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willidleaway · 3 years

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OK, let’s talk about Deltarune Chapter 2. Right off the bat two things:

Toby Fox could have been charging 20 USD for this or asked people to pre-purchase the remaining chapters to play Chapter 2, and I’m frankly very surprised (if delighted) that he didn’t.

Soundtrack’s bopping. If you don’t feel like playing two free chapters of a game, which by themselves will give you nine hours of a brilliant time in an absolutely insane world filled with mad characters that all still manages to hold together somehow, I can still recommend giving the OST a listen and then a buy if you are so inclined.

And with that and the spoiler-free lead image out of the way, let’s actually (largely incoherently) talk about Deltarune Chapter 2 below the Read More line. Spoilers galore, including for a bonus enemy ...

OK, so this guy is still a card:

But some non-positive observations to begin with: the Castle Town is nice to look at but maybe a bit uninteresting for the moment, since it’s a completely separate Dark World from the main underworld of Chapter 2. It seems perhaps like a decent hub world for people who haven’t replayed the previous chapter and need some refreshers, especially with the dojo challenges. But some of the other mechanics associated with the Castle Town like recruiting, fusing items, and so forth are as yet unclear. But perhaps it hints at more interaction between chapters through the Castle Town.

And that’s all the non-positive observations I have about Deltarune Chapter 2. It’s not even a negative observation, just taking note of potential seeds being planted for the remainder of the game.

Now. Now now now now now.

I don’t know how Toby Fox manages to continue coming up with such a diverse array of antagonists all so ridiculous and insane in their own special way, but he continues to outdo himself. And not only is Queen insane but so is literally everything that happens in Cyber City and then in Queen’s Mansion, like the layers of truces across Queen and her quasi-willing peons:

and indeed, ye Triumphant Returne of Rouxls Kaard, absolute card:

But the madcap side of things doesn’t mean there isn’t real attention to fleshing out everything introduced in Chapter 1, in tandem on both the narrative side and the gameplay side. As far as the latter, we can (finally) get party members other than Kris to undertake at least basic standard non-magical actions on their own that don’t cost Tension Points, which is very much welcome. But at the same time managing TP well is even more important than before. A lot of careful grazing makes certain fights a great deal easier, in a way that I didn’t really notice for most of Chapter 1 (with the possible exception of Jevil, who I still haven’t successfully pacified). The attacks are correspondingly far denser and often don’t leave too much margin for error, but as someone with minimal hand-eye coordination I still had a reasonable time completing Chapter 2.

Well, except for one particular enemy.

oh god this fight used up every single recovery item I had

Spamton NEO is an interesting enemy, arguably more so than Jevil, and I’m not just saying that because I managed to spare Spamton but still haven’t had any success with Jevil. For one, finding the pieces of the key for Jevil’s cell is straightforward, whereas finding the Empty Disk for Spamton is itself a nightmarish dodge-fest. But more importantly, you actively have to seek Jevil out in Chapter 1, whereas your first encounter with Spamton is actually mandatory as part of the main story and then you optionally follow up on Spamton’s lead later to be able to face off against his NEO form.

Perhaps relevant to the forced nature of Spamton’s introduction is his relevance to Deltarune as a whole despite his bonus boss status. Compared to Jevil’s dialogue, Spamton’s babblings seem far more directly tied to the central themes of Deltarune around choice or agency, or rather a lack thereof (in stark contrast to Undertale’s general ethos). Jevil mostly just wants to wreak mischief and chaos; Spamton is fuelled by a need for freedom, to no longer be a puppet of ... something. And facing him in this way obviously clearly affects Kris, whose own free will is in real question ...

Oh yes, it seems now we’re really getting into the real core of Deltarune’s story, with all of the lore about the Roaring and more talk of the Knight leading up to this ending. But are Kris and the Knight one and the same? Or is Kris a puppet of the Knight? Or ... is it even the other way around? (No idea if that makes any sense but it sounds like a cool thing to throw out there.)

And another thing: this staticky smile ...

I would guess that’s Chapter 3′s boss once we actually go through this new Dark World, but why does this static remind me of the static you see behind Spamton’s glasses in some of his creepier shop dialogue? Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but there’s certainly an embarrassment of riches to over-analyse, even around Chapter 2′s bonus boss.

And I haven’t even talked about every other character being amazing. Susie of course continues to undergo really positive development, but Noelle seems to get the bulk of the attention honestly—we not only get her to finally interact with Susie, but we also learn more about her past as well her family, both about her lost sister (strongly implied to be named December) and her mother. The latter we get not only through more dialogue with her father Rudy but also in an implicit sense through her interactions with Queen, which may well mirror her fractious relationship with an overbearing mother.

Ralsei’s characterisation doesn’t try to expand as much, instead continuing to detail what’s already been planted throughout Chapter 1—his rule of the Castle Town, his awareness of the danger posed by the potential dark/light imbalance, and so forth—but nothing quite as revelatory as with Noelle. It doesn’t mean I can’t try my best to ship Kris with Ralsei though ...

Anyway, fluffy boys and mean girls aside, it’s also nice to see characters like Berdly—who seemed like a completely incidental one-note gag character in Chapter 1—get fleshed out with reasonably compelling (although obviously insane) motivation and backstory, and one wonders which other characters may get this sort of treatment in future.

Speaking of other characters as well, how cute and/or cool are all of the new enemies and enemy-adjacent characters???

Part of me suspects Tasque Manager in particular is actually carefully engineered to break the Internet. But my favourite is Swatch, who gives off weirdly Tuxedo Mask-esque vibes to me:

And an additional bit of speculation: I strongly suspect we’ll see some persistent things across the chapters that aren’t necessarily linear in progression. When I brought Spamton’s shadow crystal to Seam, they basically chided me for not having Jevil’s crystal (for god’s sake Seam it’s not for lack of trying), but then said this:

Is it possible that the game’s keeping track of certain global things outside of any of your individual saves, and some of these certain global things might not just have to do with optional bonuses ... ? Is it possible that some of these certain global things may enable cross-chapter nonlinear gameplay to accompany all of the other Castle Town mechanics introduced in Chapter 2?

Or do I just not want to replay all of Chapter 2 if I manage to pacify Jevil?

Time will tell. How much time?

Only time will tell on that front too, I guess.

Overall: Chapter 2 of Deltarune is another spectacular episode in Toby Fox fleshing out this unbelievable yet somehow credible world in his madcap way, and you can bet I will be watching for future chapters with great interest.

PS: I finished Chapter 2 of Deltarune to have a good time and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now—

look expiration dates are important okay

#undertale #deltarune

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watchinglikeafangirl · 3 years

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Unpopular opinion about IPYTM

IPYTM is the second season of ITSAY and once again deals with Teh not knowing exactly what he wants in life. Now, he is with Oh-aew but feels even more far away from him than before because they live different lives and struggle to accept the change of their relationship. It's now about their college years and not about high school any more, which gives their lives a way more serious touch Billkin and PP act out beautifully. But as we all know, acting isn't everything. Directors have a major impact on the endproduct and sadly, they changed the director here which is very visible in the entire season. It is not necessarily a bad thing to switch directors and it wasn't the worst choice in IPYTM but for me personally, Teh and Oh-aew's story lost its lovelyness. It's not as special any more.

