#THEY DID A GOOD JOB ADAPTING THIS INTO AN ANIME WHILE STILL HAVING IT FEEL COHESIVE AND CONCISE FOR A GACHA GAME WITH 200+ FUCKING

[frascospecimen]

“magia record anime isn’t worth watching” is a take I see every now and then somehow that’s just baffling to me like. O dont even know where to go with this post what do you mean. “the holy quintet barely even shows up in it” They dont even know about holy mami

[xviiperr]

Yandere Platonic Enforcer: Part Two!

Summary: The man, still with no name, tries to help you adapt to your new home.

TW: Abuse, (to you) kidnapping, yandere behavior, captive reader, trauma (from being taken from your home & forced somewhere else).

He had done well to settle you in. Given your size, the man had to scrounge around Piltover's dressing stores to find the perfect clothing suited to your likeness. In all honesty, it was a frustrating and almost degrading task. The only way he was able to get through such a time-consuming job was the hope all his efforts would reward him with you calling him "Father."

The man felt out of place in the clothing stores, especially when he was not wearing his uniform. Clad in a white shirt with a button-up brown vest, gently matching pants alongside the vest and well-made dress shoes, the man looked normal. In fact, those who had seen him without his mask before noticed a spark of life behind his gaze. He soon found himself noticed by his fellow enforcers— the man was equally bewildered as he was dismissive.

He found the only use for speaking with his fellow enforcers off-duty was their surprisingly helpful advice in purchasing children's clothing. The answer he began to give became a regular reply to all the bombarding questions: he had adopted a child and the child needed new clothes since they outgrew all of their previous items. The man smartly left out the part where he choked you; he had a fondness for turtlenecks now.

After hours of his day taken away shopping, the man returned home, where he locked you in the bathroom in order for you to adjust to your surroundings. The man had vague experience— a cat he had a long time ago grew to love him after he introduced it slowly to his home by keeping it in the bathroom first. The only difference between you and the cat was the cat remained in the room while you bolted at the first chance you got.

He barely caught you in time, hooking his arm around your torso, trapping your arms. Your legs kicked harshly against his thighs— that would leave a nasty bruise later. He shushed you, forcing your head into his shoulder; the man wasn't surprised when you bit him. It took every fiber of his being to not slam you against the floor and punch you in the face— what kind of Father would he be?

Fathers are kind, fathers are loving, fathers care for their kids unconditionally. All you were doing was establishing some of your own conditions, of which he would fix later to his liking. For now, he needed to calm you down. “Calm down," he directed, voice soft as a feather. A one-off command was as he gave before squeezing you tighter and hushing you even more. He wanted you to be obedient and finish whatever feelings you had.

The man could tell that this affair would take a while. He could feel his arms starting to tire, ever so slightly. “I'm not going to hurt you,” he promised this, even though he heavily considered it a flash ago. To be a good father was to be patient and willing to care for a little scrap that behaved itself like a wild animal. He noticed a brief change in your demeanor— pausing your violent kicks for just a second— then you kicked one last very harshly. A grunt was his reply, it did hurt him more.

Finally, you were ready to listen. Held firmly against his chest, the man reached for the door and closed it, trapping you and him in the bathroom. He set you down, swift to block you from any attempt of reaching for the handle. Any attempts on your part were quickly thwarted. But, something did pique your interest, if only suspicion. What was stowed behind his back? Why did he have to use one arm to keep you back?

You got your answer when he revealed a stack of clothes, new and freshly washed. He set them on the bathroom vanity, glancing at your skeptical gaze. You could see his usual blank expression twitch, the right side of his mouth twirling into a half-smile. You felt fear. What was he going to do now? His hand, the one that set the clothes down, rested on top of the pile. It slowly lifted and hovered towards you.

Ducking out of the way, you avoided him first. He scoffed, frustrated. He reached again, this time, getting down on a knee. Contorting his face into a sad, yet, hopeful expression, the man urged you to trust him based only on his expressions. You weren't sure whether to trust him or not, after all, he did choke you before. He sighed, heavily, and retracted his hand. That made you feel much better, only for a short while— now you worried if he would lunge at you. He didn't.

Strange, you were expecting to be attacked. The man reached up towards the countertop, taking the clothes into his hands and outstretched them towards you, displaying what he had bought. His head tilted towards the side and he offered a small, vague smile. It soon returned to that blank expression you came to recognize as normal. “ These are for you,” he said. “Look at them, please.” He was trying his hardest to not drag you forward and make you look closely.v

When faced with reality, you realized that the outfit you were wearing currently, was fraying. It was thin and very muddy. It did upset you. Maybe you should try some new clothes. “If you,” you see his yellow eyes flicker, flashing downward. “If you try them on, I'll let you out of the bathroom.” You could tell he didn't like the idea at all. But, you could also see he was genuine. You could find a way to escape, good. “You can shower later, if you'd like.” His gaze returned, looking at you quietly.

He knew if he forced you to shower and then expected you to change clothes, all the "trust" he built with you would be shattered. He had to be patient. He is your Father, the one who provides for you. And fathers are kind, nurturing and above all, loving. You just weren't ready to see that yet. That's okay, he reminds himself, you'll learn to love him eventually. You are his kid. And he loves you very much.

[sidsinning]

I could write an essay about how much I love my GOAT Toji seriously

Like he represents everything a jujutsu socerer shouldn't be and uses EXACTLY those traits to solo both the socerers and the curses they work so hard to exorcise

The fact that he has NO cursed energy at all, what made him worthless in the Zenin clan's eyes, was exactly what sealed all their fates in losing to him is an INSANE twist to pull

(Yes there's Maki, but she feels more like she's trying to work within the system despite her limits (like the glasses she wears to adapt), unlike Toji who is totally free due to overwhelming raw senses alone)

His introduction opened up a whole new way to see the power system of cursed energy while making complete sense with what has been established, for me at least

(I wasn't super interested in the jjk power system personally until Toji showed how its strengths can be the user's own weaknesses if exploited properly)

He is an iconic infamous stain on both the socerer world inside of JJK and to one of the most important characters which kicked off the whole plot

He EASILY solo'd the world's most powerful socerer at the time- someone who represents everything that is the opposite of himself- with base planning and strategy

Didn't break a sweat the entire time

But despite all this power he has, despite the reputation he has for his strength, despite seemingly killing the world's strongest socerer at the time- the man was a deeply depressed and jobless bum

He is not any happier before or after his assassinations are done

Feels good in the moment then he's back to his life doing nothing but gambling his money away until the next job

This man who has beaten everyone of every age and species now in the series (he said these hands are rated E for everyone) was actually a WIFE GUY

He was living a shitty life in his clan who abused and feared him but found fucking LOVE and turned his ENTIRE life around for ONE PERSON to be a normal man, even having a child with her

And after she dies he spirals into deep depression, to the point he is incapable of being a good father; he knows on some level that his mental state is so bad he couldn't take care of Megumi properly- THAT is how DEEPLY he loved this woman

HE SOLD HIM THO WHICH IS TERRIBLE

BUT AGAIN

Showing how he's shit (making money from it) but also tries in his own way (I'm too mentally fucked up so a proper family should take care of him)

Then just looking into Megumi's eyes during his zombification knocks his consciousness back into himself, showing if there was one thing he truly cared about during his final moments, it was his son

Then sacrificing his life for his son in the end without asking for anything but his name to rest in peace

BUT ALSO HE MURDERS EVERYTHING WITHOUT REMORSE LIKE?

THE JUXTAPOSITION????

Literally kills teenagers and even during his final moments and his comeback he doesn't give a shit

Like he did a crazy anime fight to kill Gojo which was brutal but still a cool magical fight to watch

Then he fucking snipes a teenage girl in the head with a gun

A plain gun

No crazy stunts

No regrets

THE GOAT? 😭

ALSO THE WAY YOU CAN TELL GEGE LOVES HIM LOL

You could easily write his zombie ass out of the Shibuya Incident Arc but the man wanted to draw him again so bad he made room for necromancer granny to kick start the GOAT's return for a hot sec

HIS FIGHTS ARE SO COOL LIKE HE DON'T GOTTA RELY ON ANY SOCERER SHIT JUST HIS HANDS AND AN INVENTORY ON HIS SHOULDER ARE ENOUGH ITS SO RAW THAT HE CAN GO HEAD TO HEAD WITH WIZARDS AS JUST A DUDE AND WIN

[biconickyoshi]

Okay y’all… I was very critical of eps 3 & 4 (especially 4) of NAtLA. Then all of a sudden eps 5 & 6 kinda slapped me in the face with how much better the show suddenly got.

Spoiler-free thoughts first:

Zuko, Iroh, and Aang have cemented themselves as the best parts about this adaptation - which is really funny considering I’m currently writing a longfic AU where Zuko and Iroh discover Aang in the iceberg right after Zuko is banished at age 13 and end up becoming the first members of the Gaang (albeit reluctantly at first lol). Episode 6: “Masks” (the Blue Spirit adaptation) was so good, I’d venture to say that it actually improved and fleshed out some things from the original series.

Episode 5: “Spirited Away”, while not as good as E6, was not as bad as I heard people say it was going to be. I think that the changes they did make didn’t bother me nearly as much as the changes they made in the last episode, and it was actually entertaining.

There were several scenes that made me cry in both of these episodes (moreso in episode 6, which I’ll get into further down in the spoiler section). These are the scenes that I feel like really tapped into the heart of the original show rather than feeling like a soulless remake.

Now for my in-depth thoughts (INCLUDES SPOILERS):

EP 5: “Spirited Away”

- Staring out, I was bummed because I had just rewatched the first two eps of the original animated series lol.

- It was an interesting choice to have all three members of the Gaang get stuck in the Spirit World, but I think it worked.

- Wan Shi Tong just showing up randomly was a bit unnecessary, but I suppose it will be kinda interesting to see him again in S2 since he’s already met the Gaang

- Hei Bai plays a much smaller role in these eps, but I strangely didn’t mind that either?

- Seeing Katara’s last memory with her mom was devastating, especially the fact that she had to witness her death and hide in the igloo with Kya’s charred body :(( she definitely has severe PTSD.

