character : Oh man... I love so many. Haru Miura truly has a very special place in my heart. Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho was such a big thing for me when I was younger. Don't get me started on how I was very into Tokuchi Toua (one outs) or Hiruma Youichi (Eyeshield 21). Shout out to Tatsumi Takeshi (Giant Killing) and Tsubaki Daisuke (Giant Killing). Gintoki (Gintama) truly was a time where my friends thought if I'd marry anyone, it would be him. I'd find a way to crossover to another dimension and marry him lol. This is really just me talking about past obsessions, yes.

Tagged by: @zcitgcistcr Tagging: I don't tag.

[cassies-closet]

Style Q&As from the old SkinsLife website

Hi guys! In my search to find the striped hoodie Cassie wears at the end of her series 1 episode, I found the old SkinsLife website, where Edward Gibbon (the costume designer) did his Q&As before they moved over to the e4 website.  Unfortunately, not all of it has been archived, but there’s a lot of good stuff about where the series 2 costumes come from, and a ton of questions about Cassie’s clothes.

Here’s what I could find.  I’ll put all of the Cassie questions at the top and then all of the other ones under a cut:

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Hellie Cory: Can you please tell me where they got Cassie's skirt?? I absolutely love it and I've been searching for ages with no luck : (

Edward: Cassie's skirt is from a small Japanese designer in Camden (and well spotted Olivia xx the fabric is from Ikea.)

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TanitaAlethia: Im so happy about this. I have always wanted a nice, not sexy (like in costumes shops, there gross) little sailor outfit. When Cassi had one on, i almost fell of my chair, i love love LOVE it. So i was wondering, where an earth did you fined it? Thankyou =] Tanita-Alethia

Edward: Cassie's sailor top was from New York, but you can always try an Army Surplus store or maybe Camden if you're anywhere near London. Let me know how you get on!

------------------------------- evil_daisys: hey, i wasnt sure where to put this,, but were did you find the dress cassie wore in episode 1 of season one at the party? and episode 2 of season one she wore at michelles? i love the way she dresses its so cute and girly and still slightly different =)

Edward: Both of Cassies dresses were vintage pieces from the 60s and 50s respectively - keep your eye out wherever you are and never turn down an invite to a jumble sale ! -------------------------------

AmyyB: hi edward, can you please tell me where cassies pink chiffon top and grey socks that she wears in chris' episode? thanks sweetheart keep up the good work x

Edward: cassies' chiffon top was from Top Shop and the socks are from H&M.; --------------------------------------

maxine: heya, i was just wondering where cassie's bow t-shirt is from, from the latest advert? ♥x

Edward: cassie's bow t-shirt was from TopShop ------------------------------------------------

Franchesca Allen: Hi im really into weird and unusual style and i love cassie's. I was wondering if you could tell me where you get most of her clothes. And i was wondering in series 2 effy's episode whats she wearing with the leopard skin tights, what top is it? Please reply i've wrote before and got no reply :) Thanks and keep up the amazing brainstorms with the costumes xx

Edward: Cassies clothes are from all over the place ! Her style is a mixture of amazing vintage pieces, charity shop finds, vintage designer stuff and high street sale stuff (normally the things no one else wants ! ) The top you are talking about was a vintage nylon 'teddy'(an all in one , shorts and top underwear item ). This year she has been wearing a lot of underwear as outerwear so keep your eyes peeled in charity shops and don't be afraid to rummage through dead peoples' clothes! ------------------------------------------------

rachey_babey: hi can you please tell me where cassies gold high hees are from that she's wearing when she spills the milk and could you please tell me where the dress / nightdress cassie wore when she was sitting on the couch with chris and watching telly is from? i think it was white with a green or blue rim. ta.

Edward: Cassie's gold shoes are character shoes from a dance shop , customised with gold leaf and cassie's nightdress was a plain cream dress from H&M; which we customised with green lace ------------------------------- sarinda: hello, i really love cassie's style, i love going to jumble sales and charity shops looking for vintage finds so its really great that there is someone like that on tv. i was wondering where you got cassie's red skirt and gold shoes when she is at her exam? and also where her bra if from when she is getting dressed before that. thank you xx =]

Edward: Thanks, Sarinda. Cassie's skirt was Prada, shoes from Bertie and bra from M&S...;

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Lauren Jones: Hey I was hoping you could please tell me where Casie's night dress with the skeleton on it is from?? I have been looking everywhere and cant even find something similar! I would love to know where I could get one from please x

Edward: Cassie's skeleton dress was from TopShop Unique. It's probably not available any more, I'm afraid, but keep looking - you never know! ------------------------------------------------ Leelee: Helloo! My question is regarding the reaons behind Cassie's rapid change in clothing style in episode 9 when she arrives in NYC. At first I simply assumed it was to make her seem more vagrant looking, as though she was wearing simply what she grabbed in the dash. But then in the last scene of the episode, she is running down the street and is in another compltely out of character outfit, and wondered that would she really have all these clothes that she just never wears? Was there any specific reason as to this change? Thanks!

Edward: By the time we see Cassie in NYC she has been on the road for a while and grabbed clothes wherever she finds them , if they don't seem quite like what she normally wears that's because of what she has been through and the clothes she goes running in are Adams - see clothes tell a story as well ! ------------------------------------------------ asdfghjklxx: hii i was just wondering if you could tell me where cassies boots and jeans were from that she was wearing in the last episode when she arrives in new york, also where is the red and white candy striped skirt that she wears with the bow tshirt in her exam from? thanksss xxx

Edward: The jeans are from Uniqlo and then distressed, the boots from a Charity shop and the skirt by Prada

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meli_x: In the latest episode where was cassies t shirt with the bow on from and the socks she was wearing with that outfit (when she was in the exam). also her hairclip with two robins in (i think) and the necklace with the trophy on and her stripy dress from when she met chris' mom thanks :) x

Edward: the t-shirt was from TopShop, socks from Noa Noa and the birds were christmas decorations from a craft shop... ------------------------------------------------

Sara: Hey Edward, any chance you could tell me where Cassie's necklace (the cup/trophy) that she wears throughout ep. 9 is from? Thank you very much, loving your work!

Edward: Cassie's necklace was made from a piece of ribbon and an old badge from a Vintage Fair. It said 'victory' on it, if that helps. ------------------------------------------------

Danni: hey, i was wandering where cassies big blue jacket/coat was from, the one where she first arrives in new york? thankyou :)

Edward: Cassie's jacket was a vintage American College jacket - which was worn by Chris in the last series on the school trip to Russia, adding a nice bit of continuity ! ------------------------------------------------

rachael tallentire: hey 2 thngs i want to know where is cassies skeleton dress/nightie she wears in the last episode and also where is her top she wears for her exam from?

Edward:- both are from TopShop Unique range...

And a few Effy questions as well:

Munchkin: Where is the dress Effy wore to the rave in episode 1 series 2 from? i absolutely love her style, you dress her amazingly, it matches her personality exactly. please show us more of effie she is immense!!

Edward: Effy's rave dress was made by customising 2 dresses: one from Oasis and the other a vintage one from a charity shop...

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Michelle123: I hope this doesn't sound pervy but where is Effy's underwear from when she is in her room with Sid? x

Edward: Effy's underwear was from Primark and M&S; !

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larry the lady: Must, must, must know where Effy's jeans or leggins or what ever are from. i could die happy if i could get a pair. I'm on about the large striped black and white ones. XD oh and where would effy's character typically shop for her rave clothing. Love love love xxx P.s the black and white striped jean things, remember, we want them!! lol

Edward: Effy's jeans were from phunky phish/ Effy loves shopping in unexpected places - other peoples houses / old ladies wardrobes / her gran's charity bag and then she customises with scissors and a blowtorch !

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Other costume questions:

Pascha Rix: I really loved the gorgeous white shorts that Michele was wearing once in a club scene when she was dancing up against two other guys. The shorts were tiny, white and with pink sequins on them and they were absolutely gorgeous! Where do you also tend to look for other clothes she wears? Are there particular shops you goto?

Edward: The skirt's from Top shop but you can make your own if you like: hack off a pair of old jeans as high as you dare and then cover randomly with sequins...

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Kris Jones: I'd just like to know whether ALL the actors' clothes are chosen by stylists, or do some of them get to wear their own stuff? Do you even choose their pants?

Edward: Pretty much everything they wear is chosen by me - especially their pants and socks; they play an important part in defining their characters.....

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Savethesoundsystem: I wanna know where sid's yellow/orange nikes and the headphones t-shirt are from in episode 3! Oh and chris' flags of the world jacket!

Edward: Mike's trainers are retro Waffle by Nike, the headphone t- shirt is by 77 and the Flag Jacket was a rare vintage find.

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Ben Smith: Hi, the trainers maxxie's wearing in ep2 when hes taking off his superman costume.. where are they from? And the luminous yellow stripey tshirt in ep 3? Cheers.

Edward: Ben Smith - Maxxies' trainers are Nike Air Force hi-tops and his T- shirt was from Top Man.

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Stephan: I was just thinking.. i want all of Maxxie's clothing, shoes. lol. I watched a clip from episode 4! And i would like to know where did you get the stuff (shoes, shirt, jacket, everything...) he was wearing when he came to sit on the grass with Anwar and Michelles stepsister?? I got a pic, but isn't clear...

Edward: Hi Stephan, The jacket's Nike, The T-shirt's Etnies and the hat's from River Island.

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Emul 8: Where's Chris' shirt from that says "I love (heart) hate" from the episode 4 series 2 preview from?

Edward: The 'I love Hate' T-shirt is by 77 and Maxxie's orange shoes are from Polo.

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hsto1234: hi! i would really like to know where Chris' t shirt in episode 1 series 2 is from? its white with 'pretty vacant' written on it. thanx

Edward: The 'Pretty Vacant' T-shirt is by by Japanese label KTZ and it's available from Concrete or Koko To Zai.

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James Davidson: i Love the clothes tony wears, where's the best places to look? thanks james :)

Edward: Tony's favourite labels are Farah, Junk De Luxe, Buckler, Penguin and Nike...

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Gloria Good Chris wears a yellow type jacket a lot of the time. He was wearing it on the last episode (Series 2:Episode 3). Really want to know where it is from !

Edward: Chris' yellow jacket is from American Apparel . --------------------------------------------------

Thomas Judes Kaplan: heya, i'd be pleased to know where you guys found chris white tee shirt with wasted brit youth tagged on it with yellow pink and orange, the one we can see in episode 5 thanx and if you need fucked up french fashion tips (maybe for a series 3 french character), i'd be honored to help you :)

Edward: thomas and everyone else - Chris' wasted British Youth is by Unconditional (available from Concrete and Selfridges ) and would love to see some fucked up French Style! put some up in your profile so we can see... ------------------------------------------------

Rhiannon Irving: Hi! Where are Jal's necklace and green dress from Episode 5 from? Many thanks :-) xx

Edward: Jal's dress is by The Prisoners of St. Petersbourg (from Kokon To Zai ) and necklace is by Chateau Roux ------------------------------------------------

ryan keys: Edward i love the top that chris is wearing, the one that looks like a shirt and bow tie. where did you get it?

Edward: Chris shirt and bow tie t-shirt is by Unconditional ------------------------------------------------

charlie lewis: Do you know where i can find tonys burgandy cardigan featured in the first episode of series 2 where can i find this hoody josh is wearing in series 1? Thankx alot

Edward: Tony's cardigan is from Zara and Josh's hoody is a customised cheap white hoody from primark ------------------------------------------------

Jman: Hi, I'd really like to know where Maxxie's necklace from Series 2 Episode 1 is from - the bronze one with the dice. Thanks & great website BTW!

Edward: Maxxie's dice necklace was from River Island ------------------------------------------------

legoac: can you tell me where the following are from?: -maxxie's t-shirt, trousers, and shoes from ep. 1's rooftop dance scene -chris's grey and white long sleeve shirt in careers officer scene -anwar's long sleeve striped yellow and white shirt in club scene (the one under the polo) -chris's green belt in scene where cassie shows him the notice thanks!

Edward: Maxxies t-shirt was from All Saints, trousers from Jungle or your local Army Surplus. The shoes are Lacoste. Chris' grey and white shirt was by Buckler, Anwar's yellow stripe t- shirt by H & M and Chris' belt from Honor Lulu ( a great 50s shop in Bristol).... ------------------------------------------------

Lewis Jones: can u tell me where maxxies checkered shirt from episode 4 series 2 is from please.

Edward: Maxxie's check shirt is by Junk de Luxe ------------------------------------------------

Evans17: In episode 5. just after swimming, tony was wearin a cardigan an a shirt where are they from??

Edward: Tony's cardigan is by Zara and shirt and tie are by Junk de Luxe. ------------------------------------------------

Pixies: Jal's big gold necklace in episode five. She wears it at the beginning when she is sitting on the bench with chris (where they stick paper on each others foreheads) and at the party when she gets up on stage. its impossible to make out what it says and i NEEEEED it. thanks a bunch :) xx

Edward: Jal's necklace is by Chateau Roux and says Chateau. Hope that helps! ------------------------------------------------

Bex Crawley: Heya, i was just wondering in episode 5, where is Jal's dinosaur jacket from? It is so cool! thanks xx

Edward: Jal's jacket has got chickens on and is from SkunkFunk ------------------------------------------------

And finally, for red polka dot - Chris' red cardigan is from a charity shop and Anwars jacket is by 55DSL

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chook: Hey there, just wanting to know where anwars hoodie jumper is from...he wore it in the last episode. thanks

Edward: Hi chook - Anwar's hoody is by Artful Dodger... ------------------------------------------------

zander: hey edward i was wondering where the pink cardigan maxxie wears in the the adverts to promote skins two, the t-shirt under it and his trousers are from?likein the style thanks!

Edward: Maxxie's cardigan was from Zara, t-shirt from Etnes and trousers from Cos ------------------------------------------------

pinkdreamz: from season one. the dress michelle wears in episode one, the black and white one, where is it from? this might be rude, but what do u guys do with the clothes after the show? Edward: Michelles's grey/black dress was from Oasis. At the end of filming we have a costume sale for cast and crew and anything not sold we hang onto or donate to charity - don;t worry, not a rude question at all!

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Joe Wood: wer did tony get his bed sheets and wear did u get sids hat =) and wear did he get that top which makes sounds in series 1? cheers fella

Edward: Tony's duvet cover was specially made for the show , Sid has many different beanies from H&M; primarily and Mega Dog was a one off creation ! ------------------------------------------------

dannymilhouse: wat r sids favourite makes/designer????? and wat shops cud i get them makes from????????????

Edward: Sid loves Plain Lazy , Nike, jumble sales and skips ! ------------------------------------------------

Foxy: Where would one find the tan belt that tony is adorning his suit with in Episode 6? It looks similiar to paul smith.. i may be wrong.. AlSO the waistcoat toby is wearing? Cheerss

Edward: Tony's yellow belt was a ladies' belt from Gap ! and Toby's waistcoat is a period early 20th. century piece from an antique clothing market (try Blind Lemon's website for similar fairs ) ------------------------------------------------ Bapo: Hi Edward, I am wondering where you found Sid's military jacket that he wears in the Secret Party special episode... Much love from France to all the Skins family!

Edward: Sid's military jacket is an original from a costume hire shop in Bristol - try vintage army surplus clothes stores or markets ------------------------------------------------

Louis: Hey Edward, I absolutely adoore your taste, especially tony's clothes and i was wondering where you got his black polo with white stripes that he wears in episode 6 please...?

Edward: Tony's black/white stripe polo is by Farah , pink/black by Topman ------------------------------------------------

Jowellzz: hey edward, I know this isn't series 2 related but, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Maxxies brown coat and blue-checked hat in Season 1 Episode 6 where they go to Russia. could you tell where they're from? xx

Edward: Maxxie's coat was from H&M; and hat by Etnies ------------------------------------------------ JimBuns: Hi Edward, i hope u guys can help out, do you know where i can i find that grey cardigan with pink and blue circles on it, that chris wears in the club , series 2 on episode 5, ive been lookin for it every where, any help is much appreciated

Edward: Chris' cardigan was from Behave on Lexington Street in London ------------------------------------------------

Pixies: Hey edward thanks for responding! I have my Chateux necklace ordered jal style :D could you please tell me where michelle's flowery necklace is from in last nights episode? thanks x

Edward: Michelle's necklace is vintage plastic 60s from a market -------------------------------------- Rubyred: Hey, would you be able to tell me where the outfit that that girl Tony meets in the club is wearing there is from and also what she's wearing at the university?

Edward: Beth's dress in the club is from Kate Moss for Top Shop , shoes vintage Dolce and Gabbana at the University her vests are from Miss Selfridge and Gap, jeans by Cheap Monday, belt from Urban Outfitters and shoes from Gap. ------------------------------------------------

Abby Fletcher: jal's green shirt and yellow top when she finds out shes pregnant NOW! o.. i mean... it really would be nice of you... :)?

Edward: Jal's green shirt from H&M; , yellow top by People's Market.

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Kim Matthews: hi edward, could you tell me where michelle got her cow print pyjamas from in series 2 episode 7? also where did you get the blue top she was wearing when she went round to chris's looking for jal in the last episode? thanksxx

Edward: Michelle's pjs were from La Senza and her blue top was from Oasis ------------------------------------------------ red polka dots: thanks loads for telling where anwars jcket was from, its great. but could u plz tell me where to get maxxies jeans in this pic. they are so amazing!!!!!! thank u

Edward: Maxxie's jeans were by Replay ------------------------------------------------ tommy the 2nd: hey edward could you please tell me where to get maxxies great hat from episode 1 series 1. its soooo great!!!

Edward: Maxxie's hat was from H&M; ------------------------------------------------ Maciej: Hello Edward. I have trouble with shoes. I was just wondering if you could give me some advice. I like Maxxie's style, but I still don't know what should I pick. The clothes I mostly wear are from American Eagle (ae.com), no ripped jeans though. I don't think ripped jeans look nice. I also don't wear baggy jeans. I'm 6'2" and kind of skinny (pant size: 30x34 or 31x34). My shoe size is 12.5. So I'm big, skinny guy with big feet. I have no sense in how a shoe should match. I was just wondering if you could tell me what would look best on my feet from a brand like Nike, Puma, or one I could easily get in Chicago area. Btw. love watching Skins :-) Thanks.

Edward: the best look for fairly big feet is the plainest styles of trainers - good old Converse are a safe choice, mess it up with some of the great colours they do . Old school trainers like Nike Tennis shoes or their retro Waffle style / addidas gazelle or stan Smiths . Swear is a British label that does great very flat plain trainers with a twist - they have a brilliant new collection in collaboration with Hummel . So basically the plainer and flatter the better, avoid anything with chunky soles and too much detailing . ------------------------------------------------ HaydenWing: hi Edward, could you please tell me where can i get Maxxie's bag in Ep. 8 when he comes into the classroom with James. Thankies!

Edward: Maxxie's bag is by Freitag , who make great bags from recycled materials like tyres ,seat belts and inner tubes ------------------------------------------------ Chris Murray: Hey Edward, cheers for looking :) Could you tell me where Chris' tiger skin pink and black top is from, the one he's wearing in Episode 2? Its the coolest thing I've seen him wear!!

Edward: Chris's tiger t-shirt is from Behave on Lexington Street ------------------------------------------------ windinthewire: please can you say where jal got her giraffe earings from, i love them and reaaaally want a pair!

Edward: Jal's earings were from TopShop ------------------------------------------------ AlexGabriel: Hiya. I'd like to know where Maxxie's grey trousers are from, the ones he wears when he comes into the classroom with James.

