#a personal favourite from childhood watchings and an ep that still stands up very well i think as one of the best MiaS instalments (and has

[mariocki]

Man in a Suitcase: Day of Execution (1.3, ITC, 1967)

"I feel awful, just awful, leaving you like this."

"Ah, don't feel bad, it's... it's my business."

"Yeah, I know, but -"

"But what?"

"What're you gonna do?"

"I'm doing it."

[valyrfia]

Stranger Things 3 First Reactions

I’ve literally just finished Stranger Things 3, let’s discuss:

Definitely this was the biggest season in terms of action. It did feel like a huge summer blockbuster and while it was amazing, there is always the argument that some of the more quiet emotional moments were overlooked in favour of action

The ending...it didn’t go the way I wanted it to go, but I was actually satisfied

Of course I cried buckets BUCKETS when Hopper died, but I figured he would die when he went down to the basement and we knew if one was standing on the floor next to the drill they’d vaporise. Joyce has really bad luck with love interests

Billy was expected, and don’t get me wrong I absolutely hated the guy at the beginning of this season, but they did an okay job of humanising him. Sure I didn’t love him, but his sacrifice was somewhat touching. Hope we see his dad get his comeuppance at some point

And for Eleven to lose her father figure on top of all the other shit she’s gone through...oof. That shit hurts.

I love LOVE that Eleven was adopted by Joyce. I totally thought we were in for a lab abduction, especially with Hopper, her legal guardian, being gone, so I was so glad to be proven wrong.

We’ll finally get Will and El being siblings next season! We’ve been fighting for this from season 1! I for one am absolutely PUMPED. 

I feel like they could end Stranger Things here and I would be totally satisfied. Arc-wise, all the characters are resolved more or less, El has her family and her powers are gone, Will had to come to terms with his lost childhood, the Byers are finally moving away from the town that’s terrorised them since s1, Steve has had his full redemption, Nancy and Jonathan are going to go off to college. It feels like a really good place to end the series. Of course I am DYING for another season (I’ll put my predictions for s4 at the end of this post) but I want to end on a high, and this is quite a high. 

I assume they have a gate open in Siberia then? Or one that we don’t know about? Also Erica is so damn smart knowing full well that those cages were for demogorgans

‘The American’? Do you reckon they have Kali or one of the other numbers? Interesting. 

That being said, I’m not a huge fan that they just decided to go with the usual cliché ‘Russians are the true enemy!’ trope. Are we just going to forget about all the bad shit the American scientists did in the first place?

I feel like they really underused Will this season, Noah Schnapp is a terrific actor, probably one of the best of the kids and while he has some amazing scenes, most of the time he’s just standing at the back of the party being a Mindflayer radar. We saw what he could do in s2 and I really expected the Duffers to take advantage of that. Maybe next season.

Destroying Castle Byers absolutely killed me, it was the one scene that had me full-out sobbing. However that being said, it was a big emotional moment at the end of ep 3 and then wasn’t really mentioned again except in passing. 

Robin was brilliant, an amazing addition to the cast and her chemistry with Steve and Dustin was incredible

I loved the touching scene in the bathroom between her and Steve, I ALSO love how they used ‘The First I Love You’, the same soundtrack that was used for Mike and Eleven’s confession and the parallel to Nancy and Jonathan’s first kiss. Even though the relationship isn’t romantic, they care deeply DEEPLY about each other and Steve being an absolute ally and telling Robin she could do way better was just so heartwarming and actually made me tear up

Max was also incredible. I hadn’t quite warmed to her last season but she’s so fiery and loving and definitely is one of my favourite characters now. 

Max and El’s friendship made me smile so so much. It definitely felt realistic, despite what the reviews said. True some things were a little cliché, like them gushing over boys in magazines and trying on a million clothes at The Gap but the scene where they were spying on random people through psychic tv and where they were cooped up talking in a bathroom felt real. I absolutely loved their dynamic this season, it’s really refreshing to see a female friendship on screen again (considering the last one was Nancy and Barb?)

Tonally, this season felt all over the place. It was definitely more messy (both in terms of what was on screen AND in terms of plot) than the previous two seasons. The stakes didn’t feel quite as high as usual and the tonal shift dampened some of the really emotional scenes. 

Take the whole ‘Suzie Do You Copy?’ scene, the stakes were way high at that point and then we get a full minute and a half of a musical rendition of Neverending Story, it just felt a bit jarring and out of place. 

Also, we learnt about Russian involvement but we still know nothing more about the Upside Down, the Mindflayer or the original Hawkins Lab experiments.

I criticize, but it was still an absolute joy to watch. 

My least favourite out of all the seasons so far perhaps, but it’s still my favourite tv show

SEASON 4 PREDICTIONS

Considering Mike explicitly mentioned Thanksgiving/Christmas I’m expecting season 4 late 2020. Probably Christmas, I could see them releasing it around Christmas time. That’s also about the correct length of time it’ll take to make season 4. Also the Duffers are really big on framing the seasons around holidays. December 2020 calling it now.

We’ll see the gang reunite in Hawkins, obviously. 

The gang would have just started high school and I reckon we’ll see them start to drift apart. 

Mike will be struggling, out of everyone the two people he was closest with were Will and El. Not to mention Nancy will be gone off to college as well. 

We’ll definitely get some Will/El duo scenes and I am beyond hyped. Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp are such good friends off-screen it’ll undoubtedly carry over to their on-screen chemistry. 

It’s the duo we deserve. 

I want to see El FLOURISH. Hopefully we find out that El has actually gone to school, that she has friends...loads of friends who just think she’s a normal 15 year old girl. I want to see this. 

I hate to be THAT person...but I really hope they address Will’s sexuality. Again, as with past seasons all we got was very explicit subtext. This season is the last they can really dance around the subject. Will will be 15 or near 15 next season, you know who you’re attracted to at that point.

Not to mention that they have Robin in the mix now, someone who’s maybe not publicly comfortable with her sexuality, but has come to terms with it. A mentor figure, if you will. 

Speaking of Will in the plot sense, I do wonder whether they are going to go down the route of him having powers or not. There’s loads of clues and easter eggs about it/parallels with him and El. I was quite surprised they didn’t go down that route this season and didn’t delve any deeper into his connection to the Upside Down/Mindflayer

It would be super powerful and impactful to parallel him having to keep a secret about any potential ‘powers’ from his friends and family with another ‘secret’. In that situation, I can totally see El becoming Will’s confidante for both. But I digress.

The Russians are up to no good. Again.

We’ll definitely see Kali in some shape or form, and maybe other test subjects

There’s that American after all, I do strongly suspect that’s another Hawkins Lab subject, or past employee. 