- Even Sokka’s memory made me tear up a bit

- Koh being the villain and a soul-eater or whatever was a bit of an odd choice, but I guess I can see why they did it. I do prefer him just being an asshole who steals ppl’s faces lol

- Appreciated the Fog of Lost Souls reference from the LoK lore

- Aang reuniting with Gyatso made me cry. I know some people didn’t like him being in the Spirit World, but I really liked it. Also, the fact that Gyatso was the first person to tell Aang that it wasn’t his fault the Air Nomads died, and that if he had been there he would have died too? THANK YOU! My poor boy has been berated enough for “abandoning” the world.

- We got some interesting lore about the afterlife for humans from Gyatso and Aang’s convo, which we’ve never gotten in AtLA media before. Idk if it’s just for Air Nomads, but Aang mentions that Gyatso stayed behind instead of “seeking enlightenment”. I know that the end goal in Buddhism is to reincarnate until you eventually achieve nirvana, so I wonder if that’s what they were alluding to (I’m not an expert on religions so pls correct me if I’m wrong)

- Oh yeah, I forgot June is here lmao. As a queer person I loved her (bc beautiful goth woman) but I didn’t like the weird choice to make her hit on Iroh - I guess to contrast the Iroh being creepy towards her thing in the OG series. I wish they would have just had them interact normally tbh, no weird “flirting”

EP 6: “Masks”

- Here we go y’all. The best episode in the show so far and probably the best the show is gonna get this season. I’m still pretty shocked at how good this one was.

- I think the decision to include flashbacks to Zuko’s Agni Kai was a good decision here. It felt like an appropriate episode for them and the flashbacks were very well done.

- In general, Dallas is doing a phenomenal job at portraying a Zuko who is angry and aggressive, yes, but also so very sweet and compassionate at his core. I love when little inklings of his true self shine through.

- Roku was… not what I expected. He was very much more of a lighthearted and jokey person… I didn’t hate it, it was just unexpected lol. I wonder if they did that to contrast him with Kyoshi. Which, speaking of, I’m glad Roku clarified that Aang doesn’t just need to be a merciless warrior (and that he didn’t berate Aang for “abandoning” the world like she did). But I still am annoyed about the mischaracterization of Kyoshi in general.

- RIP Shyu :/

- Thought it was kind of strange how June captures Aang at Roku’s temple lol. Like how did she get on and off the island??

- Zhao continues to feel like a completely different character to me lmao. I think this version is pretty funny, but it’s so weird to see Zhao being portrayed as so goofy and incompetent when he was such an intimidating force and the main villain of Book 1 in the OG series. Just a weird direction they went with his character.

- The Yuyan archers look cool as fuck. 10/10 no notes

- Still not sure how I feel about Azula already being this insecure and jealous of Zuko. I think it makes her feel a bit more realistically like a child, but the whole point of Azula’s character is that she is really good at maintaining this cool and calm persona on the surface, which she uses to scare and manipulate people. I can see her maybe getting to a point later on to where she hardens herself into that though. We’ll see.

- Baby Zuko asking Iroh how he looks and his little smile 😭😭😭😭 I had a physical “aww” reaction to that. THAT’S MY SON (me and Iroh shouting in unison)

- War Room scene was handled very well. No complaints. I like how Ozai tried to test Zuko with battle strategies.

- Blue Spirit break out scene was extremely close to the original, and it was really good. They adapted it almost shot for shot with all the important parts.

- Here’s probably my favorite part of the episode: Zuko and Aang’s talk inside the abandoned house after they escape from Pohuai!!!!!! Gahhhh I could gush about this scene all day. I love how they expanded it to be an actual friendly conversation between Aang and Zuko. Like we get to see Zuko’s true self coming through - the sweet, kind boy we know he is. Zuko and Aang just have such great chemistry as well, wayyy more than Aang has with either Sokka or Katara. Like I adored them bonding over painting and caligraphy!!! I think this is the best acting we’ve seen from Gordon so far, and Dallas did a phenomenal job switching back to that hurt, angry version of himself (of course a trauma response). And the fact that Aang said “sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you” when he blocked Zuko’s firebending attack??? My sweet boy 😭

- The final flashback to the Agni Kai was really well done too. I’d already heard Zuko fights back, which I wasn’t sure I’d like, but I actually didn’t mind it. I really liked that they showed Zuko’s hesitation whenever he did actually have an opening, and that was what angered Ozai the most - Zuko showing compassion, “weakness”. Daniel Dae Kim is of course doing a phenomenal job (no surprises there), and I really liked that Iroh actually attempted to stop Ozai at one point. It also looked like young Azula had tears in her eyes, which I again actually liked because it humanizes her.

- I loved that Aang was still there when Zuko woke up on the boat 😭 he wanted to make sure he was okay!! I full on started crying when we got the “do you think we could have been friends too?” lines from him. Again, Gordon killed it. I love how you can tell that Aang knows Zuko has been hurt and that’s why he acts the way he does. He doesn’t blame him for any of it. 10/10

- the last flashback to Zuko in his bed recovering from the burn… god the tears just kept flowing. I really liked the choice to have Ozai almost give Zuko a chance to like… idk understand why he did what he did, and how compassion is “weak”?? And then Zuko’s response to give people a chance 😭😭😭 as if I couldn’t love him any more!!! And then of course Ozai gets pissed. But seeing baby Zuko just cry in his bed UGH I’m dehydrated at this point

- Of course I can’t finish this review without mentioning the 41st division. What an incredible way to expand upon the source material by making them Zuko’s crew!!! It shows just how much Zuko truly cares about others and it moved me so much (once again to tears).

I don’t have high hopes for the last two episodes, but honestly, if this is what the live action can be, it gives me a bit of hope (at least for future seasons). I really think that Dallas, Gordon, Paul, and Daniel were the stars of this ep and are a big part of what made it so good.

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

I know I’ve spoken about my issues with ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ (2023) before, both in my initial thoughts post about the film after it released and a couple of smaller comments since, but I’ve realised something this past week after rewatching the original Disney cartoon and the 2003 non-Disney live-action while sick, and I feel I need to talk about it.

It’s about Wendy Moira Angela Darling.

While I stand by that Ever Anderson was one of the highlights of the film and that she did a great job as Wendy, the Wendy in the film is not really the Wendy seen in Barrie’s book, nor the one in the play and other films adaptations. It’s a very different character in a lot of ways, and while it’s normal for characters to differ from adaption to adaptation - especially over the course of 70+ years - I feel like the Wendy seen in the 2023 is more like Jane, Wendy’s daughter, from Disney’s Return to Neverland sequel in 2002.

Let me preface by saying that I actually love Jane in the sequel as a character - I see a lot of myself in her, and while the sequel in itself is not really my favourite, I do have some nostalgia for it because I grew up with it and it’s a cute little story. I like that Jane is actually different from Wendy in a lot of ways; she’s a lot more headstrong and more of a tomboy, and while she’s also a storyteller at times like her mother (mostly to her brother Danny), she is a lot more practical I think and seems to be opposite to Wendy in that she’s trying to grow up too fast. Wendy believes in Peter Pan and doesn’t want to grow up, meanwhile Jane believes Peter Pan to be silly childish nonsense, that she has to grow up quickly and be more adult due to the war/her father being away - Wendy says to her, “you think you’re very grown up - but you have a great deal to learn”.

Obviously the 2023 Wendy doesn’t want to grow up, that’s still the same, but in terms of personality, temperament and the way she treats her brothers after the broken mirror incident (blaming John for it), she reminds me more of Jane than Wendy. Like Jane, she also doesn’t seem to have a good time going to Neverland (at least not at first?) and she seems to take on a lot more action than Wendy did in the animated film.

Of course, it’s not the first time that we’ve seen Wendy wielding a sword and fighting pirates - the 2003 Wendy was shown to play with wooden swords and use real ones, even remarking, “who are you to call me ‘girlie’?!”. I’m not saying that Wendy can’t be a sword wielding girl and fight because she can, it’s one of the additions I love the most about the 2003 film.

The problem with the 2023 version of Wendy is not her being a main character (she has always been a main character), nor her sword fighting and being generally bad-ass - it’s the erasure of the other qualities that make her Wendy Darling.

One of Wendy’s primary character traits is her mothering nature - she is very motherly to her brothers, and when she hears that the Lost Boys don’t have a mother, she’s aghast and agrees to be their mother. The whole “Peter is father, Wendy is mother” idea is clearly a reference to how kids in the playground will play games like “mummies and daddies” - kids imitating what they see around them. It’s all a big pretend game in Neverland for fun. It’s also undeniable that Wendy pretending to be the Lost Boys’ mother is clearly reflective of her own mother, who she adores and is portrayed as the loveliest lady ever, and how she’s imitating Mrs Darling in a lot of ways during this “game” - singing to them, telling them stories, medicine etc.

Some would argue that Wendy is “forced” into being the “mother” and that while all the boys are off having fun, she’s left playing house, which I understand. But what a lot of modern audiences and filmmakers don’t understand these days is that motherhood is NOT an anti-feminist idea - there seems to be this view that portraying a girl wanting to be a mother or expressing the wish to be married/have children is some old-fashioned misogynistic notion, which is absolutely bizarre to me.

As a feminist myself, I believe that there is no clear cut definition of “womanhood” or what it means to be a strong woman with autonomy. Some women want to have careers and not have children, and that’s fine; some women want to have children, that’s fine; some women want both, and that’s fine. What matters is that it’s the woman who is deciding what she wants.

For me, Wendy has always been this remarkable and extraordinary character to look up to because she chooses to grow up - and for her, that means having her own children to tell her stories to. That’s what she wanted, that’s why she went back to England, and that’s part of her character arc, realising that by growing up she has things to look forward to.

For some reason, when 2023!Wendy thinks “happy thoughts” to make herself fly when being walked off the plank, her vision for the future that she looks forward to involves piloting automobiles that haven’t even been invented yet and then dying alone? Which… I mean, if that’s how someone wants to live then fair enough but that’s not Wendy. That’s not the Wendy Darling I grew up loving.

