#I'm halfway through episode 1 as I'm writing this but he's already looking so good in so few scenes

[synintheraven]

Officially started season 4 of TLK which means obsessing over Arnas/Sihtric’s look-season has begun!!!

[accidentally-in-fictional-love]

Things I Noticed While Writing Light The Fuse: Part 1, Episode 1

I've been thinking about this idea for a while, and now that I'm halfway through the season I think now would be the perfect time to post these~ Gunna do one a day for the first five episodes, and then when the fic is done I'll post 6-10! So here's some things I noticed about the 3RP since I needed the episodes open for not only the script and actions, but also little details I missed upon my first viewings, as well as some shots I just really like~

Yay, starting off with Ethan of course 🥰 he never picked up his box of cigarettes and the ashtray is full, I wonder if he just blasted through the whole thing while he was waiting? According to the og script he was waiting a lot longer than 17 minutes, so I wonder if they were implying the wait was still long like this?

According to the script they're in Mississippi! I wonder why they broke the sign, maybe to enhance the timeless and placelessness of it all? Wait a sec is that the same bridge from the montage later? Just checked, it totally is, guess Ethan saw a lot of that gas station after that

Ethan is so fuckin cute this is me going back in time to kick my own ass for ever thinking I wasn't also in love with him. Also going back in time and learning how to pay attention cause literally I never once heard Bru's name that entire first watch. I even went to IMDB and tried to figure it out and failed. What a jackass.

Not the 3RP but I love how Joel draws Lyla's characters for her 🥰 this character is so good he actually unruined this name for me, before him it would always make me anxious for personal reasons so this guy means a lot to me

Matty!!! 🥰🥰🥰

Even when I wasn't in love with Matty I still thought it was hilarious how he just slides into frame lmao what an entrance 🥰 and now of course I'm in love with him so that grin gets me every time /)w(\

I'm literally in love with all three of them. Also Johnson hiiiiii 🥰 I was going so bucknutty the second I saw him lol I think I missed the entire show starting here. Also I never realized this was open to the outside and not just a big indoor garage until I started writing

This is the man I wanna kiss 😚 stole my heart instantly

This lil smile he's giving him ohmygosh so married /)w(\ it's super fast, I'm pretty sure I thought he was looking just at Ethan those first times

This is literally the funniest thing he could've said who even says this to a person one minute after meeting them

Matty's looks here kill me he's so confused about this he even looks to Johnson like ???

😳

Not gunna gif Matty's whole speech but god do I wanna be a Phoenix so bad he's sold me completely

crying sobbing thinking of the future where he does have someone to run to

He went in there, he counted all the Ghouls, and he walked back out with no trouble like there's no way he didn't get a single glance and they just let him scout and leave

He tossed that bag onto the hood and it was never seen again

Not Johnson opening the door for Matty but not Ethan 😭 so married!

He's the cutest thing on the face of the earth how dare I sleep on him for so long I'm kicking my ass 😩 he also lets out the cutest most high pitched giggle here he's so excited to start a fight! And he's already got the chain on he's ready to go! Also his little pocketwatch in his vest oh my goooooood /)w(\ oh hey Johnson looks at him right at the end there

Matty's mouth twitches when he's excited or gunna go feral! I will be pointing this out every single time cause I love this detail about him 🥰 also the look Johnson gives him lol he'll just do whatever Matty says won't he

Even back then I was like oh my god that's the hottest thing I've ever seen actually, I needed to fit this into F / U in any way I could and I'm so glad I was able to

And then he gets his ass kicked immediately lmao only Johnson and Ethan got any hits in this entire fight 😂 on a sadder note I think the only one he ever actually hits is Ethan ;w;

Did the whole frame this time cause Matty is just getting thrown around back there lmao also Johnson getting slammed into the wall and breaking his nose 🥺

The people in the background just watching lmao this is normal for them

These are the men I fell in love with 🥰

Them rolling around on the ground and moaning in pain while Johnson just strolls out is one of the funniest and hottest things I've ever seen in my life

Matty saying his big happy speech while Johnson looks hot as fuck and then there's Ethan just 😖 the entire time, not listening, doesn't care, he got stabbed

Matty fought too hard he made his tattoo come off lmao also I think he's got a rock stuck in his forehead from getting thrown out 😭

The fight's aftermath to top it all off

And that's it for part 1! A lot happens in this episode so I'll finish it up in part 2 tomorrow, thanks for joining me on this little adventure of mine, I swear it won't all be me sharing my favourite moments cause there really are things I noticed lol ❤️💛💙

[multifandom-aroace]

I watched umbrella academy recently mostly because I saw that there was a new season coming out and I actually ended up liking it.

But would someone please kindly explain what the fuck is going on in season 4?

(I haven't finished it yet I'm about halfway through episode 5)

the writing is very rushed and they dropped loads of storylines for no reason - they said Ray walked out but they didn't elaborate at all, it was six years later but they kept saying tings about five years I am just very confused about that,sometimes it feels like they completely forgot that viktor played violin even though it was his main thing in season 1, literally none of them helped klaus stay sober Allison mentioned it when he was about to drink the sake but they all jsut brushed it off and he didn't actually end up drinking it but none of them tried to stop him (although they already showed us in season 1 how little they cared about him when he got kidnapped and they all forgot about him), then there was the van scene which... Just why? I did not need a whole five minutes of listening to baby shark and watching people throwing up I literally had to skip through the whole scene it was too disgusting, and lila and diegos relationship like they barely showed us anything with them and their kids even though the whole first episode was about their child's birthday party?? then they started having conversations that they definitely should have talked about earlier in their marriage. The fact that Diego assumed that she was having an affair showed that there had either been trust problems in the past or Diego was just really good at foreshadowing because this leads me onto whatever the fuck happened with lila and five????? The age gap, the fact that they are in laws, the complete lack of chemistry they had until then because he was a fucking child but also a 60 year old man at the same time. Like, Five if five was about 60 when he first went back to 2019, it means that he was around 72 in his mind but about 25 physically and I just don't understand how the fuck that would sit right with anyone to make him and a married woman in her early forties (I assume based on the 6 year time skip and extra 6 years). I saw in the montage and I was jsut praying I was looking too deeply into it but no it was real and I was uncomfortable especially because of the fact that there is a 15 year age difference between the actors like he's technically it is legal yes but morally I don't like it.

honestly I could go on so much more

I really hate everything they have done to this season I should have stopped watching after season 2, but even season 3 was better than whatever the hell this was

[tootalltech]

tbb s3 review

okay. now that i've gotten a full nine hours of sleep and am probably a bit more coherent, i'm going to give a post summarizing all my final thoughts on season 3 of the bad batch. bc while i am annoyed about the way things were handled with tech, there were absolutely parts of the season i enjoyed as well.

