#aku is just Different in s5

[teacupballerina]

The red is not even readable in the tower scenes LOL what happened babydoll????

Aku’s laser vision

In the original classic seasons Aku’s laser vision was yellow, implying how hot and deadly it is, and how high the temperature of Aku’s body is. And it’s his normal and average state of this ability.

No one will survive.

When Aku combines his normal yellow laser vision with fiery breath, it becomes way hotter and more powerful, hence the color is white.

When Aku is either in rage or in joy (for example, the cemetery episode, where he literally played with Jack like a carnivorous animal plays with its food), his laser vision itself becomes white, i.e. hotter and more destructive and powerful.

Interesting detail in “Birth of Evil” episodes. When Aku only was born, he didn’t use any abilities until Emperor’s aggression. After this his first ability was manipulation with the remains of the black lake, out of which he was born, and then he created his first fire with hands.

Then he uses fire vision in the end of the first “Birth of Evil” episode. Not laser vision yet, but the yellow color of flames is already lighter in comparison with the darker fire from hands.

And only in the beginning of the second “Birth of Evil” episode he finally uses laser vision. And it’s white, implying Aku’s rage toward Jack’s father. And in this entire episode Aku’s laser vision will be only white.

Yep, I love the classic seasons for these tiny details.

What we see in 5 season? For some reason Aku’s laser vision suddenly is red… Simply saying, it became much colder and weaker than ever. My question — why? It would make sense, if his laser vision became red, when Aku is wounded, exhausted and weakened, hence his inner fire is colder. But, no, there he is okay.

If you say “Well, maybe he just didn’t want to overwork”, then I’ll show you this. At such a crucial moment of the battle with the worst enemies in the final episode, where he has to kill both Jack and Ashi immediately (well, he should do this in the end of 9 episode actually), he still has a red, cold and weak, laser vision for some reason and lets them to win. What a heck?

The most confusing shot is the one, where Aku restores Scaramouche. Why it looks like a lighter version of his laser vision in 5 season? 

Still looks weird and out of place like everything in 5 season. My other essays about Aku here and here.

[3nigm4art]

An informal essay/rant on Samurai Jack S5

I love Samurai Jack, for the most part. But my biggest gripe is how season 5 turned out.

Despite the artistic achievement of season 5, the main issue was how rushed it was. With only 10 episodes and still having to deal with the 50-year time skip, many characters feel underdeveloped.

Take Jack as an example. Jack's change was the most drastic yet resolved the quickest. 50 years of a battle with no end in sight is incomprehensible to a normal person, and winning seems impossible at this point for Jack. Understandably, depression, guilt and anxiety have taken over Jack, especially after he lost his magic sword. The voices in his head and the vision of the phantom samurai are evidence of his mental decay. But as a mental health struggler of many years, it feels like Jack's mental struggle should have been way past that stage. Though it should be said that everyone experiences these mental health struggles differently, it just felt less realistic as Jack's descent was not documented well enough. Depending on when his descent started, it could have very different results. Many things could happen in 50 years that would affect a person's outlook in life. It could be total despair: Jack finds no way of continuing and believes that he has completely failed. It could be dutifully depressed: Jack no longer considers himself righteous but still carries on out of habit. It could be blind optimism: despite losing the magic sword, Jack thinks, "Hey, I have fought for 40+ years. I could still do this!" Are these outcomes sound? No! Because there is no development for Jack to prove that they are sound. It also doesn't help that Jack's characterisation is so consistent in the first 4 seasons that jumping from level 1 to 100 in depression for Jack seems improbable and leaves the audience to imagine what happened. After all, depression and anxiety often do not originate from a singular event and build up gradually. Sure, I can buy that Jack is depressed, but I cannot buy that it can be resolved within 7 episodes, with half of that time occupied by Ashi's arc.

Speaking of Ashi's arc, her arc demanded the most time yet is the most unrefined. Her character has simply bitten off more than it could chew for 10 episodes. Within season 5, she went from being a daughter of Aku to an ally of Jack to Jack's lover. Each of these changes can be at least 10 episodes on its own. Especially when she has to undo 20+ years of conditioning, and completely acknowledging that she is on the wrong side of the war is bound to take a toll on her perception of reality. Yet it was resolved as quickly as 6 episodes, thanks to finding out, "Wow, Jack is actually a good guy and helped so many people!" This part of the arc was resolved because of Jack. So naturally, she becomes Jack's ally and then becomes Jack's lover. There is a terrifying idea that lurks in Ashi as one comes to realise that her entire personality revolves around Jack. In other words, if you remove Jack from Ashi's life, she becomes nothing. It is also deeply worrying that Ashi lacks emotional maturity and development as she "falls in love" with a man she has only met for maybe a week (not to say Jack is not also immature here). Her lack of independent development makes her character flimsy and frankly disturbing. She is literally made to become Jack's love interest. There is some irony in one of her final lines in the show; she says, "Without Aku, I would have never existed" when on a meta-fictional level, she would not have existed without Jack.

Character development is crucial in crafting the themes of a story. The above tackled the lack of character development leading to weak characters, but there is one thing that will determine the legacy of the story, the ending. Though it is often commented how Samurai Jack's ending was unfulfilling, it is not true that unfulfilling endings are bad. (Minor spoilers for True Detective season 1) True Detective season 1 did not end in a fulfilling manner, as it did not resolve all of the mysteries it brought up. That wasn't a huge issue as it complied with the genre of strange fiction and the theme of the world being a strange and inexplicable place that evokes more mysteries than it explains. Samurai Jack's ending and, thus, the conclusion to Jack's arc promotes the idea that overcoming one's weakness, sacrificing for the greater good, and bringing justice will not bring you the happiness you deserve... Which does not make sense relative to Jack's character development and characterisation. Jack is often characterised as a selfless hero and a bringer of hope. And the people benefit greatly from his aid. The only person who often does not benefit from this is Jack himself, who often forsakes his opportunity to return to the past in favour of saving the people in need. The show promises that Jack will find peace and happiness when he fulfils his destiny of defeating Aku. And with the classic hero's journey-type story Samurai Jack has, the show rips it apart at the very last moment, with no warning whatsoever. It wasn't a comment on the genre, as it did not deepen its themes. If one wants to turn Samurai Jack into a "we don't always get what we deserve" (please don't) story, then make fate truly cruel and unkind and provide Jack with no divine help in the story. Again, with the irony of Jack's tea being unbalanced, the show is unbalanced, too, as it rewards a suffering protagonist with more sadness and suffering at the end of his story.