A lot of my issues with the 2023 version of Wendy do in fact link with other issues of the film in general: the Lost Boys including girls, for example. Like I get wanting to be inclusive, and I 100% wanted to be a Lost Girl growing up, but the Lost Boys are boys for a reason (“girls are much too clever to fall out of their prams”), and when Wendy arrives it’s a huge deal because they’ve never actually lived with girls before, and the only concept of girls they have is their memories of “mother”, which is why Wendy becomes their mother figure - because they literally don’t have any other female figures in their lives to compare her to other than the tiny scraps they remember of their mothers.

There’s also the issue of the thing prompting Wendy not wanting to grow up being changed; in the original, it’s because it’s her last night in the nursery and moving from the nursery - aka the room she has spent her entire life thus far in - to her own room is a HUGE transitional worry that a lot of kids probably go through (usually it’s in the form of moving from toddler beds to big kid beds but still). In the 2023 version, she’s being sent off to boarding school for some reason which doesn’t really make sense to me because the Darling parents a) are so poor they have to have a dog as a nursemaid and b) love their children so much that they would never do that to them. I’m not saying that being shipped off to boarding school ISN’T a worry for a young girl or a huge deal, but it isn’t one that I think necessarily fits with the story.

There’s the fact that Wendy is no longer the storyteller; in most versions, the reason Peter visits the nursery is because he likes her stories. Instead, the reason he comes to the nursery is not because he likes her stories but because he used to live in the house? And instead of bringing her to Neverland to tell stories, he comes to take Wendy away as he apparently heard her saying she didn’t want to grow up? It just doesn’t sit right with me, but maybe that’s just my opinion.

Also, for some reason, Wendy and Peter don’t actually seem to like each other at all in the 2023 version - I’m not saying there should have been romantic hints or whatever, but even just in a friendship way they really don’t seem to care in any way about each other. They just seemed rather indifferent towards each other, and it’s kind of jarring to see.

In some ways, I feel like 2023 Wendy was made a little too bad ass and on the nose super feminist: “this magic belongs to no boy!”, slapping Peter across the face (which was just…??? Why?!?!), constantly criticising Peter/Neverland, having WAY more action and heroic moments than Peter Pan himself… maybe in a different story it could have worked but for this one, it came across forced at times, like they were intentionally trying to show “look! Look how badass she is! She can fight off grown men all by herself! She doesn’t need a boy to help her! She can do everything by herself!”

This is why I feel like the 2003 version of Wendy is the best one (so far): while they modernised her slightly by making her sword fight and express an ambition to write novels about her adventures, she was still a storyteller and motherly figure to the Lost Boys/her brothers. For me as a child, seeing Wendy be the storyteller and her journey of acceptance about having the grow up was really important to me because I could completely relate to it.

Of course, I recognize I’m very biased because this is the one I grew up with (along with the animated Wendy of course) so I’d be interested to hear other people’s thoughts!

[burst-of-iridescent]

atla live action thoughts: season one review

first things first: anyone who says the Movie That Does Not Exist is better than the live action is straight-up lying. the shymalan film fails on the criteria of even being a decent movie, let alone an adaptation. the netflix series, for all its problems, is at least an enjoyable watch with great effects, music and (mostly) appropriate casting. there's absolutely nothing to compare here - the netflix version clears easily.

now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's delve into the series, starting with the positives.

the good:

visuals and cinematography. they really did a great job of making it feel like a fantasy universe you wanted to be in & i love how vibrant the saturation and colour grading was. it made the world feel so much more dynamic and alive instead of the same flat, boring dullness that so many movies and shows have these days. sometimes i didn't even mind that i was being fed obvious exposition because at least they were giving me something pretty to look at lmao

effects and action. the bending was surprisingly good for the most part, and they did a good job of making the elements feel unique through the stunt choreography and the actors' movements. i'm immensely thankful they didn't try to skimp on budget by merely cutting away from fight scenes or showing us as little as possible. almost all the action sequences were fast-paced and engaging, and i was never bored watching them

acting. the main four were all great, but gordon cormier and dallas liu have to be the standouts for me. gordon brings such an earnest, innocent sweetness to aang that you can't help but like him, and dallas plays all of zuko's facets perfectly: the angst, the explosive anger, the bratty snark, and especially the deep-rooted pain that characterizes so many of zuko's actions in book 1. the range he has, especially when flashing from younger to older zuko, was insane. special shoutout to maria zhang and sebastian amoruso as suki and jet respectively, because they killed it

music. leaves from the vine instrumental had me tearbending and i love how they kept the iconic avatar theme while making it a little darker for this iteration of the story. in general, the soundtrack felt very true to the animation while still being a fresh spin on it

zuko and iroh's relationship and expanding on zuko's crew. i think the fandom universally agrees that lu ten's funeral and zuko's crew being the 41st division were the best changes in the series, so i'm not going to talk about it further other than to say that these scenes show me what the show can be, and that's why i'm not giving up on it

the bad:

characterization. almost all the main characters are missing the little nuances that made them so great in the original, but the greatest casualty is katara. i hate that they took away so much of her rage, and gave many of her traits and struggles to sokka. i don't think this is a problem solely with the writing though, because certain lines do feel like things animated katara would say, but the directing and line delivery don't have the same punch that made her so fierce in the original. this is an easily fixed issue though, so i hope they take the criticism and let my girl be angry and fuck shit up next season

exposition. this was primarily a problem in depicting aang's personality and the relationship between the gaang, because a) why are you TELLING me that aang is mischievous and fun-loving instead of just showing me and b) the gaang do NOT feel like close friends, mostly because they spend so much time apart in every episode that they have little screentime to actually bond and develop intimacy.

lack of focus on the intricacies of bending. for a show whose tagline is "master your element" the characters spend very little time actually... mastering their element. zuko is never shown to struggle with firebending (which is going to have ramifications when it comes to developing his relationship with azula), and neither aang nor katara ever learn waterbending from a master throughout the the entire show. i'm pretty sure aang never willingly waterbends ONCE in the entire eight episodes, discounting the avatar state and koizilla. bending isn't just cool martial arts, it's closely linked to the philosophies and spirituality of each nation, and i wish that had been explored more.

pacing. they really needed to do a better job of conveying that time passed between episodes because an 8-episode season is just going to FEEL shorter than a 20-episode one. the original animation felt as though they'd truly been on a long journey before arriving at the north, but here it feels like the entire show happened in the span of a fortnight or so because each episode seemed to pick up right after the previous. they needed to have more downtime within episodes instead of just rushing from plot beat to plot beat because it made everything feel a lot more rushed. give the characters and story time to breathe.

final rating: 7/10.

overall, i would describe the live action as a better version of the percy jackson movies - not an accurate or perfect adaptation, but a decent story that's very fun to watch. but what really makes me root for this show to get a season 2 is that it has a lot of potential and more importantly, a lot of heart. it's evident that the people who worked on it do genuinely love and respect the original series, and it shows onscreen.

regardless of anything else, this show created opportunities for so many asian and indigenous actors, writers and creators to tell the kinds of stories and play the kinds of roles they don't usually get, and that's something worth supporting. if they take the criticism from this season and improve, i believe they really do have something special on their hands which - although it might not be the original we all know and love - could still be a story to be proud of.

[ur-typical-nerd]

I just saw Wicked (the movie), here are my thoughts! (Spoilers under the cut!)

It was actually really good! I didn’t think I’d like it (mostly because I still believe there should be an animated adaption), but I was pleasantly surprised! The movie stayed accurate to the story of the musical, and actors did a good job in their roles. Overall, it was beautiful looking, beautiful sounding movie musical.

(Also for everyone complaining about the 2 and a half hour runtime and the fact that it only covered the first half of the musical, trust me when I say the filmmakers needed that time to stay accurate to the musical while expanding on the world. Every single minute of that time was used well, and I can’t wait to see what they do with part 2. While I do admit they could’ve done more to make this split more obvious in the marketing, I’m not surprised because a) they want more money and b) the team for this movie put the name of a porn site on the packaging for their dolls. No offense, but I do not expect that much from the marketing team/whoever is in charge of that sort of thing after that fiasco)

Alright, here are my more spoiler-y thoughts:

-Me when I saw the musical as a child: The other students are so mean to Elphaba just because she’s different! They’re such jerks for no reason at all!

Me watching the movie as an adult: This is just existing as a disabled/neurodivergent person. Everyone in this play is just ableist.

-Seriously though, I could rant about how Elphaba’s skin is an allegory/metaphor for disability/neurodivegence and how other people’s reactions are just ableism.

-Like I was CRINGING when Glinda said she could “cure” Elphaba of her green skin. Like girlie no-

-Props to Elphaba for clapping back though!

-“Well, at least they aren’t ableist towards Nessa!” (literally five minutes later) “nEvErMiNd ThEn-“

-(For anyone worried about that statement, it’s nothing overtly abusive; someone just pushes around her wheelchair without her permission. Yes, that’s ableist; well-meaning ableism is still ableism)

-Gosh I relate to Elphaba a bit too much-

-Cynthia and Ariana do a really good job playing the characters!

-Tumblr, I am proud to announce that Elphaba and Glinda still have more romantic chemistry with one another than they do with Fiyero (no hate to Fiyero-)

-“What is This Feeling” is just as campy and gay as I expected it to be and I love it. My only complaint is that Cynthia and Ariana go for similar vocal ranges during some parts, and it made it hard for me to distinguish their voices; like, I know Cynthia can go low, she does so in multiple songs

-I love Elphaba and Dr. Dillamond’s extra scenes together, it really makes them feel like friends and allies against a world that won’t accept them for who they are. Also Glinda pleas chill, he physically CANNOT pronounce your name properly-

-Also the change of Dr. Dillamond singing his song to other animals makes the song so much better, y’all-

-I love Glinda’s friends that follow her around at school. They share exactly one braincell between them and I adore that about them.

-Fiyero is absolutely the kind of guy that has makes both men and women attracted to him, kudos to the filmmakers for acknowledging that.

-While the spinning library is a cool idea, it seems pretty inconvenient solely based off of the fact that I would absolutely injure myself trying to use it.

-Also, while I love the choreography for “Dancing Through Life”, I’d be SO MAD if I was looking for a book and some random guy turned it on while I was inside

-Whoever they picked for Boq sounds so much like the Boq from the musical when he’s singing. Does anyone know who plays him?