i LOVE royce hemlock as an antagonist and i have since he first appeared. this season continued to show just how far he's willing to go and how completely removed from any empathy or compassion he really is- all hidden behind a cold, calm, scientific front. he ties very nicely into the overarching theme of dehumanization in this show, whether with the clones or the force-sensitive kids he captured. all in all, he's very evil and very cool and i didn't dislike anything they did with him. not even his death (bc get fucked poison boy and also he died about the same way tech did which was very much deserved). 10/10 no notes.

on the subject of tech's death though. it was very frustrating to me that they didn't show crosshair finding out. i feel like it's still very unclear when he even did; i was questioning if he knew or not by maybe the 3rd or 4th episode based off the exchange between him and omega about tech having her memorize all the plans. crosshair discovering he's dead could have been a good moment between him and omega, it could have been a good moment where we get to see just how much he misses his brothers and feels bad about everything if he somehow finds out alone while still imprisoned at tantiss, it could have been a good moment between him and HUNTER if it was discovered before they worked things out a bit more and it would have been a bigger catalyst for their fighting in "the return", etc etc etc. i don't think there was any good reason to just have crosshair find out at some point offscreen. that is his brother.

i thought the cameos from characters we've seen in earlier seasons were generally cool. fennec shand showing up pretty much made sense seeing as the batch already kinda knew of her so i thought that one was fun. cad bane seemed a LITTLE unnecessary (like it could've been another bounty hunter and nothing would have changed) but i didn't hate it. ventress was cool i'm glad omega has a new lesbian aunt and i thought it was funny when the batch decided they were gonna try and fight her because that was SO OBVIOUSLY not going to end well for them.

and then doing a separate thing for other clones bc thats really its own category. i loved seeing howzer again i missed howzer <3 rex is always a winner. wolffe's thing was cool although i feel like he's going to die now? like. if anyone ever found out that he just let them go. yk? and then we got to see gregor for like .2 seconds but whatever. in true tbb fashion the only other named reg clones on the batch's side that we met died or were never seen again within 1-2 episodes. which is fine. it is called the bad batch. no matter how much it functions more as a tcw sequel show...

speaking of the tbb/tcw world though. echo. is just. i don't understand why they make the choices they make with him. him helping rex makes sense, but he also has a good dynamic with the bad batch (especially tech honestly) and he's a part of their squad? like. this is really more of a renewed complaint from season 2 because it continued into this season but. why have him join clone force 99 if he's then going to leave again and just kind of exist in the background occasionally halfway through the clone force 99 show? i wish we saw more of him in season 3. especially after they lost tech, i feel like there was a way writing-wise to have him be with them more. if some corny "we need to stick together" shit is what it takes then so be it. BECAUSE THEY DO.

i'll go back to antagonists now. I LOVED THE ENTIRE PLOT LINE WITH RAMPART. for one thing, the beard looked GOOD on him. he was a dramatic bitch the entire time he was with the batch and his dynamic with them was hilarious. like hemlock, he died in a very deserved way, although i did see someone else say that his death didn't really make sense and i'm... inclined to agree. like, nala se isn't ever going to be redeemed in many fans' eyes and i don't think what they did with her in the finale was going to cut it. and rampart. GET OUT OF THERE DUDE. why would he be so interested in that data all of a sudden? especially given that he famously DOES NOT LIKE CLONES. why would he care? i know he wanted to bargain with the empire, but come on, that would never work and was a pretty stupid idea. it really did just seem like a moderately lazy way to try and show nala se doing something good while killing a villain in the process. i have no qualms with rampart dying, but why not have him die as a result of like. refusing to side with the clones or something? that would make more sense than him making a really dumb decision when he's supposed to be a smart guy. he didn't make it to vice admiral on looks alone remember!

and now for the cx-2/tech rant. i might make this into its own post, but for now what i'll say is that it simply would've made so much sense to have that goddamn operative clone be tech. we never saw his body. hemlock literally taunted the batch about this, which is SO something he would do if he HAD TECH. hemlock had a very hard-to-kick habit of doing weird science fuckery which would ABSOLUTELY lead to him trying to make tech into one of his operatives if he had him. we already know that the clones he tried to condition into being his operatives with this deep-cover program did not have to be willing to do it at all, because he tried it with crosshair. and we know that if the conditioning took, the clones would "come out different", so it would make PERFECT sense for tech to BE CX-2 and have no qualms whatsoever about hurting his old squad and a kind of different voice. like, look what happened to crosshair's hand. there are clearly physical side effects, and the process didn't even work on him. there were also tons of similarities between tech and cx-2 in my opinion, and all in all it just would've been a good choice narratively. he even could've stayed dead! like i said. i'll make a separate post.

finally, i feel like i should devote some rambling to tantiss, crosshair, hunter, wrecker, and omega. in the same way that i liked hemlock, i thought most of the choices with tantiss and the connections to omega were very cool this season. i think they handled crosshair coming back decently although it could've been a little more fleshed out. i liked that crosshair immediately became omega's fifth dad. i liked batcher! and omega's doll going to eva! all the force-sensitive kids were really cute and i liked them. emerie karr was like. alright i guess? i didn't find myself ever really caring about her a bunch but her story still made sense. and onto the male clones, i do feel like narratively they haven't really known what to do with wrecker for a while besides have him like. blow things up. which is unfortunate because i really enjoy him. then again it's just also not always an incredibly deep show and they are all clones who don't know how to talk about their feelings which i've been saying for a while now <3. i liked hunter going back to defending crosshair in "infiltration" and wrecker's "just like old times!" callback in the same episode. and i REALLY like omega becoming a rebel pilot, i think that makes a lot of sense for her and it also is, of course, sweet because tech taught her how to fly and all that. and finally, the scene with older hunter and omega itself was nice although i think they could've had crosshair, wrecker, and echo there. we all know hunter is the main dad, but he's not the ONLY one and the others are also very important. but oh well...

in conclusion. i do still absolutely adore this show and all of these characters. season 3 did not give me everything i wanted but it wasn't necessarily bad either. and i have to acknowledge that i am very biased and never going to get over them killing off tech so i mostly just can't think about that and have to live in denial. but anyway. season 3 was a mostly solid end to a show that started off so strongly i made a tumblr for it, and i will always love the bad batch for being my first ever hyperfixation and the show that really got me back into star wars <3

[lej222]

Hello!! Do you think aslfua's gonna end in a couple of months or maybe in a year? With the things going on now as last chapter if we took that into consideration as really cheol's confession that he likes her and we may get more scenes of this in next chapter then there's really not that much plot to cover like you said earlier in one of anon's replies. If we summarize what can happen chronologically(according to me) if the story ends with finishing middle school or starting of high school or entering a new century then

