#I mean mercenary magic girl that fight with a rainbow?? I love that idea

[socksboxsketches]

Surge magic girl concepts Bonus!!: The struggles of whispers magic girl concepts

[italicwatches]

Magical Girl Ore - Episode 01

Hey.

Hey, friends.

Guess what.

I lied.

It’s Magical Girl Ore, episode 01! Here we GO!

-We begin, on Earth. A place full of demons running rampant. Yet Earth is defended, fought for, by magical girls!

-Cut in on a bubbly Saki with a cute mascot, racing off into the distance to fight demons…She comes down hard, to face a reptilian beast full of malice and fury! She leaps high into the air, but is blasted hard, slammed into the ground…And her arm she blocked with has lost all color! That might be easier for the colorists, but it’s bad for her! If that thing hits her again…

-And she watches as the next beam saps the green from the grass, the warm hues from the buildings, even the glory of the sunset is turned to ashen grey. It’s so bad that the few remaining colors band together in a “Color Broadcast” swatch! This is bad! If the whole show turns black and white, young viewers with no sense of history will think something is wrong with the broadcast and will call in to complain! They’ll get cancelled for causing the networks trouble, and will have to burn off the timeslot with stock footage of nice boats! Do you want to fall to that fate?!

-NO! Saki only has one option…The forbidden technique! Come forth, staff of magic! Rainbow Miracle Super Delicious Pretty Hyper Rainbow ATTACK! The spectrum cuts through this lizard like butter through a hot knife, and just as the knife falls against butter’s grim might, so too does the demon! An overwhelmingly powerful attack, its secret lies in being able to be animated solely by the underpaid computer FX team, not the actually respected key animators… It might be cheap, but it’s powerful…

-And then the kickback drops Saki flat on the ground…As finally appears, the noble gentleman of love, who protects injured magical girls…Peach Prince! He scoops her up in his arms, returned from his faraway kingdom to protect her noble heart from the wearies of battle…Oh, if only she could stay in his arms a bit longer…

-And if only he’d quit making alarm clock noises.

-Because Saki awakens to discover that morning kind of sucks when you were almost there. This is hell.

-Opening! Hope you like muscles, friends, because this magical girl anime is packed to the gills with them. Big, powerful muscles worthy of the sternest bara.

-Episode 01: Magical Girl - Transform

-So the real, not-dream Saki sprints down the stairs having slept way the hell in, and why didn’t her mother wake her up?! She tried multiple times, but you were in deep, kiddo. If you hadn’t been mumbling in your sleep she would’ve thought you’d died. But Saki is desperately late and has to GO GO GO! No time for breakfast! No time for breakfast? Then you need this.

-Saki is off in a flash, as Saki’s mother remembers that she was about that age when she…

-So Saki has…

-…

-That is not mouth toast.

-That is not mouth toast at all. That is a plate of pancakes piled high with whipped cream and fruits that she is gobbling up while she sprints.

-To work! Where Saki is doing an idol appearance in front of an electronics store with her partner. Also, I’m gonna tell you now, she can’t sing. Like, she is not keeping to the tune at all, she’s just kind of rhythmically talking. Her partner actually has some talent, and Saki is clearly working hard, but she has hard work to do…

-And here’s the worst part. Their efforts, done on a cheap karaoke boombox and a slapdash stage made of wooden pallets, has literally zero interested watchers. Manager…Did they institute martial law? Did a serial killer come through this area? Is there a zombie virus? Nope, you’re just that unpopular. And Saki quietly realizes she’s going to be stuck with another box of her own unsold merch…While her partner, Mikage Sakuyo, turns to the TV showing an actual popular idol group. Star Prince, as helmed by her older brother…

-Who’s a bit quiet and off in his own world, until his own appearance on the talk show kicks on, and then it’s like a switch flips as his singing starts. Also, subtitled songs! A precious and rare commodity in this, the age of machine gun subs. And Sakuya is rather in the shadow of her brother Mohiro…And Saki wants to bone him. She’s kind of stalked him since she was a little girl. And her whole dream of being an idol is to be closer to Mohiro. She does not have the purest of motives. But that kind of love could motivate you! Just, you know, no romance. Or pregnancies.

-MANAGER SHUT UP. And Sakuyo takes Saki’s hand, and they will surpass her brother…Together.

