#Overall a very average season nothing completely outstanding but nothing bad either

[mazojo]

Summer 2021 Opinions

Its that time I come here and pretend I am an anime connoisseur so alas, here are my thots on summer 2021 anime from worst to best

Sonny Boy

I want to like Sonny Boy, I really really do. And I am trying, I really am. I just,,,,, dont get it ASDFGHJ Maybe I am dumb, I am sure its that but like, I cant really enjoy something I dont understand. the music slaps and I think the metaphors and concepts overall are alright but just,,,, I wish I knew what was happening to have an opinion sksks

Tantei wa Mou, Shindeiru.

This is... Very generic. Like its all the same tropes all over and over again and like,,,, snooze tbh. I am a bit behind but the best part of this was the detective on the first ep and like //// bruh ASDFGHJK I mean I honestly wouldnt recommend this but if you're into the waifu kind of generic and sort of maybe kind of mysterious aspect go for it.

Cider no You ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru

I am including the movie because I got to watch it and this was cute. It was nothing over the top that I would die for and stuff but it was okay. I think the animation and colors were super vibrant and unique and the boy is the best part of the movie. Its a sort of movie that you put in the background and enjoy while doing other shenanigans.

Uramichi Oniisan

It feels so wrong putting this so low because everyone is enjoying this and this is the sort of anime I would absolutely love because its dumb and comedic and dumb and shit but like it didn't really hook me? I mean I am super behind so maybe this will change but idk, its kind of boring at times and the jokes fly a bit over my head and I find it a bit too dramatic at moments but thats just me so dont even listen to what I say xddd

Re-Main

Another anime I reallyyy wanna like xddd,,,, And I do! Kind of.... I am a big fan of sports anime so this was on my radar for a while and the animation is great, the characters are alright and its all a bit formulaic but theres just something in the back of it that makes me not wanna put it higher.... I think it relates to the whole incident thing which, I get its a plot point but at the same time its kind of rushed and brushed over? Like if you take Number 24, which isnt perfect but alas I have a soft spot for, it uses a similar concept but its not overlooked while in here its just.... like no one cares lol?? idk I enjoy it but its not the best out there personally.

Shiroi Suna no Aquatope

Now we start getting onto the ones I enjoyed the most ayeE! Aquatope is an anime I was sure I was going to rate averagely, just because it looked a bit like Barakamon and I am not a huge fan of it but I was pleasantly surprised!! This is such a relaxing anime I put and my worries just wash away. It doesnt have an overly intricate plot or anything but its just soft and they are girlfriends and we get to see cute sea animals and its very cute with the animation, defo recommend it for something light to watch!

Deatte 5-byou de Battle

I didnt put this show in my original watch list but I started it just out of curiosity and surprisingly it really hooked me! Its sort of got that danganronpa-ish vibes to it and its a very interesting plot which I know at first looks generic but the main character carries it very well, every week I am lowkey interested to what is happening and understanding what is going on. I really enjoy the characters specially, their relationships are interesting and it’s overall good

Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid

This is another I wasnt expecting to rank this high but I was pleasantly surprised! I absolutely adoooore Bochan and he is absolutely best boi. His relationship with Alice is super cute and it gets you rooting for them and I just need him to be okay and asdfghjkl ngl the last few episodes took a bit of a weird turn but I still love them lmaoo (I am looking at you bird guy)

Vanitas no Carte

VnC is fantastic. I dont have much to say because I’ve always loved the manga and the story is very heart wrenching and asdfghj WATCH IT FOR NOE OKEI? they are precious and its very heavy, the animation is super well done and the adaptation has been done very well! Its from the same author of Pandora Hearts in case you enjoyed it <3

Hamefura Season 2

OKAY YES MAYBE HAMEFURA IS NOT THE BEST ANIME OUT THERE BUT I ENJOY IT SO I GET TO PLACE IT FIRST ASDFGHJK Its cute, they are all great, the characters, the dynamics are hilarious the humor is great. I still think Season 1 was a bit better because of the pacing but overall its a very very good season 2 nglll

[marcoharem]

Last random thoughts of the year

Hello everyone, and welcome to the last “Random Thoughts” post of 2018. I know I’ve been very outspoken about things I didn’t like from season 3 and… I know that some of you enjoyed S3 and that’s okay because it’s important to have different opinions, all that goes without saying.

Now, the reason I’m bringing this up is because, instead of talk about what went wrong, this time I want to focus on what went right. What makes SvtFoE so appealing, and in order to understand this, we need to talk about the most important aspect of every succesful cartoon: The Characters.