I do hope they switch up the formula a bit for the big monster in s4, there’s only so many times you can close the gate after all. 

Either way, I want s4 now, not in seventeen months. 

TO ROUND-UP: It’s still got its charm, it’s still got its magic, it’s still got its nostalgia. Stranger Things 3, it’s been a pleasure. Bring on December 2020

[lemonpeppermint]

I finished watching Cheese in the Trap a couple of days ago. First of all, I am so in love with this drama, it’s excellent. It has everything - romance, humor, mistery, great acting, which is the most important, and character diversity. It’s pretty much dynamic, which makes it easy to watch, and not only that but 1st ep is more than enough to make you addicted…

It’s unbelievebly realistic. A lot of characters actually remind me of people I know and people in my life. Do I even have to say that Bo-ra and Eun-taek are amazing friends anyone would die to have.

 I personally have never met people like these two, and honestly I hope with my whole heart that someday I do (god, pls make it soon.) 

Obviously they have a special place in my heart when it comes to this drama, they’re so pure. I am sure all of viewers fell in love with these two ever since ep 1.

Seol is such an amazing character. Strong and independant, she’s a real fighter. I don’t mean she does martial arts, but the way she works so hard to make her life better, the effort she puts into everything she does, makes her a hero of the show.

She doesn’t have much, but people envy her because of her determination and strong will to finish her studies, because of her great scores (grades), she’s a perfectionist. In all that aditude towards life, she kept her soft side intact, and she’s not the kind of person who would use another to reach her goals. 

She’s one of the good ones, a bit of an introvert, but kind, reliable, and so fluffyyyyyy.. I’ve already mentioned how I aways wanted my baby sister to be just like her (if I had a baby sister, but I don’t.) 

Two of the most irritating charaters are definitely Son Min-soo and Kim Sang-cheol. They are both Seol’s classmates, but Sang-cheol is her senior who seems like he’s never going to finish his studies. Min-soo is a very shy girl who admires Seol, but eventually ends up cosplaying her lol 

I really really really can’t stand those two. And I will ignore Seol's stalker because that guy is so fake to me, I can't even describe it. They put him in the show to literally make the episodes longer...so I won't be talking about him, that whole character is just absurd.

While I’m still at less prefered characters, I have to mention Baek In-ha played by amazing Lee Sung Kyung. 

I don’t care what anybody says, she’s one of my favourites ever since the beginning. She is hilarious! 

Ok, I admit that materialism is not the greatest trait, and neither is neuroticism, but if you seriously think about her, she’s been through hell. Both she and her brother. I cannot judge a person who’s been abused ever since early childhood, and if the worst thing she’s capable to do is max out a credit card, then go for it, idc, money is here to be spent and the man who took these siblings in is filthy rich. Anyways, she’s hilarious, and behind that neurotic facade is a person full of love and despair. 

Plus her fashion sense is to die for! 

Ok, and now about Yoo Jung. The weirdo. Definition of an introvert. Son of that guy who took in In-ha and In-ho. The best student at uni. Extremely popular. Handsome. Powerful. Every girl wants to date him. He’s actually an anti-hero. I would dare to mark him as a bad guy. And honestly, I am a sucker for those kind of guys. He would kill for Seol if he could.

That’s what I love about him. And I have a feeling that’s what Seol loves about him too. What he seeks from his loved ones is devotion, honesty, unconditional love. If murder was legal, he’d do it for those he loves. And boy can he hold a grudge… But when you sum it up, drama makes you see that people were asking for it. Not all the time, but mainly that was the case. They did incredibly stupid things, and he was sick of it. The only thing he did which actually made me dislike him is framing In-ho to get the beatings of his life and a completely crushed hand which was the ultimate punishment for a great piano player like In-ho. That is so cruel I cannot imagine why would anyone who ever loved somebody like a brother do such thing to him. Often I thought he’s actually a psychopath, for his lack of empathy… I don’t know what to think of him… I like him more than I don’t. 

He’s got a lot of characteristics I’m crazy about but a lot of those which I’d run away from right away too.

I know there was a big fuss about the ending… I didn’t mind it personally. Could they make it a bit better? Yes. Definitely. But it wasn’t too bad in my opinion. At least Jung finally opened Seol’s email after passing by her on the street and I have a feeling that’s a new beginning for them. It would be nice to work on that and make a season 2. There’s a webtoon for all those who want more, if I’m not wrong. Comment bellow if you want to add some info about that. 

For the end, I’ll say something about my favourite character. Baek In-ho.

He’s loud. An extrovert. Fighter for justice. Hardworking. Honest. Righteous. Extremely handsome. Has a painful past. But then you find out he’s also an extremely talented pianist. He acts tough but he’s as soft as a marshmallow. He looks like a bad guy but wouldn’t hurt a fly. His emotional intelligence is super high. I understand why Seol never fell for him though. Girls like her never do. It’s like a natural order of things… Well, Seo Kang-joon did a great job playing Baek In-ho. And I am so happy he got a satisfying closure. He diserves it.

[gyeommine]

MONSTA X as Best Friends

this is one of my lil’ au’s that i whipped up whilst i was away with no internet. i need to write more mx stuff(: i tried anyway - i hope y’all like it.

(gif credits to the original owners)

Shownu:

(boiii look at u w that bandana !)

biggest dad friend you'll ever have in your life

makes sure you're fed

gives you lifts whenever you need one

also makes sure you never have to walk on your own.-will fight a mean s/o who he may have had a bitter disliking to anyway bc it's you

basically is super protective of u

he is always v sleepy tho, esp if you're just chilling at your place.but you forgive him bc he's an overworked dad of 6

he is super down to earth and most chill human being in your lifehe is also super dependable, and is always there when you need him

he also gives the best hugs – they're rare but bOI are they worth it

is always awkward about you seeing him at shows or watching shows he's on bc he doesn't feel like he's a big idol, he's just your best friend

but you force him to tell you when he's doing anything so you can shout the loudest

most easily mistaken for your boyfriend

is a lil' bit dense at times, and is least likely to laugh @ your jokes

doesn't get sarcasm either

he's also clumsy

but apologetic, extremely apologetic

he can be a lil' blunt and straight forward at times but he's never as bad as the 'shownubot' he is v sensitive to your emotions, and is super caring

you also see the cute side of shownu

him beaming at small animals, when he talks about his fave food or his parents

again, far from the showminator everyone sees on variety shows

buuuuuuut he's v difficult to read, thanks to that beautiful but often blank face he has 

you also get really flustered when he juST strips??? boicouldunotwearepalswthpls 

you look at him awkwardly but he'll either not get it or be like “what? We are friends?”

and you remember your best friend is the most endearingly dad-like human in the world and nobody can change that

Wonho:

(a d o r a b l e)