-I know she’s objectively a terrible person, but Madam Morrible is so sassy? Like, she absolutely ROASTED Glinda when she was giving her the wand-

-THE! ENTIRE! DANCE! SCENE! BETWEEN! ELPHABA! AND! GLINDA!

-“Popular” is so goofy and gay and I love it. Also, Glinda was definitely a bit tipsy during that song

-Dr. Dillamond’s scene is way more disturbing nowadays considering….well, everything-

-There are many love triangles that could be easily solved by turning them into throuples; Elphaba/Glinda/Fiyero is one of them. In this essay I will-

-Glinda looking at the balloon from the wizard with a look of concern as it flies off my beloved-

-Glinda telling Elphaba that she hopes she gets her heart’s desire? Elphaba asking her to come to the Emerald City with her immediately afterwards??? The way the two fall on the floor afterwards??????? They’re girlfriends your honor-

-They were totally on a date in the Emerald City you guys-

-Me: I’m not sure if I like the new addition to “One Short Day”; it feels a bit unnecessary. Was the book even in the original musical?

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth: *appear and begin singing*

Me: Nevermind, totally on board with this-

-Seriously though, their cameo was so fun and kind of touching! Like Idina and Kristin were passing on the torch to Cynthia and Ariana

-Also was the book in the original musical? I genuinely can’t remember.

-The loving looks Elphaba and Glinda gave each other? The constant touching??? They’re girlfriends your honor!

-I don’t know if this will end up being a controversial take, but Jeff Goldblum…kind of works as the Wizard? I’m not sure if I entirely like his singing voice, though; I think I need to hear him sing “Wonderful” to really decide.

-Ah yes, your average lesbian date: having a cute day in the city before denouncing the local political leader and being chased by palace guards.

-“The green one has done this to you.” ONLY BECAUSE YOU BASICALLY PRESSURED HER TO-

-That scene with the flying monkeys in the hallway came straight out of a horror film, what the heck

-THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTING!…wait no, the girls are fighting! 

-Cynthia rocked “Defying Gravity”; while I still prefer the original, that’s solely because of nostalgia, and the new version is just as good.

-The bridge/middle part of “Defying Gravity” where Elphaba and Glinda are looking at each other like that??? THEY’RE GIRLFRIENDS YOUR HONOR-

-That moment where Elphaba was falling…if ya know ya know

-Finally, I love how we saw glimpses of the other characters (Nessa, Fiyero, etc.) near the end to set up their roles/arcs in the next part.

[dootznbootz]

Hi, what do you think about epic the musical as an Odyssey fan? Just curious

As an Epic the musical fan, I LOVE IT! Everyone's so talented and I love the music style!!! It's super fun and creative and it's amazing that Jay basically writes it all himself!

As an Odyssey fan... It's INCREDIBLY different. To the point where it's more "Odyssey inspired" than the actual Odyssey. But that's the thing. I wouldn't say Jay WANTS it to be word for word Odyssey and I DO think that'd be...kind of hard to do? Especially for Modern day.

It still has most of the "spirit" of the Odyssey though I feel like which is SUPER important. I'm saddened that very few adaptations really "balance" Odysseus' assholery and "goodness". I love "shithead Odysseus" but personally, I'm happy as long as an adaptation keeps to a "family man who wants to go home" for the most part :D (I really fucking hate the whole "Odysseus! The clever, swashbuckling hero who gets all the babes! ...He has a family?!" bullshit. That's very much not him. (He likes shiny things, yes but that's it)

More personal rambles below :D

I think it's interesting that Polites in Epic is more "peaceful" when in the Odyssey, he's called "captain of armies". And the fact he's killed right away when he was one of the last men alive.

Also Odysseus' and Eurylochus' friendship! I think it's sweet in the musical while in the Odyssey, it's quite tense. It gets more and more tense in Epic later on obviously but in the odyssey, it's been tense for a WHILE. Also!

Shout out to Armando Julian! Eurylochus' actor! I see a lot of people talk about Polites, Poseidon, Circe, and Hermes and they get a lot of fanart and love with their songs (rightfully so, ofc!!!) but Armando is really talented and people really sleep on Luck Runs Out! I'm about to become a vocal nerd for a moment. He's got a wonderful vibrato! I really love how he sings "feed" during Full Speed Ahead and "Captain, please" during Remember Them for example. His voice really fits with "speaking on behalf of the crew".

I know most people have a lot of feelings with the Circe Saga but I think that Jay did a great job considering... everything. Book 10 and 12 of the Odyssey are very complicated and I don't blame Jay for not wanting to delve into EVERYTHING with that. Odyssey Odysseus gets SA'd twice and while "I'm Not Sorry for Loving You" makes me worry, I really do think Jay will pull through with how fucked up Calypso's situation while still not having the graphic scenes in the Odyssey. It would be very hard to not only have what was basically an exchange for his men to be turned back to humans but if he interprets it happening throughout the entire year like some readers do, then that's really hard. :'D To truly portray Odysseus' fear of Circe while still having her be morally gray. As she very likely didn't mean Odysseus harm after a certain point but he was still afraid regardless.

Not only trying to not have such disturbing stuff shown in his musical but also, I think Jay was possibly trying to be considerate of Madeline Miller's Circe fans while still trying to show Odysseus discomfort and distress???? 😅 Sounds weird but like, as soon as I heard Circe talking about the nymphs being like her daughters and that she protects them, I thought that. That book is HUGE and I'm sure that many fans of it don't necessarily want to see Circe's "I do whatever I want. I don't need a reason. Woe, Oink be upon ye." as the most likely reason they were turned into pigs in the Odyssey is that ODYSSEUS is associated with them (the boar scar, the metaphors when talking about him in the Iliad, his trusted Swineherd Eumeaus, BOAR TUSK HELMET. Like, that's kind of the animal that represents Odysseus. (even when a spear pierces through a boar's hide, it'll STILL charge as they're that ferocious and determined...Just like Odysseus, a man who should be dead but isn't because of his will to go home. Homer didn't write them being turned into pigs necessarily as a "Men are pigs" thing.

I think the modern shift in how the situation seen today and other media of the Odyssey is why he wrote the songs he did. And considering it all? He did a good job navigating it. I'm very happy with the results!

I have more thoughts probably but those have been stewing in my brain for a while :D I definitely look forward to the next sagas!

[derekscorner]

Fated Rantings: El motherf**kin Melloi

I'm back! I don't even know how many this makes but by hell welcome back to my trip through Fate! I've been looking forward to this one for a while now. Ever since I finished Fate Zero (click here <-) in fact. (-> here's part two)

The "why done it" in this case being due to Waver Velvet and Iskandar. When I sat through Fate Zero I absolutely loved their arc and dynamic as the story progressed. Iskandar is one of the best bros I've seen written within Fate which is a praise I also give to Astolfo from Apocrypha.

Of course, with Astolfo I was also shocked by the sheer dissonance between the meme and the actual character. In Iskandar's case, I was shocked by the sheer misinterpretation of the Banquet of Kings scene.

I'll fight any of you on that scene and his character. It left me questioning the critical thinking skills of many given what I had heard vs what I actually saw.

But that's for another post, I linked the part two of the fate zero post if you're curious about my feelings of that scene.

What's most important for this post is just how much Waver changed after Fate Zero or more specifically the 4th Holy Grail War.

Multiple Histories, One World

Now, as with nearly every post these days, I do feel the need to preface the multiverse nature of Fate and it's Type-Moon cousins. This multiverse has fed a lot of the complicated reputation for these stories and many movies are adapting a specific route or ending from a novel.

Fate Stay Night, Fate Hollow Ataraxia, Tsukihime, so many have multiple routes and endings. FSN in particular has had two anime and three movies depicting each main route.

This is relevant because the El Melloi Case files are based on actual light novels rather than visual novels. The anime is only 13 episodes long and it by no means has the time to truly adapt every novel in that series.

This should also be kept in mind because events and terms are shared among the various stories but that does not mean each story is connected.

For example, in most stories where Waver Velvet exists usually depict him as a participant in the 4th Holy Grail War but this does not mean that every Waver you see lived through Fate Zero.

Fate Zero is a specific retelling of the 4th Grail War but not the universal depiction. A good example of what I mean is with Saber (Artoria) from Fate Stay Night.

In the original visual novel as well as the UBW anime (and others) Saber references the 4th Grail War and Kiritsugu. Even though servants aren't supposed to remember previous summons she does but the war she remembers in those stories is not the same story from Fate Zero.

Fate Zero is just one alternative version of the 4th Grail War. The war itself happens in several alternate worlds but none of them are exactly the same series of events.

In other words, you'll see Waver cameo in many stories but never assume they all had the same history. They probably had similar histories.

With that out of the way let us focus on the version of Waver we did see, the boy from Fate Zero that's grown into a lord of the Clocktower.

What a true life changing experience just meeting someone can be

l've said it before but it's entirely possible to see the anime from the 2010s as their own pocket continuity. I won't claim that as 100% accurate since even 'ol Nasu said Fate Zero is it's own timeline but I do fully believe it can apply here.

El Melloi calls back to Fate Zero often and while the anime leaves out a lot that the novel covers it's still worth seeing. It focuses well on what became of Waver after Fate Zero and how Iskandar changed him.

It's even a plot point that he's obsessed with Iskandar and that war. Waver wishes to see Iskandar again and aims for the 5th Grail War. This obsession is often seen as a dangerous thing as well by those around Waver and for good reason.

Iskandar is a heroic spirit, he is dead and within Type-Moon it is the livings job to move forward not the dead.

What I mean is that Waver is seemingly chasing the dead, running towards an end to prove himself to his king. Waver is not suicidal or the like but he's missed a bit of Iskandar's message.

In Fate Zero Iskandar does his damnedest to get the, then impatient and temperamental, Waver to enjoy the journey. Iskandar loves life and new things and pushes Waver to experience new things.

But as El Melloi Waver has come to a stand still. I saw this as sad but not unbelievable for it is very human to find yourself stuck as an adult.

l see this as Waver "missing the forest for the trees" in a sense because;

A) He knows that servants typically do not recall previous summons. His desire to see if Iskandar remembers or approves of him is moot from the get go. He is effectively chasing shadows. B) Waver's entire personality as the tired teacher El Melloi was shaped by Iskandar. Waver has already changed in a positive way but does not reflect on that. He remembers their time together fondly but doesn't think of his present much.