Edward: Maxxie's trousers were from Cos ------------------------------------------------ trainstobrasil: could you please tell me what Jal's book bag is in episode 8 this season? the lovely yellow one with the design that she carries around throughout the episode. I loved it! thanks :)

Edward: Jal's bag is by Eastpak ------------------------------------------------

Abby Fletcher: hey, just wondered where jal's yellow dress with the black shirt underneath came from, and the earrings she has in in the audition! thanks much! xx

Edward: Jal's yellow dress was from Monsoon and the brown shirt underneath was Calvin Klein Jeans ------------------------------------------------ Jerry: Hi, I was just wondering what bag Tony wears in season 1, it looks like a Gucci bag but I never get a good look at it. The name of it would be swell!

Edward: Tony's bag was an unbranded one from Camden Market ------------------------------------------------ verity: hey, wondering where michelle's silver vest in tonights episode came from. and her vests in general :) then i just need to wait for some warmer weather..! thanks

Edward: Michelle's silver vest was from Kate Moss for Top Shop - her vests are from all over , American Apparel is great for brilliant coloured basics made in ethical factories ( much better for your conscience and the world than Primark !)

Episode 7

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moppet: Hey Edward, I just want to say I think the overall look of the characters in the show is amazing so whatever you are doing with the wardrobe you are doing it extremely well! I hate to be the 1,000,000,000th person to ask you this but...in Michelle's episode (Series 2, Episode 4) she wears a pair of skirt dungarees or a skirt with braces made of denimn. I would love it if you could tell me where you found it? Or where I could find a similar item? I know several people have already asked you on this about it. I would really appreciate it if you could get back to us about it. It would actually mean a lot! much love, moppet xx

Edward: Really sorry but can't actually remember what label Michelle's dungaree skirt was - it was a TKMaxx find - but try Lees new stuff designed by Jane Birkin for something silmilair ------------------------------------------------ HarrietBABESS: Hi, i was wondering if you could please tell me where michelle's necklace is from in her lost weeks diary, the black bow one, and effy's dress she wears to the club in series 2 episode 7? I would really love to know where to get them. Thanks

Edward: Michelles necklace was from Warehouse and Effy's dress was created from a vintage beaded dress , customised over another dress from Oasis - so sharpen those scissors and start creating ! ------------------------------------------------ geodude: hi i was just wondering if you could tell me wer you get the majority of chris' vest tops from i just think there so good that i have to have one especially this one!! thanks XD

Edward: a lot of Chris' vests are 70s deadstock - original stuff that was never sold - from markets and vintage shops - try some of the retro stalls in Camden or local car boot sales ------------------------------------------------ christian20: Hey I was just wondering if you could tell me where Maxxie's jacket is from that he wore at the skins secret party??? thanx

Edward: Maxxies' rowing blazer was hired from a Bristol Costume Shop and is probably about 100 years old - still looks good doesn't it , just goes to show great style never goes out of fashion . ------------------------------------------------

alex: hi edward, i've been spending my internet millions on some new clothes recently. can i tell everyone about them? (Note: Alex, despite his yuppy question, is not the sugar daddy he claims to be. You've been warned, girls...Ed.)

Alex - we need photos of you modelling your new looks maybe with some of your Skins' co-workers ! ------------------------------------------------ AnnaBanana: Hi Edward! First of all, well done on your supreme costume choosing, its impeccible! I was wonder where Chris' fluffy hat from the Skins 2 opening credits is from? Its pretty much the best hat i have ever witnessed :0 Thanks

Edward: Chris' fluffy hat was from the brilliant hip/hop stall in St. Nicholas's Market in Bristol ------------------------------------------------ Bridget Burton: hi i was just wondering if you could tell me where you got Jal's Shirt, shorts and (i think they were Nike) Trainers rom episode 1 series 2, where she and chris go to pick up Tony from Maxxie's. That would be very helpful.x

Edward: Jal's shirt was from H&M;, shorts were from Uniqlo and her trainers were indeed Nike . ------------------------------------------------

mindemo: hey edward...i was wondering where maxxie got that purple and silver nylon jacket in his unseen episode on his myspace...cheers mate...haz...XO

Edward: maxxie's jacket is from Nike ------------------------------------------------ SamR: Could you tell me where the outfit Tony wore to the university came from please? Thanks

Edward: Tony's shirt from Junk de Luxe , tie by American Apparel , jacket by Parkes , trousers from Cos , belt by Gap shoes by Converse ------------------------------------------------ Grantlock: Please could u tell me if theres a peoples market shop in bristol or wher i could get the clothes from fank you!!!:D x

Edward: Not sure if People's Market sell in Bristol - it's available in Number 22 on Carnaby Street and TopMan at Oxford Circus ------------------------------------------------

Kaz: Hi Edward, I didn't get my question answered last time and I really need those socks lol. Was just wondering if you could tell me where they were from? Michelles socks in episode 1 when shes in the club and outside with Sid

Edward: Michelle's socks were from American Apparel ------------------------------------------------

charlie lewis: hi. Do you know where i can find the tank top chris is wearing at the end of the latest episode, the one with horses or something on it. cheers.

Edward: chris' vest was 70s deadstock from Camden Market ------------------------------------------------

john Rainey: hi jakes yellow/orange cardigan from the start of the effy episode? can you tell me where it's from?

Edward: jake's cardigan was an old ladie's from a jumble sale

Episode 9

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Dave Gee: Hi, can you tell me where Tony got his pink underwear and t-shirt from, please? It was the episode where Effy's mad mate came over.

Edward: Pay attention, Dave! Tony's underwear was pink due to Effy's inefficiency in the washing department! ------------------------------------------------

Christina_Marie: Hi, i was just wondering where Michelles green dress comes from in the calander cover photo below theres a photo. And also were do Jal's pink star earing come from which she too wore in the same photo? Thanks xx

Edward: Michelle's dress was by Lux from Urban Outfitters and Jal's earings were from H & M.

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Branwen: Hi edward can somebody PLEASE tell me where jal got her white dress top she wears in episode 8 series 2 when shes at her music audition, ive asked like 8 times lol! Thanks a lot xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Edward: Jal's audition dress was from Oasis - well asked!

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snoogins: This may sound like a stupid question, but i thought you should be the one to ask. I have a big problem buying trousers for myself. I dunno if it's just my frame (I'm 6 foot and pretty thin). But anything outside of blue jeans look awkward on me. I was wondering if you had any tips when look for mens trousers. Oh and everyone always asks where certain characters shop. I was wanting to know whats your own favourite brands of clothing?

Edward: Hi snoogins. Blue jeans are a pretty good basic for any look - take advantage of your height by maybe wearing trousers a bit shorter than you normally would - Farah have a great range of trousers that suit all shapes, so check them out. My favourite labels are Margaret Howell, Vivienne Westwood, Thom Browne and thanks for asking... ------------------------------------------------

skinsfreak: hey edward, was just wondering where Chris's Monkey Man t shirt was from?

Edward: Chris' Monkey Man was specially designed by me.

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beth babe: hi edward:) could you please tell me where michelles gold-like jeans are from that she wears with the silver vest in episode 8? also where is the blue vest top and the orange bra from that she wears? i cant remember which episode she wore them in sorry, thanks so much! the skins style owns:) x

Edward: Michelle's gold jeans were from Morgan , blue vest from Oasis and orange bra from La Senza. ------------------------------------------------

[popculturebuffet]

Amphibia Reviewcaps: The Dinner/Battle of the Bands “It’s You”

Hello all you happy people! And i’m almost to the finish line.  6 months (subtracting the ones where there were no new episodes) worth of weekly coverage and with next week i’ll have completed my second full season of reivews of a show as they came out, and my first full season of amphibia. If you’d like to see season 1 it’s up high on my stretch goals at 45 with reviews of Disney movies based on shows (The Proud Family, Recess and Kim Possible), Gravity Falls and more along the way if your curious. Check it out HERE. I’m also doing exclusive reviews eveyr month now with the coasional one thrown in randomly so check that out. New period starts in a week so please join before then.

So naturally with the big finale and all the tensions in amphibia close to reaching a boil next week, this week’s a bit more low key. Still not unimportant, with some massively good character work and in fact The Dinner is easily one of my faviorites of the season, but still nothing to move the plot too far forward. Just some nice character stuff to help inch us towards the climax next week. The calm before my heart is stillbeatingly ripped out of my chest. Which I will grant the show, having my heart ripped out Mola Ram style by some combination of Brenda Song and Keith David is how I wanted to go, i’m just not ready yet. So while I steel myself for the utter heartbreak of next week, I have my throughts on this weeks episodes under the cut!

The Dinner: 

I did tip my hand a bit by saying this was one of my faviorties of the season.. and I stand by that. This one was excellent. It was rife with tension while still somehow being a fun breather episode before hell arrives. 

As the title suggest the Plantars are having Grime and Sasha over for a fancy dinner, followed by games and such. Only Annearcy are happy about this though, Marcy still not getting quite how bad Sasha has gotten during her stay here and Anne hoping she has changed.  The Plantars, Sprig in paticular, still resent them for the whole toad tower fiasco, which is fair. You don’t forget someone trying to murder you over night, let alone your whole town. Hop Pop is using Frobo as the Grill by the way which is just visually fucktacular I gotta admit. He does get some more use these episodes, being used as a Grill here and as the fog machine and Polly’ sminon next episode. Good work boy. That’s my robot frog soldier builder whatever you are. 

Sasha and Grime are likewise not enthused. Sasha isn’t because her friends expect her to “Ugh” change and grow and stuff and isn’t happy about it and is confident she can return to rulling over them once her plan is done. Dude.. that’s not how a healthy throuple works. Or a healthy anything. Grime is more worried about her blowing it with her anger and control issues, but feels. this is VITAL to convincing the plantars to trust them long enough for their plan to go off. He even demands she remove her sword and all her knives... and she has a lot of them. Evne in her boot “How do you even walk?” Good question grime. 

My answer?

So what follows is about 8 minutes of the most hilariously awkward dinner since that time Micheal Scott decided to have a dinner party even though his relationship was horribly crumbling, as everyone but Anne and Marcy shoves their foot in their mouth at some point or makes some sort of screw up. Oh and Polly I guess she’s more content to just watch the show. Seriously i’m not usually a fan of cringe comedy.. but the series makes it work here as our heroes attempt to interact with thier old eneimeis and vice versa. 

For starters we have our guests arrvial, where Grime and Sasha both look objectively terrifying before things cool down. Then we have dinner itself where both Hop Pop and Grime prove to be the racist kind of grandpa as Grime asks what frogs they subjigated to get these turnips and Hop Pop makes an awkward lightbulb joke about Toads that Grime finds hilarious but everyone else was rightfully afraid would get the old man gutted by the other more violent old man. I imagine this happened a lot on the Lost Light once Megatron took over co captiancy. You just don’t fight a guy for a good hundered years without being nervous he’s going to blast you to fucking pieces. 

Sprig dosen’t help before all this by taking a seat next to anne and marcy specifically to piss her off, and out of all of them is the most openly hostile to her. Given Anne’s his best friend and Sasha did a LOT of emotional damage to her.. yeah fair enough. 

Things only esclate when it comes to frog pictionary. Suprisingly Hop Pop gets Grime’s Drawins and Sasha gets his, with both her and sprig trading escalating barbs and her barely containing her rage when Anne calls her on it since unlike her, Sprig has a reason to still be upset with her. This reaches a breaking point when Sasha attempts things, trying to desperatly win her friends back with the old times now they have their ownt imes apart.. only for Sprig to accidnetlay mock Sasha’s near sucicide,s aying she “slipped”.. granted I do think he geninely just can’t forgive her.. but it’s very clear she did not.. she let herself go to save them, and he’s just as in denial about it as Sasha and just as much a dick about it. 

Sasha flips out at him, and gets penalized for talking which only pisses her off MORE and understandably so. Anne leaps to the plantar’s defense but honestly.. both sides are understandabliy angry here. The Plantars are right to still not trust her after everything especially since she hasn’t outright apologized to them and her and Grime’s general response to the incident is “One Time!”... which works for say, taking the last slice of pizza without asking or slamming their face in a car door, but not so much “Trying to murder all of you for personal and stupid reasons.”. But at the same time Sprig DID cross the line really bad when she saved his fucking life. It dosen’t automaitcally erase the bad things she did but it dosen’t give him lisence to mock her. WHile I get he’s 10 and dosen’t get it was part suicide, he still is blantaly ignoring her trying to do something selfless because he can’t admit there’s any good in Sasha. Sasha is not a GREAT person.. but there IS good in her. She just has to WANT to seek that out instead of her inherent seflishness and need for control and Anne and Marcy are absolutely right for trying to help her instead of just slamming the door in her face. 

But soon eveyroen gets distracted by the cake which floods the room with molten lava. Hop Pop assumes it was some sort of trick.. but hilariously turns out no, Grime really was trying to be nice. That’s just how this works and it’s delcious once it hardens.. assuming you survivie the hornets, with fighting them being the best part of it. And yes hornets shoot out of the cake. Are you suprised at this point? They also paralize grime leaving our heroes without the one person among them who knows what their doing. 

SO our heroines are forced to fight some hornets, with Sasha trying to take lead.. only for Anne to do so and succeed at it, figuring out that while weapons can’t pierce them their own stingers might and having Marcy use her crossbow to launch the stinger in grime at them, and then has Sasha distract the rest to take them out. 

So our heroines reconcile with Sasha admitting she might not want to change and Anne admitting that’s okay.. she just has to accept things have changed with THEM and that her friends HAVE. And genuinely or not Sasha agrees to that, while Grime is bummed he missed the party and the lava hardens into chocolate, with eveyrone enjoying some cake and dead insects. As you do

Final Thoughts on The Dinner: As I said, this is one of the best episodes of the season> The tension is paltable, and it dosen’t fully resolve it, rightly as we still have one final season to go for that. More than that.. it’s hilarious. All the jokes land, and there were far too many to get into here. 

Battle of the Bands:

Now this is a classic breather episode, our last chance to rest and get all slice of lifey before things go up in flames next week. 

With the town all nervous because of Sasha and Grime’s presence, Mayor Toadstool decides to spin the wheel of fun to decide on an activity. I can’t remember if this is a new thing or not but I loves it. It lands on Battle of the Bands so the girls decide to get their old band Sasha and the Sharks back together. As for the rest of the cast, Hop Pop and Sprig join a Jug band and Grime has his own musical domination to plot out, so that just leaves us with the thropule, Poly and Frobo for an episode. 

The group have fun... until Anne unveils her heartfelt song based on her time here. Well okay only Sasha isn’t having fun and quickly tries to take over, as you’d expect and Anne pushes back as you’d expect. Sasha takes her ball and goes home as.. you get it by now> The plot here is not very complex or unique.

But as with all the Sasha episodes this season including the last one, we get a deeper sense of her character. Here she outright admits she dosen’t know what to do when she’s not in control. She needs to be in charge of the situation. It also explains why unlike Marcy and Anne she didn’t change for the better: Her need for control shuts out any possiblity of self reflection and thus self improvment. Self Improvment, and I know this from experince, requires you to admit your flaws and face them. It’s something I can admit to struggling with as I fall back into old patterns often. Admitting flaws would be admitting a loss of Control and Sasha.. can’t. She honestly can’t. 

Of all people i’ts TOADIE who convinces her sometimes i’ts better to let someone else take the lead and that it’s better to support the ones you love than subjugate them. Granted Toadie himself is too far in the opposite direction, but he makes a valid point.. something I never thought i’d say. Sometimes you just have to let someone do what they want.. and watching her two girlfriends perform up on stage.

I also will say I love a good talent show, battle of the bands what have you episode. One of my faviorite movies, True Stories, climaxes in one. 

And yes that was John Goodman and yes he does indeed sing...

Seriously watch this movie. It’s fucking amazing. And yes that was the Talking Heads David Byrne, he wrote this movie and there’s two talking heads songs in it. Watch it. 

Point is we get a great one, paticuarlly chuck. 

He grows SINGIN tulips just a fun one.. but i’ts that finale with the girls that really makes it with Sasha realizing that them being HAPPY is better than her being in control..and they didn’t grow PAST HER or leave her behind just because they grew.. they simply should be free to be themselves. And that maybe trying to conquer a country just to do that ain’t right. IT’s really sweet

So she runs in to do the guitar solo, and its aweosme and they only don’t win because it turns out Grime is fucking MAJESTIC on a harp. But Sasha finally grows a bit admitting that having fun is what mattered... 

And it’s abotu to burst as Mayor Toadstool, in a show of how far he’s come, points out Anne is leaving soon and Anne gives a heartfelt goodbye to everyone.. that said.... someone clearly has other plans.. and for once i’ts NOT Sasha. 

There’s nothing but foreshadowing in that face. That’s a face that says “Uh.. about that”. And again SASHA is showing emotinal vunerablity and hapiness.. but it’s Marcy, whose pretty open emotiionally whose visably worried and clearly knows Andrias has other plans.. other plans he talked her into. Gratned he probably didn’t tell her said plans involve The Watcher with a Thousand Eyes, but she still KNOWS she’s plottingthings.. and know’s she’s about to betray the people closest to her. 

Before we move on though those outfits ar esharp. Just damn. Especially Sasha’s punk look. The songs this episode are also both excellent and I had no idea Brenda Song and Anna Akana could sking like that. God damn. 

So with Anne leaving for home she gets one last group photo. It’s majestic and we’re out. 

Final Thoughts: This one is pretty good. Not a lot to talk about outside of Sasha but a really fun episode that both moves her foward and moves us toward the finale. ANd it’s nice to see the three just happy together... before the hell that’s about to arrive. 

Next Week: War Were Declared, our heroes prepare to fight bravely against the hoard of toads... and both Sasha and Marcy come to the crossroads of destiny Tommorow ON This Blog:

So it’s up to Jean Grey and Emma Frost to go in and sort it out.. and then fight off the full might of an alien empire. No pressure. 

Until the next rainbow it’s been a pleasure

[kryptsune]

Kit’s OC Time {Part 2}

🌼So I got this wonderful ask from @chocolatetwix and I got super excited. There is a lot here so I just decided to make a huge post about it. That and I can save it and work on it too so that’s a bonus. You can’t really do that with asks. This will be in a couple different parts so that it’s not too overwhelming!

Let’s continue! 

Costume/ CC: Back in my DA days I used to draw a lot of animals and I had a fursona as well. Now I am not sure if I am going to keep her or not but I do actually still like her design. I might just tweak it a tad.

I have an incredible piece of artwork from Nukerooster of her and I just need to share. Go check them out as well (>>>LINK HERE<<<) 

Akuma: Another fluffy boy but I have this OC named Akuma, original... I know. He will most likely make an appearance in my Hell world once I re work him a bit. Basically he was a demon that caused a lot of Chaos and havoc but messed with the wrong village. Mid transformation he got a blessed sword rammed through his chest keeping him that way until the sword is released. It also perpetually bleeds, never heals, and drains his power. Poor demon baby boy. Also I realize that he is old... but like... I still love his design if that is even possible. He used to be red in color which I will post and then I redrew him a few years ago to see how he would look more current. Now he is teal ish. 

Nuke also did this incredible one of Akuma. 

Because of my major I sometimes randomly come up with cute RPG character designs and I really wanted to do one of little monster animals. I created this little guy during one of my classes. 

Spip: He is a little vampire ghost bunny. The cross shaped vile around his neck is filled with his HP restore (Blood) If you have a lot the vial will be full but if you don’t have enough it will deplete over time. Poor little Spip just wants to be friends with people but because of what he is they run away. He is kind of my homage to Bunicula if anyone remembers that book. I have ideas for his little buddies too like a Frankenstein cat and so forth. Just a cute little idea.

Lastly we have the Infernum (name will probably change I am kind of thinking about calling it Twisted Otherworlds or just Otherworlds) cast which is even larger than the Hell side and I don’t even want to think about that right now X’D It is a little overwhelming. What I do have however are some of the designs I made for them, costume wise. This was back during my fashion degree projects. Think realms with twisted fairytale characters that happen to used to be real people from different periods in time. This is the point I really started to dig into the horror genre and it kind of shows though looking back I think I always kind of have been... 