I am convinced he will just giggle 24/7

ray of sunshine hoseok will just make you so energised and happy when he's in the same room as you

which makes you fiercely protective of him

you get to see his cute, bubbly side all of the time and it's literally a goddamn blessing

you guys just eat together

you'll deliberately plan on going to different restaurants or food places just so you can sample everything

but his eyes will always light up when you say “Ramen?”

like dad!sonhyunwoo, he is fairly shy about the stuff he does and is v bashful when you compliment his idol stuff

he'll shrug it off like its nothing and you'll be like “??? ur one of the most talented people ever you can literally fite me”

wonho and you could literally make anything fun, so hanging out w each other is never ever dull like, you'll create random dumb shit to do that only kids would think of and it would be great

but he's a really sensitive and sweet friend

he just gets you, and will immediately be on the same page as you w whatever you are feeling

he is so supportive and cares about you to the moon and back

it's bloody adorable literally treasure this man 

like he will literally stay up to ridiculous hours in the morning to listen to you rant or console you 

(my heart is melting whilst writing this send help)

but as we found out in the monsta x ray finale, boy needs that support since he spends all of his energy worrying about his pals and like how he gets you, you completely understand him it's weird, neither of you understand how you're in so in tune w one another 

but it's great honestly a++ friendship

Minhyuk:

(y’all don’t even understand how much of a look the red hair was wOW)

most of the time he just ??? you can't explain him ???

he is one of the loudest, and goofiest people you know

when you guys go out together, ppl are stunned bc he's super handsome

but you know that he's not this super cool, standoffish model-type – he's an idiot

he sends you pictures of cute animals all the time

or he tags you in them on every social media possible

and you guys watch a lot of disney

w a perfect aladdin duet where minhyuk is jasmin (ofc)

lil' dumb things like that brighten your day

he just has a knack for cheering you up

and he just radiates kindness – he's just a sweetheart

but when you guys are together, the sheer amount of noise you guys make is incredible

you guys are literally tied at the hip

you do everything together, a lot of spontaneous stuff too

lots of random sleepovers where you stay up way too late

you hang out so much, that the rest of the mx are just used to having you around

like an 8th member tbh

it gets to a point where you guys miss each other like crazy when his schedule is packed

and the guys tease that you might as well go out

but it's fine, you've both talked and thought about it (midnight chats is all I can say)

but you both know that you're more like siblings

and that's chill

like wonho, he just gets you

he knows when your sad, and exactly what to do

he'll have some takeout on speed dial and a shoulder to cry on

he's actually one of the most attentive people

and sometimes it makes you sad when people just assume he's a shallow idol

but you're just happy to have him in your life.

Kihyun:

(his lil’ smile i swEAr)

he's so sassy w you

he's literally like a middle aged mum

yes, so he's often ruthless but he gives the best advice

someone treating you like shit? cut them out

it makes him incredibly reliable

he's always got your back and is ready to stand up for you 

you guys wingman for each other too 

you pretend to be in a relationship to fend off unwanted ppl in clubs 

people think he's adorable but you know he's cut throat – and you love it

 yet, there are instances where you catch him cooing at a baby or a dog

despite appearances, he would literally drop everything for you 

he's loyal 

if something has happened to you, he's right there if you're crying and listening intently

he genuinely wants to give you the best advice possible 

he does love you, he just has v sarcastic ways of showing it

“i mean, if you were the last person on earth sure” 

and you roll your eyes and just continue 

probably will ask you weird questions at 3am 

doesn't get that you not responding means stop so he keeps going

he has a ripe selection of mugshots of you and will utilize them 

he's probably protective in a lowkey way, like he tries not to show it

he'll walk you home w the excuse “nothing else to do”

“for a sec, I almost thought u were showing affection!” and he'll scoff 

you nod in mock acknowledgement but ofc you think it's really sweet beneath the unending sass you will tease him with predebut mx and it's rich 

you always tell him you bias shownu just to irritate him

“he's not even that cute” he'll mutter bitterly

doesn't mean you won't have a funny picture of kihyun as your lock screen for months

Hyungwon:

(look at this dumb dork w his dumb ass smiley cute face what a dumb human)

one of your memeist friends

sends u dumb shit even if he's sat right next to you

also your laziest friend

if you guys arrange a time to meet, you always mentally add an extra 15 minutes

bc he's always late

he's also extremely sarcastic

even if it's just through an eye roll, he's a piece of shit

he's also a lil' awkward

you first met him through the rest of the guys, and he barely spoke

you just spotted a literal model on his phone in the corner

but as you were round there more, he let himself go

and came to know the lanky piece of shit u now tolerate

very much a love-hate friendship

from afar, it looks like you guys have no boundaries and you will say anything 

but both of you just toss it aside w “character building” and you laugh sometimes he's sweet and it surprises you (like w the kids ep in monsta x-ray omg) 

like he'll buy some food for a homeless man, or pull a funny face at a kid on the bus 

and you tease him about it again, just character building;)

he's silently supportive

he's not great at the words and talking bit, but he's happy to just sit and listen

or he will instantly know what to do, and just order some food before you say anything

so you know ppl are wrong when they say he's just a lazy and standoffish idol

but he's extremely good looking and you had to learn to avoid stares when you guys go out together

he probably has a gift he bought you abroad from 2 years ago

says he'll give it to you, but still forgets

you really hope it's not candy that went off months ago

as much as you love your best friend, you don't want mouldy sweets

Jooheon:

(cutest cutie that ever cutied)

funniest

whether he's making you laugh or you're laughing at him - he's funny

you guys were definitely childhood friends

and everyone loves him

your close family always talks about him, asks about him

he's like a brother you never had (as cheesy as that is)

most friends drift apart, especially w his idol career

but - you guys are the definition of inseparable

you met bc someone was picking on you at nursery and baby jooheon intervened

and since then, you guys have never been a part

he is v protective

even little things like accompanying you home when it's late

any partner he has to meet just to make sure they're good enough for you

you sometimes have to tell him you're okay on your own

and he'll apologise, that he's just looking out for you

he doesn't mind you ringing him at early hours when something's on your mind

and the same with you

when you guys hang out, it's simple

going out for a drive and just watching the sun go down

you'll blast your favourite music and enjoy each other's company

cheesycheesycheesy

it's like something out of a movie

he'll sometimes even treat you – like take you out to dinner or something

to say thanks for being such a good friend all this time

you tell him he's cheesy, that it's not necessary

but he just blushes a little and says it's no big deal

he's the boy you'll mum will nudge and say “oh isn't he lovely”

you'll roll your eyes and say“he's just my best friend”

but you've thought about it, trust me he's definitely thought about it

who knows, all I can say is that it could happen

I.M

( i fell in love w changkyun while writing this i am such a sap )

you guys are like the chillest pair of best friends known

that's probably bc lil' changkyun is definitely more the introvert

he would much rather retreat to his studio to unwind than go out

which you're all for

you guys sit for hours in his mini studio

you listen to his stuff, and you just beam as he talks about his passion

it just fills you w joy when your best friend is so talented and you get to hear it

you do have to bring him out of his shell a little

bc this dorky, funny side comes out that has you cackling

you guys get food together mainly

and he loves it when you cook

you also feel it your duty to take care of this smol

feed him, look after him bc he's still your lil' maknae although nobody thinks he is

but it's not patronising, he's completely chill w it

the guys joke that  he had/has a major crush on you

sometimes you question it, but he's like a younger brother to you

so you just throw something at minhyuk and jooheon to end the teasing

although changkyun always gets a tad shy when they mention it ??