1. Cheol's clear cut confession no hidden feelings anymore 2. Miae's insecurities(i know cheol told her she is beautiful no matter what but that's not how these things work!) and the beef with mole guy who constantly reminds miae of her insecurities crucially 3. Yunhui Yonghui possible clash with miae somehow involved 4. Jinseop Songi something like songi letting go or jinseop got a character development and treats songi well 5. Sora and her twin arc 6. Jisu arc with the mysteries of fate stone deity and phone calls 7.Cheol taeuk possible fight(i have a feeling it will be in winter) 8. Graduation with someone moving away (i think it may be either miae or jisu)

So if we take these things into thoughts and approximately there maybe approximately 40 or 50 chapters including some more additional arcs or chapters. Also remember in chapter 126 soonkki's hiatus announcement there was a line she wrote "ONCE I'M BACK, I'LL DO MY BEST TO GET TO THE END OF THE STORY WITH NO MORE BREAKS AS LONG AS MY HEALTH ALLOWS!" and "IF I JUMPED BACK INTO THE COMIC IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MOVE, I WOULD END UP MAKING MY CONDITION EVEN WORSE AND HAVE TO PUSH BACK THE COMPLETION DATE EVEN FURTHER". So initially soonkki have already decided the completion which i fear is in a year. So yeah these are my thought i needed someone to share these with. I am not sorry if you feel bothered though😜 i will write more to you if my brain functions more thoughts bye🙌

To be honest, I was wondering the same thing. I also think that if Cheol and Miae acknowledge their feelings then the story will soon end regardless of what the ending will be like. Makes me wonder how short the remaining plot would be, I think around 4 months have passed in the story? If we assume the graduation is the ending point, we should still be halfway through the year, so maybe the story will be faster from now on? This is actually a really good question that you raised.

From the plot points you mentioned, I think the Yunhui one, Sora's twin and Jinseop might be briefly touched upon in or, der to finish the series faster. Miae&Cheol, Jisu's backstory, Taeuk will definitely be 100% covered in the remaining episodes. So your estimate about 40-50 more chapters seems pretty valid if you ask me. Looks like just as how the unnamed narrator is getting more of an active voice, the story might become faster as well because the narrator seems to be impatient as if they're running out of time. (???) But still, it would be pretty wild if Soonkki could make that amount of chapters without a break, who knows?

[cthulhuswaifu]

dudes i started watching trigun stampede and having seen like half of the og trigun I have many thoughts!!!

unfortunately i am Bad at articulating my thoughts so I will try to list a couple:

The animation feels like what the og show was supposed to feel, yknow??? like the crusty 90s animation was a huge reason I decided to tap out halfway through bc it feels like they wanted a lot of movement but due to budget or just technological limits they weren't able to and it just looked. not good sometimes. I'm not trying to bash the animation and I'm also not an animator so i have no real idea of what the original production was like or what limits they may or may not have had. However! Putting studio orange on the job was a fuckin stroke of genius bc they know their 3d. and what with the frenetic energy the show should have had, the freedom that 3d animation allows for camera movement and whatnot is what the story deserved. Vash's bugs-bunny style character movements look so much more convincing and energetic (listen i love the of ep 1 crab walk too it was delightfully animated but i think the 3d lets them fully encapsulate that scrambling, frantic energy he carries in action scenes). once again i am not an animator and i have not outlined this at all and I'm absolutely not trying to be some credited critic i am just a Guy.

Subpoint!! the depiction of violence/death/destruction works way better. Once again I'm not going to go after the animators for not having the time/budget/whatever to give the violence and death in the story the weight they should have had. However, it is way more convincing and striking and works better with the tone etc etc i put this in after writing the next two points and my root-beer-fueled sugar high is starting to fade rip

I do miss milly, shes a delight, but i think replacing her character with a more jaded and serious one was the right move for this remake. already the tone is diving into the darker themes of the story and having someone like roberto be the voice of reason between him and Meryl matches the tone of the show better than having the more lighthearted dynamic milly and Meryl had in the original. The original took f o r e v e r to touch on the darker themes of vash's backstory and the overall tone was absolutely more on the quirky, comedic side. This worked well for the dynamic-duo-insurance-girls thing but stampede changing both milly's character AND their careers works way better for what the show is going for. like. if meryl and Roberto were still insurance agents trying to keep a handle on vash, that comedic value would have been totally undermined and had to have been scrapped after episode 3. The tonal dissonace would have been too strong and would have totally killed the mood. Milly is still my girl tho i love her with all my being

I do prefer the slower worldbuilding of the original. I understand with the focus on vash's relationship with his brother instead of the story the original focused on means we need more context for his character and the world the characters live in. But i liked vash being a mystery to both the characters and the watchers! it felt cool to see this goofball of a dude just. let down the facade and make us want to wonder who this guy really is, yknow? but again! as i have said many times! stampede is focused on the darkness in vash's story and the world of trigun so it makes total sense that they introduce vash as a tragic character first! and i love it! i love me a good dark story and instead of the "silly dude with a dark backstory who changes tone at the drop of a hat" character the "guy who has seen some shit and still tries to do good and be kind and funny in spite of it" character just works better there.

Anyway as previously stated i am kind of flagging so ill stop there and I'm sure ill have more thoughts later because I just cant be normal about these things

I think both versions have their merits and drawbacks and I'm not trying to say one is objectively better than the other (even if I do prefer stampede bc I'm a hoe for good animation and dark storytelling) so please do not kill me

i wrote this mess instead of studying for midterms pray 4 me

[e-b-reads]

Books of the month: Feb 2023

Belatedly, here are my books of the month for February! Before I get to the ones I picked, I will also add that I've moved on in my mystery reading lately from cozy and historical to more contemporary/thriller mysteries (I mean, I'll pretty much read any kind of mystery at any time if I think it looks good, but I'll get on a kick where I search out specific, similar series, and right now it's the type of series that has some serious overlap with the "crime" or "thriller" genre labels). I haven't been posting about them much b/c to me they're very much a question of mood/taste, but I am always happy to rec if requested! Now to a couple non-mystery books:

All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriot): Probably the last time I really sat down and read this/these books was when I was about thirteen and absolutely convinced (by the time I was halfway through this one) that I would grow up and be a large animal vet, ideally in the Yorkshire Dales. This time I read this one very slowly in the evenings and between other books, which works well because it is gentle and episodic. Herriot's humor is often slightly self-deprecating, but despite that, you can also tell that he is intelligent and kind (without him writing this about himself explicitly). Although I'm pretty happy with my (non-veterinarian) life now, re-reading this did make me want to visit the Lake District.