The story is basically a fairytale romp and during the day light hours it’s perfectly fine all zanny and fun but at night is a whole other story. You see the souls that live in these Realms used to be living breathing people. The only thing is that if you end up here though you lose all memory of that life. The Madness which is like a magical curse infects these souls and turns them into their own personal fears or horrors. It’s all back story based and intense so I won’t go into it. There are different monsters and characters and even though it’s an older idea I do think it still has a lot of potential. The realms of the Muses so to speak. Their day and night are switched as well so no matter where you are in the world you dream in the daylight and it’s night there soooo your usually going to get a pretty lucid horrifying nightmare but if you sleep during the night time you will have good dreams. Just don’t fall asleep during the day light hours X’D 

Anywhoo! Here are some of my favorites and again these are really old so their designs will be tweaked for the long run. I also apologize for the quality the actual PSD files are not on my laptop so I have to settle with the project photos I took a long time ago. In order you have the Rae the Black Rabbit, Lucian the Hatter, Ace the Cheshire Cat, Crow (probably change the spelling) the Scarecrow, The Woodsman, and one of Pan’s Lost Boys. I also included the top hats I made for them because I still think they are pretty neat!

There are also some REALLY old designs for the Twisted Otherworld characters. They had more of an anime flair to them. That said there are a couple characters that I want to share since they are actually important despite the artwork being older than Methuselah. 

Maximillian March/ Mad March: Crazy March Hare? I think so. He is a puppet master of sorts in the story and I have to redraw him but he has these deep swirly eyes and sharp teeth. (huh... looks like that design choice happened a long time ago... WELP)

Tweedles: One of my friends was able to pick this out immediately but yea... these are the Tweedles. Their nightmarish 1910′s gas mask Orwellian horror cyborg versions anyway. I have a full image of Dee somewhere that I need to find... (edit) AH there he is... btw I was like 15 when I did this design so I gotta question what the heck was going through my brain.. unless it was that Doctor Who episode with the children that just freaked me out... yeah.. that was probably it. Are those real organs and muscles you ask... yes... yes they are.

[procession-of-blades]

@loreyrs I can’t @ you but I went to respond to your comment on that other post, and accidentally a bit of a rambly rant after writing the answer, and I didn’t want to entirely hijack @warmaster-aranaies​‘s post like a butthole laskudflkg

We did get one other thing in LW4! It brought us the...frankly ENTIRELY out of left field “Darkness pays Orr a visit” poem subplot. I joined this game around the same time @commander-thiernaen​ did, so I got to Jahai a little later than most people, but I was playing when the episode dropped. I remember the utter confusion spread over the handful of people I’d followed at that point in time, “Wait why are they bring up Trahearne NOW of all times?” On top of that, it was a love??? poem????? Going back to Personal Story sappy soft Trahearne content out of NOWHERE and then...IMMEDIATELY dropping him again. Directly after the line is read and the Commander comments. Bam. He’s vanished again.

Not in the Mist Wardens. Not in the ‘hey we have a message from Glint!’ moment but I GUESS SNAFF HAS A REASON TO POP UP? COOL FANSERVICE NICE TO SEE HIM I GUESS? Snaff’s cool just. Like I guess it’s cuz they had fought Kralk in the past? But we had zero indication that Trahearne didn’t intend to see the dragon threat to the end. The closest I can recall to us being able to say anything about missing him or feeling guilty or sad or anything is when we find that poem, honestly.

And then back to as if he never existed at all. We have limited knowledge of the extent of Taimi and Trahearne’s interactions. No idea if they were super close, etc. If it was LW1 content then LOL FAT CHANCE AT US NEWCOMERS KNOWING THAT? Perhaps it was an optional dialog in an earlier story that I missed? But they just go “btw Taimi n Trahearne talked poetry once upon a time anyway back to Kralk,” and no elaboration. No payoff. Considering how War Eternal ended, it does seem like the theory about ‘it was gonna end here’ has at least a sliver of weight to it, and if so? They woulda dropped that with zero chance of ever paying it off, huh. I’ve been watching that

More analysis lbr it’s nitpicking under the cut

Anet seems to do...interesting and experimental things with narrative a lot. In recent years there’s been a big trend of ‘oh we have to shock and surprise the audience they can’t predict it ahead of time! bad bad bad!’ in media, and while the lead narrative folks on GW2 have talked on and on about how one cannot expect instant gratification, how people expect instant payoff, at least in the case of those ranting about, say, Almorra being (apparently?? maybe?) succeeded by Jhavi instead of the prior ESTABLISHED SUCCESSOR Laranthir, or the people ranting about Trahearne VANISHING AND REAPPEARING RANDOMLY IT SEEMS, there are a few narrative/dramatic concepts that they seem to...take really skewed opinions on?

To get my Wikipedia copypasta on:

Chekhov's gun is a dramatic principle that states that every element in a story must be necessary, and irrelevant elements should be removed; elements should not appear to make "false promises" by never coming into play. The statement is recorded in letters by Anton Chekhov several times, with some variation:

"Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there." "One must never place a loaded rifle on the stage if it isn't going to go off. It's wrong to make promises you don't mean to keep." "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there."

I’d personally count things like the Orr poem as a currently unfired gun. It’s sitting there. Drawn attention to in main story. Even has optional dialog in the Priory!

Moving onto the other point that came to mind, it’s not as if Arenanet is UNAWARE of this, right? In the company’s job postings for narrative stuff, there’s even a line “Unafraid to make tough calls, embrace the necessity of "killing your darlings", and take direction from creative leads.” So clearly they’re talking about the necessity of trimming the story of things you don’t need--

Or do they? It dawned on me a while back that I often see this context used out of context an AWFUL LOT. It doesn’t mean “kill your favorite characters in your story,” like I tend to hear people assume. Often attributed to Faulkner but apparently originating from Arthur Quiller-Couch, the full quote is actually:

If you here require a practical rule of me, I will present you with this: ‘Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it—whole-heartedly—and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.

Now, I don’t want to make assumptions about writers more accomplished than myself, of course not. I don’t want to...presume. That Anet misunderstands that as a concept. I’m sure they prune the HELL out of their stuff. I love watching Guild Chat or reading their responses on Reddit/other platforms. They’re passionate as hell as a group and put a lot of effort into this. But...stuff like the points brought up in the threads today DO make me wonder at times. That plus the lead narrative fellow’s recent Twitter discussion about delayed gratification...

It really feels at times like Anet is firing...the wrong guns. Killing the wrong darlings. Such hit and miss points of focus on characters. This huge amount of clarification and emphasis on why we couldn’t ride mounts in the mines where we find Almorra...but also leaving zero mention of the aforementioned pre-designated successor. In-game or out? I can only hope that they’re aware of how disjointed a lot of these things come off to at least a chunk of the fanbase...and that my nightmares about Anet lampshading the dangling threads and then ignoring them don’t end up a reality.

-longingly stares at the carved tablet- I’ve never been so eager to see a gun fired.

[lunawings]

King of Prism Rose Party 2019 Orchestra Concert (10/13/2019)

So as usual I like to talk about the entire experience of the event to keep a record/help guide people who want to do stuff like this in the future, so if you only want to read about the parts of the show with the voice actors please skip to the end. 

This was intended to be a 2-day event with a concert by the stage actors on the 12th and an orchestra concert on the 13th, but typhoon Hagibis cancelled the live show for the 12th (although it was streamed online) and delayed the 13th. 

I woke up on the morning of the 13th waaaay too early, partially from excitement and partially from adrenaline from the typhoon probably.... 

Also it was a beautiful frikkin day. I don’t know the science of it, but the day after any typhoon is always sunny and just gorgeous. 

If it weren’t for the elderly folk cleaning up the stray leaves and branches from the street you’d have never known what happened the previous night. 

The original plan for the merch was that they would let us line up by 7, hand out tickets by 8, and start selling by 10 so I was planning to get there by at least 6 am originally. But, after the typhoon they announced merch sales would be from 12. Still, I ended up getting there at 8 since it was just so nice outside, I felt like I could use a walk, and because there was no other info I couldn’t help worrying about how things would really go down. The trains weren’t running that morning (or at least JR wasn’t) because they had to ensure the safety of the tracks or whatnot, so the only other people around were also fans that had decided to stay close to the venue. We loitered around awkwardly, every so often asking the staff what was going on only to be told that sales would start from 12 and still no other info. 

But it was dangerous to stray too far away because we all knew there would be that “OK go” moment where we could all get in line, and where you decided to randomly loiter around would determine your position in line. That “OK go” moment finally came at around 11:15, and I ended up in the middle of an incredibly short line of only about 40 people or so. Is this really all there is? We wondered until about 11:30 when the line suddenly quadrupled and we realized ah, I guess the first train got in ahah. 

Waiting in the line was really funny because this event took place during the Rugby World Cup, so there were a lot of bewildered middle-aged white people in rugby shirts just walking by and getting caught up in clouds of King of Prism fangirls. They would always stop and look at us like ?? then casually try and keep walking but then stop again for longer and look at us like what. Haha. Baby boomers were peeking in the windows to see what the heck all these Japanese girls (and one white girl) were lining up for and walking away more confused. 

We thought they would just open sales at 12 like they said and go in order, but actually they handed out tickets anyway so the people who came by train had no disadvantage. (Still, even though it was random I got number 42 which was incredible.) The tickets ended up being kind of a joke though! Usually they call in large groups and you check online to see when your number would be coming up. But instead the guy was like. 

“Okay, ready? Number 1... 2.... 3...!” Hahaha like WHAT! There was an awkward moment where someone had to admit to being number 1 in front of everyone or we couldn’t go in. (People looking around like OK WHAT BITCH PULLED NUMBER 1...)  So I got into merch in roughly the amount of time it takes to slowly count to 42. They had so many registers and so much merch (and less people than usual) so everyone got in and out in like 30 minutes and bought everything they wanted. Incredible. 

I think the only thing that sold out early-ish was the Torachi and Dorachi plushies and they weren’t even event exclusive. 

When the doors opened for the event, people who had the “special” two-day tickets were given the special bonuses that came with them for both days of the event.

I put “special” in quotations because literally everyone there seemed to have the two-day tickets because there were zero people in the other line ahah. But I also guess maybe people with the two-day tickets were more likely to come on Friday like I did and avoided trouble with the trains? I dunno. Anyway.

The bonus for the orchestra concert was a coaster and some rose tea. The bonus for the stage show was a file with some cards in side (I guess they are supposed to be Edel Rose IDs?) one which reveals the stage actors when you turn it a certain way. 

Holding the bonus in my hands which I would have received at the live stage show was the moment it finally hit me what could have been if only the show hadn’t been cancelled... ahhh..... hdldksjf.................

So, the concert. 

It started up with just the orchestra, playing the background music from the movies/anime. Something I never really thought about before was about how the music from the first two movies is kind of non-specific. Like, although I definitely recognized all of it, I had trouble remembering exactly which scene(s) it was from. Meanwhile, although I am less familiar with the background music from SSS since the CD only just came out, there are a lot of songs which are specifically associated with certain characters and certain scenes. Like the music which plays during Leo’s flashback to his childhood, or the music that plays when Minato talks to his parents and decides to go back to Tokyo. 

I used to go to orchestra/wind ensemble concerts all the time as a music student, but somewhere along the way I stopped. (WHY DID I STOP) Still, I haven’t been to many professional orchestra concerts, so I’m not used to things sounding so.... how should I say.... perfect ahah. There were a few times I had to stop and remind myself that this was actually live and not a recording. 

There were a few times when I didn’t feel that need though. Like during the performance of the music which plays during the Schwarz Rose bath scene in SSS episode 1. That violin.... oh..... my...... lord........................... 

As a flutist I have always been eternally confused at how string instruments work. Well I mean, I have held a guitar in my hands and been taught how to make chords so like I know... but still I just don’t know how it is possible to do... THAT...... 

The Schwarz Rose music in general really shook me. I noticed for the first time how few instruments they use compared with the background music for Edel Rose, and yet that makes the mood so much heavier. In addition to the Schwarz Rose stuff, the music they played which really gave me that full body chills experience included the piece from the scene where Hiro becomes Prism King, and all the Rinne/Shine stuff... that was..... oh wow...... I actually gave myself goosebumps again thinking about it.......... (I can kinda understand why they didn’t do a live viewing for this. It probably wouldn’t have been the same.)

So we were allowed to cheer it, but quietly with only one light in each hand. As you can imagine, the atmosphere was quite different with this being an orchestra concert and all. I tried to change colors as little as possible since the clicking just seemed SO LOUD. So I was just gonna keep red the whole time, but then I remembered the DVD so I tried to match everyone to make it look pretty for that. 

But I realized after they will probably show the evening performance on the DVD anyhow because the theater was probably fuller then. Since the trains were down for most of the morning, there were a good amount of empty seats. It was about 85% full when it was supposed to be sold out originally. (But they did offer refunds for people who couldn’t make it.)

So about the voice actors.

Junta Terashima (Shin), Shouta Aoi (Louis), Tasuku Hatanaka (Taiga), Taku Yashiro (Kakeru), Masashi Igarashi (Minato), and Takuma Nagatsuka (Leo) were scheduled to attend. Originally it was just gonna be Shouta and Junta and the others were kinda tacked on later, so they had less to do (they only got to sing once) but of course it was wonderful to have them. 

They first came out on stage while the orchestra was playing but of course we couldn’t cheer or react to them because the orchestra was playing so it was this like silent screaming until we could finally cheer for them hahah. 

They were all wearing suits themed to their character colors except for Shouta Aoi who was wearing this elaborate suit/wedding dress combo with a huge train that kept getting stepped on and caught onto things several times during the show hahah ha.... 

(+one more special guest I’ll talk about later)

When they introduced themselves and we got to Masashi Igarashi, he made such a huge, overblown reaction to the crowd and was like FINALLY! I CAN HEAR YOU! 

(This is because he’s the only one of the voice actors to be in the stage show cast as well, so yesterday he’d performed to an empty concert hall.)

I laughed..... but then felt this intense pang of inconsolable sadness. I hoped the stage actors were all backstage and would come out at the end just as a surprise so we could cheer for them. I WANTED TO CHEER FOR THEM THEY DESERVED IT SO MUCH. WHY.

But they never did..... 

Huaaahhh........................

Well. 

When it was Taku Yashiro’s turn he called out “WANBANKOOOO” to both the girls and guys like Kakeru would do. When it was time for the guys to repeat it I was surprised the response was a lot heartier than I was expecting! Despite being about zero men in the merch line, there were more than I realized at the show. How nice! It always makes me really happy when they call out to girls at Love Live events, so I was really happy for them. 

In the middle they all did a talk session where they played and discussed scenes from the SSS anime where the music was significant. 

And it was weird because.... while they were playing the scenes we all automatically cheered them like we would do in the theater. Except several of the voice actors were RIGHT THERE watching us react to their work. Come to think of it, it may have been a little strange for them to see us cheering for their work as if they weren’t there. It was almost like all walked in on each other naked for a second. I have been trying to think of the best way to describe it and that was all I could come up with ahaha....

When they showed Brilliant Oath I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to sing or not? I think they really wanted us to sing but people were afraid to. So I was mouthing the words really exaggeratedly and probably looked like such a weirdo haha.... I’m not going to jump to the conclusion that Junta Terashima was actually looking at me during this part, but I was singing to him and he was kinda looking over in my direction ///// The scene ended right before “Chikai no ring....” so there was this little “Chi--” from the audience when we didn’t know the scene was going to end and they all laughed at that. 

While the orchestra was tuning up they joked about tuning up their characters. Takuma Nagatsuka was like “Saionji Leo Leo Leo”. Junta Terashima bragged about not having to tune, but they were all like nah you should really tune your Shin so he made a bunch of Shin yells in various pitches ahaha. 

In the second half of the performance just Junta Terashima and Shouta Aoi came out and performed their songs. Shouta was up first, so when Junta left the stage he wished him luck as Shin. 

Shouta got all flustered about it, and turned to the audience like “I wasn’t ready for that.”  

AhhHHhwwrrgh I really want to see that again. But like I said I’m afraid the DVD will be ust the evening performance.  (This and many interviews have shown he’s in love with Shin the character and it’s adorable.)

It was right at this moment, when Shouta Aoi was on the stage by himself, that it suddenly hit me all at once that this was my first time seeing him live. (Since he wasn’t at MRS and I wasn’t able to make the lottery for the 2018 Rose Party or the first SSS theater greeting. Since I have seen the other boys multiple times, and I have seen him at live viewings, I guess somehow it kind of slipped my mind.) 

When he announced the first song (”Moonshine”) there was like, an audible gasp from the audience. Like actual SHOCK at the idea that he was ACTUALLY going to sing for us... (at an event where we already knew he was going to sing for us).... THE VERY IDEA..... 

And when he announced his second song, I know Shangri La, same thing. 

It’s so hard to describe what it’s like to be in his presence. He’s just so different from the other boys. It’s a whole other level. He’s just... I can’t.... I can’t even believe he exists. I felt this same sense of awe even at the live viewing for the 2018 Rose Party but now he was actually HERE only 24 rows away from me!? It did not seem like this could be possible. How could this be allowed. All I could think about the entire time he was singing was just: Angels are real and one of them is named Shouta Aoi.

And what’s even more amazing is he doesn’t even seem to fully realize??? Like how all these girls are just so in complete awe and entranced by him??? He has no ego at all!?! When he finished his songs he was just like “Ohhh I was so nervous!” after singing with a flawless voice from heaven. NNghghghg. 

So after that, Junta Terashima came out to do Platonic Sword. As you may have noticed in the photo above, there was a special guest: Mitsuki Saiga (Shine)

She was supposed to be a surprise, but I knew since I saw her name in the pamphlet. (And I’m glad I did, because it gave me a couple hours to emotionally prepare.) So I was just waiting. Then suddenly the light came on and there she was.

So this was basically the first time I (or anyone?) got to hear Shine sing solo. I know Shine sings on the soundtrack version of Platonic Sword, but he sings together with Shin so it’s hard to separate his voice. Shine has.... a beautiful, deep voice. I’d.... I’d like to hear more of him.  (But now I hear a bit of Hibiki from PriPara in it, which is another complex I have ahah.)

Seeing Platonic Sword Live was something I really needed. I’d been both dreading and looking forward to for a long time. That song/scene has always terrified me. But am I afraid of these two people?

Of course not. 

The dissonance created by seeing Shin(e) on the screen with Junta voicing it below was incredible. As I hoped it would, it made me feel ready to deal with something I have been avoiding dealing with for a while: And that is that even though Shine made him do it, Platonic Sword is still a part of Shin and I need to accept that. After the concert I went back and listened to the full version from the soundtrack for the very first time. It still creeped me out but, I’m getting there...

So, I have seen Mitsuki Saiga before, at the Pretty Live, but it was a lot different seeing her so much closer vs. in the giant Makuhari Messe. Also she definitely seemed a bit more comfortable wearing a blazer instead of Hibiki cosplay ahah.

Her speaking voice is so naturally deep. Like, noticeably deeper than Junta Terashima and Shouta Aoi. When she left the stage after the three had a talk session, Junta and Shouta agreed on how much cooler she is than them hahahah.....

But the best part was how she said that when she voiced Shine, apparently no one told her what kind of a character he was because he was still secret or whatever. They were like “Just do it” and she was like “.....what!?” Then later when people told her how much Shine scared them she was like “Really!?” HAHAHAH.

Before this session ended they did a Shin/Louis duet of Silent Promise. So for people saying the photos looked like a wedding.... basically it was. 