-Later that day, Saki is finally headed off…When she gets to her house, and finds an incredibly tough, vicious looking yakuza thug trying to kick down her gate! Oh god. Oh god what’s happening. And when he spots her, she immediately finds herself confronted, as manager and Sakuyo hide! And Saki gets dragged into her home by this yakuza thug…Who demands she call her mom in here right now.

-And out comes her mom, who never thought she’d be seeing Ko-san again…And he knows Sayo personally enough to call her Sayo-chin. Wait…Wait…Was her mom in with…Is this her…

-What was your relationship, exactly…? Oh god oh god…

-The truth is, dear, your mother…Was once a magical girl.

-Ehhhhhhhhhhh

-You broke Saki. You broke her so bad she turned into a sketch.

-One Uno Sayori, once was a magical girl! She got scouted by Ko-san in middle school. She spent a long time as a magical girl, keeping it secret…And Ko was her mascot! Here’s his card. His full name is Kokoro-chan. He’s even got a cute speech tic, dammit!

-But you see, Sayori eventually had to wind down…And she’s retired after last month, when she threw out her back. Not even magical girls can fight father time. She’s done, Ko-san.

-The problem is, without Sayori, they have nobody to protect this area…And it’s still got threats…And then Ko-san gets an idea. …Hey you. The kid. Got any crushes on anyone? W-W-What?! Well, um, she IS a teenage girl…How old are you? F-Fifteen…Just barely under the limit. Come on, make a contract with him! Saki looks to her mother for support…

-But Sayori thinks this is a great plan and means she can retire without regrets! Take over for your mom, dear! SAKI DOES NOT WANT IN ON THIS.

-You know, you’ll be stacked as hell, and built where it counts! …You have her attention. Okay, time to get started! Wait, wait—

-Here, sign this contract. Damn, just straight up mercenary. So let’s pause and see…You agree to obey the rules of the magical world and see justice through. To never abuse magic for personal gain. To not reveal your true identity. (Certain exceptions allowed.) And to not complain about the physical and emotional damage of the job.

-All laid out and clear, so everyone knows what’s on the table. S-So, she’ll be fighting demons? …Nah, most days you’re just making delinquents clear out, shit like that. It’s easy work—Hold on, he’s getting a text.

-Oh.

-Demon.

-But hey, take a look at the horrible thing you’ll be fighting! This hair-raising form!

-Ko-san that is a teddy bear. Wait she’s fighting cute mascots for a yakuza thug?! That’s just camouflage! They get JACKED when it’s time to battle! And only a magical girl’s power can stop them! Wait, this is a livestream…

-And Mohiro is there?! Cuddling up to these demons?!!! OH GOD HE’S GONNA BE STOLEN AWAY! Where’s the fight?! She’s gotta save him!!! Saki sprints off, as Sayori can only ask Kokoro to do right by her daughter…

-And Saki makes it, in time to see incredibly buff teddy bears carrying away the stoic Mohiro! This is bad. Also Ko-san finally makes it. Wait, that’s an open portal! They’ve got to stop them! And there’s a whole bunch…HOW DOES SHE BEAT THEM?! TELL HER, KO-SAN! She’s shaking a yakuza thug by the lapels, this would be such a bad plan any other time…

-But when it unlocks her love power, and even he’s stunned by its intensity…All you have to do is confess! Shout your love to the heavens, Saki, and its power will engulf you! Quit blushing like a virgin bride, and go save the man you love! SHOUT THAT NAME, kiddo! Do it!!!

-A thousand memories play in her mind…And she admits…She, loves Mikage Mohirooooo!

-And power floods her body, surges forth, turning to muscle! Rippling, powerful muscle! The strength of a god imbues her form, as all becomes light…And when that light clears…Power overwhelming stands between Mohiro and these demons! Saki is now in the body of a six+ foot tall man, and is incredibly confused.

-Okay PAUSE! Now that that ball’s finally dropped, we’ve got to talk pronoun policy on this show. All pronouns will be handled based on internal self-identification. So long as Saki continues to consider herself a fair and sweet maiden, she will continue to be referred to with she/her pronouns. For clarity of physical form, however, until such time as formal hero titles are revealed, we will be using Japanese honorifics! So Saki-chan as she is now in this moment, is Saki-kun, and she is definitely built in all the important places as Ko-san promised her! Cool? Cool. Moving on!

-Saki-kun is so confused.

-Credits! Well shit.

