#The fact that we FINALLY get the Repulse storyline is just.... AMAZING

[owlsie-hoot]

@so-i-did-this-thing I have nothing to add!

Radio Times title and summary for Christmas special (listed below episode 1):

All God's Creatures

Skeldale House prepares for an important Christmas - and Jimmy's first birthday, but everyone is rocked by news that HMS Repulse, Edward's ship, has been sunk. Mrs Hall has to endure an agonising wait before knowing whether or not her son has survived and, when a young boy arrives at the surgery with an abandoned fox cub, Mrs Hall can't help feeling a connection with the animal. Meanwhile, Tristan is given an important RAVC mission - to source the best Yorkshire pigeons for a new breeding programme, for which Siegfried sends him to Enoch Sykes, a cantankerous pigeon fancier whose birds are having digestive problems

[justmidnightthougts]

Not so boring // Bokuto x reader

Pairing: Bokuto Koutarou x reader

Word count: 1684

Warning: fluff

Summary: You and Bokuto both have a scheme to decide where you go on dates. When it was finally your turn again you decide to go to your dream place, which Bokuto didn't expect.

masterlist: here

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧

Weekend.

One of the few things high schoolers look forward to in a school year. Those two days are spent by teenagers hanging out with each other or as the time for others to recharge their batteries before another week starts. Today it was Saturday, the first day of the weekend. If it was a normal Saturday, you would spend your time hanging out with your best friend or recharging your social battery, but not today. Today was the long-awaited day. Your date with your boyfriend Bokuto Koutarou. The whole week you were excited for Saturday, with the consequences that you barely paid attention to class, not as if you did that much anyway.

You've been together with Bokuto for about 1 year and 3 months now, having confessed feelings to each other after Fukorodani won one of their practice games against Nekoma. The confession consisted of two people, each nervous to be turned down by their crush to end up holding a celebration party in their head. Bokuto cheered loudly, saying his signature "HEY HEY HEY" as he held his arms in the air, beaming. You were a little calmer on the outside and just enjoyed his reaction, cheering inside your own head.

Dating someone like Bokuto was an overwhelming experience. Even before you two started dating you knew what Bokuto was like, since you were friends before you both confessed to each other. You knew that he had an emo mode and huge mood swings, but that didn't mean that you loved him less. Just like he loved every part of you, you loved every part of him. Both his personality and body of course, which was sculpted by the Gods in your opinion. At school he would come up to you during breaks, hugging you until he has to leave. One time you asked him why he always hugged you: "Because I need to recharge before I have class again" was his simple explanation. After school you watched him practice unless you had other stuff to do. If that was the case, he just found another way to spend time with you after practice. Study dates happened a lot during the weekend too. Those dates are spent with the both of you working on your homework, you help him out when he doesn't understand something, and he helps you out or at least tries to help you out. Those dates end with a cuddle session on your bed while watching a movie, most likely a comedy movie or one from your childhood, since they never get old.

A little further in your relationship you also found out several ways to help Bokuto out with his emo mode. Either way, you cheered him on and praised him if he was in a game, or just you gave him forehead kisses and hugs, that method really paid off several times.

Anyway, today you finally had a date again with him since he has been busy preparing for the nationals. At the start of your relationship, you both decided that one-time Bokuto chooses what you do on a date, and the other time you choose. Today it was your turn, and you knew exactly what you wanted to do.

"So~ what have you planned to do today?" Bokuto asked you with curious eyes as you both were walking down the street, holding hands, and drinking the coffee that you bought on the way.

"That's a surprise Bo" you chuckled watching his curious expression turn into a pouting one as if he was a child that didn't get his ice cream. You heard him huff and shook your head, rolling your eyes even though there was a smile on your face. "Don't worry, we are almost at our destination, so you don't have to wait too long," you said with a smile on your face as you threw your empty cup away.

Bokuto looked at you and pouted a little more before sighing and nodding, smiling again: "Alright! Then I'll just have to trust my lover then! I'm sure that you planned something fun," he said proudly following you and throwing his cup away. Only if he knew...

A few minutes later the both of you arrived at the destination and his expression turned blank. You started laughing at that, clutching your stomach. How you wish to just take a picture of his expression. After a few minutes, you calmed down and wiped your tears away from the laughing, and looked at the large building in front of you. For this date, you decided to go to a new library in the city. You heard from one of your friends that it really was worth visiting. They told you that it looked like those libraries that are described in fantasy books. You already love reading so you are sure that you would've visited it nonetheless, but that fact just made you even more curious.

"So...the date you organized is going to the library?" Bokuto asked you calmly as he kept looking at the building, the defeat clear on his face.

You nodded: "yes that is true" you looked at him and grabbed his hand. "c'mon don't be like that Bo, I promise you that it's going to be fun!" you said with a smile, pulling him with you to the entrance, even though that was easier said than done. Bokuto gave a long-defeated sigh before following you, mumbling stuff like "books are boring" or "we could've easily just cuddled all day". You knew that he wasn't a fan of reading books for a long time, but you really wanted to come here and share this experience with him. You made a mental note to tell him that later.

From the moment you entered the building stars lit up in your eyes. It really was like a library straight from your fantasy books. Huge shelves full of books organized in their own different categories, with tables standing at the end of the hallways. Ladders for if you wanted to reach a book that was a little higher. Huge windows for natural sunlight, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. You swore that you could stay here for days, if not for months.

You glanced towards your boyfriend who was just like you mesmerized by the scenery in front of him. Once he caught sight of you glancing at him, he went back to your sulking boyfriend, not wanting to give you the victory that you longed for yet. You chuckled and then walked further into the library, looking up at the signs of each hallway, searching for the fantasy book. You spotted horror, comedy, romance, fiction, and then finally fantasy. You hummed happily and entered the hallway, looking with amazed eyes at all the books stored there. while searching for a book to read your eyes fell on one with a golden title. "The Cruel Prince", you've heard from that book but never really got the chance to read it since your bookshelves at home were currently full.

While you read the description, you failed to notice the way Bokuto looked at you. Even if the both of you have been dating for more than a year now, you were still hesitant when it came to talking about all your passions. He knew that you might be afraid of how he would react so he understood that it may take time for you to express his passions the way he did, and he will wait until you are ready. But now he saw the way you looked at those books and a warm feeling filled him. He may have been repulsive about the idea of this date, but now he may get why you brought him here and he doesn't regret coming here. He didn't pay attention to the books and only watched your gleeful expression while you held that book.

He walked to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, hugging you from behind while looking over your shoulder at the book that is taken all your attention. You glanced at him and smiled, pecking his cheek: "Did you already find a book Bo?" you asked him curiously and he huffed, shaking his head: "no, books are boring" he whined softly, knowing that he needs to be quiet in the library and honestly not wanting to feel the wrath of the others in here for disturbing their peace.

You rolled your eyes and then looked at the books before taking a book with the name "A thousand pieces of you" and handed it to him. "I know you don't like books, but you should at least try, maybe you'll find it fun even if it's only a little bit. If you still don't like it after 30 minutes then we will leave" you said with a smile, giving him that promise before making your way to one of the tables and sitting down in the surprisingly comfortable chairs with the book in your hand.