After all that they made the big announcement of the King of Prism era Prism Show Best 10. Masashi Igarashi made an increasingly frantic bid for us to vote for Minato which really hit me and made me actually give him my vote when I got home. If you bought the soundtrack CD and got the serial code I’d encourage you to also PLEASE PLEASE vote for Minato as well. He really needs a break. 

Also Taku Yashiro did promise natural gas if you vote for Kakeru, so there is that too. But. 

At the end of the concert when they were saying their goodbyes, I was holding up my big Shin fan and neso plush while Junta Terashima was talking. I don’t think he saw me though, because I was kinda too far back to be noticed easily and he was concentrating on talking. I think Tasuku Hatanaka might have though, which would be really funny if true. Because he looked in my direction and kinda made a face like “heh”. It made me want to bring some Taiga stuff for next time. I re-remembered the best way to get their attention is when they are not talking, because they will be kinda aimlessly scanning the crowd and if you do something (tasteful) to attract their attention during that time (like holding something up) it might actually work. 

The last thing they did was an orchestra backed version of Dramatic Love and it was..... the near definitive version, the most beautiful Dramatic Love I have ever heard and it changed the song for me forever........... I.... I feel bad because it wasn’t all of them but. BUT! They gave Yukinojo’s lines to Louis and it just... it just sounded so good. Since Yukinojo usually sings before or after Shin (since SePTENTRION sings in order a lot since they are like that) I kinda want to hear Yukinojo replaced by Louis in more SePTENTRION songs. I mean I like Yukinojo’s voice fine but... BUT!!! For Yu’s lines they split them among the other characters. There was one point where Takuma Nagatsuka had to sing two lines in a row and he seemed to maybe have a little trouble stringing them together because he wasn’t used to it. (Like *finishes phrase* *split second of oh crap I have to sing again* *next phrase* eheh I love him.) 

Music Ready Sparking was great and the next concert is going to be great too. But there was something really special about this one to me. I think I probably enjoyed the orchestra-only parts a bit more than your average attendee because of my music background, but that combined the smaller venue really made it magical. I really, really hope they do more of these. 

[killervibe]

Cisco happy with the decision to eliminate his powers regresses his character arc...An Essay.

 Note: This essay isn’t perfect, and it is riddled with some speculative theory, just trying to wrap my head around season 5 and what exactly was it that they’ve done. I’m emotional. There may be some mistakes. I wrote this kinda all in one sitting. I didn’t edit. We may agree or disagree on some things. That’s fine. But this is my take. 

I need to to just to talk about something.

Cisco happy with the decision to eliminate his powers regresses his character arc.

Now, if he took a break from being Vibe, that, I could potentially understand. He had gone through a traumatic experience. He wants to date, wants to try and start a family. Okay. Maybe superhero-ing on the side can cause some difficulty with that. Then hang up the suit. Use your powers instead of your car instead of pew pew machines for a few months. But he’d come back to it. Or at least…In a crisis. They’d be there. That’s his decision. But to completely eliminate that? That’s drastic. It’s never something he had said he wanted to do. Should Cisco want to maintain close ties to Team Flash, which he claims he does “You’re not the problem. You guys are my family” (5x17), he’d be at a bigger risk to threats. In order to properly keep his safety, he’d have to separate from all of them and start somewhere fresh. He’d have to do what Ronnie wanted to do with Caitlin in season 1. To move away completely. It makes no sense! No sense at all! And @nintendo-sixtyvore has pointed out so correctly that every time Cisco has been in serious danger, specifically kidnapped, it had nothing to do with his powers. It had to do with his intelligence!!!!!!! This isn’t going to go away by removing his powers! Read their post here. 

Besides, superhero-ing, and being part of Team Flash, although stressful, weird, sometimes crazy is something Cisco LOVES. It’s what holds him together.

He has said so many times, not only this season (“You’re my friend, my family (5x06)” and 5x05, 5x07 5x10) to Caitlin, and to everyone on Team Flash throughout the series.

In fact, after the particle accelerator explosion, having Barry be a coma patient, and later find out a meta-human Is what jump started Cisco’s excitement, his career, and his life again after such a terrible event. Cisco was the one on board with Barry from the very start.

We learn in 3x19, in the 2024 that was dissolved, that Cisco was the only one who remained in Team Flash. Barry was depressed. Iris was dead. Wally was paralyzed. HR skipped town. Julian became Killer Frost’s glorified zoo keeper. Caitlin as Cisco knew it was dead. He had lost his family, his purpose, his passion. He was depressed. He stopped taking care of his hair.

And he had lost his hands. He had lost his powers. “No hands. No Vibe,” he says brokenly.

I mean, first of all, that shouldn’t make all that much sense. His sensory vibes aren’t linked to his hands. He’s had vibes without touching anything, and he has stated that he sometimes gets them randomly (2x11,1x23) but apparently here they’re all gone the moment his hands are lost? Well. Okay. So lets take that for how he said it. No more hands means no more vibe blasts. It means no more breaches. No more Vibe. He can’t be the same hero, he can’t use his hands, he can’t make things the way he used to. He can’t feel any longer. He can’t thrust power from his hands, can’t open the world to the multiverse. But he can still have Vibes because he told Barry “I had a feeling” he’d be there. What does this mean? It means his Vibes are still there. He’s heartbroken over the other half of his powers being gone. 

Killer Frost did that purposely. She could have killed him. She could have frosted his feet, his hair, his head…Anything else. But no. Cisco was the link to her humanity, and she wanted to squash it. She knew what would do that, what would officially make Cisco turn her away. Doing the unthinkable. Hurting him the most. Taking away what he loves. His powers.

So she did. And it worked. He understandably withdrew from her, grew sad, despondent, but even then even then he wanted to still work with Team Flash. Even when everything was up in flames, he was the last man standing.

Because he’s strong. He’s strong and he’s a hero. He loves to be a hero.

And Team Flash is his family. Its what he loves to do. Its where he belongs.

Team Flash being his family starts to disintegrate around 5x10. I have another theory that this is elevated by a continued resentment against Frost (explicitly Frost. Not Caitlin. Never Caitlin—which makes things complicated) that has never went away. You can find that here. 

His vocabulary about “us” and “we” and “our” has changed to “me” and “my”. When he talks to Frost, he says: “Barry, Iris, Nora, they have a family. Even you and Caitlin have your weird little family. But what about my family?”

He automatically blames his powers as preventing him from having a family (which two episodes before he repetitively said with joy was Team Flash). Preventing him from being safe.

Cisco doesn’t know that. That assumption isn’t quite logical. Doesn’t it make more sense to discuss this with a potential partner. He didn’t make it about his powers there. He never said that “I hate opening breaches.” He never said “I find dimensional hopping repulsive.”  He has said he was scared, that he was nervous, that he didn’t understand his powers in season 2 when they were developing, especially his vibes, because they were confusing. But the thing that was the most confusing to him were the visions he saw. The fact he could see other timelines, the fact he could see the future. It didn’t have to do with his hands.

5x22 was Cisco’s first showdown with Thawne since season 1. The Thawne who killed him. The Thawne he knew. But it wasn’t his very first encounter with a Thawne since then. This leads to something that sat badly with me. The conversation between Eobard and Cisco. Yes, Eobard is an ass, so he probably mentioned killing Cisco for shits and giggles because he knew he could, and because he wanted to pull it again with Nora, but…Using this to enhance Cisco’s reasoning for taking away his powers? No.

In fact, in 2x11, called, oh, I don’t remember…Oh yes. THE REVERSE-FLASH RETURNS. 2x11’s B plot was all about Cisco developing his powers, and confronting his fear. Giving himself agency.

At the end of the episode, they have Reverse Flash contained, and Cisco goes up to him and says his killer piece:

“My name is Cisco Ramon. I want you to know that I’m the one who figured out you were back. I helped stop you. Me.”

“And how’d you do that?”

“I have powers. And I helped track you down and I put you in here.”

“That’s quite the ability you have.”

“And here’s what’s so ironic about it. You gave me these powers. Have fun thinking about that while you rot away in this cell that you helped me build. Bye, Felicia.”

Cisco was so proud about that.

Soon after that he had a seizure (the result of Eobard being in their time, not because of anything Cisco did) but even after waking up, asking what was happening, Harry replied “We think you vibed one dimension too many.”

Cisco started to laugh. Not an afraid one or a nervous one. It was genuine, to which Joe joined along, as it was contagious and immediately accurately assessed that “Yeah, I think he’s going to be fine.”

In season 3, Cisco said he was afraid about using his vibrational powers against Caitlin because he was afraid of hurting her. But that was because he loves Caitlin. She’s his best friend. He didn’t want to kill her. And Cisco at the end of season 3 did exactly that. He was able to help Caitlin, fight Caitlin, and do it safely without hurting her. Without killing her. He grew. In season 3, Cynthia told him he could do a lot more with his powers. That she could show him. This was never continued on screen.  

Season 4 reveals Cisco spent 6 months as the meta field leader of Team Flash and worked with Wally (which we only got 1 episode to see…Nice.) He did a good job, and was shown being great at it. He was in a really good place, despite the circumstances. He missed Barry. He missed Caitlin. But he had his powers. He had Star Labs. He had Cynthia. He had his purpose. 

We know that Cisco was knocked out in the crossover in s4 oh so conveniently because his powers would’ve made the Crisis much less of a threat (…). By 4x16, Cisco purposely pointedly avoids shaking Matthew’s hand because 

***“No offence. I like my powers.”***

 At this point, Cisco’s powers were a part of who he was.

When Breacher offered Cisco a job at the collection agency, he refused because he wanted to stay. Stay on Earth One. He wanted to stay with Team Flash. He wanted to be Vibe. Before he got the job offer, he had to explain to Breacher that he wasn’t going to get his powers back because they had gone from old age. He explains why he lied because “I know how special our powers are.” 

That’s the Cisco Ramon progression we’ve had. That’s where he was.

To have Cisco….Revert? To, what? To Pre 2x11??? It retracts all of this.  

Another thing. Cynthia having the same powers as him? He liked that. It added a lot to his attraction. Now, how does that translate after the break-up is curious. It’s possible he’s grown an aversion to them following the split. “If I can’t even make it work with the girl who has the same powers as me, then what’s the point?” But see, even this logic is a relationship issue. Not anything about his ability, exactly. This arguments fits better with why he was so keen to jump ship with Kamilla. “She’s normal!!! No more inter-dimensional long distance!!” Cisco is muddling two separate issues here, pinning them on being a metahuman. Cisco and Cynthia’s relationship didn’t fail because of Cisco’s powers.

By season 5, he was drinking. He was trying to avoid pain. He was feeling down. Caitlin tried to help him. Ralph tried to help him.

Cue 5x03.

He was almost killed in 5x03, and had dark matter sliced into his palms which had remained for several weeks.

Now what other main characters had dark matter wounds? Orlin. Grace. Nora. Cisco. What did they all (except Nora, which I’ll get to in a sec)have in common? The moment they got these wounds, anti-meta sentiments emerged to varying degrees. This degree is in correlation with their wounds.

Remember Grace? The dark matter in her wound was in her head, it was so bad it warped her judgement, her mental state grew dark. Grace's was in her head, so it was the most intense. This was confirmed (By Caitlin’s Doctor-ing/Meta-science-ing) in 5x22 when the cure was in fact being neutralized by the dark matter inside young Grace and it was difficult.

The same thing happened with Cicada I. His dark matter wound in his chest changed his perception as well, going as far as to want to commit suicide once his war on metas was over.

Nora was stabbed in the back, paralyzing her and also taking away her speed. But, she has fast healing, and she eventually returned to normal (debatably. Remember she’s under the influence of negative role models, and later on the negative speed force later on).

Now, Cisco’s hand slices were the most superficial. He was also stabbed in the back but apparently the Flash writers forgot all about that and thought that a stab wound to the back that needed a brace would heal faster than two sliced palms, but alas, I digress.

His hands were sliced with dark matter, and the moment they were…. “The Death of Vibe.”

Cisco wasn’t in 5x04. But he was back in 5x05. And this is when he started to develop a RANDOM CONFUSING dislike towards his powers. Towards being a meta-human. He no longer wanted to be Vibe. 

But here’s my thing. He had dark matter stuck in his hands. He’s had them in him for a long time. They were only taken out by 5x10. Caitlin even said, the reason why they took so long to heal was because of the shards stuck in his skin, infused with dark matter. Enough to let this idea about having a cure grow in his mind. Enough to start hating his HANDS. His HANDS were bleeding. HIS HANDS were the source of his sudden self-hatred. Enough to start making him dislike metas. Not to a “let’s kill them all off!” extent. But a “Let’s make a cure for this thing that I’m responsible for (Me: ?? Caitlin: ??) and I’m not sure I like even anymore!”

It’s almost like, this negative cloud took over. Interesting. Isn’t that arguably the same thing that has happened to Orlin? To Grace?

Everyone is complaining that CIsco would never do this. That this is out of character.

That’s right. This isn’t Cisco.

Cisco in season 5 had very little agency. Remember? Agency. That thing he had in season 2. In season 3? Season 4?

Most of the decisions he’s made were through pressure or suggestion by other people. Caitlin and Cisco never had another conversation about the cure following 5x10 with the exception of 5x15 (but that wasn’t about him. Only Shay) until 5x22. Like at the end of 5x10 she offers to help make the cure with him because he wants it. And doesn’t question his feelings again. But then in between those episodes, everyone else is pressuring him to do things he isn’t comfortable or putting negative thoughts in his head.

Sherloque in 5x21, enhancing his insecurities, trying to convince the viewers Cisco never liked being Vibe. Ralph in 5x12, trying to get him to go out and meet people when he didn’t want to. Barry in Elseworlds, insisting on him using his powers. Cisco is bleeding after his vibes on the Monitor and only Kara asks if he’s okay. He says, very strained “No! No I’m not!!!” Nobody checked up on him after this?!?!??!?!?!!?!? (Also He GOT HIT BY A CAR AND JUST WALKED IT OFF?? —Whoops wrong essay). Ralph in 5x14 trying to get Cisco to use his Book of Ralph to impress Kamilla on his date. And Iris and Caitlin pushing Cisco to try again after he said he felt by the 53rd failed first date he shouldn’t bother trying.

Until 5x22 when Caitlin Injects him because he asked her too.

Also, to quote @manjehaal: What’s with him wanting to work on it alone all the time?

Anyway. All this to say.

Let’s go back to 5x03. They called it the death of vibe. But Cisco ended up getting his powers back in that episode. He lived. He was dampened but he survived. BUt. This isn’t about the death of Vibe. This is about the death of Cisco. The death of the part of him that loved vibe. His passion. His excitement. Him.

There was no reason to do that. WHY DOES THIS SHOW LOVE TO KILL CISCO SO MANY TIMES. 5 TIMES THEY’VE KILLED HIM NOW, BECAUSE YOU BETTER BELIEVE I’M INCLUDING THIS. 

And!!! And!!!! To make Cisco so badass in that final fight. It was hurtful. To see him so confident. So strong. To see him be Vibe. The Vibe we could have seen all along. 

If he doesn’t want to be Vibe. He doesn’t have to be (Also, Cisco was going to lose his powers with age anyway, something we learned through Breacher). It’s painful. But to take a cure. To make it sound like Cisco thinks he’s diseased. There was nothing to warrant that. Nothing. They just destroyed something that so many people love. People love Cisco. They love who he is. They love him as Cisco and they love him as Vibe.  They love him as as a latino hero. Watching them axe Vibe like that. Emphasizing its permanence. It was gutting. 

And I’m pissed.

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S2 Ep 42 : Hello, Darkness, my Old and Also Relatively New Teenage Shadow Magic Friend

Recently, on Yugioh, we asked ourselves, (well, I asked myself since I assume most of you have seen this show before) how does it matter at all if you lose your memories of someone for like, ten minutes, when you will obviously have to run into them again once the duel is over? And if you have lost the memories that they ever existed then what would it matter since you would not know that you had known them?

This is how - They become shadow people and you literally can’t see them anymore for what I assume is the rest of your life. I don’t know how that works since they can still like write things down on pieces of paper or I dunno, communicate entirely through texting like most kids do who haven’t been cursed with eternal invisibility.

But don’t think too much about the logic, because people can now be erased from your life via cards, AKA Yugioh is gonna throw us another heavy handed take on depression, get ready. And honestly, it’s not a bad take. Good on Yugioh for this fairly accurate metaphor of what sadness can feel like. Like, sometimes people feel like their friends don't like them anymore, although they may be surrounded by people the entire time who are rooting for them and want to help them, but they just can’t see them. I think every person in the world has been through that at some point. You don’t often see it addressed in a kid’s show, although it really should be, because it happens so often.

Probably shouldn’t have started out with Tea for this example though. Like for reals, when have Mai and Tea ever hung out? That one time Mai told Tea to take a shower because she smelled like a boy? Or...

...That’s it. That’s the last conversation I remember these two having one-on-one. Most of the time Mai has been on screen is with Yugi and Joey instead. Mai and Tea shared a tent once. That’s it.

Lolmao I can’t believe Mime came back.

So now, canonically, BDSM Mime got stranded somewhere in Japan and now Marik doesn’t have any memories to even go and pick him up. He’s just forever trapped in this country now like Shenmue.

(read more)

Mai seems to remember that she used to know someone, so it’s more of like you get the feeling of losing a friend. Like basically every time you lose a monster you feel like you broke up with someone, but you can’t remember who. I can’t really relate to that feeling, but I’m sure this has happened to Mai at least once or twice for reals before this tournament. This is the girl who forgot she set herself up to get engaged.

Again, if you just thought it through for like 3 seconds, you’d have enough evidence to say “Yeah but this is all in my mind, I am standing in weird ass purple fog” but that’s the Shadow Realm.

After Tea’s memory is dissolved, next comes the threat of losing the memories of Joey Wheeler, AKA the vague love interest that she was very mad at up until about 5 seconds ago.

Also please admire how far the storyboarder went out of their way to avoid looking up Mai’s skirt. Straight up, they did not even bother to try and cover up those panty upskirts in Sailor Moon, but the storyboarder for Yugioh was so extra that they said “Hell with it, I’m gonna try” and so Mai’s legs are like double jointed and sprawled in the weirdest ways sometimes to cover that crack.

I mean, it’s still a pinup--there’s no way around this character design--but I really think they were trying to not go too far, but then ended up making it kind of worse sometimes. It’s just what happens when you have a love affair a lot of extreme low angle shots but none of your girls wear pants because it’s 2001 and everyone’s wearing tube tops and minis.

Which was a thing. I’ll admit it, I lived through it, 2001 was kind of a slutty time, it was the era of the glittery backless diamond shaped halter top. Which, while time has tried to forget, I will never forget the 20 minutes I spent in a dressing room trying to figure out how to put on a backless diamond shaped halter top only to realize that I was putting it on sideways.

Now, stepping away from confusing 00′s fashion and back to the show. Mai losing these pile of kids might mean more to me if Mai had been hanging out with them this whole time, but it really does feel like they’re closer to Duke Devlin than they are to Mai Valentine, because Duke at least shared a school with them so I can assume that in the past they’ve passed each other in the hallway or talked on occasion. But, Mai is an adult who never comes in contact outside of cards, and when she does, she only ever pushes them away.

It’s especially that-Yugioh-brand-of-tragic because in the mind of all of the characters on this show, we’ve just kind of assumed Mai has had a life and friendships outside of these couple of kids. But this episode we realize there’s just...no one else but the people she sees at these rare tourneys. As we see here in this flashback to her childhood, in the most anime PJ’s ever drawn.

Why does every flashback look like everyone's straight out the American Girl Doll collection? Like Pegasus and Cecilia were in turn of the century clothes. the Kaibas were dressed like little newsies when they were orphans, little Mai looks like she owns a horse in matching ribbons.