Sometimes I ask what I’ve gotten myself into. But let’s be real, I knew this was gonna be crazy town from the moment I hit play. We’ll just have to see if Saki-kun can save her beloved with this magical girl power, next time in episode TWO of Magical Girl Ore! Wait for it!

[askredrage]

Open up your EYE (Thoughts on MLP Movie)

Has the show gotten one of those characters that doesn't know what a sense of humor is and fights back with combat?  Or am I thinking of a lot of reformed characters from other media? Spoilers down below.  Haven't seen the movie?  Well the DVD/Blu-Ray aren't far behind.

Um...so that was the movie I had almost missed out on, huh?  Well it was.........something... Ok, so I'm afraid this "review" is going to be EXTREMELY difficult to judge because the night before I actually watched Disney/Pixar's Coco first (by the way, 10/10, would DVD/Blu-Ray again).  And sitting down to watch this movie second was probably a huge mistake as this movie left me with a rather sour taste in my mouth.  Perhaps if I waited to see Coco later, then I wouldn't feel this...negative.  I'm the kind of person that goes to the movies a ton so I'm pretty much judging this movie along with all the other movies I've gone to see in the past several years. So let's get an obvious good thing out of the way first; the movie's return to 2-D or 2.5-D animation.  Never in a long time since Princess and the Frog in 2009 have I been glad to see the return of hand-drawn styled animation.  It's actually quite interesting when you learn that the movie characters were actually made 3-D FIRST before becoming 2-D characters in a 3-D world.  Speaking of which, a major chunk of the pony characters don't feel like repeatedly used poses like in the TV show.  They've been given a similar design to the show but more expressive and created with greater, fluid movement in a few areas.  So of course Pinkie Pie would be the one to mostly get the spotlight in this area.  I think people were worried about the 3-D landscaping dampening the style, but I'll let it slide as they did create the landscapes beautifully.  Plus 3-D environments have worked for 2-D movies in the past.  Talk to a good chunk of Disney Renaissance movies like Beauty and the Beast's Ballroom. An interesting way to segue into this next part.  Whereas the Disney Movies were mostly the movie first and merchandise later, Hasbro's the company that will make a product first then get their animators to make an episode or movie around it.  Also I am aware that Hasbro has one hell of a leash on these animators.  They've probably had a ton of amazing ideas for a My Little Pony movie to appeal to all audiences instead of the targeted one.  But what I was given to view not fell into my low expectations...it went even LOWER!  Perhaps being exposed to Coco first had ruined my enjoyment for this as there was much needed room for improvement. See if I can sequence this a bit.  Let's start with the story.  Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship has created a massive party in an unusually-styled Canterlot that's looking a bit spacious than the busting city I'm usually seeing in the show.  Through some comedic introductions, a song and a series of show-related cameos we are given the things that the outside audience needs to know.  Things get shaken up when Tempest Shadow, an broken-horned unicorn visitor representing for the Storm King, arrives with an army to take over the entire kingdom in order to siphon the magic out of the four princesses.  Now it's up to Twilight and her five friends (not six, Starlight Glimmer got shoved out of the spotlight) to find aid outside Equestria and take back their home capital. Interestingly enough, the one hour and forty-four run time actually felt kind of long when normally I'm sitting for two to three hour-long movies...but then it quickly sped through the story in a poor pace to show off their new toys/playsets and have money left in their budgets.  I'm probably not the first to say this movie was poorly paced, am I?  From memory, I think the longest we've stuck with a setting outside Canterlot was probably the desert city of Klugetown.  You could probably argue that perhaps it was Hippogriffia/Seaquestria but events there kinda made me WANT to make it go faster.  Get to that part in a second. Songs?  As a 90's kid, you know that most of the songs are either set aside or forgotten (like the ones in this film) for the most important one:  The Villain Song.  And Tempest Shadow's Open Up Your Eyes (currently having its instrumental being spammed repeatedly during this typing) is indeed worthy of the title "Villain Song".  The setting, the lighting, the flashback made by a different team (according to the credits), I loved it all.  I'd say it reminds me of Unleash the Magic from Friendship Games but I rank this song much higher. Honorary note for Sia's Rainbow.  I'm being told by some reviews that the song felt a bit too somber for a finale but I don't know, this felt like a calm, perfect way to wrap up the movie with.  