Bokuto looked at you and nodded, taking the book. "Only because you asked me to" he mumbled and followed you like a puppy. He sat down and inspected the cover of the book cautiously before turning it and reading the description. Bo opened the book and started reading, grumbling softly, you chuckling when you hear him.

You were a few chapters in your book when you realized that he wasn't making any noises anymore. You turned your head, half expecting him to be asleep, and were surprised when you saw him, focused in his book, or more like mesmerized by the storyline of the book. You wanted to say something but decided not to, opting to enjoy the silence and comfort that came from this.

Maybe coming to this library is not as boring as he thought that it would be. He was kind of excited and curious about the other passions that you didn't tell him yet. He was also excited to love you more in the years that will come.

[girlobsessed21]

My thoughts on The 100 7x05

Hey, guys,

Sorry for not doing any comments on the last two episodes. I’ve been a little busy and I struggled to connect to the show, so it hindered my enjoyment, but it’s all better now. Liked episode 4 and 5 was even better, jampacked with info and it answered a lot of questions.

Welcome to Bardo

Badass Octavia is da bomb (people don’t say that anymore, right?). When she was captured in episode two, I thought she had lost her fighting spirit, but it’s back, bitches. Well, until she runs into an invisible wall trying to escape. She’s captured and transported to M-cap (whatever that means). Then we get a welcome little flashback to Lincoln but it’s obvious that Bellamy would be the hand reaching out. He’s her rock, like she’s expressed many times.

Unlike John Murphy who is not quite a friend, or family and definitely not a lover. Introducing so many new characters in the final season of a show is never a good idea, because this is the time to wrap up all the stories of the existing ones, but come on, who cannot love Levitt. Even when he first meets Octavia, he doesn’t want to hurt her. Jason, you better not harm one hair on this precious little puppy’s head!

As he binges The 100 through Octavia’s eyes, he starts rooting for her, and he actually gives a damn, unlike most people on this show. He understands her strengths and weaknesses and he makes her see it too. “You’re a warrior to be sure, but your heart is pure.” Wow, what an honest and beautiful line. (Scroll down for my shipping comments.)

So is O and Hope’s fleeting little reunion. It’s amazing to experience this deep loving side of Octavia after her darkness. She’s truly one of the most diverse and developed characters on the series. Now Hope and her resilience is quickly making it to the top as well.

While Hope is trying to send her back home, we learn that memory loss is due to the time dilation. One quick note on this, it’s not linear, there’s no easy equation to calculate it unless you’re Stephen Hawking or Einstein. I don’t think it’s constant either. 10 years on Skyring = 11 days on Bardo = a few minutes on Sanctum. In the current time, 5 years on Skyring = 1 day on Sanctum = 7 days on Bardo. So, it’s clear that the planets are moving, and other factors are playing into the phenomenon. It’s more important to understand the time relative to each planet.

Levitt was the one who tattooed Hope’s code onto O’s back, also the one who planted the note into Hope’s arm. Indeed the kind of man you want on the inside, he even accepts a blow to the face as thank you.

Sheep-ish?

Thirty minutes on the clock and the trio gets led to a congregation to praise the shepherd. I never thought it was Anders, I do, however think it might be Cadogan. The Bordoan’s built the underground forest because they destroyed their planet. Ugh, what’s new? The shepherd herded his sheep from earth to Bardo via the stone. Cadogan and his second dawn cult?

Back to Clarke. So, after last episode I thought ‘the key to winning the last war’ line was an artifice for luring Clarke to disciples, but now it’s clearly true. They’ve located the key and they will win the last war. Levitt was interested in Clarke surviving the City of Light with the flame in her head, they probably assume she still has it. Cadogan burned Becca alive. Could it be because of the flame? Is this all because of that damn little chip that can’t seem to die?

Bellamy is not dead, I repeat, Bellamy is not dead! I believe that memory could be staged or implanted for a reason. Also, there’s no body, he jumped through the bridge. In the promo photos, he wears a ring but his actions towards Octavia seem a little cold and generic. On first watch, I thought it was bad acting but if he was programmed to do this, it makes sense.

Note the sequence of events. Octavia returned 7 days ago and was asked to talk her brother down, but we don’t see the actual scene. Instead we’re shown a memory. They could have implanted it to make her vulnerable and perhaps more susceptible to the procedure. I don’t know, but this theory could lead to Robot-sheep!Bellamy on Nakara, where he’ll encounter Clarke and the gang.

I have to be honest, I really don’t like this character arc for Bellamy. It’s unoriginal and a mime of Peeta’s storyline in Mockingjay. Sorry, but so far it feels like the writers were so over the show, they just wanted to get it done. And that attitude really bleeds into one’s creative concepts. I could be completely wrong, in fact, I hope I am.

Echo spins a Finn

My word, I lost the love of my life once, but I sure didn’t kill anyone. When Echo received that vision of Roan, I was hoping for some progression on her individual arc, they’ve made me care about her, and now we get the opposite. Why? One thing I have to admit, a killer performance from Tasya Teles! No pun intended.

Look, this show hasn’t explored Bellamy and Echo’s relationship enough to make her murder believable. It was the exact same thing with Finn. I wasn’t invested in Finn and Clarke’s connection, so his actions of killing a grounder tribe was more repulsive than understandable. Sure, Echo loves Bellamy and her sole purpose is to save him, but I’ve never truly witnessed their love for each other. They had one or two intimate scenes which cannot compel a deed like this. And in the process, she screwed Hope and Diyoza.

Anyway, I don’t think there’s any coming back from it. She murdered an innocent person in cold blood. That’s sure to open a door to the dark side.  Just look at Octavia after killing Pike and her actions were justified by jus drein jus daun.

Say Sanctum three times slowly and it sounds like… Sanctum

Blind faith

Look, I’m just gonna come out and say this song is getting old. Every episode featuring Sanctum is the exact same thing with different lines. Can we please move on from it, already? Yes, we know the COG want Russel dead, and the adjusters will go to extreme lengths to free Russel and the prisoners are background noise.

I did appreciate Nelson stepping in to try and save the girl, though. Still doesn’t save the fact that it’s repetitive. The Sanctum plotline is really struggling to take shape and I hope it happens soon. Dramatic eyeroll.

At least in the drought of a desert, you can always count on Murphy. “…I say we live and let die.” Typical cockroach line, right, but it’s ironic when he’s the one to step up, even if it is for Emori. Under the magnifying glass it’s the exact same plot as episode 1 and 3. He hesitates to take action, and eventually becomes the hero.

I mean, he saved that poor kid from being burned alive. Can you imagine sacrificing your own child in such a horrific away? Cults are beyond whacked, and, unfortunately, it’s reality that cult members are so blinded by their faith that they do not see rhyme or reason.

How did Murphy fail that test? I didn’t. When Trey named the four pillars, I thought, isn’t rejoice one of them? Surely, a cockroach would have smelled that trap a mile away.