And as it turns out, do you know the reason why Mai hates friendship? You’ll never guess--her Parents. Ah, Neglectful Parents, strikes again, that old Yugioh chestnut. It’s like I’m watching Once Upon a Time again. At least these neglectful parents didn’t lock her up underground and tattoo her eyes. Instead, these ones just worked a lot and she got kinda lonely.

Are there any good parents on this show? I assume if anyone’s parents are good we just never see them, right? Is that why we never see Mr Muto?

Anyway, Mai moved around a lot, her parents were always busy, and it rained like constantly--so Mai decided to get a job on a cruise line, where she became a card shark. And also where she randomly got engaged and then forgot.

I don't remember her tent looking like that but I’ll allow it.

You could have chosen any friends out there Mai, traveling the world on a cruise line, doing cards all over the planet, and you chose these guys? The ones with multiple curses? Like you nabbed both Yugi and Bakura in one go? Congrats!

Anyway she very quickly forgets Joey so Rip MaixJoey that was a good one and half episodes, surely the longest relationship on Yugioh!

So, Yugi decides to activate the millennium item chatroom, where apparently he could just butt into whoever is getting cursed at the moment. And mind you, he could just solve the duel but like, there is a card game going on, and although it’s super duper cursed, we gotta make it fair. Yugi’s just here to give some good advice and then bounce.

No laser fights today. He still isn’t aware he can do that.

freakin love this blue yellow color combo PS.

So something that I do like about this, is that the real threat here in these Shadow Duels is not the duel really--it’s to Mai’s relationships more than injury Mai herself. Yes, she does die if she loses, but the more she loses, the more she loses people in her life, even if she wins. The loss of the people is more scary to her more than the fear of dying.

And this hearkens back to the first time we dealt with the Shadow Realm with Yugi and his Grandfather. Yugi was over that duel in about 15 minutes or whatever the time limit was, and after the initial shock he brushed himself off and may have appeared fully recovered, but it took him almost an entire season to get his Grandpa back in his life.

So if you look at these curses as akin to getting an illness, when you lose a relationship because of illness, that can be a pretty terrible symptom that you don’t really see coming. Happens a whole lot though. In Mai’s case, if she does lose, she also loses the opportunity to repair what she’s lost, which is probably the greatest fear of someone who may be going through A Time.

Like honestly, the Mai duel is *kind of a downer* and I was just talking to my Bro about how of all the shadow duels so far, this is the one that is most clearly “I’m just going to fight you with straight up depression” and how apparently Marik is just so far into his own downward spiral that he no longer cares about who he drags down with him. He’s just given up trying to be better at this point. Like his only ‘friend’ left is BDSM Mime clown. That’s a pretty intense rock bottom, honestly.

But on a positive note, what Yugi points out to Mai is “You’re in this now, but we will get you out of it, no matter what he curses you to believe.” and of anyone here, Yugi’s the only one that can actually reach out and speak to her because he’s the only one who has been through it before and thus knows how it works.

Being cursed with heavy handed illness imagery AKA Shadow Magic does have that perk. You can help out the similarly cursed. Even though he could have probably launched at least a couple fireballs at the problem to help her out also.

Holy hell they actually edited out all the little details on this duel disk here. Good on you, animators. Good on you. I’m glad someone did it. Hope that saved at least one of you from carpal tunnel, you poor overworked animators that had to draw every line on these crazy complicated character designs.

So Mai, spurned onward by the ghostly voices of her forgotten friends figures out how to steal Marik’s God Card.

Again, everyone on this show is obsessed with these awful cards and they feel like they must play them to win when honestly--look how much this card sucks.

If this God Card ends up killing her it’ll only prove my point that all these cards are just fundamentally hella bad.

Same with Odion, he could’ve won just fine without playing a God Card but leave it to these dummies to just go crazy with the one of three cards that has been prophecies to kill them. Like, when Odysseus gives you a bag of wind, just don’t open the bag. That easy.

Anyway, tune in next week to see if Mai ends up blown overboard like the servants of Odysseus, or if she ends up devoured by a giant creature also like the servants of Odysseus. Or if she ends up dating Joey Wheeler. That part didn’t happen in the Odyssey, but I’ve read enough people comparing fanfic to Homer that I guess you could make it happen if you really wanted to.

Link to read these recaps from S1 Ep1

[bluezey]

After watching all the new SpongeBob episodes that I could find, I randomly decided to watch an old one.  I decided upon Dying For Pie.  Dunno why, just one of my favorite episodes I guess.

First off, people for years have talked about how random this episode was.  And yeah, the episode involves a character who’ll die from eating an explosive pie.  That is a very WTF premise!  But when I rewatched the episode and saw the credits, a big puzzle piece fell into place, and that’s the name C.H. Greenblatt.  He may sound familiar to you because he created Chowder.  Yeah, he created one of the best mind f***s of a series on Cartoon Network!  Starting to make a little sense isn’t it!

Speaking of Cartoon Network, I remember in the Gumball episode The Bus, they couldn’t call the bomb, well, a bomb.  So, they made a gag out of it by having every mention of the word cut off in a funny way.  Compare it to Dying For Pie, where the word “bomb” was said over a dozen times!  Hell, if you count how many times “explosive” “explosion” or “explode” was mentioned, it’s double that!  I don’t know if this was a difference between the network censorship, or the difference between censorship over the years, or maybe it was the fact that SpongeBob was humorous as it was a pie bomb while in Gumball it was more serious as it was a briefcase bomb.  But in general, this is both interesting and hilarious.

Now to the cartoon, and see how hard it would be to make the classic Dying For Pie adaptable to the stage.  Because, yeah, that’s the game I play now when I watch these SpongeBob episodes, thank you Broadway!

First of all, I forgot this episode opened with this shot and I flipped my s**t.

Squidward wearing nothing but a grass skirt, blissfully playing the piano on a deserted island.  I don’t care that this is a fantasy, I’m canoning Squidward can play the piano.  And I hope Fear doesn’t mind if this image becomes my background on my Echo.  (Don’t worry Fear, you’re still on my desktop.)

And here we are, the eyelashes sweater and the tears sweater.  I know costume and props can pull them off, I just want to see them in their live glory.

Also, that face Squidward makes reminds me, when I saw this episode years ago I just thought it was funny.  Years later it’s still funny, but I’m surprised how much emotion it gets out of me.  There’s some faces Squidward makes when he realizes the situation that really made me pause the video so I could cry.  I’m not kidding, SpongeBob made me cry!  And not just the Broadway one!

Okay, the montage.  I’m skipping over to two moments in particular because the rest are pretty easy to pull off onstage.  This one in particular looks tricky, but I’m sure they’ll think of something.  And the other one-

Ah, yeah, for the sake of Gavin Lee’s life, let’s not reenact this one.

(Fun fact:  an octopus has three hearts!  Well, Squidward has two, now.)

Ah, this sweet moment.  I know Gavin can’t sit with those prop legs, but can he at least lay down?

So, yeah, I think Dying For Pie is an episode they can pull off onstage.  As for the episode holding up over the years, it’s better than I remember it!  “I guess we started too early!” still makes me bust out laughing, I think it’s the delivery so kudos to Tom Kenny.

[bones-jeffersonian]

💀💀  Thank You Bones  💀💀

Day 2 - 11 Temperance Brennan’s character growth moments

The second day of the Thank You Bones challenge focus on Temperance Brennan's character growth moments and I have to say this is a very good topic and there are numerous scenes/moments where we witnessed Brennan's growth. I’ve learn a million things and even after 9 years of seeing this show, Brennan continues to be my daily inspiration (and will continue forever). Brennan’s character helped me when I needed most and I cannot imagine where I would be right now if I didn’t find Bones. Choosing 11 moments was difficult but these are the ones that had the biggest impact in me, and decided to leave here a piece of my mind for each one.

Episode 1x08 - Court scene

This was not the first episode I ever saw of Bones, but it was one that made fall in love with this show, especially this scene. Brennan after solving a crime have the role of being an expert witness when the case goes to court, and as in all her work she is meticulous and straightforward delivering the evidence, as the way she ought to be in my opinion. Nevertheless, the jury never fully understand her and consider her cold (as most people think) and quickly sympathise with the defendant expert witness, which in this particular episode was Brennan's old teacher. And since he knows her and her methods and how she delivers the evidence, he uses it in his favour, trying to discredit Brennan's work. Of course Brennan get frustrated because she is showing all the necessary prove to condemn the murder suspects and everyone seems to discard her evidence. And then she reaches a breaking point and have that emotional and truthful testimony, which until now has shown to me the true nature of Temperance Brennan. Yes she testify without leaving behind every scientific detail of the case, pronouncing all the scientific jargon but in no way or moment she is being less truthful to the victim, she understands more than anyone what she reads from the bones, what the victim suffered, where the victim lived, which fractures the victim may have suffered. Quoting Brennan from another episode : "People lie. But bones always tell the truth". She never understood why people didn’t like her and knew people didn’t follow her thought but she showed them how much she care, how she sees the truth in the bones, and doesn’t matter if she is nicer or even likeable when standing in court. The only important thing is to make justice and show the truth.

Episode 3x12 - Last scene between Brennan and Booth

First I love this episode in so many ways, that I will comment on two issues related to today's subject. By this time, everyone already knew that Brennan was a foster kid for some years and it was an experience which profoundly left marks. And, despite how in the beginning she was reluctant to temporarily taking care of baby Andy, she was so incredibly adorable, and took care of him and give him so much love when the poor baby had lost his mother (I could never believe there are people saying that Brennan has no emotions). My point here is that even if Brennan had always thought about not having children, because in her perspective and experience the world is a cruel place to bring a child, I noted a small change of opinion or at least a consideration in the future in terms of having children (which thankfully we all witnessed). She has some bad memories from her childhood, and in that way she did everything to find a good family for Andy, to prevent him to go through the same experiences as she did in foster care. The second point is when Brennan decides to give some of her money to the town which was facing with serious financial problems. At the beginning Brennan seems unmoved related to this matter and even comments that on a financial perspective this happens a lot of times. Although I never believed she was indifferent to the problem, and I had my prove at the end when she decides to help them build the town again, and consequently help the new Andy's family survive and get him the chance to grow up in his and his mother birth town.

Episode 3x13 - Living room scene between Brennan and Booth

I added this episode in the first day tribute and I chose again for the second day because Brennan learned so much in this episode. She is divided between what is rational and what her heart wants. Though the heart is just a muscle and can't obviously think. She reunited with her father after so long and now he is facing murder charges. She wants her father not to be condemned but she also see by all evidences that he might be guilty. The scene with Booth in Brennan's house is amazing, "You're not Dr. Brennan today. You're Temperance. [...] The scientist part of you got sidelined, temporarily". I believe she understood both parts but she was nervous of choosing what her heart wanted. And then, for my delight and inspiration, she chose both. She wants her father not be convicted and she found a logic way to prove his innocence. Though in the end those proofs were not physical, but indeed a theory that she might have committed the murder herself, she used logic and reasonable data to induce that theory. And she had her most wanted result, her father was declared not guilty and he could finally share a life with his daughter. So many things Brennan has taught me, but one that remains transversal to all the others, is that no matter how cold it may seems to choose the rational option, we can always use both heart and brain for any decision in life. There is no prejudice in throwing a rational variable in the overall equation, and make it work with the heart component.

Episode 5x10 - Car scene between Brennan and Booth

This episode is set on Christmas time, and despite this is my favourite holiday, it is not the entire reason why this episode is one of my favourite. When in the beginning sounded like Santa Claus ruined Christmas by robbing a bank, soon the truth was revealed, bringing sadness with it. A simple yet honest man was chosen randomly and forced to rob a bank and ended up dying, whom funeral was schedule to Christmas morning. I cannot imagine the pain that mother endured. And thus, Brennan's reaction was my one and once more we saw that she has indeed a bigger heart than most give her credit for. She tries not to attach to the victims she investigates because it can be painful like this one, but sometimes the emotion is too big to overcome. And Brennan ultimately decides to go to the funeral of the victim, giving support to his mother, something that probably Brennan never imagined doing it. Sometimes is the little things that counts.

Episode 6x09 - Whole episode honestly but specially the car scene

There is so much to say about this episode that I am afraid on rambling indefinitely. This episode means a lot to me in so many ways, not only because I saw a beloved character going through a critic emotional state but also because I relate to the story in a way. Brennan in this episode “sees” so many similarities between the victim and herself. An important job, a big career, very focused on work, very little personal life. And she comes to the realization that maybe she will have the same fate as the victim, that no one will notice her absence. She realizes then that she may have lost the opportunity to be happy, she could've lived differently and that scene in the car shock me to death. I am not saying that Booth should've run to her and leave Hannah. This is life and sometimes the timing can ruin everything (and we all knew they are meant for each other so eventually they would get together). It was heart crushing seeing Brennan crying in the car but in my opinion this was a turning point in her life. She understood that are somethings in life she can't put on hold or even ignore. She didn't had her outcome (yet) but in the end she is in peace with herself, she is sad, but it is so much better than dead. And most important, she is not alone.

Episode 6x22 - Room scene

Despite so much happened in this episode and scene, I will be focusing on Brennan's reaction to the death of Vincent Nigel Murray. The sudden death in the platform was incredible emotional and Brennan couldn't contain the tears right there when Vincent just died right in front of her. And then she quickly focus on giving support to the people around her. She quickly tries to explain to Booth that it wasn't his fault and tries at all cost proceed with the investigation and find Broadsky. Just after the reality settles down she truly feels everything that happened that day. And what really breaks my heart was that she thought Vincent's last words were related to her work with him, that she wanted him to leave. She was so devastated by his departure and even question how can there be a god if he lets good people go away. I ask the same question multiple times honestly. My point is, that no matter how people see she is hard with her interns it's only to help them improve to be better and efficient scientists. As in episode 11x18, as Arastoo pointed out, Brennan cares so deeply for her interns and most people don't see it just because she is direct and very professional on the lab. After Vincent's death I don't think she started to love more her interns (she always did), but rather show them more her affection in the little things, because she wants them to know that she is grateful for having them.

Episode 7x07 - All episode, but specially the birth scene

Well this episode is just amazing and again there is so much to discuss. But I want to particularly focus on the birth scene, because I do believe much changed in Brennan's character. We could see during this season that Brennan feels a little afraid of having a family (and all that entailed), which is already such a difference compared to when she rationally decided to have a child on 4x25. The circumstances changed and most important Brennan grew. I often remember about the scene where Angela said to Brennan when she was pregnant, that she shouldn't just hold on the bad moments of her childhood, but to find those happy moments with her family before her parents went away. And I think when Brennan first held Christine she truly understood the concept of family and what happiness can be. Family is such an important matter in Brennan's life (and all the other characters really) and, as I already referred, she has a perspective which didn't allowed her to be excited and happy when thinking about a family. And despite her bad memories and experiences, I am really glad she had the chance to write her own history and have a family she deserves. This is in my perspective a turning point, where we have episodes like 3x12 or the interview in 1x11 when she said she would never have children, to I am pregnant again and I can continue eating cookies! This is for me one of the biggest growth of Brennan's character (and of course we were very lucky to see it).

Episode 10x02 - Sweets' funeral

This episode is full of emotions for every character. Once again, Brennan had to face the loss of a friend in such a sudden way. Despite all the differences between Brennan and Sweets they were truly friends and even lived together for a while. I chose this moment, not only because of the pain Brennan endured of the loss of a friend, but also because of the support Brennan gave Daisy. Daisy lost her love and the father of her child. And even though Daisy still was Brennan's intern, she put it on the side those titles and help her in this time of need. Brennan could see how much someone can lose, and how some things matter more than others "Loving each other, that’s what makes life worthwhile". And it wasn't only the support she gave Daisy on this time, we could see on the following episodes Brennan was always there when Daisy needed, in her personal and work life. As I said before, I never doubted Brennan cared about people, I just think she had trouble in show it, in part maybe because no one ever cared for in the same way. And we see she is much more open to it, she has no doubt in showing her care and love to her family and friends.

Episode 11x18 - Last scene focused on Brennan’s perspective

With Christine growing up, Brennan expects nothing than brilliance from her daughter. And on those terms, Brennan believes Christine will follow her mother's footsteps and become an extraordinary forensic anthropologist. She just doesn’t believe that Christine’s brilliant mind should be used for something with less purpose. I understand Brennan's point of view but seeing her adapt her ideals were so rewarding. This whole episode is perfect because it dignifies what a person want to be when grows up, and despite this is a common question for children I truly loved that they applied on adults. Isn't never too late to have new dreams and expectations for the future. And in this case, seeing Brennan changing her expectations related to Christine were simple the purest. Christine can be whatever she choses, Brennan will be there to support and love her. Hence, she wants to be the mother of the world’s greatest car sales person.

Episode 11x20 - Last scene between Clark and Brennan

Maybe I have already stated this a million times before but honestly is never enough. In this episode we could see that Brennan doesn't only care for Clark but have a high respect for his work. During this episode she was always truthful  to the evidence presented to her and never consider Clark to be the murdered. Not only she remained objective throughout the investigation as she cleared Clark’s name and prove his innocence. And after that Brennan even helped restore his accuracy in the scientific community, and explain to Clark that a true scientist confronts his mistakes and move forward. Besides this, Brennan even agreed on staying at a first name basis with Clark! This moment/episode once again showed the true friend and brilliant teacher Brennan is. She saw this man grew into an excellent forensic anthropologist and I believe she couldn’t be prouder.

Episode 12x02 - Brennan's birthday party

In this episode we see again the results of the long path of Brennan's character growth. First her own birthday party: I don't think in the past Brennan would care about throwing herself a birthday party. I loved how she wants it to make the party for her family and friends and not particularly for her. Again this woman is amazing. Second Brennan’s recommends Angela for the MacArthur grant: Angela and Brennan's friendship is such an important relationship in this show, it helped Brennan find someone who truly cared about her and helped her sometimes see the world in different ways. And even though in the past Brennan may seemed careless and uninterested on Angela's work, I never doubt Brennan respected and admired Angela's work. I think that is what Brennan saw in Angela when they first met (though is not in screen). She recognised an immense talent and she knew Angela could be so much more. This award is just the perfect recognition of the amazing Angela's work and how much Brennan care and admire. Third Brennan's recommendation of Daisy to NFL: again as I commented before, Brennan grew and shows more her respect and friendship to her interns, and Daisy was an example of it. No matter if in the past they had their divergences, Brennan sees Daisy as a respectful and brilliant scientist and colleague and thus recommended her for the job for the NFL, which Daisy got it. These ladies have gone through some rough paths but they respect each other work and have a beautiful friendship.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Armed Girls Machiavellism 1 | Love Tyrant 1 | Warau Salesman New 1 | Alice to Zouroku 1 | Twin Angel Break 1 | Tsukigakirei 1 | Boku no Hero Academia 15 | Tsugumomo 1

(Armed Girls Machiavellism 1)

I was doubtful about this one because I could never get what was so offputting about it. Maybe I’ll figure it out while I watch.

…bear?

I bet he’s just a hand to hand brawler, that Nomura.

I appreciate the correct English, but “WARNING! Knock out 40+” sounds like a bunch of dot points…or a really bad brand of sunscreen, LOL.

Okay, I know anime has weird names, but “Kirukiru Amo” is a whole ‘nother level of weird. Then again, there’s weirder names out there (like Zolbe from Saiki Kusuo, but he seems to be a bit of a stereotype).

Hey wait, I thought I’d heard of Tenkai Goken (Great Five Swords) before, and it turns out I have! Touken Ranbu’s Juzumaru is one, so is Mikazuki and so is Oodenta (TR’s Oodenta is drawn by the same guy who did character designs for Kiznaiver, to boot)!

You gotta admit the colours in this really pop in a modern sort of way, unlike the somewhat plain Sagrada Reset.