I haven't a clue what the problem with it was. Finally, how about the characters.  We've got your familiar TV show cast along with a ton of celebrity voices, including Sia as Songbird Serenade at the beginning and end of the movie who is literally modeled after one of her actual outfits.  I chuckled when I dug up her photo, I don't know how she manages to see through that hair.  Other noteworthy celebrities that got a good chunk of screen time were Kristin Chenoweth as Princess Skystar, Liev Schriber as the Storm King, Zoe Saldana as Captain Celaeno, Michael Peña as Grubber the Hedgehog and Taye Diggs as Capper the anthropomorphic cat.  Most have been given the appropriate amount of screen time while others (STORM KING, MAIN ANTAGONIST OF THE FREAKING MOVIE), were held off until the end.  Oh yeah, that one Parrot Pirate with the squawking and demolitions.  Loved that guy. Sadly, the weakest of the group was the Storm King himself and not just because he was saved for the climax.  Previous TV show antagonists have ranged from either self-motivated tyrants to strategic conquerors for their own kind.  This knucklehead is literally announced as "evil" from Grubber and there just wasn't much from him to label him as an awesome villain.  Even his own funny moments couldn't save him.  And this is coming from a guy who isn't very fond of Starlight Glimmer yet she's still WAY more interesting than this cloud yeti.  Oh well, maybe next time don't model your villain to be a lazy, wacky monkey. On the other side of the spectrum, however, is Emily Blunt as Tempest Shadow, the true antagonist of the movie, picking up all the work for the Storm King to restore her cracked horn.  Compared to "her boss" this character has her own goals and motivations, sort of like a bounty hunter or mercenary. Kudos there as those areas would reach up into the top three MLP:FIM villains on my list.  Sadly, as the movie is indeed called "Friendship is Magic", she's (OMG) reformed much like many of the other unicorns in this show (Anyone seeing a trend here?).  Regardless, when she was a villain, this was a skilled and probably self-trained fighter trying to regain her happiness through any means necessary, even serving a clown.  Even gave me a chuckle when she lost her cool in Canterlot in front of Grubber before realizing and calming down. The Mane Six and Spike are mixed in their performances and what they're given to do.  I'll have to rate them all from best to worst...you're not gonna love who's on the bottom. Pinkie Pie stuck out the most with previously mentioned animations and tons of interactions with the girls and the strangers they came across.  Side-note:  She is mean with a barge of cupcakes; had they been red-frosting, that fight scene might have been banned.  We even get a serious moment with her and Twilight where--getting ahead of myself.  Getting there soon, promise. Rainbow Dash, despite causing some extra trouble, gives the "awesome" the movie needs including getting the Parrot Pirates off their rears to face off against their former employers...that doesn't last long. Rarity's charm and generosity got Capper the cat to not only change Tempest's army's course but gather the other characters for a full on pledged climax fight. Fluttershy has hardly anything except the funniest moment in the entire film regarding opening up with a Storm King soldier.  Honestly want to know what became of those guys now. Spike, you trustworthy pal and weapon.  The TV show might have given you terrible episodes but who would have thought you'd become a necessary Pyro tool?  TF2 Workshop!  Make a mod!  NOW! Applejack...sold apple juice and roped a few people and rocks.  That's uh....that's about it. ....you all hate me now for this:  Twilight Sparkle ends up on the bottom heavily and deserves it all from actions, character writing and poor pace.  Our beloved Princess of Friendship is still the nerdy and orderly princess aimed at saving her home kingdom enough to act grumpy, annoyed and careless in her actions.  Said carelessness led to attempted robbery and created the biggest and most painful moment of the movie:  When Twilight angrily lashes out at Pinkie by saying she'd be better off without friends like them.  Not only was this stupidly painful, but it was the necessary tool for the whole "We're not friends anymore but then we get back together later" bit.  And said apology was being shoved in a climax to be ignored for comedic effect.  Now if perhaps both Twilight and Tempest were together during the end of the battle for apologies, that would not only be forgivable but an excellent moment for the movie.  But no...more like the Princess of Pace-dumping. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh....I know, I know, this is a movie targeted towards children, but so was Coco.  It would really help if some of that Disney magic could save the MLP Movie from its Hasbro chains.  I know if the team wasn't being held back, they could have gotten away with much, much more to save the film from me giving it a 4/10. Well, this is the West Coast Psycho, and in the words of Max G, "I hope ya hated it."