Indra the great

Can we just give a massive round of applause to Adina Porter!!! That powerhouse walk vibrates strength and majesty, damn, she should be a false god, I wouldn’t dare threaten her with or without an army.

Three little words was all it took for her to recognize evil. “There’s a spider on your shoulder.” Smooth. Too bad she can’t kill him. Why not, how many of the faithful are left to cause an uproar? Wonkru doesn’t know it’s Sheidheda, they won’t care, the COG will fall in line and the prisoners will be happy as long as they get their compound. Sorry, I don’t get it and I don’t understand why she doesn’t tell anyone.  Someone please explain?

Granted, JR Bourne as Russel is way better, but I still don’t understand his actions. I hope they explore and explain him more, because he still feels flat unless he knows something of this final war. I’m hoping these two storylines align soon since it’s really driving a wedge between me and my love for the show.

Shipwreck

I’ll start with the easy stuff, Murphy, Emori and the perfect dress gets a heart eye emoji from me. They are so damn cute this season, can they please live happily ever after in the palace?

Octabriel vs Levittavia

Now, I enjoy Levitt fangirling over Octavia. I feel like he has a deep sense of her through her memories. If I have to root for an underdeveloped relationship, it will have to be one where the characters share thoughts and experiences even if it is through a sick, sci-fi procedure.

On the other hand, Gabriel and Octavia have immense chemistry, two seconds of them together bends my mouth into an “Aah, cute” pout. This will also add some approval and representation for mixed racial relationships.

I really don’t mind either way as long as they make me care through showing and not telling.

Bellarke

So, if my theory is correct, and Bellamy does end up on Nakara, Bellarke will encounter each other quite soon. Bellamy won’t be himself though, but he might pretend to be Bellamy to win Clarke’s co-operation. Is there hope for Bellarke yet?

Echo is now trotting a dangerous path and Bellamy might be pledged to a cause, so I doubt there will be a happy ending for Becho. Since 7x01 I’ve been thinking that the writers might want to develop something between Clarke and Gaia but if they are separated, is there enough time? Guess we’ll see.

This monster of a review is finally done… If you read through everything, you deserve a gold star! Let me know what you think, till we meet again…

[bentenharuki]

Haikyuu Chapter 300 - the unexpected roll

So... in the end I had picked up to color so many panels from this chapter to do a roll was the only thing to do, as a collage wouldn’t have been enough to store all images.

My feelings towards the general flow of this match vs Nekoma hasn’t changed in the slightest tho.

It’s the most predictable game ever and it cannot end in any other way than with a win from Karasuno over a disjointed Nekoma, giving Kenma a reason and the emotion to fight from there onwards in a more passionate way (of course Furudate will reach all of it with some special and absolutely not realistic superpowers from Boku No Hero Karasuno... the main reason I am gonna hate this game for...)

But let’s taste some greatness before all goes downhill (and it will):

I loved already last time to catch Eikichi witnessing our overpowered Volley Lord *.*, so to see him again makes me happy.

He had been so nice to the Lord and his “little” social bluntness at the beloved National training Camp that I would love to say “ehi, man, SURE the Lord remembers you and your details!”... but it’s almost assured he doesn’t.

Lord Almighty of Volley only remembers the worthy players’ names. In fact at that camp he knew already the worthiest ones’ names before even meeting them (READ: SAKUSA... his fated partner forever. He reckoned him even before stepping into the gym... awwwwww! It’s DESTINY!).

But good job, Chigaya. You were still a first year among the crop of the National Youth Camp, so you’re talented enough maybe to have the Lord remember your name after you trained five days along him.

Let’s be hopeful ;)

Now, everybody, look at that perfect upper body and the wide shoulders of the Lord as he impacts the ball ^.^

So beautiful and THICK.

Gorgeous...

The little trick our immense Lord is attempting to pull off needs some registering yet...

And by the way, the man who inspired Lord Kags’ attempts here had some trouble in registering his own serve too, some months prior.

Did any ever doubt Kageyama could have NOT tried something Oikawa had done, after witnessing it?

You dream.

The Lord has one senpai to look up to, and it’s definitely not Sugawara, whose ability stands next to Kageyama as a grain of sand compared to Mount Everest.

Not that Oikawa can be either a match to the Lord, but at least Oikawa is DEFINITELY someone the Lord feels pushed and stimulated by, because he has enough talent on his own to constitute a worthy adversary for him (or a worthy model, which works better).

Look, this was chapter 144...

Guaranteed, Kageyama will serve Kai his demise, with his own SPINNING version of the former Oikawa’s bomb serve, just let him have a lil bit of time (this before Furudate will kill volley and probably make the Lord injured, just to give the abhorrent Orange Midget some miraculous spotlight).

Look how the Lord is replaying the action in his magnificent volley vision to adjust for next serves rounds...

He’s truly the prodigy of volley.

And sports prodigies, who do exist in real life of course, are my esthetic always, in the normal world, and in 2D world as well.

I wrote what I had to in the panels already... let me just say I can’t resist to the Akane + Alisa’s combo.

Considering beside Saeko, who’s super badass, the only female figures we used to have presented in Haikyuu are the extremely beautiful, but extremely boring and narcoleptic Kiyoko, and the utter failure of a human being Yachi (so unimpressive and basic I feel offended as a female to have her as a guest protagonist in a manga about my fav sport...), to have a lil kid so fired up and knowledgeable as Akane, and someone as beautiful, cheerful and curious as Alisa feels like the most needed breath of fresh air in  the female ranks of this project.

I expect Furudate to ruin them soon.

It can’t be helped... Furudate has a knack for ruining things I love, so he will also with Akane and Alisa for sure.

Look my baby Tanaka being all up to the fight like the mofo and wonderful guy he is!!!!!

Here you have a proud Tanaka supporter since the very start so any time he does these things I squeal. But of course... well... nobody is a match for THE ONE & ONLY.

Look how the Lord shows once more to the world what to be a prodigy means.

sigh... he excites me properly.

No kidding.

I colored the panels on a swimming pool border as I was tanning and my friends around me where asking me why I was sighing as I was holding the Apple pencil.

My bae’s just told them “She’s getting excited because she’s coloring Tobio Kageyama. My life is hard sometimes...”

*.* Sorry babe. I know. I can’t help it... but you be good and you will have your reward later ;)

Here I couldn’t erase the midget’s face so I... operated a lil change to his ugly mug. That still count as an improvement of his regular face.

Back to the panel, the excitement kitten Kenma shows up there IS FOR BOKU NO HERO KARASUNO.

All of this game which sets Kenma in overdrive ONLY has to do with the Annoying Orange.

Also the final panel... Kenma has only ONE target this game. Defeat Hinata like he is some videogame boss. The rest of Karasuno is just a side trouble for him.

(THIS pitiful plot is the reason for I will happily ditch Haikyuu as soon as the horrifying midget gets a spot only a fairy tale for brainless simpletons could pass for a good storyline in volley. I am sorry, but I won’t stomach that fictional midget no more than it’s strictly necessary, and the story of his Kenma’s molding most definitely is out of my spectrum of enjoyable reading).

Bonus: Yaku being so good.