Despite what this blog is about (it's art, by the way), art and aesthetics are not everything. Samurai Jack as a whole is beautiful aesthetically, but the rushed story and an unfulfilling legacy feel like a shame. Characters did not have the time to grow in complexity or realism, which made the audience feel disconnected from the characters. I wished I could see Ashi grow and develop into something more than "Jack's love interest". Or they could even develop into something that is not romantic, such as a mentor and apprentice story, which could be as, if not more, interesting. Having more refined characters creates a more refined theme that, if done right, can stir the right emotions in the audience that impact them for a lifetime.

Samurai Jack season 5 had a lot of potential but just couldn't deliver.

[madraleen]

Bungo Stray Dogs - Season 5 A Laughably Long Commentary but how could i not! how could i possibly not!

-'m very excited to start s5, but also not so excited because it's the last one for now -.-

-i'm sorry, kunikida lost his hands?! i wasn't expecting repercussions. oh wait, we have yosano, nvm

-AHAHAH nikolai wants to kill fyodor?? amazing

-the human exceeding the gifted is ranpo, isn't it. i love you, dazai

-IF THIS IS AN EXCELLENT DETECTIVE WOULD HE PUT HIMSELF IN THE WANTED LIST, RANPO I LOVE YOU

-ranpo looks like a pleased cat

-bb atsushi crying at seeing the agency, my heart

-i want the agency to go feral, to fuck shit up after all they've been put through. fuck up the decay of angels

-oh no, we're getting too campy, too whimsical, too light-hearted, i'm scared for the flip

-no. NO. NO SAY IT ISN'T SO, SAY KAMUI ISN'T FUKUCHI! FUCK YOU BUNGO STRAY DOGS

-ATSUSHI, DON'T STAND AND CHAT, FUCKING RUN!

-AKUTAGAWAAAA, OUR MAN, GO HELP TIGER BOYYY. not port mafia always saving our asses, lol <3

-side note, i think this is a wonderful way to let ranpo make a mistake without compromising at all his detective capabilities. it fits his personality, trusting fukuzawa so blindly and naturally that he wouldn't question fukuzawa's loyalties - after all, throughout all of their time together, look at the people fukuzawa has trusted; they're nothing but stellar. but fukuzawa isn't a do-no-wrong deductive genius, so his lack of knowledge becomes ranpo's oversight, and fukuzawa serves as his blind spot. wonderful framing.

-AKUTAGAWA AND DAZAI PAST BREADCRUMBS! i beg, where's that backstory?

-i really like that atsushi and akutagawa run very differently, lol

-FOR FUCK'S SAKE, AKU-KUN, DAZAI HAS ALREADY APPROVED YOU

-eh? EH?! aku is ill?! how short of a time are we talking about?! and i was thinking of that recently, what happened with that cough that he used to have. wait, can we fix him? yosano?

-let me say that i am not expecting ANYONE to die at any point, not for real, so if aku-kun is dead, i'll have a proper freak-out

-AHAHA BRAM. the "vampires" part of the fukuchi movies was true then! i half didn't believe it

-aku-kun will be a vampire?! what does that mean?! well, i guess there's his lung diseased fixed, yay?

-"i know what you are, senpai." "say it. out loud."

-oh okay. aku-kun is vampire-eating people now. that might as well happen. i'm not scared at all, what do you mean

-this is such a mess, on every level, what are we gonna do, it keeps building up

-i hate it when i rely on mori-san, but damn is he reliable

-YES, TACHIHARA, GO WILD (and be careful)

-you know, as far time-traveling mindfuckery goes, which i'm never fond of, they explain it very clearly

-yes okay ranpo my love, we're saving the agency, but also our bros in port mafia too, right?

-tanizaki has a "O_O" expression in this meeting, and you know what, i feel him

-i believe in jouno, he's a bastard, but i believe in him :"(

-...i mean, good for me for believing in jouno, but things ain't looking good for disintegration boy

-as far as i know, the bsd manga isn't ending any time soon, so it's amazing to me that the enemies are so damn tough and the stakes so widespread

-EVERYONE HAS VISIONS OF DAZAI in their darkest moments, this man haunts them!

-holy shit, something dazai ACTUALLY didn't expect. i'm scared (*getting teleported out of his bubble) 

-i think character designs are subjective, and whatever you vibe with, you vibe, and i personally really really like the bsd art. there's just something compelling about all of the characters

-i hate everything about nikolai's escape plan! i don't like us risking dazai's life and i'm sure fyodor won't die! well, dazai won't either, but I DON'T LIKE THIS. i am sigma and sigma is me in this situation

-why are bram and aya so sweet omg 

-sigma is a newborn in a word of demons (yes, i am including dazai in the demons, how could you not)

-imagine being sigma and being pointed at by dazai. you lose your shit, on the spot.

-yes, dazai, protect sigma please?

-NO! NO! CHUUYA IS A VAMPIRE?! NO!!! why?! NO! DAMN YOU! FUCK YOU FUCK YOU ASKJSFKS

-there's me watching bsd like a normal person, and then there's me rewatching dazai's scenes a couple times just to REALLY see them, you know.

-i really like the use of dimensions, even if it's frustrating when antagonists use them.

-kenji-kun <3

-tetchou and jouno though

-dazai at sigma: "you're pretty sharp for a three-year-old" LMFAO DAZAI NO

-oooh, he's THE ATSUSHI-TYPE, that's why i like sigma! that makes sense

-aha. i mean. dazai is communicating with ango by manipulating his heart rate through a sensor. and ango communicates with dazai via the frequency and duration of miss stopping time. and dazai/ango/miss stopped time presumably after the nikolai incident, so that dazai could pop out to incapacitate the guards and change the passcodes. okay. does poor ango ever sleep? i mean, it makes sense! it does! but you also gotta roll with it a little.

-a demon. a menace. that's dazai.

-AKUTAGAWA APPEARING AMONG THE AGENCY MEMBERS IN ATSUSHI'S VISION, ARGH <3

-you know what's stupid, dazai has a way of making everyone 80% more interesting than they'd be otherwise

-yes, fyodor, i'm also interested in dazai's "shallowness of bond with the gravity manipulator," i think there's more to that part.

-i love seeing dazai not have an answer or not having calculated something, even if it's for a second (and it’s usually just for a second).

-i hate fyodor so much but i love that. he's an excellent villain and foil to dazai. i don't want him gone but also i REALLY WANT HIM GONE, but also really not.

-i thought dazai would fucking kiss sigma to give him air wth

-we're taking sigma to the agency after this, right? if he wants.

-oh wait, dazai has bandages over his ankles too?

-ahahaha, atsushi going "akutagawa, it's me, don't you recognize me," as though aku-kun hasn't tried to kill him fifty times. oh atsu-kun <3

-i'm sorry what, dazai's leg's broken? and he's bleeding? no no no that's not the deal, DAZAI DOESN'T GET HURT, REMEMBER, WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS, REMEMBER

-"dazai wins control over me" sigma, once again we're the one and the same

-i'm sorry, fyodor just stabbed sigma and i'm like, i love fyodor. i hate fyodor, but i love him, he's so VILLAIN, he's so good as a villain

-WDYM "our fate isn't to be done here" DAZAI, YOU LITERALLY LET CHUUYA DROWN!