See? Fudo really is a hand to hand brawler! (Then again, I knew that from the ANN stuff, LOL. Sorry I didn’t warn you about that.)

I half expect the pink stuff to be either transformation goo or makeup applying goo.

When I scoped out the show, the first impression shot that put me off was this one (the one just after the OP). Then again, I was intrigued by how empowering it was for the girls the first time I saw it, and I was put off by it the second time (because I scoped it out twice by looking at the manga website). I think it was Fudo’s face that did it for me, which is a bad sign going forward.

Isn’t it “co-educational”, rather than “co-existence”? Or is that just a very bad pun on the show’s part? Update: It is a bad pun, one on the word kyousei (correct/coexist, different kanji for each).

This is what definitely makes it offputting – the ecchi part. I really shouldn’t have wanted to watch this show, eh?

Nipple wrestling is a thing?! (wut.)

Take out the leg she’s standing on. Then again, if you went for that leg, she’d kick you with her other one…eh, I’m not good at strategy, y’know?

I know this is a battle anime, but since it’s a school anime too, shouldn’t Fudo get that thing disinfected?

Seriously, this show can never decide if it’s one or two parts of Rin’s mask they need on her face at one given time. On that note, I don’t think I’m coming back to this show. While it’s middle-of-the-road in some ways, it’s downright disturbing in others, including the bear.

(Love Tyrant 1)

I can’t remember why I picked some of these up…I was wandering around ANN a lot since I had a bunch of things due before the spring season started…

Well, that’s new. A show that made me cringe before anything really happened. 

Wow. Blatant parody much.

I’m with Seiji re: Guri. The “wait a minute” though? Do they have that on all TV stations in Japan? Plus, ANN says Guri’s a fujoshi…which is vaguely disturbing when she randomly picks the PM and House Speaker…at least pick someone who’ll cause less impact on the world at large and not play that for comedy!!!

Okay…ooooooookkkkkkkkkkayyyyyyyyyyyyyy…not only Gainaxing, but fanservice galore…I think I learnt my lesson from Armed Girls. I’m getting out of here.

(Warau Salesman New 1)

Why do I have this on my list? ANN says it does its job competently, and while I’m not completely a sucker for monkey’s paw stories, seeing another 60s manga revived as an anime…is one odd choice after another for the industry, so hey, why not. Plus it was made by one of the Fujios, which makes it somewhat culturally relevant.

The artstyle might seem outdated, but it’s living up to its premise – there seems to be an uneasy feeling laced throughout the show.

Comic Sans, get out.

Hyper realistic artwork in an anime like this is always a “should that even be there????” factor. It works in the show’s favour though.

I think the intro is fine once per episode or at the start of each episode if the episode is about 5 – 10 minutes long. For a full length, you want to go ???? (in a bad way) at it. It’s different animation, sure, but it’s the same intro text, and that’s bad.

LOL, she looks like Fujiko Mine now. It must be no coinicidence, since it comes from the Lupin III era.

This is strangely well produced for an anime of a time gone by, but it reminds me of a show that creeped me out, updated, mature and Japan-ified. (For reference, this is the show I got creeped out by – Death By Chocolate, which is the one where a girl eats chocolate with a bug egg in it and turns into a bug herself …ugh.) So I’m gonna drop it. (As another reference, I wrote a transformation story – do you remember Melting Chocolate, back in the day? – that may have taken its inspiration from Death by Chocolate.)

(Alice to Zouroku 1)

Apparently the sci-fi part of this is good, so I hope it can live up to expectations.

Alright, I admit I completely forgot this was a double-length first ep. SGRS managed to pull it off (and in a sense, so did Kado), but anything that squanders its chances with such an opportunity is a waste in most senses of the word.

Oh great, this looks like Denpa Kyoushi. Not a good sign.

…giant arms?

Okay, whose idea was it to turn all the cars into CG blocks? It works on just one car or a bunch of cars, but if you do it on the waffle thing (that’s on the side of the road) too, it starts to look clunky.

Faim Mart (sic), LOL. Obviously Family Mart.

Does this count as breaking and entering…?

The more I look at these CGI cars, the more I’m led to believe this is some Very Bad Anime, but the chase scene is actually thrilling to a small degree, so it’s obviously not.

I like this old man already. Meanwhile, I still don’t like Very Bad CGI.

Asahi and Yonaga (yo can mean “night” while asa can mean “day”), LOL.

Kensaku means “search” (as in, kensaku no engin is “search engine”).

Zoroku is the one element that makes this stand out. I mean, I laughed way too hard at him pushing the girl (Sana, right?) down.

It’s this season’s ACCA, LOL.

Okay, that’s a breach of privacy I don’t like. However, unless you’re a psychic, you can’t follow that example…

Xiaochi means “snack” in Chinese.

“I hate crooked stuff.” - So then why’d you work with the yakuza, Zoroku?

The flowers look real! Is that the true power of CG? (Actually, I take that back. Kado’s cube is better than that.)

Phlox. Doesn’t quite look like what its animated version looks like.

Alice to Zoroku has potential, but almost non-existent themes, no real sense of suspense in its action scene and horridly bad CGI. The only real good point is Zoroku, so I’m going to drop it.

Update: I watched this in bits and pieces because I had my mind on other things, but apparently there’s dust on Sanae’s stuff and Zoroku said Sanae was on a school trip? This is one of the times I’ll have to disagree with whoever said that, because I do not recall that one speck.

(Twin Angel Break 1)

I apologise in advance for if I call this Twin Angels Break instead of Twin Angel Break, because there seems to be no particular set name this show is called in that regard. Plus, you already know I’m a fan of magical girls – last time there was a show that could have gone into circulation (Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R), it didn’t make it but considering how brutal I am with my decisions for simulcast commentary these days, this one might just make it! Update: There were actually a few shows after Komugi that could’ve made it, with Flip Flappers notably making it but Magical Girl Raising Project not making it. It’s just that I consider Flip Flappers an Alice in Wonderland show more than a magical girl one.

This is…pretty obviously a commercial…maybe I should take my excitement back…

The only sister school scheme I know that requires grades requires average grades, so I guess I can’t really talk (since I’ve never been on exchange anyway…?).

LOL, selfies. Thought they’d gone out of style at least a half year ago. Even dabbing’s more recent than selfies…

I can feel the yuri…

I feel Yuki’s reveal as a crossdresser was unnecessary.

Those “women” are from a series I was going to watch (Twin Angel Twinkle Paradise). Dangit spoilers – stealth sequels hurt the self-esteem if you don’t remember they’re coming. (I was aware this was a stealth sequel from ANN, but then I forgot about it because I’ve been churning out about 4 premiere entries a day…)

4 cups?! I couldn’t eat that much if I tried! I can almost finish a whole bag of chips on my own though (not the oven-baked, potato-mush-in-middle sort, the other sort).

Shamisenist? Is that a thing? However, this guy’s so camp, it’s hilarious.

Zundar, is that you? LOL, jks.

Why does this hedgehog have non-kawaii eyes? (LOL.)

Gratuitous shaking of the butt means it’s one for the yuri crowd…no wonder it’s a pachinko ad…

Wait, so Miruku is a girl?!

“What is the Tamagawa River?” - I ask the same question Meguru did, John.

How could you not tell, Meguru?! It’s kinda obvious, right? I love magical girls, but this is the sin of all magical girl shows, built into the format.

Welp, it seems like this one gets an OK from me. It’s not particularly groundbreaking, but the flail and naginata bit seems promising. However, the thing about magical girl shows is that they often don’t fare well under the simulcast commentary format so it may not stay on forever.

(Tsukigakirei 1)

Apparently this is decent…but if it’s only decent, I may just shove it aside…Update: Promo material says male protag likes Osamu Dazai, and after Bungou, danggggggg I’m thirsty for more Dazai, LOL.

Already I cringe at the bad CGI…

There was live action in the OP of Kado but this one seems even more out of place with it.

There’s that one guy with pink hair who wouldn’t look out of place in a different anime, but here he stands out since I already know how uptight Japanese schools can be with their rules (it’s a common topic during Japanese study, y’know?).

It says dai dai dai boshuu (basically, they’re trying reallllllll hard to get people to join through words alone) but the bottom line on the bo seems to be a little too long. There’s also the fact someone accidentally wrote “dog” instead of one of the dais, since “dog” and “big” (in this case big = dai) are only one stroke’s difference, but that extra stroke was rubbed out. Either way, there is an error in the recruitment statement, so the typo reflects that…I listened to it again, and the “dog” thing was indeed the case.

Thank you Dazai for such sage advice in describing teenage romance. (semi-sarcastic)

Okay, who describes water as tasty? Unless you’ve flavoured your water, I just don’t see why. Water is flavourless, y’know?

I live close to a shopping centre, so I see people I know working there sometimes and it’s awkward in that sort of way - Tsukigakirei just captured that feeling perfectly.

I left the volume on after checking the dog joke and gosh, that piano music is gorgeous. I’d love to hear this show’s OST when I can.

People in Western countries use Facebook these days, but it’s the same gig, right?

Watching that hand in the corner working that phone…it’s an odd angle.

Taiko no Tetsujin is a play on Taiko no Tatsujin. That’s where the lil’ drum in Osu comes from, and heck, it’s real similar to Osu.

I never quite understood that thing where girls have to go to the bathroom together…maybe it’s because I was raised to be independent? Or because I’m antisocial? Or even both? I get it if they want to chat, but otherwise nope.

I consulted Aozora Bunko, and apparently that line exists in that story.

Yudemen.

The only real supergroups I know are Swedish House Mafia (kinda sorta, they were only real big stars after SHM took off) and Apparatjik (because Coldplay).

“You should read all kinds of books,” LOL.

There was one background with one door and light streaming in that was so lifelike…that took my breath away…

So, despite its awkwardness, this one seems intent on being brutally honest and that’s admirable. It’s a keeper.

(Boku no Hero Academia 15)

It’s interesting to note in the final shot of the OP, Shouto wears a navy suit that looks a lot like his sport uniform. However, Bakugou is clearly wearing his hero outfit and so is everyone else.

Interesting to note All Might’s blood stain stays on the side of his face when he speaks after it spurts out of his mouth. However, that attempt at humour didn’t quite work for me.

“…until the day of.” – The day of…what? The subs didn’t finish the sentence, even though it’s obvious from the context what it’s referring to.

Mineta’s “person” thing is something used to relieve stress – you write the kanji for “person” on your hand (which only needs two strokes) and then you eat it (figuratively speaking).

Ooh. Shouto’s made a real pretty ice sculpture.

Oh. Koseiteki literally, but “Quirky” in English translation. Nice one, subbers. (The title for the next ep is affected by this particular grammar snarl – which I don’t really know how to explain myself – affecting the word for Quirk (kosei). Literally speaking, the title for the next ep is something along the lines of “Everyone’s Good With [Their Own] Quirks, Aren’t They?”)

(Tsugumomo 1)

I wasn’t part of the anime scene in 2007, so I wonder how that’ll impact my view on the show.

Oh man, OP debut queue. It’s kinda hard to keep up with…

I get why people make that eye-shaped window thing, but I’m not a fan of it visuals-wise.

Oh gosh. Why can’t harem protags keep their hands to themselves? Plus, that hand movement Kazuya makes doesn’t make sense if you’re reaching out for the girl (Kiriha, that was her name, right?).

The more I sigh, the more I want to get out of here. I can’t handle 1) jokes about…a man’s area, 2) jokes about peeking at panties and 3) jokes about groping girls, among other things (which have all been ticked off!), so this show has one last chance to prove itself before it gets a bad score and a kick out.

Yeahhhhhhhh. I get why you’re doing that, but...out in the open, you look like a perv, Kazuya.

Don’t say you’re dead when you’re falling…*sigh*

Dang that battle made me change my opinion fast. Good fight scene. Now tone down the harem parts and we have ourselves a deal.

Dang that “Ya-kun, I’ve drawn a bath!” thing reminds me exactly of Masamune-kun’s Revenge. Or Fuuka. Whichever one it was last season with the dude with the multiple sisters who lounge around in their underwear…*rolls eyes*

When Kiriha showed up in bed I half expected either 1) “PERVERT!” *shaking screen* or 2) “YIKES! Why is she in my bed?!” *shaking screen*. If either of those happened, I never registered it (mercifully) because I had the volume off, but luckily the screen didn’t shake...Okay, he screamed. I’m getting outta this cliché fest, see ya.

[funkaliciousfrog]

I’m bored, so I’m temporarily turning into a seasonal anime blog for a single extremely long post. 

I’m checking out more new anime than usual this season, and I’ve been in the mood to write lately. So, I thought it’d be fun to record my expectations for each show and my impressions of their first episodes. Even if no one but me ever reads it. 

Joran the Princess of Snow and Blood

That one show I’m watching partially just cause Aoi Shouta is there. I’m interested to see if he can pull off a female character who dresses as a man, which as he put it himself is the “gyakku-pattern” compared to his usual roles. Tbh watching shows just cause Shouta is in them hasn’t worked out super great for me in the past (I didn’t really like 2.43 or Kimi to Boku, and Hamefura was just alright), so we’ll see what happens here. It’s an anime original so who knows how the story will end up. But going off the trailer, at the very least we’ll get some cool aesthetics and sick fight animation.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the plot of this show is gonna involve some politics, since it takes place in an alternate 1930s where the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate hasn’t ended yet. Yeah, you might need to skim a Wikipedia article or two on Japanese history for this one. The main characters are assassins, working undercover for the shogunate and fighting some group of superpowered shapeshifting animal people. The protagonist works in a bookshop by day and lives with her very young sister who does all the housework. She also has some kind of crow-related powers that haven’t been explained yet. In fact, there’s a lot of things about the setting that were only touched upon and I guess will be elaborated on later. 

The character designs and background art are very nice, but something feels off with the actual animation. Things move in weird stiff ways, some of the special effects are kinda ugly, and the fight scenes in particular are disjointed at points. Although I think that disjointedness came more from the storyboarding than the animation itself? I can’t say for sure since I’m not one of those sakuga expert people. But, I can still tell the production value here isn’t quite as high as it appeared from the PV. The premise has potential, but as the story unfolds we’ll see if it’s good enough to carry the less than stellar animation. 

And as for Shouta, all he really got to do this episode was be dapper and talk in cryptic insect-themed metaphors. Oh, and randomly pull out a lightsaber, since I guess they have those in this show? I’m mostly curious to see how the people who don’t pay any attention to voice actors will react when his character’s actual gender is revealed. 

Mashiro no Oto

Hibike Euphonium was one of my first anime and remains one of my faves. So,  I’m always interested in shows about classical music and/or playing instruments. The manga has won multiple awards so it should be a good story, and hopefully this adaptation is just as good. As another show about a traditional Japanese instrument, the Kono Oto Tomare comparisons will be inevitable. But honestly, I’d be happy just learn some stuff about the shamisen cause I think it's cool. 

This was quite the whirlwind first episode. Our main character Setsu has been playing shamisen with his grandpa since he was a little kid. But, turns out his grandpa is displeased with his grandson’s sound, so he makes it his dying wish that Setsu stop playing shamisen. Once his grandpa does die, Setsu feels distraught, impulsively gets on a bus to Tokyo, ends up living with a random gravure idol for a week, picks fights with her no-good wanna-be rockstar boyfriend, at the very end a SWAT team shows up... it’s a lot. 

And I don’t really know how it will proceed from here either. After speeding through this escapade in Tokyo, I think (or hope) that the pace will settle down starting next week. And going off the poster we’ll eventually end up in a high school shamisen club, somehow.

I really enjoyed the bits and pieces of shamisen music in this episode, it just sounds so cool! I hope to eventually get more specific information about the instrument and its repertoire. All I really want from these shows about extremely specific topics is to be educated! They also played either the OP or ED at the end, and it sounded pretty neat. Unlike Kono Oto Tomare they actually put the instrument of question into the song, which I appreciate (though I still like all the Kono Oto OPs and EDs). 

The art in the PV didn’t seem like anything that special, but the episode itself actually looked very nice in the important moments. I especially liked the snowy background art from the beginning. They also took an interesting direction with the character designs: everyone is drawn with very thin lines and most of the time without cel shading. Sometimes it looks like an aesthetic choice, and other times it just looks kinda cheap. The animation itself is nothing crazy, but at least from my uneducated perspective the shamisen playing looks pretty believable. 

After 2.43's Fukui-ben from last season, I guess this show will be my new source of Japanese regional dialects. Apparently Setsu’s accent is so strong that the girl he’s staying with asks him if he’s a foreigner, which I thought was funny. They don’t mention where he’s from, but he and his family use the same “-be” ending as the main character from the Great Pretender. Which isn’t helpful cause I can’t remember where he was from either. But anyway, for some reason it just amuses me every time someone says “dabe”. 

(A footnote about Setsu’s accent: I’ve done a bit of research, or rather literally just typed “be” into jisho.com, which I can’t believe actually worked, and it seems to be some type of Touhoku dialect. His voice actor, Nobunaga Shimazaki, is from that area so I guess that checks out? Although according to the Wikipedia page it’s used as a generic rural accent in media, so maybe they don’t care about the specific region as long as he sounds like a country boy.)

Farewell, My Dear Cramer

Finally, an all-girls sports anime! There are a few out there already, but I haven’t seen any of them yet (except maybe Chihayafuru, which has a mixed gender cast but an awesome female lead). As far as I’ve read, most have mixed reviews and tend to lean into other genres and/or have a lot of fanservice. So, I’d really like this show to be the female version of a straightforward realistic sports show like Haikyuu that is missing from all our lives. But it looks like it might be a drama about sports instead, which potentially could be just as good. It did come from the Your Lie in April mangaka after all, if you couldn’t tell from the weird lips. Besides that, the art in the trailer looks really nice. 

So apparently soccer, especially women’s soccer, is an unpopular sport in Japan? The protagonist Nozomi thinks she’s too good for girl’s soccer after playing with the boys for all of middle school, but is convinced to join the girl’s team in high school anyway. Then we meet a couple of her new teammates who were similar prodigies in middle school, and jump right into a scrimmage between the first and second years? 

It’s kind of a weird first episode. While it does technically establish the setting and characters, after the first few minutes it kind of feels like we’ve just been thrown into the mix of things. There’s also a noticeable lack of music in a lot of scenes which makes it feel even weirder.

The character designs are less of a problem than I thought they’d be, although the lips and sometimes the eyes still do look a bit strange. The simple, almost graphic quality is actually kind of interesting. It’s also very refreshing to see a variety of female characters that just look and act like normal high schoolers. They’re really just here to play soccer, not to be sexy or cute or really attractive to the viewer in any way. 

Although we do get some nice soccer playing in the ED, the animation in the episode itself definitely isn’t at Haikyuu levels or anything. They avoid actually animating a lot of the action with speed-line backgrounds and barely-moving shots where only the hair and clothes flap in the wind. 

Nozomi has the same voice actress as Kaede from Gal and Dino, and her performance there was one of my favorite parts of that show so I’m looking forward to more from her. Aoi Yuki and Tomoyo Kurosawa, definitely a couple of notable names, also show up in this episode. 

Fruits Basket Final

More Fruits Basket, lets gooo! Second season was awesome so I have high expectations. I’ve already been slightly spoiled on a few things about the ending, but I’m still looking forward to seeing the specifics of the mystery of the Soma family curse wraps up. 

We pick up right where we left off last season with Kureno dropping the ~big reveal~ about Akito’s gender on Tohru. Turns out she’s a girl, but raised as a boy by her mother from birth for yet unknown reasons. Then he talks more about her parents: her dad Akira seems to be dead (yet another mysterious white-haired Akira Ishida character for the books), and her relationship with her mother Ren is messy to say the least. 