Waver only regrets or remembers a past, he's not living life to the fullest like Iskandar would push him to do. It is a very believable fault to have and a very real rut that many of you will experience once as you age.

The beauty of Waver's time as El Melloi is seeing him learn to let go and live life with an attitude more akin to what Iskandar spouted.

The man vs the Boy

Even then, even with that focus on Waver's obsession with the past, the story also shows just how much Waver changed after the 4th Grail War. They're not things Waver speaks up about himself but they are things both the viewer and cast take note of.

The first big change is seen in the flashback of how Waver became the lord El Melloi II. It is a few years before the first episode but a year or two after Fate Zero. After borrowing money (beginning his perpetual debt) Waver bought the nearly defunct classroom of his mentor Kayneth, the previous lord el Melloi.

The very man that Waver stole his relic from, the same man that was dealt a death so shameful by Kiritsugu that I found him more disgusting than Saber in that moment.

This not only took mage society by surprise but he shocked everyone still by making the class successful. Waver moans his lack of talent but he's proving Iskandar right by putting his head to use.

Within Fate Zero Iskandar pointed out Waver's problem solving skills and how solving something simpler than others is a talent to be proud of.

It's obvious that others recognize this talent as well since he's often called to solve cases. He uses the money to pay off debts but the very fact that a society as prideful and traitorous as the Clocktower would even call him for help is a feat that I do not think Waver even considers.

The fact that he'd even buy Kayneth's class to keep it alive also shows a sharp change. As a boy he was irresponsible and was partly the cause of Kayneth's death but as a man he accepts that responsibility.

He's not making excuses as he did when you saw him in Fate Zero. I do not feel that my words are doing this trait justice because so many people grow up and never learn to accept the responsibility of their actions.

Let alone go out of their way to amend the issues they cause.

By hell his acceptance of responsibility even takes the characters in story by surprise. The whole reason Waver is 'lord el melloi' is because the family was put on the cusp of ruin by Waver's actions and Kayneth's death.

They chose Reines as the next head out of political logic and necessity. When she kidnaps him (as a small child mind you) she fully expected Waver to throw a fit and go into denial because that's the personality he had prior to the war.

She was joking in earnest (probably plotting something bad too) but no. Waver accept all her demands and only asked they add the "II" to his title.

Both because Waver does not think he's worthy of the el melloi title and because his station is temporary.

It may seem like minor rambling to you but I found this shift rather interesting and praise worthy.

Waver's mage family is new, he essentially had no father, so when I see this change I see a boy that learned a sense of responsibility from Iskandar. Perhaps not a father-figure in the truest sense but he was an example Waver needed.

Iskandar was a king and accepted all that it brought and from his words you see that he did consider his men and their view of him.

Even if by a fraction Waver emulated that and I consider that beautiful in hindsight of Fate Zero to here.

As a teacher

To the shock of the Clocktower (and me tbh) Waver is a damn good teacher. He may lack power and potential as a mage himself but his problem solving mindset and his experiences have made him damn near prodigal as an instructor.

By the end of the anime he had at least 3 students of "pride" rank. I won't go into the whole detail but the best way to sum that up for you is by saying mages have ranks.

To have students who achieved a "pride" rank at such young ages is basically like a teacher in our world having three kids skip their way to college.

All of Waver's students have more talent than him but his class tends to draw the unwanted or odd so few of them have the actual mentality to put that power to use.

The Clocktower essentially throws problem children at him and he turns them into respectable mages much to the higher ups annoyance.

Sadly the anime only showed a few of his class but I loved it when I got to see him being a teacher. The cases he solves are fun as well but the class draws out the easily annoyed aspect of Waver.

The parts of him that is still the young Waver which becomes a funny contrast in a way. I'd even argue that Waver draws annoying people to him unconsciously.

His "best friend" Melvin, the overly fond Flat, or actually talented/respectable mages like Luvia who wants him to be her tutor.

Hell, he's even on a list of people that female students wish to sleep with. No, I am not joking. One of them is even in his class. Her name is Yvette and I am certain that she's unhinged.

His social circle is endearing and it draws out a bit of young Waver and I love it.

Sorry, I lost my own plot there. I don't really have a structure to my rambles since my brain just does not work that way but I hope that I got across how much I love what this story has done with Waver.

He was one of the best parts of Fate Zero and I loved seeing how Iskandar changed him. I see it almost like a man adopting an unruly kid and making them into a better person.

Only for that same person to do the same for his students. Of course, I also just genuinely love to see the Fate world in motion outside a Grail War.

You hear a lot about Clocktowers, mage society, and so on but this is a story in which you see it. You're getting the backdrop of the Type-Moon universe and I'm sad this anime didn't get more seasons to explore it.

However, before I finish up what has become a part one I have to mention a foil to Waver. Not another mage or case but his foil as a subject to Iskandar.

I found you, FAKER

Hephaestion was an interesting character to me. I was interested in her prior due to lore but actually seeing her in action made me more interested in her dichotomy to Waver.

Both are heavily shaped by Iskandar himself but while Waver is a subject of the king Hephaestion was a body double. It's a bit more complex than that of course but she's essentially a body double he had in life.

Due to the magecraft used that let her play such a role she had no name of her own and her mark on history is odd compared to actual heroic spirits.

Thanks to this and the way in which she was summoned she manifested as a new class "pretender". Or as this anime called it "Faker".

However, all things in Fate have a grain of truth. No matter how fantastical the spirit or spell there was something real it was based on.

This "faker" was a real woman and her hatred for Waver is a foil since he sees himself as a subject to Iskandar. She respects her king as much, if not more, than Waver but she hated his army.

For Waver to call himself a subject, for him to mention the Ionioi Hetairoi and her absence in it, these things anger her.

She saw that army as a detriment that lead to Iskandar's death. She even counts among the Ionioi Hetairoi by technicality but refuses to appear when Iskandar uses it due to her hatred of the army.

There's likely more there as well but I sadly lack knowledge on her as of typing this. I do know the basic gist of Dr. Heartless' plan and her role in it but her personal history I know little.

But her foil to Waver I do find interesting because both were shown Iskandar's kindness yet she views herself apart as special confidant while Waver wishes to be a subject.

It is like they gained two opposite lessons from the same man. She even rejected Iskandar's numerous attempts to name her due to her respect for him. She was fine being his double while Iskandar saw it as horribly inhumane.

She hates the army, Waver would happily join it. She is a warrior and strong, Waver is weak. Yet Waver is the only one that can say things to get under her skin. On some level she knows he's right, on some level he understands her thanks to their shared experiences with Iskandar.

To be honest the anime doesn't explore them as much as I wish it did. I'm rambling, hoping to stretch it, but in truth the anime ended before I got to see this truly explored. It's a neat parallel to see but an incomplete one.

Thanks to lore videos I watch I do have a grander scope than most whole watch the anime. A very similar situation to when I watched the 2006 Fate anime, I have context.

I won't spoil it but do know that Hephaestion and Dr Heartless' plot does lead to a proper build up and resolution to Waver's lingering feelings of Iskandar and the war.

I do think the anime did a good job, I truly wish it had more, but knowing what I do about these novels I wish they had gave it another season.

The dynamic of Iskandar to his two subjects also plays a greater role and one day I hope we get to see it.

For now I think I'll stop this here and make that part two. I know I rambled a lot with no direction and it fell thin toward the end there so I appreciate you reading regardless.

Hopefully you'll enjoy part two more where I can talk about other things aside my obsession with Waver and his character.

I'll leave my other better written Fate posts linked below as well. Bye~

========================

El Motherf**Kin Melloi pt2: https://www.tumblr.com/derekscorner/757996566277701632/fated-rantings-clocktowers-business-hours

For my other experiences with Fate click here: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/tagged/fated-rantings

[triviallytrue]

A bit over halfway through Frieren

Things I like:

I think they did a really good job with making Frieren feel immortal - the way she fritters away time and takes people for granted, and the ways it bites her in the end.

Stark is a good character, especially compared with a lot of other warrior types. I like the way he deals with fear without letting it get annoying, and I really like his willingness to say "let me go call our ridiculously powerful mage to handle the problem instead of us risking our lives." The kind of intelligence you rarely see in anime

Relatedly I really liked the episode where he impersonated that guy's kid. I think the part where he was analogizing the younger son's relationship with his dad to his own relationship with his dad (younger son of a strict father with a prodigious older brother) and he felt obligated to speak out, but then it turned out the relationship wasn't like that, was pretty interesting.

I think having Himmel be rejected by the sword was a good choice. Humans get to decide who the true heroes are and all that.

I like the ambiguous take on religion in the setting. Too many settings just say "actually god(s) is/are real in this setting" and then still import the vibes of real life religion, which doesn't work very well.

I think "this spell is very powerful demon magic" -> "this spell has become ordinary offensive magic due to human analysis and adaptation" -> "no actually Frieren taught you a ridiculously powerful modified version designed to kill demons" was a fun double bait and switch.

Things I don't like:

A lot of people have pointed out that the demon thing is problematique, but I think the worse sin is that it's just fucking stupid. Yeah man I'm sure that a village chief would try to adopt a demon that ate a child just because it looked sad and said words. This is definitely something a person would do.

Same thing with the "letting demons in to negotiate" thing. Like, okay, we've got a magic barrier and we're fighting a war. Why don't we let the demons inside the barrier to negotiate despite never ever having successful negotiations with them in the past and the fact that individual demons can be much stronger than any of the humans we have. And then while they're here we won't keep a consistent guard on them or anything either, they can just fuck off and kill people. I am very smart.

Look, it's one thing to construct a setting where xenophobia is Correct, Actually but it's another to do it in such an ass backwards way

[room-surprise]

Dungeon Meshi Anime Review, Season 2, Episode 17 review

OH GOD OKAY here we go...

Once again, I am a broken record: good episode!

My two major complaints: The bit where Laios and Kabru stand around talking next to an off-screen, roaring, screaming monster seemed kind of silly in animation. In a comic it works, but they really should have animated them walking or stumbling away while delivering those lines, having them just stand there until the monster attacks them again is really goofy.