Editing

Like I said, what caught my attention right from the start is the different editing of IPYTM and I don't just mean the editing. I mean the way it looks, sounds and feels like.

ITSAY focused a lot on its color scheme and expressed feelings through coloring. Oh-aew's color is red and Teh's color is blue. The background mostly looked very calm. A stonecolored house or the sea were always part of the scenery. But now, they are in crowded places or in front of something colorful. Q's home looks cozy and symmetrical but has nothing more to it. The furniture is as boring as possible to let the characters stand out. It feels like the characters don't fit into the scenery and yet, they somehow do. But I think, the detailed and planned-out concept got lost here and it was a very important aspect of ITSAY. Yes, the colors red and blue sometimes shine through but are not as dominant any more and I believe it was all very thought through, but I just don't feel it. The only thing expressed through color I can remember is Oh-aew's hair. The red stands for his inner conflict if Teh accepts him and what happened to their relationship. Him dying his hair back to brown showed he was coming down to earth again. He walked the long path of self love to be okay with himself again. His dressing style has changed but his hair color is all the same, showing he still is the same old Oh-aew.

As I metioned a few times before, I don't like the way background music is used so frequently to make the emotions easier to understand. When they are sad, the music is sad. When it's awkward, the music is funny. When they are out of line, the music is stressful. This is not a bad thing but I noticed music explaining the emotions of the scenes is used way more often. ITSAY had music moments as well, of course, but if you listen and watch closely, there's always music in IPYTM. In Ep 5, I started laughing every time it happened. It annoys me a lot because ITSAY used a lot of background noises and presented things in silence which made all those scenes feel extremely realistic because reality is silent. It made things more lovely, more memorable and more saddening because there was nothing to seek comfort it. Just blank silence and a lonely face made all emotions stand out way more and made me feel like I was watching a show building up realism. But IPYTM rarely had any silent scenes and when the music is absent, the show doesn't work that well any more. It is designed to be a lot more basic to please the now-very-much-bigger audience. Music makes it easier for the audience to get the vibe but is also a simple tool to use when the scene doesn't work elsewise.

Now, we get to the whole vibe. ITSAY felt very nostalgic and melodramatic whereas IPYTM feels modern and bitter. It's like ITSAY was a dream and IPYTM is the reality behind the sea. This opposite could be great, but instead it feels like a bitter reality. Their relationship meets problems, they struggle finding friends and dreams meet a dead end. It feels like watching the show through the eyes of an old person reminicing. The light-hearted scenes lack and drama takes over way too soon and for way too long. It feels rushed and average. Not as special any more. The special feeling is gone.

Characters

Let's get to my second problem I have with this sequel and it's the most important one because this show only surrounds around Teh and Oh-aew. They are the ones who changed the most. Change isn't bad, don't get me wrong. I sometimes seek change so badly I'm devastated when I go to bed with the feeling everything is the same again. That the world is the same. That others are the same. That I'm still the same. In IPYTM, change is seen as something bad because we still see the world through Teh's eyes and Teh always was and always will be the sort of character who detestes change and feels like he loses bonds if personalities change as they grow. The same happens here. The fear of changing so much, you can't recognize your most loved one, is extremely realistic at that age and I can't say anything against it because I have the same fear. Still, there are choices I can't agree with.

Like I said, Teh hates change and the moment Oh-aew says he wants to transfer, problems start. Him transfering means Teh feels like he doesn't understand Oh-aew any more. It means having a life very different from Teh's and since ITSAY was about them realizing how much they have in common, IPYTM is more about them discovering they are not the same person. They are individuals who have different personalities and seek happiness in their own way. They don't copy each other. IPYTM is more about self-realization. This also means, they spend some time apart and lose each other a little bit.

All of this is fine, all of this is realistic. But what I don't like about Teh and Oh-aew is them not talking. They accept their fate which causes them to break apart even more. Thing is, Teh was always someone not sharing much very easily, but Oh-aew always shared his thoughts. He made the first step, he was serious and he showed how hurt he was. And now, he feels Teh is drifting away and doesn't address it. He doesn't address how lonely he feels, he doesn't say how much he misses Teh, he doesn't mention he's not fine with himself. It is frustrating to watch them just coexisting without sharing stuff.

And then Teh cheats which was never the missing puzzle piece to their story. I know, Teh is sad. His friends change, his boyfriend changes. But why would he throw something away, he worships so much? He doesn't very much open up about himself but he did to Oh-aew, so why does he lose courage to fight for it, let it stay like it and just kisses someone else who is a playboy? He choses to believe in Jai's actions rather than seeing Oh-aew.

Plot

I'm drifting to the next point. The plot. Well, the plot is just ... stupid (I'm sorry). Yes, it is entertaining at some points but it is average, basic. The love triangle, trust issues and jealousy is something I've seen various times before. I'm extremely disappointed when it comes to the story because the thing I loved about ITSAY as well, was the originality. It wasn't clicheish. It wasn't boring. It wasn't like other shows. It was independant. But IPYTM tried very hard to please the now-big audience and fanbase. It's not what I wanted to see.

Even if you give them a love triangle, then please, not such a flat character as Jai. We had Tarn and Bas in ITSAY. They were breathing human beings with their own personalities, their own goals and their own interests. But Jai ... he's just there. He helps Teh to act properly and Teh spends a lot of time with him, apparently, but his personality is not very clear. When he tells Teh, he was just pretending, I can't tell if he really was or if he steps aside for Oh-aew. I still can't tell and I think it's really weak of such an important character with so much screentime, to lack of a personality. Everybody knew, why Bas stepped aside. But with Jai, I can't tell.

I lost it in Ep 5 when Bas showed up to give Oh-aew a tedtalk. Honestly, I laughed. It was stupid and again provse the writing of IPYTM is not nearly as strong and good as the writing of ITSAY. ITSAY contained an inner conflict as well but they managed to let us know about it without the characters actually telling us. When Teh gave Oh-aew the notebook with vocab, he hid outside. When the piano in the cafe was played, both cried far away from each other. When Teh spend time with Tarn, he realized his feelings and told her down. It's the little things. And IPYTM lacks of those. We actually need Bas to tell Oh-aew what to do and honestly, his message wasn't as deep. I can't count how often I heard those "follow you heart" speeches before. It works with everything. Right here, it seems passionless and rushed. Like they couldn't think of another way to solve the problem and come to an end.

So, the story was filled with cliches and the writing was not as good as ITSAY. Not only did we have a cameo of Bas to give Oh-aew a choice everybody knew he had, no, we also had an antagonist who is easy to blame for all the issues. Jai is the antagonist here, playing with Teh's thoughts or something but this show makes its life way too easy. Teh and Oh-aew had problems before. The result of this fading away, is Teh kissing Jai but Jai is not the reason for it. But then, Jai walks out of Teh's life and everything is fine again? They don't talk about the problems ever because Jai is gone now and so are the relationship problems? I'm sorry but this is just a sad plot for a second season of ITSAY.