-OKAY, story time. when ep 10 aired, my twitter feed was swarming with distraught bsd fans, which was odd, because i wasn't following or liking anything related to bsd. at the time, i was very emotionally fragile fandom-wise, and i knew i'd eventually watch bsd, and the collective meltdown of the fandom scared me so much that i was like "NO! NO I CAN'T GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN, I NEED TO BE PREPARED! I NEED TO KNOW IF DAZAI DIES!" note, i had no idea who dazai was, i just liked his face. so i clicked on a few posts. my takeaways then: 1) at the time i thought chuuya and dazai WERE the agency and was like, "wait, chuuya is a bad guy?" 2) i saw atsushi and kunikida and  i was like "wait, there's protags in this show other than dazai and chuuya?!" 3) people having a major meltdown 4) people saying "there's no way they're dead" and 5) and i remember this comment very clearly, it said "aren't they immortal at this point?" and clueless me thought, "they're actually immortal? what are the stakes then?" to be clear, i went into the anime thinking they're immortal or would become immortal at some point. so. yes. i knew about this and i also knew they survive. but nothing more, no context. just the collective relief that followed. only, i actually remember seeing pics of atsushi and kukinida dead, which... it never happened, why do i have this memory? i probably mixed it all together at some point.

-FUKUZAWA, WHAT A CHAMP

-dazai-kun: has a stupidly convoluted plan to communicate with the outside. fyodor: i have accomplishes :3 eeeh, i don’t know. i don’t trust that he JUST had accomplices. It’s too easy compared to foil dazai, and also does it even make sense, and also would he even trust nikolai with such vital information

-LMFAO DAZAI WITH A LEG CAST and with clean face and bandages and clothes. WHEN. HOW. okay, hubbie, sure. this season is so deranged and preposterous and over the top, i love it

-bram would treat aya better than her own father, lbr

-CHUUYA ISN'T A VAMPIRE AND HE WAS WORKING WITH DAZAI ALL ALONG, HELP, HELP ME I LOVE THEM, HELP! THOSE IDIOTS! HELP!

-is someone actually dead? fyodor? and we'll never learn his ability?? idk idk, a hand doesn't make a corpse, and we did leave him with nikolai... iii don't buy it...

-DUDE the ending! the fukuzawa-fukuchi stuff, so sad, it got me, and then two hours later un-vamped aku-kun and atsushi fighting a new enemy?? who the fuck is that, what happened WITHIN TWO HOURS?! damn! i guess i'm migrating to the manga! good ending though, both a conclusion and a beginning.

-i'm so excited for all the material i've yet to discover though, like reading the manga and the spin-offs and so on, and eventually rewatching the show without the ASFKNKSLSG stress of the first watch. i'm excited.

[silyabeeodess]

FusionFall Headcanons: Character Ages

From taking the canon ages of the various CN characters within their own shows into account to people noticing the... liberties, the game took to some of the designs for them in the game, I’m well aware that this is going to be a point of debate.  Still, after some consideration, I’d like to cross reference some of these points to come up with at least a general sense of where these characters may be/have been in their lives.  I probably won’t come up with specifics--moreso early/late this or that--for the ages.  Now, I will bring up puberty a bit in this--definitely not heavily, but it is mentioned--so keep that in mind.   

Dee Dee, Dexter, and Mandark

For these characters, I view Dee Dee, Dexter, and Mandark being in their late teens-early 20′s.  We already know based on evidence from the show that Dee Dee is Dexter’s older sister by just a few years while Dexter and Mandark are only about two years apart themselves (as implied by concept art for “Ego Trip” as explained on the Dexter’s Laboratory wiki).  It’s possible that Dee Dee might have at least a year over Mandark and/or for Dexter and Mandark to be the same age, since he is in Dexter’s class as far back as elementary school, but we also have to consider the high possibility that he was held back due to his parents’ lifestyles keeping him from going to school during his early childhood. 

Since Dee Dee lives alone at their old family home and it’s already established that her and Dexter’s parents live up on the house on top of Dexlabs, she’s likely already an adult.  She probably looks after the home not only for security purposes, but due to the massive success of Dexlabs making their family wealthy enough to maintain it and for her to live there despite being fairly young--meaning she wouldn’t have to get a dorm if she chose to go to college or something similar, but still has the liberty of living on her own. Based on how she continues to wear her dance outfit, her maintaining a slim physique similar to professional ballet dancers, and that she still goes to recitals as evidenced in “Dee Dee’s Dilemmas (Part 3)”, it’s also likely that she either studies dance or may even teach it to small children. 

What makes me think Dexter and Mandark are in their older teens is how much of a foothold their companies have during the events of the game, enough so for their tech to be everywhere.  It’s possible that their genius gave them a leg up enough to quit high school and form their companies early, but they’d still need a few years to build and develop them to the extent we see.  

Numbuhs 1-5

For the operatives to still be viewed as official members of the KND (at least to public knowledge), this would mean that they’d have be younger than 13, so they’d be in their tweens.  Given the extent to which the war has altered the KND’s operations, however, they may even be a little older--just with their decommissioning being the farthest from anyone’s mind at the time.  We also know that at the group would remain a part of the KND well into adulthood based on the series finale as the issue stands, supporting this.

Furthermore, for Numbuh One to lead an operation in the war so far from the rest of not only his team, but other parts of the KND, as well as seeing him work with Plumbers like Grandpa Max, it’s possible that the war may take place after the events of the KND finale would--after Numbuh One would’ve experienced space-travel for himself through the G:KND, an expansion of the KND in sequel series that was never aired.  What could also hint to the war being post-G:KND is the mention of bases within Earth’s solar system besides the moonbase--which the KND lose contact with in the official FusionFall comic, but were never mentioned in the actual show.  All of this further points to a passage of time at which the operatives would be a little older than their original depictions, which already averaged at around 10 years old.    

The Powerpuff Girls and the Gangreen Gang

Well, I’m gonna go ahead and say that the girls aren’t five unless the developers of FusionFall took a page from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure in their character designs.  We also have the presence of Pokey Oaks Middle School in-game as opposed to Pokey Oaks Kindergarten from the show, acting as a subtle clue that the girls are at least middle school age within the FusionFall universe, but I’d like to take that a step farther:  

In the show, we were given a general age range for the Gangreen Gang at 14-17 years, with Ace being the oldest and Lil’ Arturo extending that approximation according to his wiki page with a personal age range of 10-14 years.  In FusionFall, we’re given aged-up versions of the girls, but not from what we can tell of the Gangreen Gang.  Still, even if the ages are different, we have to take into the account the likelihood that the group is at least slightly older themselves as, in a sense, they have grown up a bit: They’ve moved on from most of their criminal ways to form a successful band, which couldn’t have happened in too short a time.  