The Well of Ascension (Brandon Sanderson): This, of course, is book 2 of the Mistborn trilogy, so as an actual rec I would say go back and start with book 1, but this is the one I read in February. I feel like most people on tumblr already have strong opinions on Brandon Sanderson; I went through a phase (high school - parts of college) where I was very into keeping up with his various series, and this has since lapsed. But though I now have more quibbles with it, I do enjoy his writing and particularly his careful plotting. The Mistborn books were some of the first of his I read, so going back and re-reading now that I remember some of the twists really shows how well he works in hints and foreshadowing. I think especially for people who might not be willing to commit to his longer works/series, starting with this core trilogy (or, of course, one of his stand-alones) is a good way to check his work out.

[llycaons]

I may have watched only five new movies this year, but I started or finished at least ten new shows. what can I say, I'm a TV gal*

SHOWS I've watched in 2022 (scored but unranked)

Breaking Bad: 9/10

everyone was obsessed with this show in 2012 or whatever and my older brother still raves about it so I thought, what the hell. and what do you know, it was really good! it was funny! I watched in fascination as a story about an egotistical, immature maniac destroying his own life and the lives of the people around him continued to be a comedy for much of its run

definitely not perfect (treats its Latino characters horribly, kills off too many women, and it got a bit clumsy by the end plotwise) but overall writing is absolutely incredible. I may or may not ever rewatch

Better Call Saul : 6/10

this was a very well-written, critically acclaimed show that for various reasons, I didn’t like as much as I had hoped to. I found the main character whiny and insufferable, some of the scenes were incredibly boring and drawn-out, and some of the acting for minor characters was so bad as to genuinely disrupt the experience (looking at you, stacy). and somehow it took characters I really enjoyed from brba (saul/jimmy and mike) and made them so unlikeable as to be unwatchable

despite my personal tastes not really gelling with the show, I really loved seeing more gus, and new characters like kim, lalo, and nacho were a delight. rather mixed on this one, but I’m ending it with higher than a 5 because I think the ending was pulled off really well

Extraordinary Attorney Woo: 7/10

I’m only halfway through this show because I haven’t had time to go to the gym, which is where I watch it, but it’s a very beautiful story with a strong aesthetic and I’m enchanted by the main character

I‘ve hit a very slow series of episodes with cases I do not care about at all (the railroad through the town) and I’m finding it hard to get the motivation to continue. I’m neutral on most of the side characters. I do really like the love interest, though. and I think I’ll cry when I hit the ending....I saw some gifs and 🥺 I love you woo young-woo

I will have a more complete review when I finish it, but I think the fact that it’s scored higher than bcs is very funny

The Bear: 6/10

this show could have been so much better than it ended up being. ah, what potential! the concept was interesting, the acting and chemistry was great, the stress and misery of a kitchen disaster was very well-executed, the core cast was (mostly) engaging, the humor was (mostly) on point, and the plots were genuinely very compelling

what let the bear down was 1. having an extremely shitty guy in the main cast but not really dealing with how shitty he was beyond well, he sucks but he’s a good dad and he’s one of the guys! he gets it! 2. the ending. instead of an earned, bittersweet, realistic finale appropriate to the story of a man losing his brother and feeling tremendous guilt and responsibility over it, and struggling with both substance use and keeping a small business afloat, there’s this....fairytale wish-fulfillment at play in which all problems are solved through an implausible discovery of hidden treasure. like....what? there’s also  some minor character elements that I found were done clumsily, but these were the big two flaws for me

Interview with the Vampire: 10/10

ohhhh WHAT a show. yes, I’m ranking it higher than breaking bad. I think I actually personally enjoyed this one a little less than brba because I don’t love the storytelling structure or the themes of unreliable narration/storytelling/memory. also I was let down by the armand bait-and-switch and I don’t know why the show kept in louis’s family’s history of owning a plantation at all, but in this case I think that the rest of the show was good enough to make up for it

what can I say that hasn’t already been said? the bold reimagining of a racist old book series into a contemplation on race and identity centered on the experiences of a Black man in 20th century New Orleans, the explicit and very well-executed sexual and romantic relationship between the leads, the lighting, costuming, and set design, the research into the setting, the chemistry between the leads, the dialogue, the incredible acting of all cast members, especially JA and SR, the drama, the gore, the horror, the tragedy, the ending, the perspective from the future - wow! wow!

the best possible type of adaptation from a series with compelling aspects but many issues - I feel grateful to everyone involved that that this show was created and I cannot wait for season 2

Our Flag Means Death: 0.5/10

yeah, I did watch this show, and hated almost every minute of it. followers may remember me forcing myself to just get to the next episode because it was so popular and beloved, I figured there must be SOMETHING there and I felt bad for being a killjoy. TW’s comedy really doesn’t do it for me (I didn’t love WWDITS movie and never watched the tv show), I disliked the acting, the romantic dialogue was overrated and clumsy, and I hated the lead character very deeply

I ended up liking some things about it, but by the end some things were coming to light about the character that TW based the show off of and the most important consideration here is that it’s a rosy, ahistorical view of literal plantation owners and slave traders, and I hope it falls into obscurity as fast as possible. also TW is antiblack so I’m not going to be supporting any of his projects in the future anyway

Kinnporsche: 0.5/10

dear reader, do not watch this show

Can Lan Jue (Love Between Fairy and Devil): ?/10

ohhhh boy. this one is a challenge for me. the main character is a marvel. the humor is phenomenal. the set designs are rich and indulgent, and the costumes are varied and interesting - a feast for the eyes. in many ways, it’s a lovely and relaxing show to go to sleep to, and I have a lot of fondness for it

this current plot I’m in (shenanigans in the mortal world) has plenty of twists to keep it interesting, and surprisingly heartfelt dramatic performances from mainly comical characters

where I really struggle is the plot and character interactions. it had a decently paced beginning, but it slowed down afterwards, and at 23 (of 38) episodes, the plot is finally picking up again. I only watch this show once every few days, so the pacing probably isn’t as glacial as it feels, but it’s still slower than I usually like

the romance has had a very rough start, which I’m looking forward to improving, but which upset me so much that I quit the show more than once, because I find it difficult to be comfortable with couples who have such a history between them

also I want the leads not to date each other and instead get into gay relationships with the mortals they’re trying to set up. but alas. this romcom scenario will end in het marriage (or death? remains to be seen)

final ranking: we’ll see

Mó dào Zǔ shī: 7/10

I cannot remember when I watched this and my search function is failing me, but it’s going here

edit: I watched this in 2021 but fuck it, it was december so close enough

this is also a mixed bag because the first and third season were very strong, but the second season was so bad that there must have been some kind of production issue so I’m not going to hold it against the creators even if it was really comedic in how poor the quality was

right off the bat - I know the characters look like that and I don’t like it either, but you stop noticing after a while. I am much more bothered by the animal designs. like those rabbits??? kind of freaky. the in-show ads for cornetto ice cream were honestly quite funny so I don't mind them. they added to the character of the show