there's never any arguments bc you guys are so alike

you have the same music taste, like the same foods, have the same opinions, watch the same tv shows and movies

it's really weird, but neither of you are complaining

makes life 10x easier !

he always feels super bad that he can't see you more

(which is v fucking cute fite me)

so he tries to plan these elaborate well thought out days for when he gets back

but he gets really bumbly and shy about it

bc it feels like a date but it isn't but he kinda hopes it is

so you guys always opt for a night long catch up w pizza

and you don't mind bc you're happy to see your fave human

i can assure you, so is he;)

hoped you guys enjooooyed! idk, this kind of helped me suss out their characters in my head a bit more - which is nice !! ty for reading <3

[angermango]

Kirby!

i’m guessing you want all of ‘em for Kirby? OKEY DOKEY!

(some of them aren’t fandom specific though i noticed because this meme’s format is a lil funky. I cut those out instead.)

1. Name one of your favourite characters

let’s put a bit of variety in and I’ll say Bandana Dee. He’s everyone’s idol, and a cutie pie to boot! When he first became playable in RTDL I was all over that because!!! Waddle Friend!!!

2. Name one of your favourite villains

Customer Service. Ha you think I can make an ask meme about Kirby WITHOUT MENTIONING HIM?!

3. One actor that you look up to and why

Banjo Ginga, perhaps expectedly~ How that man managed to voice both CS and Nightmare in the anime when they’re at least 50 octaves apart in vocal range is a miraculous thing

4. One actress that you look up to and why

Makiko Ohmoto. She’s a lowkey woman of a thousand voices in the series, and the mini-drama with Susie and Sectonia proves she could seriously do a full blown voice OVA with just her playing all those personalities spot on. Not sure if Kirby should go fully voiced in the future, but hell if he hasn’t proved it can be done!

5. Favourite episode from any show you watch? (Or just an episode you love)

Favourite ep of the anime probably still hands down the quiz episode. Troll on, based salesguy

8. Name 3 OTPs

none really stand out to me in Kirby, aside from friendships. Does the Susie/CS FoeTP count?

9. One character you have a crush on

none

10. One of your favourite fandoms to be in and why?

Even though this be a general one, Kirby has legit been the best for me all these years. You just can’t go wrong with Kirby, and pretty much everyone who loves Kirby is chill and friendly.

11. Describe (insert show here) in three words

Kirby = Eat the nightmares

15. If you were a fictional character in (insert universe here) what would you probably be doing and what life do you think you would have?

lol, if I lived in Kirby’s world, I’d be chillaxin for the rest of my life in Dream Land, enjoying the food and the sights. Sure, place gets frequently attacked and invaded by Eldritch Abominations but Kirby always pulls through doesn’t he?

16. Who do you think is a misunderstood character?

Hmm… I think ‘misunderstood’ in terms of ‘people tend to not portray them right’ (rather than ‘poor misunderstood baby’) would have to be… eh, maybe Dark Matter? I’m not against it but sometimes people seem to be quick to assume Dark Matter is like the ultimate source of evil in the Kirby universe, whereas I believe it’s just one of many evil beings that exist - albeit a powerful one. Maybe it’s just because Dark Matter has appeared more than once in the series, giving it an edge over most of the other bosses. I mean there’s a point where people going “X must be Dark Matter/Zero’s reincarnation because look!!! EYEBALL!!!1!” is basically becoming a bit of a meme.

17. Which character do you wish you were siblings/best friends/dating with?

I wish I could adopt Kirby as a sibling/friend. How could you not want that?!

19. What are three things you’ve learned from one of the shows you watch?

damn this is a little deep… But it’s true Kirby has really been an influence on my life in general since I first encountered it. If I have to say something, I’ll probably say:

[1] Being kind and gentle with others goes a long way (Kirby’s ‘All-Loving Hero’ status inspired this)[2] Cute, innocent and simple things should never be equated with weakness and childishness (The Kirby franchise in a nutshell)[3] There’s always going to be bad in the world as well as good, but we can always choose to punch it in the eye

20. If you could be a writer for any show you wish, how might you develop the plot/characters?

If I was a writer on Kirby, especially the anime, y’all know what the hell I’d be up to - BRING BACK CS/KEEP HIM ALIVE GOD FFUCKING DAMMINT!!!

Though the show had a good run, I wouldn’t mind a reboot or a comeback season. Can’t quite decide which would be nicer:

On the one hand, it would be cool seeing a sort of ‘X years later’ after the original ending with all the familiar anime cast back at it and a little older, a chance to introduce other game characters and elements in and maybe even play with adapting in a few of the game’s plots and devices.

On the other hand, reworking the original anime by expanding more into the GSA/Nightmare war and fleshing out some of the characters (like Silica & Knuckle Joe, the vets of the war, hell even those epic one-offs like Rona) as well as still having the chance to introduce game elements/characters into the anime universe.

I’m honestly easy either way, i would love to make either take happen.

Just as long as Customer Service also makes it back in, of course.

21. What’s one of your favourite quotes from a show you watch?

I rather like Sectonia’s establishing monologue during her first appearance. It’s just so… fitting. It’s cold and grand and tells you all about her and her motivation - particularly when she goes “My beauty rivals the divine… And my power shall crush all you hold dear!”

22. Favourite type of AU?

*crawls up slowly and leans very close to your ear* AN AU WHERE CUSTOMER SERVICE LIVES.

23. Write a brief headcanon for one of your OTPs

For the Susie/CS enemy ‘ship’: Both of them love finding ways to get the other’s personal emails/numbers and spamming passive aggressive messages or taunts. No matter how much encryption or changes of details either of them employs, the other always finds their way in.

25. Why do you love the shows you watch/books you read/fandoms you’re in?

What’s not to love about Kirby? Everything Kirby touches turns gold, and honestly the franchise can do just about anything and pull it off to a good level (even the slight duds still had their perks).