The problem is that this show in particular has way too many characters to analyse and discuss, so to make it nice and clear, we’ll just focus on the main characters: Marco and Star. People of the MvtFoL community, I present to you:

Top 8 Reasons Why (I Think) Marco is a better character than Star

DISCLAIMER: The thoughts and opinions expressed on this post belong solely to the author (that’s me) and doesn’t necessarily represent the views of the MvtFoL community as a whole.

#8-Sidekicks: I know this one technically doesn’t count because we’re talking about the main characters, but on my experience, the friends you choose to hang out with tell a lot about you on a personal level (especially if you’re a teenager like Marco and Star)

Star has Princess Ponyhead, a rude, loud, egotistical and obnoxious character that (from my perspective) only exists to appeal to younger kids who love memes and internet culture. Marco on the other hand has Alfonso and Ferguson, two stereotypical geek characters that were created out of executive meddling (and that’s not my perspective, Nefcy already comfirmed this statement)

Now, I’m not saying that Alfonzo and Ferguson were particularly outstanding or interesting, (in fact a lot of people find them annoying) I’m just suggesting that they are less obnoxious than Ponyhead, not because they’re human, but because they seem more genuine as people, unlike Pony Head who always seems like she’s trying WAY too hard to be “hip” and “cool”.

#7 Character Archetypes: Now, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Star, I don’t think she’s the worst of her kind, nor she should go away and allow Marco to become the main character (it would be nice for a change, but that’s beside the point) my point is: The energetic-cutesy-bubbly-lovable-sillypants archetype has been done like a million times before, so in terms of personality, she brings nothing new to the table.

Marco is completely different story. Yeah, he may seem like the average teenage boy at first, but unlike Star, he plays these character traits to his advantage. For example, on the first episode of the series, when Ludo and his minions were about to attack to take Star’s wand, he jumps in front of Star to protect her and shows his karate skills for the first time, subverting the idea that just because he’s “the safety kid” it doesn’t mean he’s a useless coward with no skills or talent whatsoever.

#6 Character Appeal: This part is more subjective if we consider that we’re talking about characters from a kids show and… I’m not part of the main target audience, but with that said: I never found Star very appealing, I mean, she’s skilled with magic, can be occasionally funny and design-wise she’s good looking. But other than her magic and goofy antics, Star is not very likeable. In fact, she can be overbearing at times (especially when she’s paired with Pony Head)

Being an average human being, Marco’s skills such as karate, cooking, psychology, etc. comes from his own hard work rather than just play the “it’s magic, don’t question it” card like Star does. Not to mention his deadpan sense of humor and delivery is way more subtle than Star…. Also, for what I understand, he’s considered to be pretty handsome both in-universe and by the fanbase, but that’s something I’ll leave for open interpretation.

#5 Better Living Through Chemistry: One of the things Starco fans always bring up when they talk about the couple, is the amount of chemistry between Marco and Star and… yes, they’re right from a certain point of view, but here’s the thing: Marco has good chemistry with pretty much everyone.

I mean, every time he shares screentime with a female character (whether be Star, Jackie, Janna, Hekapoo, Kelly and so on) he nails it almost everytime, I mean aside from being a good speaker, he’s nice, gentle, loyal and (for the most part) selfess… Star on the other hand… well… There’s Oskar Greason and… StanFan13 I guess?

Which is funny considering how in season 1 gave us the impression that the writers were going to take “reverse harem” route and make Marco, Tom and Oskar falling for Star, but come on… she’s both a wizard AND a member of the royalty. She doesn’t need a bunch of guys fighting for her as well (even Tom seems to have better chemistry with Marco than her, just remember the “friendenemies” episode)

#4 Role model: Now, I don’t think that all the characters on every kids show should be a role model nor preach us with sappy morals and stuff… but here’s the thing: Fiction is a form of escapism and characters serve as self-insertions in which the audience project themselves either at a concious or an unconscious level.

Characters like Marco work with this idea at the right level. He’s strong, intelligent and charming, but he’s also shy, clumsy, naive and has moments of childishness as well. He has enough character development to distinguish from the average harem protagonist, but he also has enough flaws to avoid the mary sue territory. That sounds like a good role model to me.

And Star is… how can I put it? She acts like a brat. Not only that, but she’s also very vain and shallow, even when she seems to fight for a noble cause. The irony is that while Brittney was created as a foil for Star (both of them are rich, self-entitled princesses) Star can be just as rude and spoiled as her.