anyway, the donghua was mostly quite good and a fun experience. it captured a lot of the powerful moments from the novel while maintaining more of the original plot than cql did, which made it arguably more coherent than the drama. the animation allowed it to really go ham on the effects like glowing red eyes and flocks of green crows without looking incredibly silly like it would in a live action, which would have marred some of the dramatic tension

the music was absolutely stunning, the backgrounds were meticulously painted, it was well-paced (with exceptions), and the character dynamics were organic and engaging. although censored, there was palpable romantic and sexual chemistry between the leads, and it gave them a sweet ending with a slight twist on the novel. many of the choices for lwj surprised and pleased me (like smiling instead of getting jealous in that one scene). I enjoyed the characterization choices for myu and jc, and the added details for wwx, which were often quite charming (like when he welcomes little apple back with open arms saying how much he missed her, aww)

on the other hand, due to the faithfulness to the novel, some of the scenes come off as confusing or downright silly without proper context, and there are still several homophobic jokes and uncomfortable scenes. jyl is barely a presence, I feel neutral on wen qing’s different personality, and for the most part the characters outside the core cast where pretty blah. and as I said before, the second season is such a disaster that it really hampers the entire story. I don’t know how much sense the plot would make to someone not familiar with the story because so much was cut out and the rest was so rushed and clumsy. but it’s something I would watch again for sure (though it is unknown how much I’d like it)

The Great: 9/10

this one is wild. you really need to be prepared for a LOT (animal cruelty, burning people alive, gore, eye horror, abuse). it’s very good, and I enjoy the acting, costuming, plot, and humor quite a lot. but I haven’t finished it so this ranking is premature, and I feel strangely reluctant to do so now that catherine has actually gained power. it’s emotionally quite draining.

Hunter x Hunter: 8/10

please don’t ask me to talk about this show anymore. I’ve been doing it for over a year now. it was good and I liked it but it had some flaws. I will likely not watch it again. read the manga. that is all <3

*gender-neutral

[bookswithsyd]

Is Spy X Family my anime of the year? [Spoiler Free-ish*]

*This article will avoid all major plot spoilers but will include some basic information about the story/characters. This will also only cover part 1 as part 2 is still airing at the time of writing.

Welcome to After Thoughts, a series where I take a moment to collect my thoughts on things both old and new. These things will include newish content that I am viewing for the first time (most of the time, month behind everyone else) or perhaps things that I am coming back to so I can re-experience (like my future plans to explain why Soul Eater is my go-to comfort anime). Now, onto my thoughts on the recently finished season one of Spy X Family!

How I found Spy X Family

After deciding that Spy X Family would be our next anime, my boyfriend and I sat down and binged the first six episodes in one evening. Around midnight, we had to drag ourselves away from the TV to go to bed because we did not want to stop watching, we were already in love with the premise of this show. We spent so much of the night laughing at the characters and guessing what would happen next. It was the pinnacle of "just one more episode" and that feeling was present from beginning to end. The next night after work, we caught up to episode 11, which was the latest episode at that point. We realized halfway through episode 11 that it would be four days until the final episode aired, crushing our spirits because we were on a Spy X Family high. The wait until episode 12 dropped was painstakingly slow and even worse knowing that we couldn’t watch it the day the last episode was released. Having to avoid spoilers was easiest to do when you just avoid social media almost altogether.

Thoughts on the show

I went into Spy X Family with decently high expectations. When I mentioned that I would be watching it over the weekend, I was told by a friend that she and her girlfriend were absolutely loving it. I had been avoiding anything related to this show for a while at that point and I just knew the premise of the show going in. A spy must gather a fake family in order to perform his mission. His new wife turns out to be an assassin and the child he adopts is a telepath. Neither of the adults knows the other’s secrets, but the child learns everything.

Spy X Family is a brilliant mix of comedy, action, a little romance, and of course, slice-of-life. This blend makes the show something that you can binge and not get sick of. The progression through the 12-episode season seems so well-paced that I was never wanting to speed up through an episode or was confused because it seems like the anime skipped over something.

I think that the art style used here really enhances the overall feeling of a cute slice-of-life comedy. The bright colors and the way the characters are drawn allow for the wacky facial expressions and actions that really sell the mood.

I'm excited to see how the plot will progress as I am waiting for the full season to be released before starting. After finishing the anime’s season 1, I am now tempted to find the manga just to see how the anime holds up to the original material and also to see what happens next. Now to answer the question in the title. Do I think Spy X Family is the anime of the year for me personally? Maybe. I think this show could definitely make my top 5 when I look back at the end of the year.

Final thoughts

Thoughts on the genre: I loved the mix of multiple genres that really keep the show moving. The blend allowed for amazing moments that pulled emotions from amusement to empathic pain.

Favorite character at the start: We really only get a good look at Loid at the start, so he was the one I wanted to know more about at the beginning.

Favorite character at the end: Normally I change who I really like by the end of a season, but I still think Loid is in that top stop. My enjoyment of other characters has certainly grown over those 12 episodes, but Loid still remains my favorite.

Thoughts on the animation style: I love the use of quirky animation to give those over-the-top expressions that really fit the fun mood of this comedy show, I feel like this is the best style to use and can’t imagine it in another style.

Grade on pacing: I think the pacing is great, I feel like the show never lags, and really made me want to keep watching.

Grade Overall: I would give this a high B to a low A grade. I think this is an amazing show, I just wish we could have seen more out of the other characters.

Does this show make me wanna read the manga: Yes! I would love to pick up the manga and I hope that if I do, I can get some of the information that I am looking for.

Who would enjoy this series: I think that this show has a wide range of people who would enjoy it. Of course, people who enjoy simple slice-of-life anime will love this. I think people who want a funny story no matter the genre will enjoy it. I think this is a good anime to start when you just want to throw something on that won’t take too much brain power or you wanna watch something short.

Now that you know my thoughts, what were your reactions after finishing this series, or do you wanna watch it for the first time?

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here to say let's do this!! I mean I'll still post asks about SaL and Malex, especially after episodes, and probably will do ths same with 911 if a particular episode hive me those feels, but I'd love to rave about a show whose writing actually is good. It may take me a bit longer between asks, my brain varies between watch mode and read mode and they can't play together. So in the same spirit as you I started watching at S2 with the idea "the buddie thing can't be real". TBC shortly.

SaL anon (part 2) So far 911 has been the perfect blend of humor and serious because that's exactly what the characters are (I'm surprisingly like them all. But in terms of Buddie this is what I've observed: 1. bff's hours after macho standoff (friends, okay) 2. Buck SQUEALS in delight and goes all soft eyes after finding out his bff is a single dad (not really the bff reaction I'd expect) 3. Buck teary-eye smiles when Eddie reunites with Chris (screams "beautiful family, will join soon").