I particularly I love how the Kirby games are making this rich fantasy/sci-fi universe of their own - You can have the cute and fluffy and whimsical existing next to some pretty horrific shit, magic and tech working together like nbd, and in the recent games they’ve been hiding some really deep lore and feels under all the adorableness.

As for the anime, it’s still one of my favourite things to watch whenever. It’s like a favourite treasured childhood snack you can keep going back to and smile over, even despite its little hiccups and dated elements. It’s just innocent fun, and actually had a decent plot at times and even interesting characters, all which left room for expansion and the imagination while being enough as it was.

[keep-on-trying]

My Digimon Story

It’s still August 3rd, which is basically the last day of Odaiba Memorial, so I thought I’d write about my history with Digimon, and how I came back into it just in time for Digimon Adventure Tri. Premiere.

So, it actually starts from as early as when Digimon Adventure premiered in Finland. My parents never really let us watch the show (Honestly, considering how incredibly bad the finnish dub was before Vamdemon saga’s mid point(?), I fully understand why), but whenever the tv was on the right channel I’d manage to see couple of episodes from here and there.

Ever since childhood, I loved Mimi and Hikari specifically, Tailmon and Patamon being my absolute favourite digimon. The most memorable episodes for me specifically were the early episodes and Vamdemon saga. I don’t remember ever seeing the show’s climax until 3 years ago. I may have seen the Mugendramon episode during my childhood, but my memory is very hasty on it.

However, my biggest memory from childhood is definitely the moment when 02 was airing, and I always looked forward to seeing the Ken’s emotional episode in finnish, only to be disappointed with it being suddenly in english. (I was very biased towards english back then guys, it had literarily nothing to do with me hating dub. I didn’t even know the term back then.)

I also remember most of my digimon knowledge in childhood being from 02 anime. I was always excited to see 02 because Takeru and Hikari were older, but then got confused about Daisuke, Miyako and Iori. I honestly didn’t understand plotpoints back then at all. I was just 10 years old back then anyway. However, due to that sudden dub change from finnish to english, I never saw any episodes past that. And that’s basically all the knowledge I had of digimon back then.

From merchandise, I used to own the weird digimon related doll. I reblogged about that a while back. I also owned a few cards iirc, specifically Mimi’s shiny card. 

But that was my childhood memories. For a very long time, I forgot about the series and didn’t have any interest in it. Until about 2 years ago...

A friend of mine was drawing lots of fanart related to original Digimon, and even sold them as prints at local cons. Not a necessary detail, but it is what made me interested in the franchise again. I saw him praising the anime being better than most people think of it being, and how hyped he was for the upcoming Tri. series. It got me interested in it again. I suddenly remembered how I had watched few episodes in childhood, in finnish, and having watched few different animes during the past years, I thought I’d give it a go, this time in japanese. It’d be perfect time to get prepped for Tri. Movies as well!

Well... I couldn’t find japanese dub first at all. I only managed to find english dub, and thought that heck, let’s give it a shot. Now, people are gonna possibly hate me for saying this but...

I could not stand the english dub at all. The fact that there was almost never a silent moment, some of the jokes were incredibly lousy imho and I couldn’t exactly get behind the voices most characters had, I’m surprised I managed to actually watch the english dub all the way to ep 37. English dub managed to make me dislike Mimi and Jou, I didn’t like their voices or personality at all. Idk. But then, I managed to find japanese! The moment I found it I jumped there and oh boy. It was a huge difference. Mimi’s voice was actually still something my ears could hardly handle, but after just few episodes, I actually started liking her again. I somehow felt like she was completely a different character. I much prefered other characters’ voices thou, and that managed to make me more hooked to the series than dub did. Again, I’m sorry for saying this about dub, I know people like it, but I just have my opinion on it. I hope you’ll respect it as much as I respect other people liking it.

Anyway, I got to the end of the series and good lord... I cried like a baby. I didn’t want the show to end. I fell in love with the opening song, the ending song and I eventually learned to like even Jou. By the end of the series, Jou and Mimi redeemed themselves from the dub impression, and became my absolute favourites alongside Hikari. I actually went and started watching the show from the beginning, this time in japanese. And I immidiately liked the show even more. This time I managed to cry at Angemon’s death and Wizardmon’s death as well. I also learned to like every single character.  If it weren’t for japanese dub, I’d have just left the series be.

After the quick rewatch of Adventure, I jumped to 02. Althought this time, again, I couldn’t find japanese and had to watch in dub til ep 21. The dub managed to make me loathe all 3 new chosen children, and I got super annoyed by Davis not remembering T.K’s name. Once I found japanese dub thou.... oh boy. Daisuke became my favourite! It’s amazing how a different dub manages to make me hate a character I love in another dub. 02 story is pretty much the same as Adventure. But y’know, this time I watched the whole thing. I got confused at times, but really liked Jogress and god damn the songs! They became my favourites real quickly. I didn’t like the epilogue thou lol. I got over it thou.

But y’know, this opened me whole lot of other doors as well. After finishing with 02, in time I got myself to watch other digimon series as well. Of course, I started with Digimon Tamers. This time, I found japanese all the way from the start, so I have no opinions on these dubs. I actually had hard time getting into all Tamers, Frontier and Savers, because imo they all had very slow starts. I even put my Tamers watch on hold once they got to their Digital World. But when I got back...

The Matrix Evolution is my favourite thing in Tamers, and Sakuyamon became my favourite evolution. Her animation was so god damn gorgeus, and the song that plays in the background is absolutely beautiful. I shed tears during few scenes again, esp. the ending. However, I was kinda not liking the whole D. reaper thing. I’m not sure why. It could be because the whole arc was handling depression and back then I didn’t like anything that depressing. Still don’t, but now it’s for different reasons. However, at the end I ended up liking Tamers a lot.

After Tamers, I checked Digimon Savers. Yes, I skipped Frontier, I had only read bad reviews of that show so I decided to jump into Savers instead. I wasn’t thrilled about the whole human becoming a digimon concept either, but later about that.

Even thou Savers had a slow start, I was surprised how much I ended up liking it. Masaru was way different from our gogglehead protagonists, and this new agumon... idk. :D I was about to give up on this show at around ep 14 or so, but then stuck through and didn’t regret it. I didn’t really like the ending tho. :’) But eh.

Then, I decided to give Digimon Frontier a go. Honestly, it remains my least favourite, but it had it’s moments and the fact that I managed to finish it tells something about the show. Oddly thou, I didn’t pick up any favourite characters. If I had to pick one, it’d probably be Kouji. Takuya was fine as well. But I didn’t grow attached to other characters at all, thou I do remember shedding few tears at the end for Kouichi.