The point above, combined with the possibility given of Buttercup and Ace being in a relationship despite the massive age gap between their TV Show counterparts unless the OG developers had a, ahem, questionable idea of relationships like the kind the PPG reboot has gained attention for, make me think that the girls might be at least in their mid-teens in Fusionfall while the Gangreen Gang and in their late-teens or early 20′s.  

Samurai Jack

Following the route the fifth season took, even if it was made after the game, I’m going to say that Jack is ageless due to the effects of time travel.  Whether or not Season Five can be taken into consideration as far as Jack’s backstory would go in Fusionfall, it works more for the game that he be this nigh-immortal adversary to match Aku.  First off, let’s say that the events of S5 were a part of the game lore: That would mean that, at some point, Jack did defeat Aku, went back to the past, and eventually time passed to reach the events that FusionFall would take place in with Aku potentially coming back in that timeframe similar to how he did after the Emperor first defeated him--only this time, Jack’s constantly ready to take him out again before he can reach full-strength. More likely though-- given that people still remember how Jack defeated Demongo--the timeline hasn’t been altered (barring that he didn’t defeat him a second time within the new timeline that we’d be unaware of).

Now let’s talk about it without S5: We already know that Aku isn’t the main villain here: Fuse is.  Aku’s barely a blip on the radar in the game, mentioned moreso as a potential threat if he ever came out of hiding.  Emphasis on if.  This is weird given that, in Jack’s show, Aku’s already taken over the world.  There is no ultimate evil beyond Aku, but that’s just not the case in FusionFall’s history.  Instead, Jack takes both Fuse and Aku as serious threats, placing his priorities on the former only because he’s the most present.  For Jack to set aside his life’s purpose to help battle Fuse, that has to mean he feels comfortable enough with his chances against Aku.  Not to mention the state of the world looks pretty ok beyond the threat of Planet Fusion, meaning it’s more likely that Jack has already defeated Aku at some point prior to the events of the game, but for some reason chose to stay in the future and continue his long-standing battle with him.  I know this cuts out S5′s rationale behind Jack himself being ageless, but bringing that idea into this as well fits with the context of this eternal battle between a hero and villain, two people who can embody an ultimate good and ultimate evil.

Ben 10 Trio

Given that the gang looks exactly like their Alien Force counterparts, this is pretty much a given.  I doubt they’re that different in an age range with the exception of maybe a couple year: It would depend on how much context you’d take from Ultimate Alien.  That would put Ben and Gwen at 15-16 while Kevin would be 16-17 years old.

Ed, Edd, and Eddy Characters

The characters in Ed, Edd, and Eddy already went to junior high in the show, placing them at least in their tweens.  Granted, they still look like kids in the show while some of them seem to be a little older in the game.  For example, the Kankers look more aged up than the Eds do, fitting both a passage of time and following the fact that girls tend to develop at a faster rate than boys (growth spurts, brain development, etc.) during puberty.  It’s possible that they’re still in their tweens or early teens, with some of them being in their first year of high school within the world of FusionFall.  

Billy and Mandy

Although Billy and Mandy were still in elementary school in their show as opposed to middle school, I’d place them in their tweens following the same logic I pointed out with the Kankers and Eds regarding development.  Mandy looks like she’s still young, but has hit puberty, while Billy looks very much like a kid.  They’re likely in middle school.  

Frankie and Mac

Considering that Mac was only 8 in the show and still looks pretty young in the game, he’s probably still a kid.  Maybe he’s aged up a little, but definitely hasn’t reached his teens just yet.  He’s still got his baby face.

In the show, Frankie was 22 years old, and like Mac I don’t think she’s aged much, so still in her early-mid 20′s. She’s probably devoted herself to running Foster’s Home much like her grandmother.  

Juniper Lee

While she was 11 in the show and the game doesn’t seem to have altered her design too much, I still get a feeling she’s more of a teenager--early-mid teens--in the world of FusionFall.  She just strikes me as being a little more mature, more experienced with her powers and all of the forces she’s dealt with after a while as a the Te-Xuan-Ze.  

Coop

Probably mid-late 20′s.  He was already an adult in the show, but he doesn’t seem to have matured enough to have passed far into his 30′s.  

Flapjack

He’s 7 in the show and based on his personally and appearance in the game, he’s still probably close to the age.  Maybe just a little older, but the same situation as with Mac.

 Ami and Yumi

(Mentioning them since Retro gave them a cameo and I loved this duo as a kid) The show’s wiki places them both at 13.  Their FusionFall counterparts don’t look much older, so they’re probably still in their teens--possibly just a few years older in we wanted to account for time for them to develop as young teen idols.    

[stacks-reviews]

New Releases 10/17/17

Happy New Release Day! 

In Books --Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai Volume 3 by Hiroyuki Takei “Stray cat samurai Norachiyo wants nothing more than to leave his cruel past behind and live his nine lives in peace, but there are some cats he just can’t get off his tail. After joining forces with an unlikely duo—the son of a catnip drug lord and his fellow feline warrior-in-training—Norachiyo comes face-to-face with an old foe: Shiriya Abyhei, the malicious member of the secret police who’s been in pursuit of Norachiyo from the very start. Can the three samurai make it out with their tails intact, or is it purr-tains for them…?”

It is exactly what it sounds like: Samurai Cats. It is surprisingly violent. I enjoyed reading the first two volumes; though there was a moment in volume two that I wish I could forget and hope to never see again. But aside from that it feels like a cross between Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Champloo.

The main character is a stray who was once a ‘kept cat’ until the death of his master. All the characters are cats except for their masters who are referenced to as humans though no humans have yet to make an official appearance. And yes. There is much word play involved.

--Rat Queens Volume 4 by Kurtis J. Wiebe, illustrated by Owen Gieni “The Queens are back! Palisade is still a rat infested hell hole and the only hope of saving it are Violet, Hannah, Dee, Betty and the brand new Queen, Braga! It’s been a long time since they’ve done a good slaughter, so join them as they get back to the basics of killing monsters and drinking away the profits!”

The first full volume of the Rat Queens soft reboot with the new artist, Owen Gieni. The Rat Queens have returned to Palisade after the events in volume 3. There’s a new cult in town, Hannah’s father is currently crashing with the Queens and Violet’s brother stops in for a visit. 

I really enjoyed the new volume. If you haven’t checked out the series yet I would highly recommend you do. It’s a hilarious, violent, and just fantastic series.