SaL anon (sorry for all the asks, part 3) 4. Buck raves to Maddie about how great Eddie is and what a good dad he is and she jokes about his new boyfriend (writers this an actual trope, they end up boyfriends) 5. Eddie gives the not my type speech while he and Buck don't have an inch between them and keep that proximity (OH COME ON) 6. Buck gets Carla to help Eddie (aka coparenting). Maybe you could argue the dialogue is "just friends", but it's delivery and the body language are CHOICES.

Yay! So excited for this! I love this show so much because it is such a great blend of really funny moments, and really touching moments, and some exciting/stressful moments, and occasionally heartbreaking moments but, much like our beloved Sleeping at Last, there is always this underlying current of hope running throughout the show and it really hits with the found family vibes. It’s not often a show can pull of such a large ensemble cast where they are all such great and likable characters (I love every single one of them SO MUCH) and also explore all their stories pretty equally. 

My brain will absolutely not allow me to watch things out of order or skip episodes so I just always assume everyone starts at the beginning so thanks for letting me know where you are! I know a lot of people didn’t like season 1 but I love it for the development of who these characters are but honestly, it was simultaneously easier/more painful watching season 1 through the post-season 4 lens so whatever order you watch it in, things will hit differently knowing what comes later which can actually be kind of fun! 

Okay, Buddie!! 1) literally the fastest enemies to wanna be lovers BFFs ever. I was dreading watching that part again because of the secondhand embarrassment (Buck, babes. What are you doing?) but when I did I checked the timestamp and it’s like??? not even halfway through one episode? But I love that they didn’t drag it out, which is something the show does a lot. Sometimes with a less favorable result for things that maybe should take a little more time or we would like to see more of, but like, they didn’t spend a half or whole season with them hating each other which is much appreciated.

2) Okay, but season 1 has Buck holding on average like, a baby/child per episode. He has so many interactions with kids and he’s SO GOOD with them. So when Eddie comes along and he says “I love kids!” he means it, and we’ve seen it Funny thing though...After he meets Christopher, we see a lot less of him with other kids, and a lot more of him with Eddie’s kid. 

3)WHY DID THEY DO THIS?! He is just looking at them SO SOFT and there is literally no reason for him to be there! They didn’t drive to work together, why was Buck driving Eddie home? Literally two episodes in and it’s already “if no Buddie, why this?” Just let Buck be part of their family!

4) I love hate to break it to you but Maddie making the “boy crush” comment about Eddie is the first of several times someone implies either that Buck and Eddie are a couple/interested in each other, or that Buck is not straight and he....does not ever refute anyone about any of it, ever. Choices!! The amount of tropey stuff for them is bananas. 

5) Listen that whole episode is amazing (the opening with Eddie and Chris is so precious it hurts) but that scene!!! That scene is something else. Buck probing into Eddie’s relationship status and why he doesn’t date, bumping shoulders/arms multiple times while talking about how those girls aren’t their type and looking at each other Like That, Eddie teasing Buck back about his dating life, AND THEN it leads to the scene of Buck again, taking Eddie to his family when they go to the hospital together. And when Eddie motions for Buck to stay behind Buck has his back and comes along. AND THEN, Buck clears everything with Bobby and the Chief so that Eddie doesn’t have to worry about it. 😭😭😭 Everyone hanging out with Chris was so much fun! But that episode is the first one that really made me feel like I was going insane.

6) Buck literally listens to what it is that Eddie actually needs help with, not with parenting Christopher (which comes up later with other people in Eddie’s life), but in navigating the red tape in getting access to programs and assistance for Christopher. And Buck provides just that in Carla (who was also in season 1 which is where Buck knows her from), so that Eddie can focus more on being there and spending time with Chris and not trying to navigate purposefully difficult paperwork and systems. 

“Maybe you could argue the dialogue is "just friends", but it's delivery and the body language are CHOICES.” There are so many choices, from the dialogue to the delivery and acting to the directing (which can affect all those things) and framing of shots, to the way things are edited together and the music choices over them. It is going to blow your mind and I’m so excited to flail with you about it whenever you want!!

[rampagingsuga]

[ you're lucky i'm nice ]

pairing :

classmate!kageyama x reader

warnings : none

genre : fluff , friends to lovers

synopsis : school holidays meant that you were always up late on your phone watching anime & switching between your various social media apps. but when a certain classmate of yours decided to text you, you experienced something you never knew you longed for.

a/n : helloo!! i thought of this at an ungodly hour and just couldn't get it off my mind so here it is :> i know not all schools are on break at this time but for plot convenience this is what i'm using !

time - 1.10am

your eyelids fluttered shut as the ending song of the anime episode you were watching began to play. normally, you would be fast asleep at this hour but you allowed yourself to stay up more now that you were on school break. you checked your messages one last time before setting an alarm for 8am. you wished you could sleep in but there just had to be holiday club activities that day.

after plugging your phone into the charger, you curled up in bed. just as you were about to drift off to sleep, your phone began buzzing non-stop. slightly annoyed by the buzzing, you picked up your phone and let the bright light blind you.

"who in the right mind spams at 1 in the morning?" you thought.

26 new messages from [ kageyama-kun 👊]

[ texting ]

y/n : kageyama?? do you realise what time it is??

k : yeah

k : i need your help with math

y/n : at one in the morning?? i'll help you tomorrow

k : but it's urgent!!

y/n : i know for a fact that it's not because we don't even have extra lessons during the holidays 🙄

y/n : and even if we did, you wouldn't bother going, mr i-need-urgent-help-with-math

k : ouch okay fine.. but can i call you?

y/n : no ❤️ i want to ✨s l e e p ✨

k : woi y/n boke let me call you

y/n : wow way to show respect kags. fine, but if i see a math worksheet i'm hanging up on you

k : fair enough

y/n : you're lucky i'm nice 😒

k : you can call me tobio btw

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

that last text struck you.

somehow, these few text messages with kageyama led to you gaining so much more energy than sleep would ever let you. maybe because he always came to you for help when he had friends that he was probably more comfortable talking to. or when he managed to help you accept your bad results in that one test by bluntly spitting common sense into your head.

you sensed a growing fondness for him. it was when he texted you that you felt needed. it made you feel like someone depended on you. you felt important with him around, though many saw him as bothersome and rude. you liked it.

"hi," kageyama's raspy voice greeted you from the other end of the phone.

"hi kag- tobio," you replied, stuttering at the use of his first name.

"ne y/n, what are you doing up?"

"i could ask you the same question. but i was watching anime,"

"i was.. mustering up the courage to talk to you"

you froze. mustering up courage?? to talk to you?? but he always texted you for the most random things. usually related to school, nonetheless, what could he want to say that took so much courage?