Yaku is really good. I mean, he’s not darling Komori Motoya, but he is REALLY good.

Can I have a lil Nekomata on my shelf? You know for me Ukai is a treasure, but although he wants a type of game play which is not really my taste, Nekomata sensei’s love for the game is intoxicating to me. He’s so fair and so into volley... I cannot have but ENDLESS LOVE for him.

I also like the mood of open appreciation the two teams have for one another.

After all, they are playing one against the other since a year.

And now, see how the awkward, lovely Lord tries to be communicative with his teammates.

I always laugh at his attempts. He’s gotten better, but he still hilarious when he tries to convey his vision to others (actually, I long to see how he will do the same with the only one who can push his buttons exactly when he tries that communicative mode, and that’s my Tsukki... with Tanaka is easy, Lord... Tanaka is willing to cooperate but Tsukki... Tsukki will try to resist ;)).

Grade: C for the effort, Lord.

Well.

It’s canon.

Nobody is at Kageyama’s level, nor anybody can hope to get there (though we don’t know about Sakusa’s stats yet. So I hope HE CAN, to create the most perfect future combo ever...), but it always makes me shiver when the whole universe just acknowledges the fact.

From the Universe, of course one gotta part the only scrub who cannot figure in it.

I mean, I erased his repulsive face because he makes me puke, but it’s just as canon as the fact Kageyama is (by far) the BEST the way some fictional scrub midget will do his worst to have baseless hopes he could one day become nearly as good as the Volley Prodigy Lord.

I mean... sure Furudate can make the Orange Curse develop even more his not possible superpowers, but the fact is in REAL life, somebody like Hinata simply cannot exist on a volley court.

But be hopeful, Orange Scrub: certainly to praise your brainless army of simpletons supporters, Furudate will upgrade you in a minute with some skill real players (with talent, a thing you have not) use years to perfect and master.

Gosh.

How this makes my stomach convulse...

So, before Furudate taints this game with some Hinata upgrade and he makes the Lord have some “disgrace”, let’s keep enjoy for a while more a game sanitized from the Scrub... (whom I erased happily once more, but anyway he was useless in all these actions anyway so...)

Yaku and Kuroo’s resilience is amazing.

It happens sometimes in games to meet THAT kind of team, the one like Nekoma. So solid in their defensive stances you really get frustrated and agitated.

I am more for attacking than defending, but it’s a golden rule in volley there’s no game if you can’t defend well first.

And then Nekoma has Kenma... so it’s not like they only defend (more on this later).

Why didn’t you close the panel with the Lord’s FULL and perfect face, Furudate?

His perfect eyes... 

sigh.

You will pay for your sins, Furudate.

Even though you have done this well overdue panel where everyone just states the mere truth, singing the Lord’s choruses of praise, like it’s normal and logic it happens. 

Bonus: Daichi helping Kuroo getting up :) :) :)

Awww. They are so cute *.*

I REALLY like the face Kuroo has while he sings Lord Kageyama’s praise.

That is the face of a human acknowledging the miracles of Nature.

And prodigies ARE a Nature’s gift to humanity after all, whatever kind their talents are.

Also, I love how Nekomata says the other truth: when you witness talents, you should not be getting scared, or envious (like the scrub midget), or disheartened. 

You should be grateful and excited to confront yourself with that talent, because that’s the way you will progress.

That’s the way you will get pushed, inspired, confirmed in your sport love path.

Instead we have a “fandom” all keen at trashing and diminishing the purest source of volley in the manga, just because, like the “protagonist” they blindly feel connected to, they can’t get the blessing of talent, nor appreciate and celebrate its existence.

Well... Kuroo CAN.

With that beautiful face he makes here.

The clarity of admiration in his eyes... it’s exactly my same one, when Kageyama does volley THAT good.

Now it’s not like Lord Kags is the only talented setter on court though.

Of course, he is THE MOST TALENTED character in the manga BUT (what I used to love Haikyuu very much for, before the way Hinata became started to disgust me), he is not the only talented setter at all.

There are MANY other talents there, and SURE, kitten Kenma is one of the most interesting ones.

I DEARLY love Kenma.

I wrote about this already here:

https://bentenharuki.tumblr.com/post/171958285486/this-is-a-kenma-kozume-appreciation-post-see-i

And if I wouldn’t know once he gets involved, it means Hinata will come erasing all fun and believability in this game for me, I’d surely like to see what this image forecasts for the future...

But as I said, this game has to show the Orange Curse winning over Kenma so that Kenma gains a willpower and a fight insistence he currently lacks.

So there’s no way what lays ahead for this game is going to be appreciated by me, despite the amazing mind Kozume has which is for sure a source of great plays in nuce ahead.

Too bad Hinata exists, because I would have liked to follow the dynamic of the Lord facing the Mastermind Kitty, and see which ways a further confrontation with Kenma will increase Kageyama’s volley spectrum (he has already learnt from him the eye feint, after all).

But if I have to stand Hinata along this process...

NOPE.

Thank you.

I’d look from VERY afar at everything which is gonna happen, but no way I will come to stand more of the Orange Midget Scrub.

I am allergic to fictional mediocrity for mediocre readers, and I won’t let this space of mine being poisoned with Furudate’s foolishness aver Hinata any more.

See ya.

[moon-yean]

babylon berlin thoughts

I finally found the time to finish Babylon Berlin and alsdkfjalösdjkf!!! Guys, watch it when it comes to Netflix on January 30!!! (Serious spoilers behind the cut, don’t read unless you’ve seen it all. I mean it. This show relies heavily on twists.)

Can I just say... Regierungsrat Benda ??? What the hell ??? Everything about that storyline was killing me already anyway because of the inherent tragedy but wow @ the show making one of the nicest characters kill one of the other nicest characters + his little kid. Just... what the hell. I was ready to rip my hair out.

On that note, still mourning Jänicke!!! When they showed Charlotte sitting with his parents and them congratulating her on her new job... just, stawp. Stop killing me. Why are all the death scenes in this show both the best (in the way they are shot and the tension is built and just alöksdjfölajsdf) and the worst (because they keep killing the characters ppl might actually care about most)?

ngl I cried during a bunch of episodes, you can guess which.

And the end... wtf there were so many crazy twists in this show, I totally didn’t see this coming (until they started the flashback to the wedding of his brother and we see him turning around and I recognized the actor who plays the doc). And I just realized that that’s the reason the mob boss (Edgar~ ok is that even his real name) had the painting of Anno’s horse!!! Though this raises all kinds of questions about Gereon’s dad and the prostitutes shooting that little home vid in that location because uhmm that dude is also Anno’s dad and did Anno know and was he involved with that or what?! He was involved with the blackmail, right? Just wtf?! 

Also that ep with the assassination attempt during the Dreigroschenoper was awesome and makes me crave an Assassin’s Creed game set in that era. I dug it when that storyline got video game-y, less so when it became comic book-y (the train fight with Wolter... everything was so great until they started to actually green screen fight each other on top of the train, that shit was goofy and silly but ok I’ll let it slide because I wanted Wolter dead the minute he forced Charlotte to take him on as a “customer” despite her refusal plus he was just a corrupt and repulsive dick in general, the actor was great but I totally didn’t get how reviewers apparently loved his character or found him super funny or something?).