Conclusion

I can just say, I'm very disappointed. ITSAY affected me personally very much and has a very special place in my heart, so I was afraid IPYTM would ruin this as soon as the OST premiered. It was so cheesy and average, I knew back then I won't enjoy this as much. I watched nevertheless, but my hopes were dropped at an instant and I lost my motivation to continue watching. I kept it on hold for 3 weeks and didn't even miss it. This is a bad sign.

What more can I say? I didn't feel it, I'm sorry. I still think Billkin and PP are amazing and well, this turned out to be longer than intended.

#i promised you the moon #ipytm #teh x oh aew #billkinpp

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crystalnet · 4 years

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Pop Music in Ghibli

If you mention Ghibli and soundtracks in the same breath to most people, the first thing they will likely think of is Joe Hisaishi-senpai’s prodigious and immaculate compositions, BUT it occurred to me recently that there’s actually a great amount of pop music showing up in a handful of some of my very favorite Ghibli films. They’re more rare compared to the instrumental tracks, sure, but in that way it might be even be more impactful-- especially for plebeians without an ear for vocal-less music-- when they do show up. Click through as I explore pop music in 5 Ghibli classics.

#1- The Wind Rises: ‘ "Hikōki-gumo" (ひこうき雲) by Yumi Matsutoya

Okay so hearing this song on a recent viewing of this film was the whole impetus for writing this. By hugely influential and popular song-writer Yumi Matsutoya, this closing-credits track drops just in time for a full fatality against the viewers’ emotional fortitude- if it remains in tact at all by that point. Between the bittersweet lyrics-- which corresponds beautifully with a plot point from the end of the film-- a righteous hammond organ part and this heart-breaking melody, it all just becomes a bit too much, in a great way.

Mrs. Matsutoya here is outright indecent towards our emotions here. And I love it. In addition to that, the track counts as only one of a few instances of a pop song in a Ghibli joint serving as the closing track. So uh yeah, go down a rabbit hole of Matsutoya’s music if you wanna explore the wonderful world of vintage J-pop/city pop etc., and you will not be disappoint. Also, this isn’t even the first time one of her songs was used... her debut in Ghibli occured 2 decades earlier in....

#2- Kiki’s Delivery Service: ‘I’m Gonna Fly”- Sydney Forester

Okay, so this is not another Matsutoya song. But in the original Disney release of Kiki, this song stood in for what was in the Japanese release a rather different, rockabilly-pop song from one of Matsutoya’s early albums ‘Rouge no Dengon‘, and this has since been corrected on subsequent releases. Tonally they are pretty different, but they both share a level of charm. This English replacement is way cornier though, but I imagine whichever one you grow up with will be the superior and preferable dose of nostalgia. I’m tainted by living with the original 90s English version for so long, that I get really thrown off in the first 20 minutes if, mid-maiden voyage, Kiki turns on her radio to Matsutoya instead of this funny little stand-in.

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Speaking of Kiki’s radio, this is one of only TWO instances I’m aware of in which the pop song is diegetic within the film-- meaning it actually comes from a source within the actual world of the movie-- at least sort of (it’s that kinda pseudo-diegesis where the volume of the song makes it clear that it can’t actually be coming from her little radio). This song just really has a kind of saccharine horse-girl charm which I love and I feel like it matches the movie’s atmosphere pretty well despite being modern sounding, whereas Kiki’s world seems to be vaguely set in a version of the.... 50′s where dirigibles never went away? Never really thought about it actually.

But yeah, these weird contract-based one-off recording artist concoctions are always kinda fun. They remind me of weird tracks from the Detective Conan opening themes where you just wonder about how and why they come about. Ultimately though, Disney probably made a good choice. The song occurs early enough in the film that it might do some work towards dissuading any reservations younger viewer-- or their parents-- might have after wading into such a then-exotic animated film such as this. It gently reassures one that despite appearances, this film CAN be a movie for English-speaking Americans. Plus I mean this lady’s voice actually rocks. I feel like it helped sell the movie to my older Jewel-listening sisters when we were kids and for that I’m grateful~

#3- Only Yesterday: “Omoide No Nagisa”- The Wild Ones (and much much more)

Okay so Only Yesterday is stuffed to the brim with tons of pop music and other cultural ephemera, far too much for me to parse through now (maybe deserving of its own deep-dive post) but I’ll focus on one that shows up early in the movie.

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(This isn’t full track, for some reason the only full version on youtube will not embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRlKvOiXgjo

This track plays during one of the early memoir-esque narration-heavy flashback scenes. It’s before we are fully thrust into those more washed-out, impressionistic coming-of-age sequences, and are being lead gently into that world by way of recollection from the now adult protagonist. She is remembering the craze in 1966 around “group-sounds”, a genre in Japan that was clearly partly indebted to the British Invasion happening on the other side of the world.

I like the song a lot because I can hear the Beatles, Kinks and Monkeys etc., but it has it’s own really unique flair on top of that influence. I hear smokey curry and coffee shops. Fuzzy bunny-eared television signals. I think of young fresh-faced Japanese Boomers experiencing a newly technicolor world of pop-culture. The echo on the mic pick-ups whirs in my mind pulling me back toward a “simpler time”.

The appearance of this song early on is a tip-off to the unfurling of a particularly globally-minded and varied soundtrack in this film which continues to surprise throughout the runtime-- it is my second favorite Ghibli soundtrack after ‘Totoro’ by far and that usually has to do with the incredible Bulgarian choir music that appears, but stuff like this Wild Ones track is just great too. Whether the male-lead/love-interest is playing that Bulgarian “peasant music” via his Toyota’s cassette player or we are getting a history lesson in early J-pop/rock, it’s all particularly tasty. There’s even a couple appearances from music from Japanese children’s television.

A lot of the referencing is nigh impossible for this westerner to parse, but all of it--save for one track-- is pretty ace. That one let-down for me is yet another pop song in the form of the ending credit-sequence track, a Japanese cover of ‘The Rose’. I think Bette Midler is just not a tasty association for an American of my ilk and so even if the rendition is tasteful, and the ending scene is beautiful, it remains the only time I’m let down sonically in the movie.

Before I move on, it’s worth mentioning that the movie itself may be named after an American film OR a song by the Carpenters. I can’t be sure, but I kinda wish they actually used this Carpenters track to close the film instead of ‘The Rose’ but maybe it was a licensing issue. Anyhow. Perfect movie.

#4- Whisper of the Hear: “Take Me Home, Country Roads”- John Denver/Olivia Newton John/Various

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Okay so the way this song factors into the movie is way different than anything else we’ve discussed so far. I’ll embed the Olivia Newton-John rendition that the film opens with as opposed to the Japanese version that plays in the ending, because uh, as cute as it is, the vocalist (who I think is just the main-character’s voice actress?) is pitchy as hell (maybe in a twee, intentional way?)