"oh" was all you managed to say.

"d'you know about the rumours that have been circulating about us?" kags asked.

"oh? rumours?"

"yeah, people keep saying you treat me like your child with how you always look out for me. and how i always ask you for help, like a needy child," he paused, expecting a reply.

"they think we look good together, y/n,"

this caught you completely off guard. you were speechless. you had heard of such rumours but had simply brushed them off as irrelevant remarks. partly out of fear that they would ruin your friendship with kageyama. and partly because you didn't want to accept the fact that you believed they were true. you wouldn't mind being in a relationship with him.

but there was also another rumour that kageyama had been crushing on another girl. it wasn't specified but she seemed so much better than you when you heard the descriptions people gave of her. surely you had no chance with him compared to her.

"so, what do you think of it?" his calm voice breaking your train of thought.

"uhm, i don't want to believe it," you lied.

"besides, tobio-kun, you like someone else already right? why don't you talk them?" you continued, hurting your own heart in the process.

you had to let him go.

"oh.. oh wait you know about that?"

"mhm"

"well that girl is actually you, y/n," he spat out.

*click*

so that's why he needed so much courage to call you this one time. you contemplated confessing your own feelings at that moment as well. but you felt like you wanted to toy with him a little. without saying another word, you hung up and set your phone down.

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

[ the next day ]

[ texting ]

y/n : tobio-kunn can you meet me at school today? at 2pm after i finish club activities for the day

k : sure

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

after club, you strolled to karasuno's main gate where a certain kageyama tobio was waiting for you.

"hi, wanna go to coach ukai's store? i'm hungry," you asked.

"yea..," he replied, still confused as to why you suddenly told him to come to school.

on the walk back there, you were telling him about the things you did in club. surprisingly enough, he listened attentively as you rambled on.

this lasted all the way until you were about to leave the store.

"tobio-kun, i actually want to tell you something,"

"hm?"

"i like you too," you continued with full composure.

he stared back at you for a few seconds before realising where you were coming from. the previous night's, or rather morning's, call. his shoulders immediately relaxed as he took your hand to pull you out of the store, away from ukai's burning glare.

"walk," he said.

so you did, walking side by side. your heart skipping a beat whenever your hands brushed against each other. somehow halfway through your journey home, kageyama felt a sudden burst of confidence.

he stopped in his tracks. leaving you to turn around confused. he signalled for you to come to him (a/n : yk like how kenma did it to lev JSJSJ). when you got close enough, he quickly pulled you into a hug. relaxing himself into your small figure. and you did the same. you leaned in and embraced his warmth.

"thank you for letting me love you," he said sheepishly.

"any day weirdo," you replied, you head still on his chest.

when you pulled away, you motioned to continue the journey home. the both of you walked in a comfortable silence. with you feeling grateful that you had waited to confess.

when he laced his fingers with yours, you knew you were in for a ride.

a/n : AKDJSKJD the ending is kinda sloppy but this was super fun to write!

[oakgreenoak]

so. THOUGHTS so far on my reexperience w the hhgg series via audiobook now that im aroundish halfway through the series as a whole, under readmore because i have MANY thoughts. also spoilers

Book 1-

It's pretty faithful to the first four episodes of the radio...but EXPANDED. And expanded very nicely, might I add. There's a surprising amount of emotional depth added to scenes and characters. You really get a sense of how utterly traumatic the experience of losing Earth was for Arthur. You get a reflection on how Ford actually really grew to like humanity and how despondent he was internally about the Earth getting destroyed. Zaphod's brain thing is handled with appropriate gravity and horror... unlike certain films. And Trillian actually has a whole part of a scene dedicated to her being unable to sleep, trying to come to terms with how upset she is upon learning of the Earth's destruction in spite of the fact she felt at home in space and never wanted to go back. And yet, it's All so well and cleverly written that none of this bogs down the tone of the books at all; maybe too cleverly written considering people tend to forget all of it.

This book also gives a good sense of timeline to the story because it notes when the characters go to sleep, or try to. There's, like, one night between Earth's demolition and Magrathea, and then I think Arthur sleeps like maybe twice between Magrathea and getting stuck on the B-Ark in the next book. This is like, a Thursday through maybe Sunday of hectic bullshit. Arthur Dent is a tired man.

The giant illustrated edition is great too. I love the model casting, I love the mixed media, I love the little details of things like Arthur having a rubber duck on his bathroom windowsill. Also he looks like Steve Bluesclues Burns in a bathrobe and Ford is a cowboy, and every single visual adaption of the first book makes it obvious that Ford and Arthur have no sense of personal space between them. It's a damn shame they didn't do more illustrated editions.

Book 2-

I mentioned it in discord already but every book past the first one picks one (1) of the secondary cast to be the focal point (at least to a degree.) This is Zaphod's book. There's several chapters in a row of him just fucked off on his own adventure. It's probably torture for people who don't like the character, but I think he's fun as hell. He's got a lot more going on in his heads than the film or Eoin Colfer's book gives him credit for, taking him at face(s) value. But he is still also that character, and he's keen on making everyone and himself very aware that he does NOT take kindly to being treated like a tool and he wants to live his own life.

Also the last time Arthur gets a wink of sleep before getting shipwrecked with Ford is on the floor in the Heart of Gold's bridge. Someone rescue this poor man's back. Trillian also slept on the floor but she and Zaphod don't have a future of sleeping in a cave to look forward to.

I really like the expanded Prehistoric Earth stuff, it's really just these two on an adventure hanging out and being surprised at how much they enjoy themselves. And also Ford totally killed the bagpipe dude with a rock. This was also supposed to be, at time of writing the last Hitchhiker's book, so of course it pairs off Ford and Arthur with Golgafrinchan girls... but because ol' Doug can't let anything end TOO cushily it's sure to inform us that Ford's girlfriend dies a little while after he meets her and he's really torn up about it. C'mon man... give the guy a break will you?

Book 3-

I'm about ⅖ through the audiobook for this one. I'm really enjoying it so far, which I knew I would because I remembered enjoying it when I first read it and then enjoying it as a radio play last year, though the radio play really doesn't give you a good impression of just how much of the book Arthur spends in mental health crises. Weirdly, they put voice effects on DNA for certain characters in the second book after having none in the first and then they didn't again in this one, I'm not sure if I just have mixed recordings or what.

Anyway, as for books to characters, this is definitely Trillian's story, but not as much as Restaurant was Zaphod's. Trillian and Slartibartfast share the role in the story originally written for the Doctor. Man do I wish DNA kept writing Trillian like this, though. She actually! Has! Character!

Slarti is also just such a good character. I love this tired old man. Him dealing with Ford and Arthur is like the world's most exhasperated grandpa trying to control his grandson whos still in his "Why?" phase and said grandson's bratty friend who keeps demanding ice cream and to be taken to the park.