ALSO, something Trigger keeps doing that I am NOT a fan of, is throwing animated speed-line backgrounds behind characters when they're reacting to something. Sometimes these were in the original manga, other times they are NOT... and they break the immersion of the anime completely IMO.

The coloring in DM is so moody and wonderful, the aesthetic is generally grounded, so when suddenly the background is bright blue or lime green or pink and strobing, it's VERY jarring... and the joke DOES NOT NEED these effects in order to be funny! In fact I think it leeches some of the humor out of the jokes. Imagine if every time someone had a strong emotion in a classic Disney movie you'd get this:

This type of sudden background color change, strobing and speed lines are artifacts of older, cheaper anime, tricks that used to be done to hide the lack of budget, as a way to make a quick joke. It's now used as a shorthand to tell people a joke is happening.

But Trigger doesn't NEED to use these tricks, they're using them because "that's how you make sure the audience knows a joke is happening", but the jokes in Dungeon Meshi are so well written, you don't need to cue us with a visual laugh-track, Trigger!!!! ESPECIALLY when Kui didn't do it in the manga!!!

They've done it in other episodes, but I felt like they were particularly noticeable and bad in this one. Makes me sad because I feel it's dragging the anime down from the genuine peak of artistry that it's otherwise achieving.

As always, animation is fantastic. The stuff with chimera falin is obviously top notch, brutal and fast and amazing... But I also have to say that the Toshiro and Laios argument was animated INCREDIBLY well, with a lot of loving detail given to what is, ostensibly, just talking, something Trigger normally hates to animate.... But they put movie-quality work into that argument and it really paid off.

Honestly can't think of much to complain about. It's a solid adaptation of this part of the story, one of the biggest, coolest action sequences that we've all been waiting for.

Vocal performances were all great in both English and Japanese. Kabru's English voice actor did a great job, despite my misgivings about him in previous episodes. I hope he continues to improve.

A dub script change had Kabru think "He's excited" about Laios instead of "his pupils are dilated"... This isn't a terrible change, but a bit baffling. Saying his pupils are dilated tells viewers HOW Kabru knows Laios is excited, and indicates that he is using some kind of scientific criteria to measure it, it makes him sound smarter and more detached from what he's doing. Just saying "he's excited" doesn't tell us how Kabru knows... and it's a thought, not dialog, so it's weird for them to change it in the script, since there's no need to match mouth-flaps.

The sequence where Kabru strips off all his armor and does a surprise attack on Falin is still fantastic in this, though I am a little bit sad that they didn't find any ways to add any extra emphasis for it - in the manga it's drawn out a bit, to the point where you might miss what was happening on your first read... I think the amount of shots we got in the anime was the same as in the manga, but somehow it felt less impactful to me. Maybe pacing?

At any rate, it was an incredibly solid episode.

I already liked Toshiro, but seeing this part of the manga animated really made me like him more, I hadn't realized in the past just how damn romantic the twin bells thing was, but damn. Toshiro really has forgiven Laios by the time they part ways here, it's easy to forget that since Toshiro very much takes a back seat after this.

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Legend of Vox Machina: Souls in Darkness (3x12)

As a not-so-secret Percy/Vax enjoyer, even though I do ship the canon ships more... this episode made me very happy.

Cons:

Okay, remember when I did the big paragraph in episode nine about Pike's whole deal with the Everlight? In this episode we get this line: "sometimes you should go against the wishes of your deity. After all, the gods didn't create us to blindly obey them, right?" And that sentiment is fine with me, that makes a lot of sense as a conclusion a character could come to on her faith journey. But... why did she literally throw away the Everlight symbol when facing down Thordak? That moment doesn't seem to actually lead to this one! I'm really hoping that season four can give us a bit more clarity on how we're supposed to view Pike's relationship to the Everlight. I'm fine with them making strong choices, but right now it feels kind of directionless and unspecific.

I want to reiterate that I'm sad about the Bard's Lament thing here. I still wonder what we'll see in future seasons, if some alternate version with different context will play out. But just... seeing Scanlan hugging Pike and Grog and then going off with Kaylie, everyone sad but ultimately at peace and in a good place with each other, i was just like... this is not my Fucked Up Story of Self-Destruction! I just want Scanlan to be way more of a mess. I want "what's my mother's name," and since we didn't get it here, within its original context, I wonder if we'll be getting any version of it at all! That does make me sad, even if I understand the reasoning behind it.

I liked how the Raishan fight ultimately went down but I wish they could have found some way to tie in the idea of the feeblemind - defeating Raishan by taking away her intellect, her main asset, was such a cool thematic element in the stream. I get why it would be hard to adapt, though!

A small thing, but it feels like only Vex and Vax are really grieving all that much for Percy? Like, the rest of the gang are there for the ritual, and Pike and Keyleth are helping with the magic part of it, but nobody else has had really any emotional processing time about Percy's death since his funeral. I wish there had been a bit more going on with some of them, especially Keyleth, who's supposed to be Percy's good friend!

An even smaller thing, I don't like Vax calling Pike "Pickle" in the scene where they're discussing the resurrection. I feel like Liam always used those nicknames in cute little moments in the stream, but it wasn't a regular thing, and it feels overplayed this season to me. All the nicknames, really.

Pros:

But, okay - I thought this was a kick-ass finale, really strong! The Raishan fight was, I'm a broken record here, extremely cool to look at. The animation of this show is so top-notch that even in moments where I feel hesitant about a writing choice or what have you, it's still always stunning to look at. I loved, loved, loved Keyleth getting more of a one-on-one showdown with Raishan while still having the group there to back her up.

The thing where Keyleth turns into a rock statue of herself and then crumbles apart to become an earth elemental is both a) extremely fucking dope and b) a good angst-generating machine, as it makes everyone who witnesses it think she's just fuckin' died before she pops up out of the earth like a total bad-ass. Vax wailing in agony about her ostensible demise... yes please. We love to see it.

And the cleverness of feeding Raishan's disease back to her - wow! The visual of Keyleth killing Raishan so quickly at the end of the last episode, and then feeding into the way Raishan is ultimately brought down here - they did a good job of making the Raishan vs. Keyleth fight feel very personal. Thordak, for all that he killed Vex and Vax's mom, was still mostly just this abstract big huge danger that was going to take over the world. Raishan had a more personal vendetta against the Ashari, so it was satisfying to see this showdown play out the way it did. Five out of five dragons defeated, Vox Machina. Hell yeah.

And then we bring Percy back to life!!! Ahhhh. Everything about Vax talking to the Matron, going into the shadowy Orthax realm, finding Percy, while the ritual is going on back on Exandria, I could literally quote every beat of it as my favorite part. I got super emotional at Orthax saying "Percival deserves this" and Vax saying "the fuck he does" and struggling towards his friend. Vax's shock and dismay when Percy doesn't recognize him at first, and then "she loves you, and so do I, brother"... like, fuck me up, it was so perfect! I loved the fact that it was a team effort from the twins, here. Vex giving her famous speech and the tear breaking through to wake Percy up from his trance, and then recognizing Vax at last... Vax has this special relationship to death specifically because he loves his sister so much and was willing to die to save her, and now he's using that connection in order to find a way to get Percy back. It really ties everything together from all the way back in season two episode three, when Percy inadvertently sets off the trap that kills Vex. The three of them have had this sort of convoluted relationship to what happened that day ever since, and this is a lovely capstone of it.

Then let's talk about that ending. I already said I'm sad about the big Scanlan change. But... I understand that when they were mapping this season out, they didn't have a guaranteed season four. Given that limitation, and the economy of storytelling required to make this show at all, I do appreciate the send-offs that the characters got. Everyone's going off on their own little journeys for a while. Scanlan with his daughter, and Vex and Percy to Whitestone, and Keyleth and Vax on her Aramente. They threw in the Vex line to Vax and Keyleth about not going off to get married, which got an eyebrow raise out of me, that's for sure. I'm happy for Vex and Percy - I loved that shot of them both leaning against Trinket and cuddling. So sweet. And I'm happy for Vax and Keyleth. Him wanting nothing more than to help her out on her journey is a good look for him. I am really curious about the Matron's consequences for him for helping Percy, and how that's going to alter how that arc for Vax went originally.

And... I think that's all I've got! In a way, I think this season didn't click with me during the process of watching at quite the same level as the first two seasons did. We've got quite the escalation, and a lot of changes, and just a lot riding on certain moments, and... well, I think this is still some exceptional television. I think it's remarkably high caliber and I'm still overall quite pleased with what we got! I just had a different emotional experience with it than I think I was expecting in a couple of spots. Still, I was so relieved and excited to hear about the renewal for season four and I'm so ready to see where they take the story from here!

8.5/10

[chibimui]

The Apothecary Diaries LN1 Thoughts - Part 2 (ch12-24)

[Part 1]

A continuation of my thoughts on The Apothecary Diaries light novels starting from Vol 1. This is part 2 out of 3 for the first volume.

(Warning: These reviews will potentially contain spoilers from later light novels/the rest of the series)

Starting off with another silly passage cause why not:

(This is such an aroace moment for Maomao).

So - Ch12 onwards we start with Maomao going to help nurse Consort Lihua back to health and I'm going to start with a bit that I love that I think gives us such wonderful insight into Maomao's character.

Overall, I really like this portion of the story because it shows how good Maomao is as a health professional, and how much she really cares for people. This passage in particular after she slaps the living daylights out of one of Lihua's attendants speaks volumes in not just how deeply Maomao feels, but as a result she also does pick up on and is actively hurt by the fact that other people are uncomfortable around her.

I could honestly spend the entirety of this review gushing about how I genuinely love Maomao as a character and the way she is written and portrayed. It's not just the moments where she takes no shit and acts like a girlboss, but it's also these smaller ones - how the author actively points out that Maomao has a warm heart, that she does get hurt, even if she herself refuses to show that to others. It makes her such a well-written and well-rounded character. It also really highlights how much of Maomao's tough exterior is truly a form of protection for her. She grew up probably feeling abandoned, very jaded to the idea of love and care and with the constant threat of ending up having to work in a brothel - sure she's incredibly sex positive and sex-work positive, but we know that's a life she would hate.

And here she is, in her element, doing her utmost best to save a person's life and she is treated like dirt for it.