Also can we just talk about how this show was able to give me the most profound history chills with the most subtle moments? Or not even just the subtle ones. When General Seegers revealed his anti-semitic colors to Benda I was ready to jump through the screen and throttle him. Not that any of that is a surprise but... the fact that it’s kept on the down low all the time makes it so much more shocking when it erupts out in the open.

Speaking of which, Fritz and his friend, whatever his name was, were so clearly up to no good in hindsight. Like these two dudes are the only ones who ever mention Hitler in passing. Surprise surprise. Ugh!!!

The show is somewhat maddening but that’s the time it’s set in. Just makes you want to scream, knowing where everything is going. 

Yeah idk I have so many thoughts but I’m just glad the show’s been renewed. The whole cast is so perfect and I love Gereon and Charlotte and if they iron out the kinks and tighten the plotting, this could become, like, the best show of all time. It’s super well-directed and -acted and I’m surprised the different styles of the creative team didn’t show through more but yeah, they need to smoothen the writing a little bit and make it less convoluted.

But there were so many standout scenes and sequences, some of the best on TV this year imo. Aside from everything I’ve already mentioned, how great was the episode where Gereon tells the story of him and his brother on the battlefield? Or the scene where he breaks into Wolter’s apartment? Just so well done and filmed, damn. And I love how they really took the time with some of those scenes and luxuriated in them long past the point where other shows might have gone. It makes the balance on the whole a bit uneven but it produces these really memorable pieces.

Oh yeah and if I want something from S3-onwards, it’s that the show should ease off on making Charlotte a broken mess and damsel in distress, S2 kind of really hit the brakes in terms of her character development. Liv Lisa Fries was amazing and kept it coherent but more of her S1 self pls.

And also, can the show please run for enough seasons that it doesn’t end in 1938 during the November progroms like the books apparently will?! Like damn, that would be the most depressing series finale ever.

[lesmotsincompris]

Thoughts on Game of Thrones S07E07

It’s over. It doesn’t mean we won’t hear about the show anymore, as mainstream media tends to make a huge noise over every little rumour for the upcoming season, but at least we now have some distance between ourselves and a new episode of GoT. Let’s enjoy it.

I’ve heard that the critics are back to praising the show, which surprises me but also doesn’t. On the surprised side, I’ll give that this was better than S07E06, but it was still far from a good episode overall. On the unsurprised (but disappointed nevertheless) side, people praising GoT despite all the inconsistent characterizations, plot contrivances, awful dialogue, and shoddy worldbuilding isn’t exactly new. If this season was the breaking point for only a handful of people, I’m already happy.

We had an extra long episode and I have no idea why. There was a lot of stalling, especially in the King’s Landing subplot. It’s amazing how D&D can put useless crap on screen and actually relevant events and character development offscreen. Priorities.

I’ll probably post a season review at some point, but for Sunday’s episode here’s what I have:

King’s Landing

I’m gonna be honest: I watched this episode yesterday and I barely remember most of the dialogue now. This isn’t a very good effect for one of the most relevant gatherings in your entire series, but that’s hardly the first time one of the show-exclusive “big moments” didn’t work for me.

Part of the reason for that is the conga line of contrivances that led to this meeting. The removal of Aegon’s storyline from the books left Daenerys and Cersei to fight each other, with the septsplosion last season and the show-only Lannister poverty making the odds even worse for Cersei. To give the Lannisters a chance, D&D had #TeamDany coming up with stupid plan after stupid plan. Even so, they still have two dragons and the bigger army, while Cersei’s Golden Company is a Narrow Sea away; they could have ended the war in this episode if they wanted to. Why didn’t they try this instead of a truce?

You can argue this would weaken their forces against the army of dead, except: a) Dany accepted the idea of a truce even before she was fully convinced of said army’s existence; b) they should know better than to trust Cersei Lannister. Despite Cersei’s inconsistent characterization (Lena Headey is a goddess doing wonders with that character), I think we can all agree that nobody expected her to suddenly work for the good guys. The characters don’t know Cersei had her own pet zombie, but we do (and apparently everybody around her, since she keeps calling him Ser Gregor?) so the presence of the wight is hardly a game changer.

Other than that, there was a lot of walking and stalling and characters restating the same things they said before. Not very exciting. Though I legit enjoyed Qyburn’s necromancer bonner when he saw the wight.

But see, here’s a problem: we got more emphasis on secondary characters like Qyburn, Bronn, or the Hound than more important characters like Daenerys or Brienne. The Hound in particular got a lot of screen time this season and there was some heavy CleganeBowl foreshadowing, because of course D&D would do CleganeBowl. That’s why I keep calling the character “Hound” and not “Sandor”. What’s even character development. Or themes.

Brienne of Tarth said “fuck loyalty”. What’s next, Sansa Stark murdering a man out of revenge and smirking at the sound of his screams? Oh wait... 

What is Euron still doing in the story? There was a lot of teasing that he would be worse than Ramsay, but for the moment we got nothing. He’s Littlefinger 2.0: a shadow of his book self, damned because the showrunners don’t know what to do with him and can only think of stupid subplots to keep him around for some mysterious reason.

Cersei and Tyrion meeting is another evidence of how talented Headey and Dinklage are, yet the scene accomplished very little in terms of storytelling and characterization. The show barely explored the emotional consequences of Tywin’s murder for Tyrion, nearly dropping this entirely after season five, so it’s hard to feel it when he claims to hate himself for it. Shae got it even worse and her murder was forgotten altogether, something that I should have seen coming back in season four when they Greedo-ed her death scene.

It’s hard to believe Cersei would pass a chance of killing Tyrion, even without the valonqar prophecy. Why did they do this? It makes Cersei even more inconsistent (they’re certainly not gonna redeem her character or anything) and makes Tyrion’s plot armor even more obvious. This was the show that seven seasons ago would have responded Tyrion’s “give him the order” with “Ser Gregor, kill him”, followed by Tyrion dead. Ned and Robb Stark did not die for this.

Speaking of Ned, I can’t stand those references to R+L=J (A?). Seriously, guys, this isn’t clever, especially not in a show with so many dick jokes. We got it the first ten times.

Jon is an essentially good character in the books, but the show is trying to make him a saint. A dumb saint, of course, because again being honorable and honest is framed as stupidity and cleverness is something evil. Just a reminder: Ned Stark lied too. In fact, one of his biggest lies became this show’s hero, but I don’t expect D&D to notice that.

I still don’t know wtf they want with the Cersei pregnancy subplot. Cersei and Jaime seemed to have broken up for good, but we thought that before and we were wrong. Particularly when Cersei became the personification of Jaime’s worst nightmares, performing the act that he broke his vows to prevent. But hey, nothing stands in the way of true love, right?

Speaking of true love, the show romance of Jon and Daenerys is finally a worse love story than Twilight.

Things I legit enjoyed: the snow falling in King’s Landing. A bit sudden, but still a beautiful sequence.