But so yeah, this song is a big part of an initial and reoccurring plot-point in the film which has the young protag. translating the American song into Japanese with her school friends. It’s a slightly illegible plot-point if you watch the English dub, but it basically comes across. According to Wiki, the producer of the film’s daughter actually supplied her lyrics which Mr. Hayao himself supplemented, which is just too cute. In the film, her version is called ‘Concrete Roads’ which has some nice thematic resonance with a lot of the angst that shows up in ‘Pom Poko’ regarding the suburban developments which sprawled out from Tokyo and other major Japanese cities throughout the 20th cent., encroaching on that same beautiful countryside that John Denver was initially sending up.

In a climactic scene, the protag. nervously but triumphantly sings the song along with her magic-boy boyfriend and his grampa’s grampa-friends, and uh yeah it’s cute as heck.

The film is based on a manga, and though I’m too lazy to research this much, I assume the manga was the first to introduce the concept of centering so much of the story around a relatively benign country-pop tune such as this. But I mean, the choral arrangement in the intro of Newton-John’s is kinda emotional as hell. Mountain-momma indeed.

#5- My Neighbor Totoro: Ending Theme- I don’t know...

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Alright we’ll end with a sampling from the best of the best. I’m not gonna force too much “research” for this ‘cause like, I don’t know man, I just don’t wanna do anything that would remotely threaten to extinguish the magic. And I refuse to ever listen to the abomination that is the Disney re-dub. But I understand they re-recorded these tracks for that. Which, like, why? I’m also assuming the songs were pretty faithful translations of original Japanese tracks, because they’re just too good to have just been created for the western release. Like Hisaishi has to be behind those kalimbas and synth-lines. The lady’s voice basically sounds like my mom to me(?) and the dusty patina on her vocal-track alone kinda makes me wanna weep.

And I kinda hate when people just joylessly parrot internet meme terms, but this song is what I would be unable to not describe as a “bop”. I mean the drums alone rip.

This song has a sister-track in the form of an introductory credit-sequence song which accompanies a ridiculously cute visualizer, and they’re both just perfect matches for the joyful, innocent and exuberant nature of the film itself. Elsewhere on the OST, this is basically the last time that I’m aware of Hisaishi using synthesizers and it’s just glorious. Get this man on drum-machines and synths again! So uh yeah, I mean it’s all just great. What else could I say? Best soundtrack of all time period. Full stop. The end.

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Ok that’s that. Keep in mind, there’s like a small hanful of Ghibli I still haven’t seen so there could be some major instance I’m missing but uh, maybe I’ll update if one day I find out there’s a straight up Utada Hikaru song in ‘Princess Kaguya’. Oh and uh yeah there’s this one in ‘When Marnie Was There’ by one Priscilla Ahn . It’s like a b-side of the Kiki song but not as good as that makes it sound like it’d be. But it’s horse-girl-core as hell. So uh yeah.

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see ya space cowboy~

#ghibli #soundtrack #pop music #vocals #instrumentals #yumi mastutoya #omoide no nagisa #whisper of the heart #john denver #olivia newton-john #when marnie was there #country roads #kiki's deliver service #only yesterday #the carpenters #priscilla ahn

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dreamingsnowflake2013 · 7 years

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One of the zillion things I adore about My Sassy Girl, particularly during these initial stages, is how it manages to turn all these highly romantic moments which would be in any other kdrama accompanied by some equally romantic OST song into such hilarious failures - their first meeting on the bridge, HM vomitting on GW after he saved her later and now this, they fall onto a bed together and he is looking at her, seemingly captivated, and then he is like “hell, no” AND PROCEEDS TO WASH HER VOMIT FROM HIS CLOTHES. I believe this is the appropriate moment for the meme “FIND YOURSELF A MAN LIKE GW, WHO WILL WASH HIS OWN CLOTHES AND THEN EVEN YOURS” - really, this show is the best thing ever.

Watching the cleanliness-loving GW retching is a sight to behold and it’s clear that he would gladly stay away from HW, a woman covered in her own vomit, however, he doesn’t and not because he likes her but because he is a good man and a real gentleman. It’s hysteric to watch him as he tries to compromise between being a gentleman and his reluctance to touch the vomit directly while he’s trying so valiantly and hilariousl to blow it away.

Coming back to the way the show always turns the romantic scenes into something funny, I love it because it frees the OTP from the romantic cliché where in sageuk most of the ships are destined because they are the sun and the moon and the stars basically aligned for them to be together and each of their meetings is loaded with it. Whereas in MSG, these hilarious failures infuse the relationship with a certain degree of realism because in RL people more often than not mess it up one way or another. HM and GW are not fated or star-crossed, they are just two people who accidently met one day and as it often happens their lives start getting entangled.

#p.s.: I'm sorry for the hiatus but I had 3 exams this week #my sassy girl #joo won #oh yeon seo

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a-bucket-full-of-feels · 4 years

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Thoughts on after rewatching Dekaranger

So there was one day I decided to listen to some of my old-ish song collections, and I stumbled upon some Dekaranger OSTs and was hit by nostalgia. Fuelled by stay-at-home boredom, I then decided to rewatch Dekaranger, the first Sentai series I got into, and also one of the first fandoms I entered and even participated in to some extent. It has been about 10 years since I first watched Dekaranger, and about 5 years since I’ve watched any Sentai series (my last was ToQger), so opinions are basically that of a former SS fan looking back at fond memories, albeit without the rose tinted lens I used to have while watching my first few shows in the series.

The hits:

The pacing for many episodes was just right - I didn’t feel bored during the episode, and I actually looked forward to watching the series till the end

The theme is timeless - cop dramas never get old, and it was basically something I could still enjoy without cringing at the “weirdness” of the whole premise

Some standalone episodes were brilliant by itself in terms of story writing, direction, and acting

Well-fleshed out characters - there was character development throughout the entire series not only for individuals (e.g. Ban from being pure chaotic to being more responsible without losing his fiery spirit), but their relationships as well (e.g. Ban and Hoji’s friendship, Tetsu being an outsider at first to eventually part of them)

Their team dynamic as a whole is very likeable. Their camaraderie during the off-duty moments were quite cute and I also liked how Boss (and Swan) also was like a father figure to them and had his fun/heartwarming moments with them

There was a nice balance of light-hearted and dark/grim episodes, which was good considering some Sentai which are too “fun” become kinda hard to watch after a while due to the lack of substance, whereas the overly dark ones also become too depressing to follow.

The OSTs are damn good.

The misses:

Considering this was a show made in 2004 and aimed at kids, some jokes and scenes did not age well with me. I always remembered Deka having some scenes that were hilarious, but rewatching it, I felt that the jokes were kinda predictable and more on the slapstick side. Not to hate on that style of humour, but over time my sense of humour has changed and that kind of humour is more suited for a younger audience that they’re targeting.

Oh god, some of the Sentai episode staples were hard to follow through. I actually skipped the roll calls just to save time, and to me the giant mecha fights were extremely formulaic and predictable. Then again, even back in the day, I never really watched Sentai for the fight scenes but more for the plot and characters, but I always just tolerated the fight scenes, occasionally finding some of the weapons or the theatrics cool (I think Shinkenger’s fight scenes were one of the best). Unfortunately Deka’s weapons and episodic fight scenes were kinda mediocre though.