--Tokyo Ghoul: re Volume 1 by Sui Ishida “The Commission of Counter Ghoul is the only organization fighting the Ghoul menace, and they will use every tool at their disposal to protect humanity from its ultimate predator. Their newest weapon in this hidden war is an experimental procedure that implants human investigators with a Ghoul’s Kagune, giving them Ghoul powers and abilities. But both the procedure and the newly formed Qs Squad are untested. Will they become heroes…or monsters?!

Haise Sasaki has been tasked with teaching Qs Squad how to be outstanding Investigators, but his assignment is complicated by the troublesome personalities of his subordinates and his own uncertain grasp of his Ghoul powers. Can he pull this ragtag group together as a team, or will Qs Squad’s first assignment be their last?”

The first volume of the second series and it’s a good start. I do have several questions which I’m sure will slowly be answered. Though right now I’m mainly wondering how much time has passed in the world. I’m guessing at least a few years. And what happened to everyone who was alive at the end of volume 14 of the first series. 

In Movies --Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, and Ponyo. The first wave of the Studio Ghibli rereleases by GKids and Shout Factory. I’m pretty excited for these though I’m going to start with the ones I don’t own yet. In this wave that would be Spirited Away, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Ponyo.

--American Gods S1 “Ex-convict Shadow Moon roams a world he doesn't understand, left adrift by the recent, tragic death of his wife. Little does he know his life is about to change after he meets a crafty, charismatic con man named Mr. Wednesday, who offers Shadow a job as his bodyguard. As their journey begins, Shadow encounters a hidden America where magic is real and fear grows over the ascending power of New Gods like Technology and Media. In a grand plan to combat the threat, Mr. Wednesday attempts to unite the Old Gods to defend their existence and rebuild the influence that they've lost, leaving Shadow struggling to accept this new world and his place in it.”

I still need to check out this show. I read the book in 2016, I think, so I was pretty happy to hear that it kept pretty close to the book. Though it did deviate later on. Though to be honest about the book. I was a little disappointed it in. I expected more. I really need to give it a reread sometime. I think I had its rep. built up pretty high so maybe next time I’ll like more.

--Hunter x Hunter P3 “Gon and Killua head to Heaven’s Arena to train the higher a fighter advances there, the tougher their opponents become! Moving up quickly, the two friends soon meet Zushi, who tells them about the power of Nen, and they begin training under his mentor, Wing, to harness their potential. But the duo hits a wall on the 200th floor of the tower their Nen-using foes are strong, and soon Gon is injured. Will Gon and Killua gain the strength they need to advance further?”

Episodes 27-50 of Hunter x Hunter. It covers all of the Heaven’s Arena arc and part of or half of the Phantom Troupe arc. I’ve really been enjoying this series though I’ve only seen a few episodes past where P3 ends. As with the first and second parts if you order from Rightstuf it comes with a replica of the Hunter License. Though this one looks similar to the one that comes with the second part. The first part license has a different look than both of them.

--Samurai Jack S5 and the complete series box set “Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape shifting master of darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil. But a foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time, and flung him into the future where my evil is law. Now the fool seeks to return to the past and undo the future that is Aku.”

The final season of the hit series Samurai Jack. I deeply regret not watching this show when it first aired. I caught a few episodes here and there but just didn’t fall into it. I did start watching it on Netflix, at least until it disappeared, and understood just how good it is. 

--Spider-Man Homecoming “Peter Parker balances his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens with his superhero alter-ego Spider-Man, and finds himself on the trail of a new menace prowling the skies of New York City.”

A pretty enjoyable Spidey standalone film. Peter and Ned are just so pure, we must protect them. I am really happy that Tony was kept out of the limelight, giving most of the screen time to Spider-man.

In Video Games --South Park: The  Fractured but Whole “In the quiet mountain town of South Park, darkness has spread across the land. An entire squad of superheroes will rise to combat this evil, led by a nocturnal scavenger sworn to clean the trash can of South Park society.”

I still need to play The Stick of Truth. It’s been on my list for a while but I haven’t picked it up yet. Still trying to cut back on some of my game purchases until I can beat some of my other games I haven’t even started yet. I will probably pick up this one sometime soon, soon-ish, since it comes with a free download of The Stick of Truth. Or at least it did. I’m not positive if that was for all copies; now and future, or just when it first came out.

[mikaila-orchard]

So... S5, Ep8...

K, so I don’t usually post these kind of things, but I have some rather strong feelings about this so I’ll just share them to get it out of my system.

 Let me preface this by saying if you disagree with me, that’s fine.  If you like this episode and the Jash! ship, that’s your right.  I’m just addressing why this episode just didn’t work for me.

 K so for the ship itself, I knew it was always a possibility for the show but I really hoped it wouldn’t be.  I was hoping it would be a strictly platonic, father-daughter type relationship (Jack lived 70+ years, he deserves to be a daddy).  So I know shippers argue that they’re both consenting adults and Jack being ageless means its perfectly fine.  Now on the surface that makes sense, but then you have to factor in emotional maturity.

 Jack spent most of his life traveling the world one way or another, learning about everything it had to offer.  Even as a child he was exposed to different cultures, different ways of life, different theologies, different people etc.  This carried on to when he ends up in the future.  Now he has an entirely new planet earth to travel, learn about and adjust to.  He’s made new friends, faced new enemies, experienced betrayal and hopelessness, risen to heights he never believed possible, looked upon the faces of gods, faced unspeakable evils and lived to tell the tale, completely lost his will to go on only to have it renewed again.  In short, Jack has seen some shit.

 Now let’s look at Ashi.  She spent most of her life being tortured in a cave and didn’t know what a fucking deer was until 5 episodes ago!  She was completely lacking in a stable upbringing and was thrown into a world she had no experience in with a single goal burnt into her mind.  And then her entire reason for existence gets blind sided by the reality of the situation.  And now she has no one to guide her on this new life for hers except the man she was trained since birth to kill.

 Now does this have the makings of a functional and lasting romantic relationship to you!?

 But whatever, disregarding all of that, let’s examine the episode itself.  See as we were nearing the latter half of the season, I was feeling relieved.  I was silently dreading that the show would push Jack and Ashi into a romance based on the evidence I just provided.  But as the show went on, it seemed progressively unlikely in my eyes and I was all the happier for it.  There was no build up for any romance between them beside what shippers would over analyze and everything that did happen between these two seemed perfectly platonic.  By the start of the second half, I thought we were in the clear and all was right in the world.

 But then this episode happens, crams any romantic build up that could have been spread throughout the course of the season into a measly 22 minutes, completely breaks the tone the entire season had thus far, and did next to nothing original to the ‘will they or won’t they’ formula to make up for it.  I mean, I was never on board with this ship but if they managed to make it clear that was what they were going for early on, I would be ok.  But no, It’s 4 episodes of “I wanna kill you”, 3 episodes of “I’ve learned to trust you” and a single episode of “I wanna fuck you.”  Why?