Now, still at the moment the only digimon series I haven’t managed to watch past first 10 or so episodes...

Yup. I watched about 10 episodes of Digimon Xros Wars and left it there. I didn’t like the setting, didn’t like the lack of evolutions and it just didn’t feel as engaging to me. But since I didn’t get past first 10 episodes I don’t feel like I’m qualified to talk about it. So, let’s leave it at that.

So, then it was November, 2015. The premiere for Digimon Adventure Tri. Reunion. I liked how the trailers looked, and was pretty hooked. Back then, Crunchyroll didn’t provide license to Finland, so I was left tryhing to find it from elsewhere. And oh boy ;-;

I loved every freaking second of it. I was crying when Taichi and Agumon reunited, and I was utterly happy to see my favourite chosen children all grown. Everyone looked absolutely amazing.

I never was bothered with the lack of battles like lots of people seemed to have. To me, digimon was always about the story, and I was actually happy to see the movies focus more on story than having battles every 30 mins. Digimon Tri was exactly what I hoped to see of a sequal.

Til this day, I have watched every movie during their premiere nights, and after Determination, watched all from Crunchyroll. Each movie has made me emotional, and I have no doubt the last two movies will do the same as well. I’m so glad to have come back to Digimon, and I’m glad to have finally joined the fandom on Tumblr earlier this year. It’s a journey I’ll never forget.

Now, I’ll go back to eagerly away the September 30th, and prepare to cry once again. Thank you for reading this long ass text of my Digimon Story. Hope you enjoyed!

[mythicalflower06-blog]

Winx Club August Challenge

1.Which Winx would you get along with best/worst?

A: Best would be Bloom because our personalities are quite similar. Worst would be Musa, because I wouldn’t stand her temper and we would probably get into a fight at some point.

2. Which Trix would you get along with best/worst?

A: Stormy for best, she’s brave and honest; Darcy for worst, she’s cunning and subversive. 3. If you had to team up with a villain (excluding trix) who?

A: I would not team up with a villain. Nope. Not happening. If I have to answer, though, Selina after she’s good again. 4. How was your fave way that someone earned Charmix?

A: Flora. Because I wouldn’t have the guts to do it.

5. Fave Pixie?

A: Jolly (Hallowinx is my favourite episode from s2!)

6. You’re fave sacrifice for Enchantix?

A: Tecna obviously. The realest one. I cried when I first watched it at age 8, I cried when I re-watched the whole series at 16, I cry every time I go back to it. She’s the bravest of them all, no doubt, a true Gryffindor.

7. Fave use of fairy dust?

A: To make cloud tower visible again. My favourite episode from s3.

8. Would you have chosen the waterstars?

A: If I was Stella, I would. If I was Musa, I would. If I was Tecna, I wouldn’t.

9. What would you have chosen over the waterstars?

A: Like I said before, everything Tecna gave up. Emotions, memories, feelings, thoughts, all the things I hold close to my heart. Once again, it’s proved that Tecna is the bravest of the Winx. I consider myself a Gryffindor and wouldn’t be able to do that.

10. Fave alternate wing for believix (zommix, speedix,tracix)?

A: I would like to have those zoomix wings because they are beautiful, but I’d choose tracix because I love what they do.

11. Sophix or Lovix?

A: Is both an option? No? Okay Lovix, I’m really emotional.

12. Would you have accepted the sirenix quest?

A: Sure let’s do this.

13. Sirenix wish?

A: That everyone could have a happy life.

14. Fave way bloomix was earned?

A: Bloom’s.

15. Your fave fairytale from the legendarium?

A: Children of the Night, favourite episodes from season 6!

16. Specialist or Paladin?

A: Specialist, of course. They’ve been there since s1, and we all know there’s nothing better than s1. 17. Fave new weapon from s6?

A: I didn’t care much about the weapons, I was just angry at all the wasted potential the Legendarium had.

18. Most interesting magical school?

A: Hogwarts! ...  Okay, if it has to be from winx club, Red Fountain or s1′s Cloud Tower, never liked Alfea that much tbh.

19. Fave/least fave fairy animal?

A: I didn’t watch s7. It felt too much like childhood ruined for me.

20. Mirta, Roxy or Daphne?

A: Definitely not Roxy. Definitely not s5 or s6′s Daphne. I really love both Mirta and s1′s Daphne, I guess I’ll chose Daphne because she reminds me of my own older sister a lot. I cried when I learned her story, in s1 ep18 (favourite episode EVER!!!) and also in the first movie.

21. Faragonda, Griffin or Saladin?

A: Good question. I still don’t get why Faragonda denied Bloom all the knowledge about Daphne and Domino and the Dragon Fire in s1 until she learned it the hard way. Kind of like Dumbledore denied Harry the knowledge about his parents, him being a Horcrux or his past with Voldemort. I mean, both those informations were SUPER IMPORTANT for those kids and their supposed MENTORS hid them from them. That’s why I don’t like either Faragonda or Dumbledore. Griffin was kind of a bitch in the beginning of s1 (*cough* ep3 *cough* ep 8). So yes, Saladin is the best.

22. Fave (set) of parents?

A: Mike and Vanessa obviously. If I were Bloom I would NEVER had stopped calling them mom and dad even if I found that I was adopted and met my birth parents. They would always be the people who raised me like their own, which takes even greater love and dedication.

23. If you could chose a realm to live in which one?

A: Earth ahahah!

24. Fairy animals or Plushies from s4?

A: I didn’t watch s7. So s4.

25. Fave/least fave Major Fairy?

A: Fave is Bloom. S1′s Bloom. She was the first character I could ever relate to. I was also very good at drawing, a little awkward, really clumsy, overwhelmed by magic, seeing the good in every person, innocent and naive, dedicated to my friends, shy and introverted but funny when comfortable, with a tendency to go back home (to my bedroom and my diary) when things turned out bad. I could really feel those two wonderful songs in ep18, my favourite of all time. 

Tecna is a close second fave. I always admired her a lot. She was the most courageous (as I had said before many times), the most intelligent, and really I think she went through the hardest and I have a lot of heart for this character. She also reminds me of Hermione a lot (while Bloom is Harry and Flora is Ron) Least fave is probably Musa. Her attitude was sometimes so grumpy and she had some mean comments sometimes. I wouldn’t be surprised if she turned to the dark side.

26. Fave/least fave Song (winx in concert)?

A: I don’t know which are the concert songs. But I love both songs from s1 ep 18 and opening and ending songs from s1. (yeah, proud s1 fan)

27. Fave/least fave transformation song?

A: I like movie Enchantix song the best, or maybe Sophix, worse is Harmonix. 28. Fave /least fave Talent (WoW)?

A: I still haven’t watched WoW but I’m looking forward to!