#3 Symphaty contest: Once again, Marco outperforms Star on almost every level. And this may sound bias to all of you but I’m sorry, I can’t feel any sympathy towards Star even when she’s being naive or well-intended.

The only episode I can recall where I felt symphathy for Star was the “Other Exchange Student” episode, because it was the first time someone else took the spotlight away from her. Also it was a breath of fresh air to see her getting jealous, but not on a romantic way…

#2 Character Development: During the first 2 seasons, Marco not only proved to be a highly talented individual, but also proved to be capable to overcome every single misfortune that got in his way (Tom, the naysaya, the cashier of the VHS Depot, the monster arm), he found the courage to speak to Jackie only to find out that she reciprocates his feelings, and just like like every human being he commited mistakes such as trying to slander Jeremy by recording a video of him being a douche to expose him to Sensei Brantley, only to realize all by himself that spy on people is bad.

And meanwhile, Star… pretty much remains the same. And no, turning into a giant butterfly with god-like superpowers doesn’t count as character development. And like I said, even though she learns that monsters are creatures with hopes and dreams just like the mewmans, it doesn’t change the fact that she still treats Marco like garbage (Booth buddies), annoys her mother even when she’s on a highly stressful sitaution (Battle of Mewni) and kisses Marco and keep it in secret only for Marco to do the right thing and confess (Divide/Conquer) so don’t be surprised to find people on the internet that… doesn’t like her very much.

#1 Overall Best Person: And once again, it seems like I’m beating a dead horse, but it can’t be said enough: Marco is an individual with higher moral values than Star.

I mean, seriously: He’s willing to do ANYTHING for Star, whether be cross-dressing, fight monsters, give up his entire life and happiness for a vague promise of being knighted. And the fact that so many people find acceptable that Star keeps perpetuating this cycle of abuse as if is “cute” is just… ugh… I’m sorry, I just cringed for a moment.

And again: I have nothing against Star, but please: Stop pretending she’s like a perfect little flower that deserves being rewarded only for who she is rather than her own merits. And as long as that old, tired dynamic doesn’t change, I’ll keep saying that Marco Diaz is a much better character than Star Butterfly.

And that’s all I have to say for today. Thank you for your time and I wish you all a happy new year. And rembember: The point of these posts is to encourage discussion and keep this page alive, because let’s face it: It’s up to us to give Marco support by shipping him with all the female characters (including Star), even if it’s not cannon. That way we’re reaffirming the fact that Marco is more important to SvtFoE than Star ever will…

#haremshipisthebestship

[jodyedgarus]

Can James Harden’s MVP Campaign Survive Chris Paul?

Thanks to a combination of novelty and voter fatigue, it’s rare for an NBA player to remain MVP bridesmaid for too long. For every block of seasons where a Michael Jordan or LeBron James dominates the consensus at No. 1, a Charles Barkley or Derrick Rose will still manage to slip in and break up the monotony. That’s a big reason why, in all of NBA history, only three players have finished as MVP runners-up multiple times without ever actually taking home the award themselves.

Two of those are retired Hall of Famers: Jerry West (who came in second an astonishing four times without winning) and George Gervin. The third, James Harden of the Houston Rockets, is still very much active. But the way he’s playing this season, he might not be MVP-less much longer. After finishing second in two of the previous three seasons, Harden has established himself as the early award favorite while leading the Rockets to the best record in the West and the league’s top per-possession point differential. At long last, it might be time for the greatest bearded MVP since Bill Walton — just so long as the recent return of domineering fellow guard Chris Paul doesn’t get in Harden’s way.

By the numbers, Harden has never been better. He’s currently either first or second (behind LeBron James) in virtually every advanced value metric, including Value Over Replacement Player, Win Shares, Estimated Wins Added and ESPN’s Real Plus/Minus (RPM) wins above replacement. Harden has long been known for his ridiculous efficiency — he generates more points per possession than any other big-time scorer in the game today (including Steph Curry) — but he’s taken that approach to an entirely new level so far this year. He’s producing about 122 points for every 100 possessions he’s personally responsible for, a number usually reserved for three-point specialists, low-scoring big men and LeBron, but with the usage rate of a player who controls his team’s every offensive move. Once again, Harden is pushing the boundaries of just how many points one player can create for his team:

If he keeps this up, Harden would become the first qualified1 player since at least the 1976 ABA-NBA merger to use 35 percent or more of a team’s possessions while putting up an offensive rating of 120 or more. Depending on how you look at it, he would either be the most efficient high-usage player ever or shoulder the biggest responsibility of any high-efficiency player ever. Either way, it would make Harden the most valuable offensive weapon in the game.