Dragonstone

Everything about Theon was infuriating.

First we had more fellating of Jon, with both him and Theon stating their characters and motivations. This is lazy writing, pure and simple. If the audience isn’t already aware of Theon’s identity conflict, D&D have done a poor job as writers and this scene won’t fix it.

Here’s another thing: as much as I love the Starks, Theon doesn’t owe them anything. He wasn’t a bastard or a ward, he was a hostage. He was taken to Winterfell specifically so Ned could kill him in retaliation in case Balon did anything stupid (something he was likely to do because Balon).

Plus we already had Theon realizing the Starks were his true family back in season… three? Four? This shouldn’t come as a huge revelation, and least of all from Jon. What’s the emotional significance of Theon and Jon’s relationship in the show? This moment, if we needed it, should have happened with Sansa or Bran, two Stark kids he had an actual on screen relationship with.

Worse, how does Theon claims his place among the Ironborn? With toxic masculinity! The fight scene was overly long, entirely unnecessary, and terribly offensive. I missed the whole kick-in-the-crotch thing and I’m glad I did because I might have thrown something at my TV. D&D have a repulsive track record in dealing with trauma and PTSD, and Theon’s in particular, but this was a whole new level. Mutilation and torture aren’t funny and shouldn’t be used as a joke. I can’t believe I have to actually say this!

Ugh, fuck this show.

Winterfell

I have to confess actually I enjoyed the Winterfell scenes, despite everything that led to them.

Again the show is damned by the poor foundation they establish for their big moments. Yes, watching Littlefinger exposed by Sansa is almost wish fulfillment, but there’s no reason this shouldn’t have happened earlier this season other than the writers really, really wanting to save it for the last episode. In order to achieve that, they came with the stupidest subplot of the entire series, putting Sansa and Arya against each other for reasons you can find only in the most insane and misogynistic posts on Reddit.

There’s no way to take this back. We have no indication that Arya and Sansa were pretending to fight this whole time and a few clues that they weren’t, so in the end Arya still threatened to rip her sister’s face off. This is disturbing and I refuse to ignore it. Yes, having the two sisters finally bonding is nice for a change, but nothing will give me back the brain cells that I lost watching the Winterfell plot this season.

Again women bond over murder, but at least this time they did it better: a public trial, with all of Littlefinger’s crimes listed, a clean execution, and no smirks of empowerment.

There are also minor nitpicks, such as Bran’s visions now counting as evidence, the fact that nobody had any reaction to Littlefinger’s crimes or execution, Sansa calling herself stupid, or the old “one Stark sister couldn’t have survived what the other did” debate. Get out of fuckin’ westeros.org forums, D&D!

Everybody misses Ned, but not Catelyn. Or Robb. Or Raccoon.

On a boat/Dornish lush forest

Boatsex did not live up to its hype. This was supposed to be the culmination of Jon and Daenerys’ feelings for each other, and… well, now that I phrase it this way, it was: it was just as bland and forced as all of their interactions this season. I thought I would remember Team America’s sex scene and I wasn’t disappointed with myself.

The editing was kinda weird too, jumping straight to some auntie fucking, with a seemingly jealous Tyrion lurking and a Robot-Bran voice over completing the creepiness. Okay.

So. The R+L=J revelation. There’s so much wrong with this scene I would need a whole essay tearing it apart. In fact, I may actually write one later this week. That’s how angry I am. A little preview, then.

We often speculate what show events will be or won’t be in the books in some form. Stannis burning Shireen or “hold the door” are likely to happen, though under very different circumstances. R+L=J is one of such events, and we know this revelation will happen in the books too. Among all fan theories, this is the strongest, considered canon by most readers.

It won’t happen in the books like this. There’s a lot about this scene that directly contradicts canon, both book and show. Maybe D&D don’t realize this because they’re hacks, but that hardly makes things better. This isn’t the first deliberate change to the source material, of course, but it’s one of the easiest to avoid and one with terrible implications.

First things first: Robert’s Rebellion didn’t just happen because Rhaegar abducted Lyanna, it happened because Aerys murdered Rickard and Brandon Stark when they demanded answers on this abduction, and then requested Ned and Robert’s heads. In doing so Aerys gave the middle finger to the entire feudal contract in the worst possible way, so he had to be removed. That Lyanna and Rhaegar loved each other doesn’t change this in the slightest. The Rebellion was still entirely justified.

So. Love. Maybe Rhaegar and Lyanna loved each other, but how long did it last? The murder of Rickard and Brandon Stark is show canon too. At some point Rhaegar learned about this, because the fight at the Trident happened. You know, Ragger was such a great guy that he decided the best course of action was to leave a pregnant Lyanna isolated in a tower and go fight defending his mad father. All of that is also show canon, by the way.

At what point did Lyanna learned that her father-in-law murdered her father and brother? Was she in a baby-making mood after that? If she never learned, it’s also bad because Rhaegar knew, and then we have rape by omission. If she did learn, at some point she became a prisoner in a tower.

Even if somehow there’s an explanation for all this that makes Rhaegar come out as a good guy, there’s still the fact that he was a 20-something, married and with two children, and the fuckin’ crown prince. There’s a huge power imbalance in their relationship, so in the best case scenario we have a dubious consent.

All that is to say: don’t romanticize Rhaegar and Lyanna. Don’t romanticize because Rhaegar was a douchebag and even if Lyanna was on board in the beginning, at some point she deeply regretted this.

Not happy with that, the show was also extra cruel with Elia Martell. It’s almost ironic, given that show-favorite Oberyn Martell gave his life so that the suffering of his sister Elia was acknowledged. D&D didn’t learn their lesson.

Before Rhaegar ran away with Lyanna, he and Elia had two children, one of them a boy named Aegon. This was also established in the show, including Aegon’s name. Aegon was the heir to the crown, but dissolving the marriage between Rhaegar and Elia means disinheriting him and his sister, thus removing House Martell from the succession line. Quite shitty, huh? It doesn’t even make sense politically, since Rhaegar would lose the only major house supporting him. I can’t see what he would gain with that, we have no indication he hated Elia and his kids that much, and Targ polygamy was a thing the show could totally have used if they really wanted Jon as a legit child. Oh no, but he must be a child of monogamous true love.

Worse, he must bear Aegon’s name. Why would Rhaegar have two children named Aegon? That’s just plain stupid. I can’t help but think they wanted this so Jon could bear Aegon the Conqueror’s name, a name fit of a true hero. Not honorable nice foster father Jon Arryn, no. That’s not heroic enough.

When I watch a bad show, I like to play a game: what’s the worse thing they may want with a scene?

With this one I got: they want to romanticize rape, erase a woman of color and her children, and turn Jon into the most cliche fantasy hero possible, precisely the type of character ASOIAF goes out of its way to criticize. But as much as this last part infuriates me, the first two are still more offensive, and frankly dangerous.

Fuck you, D&D. Fuck you with a Valyrian sword. I’m done with tolerating your unfortunate implications.

There’s something rotten in fantasy if we still cheer this kind of narrative.