It makes me think that even with her being annoyed at Jinshi's presence, he is actually one of the few people who was openly supporting her throughout this time. Even if the narrative doesn't highlight that, I do feel like this slightly changed Maomao's impression of him and I feel like narratively her interactions with Jinshi actively start shifting from this point on.

Now, skipping on ahead a bit to Chapter 15 to highlight this point a bit:

You might be wondering how this passage shows any change in the way Maomao views Jinshi, but I have a running theory that after helping her out with Consort Lihua, this is when Maomao actually starts somewhat seeing Jinshi in a positive light, and that is why she is so much more upset at the fakeness that she sees in him. She's always found Jinshi attractive, but I think a part of her is also starting to clue in to the fact that Jinshi could be a better person and that's what really ticks her off when she looks at him.

This is also when Jinshi's mask starts cracking a tiny bit too, because further on in the same chapter we get this little bit:

Of course, it still takes a litttttle bit more before I think Jinshi really starts viewing Maomao as not just a fun toy, but an actual human person who he actually really likes, respects, and falls in love with. That happens in the next chapter when the garden party starts!

Ugh. The garden party. I have so much to stay because it was such a pivotal moment for Jinshi and Maomao. The anime also did such an amazing job at adapting this part. The Japanese voice actors did such a good job at nailing the gravitas of the conversation Jinshi and Maomao share about why she covers her face with freckles, while also still preserving the strained and awkward dynamic they currently have.

Even in the novels it's clear that Jinshi doesn't know what to say, or how to act, or really what to do at all. He is also a person who feels like his entire value is based on his looks, and now he is coming across a person who is actively debasing her looks in order to protect herself. I don't think he's just shocked at the idea of Maomao being sexually assaulted, but I think he's also somewhat having his entire worldview being shifted in regards to how someone's appearance can affect their life, and what that means when you don't have the power he has. He is also finally fully recognizing Maomao as a person.

This is also the first -- and certainly not the last -- time that Maomao openly teaches Jinshi something about power and more explicitly, her absolute lack of power as a commoner, and highlighting his power as a noble. It's funny because this is one of those rare scenes where Maomao actually downplays Jinshi's power because she doesn't know who he is yet, but Jinshi does and we see the first signs of how Jinshi tends to take on way too much responsibility regarding matters of the country.

This is also notably the first time Jinshi finally, completely, lets his mask down around Maomao. She doesn't think of it much in the moment, but it's something she continues to notice and comment on from here on out.

Anyway I'm not going to screencap their entire conversation from ch16, but here is a moment from ch17 that stood out to me, again, regarding Maomao's softness and her tough exterior as a defense mechanism:

This is just after Maomao scared of Consort Lihau's attendants. Despite how Maomao may have appeared on the outside, their behaviour and obvious fear/disdain of her still hurts her. But of course, she isn't willing to actually share that. "It doesn't bother me", she said, like a liar. Oh Maomao. (But also, 1000 points to Consort Gyokuyou's Ladies-in-Waiting for sticking up for Maomao! Once again, they are the best girls).

Moving on, this is the portion of the book where we get introduced to Lihaku!

I didn't know what to think of Lihaku at first, but he is absolutely one of my favourite characters having finished the rest of the light novels. It's interesting because he frequently gets described as a dog--someone warm and friendly, but initially he is actually pretty cold, and somewhat rude to Maomao prior to being brought to Verdigris House. It's fair considering he accurately reads that Maomao is just using him--which also goes to show how smart Lihaku is.

You might want to call him a himbo, but he's not! This guy has a decent set of brain cells in his head! He's not a person that necessarily "stands out" in the flashy sense, but he's incredibly capable and reliable. I also love how he never looks down on Maomao. I do find it amusing that the author had to throw in this paragraph to save Lihaku's reputation though:

I mean, we figure this out naturally anyway later on, but still. Gave me a good chuckle.

I also want to give a few shout outs to the anime again because they made the entire portion of Maomao bargaining with Lihaku and going home, and Jinshi finding out hilarious. A+++ comedy. I'm actually breaking this novel-only review to throw in an anime screenshot because I just love this face:

But now we get to the portion where Maomao is home and we finally get to meet Luomen - Maomao's father and get a glimpse at what it truly is like to live in the Red Light District.

I think this passage says it all really.

I have definitely seen a few opinions from folks who don't like the series because of it's treatment of women, which blows my mind and is so disappointment because this series is so aware of how badly women are treated and that is the point. It's just to build awareness. I feel like Western media is so caught up in with the idea that media we consume has to tell us what to do. If you show women in a shitty society, you must juxtapose that with a female lead who actively fights against this shitty society. We shouldn't forget stories like The Apothecary Diaries though, where it's less about telling you how you should think, and it just... shows you. It shows you how bad things are and what people like Maomao, and all the women she interacts with, have to do in order to survive and live and it's up to us, the readers/watchers to come to our own conclusions with the information we've been provided.

Yes, it's couched with humor and moments of joy and love too, but part of that is also because this story is not trying to be social commentary. It's just being honest.

As I mentioned we also get our first glimpse at Luomen and we get to learn exactly why Maomao is so capable and smart. Luomen is portrayed as both incredibly kind and gentle, but as a teacher he is clearly very strict. He describes Maomao's work as "passable". PASSABLE. Oof. I really do adore their relationship though, and you can tell how much Maomao genuinely adores and loves him.

This is skipping ahead to future LN's (and major spoilers so stop reading here if you don't want to see it) ..........but I adore the moments Maomao gets to spend with Luomen when he returns to working in the palace. They're few and far in between, but still so sweet. Especially in LN15 when they perform the surgery together!

Finally, I am going to end this part of the review on one of my most favourite parts in the anime, that I rewatch constantly because seeing chibi-Jinshi blue-screening is hilarious -- but Maomao's return to the the palace!

We get so many glorious quotes of Jinshi being petty and jealous, which are equally hilarious, but again - I want to highlight how much Jinshi starts putting down his mask now! The garden party conversation was such a clear turning point for him. Look at this guy:

He is so upset you guys! SO UPSET. He's not being flowery polite court noble eunuch Jinshi, he's being bratty whiny pouty baby Jinshi and it's glorious. He calls Lihaku a hack! He's So. Rude.

And Maomao doesn't get it at all. She has absolutely zero clue of the psychic damage she has just dealt him.

I like to believe that in the future Jinshi complains about this moment to Maomao every now and then--maybe when he's annoyed at her, or she's being purposely dense/stubborn about something.

Jinshi: Remember that time I finished my work early just to see you and I arrive to find out you left with LIHAKU OF ALL PEOPLE. LIHAKU. AND YOU HAD NO IDEA HOW I WAS FEELING AT ALL. Maomao: *shrugs* How was I supposed to know you'd fallen in love with me by then???? Jinshi: *Sputtering*

For real though, this was amusing to read in the light novel, but the anime genuinely made this scene shine.

Alright - I am ending things here and will be back for Part 3 which will take us from ch25 to the end!

[Part 3]

[izunias-meme-hole]

My Definitive Top 10 Favorite Characters 

Number 1. Doctor Doom (Marvel) - I've always respected this man, but I've never been super crazy about him. His animated and game adaptations are good but not perfect, and the movies so far have failed to get his character across in a great way, so that might've been a part of why I wasn't a Doom Superfan. Though after getting back into the absurdity and impactfulslness of superhero comics, it soon hit me... Doctor Doom is a villain made for comics. He's overdramatic, grandiose, terrifying, bombastic, egotistical, pragmatic, powerful, absurd, nuanced, insecure, lonely, the whole package placed within a suit of armor and a green cloak. He's an arrogant, tyrannical, cold hearted technological and magical genius who embodies every inch of supervillainy you could imagine, while remaining a genuinely sophisticated, and honorable figure even with his history of pettiness. Overall Doom is just one big magnificent bastard.

Number 2. DIO Brando (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) - I feel like I'm always going have a soft spot for this piece of shit, because his development and influence is something else. In Phantom Blood, he’s still one of the greatest evils the series has ever seen, but we also saw a human element to him in a very negative way. He was bitter, envious, and straight up angry at the world for making him the bottom of the barrel, but after becoming a vampire he’s becomes sick, scary, and pitiable due to his lack of humanity. In Stardust Crusaders, the re-emerged DIO is out to get the Joestars, not just for revenge for Jonathan humiliating him, but because he knows they’ll be a threat in the long run. He’s fully embraced the Dracula vibes, and he’s matured by a lot. He's still full of himself, but he's less angry and erratic, and more power-hungry, paranoid, and controlled. Like DIO was not really sane, but he did a damn good job of holding himself together, until he experienced near-death and another power high yet again. This isn't even mentioning the Stone Ocean flashbacks where we get to see more of this controlled DIO interacting with the man who would carry on his work, showing that around that point in his life that he became aware of his limitations and is willing to leave unfinished business a genuine loyalist. Overall, DIO is a monster who is willing to do whatever he can to be at the top because he understands what being at the bottom is like.

Number 3. Sayo Yasuda/Beatrice (When They Cry) - Sayo Yasuda, a.k.a The Golden Witch Beatrice, is a fun, terrifying, smart, kinda relatable, and overall tragic young witch who serves the scapegoat of a much bigger horror within Umineko's narrative, and is the heart of the story alongside Battler Ushiromiya, love of her life, turned rival, turned love of her life again. I can't get too much into her story about spoiling Umineko as a whole, but just know that the Golden Witch the best.

Number 4. The Joker (Batman) - The Joker is a crook who fell into a vat of chemicals and got a clownish makeover and ended up becoming the nemesis of Batman. While the other rouges have their particular danger levels, they all have some type of cause they're fighting for or they're purely out to benefit themselves. Joker just causes chaos, death, and suffering, for the sake of his twisted sense of humor. He is willing to kill and ruin lives in the most creative way possible, so long as he finds it funny. Yet despite how twisted he is, this evil ass clown actually can be funny. Not only that, but he's the most effective contrast to Batman, even more than the other rouges. Batman is a frightening figure with a semi-demonic visage who suffered one bad day in his youth, yet he is a hero dedicated to the cause of justice and protecting the innocent citizens of Gotham City. Joker is a colorful figure with a big 'ol grin on his face and a jovial demeanor, yet he is perfectly okay with causing as much unwarranted harm to others for the sake of artistic chaos. Ultimately, the Clown Prince of Crime is a villain that's managed to last for decades, despite the ever marching clock, for these exact reasons.