 The absolute worst part of it though?  We only got two episodes left to tie up every loose end in the entire series instead of three!  We could spent this episode with Jack and Ashi planning just how they were going to accomplish killing Aku.  We could have had Jack wondering if he even has to go back home anymore if he can manage to save the world in the present.  We could have had something other than 22 minutes of “Will they fuck!”

 ... I’m sorry everyone.  I don’t usually posts rants like this.  I’m just rather upset.  I knew this was always possible but I didn’t want to believe.

[silversatin2105]

Samurai Alt ending WARNING SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 10 OF S5

First off I would have things play out the way they did in the end

AND IT GOEST WITHOUT SAYING

SPOILERS BELOW !!! IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE EPISODE OR DON’T MIND SPOILERS  CLICK BELOW !!!!

the part where Aishi looses her existence due to no Aku this is however where I will differentiate from Gendy's ending this is how I think it should have ending and what I would have done please enjoy if you agree with me and if you don't I respect that you do not agree with me.  

BACK IN THE PAST (Just after Aishi has vanished):

Jack is first overwhelmed with sadness, He tries to explain what happened in the future to his parents who understand him completely and say they are sorry, Jack bit by bit starts to feel uncomfortable with  being in the Palace at all times and more and more he starts travelling on his own after promising his parents that he will return from time to time to visit, He begins to reflect on all that has happened in his life up to this point and still saddened by the “Death” of Aishi vows in his heart that he will never forget her (this ends my add on to the end of the cannon ending after this point it will be purely Non-cannon content added by a fan).

Non-cannon How it should have ended past the point of cannon:  

IN THE FUTURE (Alt Aishi idea ):

In the future Aishi still exists she is in a stable family setting with a mother who honestly loves her along with her other 6 sisters, Aishi sometimes dreams of the Aku timeline giving her nightmares of the bad times, She also takes an interest in history at some point and begins studying for a degree in history (her strongest subject being the samurai and the shogunate).

After a few years of studying  Japanese history and folklore she comes across the story of Aku and how he was once defeated by a strong Emperor and began days of peace for Japan she then reads that when the Emperor's son was 8 the demon Aku returned and enslaved the Emperor as he bought time for his wife and son to escape, Aishi then reads about how the son went around training in many martial arts from various different cultures.

Aishi then reads of how the son returned and was given his mission to slay the demon Aku and how he went on to defeat the demon Aku with the help of a mysterious woman (Aku timeline Aishi) and how the Samurai was to wed the mysterious woman and how on the wedding day she vanished without a trace, Somehow this saddens Aishi for obvious reasons and she sees the only artwork that was ever made of the mysterious woman at this Aishi is shocked to see that they both look so similar in appearance and suddenly the memories come flooding back as she begins to cry as she knows that there is no possible way for her and Jack to be together.

A few days after remembering this she tells her mother about this much to her mothers dismay, her mother then sighs and tells her that in legend there is portals to the past scattered around the world (as because Aku wasn't there to destroy them they'd still be there) and that legend has it they could take a person back in time, Armed with a small research team consisting of herself, (possibly) one of the Scotsman's daughters and those talking dogs she sets out to find a portal to return to Jack.

THIS IS PART 1: if it gets enough likes and re-blog's I might do a second part.  

[craftmanatee]

Samurai Jack S5 Ep6&7

Reviewing episode 6, and the amazing episode 7!

Also now with a Final summation for those who do not want to read my cluster wall of text.

Episode 6

Is a lackluster episode in my opinion. It was fun, but it added very little to the plot. Maybe I am wrong, but episode 6 sure as hell felt like a call back episode that did not add to itself.

I was right about seeing the next episode on Ashis point of view, and that is what happened. Ashi travels through to find many of the previous inhabitants that Jack has saved back in the cartoon network days, and that is how she sees more confirmation to what has Jack done to the world as for the better. There is a minor sub-plot with Sacramouch as a head trying to get to Aku and tell him that Jack lost his sword, and its pretty funny. I think the sub-plot is the major highlight for Episode 6 as Sacramouch says the word “penis” and there are a few funny cameos, like the George Jetson dog, haha!

Ok so the one cool thing we got from this episode is Ashi UNDRESSING! OOOOOOOOOooooooooo! Just kidding, what the truly cool thing is how she does it and what her suit previously was. They even show you how they got those black suits, and it is actually pretty disturbing. I am doing research on a genre not yet existing called Punk-Fantasy, and stuff like the Ashi suit fits it like a glove. There are so many questions and the more I think about the suit, the more disturbing it is.

Like seriously, imagine the suit. How does she poop? Does the suit grow with her? Was she actually always semi-naked, almost like body paint? These are answers better left unexplained but simply the science and the thought behind it gives a much more disturbing implication if it were to be more defined properly. Shit like that makes fantasy “FANTASY” again! Samurai Jack even back in the cartoon network days has had many episodes that have these visually explainable tactics that are defined just enough but not too much to be questioned. And here I see that again and I love it!

Also, ashi sports a very nice new look and saves Jack from committing seppoku (Suicide). I am sorry but this episode was very boring and lackluster, it had its moments. One that I particularly loved but the episode felt like it stretched itself out too much just to give space for the next one.

Episode 7

And the next episode is AMAZING! Holy cow! This episode was both funny, action packed, incredibly refreshing and it finally picks up the pace!!!

 You finally get to see how Jack lost his sword, with Aku destroying the final portal. Before that, Jack sees the portal and his immidiate instinct is “JUMP IN JUMP IN JUMP IN” and he guns it with no hesitation! This is the exact feeling and thought I would have had and they illustrated it perfectly. Jack gets pulled out by Aku, and there we see classic Aku again!

This entire flashback was very much like the standard samurai jack cartoon where you have everything be the same. Except for blood. Jack kills some goats. He gets all sad and from that he looses his sword.

When Ashi and Jack come to the location again, they go down the hole and search for the sword. They do not find it, but jack realises that the sword LEFT HIM! Mmmmm loving this episode already!

Jack decides to go into a spiritual journey to find an answer, while ashi... waits. Until, uh oh! An army of orcs come up the mountain. Ashi takes the responsibility to protect Jack, so she goes down to challenge the huge army. She proceeds to destrooyy them! like a Dynasty Warriors game! She goes all berserk on their asses-ABRUBTLY CUT TO

Jack meditating... This is what makes the action sequence funny in a way. Its so well done and I love it for that. Jack goes through this spiritual journey and the visuals for this is AMAZING! Here the quality really shows you what animation can do and its... beautiful. Jack takes a small journey and rafts to a small house on a lake, and there he has to make tea for some mini-Buddhist guy. He proceeds to do things as peacefully and nicely then BAM!