There were a lot of logic defying plot lines (e.g. Ban blasting a meteorite core with a D-revolver, Dekarangers somehow managing to travel at light speed from one planet to another just to complete a task and somehow make it back in time to thwart the enemies), but then again, this is a universe where ESPers exist and aliens can somehow speak Japanese so I’d just look past it.

There’s a lot of screaming. Especially Ban. And during the “critical battle moments”.

Thoughts on individual characters:

Ban: He was really irritating during the first few episodes but he mellowed and was a lot more fleshed out as the series progressed. Although he was the least experienced in the team and never claimed to be the leader, he played the typical role as red “leading” the team with his fearlessness and resolve. He’s still not one of my favourite characters but I can definitely appreciate his role in the team and the series as the whole.

Hoji: I was kinda ambivalent about Hoji when I first watched Deka, but upon rewatching I really grew to like his character a lot. He’s not just a “cool blue”, but equally passionate and stubborn as Ban, just that he’s a lot more professional and calculated in his actions (which I suppose is why on one hand he clashes with Ban’s more reckless and spontaneous approach, and on the other hand is seen as a partner to Ban). His character episodes were excellent, and he was probably put in the toughest moral dilemmas in the series.

Sen-chan: Next to Hoji, Sen also had a lot of excellent character episodes, focusing mostly either on his nice guy side, or his intellectual side when solving mysteries. I also really liked Sen as a whole, coming off as the calm one in the beginning and generally a calming character throughout the series, but also can get really fired up when he’s angry about injustice. I kinda did like Sen-chan during my first watch through, and after the rewatch he’s also one of my favourite characters in Dekaranger.

Jasmine: I’ve got to say, during my rewatch, I couldn’t get much out of Jasmine’s character other than her being an ESPer, saying random phrases and the less chaotic female in the squad. But as the series progressed, her personality started to be more apparent to me, as someone who comes across as cool and professional but is also passionate and has empathy for those that deserve it. I liked Jasmine a lot more in my initial watch, but in the rewatch I felt that her development of her character was more lacklustre as compared to the other excellent ones.

Umeko: The main comic relief of the series. Umeko-focused episodes tended to be more light-hearted or rather less serious than some of the others, but they were the more memorable ones. Her later character episodes got a lot more darker though, and we got to see the more vulnerable and sensitive side of her, which added a lot more depth to her character. Aside from Ban, Umeko’s also one of those characters that seem to be able to get away with “unprofessionalism” (mostly for the comedy), but to me she’s still likeable because there’s never a dull moment when she’s in the spotlight.

Tetsu: Tetsu actually comes in relatively late in the series as the sixth member - after his initial introductory episodes were cleared, we were almost halfway into the series. As such, I felt that there wasn’t a lot of room for his personality to shine. I guess the main development of his character is how he went from someone individualistic and focused on fighting without bring in passion and emotions into the mix, to being fully integrated into the team and promising to be the “fireball” in place of Ban after his departure - easily the most passionate and emotional member of the team during battle.

Boss: It only hit me during the rewatch at how much of a badass Doggie Kruger is as the “chief/commander” character of the series. His swordfighting scenes and the fact that his nickname is “Hell’s Guarddog” aside, his actions as a high ranking space police officer are pretty unconventional. He handpicks Ban, a rookie that was seemingly too reckless to join his team as he saw his potential; he himself takes incredible risks; and he shows genuine love and care for his team, almost like a father figure.

Swan: For a supporting character in Sentai, Swan's got personality, almost like a mother figure to the team, and simultaneously keeping Doggie in check, all while being the excellent engineer she is. Her character episode really allowed her to shine and it was nice for female scientist representation back in the mid-2000s.

Final thoughts:

I definitely viewed and remembered Dekaranger with rose-tinted lens during my first watch through - it’s good but it’s not all as amazing as I remembered it to be. Nonetheless, even during the rewatch it was enjoyable and had aspects and moments that still blew my mind. Personally, Dekaranger was an extremely special TV show to me as it was my very first step into Japanese entertainment, and eventually the world of J-dramas, anime and J-pop, much of which I still enjoy up till this day.

#deka rewatch #show reviews

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jerrytackettca · 6 years

Text

Awkward Flu Jabs Attempted at Golden Globes

In what can only be described as a new level of propaganda, hosts Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh featured a flu shot stunt during the 76th Golden Globe Awards ceremony. They told the audience to roll up their sleeves, as they would all be getting flu shots, while people in white coats stormed down the aisles, syringes in hand.

Most of the audience looked thoroughly uneasy at the prospect of having a stranger stick them with a needle in the middle of an awards show. But perhaps the worst part of the scene was when Samberg added that anti-vaxxers could put a napkin over their head if they wanted to be skipped, basically suggesting that anyone opposed to a flu shot deserved to be branded with a proverbial scarlet letter.

The flu shots, for the record, were reportedly fake,1 nothing more than a bizarre gag that left many people stunned by the Globe's poor taste in turning a serious medical choice into a publicity gimmick.

Flu Shot Stunt Reeks of Desperation

Whoever came up with the idea to turn the Golden Globes into a platform for a public health message probably thought it was ingenious, but the stunt only serves as a seemingly desperate attempt to make flu shots relevant and in vogue. During the 2017 to 2018 flu season, only 37 percent of U.S. adults received a flu shot, a 6 percent drop from the prior season.2

"To improve flu vaccination coverage for the 2018-19 flu season, health care providers are encouraged to strongly recommend and offer flu vaccination to all of their patients,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wrote. “People not visiting a provider during the flu season have many convenient places they can go for a flu vaccination."3

Yet, perhaps the decline in people choosing to get vaccinated has nothing to do with convenience and everything to do with their dismal rates of efficacy. In the decade between 2005 and 2015, the influenza vaccine was less than 50 percent effective more than half of the time.4

The 2017/2018 flu vaccine was a perfect example of this trend. The overall adjusted vaccine effectiveness against influenza A and B virus infection was just 36 percent.5

Health officials blamed the flu season’s severity on the dip in vaccination rates, but as Dr. Paul Auwaerter, clinical director of the division of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told USA Today, “[I]t is also true that the vaccine was not as well matched against the strains that circulated."6

But bringing flu shots to the Golden Globes, and calling out “anti-vaxxers,” is nothing more than “medical care, by shame,” noted Dr. Don Harte, a chiropractic activist in California. “But it was entertaining, in a very weird way, including the shock and disgust of some of the intended victims, notably [Willem Dafoe],” he said, adding:7

"This Hollywood publicity stunt for the flu vaccine is one of the stupidest things I've ever seen from celebrities. But it does go with the flu shot itself, which is, perhaps, the stupidest of all the vaccines available."

Did 80,000 People Really Die From the Flu Last Year?

The CDC reported that 79,400 people died from influenza during the 2017/2018 season, which they said "serves as a reminder of how severe seasonal influenza can be."8 It's important to remember, however, that the 80,000 deaths figure being widely reported in the media is not actually all "flu deaths."