Oh yeah, and the Wall fell. It was pretty. All very predictable too. The only thing surprising me in this show is how gross it can be to give us the most white-centered, male-centered cliche fantasy story possible. Maybe it is all about cocks in the end.

[ramajmedia]

Fast & The Furious: 5 Relationships Fans Were Behind (& 5 They Rejected)

The Fast and the Furious franchise isn’t known for being a romantic movie series. If you’re going to see one of the films, it’s probably for the fast cars, incredible chase scenes, action sequences, and at least one scene filled with scantily-clad women or muscular men.

RELATED: 10 Things We Want From Fast & Furious 9

But in a series with eight movies (nine, if you count Hobbes and Shaw), of course, there have been some relationships. Really, it was Brian’s relationship with Mia that kicked off a lot of things that happened. There’ve been some great relationships in the series and some that haven’t really caught on.

10 Rejected – Letty & Owen Shaw

Letty and Owen mostly had a business relationship. It’s clear that Letty had no interest in him other than someone to work for. He was someone who gave her a direction when she couldn’t remember anyone or anything from her old life.

However, Owen was attracted to her and while he wasn’t pushy about his feelings, he did insinuate that he’d like them to be closer. It never would have worked, though. Even when working together, Letty found him and his casual indifference to the lives of their coworkers and the people around them repulsive.

9 Supported – Ramsey & Tej (Or Roman)

While Tej had a cute, kickass girlfriend when he first appeared in 2 Fast 2 Furious, that relationship seemed to end before he returned in Fast Five. While Roman liked to flirt with numerous women, he doesn’t show any sustained interest in any of them. Things change for both of them when the team rescues Ramsey, a beautiful genius. Her bravery and brains attract both of them, not just how pretty she is (though that’s definitely a factor.)

RELATED: Fast & The Furious: Top 10 Scenes, Ranked

While she bonds with Tej over their shared interest in technology, she’s also flattered by Roman’s attention. However, Ramsey also won’t stand to be a pawn in a game of one-upmanship. She tells them she won’t date either of them until one of them finds out her last name.

8 Rejected – Neela & DK

Tokyo Drift is a bit of a leap from the rest of the films. It’s the third film in the series, but it takes place between films six and seven. It also features a cast that was mostly limited to that movie, with the exception of Han (in his debut in the series) and a cameo from Dom at the end. That being said, it firmly establishes some of the characters and their relationships.

When Sean first meets Neela, she’s taken. She’s dating Takashi, also known as DK (short for Drift King), the criminal nephew of a Yakuza boss. But it’s immediately clear that Takashi sees her more like a prize than an actual person and that Neela is slightly afraid of him. It’s a big relief when she ends things with him.

7 Supported – Sean & Neela

The first time we see Sean hitting on a girl, it leads to what must’ve been millions of dollars in property damage and him grinning through a bloody mouth. In other words, he didn’t seem to have a lot of game. In fact, it’s so disastrous that the only way he can escape prison is to move to Japan to live with his father.

RELATED: All Fast & Furious Movies Ranked Worst to Best (Including Hobbes and Shaw)

But Sean is cute, if awkward, and brave. It’s those qualities that capture Neela’s attention. As previously mentioned, her relationship with DK is not smooth sailing, and Sean treats her with nothing but respect. Add to that, Sean learns to be a great driver and proves to be a loyal friend. The two of them falling in love is inevitable.

6 Rejected – Mia & Vince

When Mia and Brian first meet, he’s definitely enraptured with her, but she’s not as open with her feelings. She’s beautiful and smart, and her life seems to revolve around her brother and the makeshift family they cobbled together. One of those racers is Vince, who is completely in love with Mia. Mia likes Vince but has no romantic interest in him, and tires of his constant attention.

Mia finally gets her point across fairly cruelly, accepting a date from Brian in front of Vince and suggesting they go to a place that Vince has wanted to take Mia. It leads to much more friction between Brian and Vince that lasts years until everyone puts it all behind them while working together in Brazil.

5 Supported – Han & Gisele

The romance between Han and Gisele is unexpected but ends up being the sweetest but most tragic love story in the franchise. Gisele’s appeal is obvious. She’s drop-dead gorgeous, but she’s also smart, an amazing fighter, a great racer, and very kind. While Han is handsome, he’s a quiet, observant person who isn’t overt in any way.

They have a lot in common. For instance, both will engage in illegal activities as long as no one gets hurt. They’re both very loyal and would lay down their lives for each other or their “family.” In the end, it’s that love that Gisele has for Han that leads to her sacrificing her life for his. When Han dies a little while later, one of the only things he has on him is Gisele's picture. It was true love until the end.

4 Rejected – Brian & Monica Fuentes

After Brian lets Dom go at the end of the first film, he has to leave Mia behind and go on the run. He ends up on the opposite end of the country, in Miami, participating in street races and working for Tej’s garage. After a street race is broken up by law enforcement, he’s nabbed by Monica Fuentes, a woman he noticed at the race, who turns out to be an undercover US Customs agent.

RELATED: Fast And Furious: 10 Storylines That Were Never Resolved

Working together, it’s clear that there is a mutual attraction. Roman comments on it several times, and they spend a lot of time sending flirty and charged looks at one another. But at the end of the day, nothing happens, and that’s for the best.

3 Supported – Dom & Letty

Dom and Letty are already together at the beginning of the first movie, so we don’t see them falling in love. But they’re solid. It’s clear that they are “Dom and Letty” and that nothing will come between them. They argue, they fight, but nothing will break them apart. At least nothing until Letty seemingly dies in a car accident.

Dom is heartbroken, but he moves on. Yet the first moment he gets word that she may still be alive, he’s determined to find her. Their reunion is fittingly a race, but it ends with her shooting him, as amnesia rendered him a stranger. But he persists in reminding her who she is and who they were. He doesn’t pressure her, but he doesn’t give up either, and eventually, though she can’t remember everything, they make their way back to each other.

2 Rejected – Dom & Elena

If Letty hadn’t returned from the dead, people would have no issue with Dom sticking with Elena. She wasn’t as exciting a character as Letty was, but she was good for Dom. While they came from very different places – he’s a criminal, she’s a police officer – they have a lot in common. They both believe in family, honesty, and loyalty.

RELATED: The Deadliest Fast and Furious Characters, Ranked

However, Letty did come back. Elena knew that he’d feel guilty about going back to Letty so she took the decision out of his hands, even though she was pregnant with his son. Later, when she and his son are kidnapped, he betrays everyone to save them. Elena is killed as a warning to Dom, and he’s heartbroken. However, he and Letty raise his son together.

1 Supported – Brian & Mia

Brian falls in love with Mia the moment he sees her. While getting to know her is definitely helpful for his undercover assignment, it’s more than that. She’s sweet, pretty, and smart, and Brian genuinely likes her. Mia genuinely likes him in return and finally allows him to take her out after witnessing Vince being a jerk to him.

They break up when he leaves town to avoid arrest but get back together when they start working together to bring down Letty’s “murderer.” They love each other desperately. And when Mia asks Brian to stop his criminal activities to keep their family safe, he agrees. He may love excitement and danger, but he loves Mia and their family way more, and because of that they get their happily ever after.