What’s unique about Harden is how his scoring and passing play off of each other, making it virtually impossible to shut off his firehose of production. He currently leads the league in both assist rate2 and usage rate,3 an accomplishment that has been pulled off only one other time — by Russell Westbrook last season. And while Westbrook ranked 126th in true shooting percentage last year, Harden ranks 25th this season thanks to an eye-popping assortment of shot-making numbers: 51 percent on 2-pointers, 41 percent on threes and 86 percent from the line (where he still finagles himself 9.3 times per game, the most in the league). Among players in the 50-40-85 club for those percentages in a season, nobody has ever come close to doing it with a usage rate like Harden’s so far this year. Whenever Harden touches the ball, almost exclusively good things happen for Houston.

Thanks in large part to Harden’s complete offensive clinic, the Rockets currently rank second only to the Golden State Warriors in points per 100 possessions. They’re shattering their own benchmark for the most made threes per game in NBA history (knocking down a stunning 16.1 a night while taking 53 percent of their field goal attempts from deep), and they also rank third in pick-and-roll efficiency,4 averaging 0.98 points per possession on the play, according to NBA.com.

All the while, Houston is providing an interesting counterpoint to the Warriors in terms of offensive basketball philosophy. Golden State is a joy to watch because of its pure shooting talent, frequently knocking down looks that mortal players have no business making: The Warriors rank only ninth in Second Spectrum’s Quantified Shot Quality metric, which measures the expected value of a team’s shot selection based on league averages, but they lead the NBA in shooting efficiency anyway because nobody outperforms the expected value of their shots by more. The Rockets are the opposite. They make their shots at a slightly higher clip than average, but it’s nothing special; instead, they thrive on relentlessly creating prime scoring chances, leading the league in shot quality with the highest expected value (a 54.1 effective field goal percentage) of any season in Second Spectrum’s database.5 You can argue with the aesthetics of Harden and the Rockets’ methodical exploitation of basketball’s percentages, but it’s never worked to greater effect than in the early stages of this season.

The only unresolved question about Harden and his hardware is whether Paul’s return will disrupt Harden’s early-season flow. Before the season, we noted that the NBA had never seen a pairing of two ball-dominant guards quite like Harden and Paul before, and that Houston’s success would largely hinge on how the two could co-exist and alter their games to complement each other. But with Paul missing 14 of Houston’s first 15 contests, the pairing hasn’t received a great deal of stress-testing yet — Harden has largely been able to play in the manner he’s been accustomed to over the past few years, when he seldom had to share playmaking responsibilities with anybody.

The good news is that in the few games since Paul’s return, Harden has been as outstanding as ever. He’s averaging 34.4 points and 8.2 assists per game with a 68.7 true shooting percentage and an average Game Score of 28.6 — a better number than he was putting up while Paul was out of the lineup. The bad news is that the Rockets have barely scraped past the opposition (+2.4 points per 100 possessions) with their two stars on the court when compared with the +16.3 margin they have with one but not the other. And most concerning (but not surprising) for Harden’s MVP campaign, his stat-stuffing ways are indeed getting curtailed when he shares the court with Paul. According to NBA.com, Harden’s rates of assists, usage and even rebounds all take a hit with Paul in the game. Granted, his shooting efficiency is up with Paul, one of the great passers of his generation, but Harden’s overall production — as measured by the percentage of total “good things” (for both teams) he’s responsible for while in the game6 — is down from 20.1 percent without Paul to 15.7 percent with him.7

To help avoid the redundancy in their stars’ skill sets, the Rockets are staggering Harden and CP3’s minutes some. (And Paul has been on a program of reduced minutes anyway, while working his way back into form.) The Rockets have most of the season ahead of them to figure out how the two players fit together, with the primary goal of finally getting over the hump in the Western Conference playoffs, not to maximize Harden’s stat lines. But as well as Harden has played early this season, this looks like his best shot yet at ending his string of MVP near-misses. He just needs to figure out how to play his hyper-efficient, do-everything game while simultaneously sharing the ball with another superstar — a task easier said than done.

Check out our latest NBA predictions.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/can-james-hardens-mvp-campaign-survive-chris-paul/