According to the CDC, “We look at death certificates that have pneumonia or influenza causes (P&I), other respiratory and circulatory causes (R&C), or other nonrespiratory, noncirculatory causes of death, because deaths related to flu may not have influenza listed as a cause of death."9

As for why the CDC doesn’t base flu mortality estimates only on death certificates that list influenza, they noted, “Seasonal influenza may lead to death from other causes, such as pneumonia, congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease … Additionally, some deaths — particularly among the elderly — are associated with secondary complications of seasonal influenza (including bacterial pneumonias)."10

In other words, "flu deaths" are not just deaths directly caused by the influenza virus, but also secondary infections such as pneumonia and other respiratory diseases, as well as sepsis.11

According to the CDC, most of the deaths occurred among those aged 65 years and over, a population that may already have preexisting conditions that makes them more susceptible to infectious diseases. As Harte said of annual flu deaths, “[M]ost if not all, I would assume, are of people who are already in very bad shape.12

CDC Claims Flu Vaccine Reduces Flu Deaths in the Elderly — But Does It?

Since people aged 65 and over are those most at risk from flu complications and death, the CDC has been vocal in their claims that the flu shot significantly reduces flu-related deaths among this population. The research, however, says otherwise.

Research published in 2005 found no correlation between increased vaccination rates among the elderly and reduced mortality. According to the authors, "Because fewer than 10 percent of all winter deaths were attributable to influenza in any season, we conclude that observational studies substantially overestimate vaccination benefit."13

A 2006 study also showed that even though seniors vaccinated against influenza had a 44 percent reduced risk of dying during flu season than unvaccinated seniors, those who were vaccinated were also 61 percent less like to die before the flu season ever started.14

This finding has since been attributed to a "healthy user effect," which suggests that older people who get vaccinated against influenza are already healthier and, therefore, less likely to die anyway, whereas those who do not get the shot have suffered a decline in health in recent months.

Journalist Jeremy Hammond summed up the CDC's continued spreading of misinformation regarding the flu vaccine's effectiveness in the elderly, as they continue to claim it's the best way to prevent the flu:15

"[T]here is no good scientific evidence to support the CDC's claim that the influenza vaccine reduces hospitalizations or deaths among the elderly.

The types of studies the CDC has relied on to support this claim have been thoroughly discredited due to their systemic 'healthy user' selection bias, and the mortality rate has observably increased along with the increase in vaccine uptake — which the CDC has encouraged with its unevidenced claims about the vaccine's benefits, downplaying of its risks, and a marketing strategy of trying to frighten people into getting the flu shot for themselves and their family."

Death of Vaccinated Child Blamed on Not Getting Second Dose

In January 2019, the state of Colorado reported the first child flu death of the 2018/2019 flu season — a child who had received influenza vaccination. But instead of highlighting the vaccine's failure and clear limitations, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment blamed the death on the child being only "partially vaccinated."

"It's an unfortunate but important reminder of the importance of two doses of influenza vaccine for young children who are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time," Dr. Rachel Herlihy, who is the state communicable disease epidemiologist, said in a news release.16 For those who aren't aware, the CDC notes that one dose of flu shot may not be enough to protect against the flu. Instead, they state:17

"Children 6 months through 8 years getting vaccinated for the first time, and those who have only previously gotten one dose of vaccine, should get two doses of vaccine this season …

The first dose 'primes' the immune system; the second dose provides immune protection. Children who only get one dose but need two doses can have reduced or no protection from a single dose of flu vaccine."

Not only may the flu vaccine fail to provide protection against the flu, but many people are not aware that other types of viruses are responsible for about 80 percent of all respiratory infections during any given flu season.18 The flu vaccine does not protect against or prevent any of these other types of respiratory infections causing influenza-like illness (ILI) symptoms.

The chance of contracting actual type A or B influenza, caused by one of the three or four influenza virus strains included in the vaccine, is much lower compared to getting sick with another type of viral or bacterial infection during the flu season.

Does Flu Vaccine Increase the Risk of Influenza Infection, Contribute to Vaccine Shedding?

There are serious adverse effects that can come along with annual flu vaccination, including potentially lifelong side effects such as Guillain Barré syndrome and chronic shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA). They may also increase your risk of contracting more serious flu infections, as research suggests those who have been vaccinated annually may be less protected than those with no prior flu vaccination history.19

Research presented at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego also revealed that children who get seasonal flu shots are more at risk of hospitalization than children who do not. Children who had received the flu vaccine had three times the risk of hospitalization as children who had not. Among children with asthma, the risk was even higher.20

There's also the potential for vaccine shedding, which has taken on renewed importance with the reintroduction of the live virus vaccine FluMist during the 2018/2019 season. While the CDC states that the live flu virus in FluMist is too weak to actually give recipients the flu, research has raised some serious doubts that this is the case.

One recent study revealed not only that influenza virus may be spread via simple breathing (i.e., no sneezing or coughing required) but also that repeated vaccination increases the amount of virus released into the air.21

MedImmune, the company that developed FluMist, is aware that the vaccine sheds vaccine-strain virus. In its prescribing information, they describe a study on the transmission of vaccine-strain viruses from vaccinated children to nonvaccinated children in a day care setting.

In 80 percent of the FluMist recipients, at least one vaccine-strain virus was isolated anywhere from one to 21 days following vaccination. They further noted, "One placebo subject had mild symptomatic Type B virus infection confirmed as a transmitted vaccine virus by a FluMist recipient in the same playgroup."22

Are There Other Ways to Stay Healthy During Flu Season?

Contrary to the CDC’s and Golden Globe’s claims that flu vaccinations are a great way to prevent flu, other methods exist to help you stay healthy during the flu season and all year, and they’re far safer than annual flu vaccination. Vitamin D testing and optimization have been shown to cut your risk of respiratory infections, including colds and flu, in half if you are vitamin D deficient, for instance.23,24

In my view, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best respiratory illness prevention and optimal health strategies available. Influenza has also been treated with high-dose vitamin C,25 and taking zinc lozenges at the first sign of respiratory illness can also be helpful.

Following other basic tenets of health, like eating right, getting sound sleep, exercising and addressing stress are also important, as is regularly washing your hands.

from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/29/golden-globes-flu-shot-stunt.aspx

source http://niapurenaturecom.weebly.com/blog/awkward-flu-jabs-attempted-at-golden-globes

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paullassiterca · 6 years

Text

Awkward Flu Jabs Attempted at Golden Globes

youtube

The flu shots, for the record, were reportedly fake,1 nothing more than a bizarre gag that left many people stunned by the Globe’s poor taste in turning a serious medical choice into a publicity gimmick.

Flu Shot Stunt Reeks of Desperation

“To improve flu vaccination coverage for the 2018-19 flu season, health care providers are encouraged to strongly recommend and offer flu vaccination to all of their patients,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wrote. “People not visiting a provider during the flu season have many convenient places they can go for a flu vaccination.”3

The 2017/2018 flu vaccine was a perfect example of this trend. The overall adjusted vaccine effectiveness against influenza A and B virus infection was just 36 percent.5

"This Hollywood publicity stunt for the flu vaccine is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen from celebrities. But it does go with the flu shot itself, which is, perhaps, the stupidest of all the vaccines available.”