29. Fave/least fave new character in WoW?

A: Same answer from 28

30. Dreamix or Onyrix?

A: Same answer from 28

31. What got you into Winx?

A: I don’t really know, I was one of the original fans who was a kid when s1 came out, so I just watched it on the TV. Though one of my first childhood memories is being 4 years old at my grandma’s house watching Bloom’s test in s1 ep14, in one of those really old, really gray, and really big 90s TVs in a small dim lit room when my mom said we had to go home because it was late (it was, like 6:30 PM) and me begging for her to let me finish that one show (I guess I didn’t know the name back then) bcause it was my favourite of all times. And you know what? S1 still is. (I know this was supposed to be an answer a day, but I won’t have internet for most of August since I’m going on holiday, and I missed the first day as well, and just really wanted to answer them all, so here it is! Thx for reading, Myth xx)

[robdwebster]

Stuff of the year, 2018

"Mum, look! He's shitting out the thing again!"

Game of the year:

Two Point Hospital

Celeste

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

I dragged my feet on a lot of cool games this year. I didn't play Smash Bros. until the last week of the year, and got round to Celeste on NYD 2019! Smash is an unremarkable triumph - it is exactly the game I expected, but it's so good and there's so much of it that it was easily the best Switch game this year. Celeste is more interesting; brutal, but kind to the player, with a cracking soundtrack and some magical design. It gains a lot of points for being about something - that punishing difficulty makes you feel like you’re really climbing a mountain, and the frank way it discusses mental health is really phenomenal.

But Two Point Hospital - man! Like Sonic Mania last year, Two Point Hospital is a spiritual sequel to one of my favourite childhood games. Unlike Sonic Mania, it's not perfectly realised. I'm still not a big fan of the art-style, and there were some genuine balance / difficulty issues at launch affecting things like queue length and patient AI. That said, this game has had a ludicrous half life. I love the challenge, I love the mechanics, I love that it's easy to pick up but tricky to master. I love its tone, I love its sense of humour, and some 140 hours in I still don't feel like I'm done enjoying it. Just wonderful.

Other games I liked: Bomb Chicken, Donut County, Fallout 76, Graveyard Keeper, Jackbox Party Pack 5, Nintendo Labo, Pokémon Let's Go!

Album of the year:

Gorillaz - The Now Now

Muse - Simulation Theory

Gesu no Kiwami Otome - Suki nara Towanai

Hey! A year where I loved more than three albums!

It's nice to have a new band in the top three; I'd never heard of Gesu no Kiwami Otome before this year, but their new album is great. It's even nicer that Muse's long-awaited new album is actually good! I pre-ordered it reluctantly, fully expecting it to be mediocre, but Simulation Theory is a dorky, retro joy. Best of all is that Gorillaz have released two albums-of-the-year in a row! The Now Now was a chilled out treat, the perfect record for a lazy summer evening. Or a winter evening. Or whenever, really. Just play it. It’s grand.

Other albums I liked: A Perfect Circle - Eat the Elephant, Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'n' Place, Polkadot Stingray - Ichidaiji

TV of the year:

James Acaster: Repertoire

Orange is the New Black

Aggretsuko

This year has been ridiculous for brilliant television, and there is so much that it's killing me not to include. Last year's winner Taskmaster aired one of its best ever series, but a more uneven run at the start of the year plus stiff competition kept it out of the top three. King of Bots is Chinese Robot Wars, it is berserk, and it has an even more berserk spin-off show - both of which I’ve omitted!

But, three shows that nailed it. Aggretsuko, with its charming characters and acerbic office satire. Orange is the New Black, which has no business being in such rude health after six seasons. James Acaster's four (four!) interlinked stand-up specials. Hard-earned!

Other shows I liked: Bojack Horseman, Derren Brown: The Jump, Disenchantment, Hilda, Inside No. 9, King of Bots, Taskmaster, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Horne Section Television Programme, The Mash Report, This is Fighting Robots, Who is America

Film of the year:

The Shape of Water

Isle of Dogs

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

I'm usually a bit sniffy about Oscar nominees - I always expect them to be worthy snorefests about how tragic life is. Maybe my tastes are changing, maybe I misjudged them - or maybe this year just happened to be a belter, but last year's Best Picture nominees were superb! I watched four out of the nine, and am gutted to have missed two more. Two of them were released this year in the UK, and are therefore eligible for this blog: The Shape of Water, which is beautiful, romantic, and turns the cold war into a romantic fantasy without sanding off its rough edges, and the morally grey but socially conscious Three Billboards.

Meanwhile, Isle of Dogs wasn’t nominated for any awards, but it was about some nice dogs, so that’s still good for second place.

Other films I liked: Mary and the Witch's Flower, Ready Player One

Podcasts of the year:

FiveThirtyEight Politics

Reply All

Whatever Happened to Pizza at McDonalds?

Temptation is to try and make these lists different every year, but when Reply All and FiveThirtyEight keep nailing it, what else can you do? Reply All did have a slightly more muted year, mostly due to behind-the-scenes stuff, but earns its placement with The Snapchat Thief alone.

The sole newcomer in this list is Whatever Happened to Pizza at McDonalds, an investigative journalism programme (or IJP) that isn't afraid to ask the big questions. Mainly, whatever happened to pizza at McDonalds?

Other podcasts I liked: Adam Buxton Podcast, All Killa No Filla, Everything is Alive, Hello Internet, Kermode & Mayo Film Review, Lovett or Leave It, My Dad Wrote a Porno, Oh No! Ross and Carrie, Off Menu, Pod Save America, Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast, Secret Dinosaur Cult, So You Think You're Smart, The Horne Section Podcast

Gig of the year:

Gein's Family Giftshop, vol. III

I only went to a couple of gigs this year - all of which were good, but I wanted to give Gein's Family Giftshop a special mention.

GFG were already my favourite live comedy act - they perform as a three-person sketch group, a sublime blend of the crude, the audacious and nihilistic. They are fucking phenomenal; I've linked to one of their YouTube sketches above but it's only a tenth as good as the live show.

Anyway, when they played in Bristol, their third member had tonsillitis. Rather than cancel the show, Kath and Ed performed the whole show on their own, and stormed it! Live shows are always best when they feel spontaneous - the danger of knowing anything could go wrong (and to an extent already had!) adds an electricity to a room. Watching it all go right is even better! I laughed so much - one of those events where you just had to be there, and I'm so chuffed that I was.

Stuff of yesteryear:

Gesu no Kiwami Otome - Odorenai nara, Gesu ni Natte Shimae yo (album)

Arrival (film)

Nier: Automata (video game)

My annual category for “stuff that wasn’t released this year but I enjoyed checking out.” Nier: Automata was the right kind of ludicrous - full of batshit ideas. Arrival was a more low-key brand of batshit, but still incredibly inventive and oddly optimistic - one of those films where you emerge from the cinema and the world feels a little bit different.