Finally, best girl Saki shows up and saves the day! She brings Tohru back to her house, and along with Arisa gives her the reality check we’ve all been waiting for: she is going to burn herself out if she keeps on putting others’ needs before her own. 

Interestingly, even though she seems to be a pretty bad mom, Ren is in the right here about the unhealthy relationship between Akito and the zodiacs. Is she really being kept inside because of physical and mental illness, or is that just Akito’s excuse for locking her mother away? I suspect it’s the latter. Akito loves a good power trip, and if Ren were allowed to talk to the zodiacs she could possibly undermine the hold Akito maintains over them. It could also be a combination of both reasons, so I’ll just have to wait and see.

The OP is awesome! The photo backgrounds incorporate the 2D characters well and it just looks very nice. The song’s R&B-ish sound also stood out instantly from the pop ballads Fruits Basket usually gives us. Once it comes out on Spotify, I will be adding it to my playlist along with Chime and Eden. Btw, if you haven’t heard the full version of Eden I recommend you check it out cause it really goes some places you don’t even get to hear in the TV-sized version.

On a side note, this show has some real fashionistas. Rin, Haruhatsu, Saki, and this episode Arisa have great outfits. That cropped shearling jacket with the skinny scarf? 👌 It’s also adorable how Saki and her little goth brother coordinate their looks. I will never forget that time they casually rolled up to an okonomiyaki restaurant rocking black opera gloves. 

Zombieland Saga Revenge

More Zombieland Saga! The best part of the first season imo was the comedy, but I’m guessing we’ll get more into the mystery/drama part of the show here: more information about Kotaro and his motives/methods, Tae’s identity, etc. We’ll see how it goes. I’m also hoping for more bops like Adabana Necromancy and Saga Jihen. 

Oh how I missed this show’s manic energy...

Since the end of the last season, it seems Kotaro got overzealous and booked an arena for a concert that only sold 300 tickets, putting the group into a whole bunch of debt. So now the girls are all working part-time to pay it off, and they’re not nice jobs either: factory worker, farmhand, construction worker... milk-deliverer? Do they even have those in Japan? Now there’s some #commentary on showbiz. 

As for Kotaro, the whole thing has left him in such a haggard state that he’s managed to grow his hair down to his collar bones in a month flat. Now he spends his days bar hopping and rambling even less coherently than usual (although Mamoru Miyano is clearly having as much fun as ever). Franchuchu are left to prepare all by themselves for their anniversary concert at the tiny venue where they made their debut. But, they decide they’ll use it as a chance to sing the unperformed encore song from the arena concert for Kotaro, thinking it might relight his spark. 

We do get a drop of new information about the plot: turns out there’s a strict deadline on the Zombieland Saga Project, which is the real reason why Kotaro so upset. Maybe whatever necromancy he used on the girls will wear off after a certain amount of time and turn them back into corpses? The bartender at his favorite spot is apparently in on the whole zombie thing, and he’s the one who finally snaps Kotaro out of it. He sprints over to the anniversary concert and literally starts throwing hands with the unreceptive metalhead audience. To finish out the episode we get a glorious slow motion brawl sequence as Franchuchu sing the encore song. 

I don’t know if that encore will be the OP or ED, or if it’s just a insert song. It was alright I guess. To be honest I liked Iron Frill’s songs more than Franchuchu’s in the first season, and I feel like that will continue to be the case this season. I’m excited to see the new OP tho, even if it’ll be hard to beat the iconic Adabana Necromancy. And on a vaguely related note, it was cool to see the real Zombieland Saga ost album, Franchuchu The Best pop up in the episode.

Pretty Boy Detective Club

This one has people intrigued because it’s written by the author of the Monogatari series (which I haven’t seen yet) and animated by Shaft. There’s also the extremely Ouran-esque setup, with Maaya Sakamoto even voicing the cross-dressing main girl. Also I just think the title is funny. Honestly I don’t really know what to expect from this one besides the usual Shaft aesthetic, so we’ll see what happens. 

Mayumi wears glasses to keep attention away from her pretty eyes, but while stargazing on the roof she gets caught without them by Ayumu Murase in a detective hat. He ropes her into the Pretty Boy Detective Club, a shady secret organization at her middle school. We enter the clubroom and meet the members, a bunch of over-the-top eccentric tropey characters that wouldn’t be found in any non-anime middle school in a million years. Shoutout to that one guy in the hot pants. Then Mayumi reveals that she’s been looking for a star she saw once on a family vacation, and the boys decide to take up her case. 

I knew I was really in for something when I was hit with musings about Voltaire right out of the gate. Although from what I’ve heard about the Monogatari series, this kind of ~intellectual~ monologuing is totally on brand. And I don’t know if anyone else picked up on the subtle hints they were dropping in those monologues, but I sense that, maybe, perhaps, beauty is going to be a theme in this show...? Maybe it’s going to be some kind of #meta #commentary on pretty boys anime? That could be interesting, although there’s also a chance they’ll just play it straight. They even have an idol-anime-esque ED sung by the the main cast, so honestly it could go either way. 

As expected from Shaft, the visuals are all on point. I love both celestial and geometric imagery so this show’s aesthetic feels made just for me. The shifts in art style are also pretty neat. As for the character designs, my favorite part is probably the snazzy school uniform with the galaxy printed ties and striped pants and skirts. Although Murase’s character momentarily sprouted one of those flesh-fangs that I HATE they look so NASTY. 

I has a pretty fun time with this episode, it was just so absurdly Anime. I liked hot pants guy and his poses (tho I don’t love that he’s 12), and delinquent guy who was just tired of everyone else’s nonsense and casually ate food off the ground. They were at the beach too, so it probably got all sandy? And when this popped up I died laughing; truly words to take to heart.  

(A footnote about the ED: I thought I had spotted an Elements Garden member in the songwriting credits, and then of course I had to find out if they actually made it or not. The lyrics were written by RUCCA, who isn’t actually in the group but collaborates with them frequently according to the Google Translated version of his Japanese Wikipedia page. He’s written for quite a few Elements Garden produced Aoi Shouta songs, which is where I recognized his name from. The composer is Masatoma Ohta, who as far as I can find isn’t associated with Elements Garden but did a pretty good job emulating their sound. Both of them have done a lot of work for seiyuu, idols, and seiyuu-idols, so I guess that’s why I instantly understood what this song was going for lol.)

[recentanimenews]

THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH Leaves The Forest With Episodes 36-42

Welcome to THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH! I'm Daniel Dockery aka That Dude That Won't Shut Up About One Piece, and I'll be your host this week as we make our way through all 220 episodes of the original Naruto. Last week, we covered episodes 29-35, and we continue this week with episodes 36-42.

This week, the theme is Leaving The Forest For Some Rad One-On-Ones. The next stage of the Chunin exam starts as the passing teams leave the Forest of Death and are now randomly placed in a series of one-on-one fights. Those that have watched the show know that we're basically counting down to Rock Lee's classic fight against Gaara, but there are some fights here that shouldn't be ignored, particularly the one involving Sakura and Ino. But we'll get to that soon. For now, let's dive right in and talk about the hot button political issue that's on everyone's minds these days: shadow clones. 

How do you feel about the use of clones in Naruto? I remember not liking them for some weird reason back in high school, but now I like how dynamic they can make the action scenes sometimes. Do you think they're overused? Have a lot more potential?

Paul: I wouldn't say Naruto's Shadow Clone technique is over-used. They keep allowing enough time to pass that I forget it's his main technique, and they also keep coming up with creative ways to use it (exploding a giant snake from within, disguising as a giant shuriken, disguising as his team mates to get the drop on an enemy, etc.), so I like how it's a fairly well-defined power that is made interesting by the versatile ways Naruto uses it to solve problems.

  Joseph: Yeah, it's used creatively enough and it's a cool technique to begin with. I just feel bad for the animators who realize they need to draw a dozen of the same character fighting a dozen of another character for an upcoming scene.

  Kevin: I am literally counting every single shadow clone each week, so clearly you were not alone in thinking that they are overused. Personally, I quite like that Naruto actually tries to be clever with how he uses them, transforming them to overcome an otherwise difficult situation several times already. Later on, we'll see other uses, and both Shippuden and Boruto expand on the idea even further, so there is a lot of untapped potential to come.

    Kara: I've seen them used creatively, which is kind of neat. At the same time, that creative use of them has made me super paranoid. We've seen Clone Jutsu combined with the Transformation Technique on multiple occasions already. It's made for some cool diversions and unexpected wins, but I'm getting to a point where I'm not even sure who's really onscreen in battles. If that's the point, fair play to the creators.

  David: For now it's ok, used sparingly and diversely enough that when it is the "twist" in a fight I'm usually into it. Genjutsu as a whole is more what I have a problem with, especially as the series goes on - when nothing you are looking at is ever necessarily even real, it can become hard to get invested in fights.

  Peter: I'm noticing a lot more my second round though how Naruto uses them only exclusively for deception. Just about every real threat can KO Naruto pretty easily so it's all about misdirection. One thing I'm loving about Boruto is that he uses them a lot more kinetically, redirecting and accelerating himself in various ways using his clones and wind jutsu as springboards. It's a cool twist.

  Jared: If the clones were an overpowered ability, it'd probably be much worse, but as it stands, I think they're fine. Especially since for the most part they've been used for deception in Naruto's case. The only times when it feels excessive is when Naruto creates a butt ton of clones and they aren't that effective, outside of blowing up a big snake.

  Danni: I wouldn't say they're overused. Every ninja in this show seems to have their one "thing" they're great at, we just see the Shadow Clones the most since Naruto is the protagonist. I do hope he develops more techniques as he gets more experience as a ninja, but for now I'm content seeing how creatively he uses his clones.

  Nate: I always love seeing simple abilities used in creative ways, and since the idea of Shadow Clones are so synonymous with the idea of a "ninja" in fiction, it's cool to see Naruto use them so extensively. Also as Peter pointed out, it's really cool to see the different ways Naruto, and later Boruto, individually use Shadow Clones.

  Carolyn: I don't mind them, for the most part. It does occasionally become a bit much, but I think they generally do a good job of creating danger without simply overwhelming the scene with nothing but clones.

  Noelle: I think they're pretty alright. I feel like a 'special move' only becomes repetitive when it's used in the same way, over and over again, but the series is doing a good job of avoiding that. Every time Naruto's clones come out, he uses them in a different way, so it's still unpredictable how they will be used. As long as they don't become one-note, I don't have any issue.

  Well, the Forest of Death is over. How did you like it? Think you could pass it? Have any recommendations for streamlining or expanding the next Forest of Death phase?

  Paul: There's no way I would pass The Forest of Death; I'd get eaten by leeches or a giant snake within the first 10 minutes. My only recommendation for streamlining the experience would be not to stuff a recap episode right before it gets going, because it breaks the rhythm of the story arc.

  Joseph: If anything, the anime could have built upon this test without venturing too deep into filler territory. I would have liked to see more of the natural dangers of the forest, AKA more of those massive centipedes. The one thing Naruto's world is missing so far is a sense of peril outside of the ninja-versus-ninja action.

    Kevin: Easiest answer first: I'd die immediately. As for whether I liked it: it is enjoyable to watch, but it is probably the weakest of the tests, largely due to the overlapping stories making each individual thread more difficult to follow. For streamlining the test, I would recommend introducing Orochimaru earlier, maybe as the leader of the Sound ninja like how he appears in the third test preliminaries room, so that all of his plot stuff can start before the Forest of Death, and so more time can be devoted to the Genins' actual survival and tracking.

  Kara: I can't pretend I wouldn't have tried to sneak a peek at my scroll and thought I was being super stealthy about it. I'd just be lying out there like a free snack for the forest critters.

  David: I enjoyed it overall but if I were to change one thing it would actually be to put Orochimaru later; the intensity of that conflict incidentally wound up mostly overshadowing everything that came after it. Really a nitpick though, because other than that I have nothing but good things to say. The Sound Ninja sure are cool.

  Peter: Lowkey love the forest more than the subsequent tournament(s). Putting characters against one another in a featureless room is one thing, but juggling multi-person fights in a massive, multi-level forest environment is something else. You absolutely cannot skip this arc. Sasuke vs Orochimaru is one of the best fights in the series and Sakura gets one of her best moments. OK, maybe after the Sound trio fight...

  Jared: I'm a goner like thirty minutes into this test. Some big bug's gonna come across me and I'm just gonna fall over and tap out. The only thing I could see being expanded upon is just the actual forest being more of a threat since most of those kind of just get taken care of fairly quickly and moved on from.

    Danni: If you told me that I have to spend five days in a forest I would give up before the test even began. I really enjoyed this part of the exams. It not only had some fantastic fights but also some of the best character moments in the show. It really gave more of the rookies time to shine, which I appreciated. I think the one change I would make would be to stop letting super murderous legendary ninjas infiltrate it and attack the genin. Someone really should have said something.

  Carolyn: I mean, I've never even been camping ...

  Noelle: I think I enjoyed Forest of Death better upon the rewatch than I did originally. My first run as a kid, I knew plot-important stuff happened, but it wasn't what I was interested in, so I didn't care for it much. That's still pretty true- it's not my favorite portion of the Chuunin Exams, but looking at it with an analytical eye vs purely consuming it has done it some favors. Would I survive the exam? It's not impossible, but I can't say my chances look good.

  We're now beginning a string of one-on-one matches, which is honestly something that I've been waiting for since Naruto began. First time watchers: Did you think that there would be more at this point?

  Paul: I didn't know what to expect, but I'd like to point out that putting another preliminary test in the form of elimination style deathmatches in between The Forest of Death and the final test of the Chunin Exams seems like a really crummy thing to do. But, hey, ninja aren't exactly known for playing fair...

  Joseph: Ah, the requisite shonen pseudo-tournament. I'm a sucker for these, and there's a lot of battle variety in what we've seen so far here. Also, we finally got our first really gross power in the form of parasitic chakra-eating insects. More gross powers, please!

  Kara: I'm not a big watcher of shonen anime, so the whole drawn-out story arcs/fights thing has always been kind of a joke at best for me. Now actually engaging with it? I... really kind of like it. I come primarily from giant robot and magical girl fandoms, and I love over-the-top fights. I was worried I'd be bored by this long string of one-on-one matches, but I'm actually digging it a lot.

    Peter: This is just Kishimoto flexing all over other shonen authors. "Yeah, I think I've got like 20 unique fighting styles I can break out for all these side characters." One thing I love in particular is how gross/horrifying a lot of powers are and the characters react appropriately. No one is getting anywhere near Shino for the foreseeable future.

  Jared: Having watched/read shonen series in the past, I'm not too surprised we haven't gotten a ton of one-on-one fights. Given how many characters we've been introduced to, it makes sense it's been a lot more group fights. Plus, with some of these early prelim fights basically being jobber matches, maybe it's a good thing this didn't happen until now.

  Danni: I have been a bit surprised at how many of the battles thus far have been group affairs. My understanding is this is the tournament arc-equivalent for Naruto, and tournament arcs are always the best arcs.

  Carolyn: I was also surprised that it took so long to really get into the one-on-one type battles because I remember that arc as being my favorite on my first watch. I'm actually quite glad there haven't been too many up to this point, I feel like that makes the tournament arc stand out even more.

  And, because I love asking people what their favorite fight in a particular anime is, I'll ask it here: Favorite fight in Naruto thus far?

  Paul: There are so many great fight sequences to choose from, but I'll be basic and say that my current favorite is the Sakura vs. Ino match because it offers another opportunity for Sakura to shine and because I'm a sucker for anything involving a cross-counter punch or a double-knockout finish.

  Joseph: I love me some puppet trickery so I gravitated toward Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankurō.

  Kevin: ... Any chance you can ask again next week? If I have to answer for the fights thus far, probably Haru versus Sasuke/Naruto. I ragged on the fight when it happened because the characters could literally just run 20 feet to get away, but it showcased various character motivations, advanced Naruto and Sasuke's relationship and gave the audience a glimpse of the Nine-Tailed Fox's power, all while being one of the highest stakes fights thus far.

  Kara: Sakura vs. Ino. I feel like I'm finally getting all that Sakura characterization I've been wanting for weeks, and I enjoy the way it's paced between the action sequences. Plus I'm a fan of getting creative with jutsus, so Ino's hair rope got me. Mainly, though, it's cool to see two people so equally matched that they just straight up knocked each other out.

  David: I can't decide between, well, literally any of Sasuke's fights. The animators love that boy, and his style itself feels more like actually choreographed combat instead of the big power plays that require another character to spend the next five minutes explaining what I just saw. Sometimes when they really don't even need to - glaring at the end of Shino's recent battle here.

  Peter: Depends on what we're talking about. Action and animation it's definitely Sasuke vs Orochimaru. Narratively, the Haku fight. If we're just talking about the tournament so far gotta go with Sakura vs Ino. I forgot how hype that finisher was. Actually completely forgot about this subplot... not sure if that indicates how much they follow up on it later on...

  Jared: I really dug everything about the fight against Haku and Zabuza on the bridge, but I was real surprised how much I dug the Sakura vs. Ino fight. This really felt like a good way to continue Sakura getting her push finally, but also it was kind of neat to see how it was built around Ino's mind body switch jutsu, but really just boiled down to being an old fashioned fist fight with a great rivalry and build attached to it.

  Danni: Sasuke vs. Orochimaru for sure. There have been a fair few fights that I've really liked parts of, but that's the first full fight that blew my mind from start to finish.

  Nate: Seconding Kevin here, but I'll gush about that next week. So far, it's probably Sakura vs. Ino, since we get one of the most straightforward ninja fights, using multiple levels of technique even at a small scale like this, and ending in an awesome cross counter. Good job, ladies.

  Carolyn: So far, I'll have to agree with the Haku fight, just because of the emotional ramifications that came out of it. We still haven't gotten to my favorite favorite fight, though.

  Noelle: Also agreeing with Nate and Kevin, can we get this question next week? I think as of right now, it has to be the Haku fight, because it was really meaningful. A lot of the fights have been fun but just alright, where that one and the fallout of it gave me a genuine emotional reaction. It's a good fight. Animation-wise, Sasuke vs Orochimaru takes the cake.

  Sasuke's "grim n' edgy" character is Naruto's equivalent of the "Characters spend years charging up their moves" joke about Dragon Ball Z. It's something people make fun of even if they haven't seen the show. But honestly, I don't really mind Sasuke. How do you feel about him now that you've gotten to know him a little better? Be honest.

  Paul: I was going to say that I hope Sasuke has more interesting development to his character than just his role as an avenger struggling to grow more powerful in order to defeat his evil older brother, but instead I'll just say: 

    Kevin: If I'm being honest, he's actually less edgy than I remember. Sure, he scoffs a lot and goes off to do things on his own, but even now things can catch him off guard, he emotes more than I thought he would and he sees Naruto as someone he actually wants to fight, showing that they see each others as equals, instead of Sasuke thinking that he's better than everyone like when he was first introduced.

  Joseph: Sasuke comes off as more of an antisocial loner than someone who is particularly edgy to me. I don't have strong feelings toward or against him, so I'll just say "he's fine."

  Kara: Sasuke isn't as bad as he's made out to be in jokes and fandom, but I can absolutely see where those jokes come from. Also, it really feels like Sasuke is meant to be the star of this show but Naruto just kinda grabbed the camera from him. Which is not a complaint - I really dig the idea that our lead even has to fight the show itself to get noticed.

  David: It's weird, he himself is fine, so I think upon this watch I've realized his reputation comes more from how the other characters talk about him. How many times has he or someone else called him an "avenger" so far?

  Peter: I remember him being more obnoxious and his constant styling on enemies really sells his super cool persona. Obviously the animators, and probably Kishimoto, really love it when Sasuke fights people. He still hasn't broken out his goth romper yet though, so...