Number 5. Ganon (Legend of Zelda: Era of Wilds) - It's honestly surprising how this duology managed to crank out one of the greatest incarnations of Ganon in the series. In the first game, we see Ganon's power in the form of a demonic beast known as Calamity Ganon, and while this thing was basically an animal, it is the primary reason why the world of BoTW is as barren as it is, and this monster does have both a large presence, and decent amount of activity though the Guardians, Blights, Divine Beasts, and blood moons, creating a fear factor for a good chunk of the game. That is until said fear vanishes when you see that this things final form is just a flaming pig. However, in ToTK we meet the source of Calamity Ganon, the original Demon King Ganondorf from the era of Hyrule's founding and man does he deliver. He stays underground for a majority of the game after shattering the Master Sword and almost killing Link, but he never stops feeling like an active threat because of his Phantom Ganon's, Puppet Zelda, and the most dangerous thing in his arsenal, gloom. Not only that, but ToTK goes out of it's way to still present Ganondorf as a darwinistic asshole who worships power and actually thinks that his actions are justified, however unlike his other incarnations he has a terminal case of insanity from the get-go, which rears its head at every chance. These games made Ganon into a legitimate demon on all fronts, first introducing his pure demonic power without his dangerous mind and then introducing the true mad Demon King himself later on.

Number 6. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy) - Sephiroth is one of the most frightening bosses in gaming and a genuine horror villain. He is a tragic monster born from science, and a loyal “son” fo his alien mother, Jenova, but he’s still scary as hell thanks to his god complex, unlimited strength, ethereal vibes, years of experience, his ability to live off of pure spite just so he can make the lives of his enemies (and Cloud) complete hell. His appearance in of itself is creepy due to how beautiful, yet unsettling it is, thanks to his silver hair, green snake-like eyes, and perfect physique which is complimented by a black coat. However the most dangerous things about him are that he’s completely delusional, his strength is unmatched, and just how far he’s willing to go to distort other peoples sense reality, specifically Cloud’s sense of reality. Sephiroth a tragic character and a phenomenal villain.

Number 7. Sauron (Lord of The Rings) - The Original Dark Lord. A fallen being of great power, obsessed with order. The enemy army is his army, Mordor is his kingdom, the Nazgul are his servants, the One Ring is his power source fueled by a fragment of his own soul that tempts and corrupts all who bear it, his eye shines its malevolent gaze upon the world with the intent of ravaging and conquering all that it can see, and the entire story is caused by his machinations. Whenever I look back at Sauron as a villain and character, I end up remembering why he is as infamous as he is. A great villain sometimes can just be a genuinely terrifying presence, especially in cinema and literature.

Number 8. Bowser (Super Mario Bros) -  Bowser is a genuinely great villain and fun as hell. Sure, there are a crapton of underrated villains in the Mario series, but no matter what you cannot really hate this guy. He’s a giant fire breathing turtle-dragon who’s a evil king, but he’s also a meathead, arrogant as hell, has very cool boss fights, is a surprisingly good father to his kids, and he’s an amazing protagonist and ally. He's also a VERY huge asshole in Mario Party. Though at the end of the day, Bowser is just an entertaining villain and a great character.

Number 9. Count Dracula (Dracula 1897) - Count Dracula, the original Count Dracula is such a well written monster. He's a refined and sophisticated older nobleman with snow white hair, who's easily able to pass as a gentleman. Though underneath that sophistication is a truly predatory creature, fueled by a hunger for blood and a love for cruelty. He barely appears within the pages of his own book, yet his presence is absolutely everywhere because of his constant activity as this inhuman entity is always shown. And the cherry on top is that he truly is that he truly does feel like an otherworldly beast mixed with an elegant yet predatory and violent man, and it's just splendid.

Number 10. Messmer The Impaler (Elden Ring) - Messmer was certainly a welcome surprise. He was the firstborn son of Queen Marika, ultimately the one who personally oversaw the genocide of the hornsent in the Land of Shadow, and event so horrific and cruel that its impact could still be felt within the present day. He was afflicted with a curse at his birth, in which a dark and malevolent snake threatened to eat him from the inside, which resulted in Marika plucking out his eye and replacing it with a seal of grace. Sounds like quite the monster, right? Well here's the thing. Messmer's a surprisingly good boss, like he literally preserved his enemies culture inside a storeroom just because one of his knights requested it, and has at least some level of compassion. Sure some of his men defected after finding out about the true nature of his existence, but there were some that even stuck around because they know who he is as a person. So why did this great guy commit literal one of the most horrific events in history? Well you see, Marika basically told him to eliminate the hornsent, and it wasn't just a standard order... it was a secret banishment for him, and Marika's vengeance on the hornsent. That's right, Messmer was exiled so he could be a scapegoat for his mother in the Land of Shadow. While this doesn't absolve him of his crimes, it ultimately makes him extremely pitiable.

[elionwriter]

MIRACULOUS LADYBUG: AWAKENING

SPOILER REVIEW

Since my last post on Miraculous Ladybug was so vitriolic, I feel like now I have to give my two cents on the film. In my opinion? It was great! It reminded me why I like the concept of the story to begin with. I think sincerely that the movie did a by far better job at telling this story in under two hours than the series did in over 5 seasons.

It's not perfect, mind you, but it is a really good time! The animation is gorgeous, the action sequences were amazing, the story is straightforward and it doesn't make you feel like everyone except for Marinette is an idiot. It does help boost enjoyability not having Thomas Austruc mansplaining at every chance what a perfect society looks like, what the ideal man and woman act like, and what a perfect and healthy romance appears like.

Marinette is lovely! Her characterization is so on point. This time round, you can truly believe that she is a normal girl, with a normal life, just down on her luck. And her character arch is linear and fairly well structured. I really liked that they showed that her failings and clumsiness mostly boil down to uncertainty and self-doubt. It's not the Ladybug powers granting her agily and resilience, the mask just help bring what was already there to surface (something I did not always see in the series especially in the earlier seasons). Adrien/Chat Noir is one of the two characters that most benefits from the adaptation, IMO. He is ever kind and caring but he's not a door mat or a prize to be won. The scene in which he lashes out on his father, calling him out on his neglect: that was just beautiful to witness. And Gabriel Agreste! Oh, Gabriel! Finally, finally this character makes sense and acts like you would expect and hope he would. Surprise, surprise, he actually makes a compelling villain when written right and manages to look competent and threatening. As for everyone else...everyone else mostly disappear in the background and act as their tv counterparts (except for Cloe in the end *cough* *cough*).

While it's a big jarring every time they start singing, the songs 'Better Together' and 'Courage in me' are really catchy and nice. Heck, even the rendition of the main theme 'You are Ladybug' is fun and enjoyable.

The romance is obviously the main aspect of the story and I think it plays out really nicely here! While there obviously isn't much time to fully delve into the love square and you are left a bit wondering why Marinette is so hung up on Adrien when her relationship with Chat Noir absolutely steals the show by being romantic, heartfelt and wholesome, I still enjoyed it. Emphasis on Ladynoir stealing the show, especially when the two spar on the roof, duet in a scene that reminded me of the Moulin Rouge and face the final threat.

The side story of Marinette feeling slightly embarrassed by her dad was unnecessary, but whatever, I guess.

Plag isn't especially great here, but Tikki, oh my gosh, Tikki is a SAVAGE! 🤩 Ten seconds after meeting Marinette and is already about to kick the girl's ass!

Anyway, that is to say, I had a great time watching this, and I hope you all do to.

[shiro-s2e2-erukinzu]

I was feeling under the weather for most of yesterday, so I didn't really feel like writing about the new episode after I watched it the other day... 🤒

But now, I'm ready to discuss episode 32 of Spy X Family...!! 👍

Yesterday's episode adapted the rest of Mission 48 as well as Missions 49 and 50 of the manga, and I have to say... There were plenty of things that I enjoyed about this episode...! 😄

First off, I loved how they did Yor's fight with Barnaby, it was very well animated and they even made Yor look just as scary as she did in the manga...!!: 😆

We also finally got to see THIS hilarious scene animated...!!: 🤣

I couldn't stop LAUGHING the first time I saw this in the manga, and I do think that the anime did a great job recreating it!! 😁 Though I have to admit, this is where I started to have a little bit of an issue with this episode...

After recreating this MASTERPIECE of a scene in the anime...: 🤣😂🤣😂🤣

The episode's pacing kind of felt all over the place to me... 😓 Like, the part with Zeb remembering what Olka's family did for him and others after the war and Yor's lament about her assassin job are paced very well, while the part with Anya trying to distract Loid so she could help Yor felt like they were trying to rush through it... 😩

I don't know, maybe I would've preferred it if today's episode had all of Mission 48 to work with and ended with Yor's lament at the end of Mission 49, then make Mission 50 a whole episode on it's own and add some anime only activities that Loid and Anya could take part in...!! 😤 But it's okay, I fine with a proper adaption of these chapters...! 😌 (Though, I am holding out hope for Mission 56 to be extended into a full episode...! 🤞)

Anyway, sorry about my little rant about the pacing of this episode and on to the changes that I noticed...!! 😄

There were a few dialogue changes that I noticed, like Loid's version of Joseph Joestar's iconic "OH MY GOD!!" (which I thought was funnier 🤣) in the anime, while he says "Oh my goodness gracious!" in the manga; as well as Anya singing different lyrics for the little song she sang:

But... The biggest change that I noticed had to be THIS:

You see, in the anime, this man was sniffing around like a normal person, but as you can see in the manga...

THIS MAN HAS A SUPER SNIFFER!! 😵

I don't know why they changed how Sir Sniffs-a-Lot (or Sniff Jobs as most call him) got Yor's group scent, but I definitely prefer the crazy way he got it in the manga...!! 😤

And I think that's all I wanna say about this episode...! Even though I had quite a few issues with it, I still pretty much enjoyed the episode overall...!! 😁

Looks like next week's episode is also going to adapt three chapters and can't wait to see it!! 😆 So I'll see guys next week; same spy time, spy channel...!! 😎 LATER!! 👋😁