NEXT: The 10 Craziest Action Sequences From The Fast And The Furious Franchise, Ranked

source https://screenrant.com/fast-furious-relationships-fans-supported-rejected/

[mightyville]

(Originally published on July 27, 2012)

The Dark Knight Rises - The MightyVille Review

The long-anticipated third film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy is finally here! The Dark Knight has risen, and MightyVille reviews it to let you know if the film we’ve been excited to see since pretty much the end of The Dark Knight lived up to our high expectations. We try not to reveal many plot spoilers here, but if you want to go into the movie with a completely blank slate, we warn you to click away now...

So, is The Dark Knight Rises worth the years of anticipation? Is it a fitting ending to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy?

YES!

The film is truly outstanding. Excellent direction, amazing action and cinematography, great acting, riveting storyline’s got it all! Who knows? It may even receive Oscar nominations.

But is it my favorite superhero film? No. I prefer my superheroes fun, colorful, and a wee bit more on the family-friendly side. But it’s a brilliant film nonetheless, and for true fans of a darker Dark Knight, it is likely everything they had hoped for.

The Dark Knight Rises begins with some of the most intense and exciting action I have ever seen at the start of a film. Much like the bank robbery scene in The Dark Knight, the opening starts it all off with a bang and gives us a taste of what we can expect from Batman’s foes for the rest of the adventure. When the tale moves next to Gotham City, we get caught up on what has been going on in the eight years that have passed since the previous film’s ending. We are not the only ones who have not seen Batman since then - neither have the citizens of Gotham. Similarly, little trace has been seen of Bruce Wayne, and he has had little involvement in the upkeep of Wayne Manor or running Wayne Enterprises.

Enter Christian Bale, back to reprise his roles as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. If you enjoyed his performance in the first two films, he won’t disappoint you here. Bale does an excellent job of portraying a Wayne who has atrophied and lost confidence during many years away from his role as Batman. This older, less physically adept portrayal carries over into his part as Batman, who, while still an impressive crime-fighter, may not be as great of a match to his enemies as he was in his glory days. Now, Bale is not my favorite actor to play Batman. I find his Bruce Wayne to be on the dull side and his growly delivery of Batman’s lines to be a somewhat silly. But, I must say that he won my sympathy in The Dark Knight Rises as a Bruce Wayne who somewhat reluctantly returns to his role as Batman because Gotham is in desperate need of their hero.

This less than tip-top version of the Wayne/Batman dynamic seems even more challenged when contrasted with the main villain in the film, the mysterious and monstrous Bane. Despite his mask-filtered voice that occasionally bordered on comedic (my husband, MightyVille’s own Joe Kach, compares it to Adam Sandler’s character Opera Man), I found Bane to be a credible and petrifying villain. He is of the most frightening kinds of villains: strong, fearless, confident, HUGE, and with absolutely nothing to lose. Due to his tortured past, he brings depth to his villainy through his personal understanding of how fear, despair and hope can affect people. His expressed intention to bring down the rich and lift up the people of Gotham is also poignant to the current times and makes it believable that some of Gotham’s citizens would follow him rather than be repulsed by him. All in all, Tom Hardy proves himself to be an extremely talented actor, able to express so much despite most of his face being covered by a mask. He’s also quite a terrifyingly large, muscular specimen of a man.

At times in the film, it seems that it will be impossible for Batman to save Gotham from the destruction that Bane and other villains have planned. But in many ways, this is not just a film about Batman, but about the citizens of Gotham, rising up to save their city with the help of a masked hero. Gary Oldman is back as Commissioner James Gordon, and we are also introduced to another devoted Gotham City copper, John Blake, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Gordon-Levitt puts in a solid performance as Blake, your average “good cop” hero who’s faith in Batman never waivers. I wondered at times why so much focus and screen time was being given to this character, but this question was resolved by the end of the film. Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate also jumps into the action at times. She also seemed to receive too much focus at first, but the importance of her role was ultimately made clear.

And then, of course, there’s Ann Hathaway as Catwoman! She is a Selina Kyle like no others seen on screen, and is effective in making the character her own. Hathaway’s Catwoman is a sly, slinky, self-reliant woman who is as jaded and opportunistic as most of Gotham residents. She is neither bad nor good, but instead is doing what it takes to survive in her urban habitat, much like a cat. “I’m adaptable,” she declares. Hathaway is believable as an efficient “cat” burglar that is capable of getting what she wants when she wants, as well as holding her own in a fight. Her “cat” suit is less a costume than an effective tool for pulling off the most challenging of thefts. Hathaway has revealed in interviews that she based her portrayal primarily after the Felonious Female of the comics, rather than mimicking previous onscreen versions, and she succeeds in making this Catwoman more recognizable to lovers of the DC Comic.

The only character who let them me down in the film was Alfred. I had heard he had an expanded role in The Dark Knight Rises, but it seems that all he does in this film is cry and pout about his disagreement with the idea of Batman returning. I was really turned off by his consistent blathering about wanting to protect Wayne. He seemed to be taking his role as a father figure too far, and I wondered where he lost his British stiff upper-lip. This is not to fault Michael Caine’s acting, which was good as usual, but more the way the character was written.

That being said, the writing for The Dark Knight Rises overall is spectacular, with a script handled by Johnathon Nolan and David Goyer. The story is very well put together and thought out, with a number of exciting plot twists to thrill us by the end of the film. The action is amazing, from football field explosions to airplane crashes to gargantuan mob fight scenes. Batman shows up at all the right times, and each time the effect is exhilarating, with the music and cinematography working in unison. We’re also finally exposed to Nolan’s version of the Batcave, and Batman’s new “toy”: “The Bat” hovercraft is awe-inspiring. Even the well-timed return of the Batpod cycle and the Bat-Signal were spectacular, providing as much hope to the audience as they did to Gotham’s residents.

Finally, much has been said and speculated about the ending to this film. For me, this was the perfect ending to the film, as well as the trilogy. In fact, it is one of the best endings I have seen to any film. I love that the ending doesn’t try to answer every question and tie up each loose end, but instead sends the trilogy off with a proper goodbye and a glimpse at what the future may hold for some of the characters. I don’t want to give away too much, but I can’t remember the last time I saw so many grown men cry at the end of a movie.

The Dark Knight Rises is not perfect, but it comes near. This is an excellent film that shouldn’t be missed. It has unfortunately received a lot of negative press due to the horrifying shootings that occurred in an Aurora, Colorado midnight opening. As someone who is sensitive to violence in films, I was actually impressed with the way Nolan handled the violence in this movie, with most scenes taking a more classic approach in which the violence is implied rather than shown in every gory detail. I hope that people can disassociate the acts of a mad man from this film that was made for peaceful reasons and actually encourages society to move in a more peaceful and caring direction. The Dark Knight Rises provides a message of hope in dark times, and, in light of recent events, that is something we all need.

The Dark Knight Rises:

Have you seen the final film in the Dark Knight Trilogy? Agree with our review? Or agree to disagree? Let us know!