Did 80,000 People Really Die From the Flu Last Year?

The CDC reported that 79,400 people died from influenza during the 2017/2018 season, which they said “serves as a reminder of how severe seasonal influenza can be.”8 It’s important to remember, however, that the 80,000 deaths figure being widely reported in the media is not actually all “flu deaths.”

In other words, “flu deaths” are not just deaths directly caused by the influenza virus, but also secondary infections such as pneumonia and other respiratory diseases, as well as sepsis.11

CDC Claims Flu Vaccine Reduces Flu Deaths in the Elderly — But Does It?

Research published in 2005 found no correlation between increased vaccination rates among the elderly and reduced mortality. According to the authors, “Because fewer than 10 percent of all winter deaths were attributable to influenza in any season, we conclude that observational studies substantially overestimate vaccination benefit.”13

This finding has since been attributed to a “healthy user effect,” which suggests that older people who get vaccinated against influenza are already healthier and, therefore, less likely to die anyway, whereas those who do not get the shot have suffered a decline in health in recent months.

Journalist Jeremy Hammond summed up the CDC’s continued spreading of misinformation regarding the flu vaccine’s effectiveness in the elderly, as they continue to claim it’s the best way to prevent the flu:15

“[T]here is no good scientific evidence to support the CDC’s claim that the influenza vaccine reduces hospitalizations or deaths among the elderly.

The types of studies the CDC has relied on to support this claim have been thoroughly discredited due to their systemic ‘healthy user’ selection bias, and the mortality rate has observably increased along with the increase in vaccine uptake — which the CDC has encouraged with its unevidenced claims about the vaccine’s benefits, downplaying of its risks, and a marketing strategy of trying to frighten people into getting the flu shot for themselves and their family.”

Death of Vaccinated Child Blamed on Not Getting Second Dose

In January 2019, the state of Colorado reported the first child flu death of the 2018/2019 flu season — a child who had received influenza vaccination. But instead of highlighting the vaccine’s failure and clear limitations, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment blamed the death on the child being only “partially vaccinated.”

“It’s an unfortunate but important reminder of the importance of two doses of influenza vaccine for young children who are receiving influenza vaccine for the first time,” Dr. Rachel Herlihy, who is the state communicable disease epidemiologist, said in a news release.16 For those who aren’t aware, the CDC notes that one dose of flu shot may not be enough to protect against the flu. Instead, they state:17

“Children 6 months through 8 years getting vaccinated for the first time, and those who have only previously gotten one dose of vaccine, should get two doses of vaccine this season …

The first dose 'primes’ the immune system; the second dose provides immune protection. Children who only get one dose but need two doses can have reduced or no protection from a single dose of flu vaccine.”

Does Flu Vaccine Increase the Risk of Influenza Infection, Contribute to Vaccine Shedding?

There’s also the potential for vaccine shedding, which has taken on renewed importance with the reintroduction of the live virus vaccine FluMist during the 2018/2019 season. While the CDC states that the live flu virus in FluMist is too weak to actually give recipients the flu, research has raised some serious doubts that this is the case.

In 80 percent of the FluMist recipients, at least one vaccine-strain virus was isolated anywhere from one to 21 days following vaccination. They further noted, “One placebo subject had mild symptomatic Type B virus infection confirmed as a transmitted vaccine virus by a FluMist recipient in the same playgroup.”22

Are There Other Ways to Stay Healthy During Flu Season?

Following other basic tenets of health, like eating right, getting sound sleep, exercising and addressing stress are also important, as is regularly washing your hands.

from Articles http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/29/golden-globes-flu-shot-stunt.aspx source https://niapurenaturecom.tumblr.com/post/182391544281

0 notes

jakehglover · 6 years

Text

Awkward Flu Jabs Attempted at Golden Globes

youtube

Flu Shot Stunt Reeks of Desperation

The 2017/2018 flu vaccine was a perfect example of this trend. The overall adjusted vaccine effectiveness against influenza A and B virus infection was just 36 percent.5

Did 80,000 People Really Die From the Flu Last Year?

In other words, "flu deaths" are not just deaths directly caused by the influenza virus, but also secondary infections such as pneumonia and other respiratory diseases, as well as sepsis.11

CDC Claims Flu Vaccine Reduces Flu Deaths in the Elderly — But Does It?

"[T]here is no good scientific evidence to support the CDC's claim that the influenza vaccine reduces hospitalizations or deaths among the elderly.

Death of Vaccinated Child Blamed on Not Getting Second Dose

"Children 6 months through 8 years getting vaccinated for the first time, and those who have only previously gotten one dose of vaccine, should get two doses of vaccine this season …

Does Flu Vaccine Increase the Risk of Influenza Infection, Contribute to Vaccine Shedding?

Are There Other Ways to Stay Healthy During Flu Season?

Following other basic tenets of health, like eating right, getting sound sleep, exercising and addressing stress are also important, as is regularly washing your hands.

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/29/golden-globes-flu-shot-stunt.aspx

0 notes

recentanimenews · 7 years

Text

FEATURE: Aniwords – Why I Want to Show "your name." to Everyone I Know

This article will contain minor spoilers for the film your name (or, if you prefer, Kimi no Na wa).

It's difficult to say exactly what makes your name. is such an enchanting film. I have some ideas, though. First off, there’s Makoto Shinkai's really excellent editing, RADWIMPS' memorable soundtrack, Masashi Ando and Tanaka Masayoshi's soft character designs, and the easy charm the script imbues into the movie's lead and supporting characters. And then, there’s how, out of the potent blend of the film’s sekai-kei-type story and its many contemporary concerns, a remarkably single-minded movie arises. Metaphorically, it's much like the braided cord that ties lead characters Mitsuha and Taki together across the distance between them; in film criticism terms, your name. simply knows what it is and what it is trying to do—and, most importantly, how to do it.

As you may have guessed, I like your name. quite a lot. I was lucky enough to see it twice in theaters (subbed both times, for those curious), and if it's still showing the next time I have a free weeknight or weekend evening, I'd happily go see it again. I've bought the OST (a physical version because I'm old-fashioned like that), and I'm really eagerly awaiting the chance to watch it on BD at home.

And yet, I don't think I'll ever consider your name. a favorite of mine. I was moved by the film both times I saw it, and I think it's gorgeous to look at, and easily rewatchable, but it just didn't hit those buttons for me that my favorites do. I'm not even sure it's my favorite Shinkai work, let alone my favorite thing in its genre. But when I think about this movie, those sorts of personal preferences somehow don't dominate the way I think about the film like I'd expect. Instead, your name. has transcended my preferences and become something more to me. Something bigger than just my individual experience with the film. Something I can't tie down by only thinking about it through my personal lens. Something I feel is important.

In short, your name. is a film I want to show to everyone I know.

Making Anime Accessible

Basically, there are two reasons (although each of them has their fair share of sub-points) why I think your name. makes me feel this way, and both of them involve the aspects of the context of the film. But before we get there, I think it’s essential to mention the all-important characteristic that makes both of those ways of thinking possible: The simple fact that your name. is delightfully accessible.