We are back with Ashi kicking ass! The entire army is destroyed, a bit stupid that one person did that with her bare hands, but it was a cool sequence none-the less. She spots someone already up the mountain near jack, and deflects a barrage of arrows that could have killed Jack. And there, her mother reveals to Ashi. I gushed, it was a pretty “Oh shit” moment. They go all kung fu on each other using basically the same tactics against each other, the only difference is the mother sometimes takes the opportunity to attack Jack whos sitting and meditating, the fight sequence is alright. The mothers death was a bit meh, and Ashi collapses in exhaustion from all the fighting.

Back to Jacks mind, the tea he made for the mini-monk was... bad. The mini-monk says it lacks balance, which spawns Jacks inner rage. That motherfucking alter-ego from the previous episodes. Jack identifies the inner-alter-ego finally as the fault for the flaws he made when he lost the sword. He got pretty mad at Aku for destroying the “Last portal”. So he slaps his alter-angry-ego to oblivion with his eyes and there the Gods show themselves to Jack and give him back his sword. Also a shave and his signature outfit. The episode ends with Jack waking Ashi up, and their next plan of action... AKU!

Jack is Back!

[WHUATCHAAaaa…..]

Final Summation

Episode 6 was a wasted episode for me. It gave me somethings but I did not feel like Re-watching it, It felt closer to a straight up filler. Episode 7 however makes me wanna re-watch it, just like how I did with Episode 2 and Episode 5, also episode 7 felt like a proper samurai jack episode. The classic samurai jack helps that notion. I honestly must study exactly why these episodes where so great. Which is why I partly make these “Reviews”, mostly for my own sake. I would go into more detail but that would bore me as well as you and Ide rather write details in an actual documentation.

[mystt]

yooo i just got caught up on s5 of samurai jack and oh....oh my god dude.....its almost fucking perfect??? there are still some of the same problems that are present in the old show chiefly action that’s just kind of. unengaging. and the guy doing akus voice....i mean no one can be mako. i hope that with time he gets better. but those are so small compared to how much the show has improved in the art and animation department! its fucking incredible. it really does just look like old samurai jack but....better. especially when it comes to environmental detail. the character design is as On Point as always. and the new animation style is absolutely flawless. its so much more dynamic and fluid than before! i also love that they’re still playing with blocking off portions of the screen to get different aspect ratios. i think stuff like animating a big “AAAAAAAH” behind jack as he’s flying in the air is taking the comic book inspiration a bit literally, but i love to see that they’re still being inventive and trying new things even if they dont always work out. im rly excited to see how things develop!!

[mytrumarareviews]

Samurai Jack S5 First Impressions

Okay, so I might start doing weekly blog posts with this. This is a really good, if not vastly different, season when compared to the original show... so far.

Also, Spoiler Warning.

The first episode delves into Jack’s insanity as he’s been in the future for 50 years. He hallucinates the people that died in the past due to Aku throwing him into the future being taken down a river, they call out to him as punishment for letting them die. This is definitely a personification of Jack’s guilt. Though it’s a very simple personification it’s very effective due to how well the imagery, voice work, and sound design work together. See, this entire season so far is just as good as some of the best episodes of the original seasons and I think it’s because Genndy can get away with a lot more due to the higher age rating of this season. The first episode actually justifies this raised age rating with the scenes including “the daughters of Aku”, a cult like group worshiping Aku. We see child soldiers being trained to take down Jack as well as the abuse they have to endure in their childhood. It’s not even hinted at, they show it on screen. Jack also fights a music based robot voiced by Tom Kenny with a tuning fork that can cause things to explode in this episode. Honestly this was some of my Tom Kenny’s best voice work in my opinion. He’s only in a single episode of this season as far as we know but he’s memorable and likable.

See, the original seasons were a lot more child friendly. The villains were all robots or supernatural. Jack had never killed a human character before this season. And in the second episode he kills a human character. Firstly we see him slowly lose his armor, which is a physical representation of him becoming less comfortable or legitimately fearing for his life against a group of assassins that have been trained specifically to kill him. He even loses a portion of his beard, but not the entirety of it. Which comes into play the next episode when he’s not able to leave who he is behind. He loses his armor and therefore the persona he’s had for such a long time, but doesn’t fully lose his beard. He’s not who he was when we last saw him in season 4 nor is he the same as person he was only moments earlier. He has to tell himself that they’re just robots in justification of his actions in the past. His self image taunts him before suggesting dishonourable seppuku. Jack then forces himself to find a way out of his situation. Running to a temple. Within the temple we get a really well done and artistic monochromatic fight scene between Jack and the daughters of Aku. After he escapes from them we get a scene paying homage to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly which was actually pretty cool to watch, as it was done without any sound effects and used the dark visuals to create tension. That’s something this series does very well in this season, tension. Jack could very well die if he slips up once. The final scene of this episode has Jack killing one of the daughters of Aku but getting stuck with her dagger. He realizes she was human and gives the same reaction that most viewers probably had at this point. This was the point where the series crossed the line from appropriate for older children to not. He stumbles through the temple while Throughout this episode we see this a lone wolf fighting against a pack of monstrosities four times it’s size and strength. The wolf wins but his heavily injured.

The lone wolf is a massive representation for Jack’s character. He will help people but he won’t stick around to spend time with them. He’s self reliant and doesn’t take a part in society’s norms nor does he take a part in what society views as terrible. He’s an individual that stands out because he’s not a part of the crowd, nor has he ever been. We see the wolf in the next episode when it enters the cave in an amazing scene that has both of them covered in their own blood for different reasons. It show’s Jack’s desperation and the wolf’s wizened attitude. This scene leads me to believe that the wolf is a representation of what Jack is to become. He’s a killer now and he has to become okay with that part of his personality to move forward and get back to his family in the past. We actually get this scene of Jack’s self image taunting him for having killed now. It’s sort of like an inner dialogue as to whether or not he’s going to be able to repeat that action, because he’ll have to in order to survive. Throughout these scenes we see the wolf as this representation of strength, comfort, and independence and that these are the qualities that Jack will gain in the future. I don’t think that’s the last time we’ll see the wolf in this series and I think we’ll see the wolf during Jack’s major moments of weakness in the future.

The fight scene in the third episode is also very well done. It’s done in snow and on a white background but it never feels cheap. This really shows that when Genndy is given full creative control over his work, that he’s capable of creating some of the most powerful scenes I’ve seen in animation in a really long time.

All that said, this is some really good animation with some amazing writing put with it. So I wanted to cover the first three episodes before I started doing this on a weekly basis. I think that you need to have a major understanding of the overarching themes going through this season.