But only one of these moved me to blog. Click here to read me very excitedly discovering Gesu no Kiwami Otome, back in May. The listed EP is the best, but you can’t go wrong anywhere.

Other parties I enjoyed arriving late to:

Games: Bayonetta 2, Cities: Skylines, DmC: Devil May Cry, Dishonored 2, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Overcooked, Superhot

Books: Everybody Lies, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, The Humans, The Signal and the Noise

Films: Ex Machina, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Kubo and the Two Strings

Bands: Polkadot Stingray

Single of the year:

Gorillaz - Tranz

Muse - Pressure

Gesu no Kiwami Otome - Onna wa Kawaru

I don’t really like this category because there’s a lot of crossover with album of the year, but it’s a pretext to post the Pressure music video, so... shrug!

It also means I can give Dream Theater and The Constellations honourable mentions even though they didn’t release full albums this year. Well done Dream Theater and The Constellations. I liked your nice songs.

Other songs I liked: Dream Theater - Untethered Angel, Kero Kero Bonito - Make Believe, Kero Kero Bonito - Dreams of Oneonta

DLC of the year:

Octo Expansion

Bigfoot

Sonic Mania Plus

Considering it's been my favourite home console franchise since the day it was released, I have given Splatoon short shrift in end-of-year roundups, picking Fallout 4 as my number one game in 2015 and Sonic Mania in 2017.

I don't regret either of those picks, but I'm delighted that Splatoon finally gets to run away with a number one placing this year. The Octo Expansion is incredible value for money, a more-is-more single player campaign with playable octolings at the end - the team nailed it. Phenomenal stuff.

Person of the year:

I did this last year, right? But everyone’s been so terrible this year!

Who did I choose last year? Rilakkuma? Fine - keep the crown, RK. No public figure has been better than a lazy cartoon bear. It’s yours indefinitely, until the world gets good again.

[drink-n-watch]

I was still looking for a show to review on Sundays when surprise, Crunchyroll came out with a late entry. I remembered seeing this series, or rather seeing the cover art for this series and thinking that it looked like the Morose Mononokean so i figured I would give is a try based on that. If Karandi had been available, this is one I would have reveiwed with her.

Since I’m not watching much this season, when I saw it pop up on the Crunchy release schedule I gave it a try right then and there.

I mentioned this before but I like detective stories. I like them a lot. I jump on the chance of watching one in anime form whenever I can. And just from this first episode, I have to say that this is what I pictured when I picked up The Case Files of Jeweler Richard last season. Actual amateur but brilliant sleuthing of serious crimes. So Woodpecker did assuage that particular craving, at least for the moment. I hope the trend keeps up.

Another recurring preference of mine is Japanese historical pieces. This appeals to my Japanophile side and also find it a very visually attractive setting. Once again, the first episode did not disappoint. It reminded me a lot of We Rent Tsukumogami in that regard and as the historical setting was the favourite part of that show, that’s also a good sign.

If you haven’t seen the first episode yet, here are my first impressions.

The series is visually interesting with a very nice expanded colour palette full of contrasts and gradients and blue purple outlines that further soften the images. The designs aren’t that impressive but there is some interesting variety in face shapes and features that make certain characters stand out more, namely Ishikawa. The best parts for me where the views of the city which give the impression of modernized woodblock paintings with pastel hues. For me the aesthetics work. The direction is fairly straightforward and so far the soundtrack isn’t remarkable so that’s unlikely to be the draw. I really like the voice acting. I don’t know why. Best way I can describe it is that it’s calm.

What is it with anime mixing classic literary figures with detectives? OK, I only know of Bungo Stray Dogs and this show but it’s such a specific mix that it stands out to me. And of course, this is also what led to my post title. Mori Rintaro (or as he is known by his pen name: Mori Ogai) does make an appearance in the episode and he is just as imposing but much more magnanimous than I am used to seeing him. He’s one of my faves in BSD, I actually squeeled – it’s Mori-San!

The actual story was basically a procedural murder mystery. Much like an episode of Sherlock or CSI in a historical Japanese setting but with a twist and one great subversion.

The twist is actually part of the mise en scène, it’s actually bluntly spelled out in the narrative in the first few minutes of the episode. There’s a history of tragedy in Japan’s great literary figures and the poet Ishakawa is no exception. The real man dies at a much too young 26 years of age. I’m not sure what will happen with this Ishakawa but the episode was narrated by his friend Kyōsuke who starts off by telling us he lost a dear friend about 19 years ago,l before the episode goes into flashback.

This gives a sense of inevitability and nostalgia to the entire episode and made it just a bit more solemn than it would have been otherwise.

The subversion is in the character of Ishakawa himself. In the later half of the episode, as he is showing proof that the suspect in custody has in fact been framed of murder, I thought to myself: well that proves nothing. It’s something that I very often think to myself when watching these types of shows. This is nothing new to me and I wasn’t surprised that this little series would fall into the same pitfalls. What I wasn’t expecting at all is that it wasn’t suppose to prove anything as it was in fact a piece of fabricated evidence.

Now this is something new. A morally compromised main character that has no qualms about compromising the investigation with blatantly fake evidence and dirtying his hands himself. We don’t see that much, certainly not in anime. It was refreshing. I was just thinking that the show wasn’t smart enough to come up with a solution or didn’t think we were smart enough when it turned it around on me. It also opens up a lot of opportunities if your hero isn’t strictly bound by the law.

The downside is that we don’t actually get to learn much about the law in question. I am really curious to know about early 1900s Japanese legislation. Wow, as I was typing that out I realized that I am the only person in the universe to which this applies.

Finally I should probably mention the Yaoi subtext as it is part of the promotion of the show. For now it’s exactly that: subtext. There is nothing overt or explicit about the relationship between the two leads. Kyōsuke does seem very attached to his friend and is rather enthusiastic in his praise but it’s not that different from the relationship between Sherlock and Watson. Then again fans did ship those two together nonstop so there you go. If you want to see it, there is something there. Enough clues are scattered to hint at something romantic between the two. If you don’t, it’s also possible to write it off as professional admiration and a standard childhood friendship. After all, these two have known each other all their lives and have decided on parallel professional paths, of course they’re going to be close.

I have no idea whether it will eventually get any more explicit than this. That was unhelpful…

Bottom line, I really liked this first episode and I am looking forward to more. Also their tiny landlord is awesome!

    Woodpecker Detective’s Office Ep.1 – Guest Starring Mori-San I was still looking for a show to review on Sundays when surprise, Crunchyroll came out with a late entry.