  Jared: I honestly thought he'd be worse than he has been, but he really hasn't been too bad. There are certainly times where he feels like a character of that late '90s/early '00s time period, but that's just what was in vogue. Plus, anybody who does a piledriver is alright in my book. Although, I was playing the latest Code: Realize fan disc and his voice actor is in that, so I can't escape him.

  Danni: I expected him to be very single-minded in his edginess before this watchthrough, so I've been pleasantly surprised by how much personality he shows, both exhibiting fear in the face of enemies like Orochimaru and camaraderie with Naruto.

  Nate: You kinda need this sort of character--the quiet, cool guy--to play off a hot-blooded shonen main character. You see it all the time--Rukawa in Slam Dunk, Kageyama in Haikyu, Yuno in Black Clover--and it really helps balance things out in terms of story and action. I've always seen Sasuke as the necessary edgelord--Naruto wants to see the good in people, but Sasuke's just there to do work.

  Carolyn: He's not so much edgy as super standoffish and that can be off-putting. It really does feel like he's the main character at times, but that's OK with me. Naruto can be a bit overbearing at times.

  Noelle: I have very mixed feelings on Sasuke, but the meat of that comes later. From who he is at the moment, he's a very troubled kid who's fairly smart, but is still kind of awkward when it comes to dealing with other people worming their way in. There's nothing wrong with that. Later is when my complaints will start to roll in.

  Okay, so this has nothing to do with Naruto, but I like the fact that our Slack channel momentarily discussed what Shakespeare adaptations would be like in anime. What Shakespeare play do YOU think would work best as a shonen anime.

  Paul: First off, I'd just like to apologize for steering the conversation in that direction. As the resident English/Creative Writing major with a background in theatre focusing on Shakespeare, I am fully to blame for that. That being said, I stand by my original assertion, which is that there should be a Shonen Jump version of The Two Gentlemen of Verona, set in OUTER SPACE, with transforming giant robots.

  Joseph: I haven't read Shakespeare since college and I was also an English major. How about Romeo + Juliet as directed by Baz Luhrmann and depicting the forbidden love between Naruto and Sasuke. Oh wait, that wasn't the question. I'm gonna leave my answer as is, though.

  Kara: Twelfth Night. Romance plot and mistaken identity sound more shoujo, but hear me out. Plenty of B plot to work with thanks to Sir Toby and the servants, fictional setting (Illyria) so the character designer can just go off if they want to, and an underdog (Viola as Cesario) getting thrown into fight scenes constantly. Also Malvolio is a massive scenery-chewer.

  Peter: Definitely Othello. Main character and his partner try to hold everything together fighting all their friends who have betrayed them. Even the love interest he has yet to kiss seems to betray him. Then you find out it was his best friend the whole time and cue final battle with them repeatedly yelling each others names.

  Jared: If you really want to get a lengthy shonen anime that spans generations of characters, the Henriad tetralogy of Richard II, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and Henry V would be perfect. Plus, I'd love to see how they'd adapt the bizarre French language cursing scene from Henry V. Considering there really aren't that many Japanese manga adaptations of Shakespeare outside of Requiem of the Rose King and a few others, this is a market that I would love to see get fully explored and expanded regardless if it was shonen or not.

    Danni: Is now a good time to mention that I never did the reading in my Western Literature class and just spent every period reading off of Sparknotes?

  Nate: For a senior year English project, we remade the third act of Macbeth as a kung-fu story, so I'd probably be down to do that again, this time in shonen form with 1000% more yelling.

  Carolyn: The Tempest and Macbeth are my favorites. The Tempest is so magical I could easily see it working as a fantasy type anime. It would also make a pretty great "Hero's Journey" type thing. But really I would just kill to see the three witches from Macbeth show up in an anime series. That would be awesome.

  Noelle: I really and truly love Macbeth, and I'd love to see it in anime- especially since things like the witches would be great horror fodder. Also Hamlet, since Hamlet also has things like ghosts and pirates inbetween all the stabbings.

    COUNTERS:

"I'm gonna be Hokage!" count: 14

Bowls of ramen consumed: 2 bowls, 3 cups

Shadow Clones: 121

And that's everything for this week! Remember that you're always welcome to join us for this rewatch, especially if you haven't watched the original Naruto!

Here's our upcoming schedule!

-Next week, on MARCH 1st, we’ll talk about EPISODES 43-49 as NATE MING returns! The elimination tournament continues, and we start one of Naruto's most legendary fights!

-Then, on MARCH 8th, the Chunin Exam finals begin in EPISODES 50-56, with CAROLYN BURKE hosting!

-On MARCH 15th, DANNI WILMOTH covers EPISODES 57-63--Naruto settles a grudge as the finals heat up!

Have any comments or questions about episodes 36-42? What about our upcoming installment, featuring episodes 43-49?

--------------

Daniel Dockery is a writer and editor for Crunchyroll. He has a Twitter that he uses. 

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[phoenixotaku1990animeversem-blog]

Series: Hana Yori Dango

Other Titles: Boys Over Flowers

Genre: Drama, Romance, School Life, Shojo

Series Run: 51 Episodes (aprox. 22 Min per)

Distributors: Viz Media, Discotek Media

Requested By: Janie

  I make no secret of the fact that I am a hopeless romantic who has a taste for the dromatic.  So, when the lady of my life requested that I review one of the few anime she has seen within the genre I was ecstatic.  Moreover, the fact that it is a shojo in a high-school setting made me wax nostalgic about our own romance so I was all-in.  While I don’t regret my gunge-ho approach to this series there were some moments that went way over the line of what was acceptable and made this an uncomfortable watch. But I will address that later in the review.

On a personal note, Dear I hope you like this one.

The Story

Hana Yori Dango is a school-life anime surrounding the exploits of Tsukushi Makino, a new student at Eitoku Academy who happens to be of lesser means. Desiring nothing more than a low-profile existence among the upper-crust of society Tsukushi’s world is turned upside down when she encounters an elite clique of popular men known as the F4. From here, she begins a chaotic, fish out of water story where the boys are constantly involved. In the midst of this, she manages to fall for two of the Flowers Four creating a romantic triangle with two distinct flavors.

The first relationship is your standard aloof love interest angle with Rui Hanazawa. I like the quiet, kind, artist, nature of the character and his dynamic when opposite Tsukushi elegantly done despite the lack of dialogue between them However, this ceases to be when their growing relationship is subvert by his returning flame, Shizuka Toudou. While Shizuka was a welcomed addition providing exposition on the F4’s history, a humanizing character for the group as a whole, and a sort of guide for Tsukushi she felt more like a protagonist in her own right rather than a supporting character. But, by far, the worst thing the writers of the anime could have done was use the sympathetic character to remove Rui as the love interest for the secondary alternative.

The secondary Romance begins with the leader of the F4. Tskasa Domyouji. To say that I despise this character is a gross understatement. His personality shifts between childishly lording his status over characters to picking on Tsukushi to being uncharacteristically nice to her. Worse yet he seems to have an almost incestuous fixation with his sister who happens to look like our main heroine. As if to feed into the creep factor he holds her down and nearly RAPES her in an early episode.

While he does mature throughout the series the and eventually becomes worthy of the love interest role the aforementioned moments irredeemably corrupted the character to such a degree that I cannot stand his on-screen prescience. Even after he redeems himself by softening up I still detest the character I am supposed to root for. In short I found him to be a pretty face with little more than a base understanding of social functions that was easily overshadowed by almost every other character.

this brings me to the side-characters which can be summed up in the phrase as bland as white bread. In fact, the only two character’s whose names I remember without consulting MyAnimeList ar Soujirou and Akira and their main functions were to act as the F4’s exposition and voices of reason. Otherwise, every other character in the series is a direct embodiment of their trope. The childhood friend is a cookie-cutter childhood friend. Tsukushi’s family seems to be the cliché poor family composed of the overbearing mother, the pathetic father, and the annoying little brother. After that every other character just blends into the background until they decide to cause trouble or just randomly speaks up. To remind Tsukushi of her place.

The focus on the pauper-versus-prince wealth disparity that persists throughout the series is a glaring weakness in storytelling. While this is a universal plot element that transcends its medium it actually weakens the relationship building aspect of the show. Combine this with the night-and day dynamic between Tsukushi and Tsukasa and the viewer gets a dysfunctional relationship that feels forced and unrealistic. Sure, one might see it as a clear case of opposites attract but, Boys Over Flowers executes this poorly.

Thus I come to the shows worst flaw of this entire narrative. its execution If the story of an independent woman finding herself in a high-society prep school featuring a cast of bishounen men is familiar to you have likely seen a reverse-harem anime in the last 20 years. While the show’s formula is well-trotted ground for many anime fans at this point the story’s progression is painfully slow providing the viewer with very little pay-off. For any romantic plot steady character growth and interaction is key. Hana Youri Dango’s characters grow at a snail’s pace making its run a slog to get through.

Style:

Alongside the painfully weak story Hana Yori Dango suffers from an eye-ruining animation style that seems to be a halfhearted attempt to simply colorize the cells of the original manga. While the muted colors and stark background would have translated well to the manga format the same cannot be said for animation. In fact. I found the lack of vibrancy and life in some scenes to be somewhat distracting at times. Aside from that character movements seem a bit stiff which forces some of the dialogue-heavy moments feel more like poorly animated GIFs rather than properly animated sequences. But, discounting my nitpicking, I feel that character and background designs are beautiful when assessed separately as portraiture.

Sound Design:

Much to my delight, Hana Yori Dango scores highest in the category of sound design. Unfortunately, this applies to the series’ soundtrack rather than its vocal performances. While they can be taken separately, I feel the two are inexorably linked and aides the viewer in suspending their disbelief. For their time, the talent did a passable job of bringing the characters to life. But, it is important to remember that the 90s were an awkward time for anime dubs and this anime suffers greatly from the growing pains of the time. Thankfully the music does a great job of distracting us from the flawed delivery.

For the most part, the music of Hana Yori Dango does quite a bit to amplify the high-society feel of the show. The opening and ending themes are light and airy J-pop pieces that connotes a relaxed and energetic tone. This does a great job of setting the tone as a slice of life piece. Intermittent pieces like Tomaso Abononi’s Symphony No. 5 adds depth to the upper-class feel of Eitoku Academy. Together, classical and popular styles fill the gap created by poor voice acting. Sadly, it isn’t enough.

I watched the series in its English dub as distributed by Viz Media as instructed by the one who requested this review. While it was nice to hear popular 90s era voice actors like Micheal Adamthwaite and Stephen Park in the roles of Tsukasa Domyouji and Rui Hanazawa I feel that Kelly Sherodin was completely miscast as Tsukushi. This led to my great dismay as her pronunciations of the name Rui as Luis grated on my ears. Alongside this, some dialog was stiff and stilted leading to an overall flat delivery. The lack of compelling delivery forces me to dislike the dub but only slightly.

Recommendations:

I do not usually give my recommendations separate from my conclusion but since the following are TV dramas rather than anime I feel obligated to break form and inform you as to the existence of two great shows.  If you wish to see this concept done  properly I point you to the Taiwanese Drama Meteor Garden as I believe the acters Vic Zhou and Jerry Yan provide the best characterizations of the two male leads.  While the Karean variant has its merits, I find it slightly less appealing.  Still, feel free to check both out for yorself as this is a matter of preference to me.

Final Thoughts:

In conclusion I feel that Hana Yori Dango suffers from a lack of proper execution. But, it is still a salvageable piece. In many ways it is the progenitor to great series in its genre and I encourage fans of pieces like Ouran High School Host Club to check this out, The dub is currently licensed by Viz Media and is available at Rightstufanime. Please feel free to enjoy Boys Over Flowers and stay tuned here for more reviews.

Anime Review: Boys over Flower Series: Hana Yori Dango Other Titles: Boys Over Flowers Genre: Drama, Romance, School Life, Shojo Series Run: …

[rigdicklucas]

Wonder Woman(2017) Spoiler Review

Zack Snyder’s latest foray into ruining the superhero genre had the potential to be something special but throws it all away for no reason at all.

By D. Lucas.

Let me tell you right away that this is not a movie you should be spending time on, let alone drive up to a theater for. It’s one of those rare occasions where the ingredients for a great film are all in there but it gets ruined by a terrible, terrible director, Zack Snyder—as if this surprises anyone anymore. If there’s a silver-lining to this CGI slugfest it’s the sliver of hope from the story by Patty Jenkins but it tries hard with little success, which is ironic since she had directed a film (2003′s Monster that won Charlize Theron her Oscar) and some interesting TV episodes. It would’ve been quite interesting to see had Warner Bros. allowed her to have a go at it. But, alas, we’re stuck with the Snyder and let’s just get this out of the way as fast as possible and get ready for that fun-superhero film coming this July. wink, wink.

There, if the director is not enough reason to skip this movie, which given his track-record shouldn’t be all that hard, then go ahead and read why the director is reason enough to skip it.

The movie begins with Diana (Gal Gadot) receiving a package in a truck with the Wayne Enterprises logo on it. Inside it is the actual photograph that we saw in Batman v Superman (Note how Zack made it so that even Wonder Woman needs a man’s help to get this photograph that is important to her). It is used to transition back to when Diana was a little girl on her paradise island, Themyscira, and how she grew up being denied training by her queen mother, Hippolyta, but was secretly trained by her general aunt, Antiope. For some stupid reason all this is intercut with a history-lesson about how Zeus made mankind and Ares corrupted them as the God of War and how Zeus again made Amazons to compensate for it which made Ares go mad and kill all the other gods. Luckily he was defeated by Zeus at the cost of his own life but not before making an ultimate sword called the Godkiller.

Gal Gadot Warner Bros.

The queen finds out about the secret training-sessions and seems upset at first but then pivots a full 180-degree and asks her sister to train Diana harder than any Amazon before. I mean, seriously? Whatever happened to sticking to established character traits? Only in a Zack Snyder film can this happen. I’m willing to bet Patty’s story had a long interlude in between but Zack decided he couldn’t wait to get to the messy fight sequences. And sure enough we get to Gal Gadot in the very next scene where she battles a couple of Amazons and then her aunt while her mother looks down from atop a hill on horseback. And sure enough it ends with a random shock-wave out of her bracelets—which we are to assume have grown along with her since the child Diana also had smaller ones on. Then Diana feels guilty for hurting her aunt and runs away only to find the crashing plane of Steve Trevor(Chris Pine).

She, of course, rescues him and a band of men breach into Themyscira who were in pursuit of Steve. The battle scene that Zack had been itching to get to is here and it plays out much like his oft-criticized sludge of slow motion and the-oh-so-important manner of shooting them. There’s a self-indulgent shot of the general Antiope grinning like a maniac as she marches into battle which could only be found in a Zack Snyder movie (another bet that Patty’s story didn’t include this).

The battle costs Antiope her life and the Amazons instead of impaling Steve right there like the warring faction that they are decide to interrogate him using some heated rope that makes you tell the truth. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the way Diana announces it as if it isn’t the most ridiculous thing ever.

Then follows the forced humor™ with Steve and Diana about man-parts and watches when out of the blue Diana just decides to betray her entire sisterhood and leave with this man who she’d known for less than a day. The feminist-front this film had been marketed on makes this move so very ironic I can’t believe Zack believed he could win over feminists like me with this. Humor™ in any superhero film not made by Marvel can only be reactionary and a cash grab.

Gal Gadot and Chris Pine Warner Bros.

And so we return to London with all of Zack Snyder’s favorite dark and drab aesthetic. You could just feel the relief he must have felt at this point! I’m surprised he didn’t cut the “It’s hideos” line by Gal which is clearly just another attempt at the Marvel-only humor™—honestly there are so many instances of such attempts that just fall flat on their face that it’s unintentionally hilarious.

The villain is obviously going to be the God of War that was weakened by Zeus in his climactic battle but his identity is supposed to be a secret. Anyone with any rational thinking capacity can figure out that it’s the dude that talks about peace at a meeting of generals! The gall of Zack Snyder is thinking it’s a well-kept secret by shamelessly inserting a red-herring in the German general Ludendorff. It is so blatant in its execution that his lackey poison-cook makes these pills for him, saying, “For you. To restore your strength.” As if we didn’t know he wasn’t a red-herring! Zack’s potential to keep assuming his audience as a pack of dumb sheep never ceases to amuse me.

Danny Huston Warner Bros.

Once Steve gathers his band of misfits and smuggles them to Belgium along with Diana, while sitting around a fire, there are some throwaway scenes masquerading as character moments that just toss out themes about the futility of war, a soldier’s PTSD, etc., which all deserve to be further expanded upon but this being a Snyder feature are left hanging like the hooked carcasses at a slaughterhouse.

Before long, Zack’s itch for another battle sequence becomes unbearable and we have our next action set piece. There’s nothing inventive or creative about this, just ticking off a list of cool-shot after cool-shot with the same tried-and-tired slow motion that even Zack should have gotten sick of by now. The most hypocritical thing about Wonder Woman here is just how easy she finds it to kill the innocent German soldiers under the influence of Ares and even finds it appropriate to dance with Steve to celebrate it later that evening. My third bet is that Patty’s story didn’t have all this killing and instead had Wonder Woman gently put out these soldiers because she truly believes only love can save the world. But Zack had to muddy it up with his 300-style brutality.

There’s an idiotic scene where one of Steve’s band just randomly find an automobile parked around which they then use to get Steve into a German party where Ludendorff will be. This is without an invitation, mind you. The damned proto-Nazis are that easy to fool in Zack’s dark and gritty universe and that brings us to when Ludendorff deploys the new gas weapon over the little town that Diana just saved by killing two dozen soldiers. It just has to be that dark, thank you very much. Unfortunately the ending only further devolved into what’s now Zack’s characteristic bad-CGI overload.

The plot-twist, like I already mentioned, comes unsurprisingly and is followed by the same bad-guy-vision-for-the-future that Zack used in Man of Steel except here Ares(David Thewlis) is a stand-in for General Zod. It is funny how this battle seems to be a polar opposite of the final battle in Man of Steel:

- Zod rips off his armor while Ares puts on one.

- Zod shows a future built over the dead remains of humanity while Ares shows … a future built on the dead remains of humanity.

- Zod is the more experienced one over Superman while … Ares is the more experienced one over Wonder Woman.

Okay, Ares is just Zod for Wonder Woman.

The sequences feel rather recycled if anyone’s seen Zack’s previous films but he expects us to oversee that because it’s a female superhero. Sorry, Zack, we’re not that stupid! When Steve Trevor sacrifices himself by flying the bio-weapon payload into the sky and shooting it, Diana gains new powers as she mourns him and simultaneously skates, mortally hurls around German soldiers, pummels Ares, and lifts a tank to crush the poison-cook, Dr. Maru, but reconsiders Maru for sequels and also because she just suffered a short-term memory loss by forgetting what Steve had told her before catching the plane. This seems to be a one-time thing though because the film doesn’t turn into Memento, or anything. She also remembers what Steve says about men not deserving to be protected but still should be, maybe and tells exactly that to Ares before she skates up to him and kills him using his own lightning bolt, so technically not murder (unlike MoS where Superman should’ve used Zod’s own hands to snap his neck like a true hero and technically not murder him. He could’ve stood up and smiled at that family he’d saved like Diana looks at the soldiers).

Wonder Woman is basically Zack’s go at making the same kind of film he always does but shrouded in the veil of Marvel humor™ and a good, straight story (thanks to Patty). But at the end of the day, Wonder Woman still can’t save itself from Zack Snyder.

Why pose big questions like why did Wonder Woman walk away from mankind when no one wants to give the answer anyway?

Bonus critiques:

-Zack’s sexual-predatory, exploitative lens makes a comeback in this shot:

-Just the general idea of scantily clad beautiful women (Amazons) being objectified at the beginning of the film and thinking it empowers them à la Sucker Punch, which suffered the additional burden of being written by Zack Snyder!