Zaphod's depressive spiral is kinda played for laughs but also uncomfortably Real. Poor guy.

Also in the audio book, DNA specified the date as "Nineteen eighty....something." We love a vague timeline. I wish I could re-find that bit to remember if any more of the date was said but I've lost it lol

Also also, how the hell would all those proposed Americanized versions of HHG handle a plot built around the most English of English sports. Would it be the Bæsbolmen? Worst timeline.

---

Man, these are my favorite books. Obviously i already knew this and I've really enjoyed all the other iterations of the series, but I'm remembering why I fell in love with the books years ago. I'll criticize the writing and choices in places sure, they're not perfect books, but they're written in such a fun and unique way. The twists and bends of the English languay... so inspiring! It's no wonder so many more recent great authors like Neil Gaiman etc were inspired by DNA. It's just a real good time.

[cosmomoore]

More spoilers for the latter half of the episode under the cut.

So Sharon is an art dealer now, but not like an above board art dealer, she is someone who sells legit famous paintings on the black market, paintings, as referenced within the show, like in the Louvre.

Okay, fine. What bothers me is she hosted a crowded party at the gallery that also serves as her house (being real discreet there eh?) in order to do some deals, with the "real" paintings exposed to the patrons as well as the coreagraphed light show.

What?

Paintings are damaged by all sorts of natural things, so the idea of hosting a party where they will be exposed to what amounts to the general public dancing around with booze as well as bright flashing lights is a terrible idea. How is she a successful black market art dealer with those business practices??

After that scene they end up in a shipping container yard to confront the miraculous serum synthesizer that they learned what they already knew (Karli stoke the serum) and a little that they didn't, the Power Broker funded the research.

Zemo murders synthesizer man and then "bounty hunters" blow the lab up.

Sharon exits stage left, RIP character development, and the boys go to Riga (the scene changes in this show are blistering, I know they have the budget, but damn, it's giving me whiplash) where Sam and Zemo go one way and Bucky goes another picking up breadcrumbs along the way only to reveal that Ayo has been monitoring them and wants Zemo dead.

That last part has been the most exciting thibg to happen in the series so far. I hope like hell that Ayo gets some good screen time and more character development, I won't hold my breath, but I can hope, right?

I'm hella frustrated by what they did with Bucky's character in this episode, I hate how a lot of the MCU's focus with him has mainly been to retread his trauma. I know Bucky isn't in a great place with his mental health currently, he's working on it though, even if his therapist is an asshole, but even in that headspace, I don't think he would fake being the Winter Soldier, a roll that arguably he isn't responsible for (he was brainwashed and modified against his will) and whose actions he is trying to atone for (something that shouldn't be necessary because is wasn't "him" that did it), so easily.

Unfortunately Sam didn't receive much character development this episode and mainly acted as quip man, not that I had high hopes for his character because he's been written pretty poorly so far.

Anyways another week, another mediocre episode.

Whereas WandaVision began really strong and (I personally think) started flatlining halfway through episode eight, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has been mediocrity from the jump.

With poor writing that hasn't been very referential to the characters' pasts (and has arguably been outright disrespectful to them) within the universe along with the lack of attention being paid to a lot of the world-building done so far, using events that are convenient to the story and not acknowledging much else, the show continues to be boring, confusing, and lacking in substance.

I want to learn more about Sam and see him get the shield and become Captain America (if he wants to of course), I want Bucky to be able to grow as a character and become more of himself and break free of the legacy of the Winter Soldier. So far we haven't seen much of either.

I'm hella excited that Ayo has shown up, but I'm sure they will squandor both her character and Florence Kasumba's talents.

After episode three, it honestly feels like a hero of the week show (as in monster of the week, but with random heroes making cameos instead). Ep 1 had a cameo from Rhodey, Ep 2 was John Walker/US Agent, Ep 3 was Sharon (and Zemo, is he a hero now??), and now Ep 4 looks like it will be Ayo.

Oh yeah, and there was less queerbaiting this episode, so that was good I guess? Because we have still yet to see how the bisexual Bucky nods will pan out.

I keep hoping that he will speak about it, but outside of the tiger photos mention, there has been anything else.

Time for my weekly complaints about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, so feel free to ignore.

Spoilers under the cut.

Once again we rejoin with Sam and Bucky who now has an idea to to break his abuser of out prison. As in the person who had him under literal mind-control for years. Excuse me while I mourn Bucky's mental health and well-being.

His abuser who, iirc, was made out to be a working class person trying to make ends meet in Civil War and is now a Baron? As in an actual figure of royalty? Who would have probably had the means necessary (because he sure has them now) to escape Sokovia when Ultron attacked in Age of Ultron. I mean, he could have been lying in Civil War, because he lies all the time, but I digress.

Meanwhile US Agent Neo Captain America is beating up some locals in Germany, at the same time that Sam and Bucky were breaking Zemo out of prison in that same country.

Anyways, Zemo, whose plan isn't very clear at all, takes Sam and Bucky to Madripoor, a fictitious Southeast Asian country, that is characterized by its harboring of lowlifes and criminals, and, at least on initial watching, has no Southeast Asian citizens? Gosh I hate the trope of futuristic Asian countries without any Asian people living in them.

Well they visit a bar, where the trio is clearly being photographed and Zemo has Bucky assault some people, which of course is being recorded, and it will more than likely get out that Bucky is once again under Zemo's control (Bucky is just playing the part but the public won't know that from the videos) meanwhile Sam is impersonating a member of royalty from an unnamed African country. And the person that Sam is impersonating 1) conveniently looks like him and 2) frequents said bar enough to have a usual drink (which for some unknown reason involves the disemboweling of a snake) and 3) the bartenders seem to know the African royalty member Sam is impersonating knows Zemo. While at the bar they meet up with someone named Selby who has info about whoever is synthesizing the super soldier serum again, but nevermind the fact that Zemo has been in prison, snap years included, for close to eight years (Civil War ended in April 2016, Endgame ended around October 2023 and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is believed to take place in the Spring of 2024), so how Zemo knows this is still valid information is beyond me. Then Selby is randomly shot by someone from off screen and the trio exits the bar quickly with concern the murder will be pinned on them.

Well that's all for now, I'm still hate watching, but I'll probably post more in a bit.

They escaped to a dark alley only to be coincidentally confronted by Sharon Carter, who I hope they do something decent with because her character, with the exception of Peggy's funeral scene, hasn't had proper development and feels shoe-horned into all of her other scenes (that is my personal opinion, I just wish they would give her a proper storyline for a change).

Oh, but at least she's alarmed that Bucky broke his abuser out of prison because so far the characters have been pretty disingenuous (rude-ass therapist included) regarding the decades of trauma Bucky went through.