If you think about it, "I want to show this movie to everyone I can," is not really a typical emotion to feel about something. Even just considering my favorite anime, there are plenty of shows that, although I love them, I don't want to show to most people for various reasons—whether it be the inclusion of overt fanservice or just plain weirdness. But aside from the thrice-repeated moment of Taki clutching at him-as-Mitsuha's chest, your name. is almost completely free of anime’s most off-putting quirks.

The results of this accessibility are readily apparent for anyone whose been following the news about the series. Its record-breaking run in Japan, its success in overseas markets like China, and even its penetration into mainstream news outlets despite its limited theater release in the States. Heck, my mom sent me a text about your name. because she'd heard a review of it on NPR before I'd even had a chance to see it! It's an easy film to watch and like, even—and perhaps especially for—people who don’t typically watch anime.

Going Outside the Anime Fandom Bubble

So, on to the first reason I want to show your name. to people. Or, if you will the first context: your name. as an anime outside of the anime fandom.

The accessibility of your name. is a good explanation for the "how" part of explaining your name.’s arrival in this context, but it doesn't show why this film, specifically, is one that I feel is important for anime that’s acquired cultural existence outside of the anime fandom. Of course, it's nice that your name. proves anime can be accessible to people who don't always watch it—that it can exist as an animated film rather than just an anime. But it's also a film I feel has the potential to restructure how people outside of our little fandom bubble think about anime.

With the accessibility point addressing some of the more lowbrow assumptions about anime (tentacles, you know), the other side of the issue of mainstream anime perception is the frustratingly common equation of Hayao Miyazaki with anime of artistic merit. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's films are really the only product of Japanese animation that have any sort of mainstream cachet in the West, which means that for people who don’t know anime, Miyazaki = good anime (i.e. not sex and violence). And that's why it's grating to hear talk of Shinkai as "the New Miyazaki," when the success of your name. seems like a prime opportunity for anime to break out of the two stereotypical boxes it’s been forced in to. Because if you actually watch your name., it's obvious that—commercial success aside—Shinkai and Miyazaki couldn't be less alike.

This isn't really the place to go into an in-depth analysis of the cinematographic differences between Shinkai and Miyazaki, but that's okay because I think the more salient point is that their fundamental priorities, the themes they tackles, and the stories they want to tell are very different. I don't want to overstate the contrasts between them, but your name., I think, is a classic in an entirely different way that Miyazaki's films are. Whereas Miyazaki's films seem more inspired by the past (I'm thinking references to Japanese mythology and his fondness for stories that feel like fairy tales), Shinkai’s work feels much more rooted in the present day. Even just taking your name. as an example, it’s a modern urban fantasy with a much more localized conception such tradition ("katewaredoki" comes from a dialect, after all).

That's just a single aspect of how your name. steps out from underneath the shadow of Miyazaki's iron grip on the mainstream conception of anime films, but the larger point is that your name. threads the needle between the established high-brow and low-brow stereotypes of anime. Of course, it's not that your name. is the first anime, let alone the first anime film to do this, but it is the first one to do so that's really hit it big enough to make me feel like there's actually a chance for it change something. Because despite defying the stereotypes, your name. also finds a way to embody them—think, for example, of the way it employs the classic anime tripping trope as Mitsuha runs to confront her father near the end of the film. “Classic anime,” a simulcast watcher might say. But for the uninitiated audience, the trope perhaps manages to embody the spirit the trope has lost for hardcore anime fans.

An Open Heart in an Emotionless Theater

The second context for your name. is the wider landscape of pop media in the West. I don't think it's overstating it to say that your name. is one of the most emotionally transparent films that has made it to widespread distribution in the States in the last few years, and it comes at a time when the country is divided and exhausted and cynical, and the mass media either reflective of those cultural blemishes or of the corporations' desire to cash in their multi-billion dollar franchises with another Marvel movie.

Into that gritty, despairing morass steps your name., a film flush with hope in the midst of tragedy and love that blooms out of isolation. Polygon's Julia Alexander tackles one aspect of the film's emotional clarity in her lovely piece on the theme of longing in your name., but the film's honesty is multifaceted. There's the way Shinkai tackles the catastrophe of feelings brought on by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the way Taki and Mitsuha's cross-body communication mimics the arc of a digitial friendship, and the profound way the film seems to understand and empathize with the millennial experience ("I'm always looking for something... someone... or just a job," Taki says near the end of the film).

I mentioned before that your name. feels like a distinctly modern film to me, but I'd like to clarify that when I say this I mean that it is extremely particular in its modernity. As I discussed in a post on Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju last year, one of the most powerful ways to construct a story that feels universal is to anchor it in the particular and the specific. Between references to real world events like the aforementioned earthquake, incorporation of defining features of the contemporary Japanese cultural landscape like LINE, gestures towards the decline of rural towns and their traditions in the midst of urbanization, and even the recognizably current motion of Taki having completely forgotten the Itomori disaster a mere three years later, your name. constructs a beautifully rendered pastiche of a particular version of our present moment—one that is both deeply Japanese and simultaneously deeply universal.

It is because your name. is so painstakingly specific in its depiction of Taki and Mitsuha's worlds—even if it is often subtly so—that its emotional core is so easy to grasp. The particularity of the setting and its accessible touchpoints draw us into the universal elements of the emotion. And even for someone like me who already treasures emotional transparency and clarity in art, the strength of your name.'s ability to call people into its heart-on-sleeve, unabashedly music video-like nature inspires me. I want other people to see the film because it is so touchingly honest. I want them to see it because it embodies a character of emotional vulnerability and genuineness that almost entirely absent in today's media.

A Reason to Watch, and to Share

i don't think your name. is an especially deep film, but its sound is a clear as a bell. it's beautiful.

— Bless! Thunder Glow (@iblessall) April 8, 2017

I wrote that tweet after I saw your name. for the first time, and although I've come to view the film as having more depth to it than I initially gave it credit for, I think this is still an impression I hold. Because it's not as if your name. works emotionally because it plumbs the depths and complexity of the human condition. There are films out there that address far more "important" issues. But few are as purely distilled as your name. Few speak as directly and simply to our desire for connection, our longing for love and purpose, our fear of the world vanishing around us in an instant as this film does.

And I am convinced that, even more than the hope that your name. might expand the public’s perception of anime beyond boob grabs and Miyazaki, is a hugely valuable—and important—quality. It is that gorgeously clear sound that rings in your ears for days and weeks after you leave the theater that makes me want to show this film to people. I want people to watch this film and experience that kind of emotional honesty. I want people to know that those hopes, fears, and human needs are okay. That we're not alone in them. I think your name. is a film that can do that. And that's why I want to show your name. to everyone I know.

-----

Isaac eases his compulsive need to write about anime on his blog, Mage in a Barrel. He also sometimes hangs out on Tumblr, where he mainly posts his drawing practice as he seeks to become a renowned idol and robot fanartist. You can follow him on Twitter at @iblessall or on Facebook.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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