But here are some predictions:

-The armored horseman we see in Jack’s hallucinations will be a representation of himself. He blames himself for all those deaths so it kind of makes sense.

-The wolf will show up multiple times when Jack is at his lowest. This will happen up until either the 8th or 9th episode and then the wolf won’t show up again.

-The daughter of Aku that we’ve seen so far will join Jack, either reluctantly or willingly after realizing that she’s capable of feeling emotions other than hatred. Jack will take to raising her as his own daughter. During a later fight Jack and DoA will have to work together to defeat, and kill her mother.

-The series will end with Aku putting Jack into a position where he has to choose between DoA’s life or going back to the past to save his family. He’s given the choice of family over family. Instead of leaving to the past he chooses to kill Aku, saving DoA’s life but staying an undying warrior in the future.

or...

All the same, except Jack rapidly ages and grows into his 70′s because Aku being alive was keeping him alive. He could get a death scene at this point.

And that said. I hope you follow me through this season review.

[madraleen]

Bungo Stray Dogs - Kafka Asagiri/Sango Harukawa Vol. 13: I have enough to say to make a post just for a single volume apparently - A Commentary (*anime spoilers and manga spoilers up to ch.114)

-@cover: AND I REPEAT! FYODOR, IF VILLAIN WHY SO PRETTY! also dazai-chan looks extra pretty princess, i approve. atsushi lowkey looks like he's about to fuck shit up, which i also approve. and aku-kun i approve in general.

-the colored page always takes me by surprise, it's so pretty

-OH LOOK, A DAZAI OUTLINE AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE AGENCY! REMEMBER WHEN THAT WAS A THING?! WHEN DAZAI WAS PICTURED AMONG THE AGENCY? HA?!

-also, another thing on manga vs anime: because the timeline is so streamlined, so far the character appearances have been pretty even. there's not too much or too little of anyone, it feels just right. i wonder if that'll still stand for the s4-s5 arcs and their many side-plots. of course this feels different when you're reading month to month, i assume you start screaming in exasperation at some point over who you see and who you don’t, but in the volumes it works great

-atsushi, angry, uncomfortable: "let me go , dazai-san!" akutagawa, docile, obedient: "senpai asks, senpai gets."

-it's funny, 'cause an injured dazai technically wouldn't be able to do much if atsushi or akutagawa threw fists with him right now, yet he's holding them by the scruff like stray cats.

-oh that's such a different vibe, i feel like! dazai's "could you not go running wild? you'll open up my stomach wound," in the anime it was played as a funny moment to restrain the kids, whereas here it feels like dazai is actually serious in the comedy of the panel

-dazai: "could you not go running wild?" atsushi: *presses himself against dazai's side and by extension his wound* BUT WHY IS AKUTAGAWA-" oh atsushi i love you

-there's a certain way that harukawa-sensei draws mouths that you can practically hear the obnoxiousness of the characters' tone, especially with ranpo and dazai

-*mutters something about dazai's hands*

-dude, the panel composition is beautiful idk. very dynamic

-"it's no wonder dazai-san chose to abandon you and disappear!" omfg atsushi. also yes bitch, slay, but omfg you ruthless little man-tiger.

-atsushi ain't having anyone's shit. everyone around him is deranged, foe and ally alike, and he's gonna react via expression or call them out for it, i love that about him. he's such a rich character, because yes he's been abused and he's traumatized and has low self-esteem, no self-worth and so on, but goddamn he ain't gonna stand there and take all this insanity

-"hellhound" akutagawa, dogs, mafia dogs, agency cats, i'm still on that.

-"what are you, a lawn mower!? dazai-san left you because all you think about is chopping up the enemy!" AHAHAHA ATSUSHI PLEASE!

-"I'LL TURN YOU INTO A TIGER-SKIN RUG" - AKU-KUN, PLEASE! atsushi and aku-kun have upped their bickering game, good for them

-like in the anime, aku-kun isn't coughing anymore so i'll just go ahead and assume his lung disease has flare-ups that come and go (or is affected by certain environments, eg the sea)

-babe. atsushi. my love. not only dazai-san trusts you, but EVEN AKU-KUN ACKNOWLEDGES AND SAYS OUT LOUD THAT DAZAI-SAN "PUTS A LOT OF TRUST IN YOU"! that's like almost too much trust in layman's terms

-"bamboo shoots come from bamboo, so mushrooms come from mush" oh god, that's something *i* would say

-oh actual rat members, great, thank you.

-akutagawa went from "wha-!?" to "how do i steer that thing" in a heartbeat when riding on atsushi, i love him. they're hilarious, bsd is so entertaining

-i imagine the creative conundrum, "how exactly do we position akutagawa so that he can ride on atshushi's back"

-ATSUSHI'S AND AKU-KUN'S COLOR PATTERNS ARE SO COMPLEMENTARY I CANNOT

-dude seriously though, the panel composition. it's beautiful.

-i mean, the kids are big-braining it. they're not five-braining it like the geniuses, but they're big-braining it alright

-lol, dazai-san is so shocked that the climber's not dostoyevsky that his eye veins popped out, good good

-"far crueler than my own mentor," akutagawa's "own mentor" being dazai? then yes, orphanage director is far crueler.

-lemme make an interlude here, 'cause i'm still on my dazai and the nurse bullshit. i just keep thinking that if you don't interpret it as another "actually, dazai didn't do that" moment in the long line of "dazai didn't do to that woman what you think he did" gags, and you actually interpret it as dazai fucked/sexually pleasured the nurse in order to get his phone and continue with business, it's one of the subtly darkest, saddest moments, because he probably learned that in the mafia, and he employs that tactic while physically in pain, to a literal stranger, and then goes on with business completely unbothered because he doesn't give a fuck about the nurse, his physical discomfort or his own body in general, and only used himself as a tool so that he can continue operations, STILL uses himself as a tool even though no one wants that of him now (not like this), and that's just so sad and fucked up.

-"most people are unaware that the tiger's claws can tear through skills themselves" aku-kun is pleased that he knows this

-no seriously,  mori-san is so much prettier in the manga. like wth, sometimes he's serving looks

-your master cut out the parts of your brain that feel unhappiness?! WTF IS FYODOR'S SKILL

-ahaha, dazai contacted francis, later atsushi contacts francis... like senpai like kouhai

-interesting. dazai yells "don't touch him" FIRST, and then fyodor kills the man, so it could very well be that he only does it to mislead dazai that touch is necessary for his skill, to play right into his false(?) guess.

-well yeah, dazai is conflicted because he doesn't know fyodor's skill, therefore lacks very important information, ACTUALLY miscalculated fyodor's moves until the very end (as did ranpo), and fyodor just let himself get arrested without any real fuss, which is sus. dazai's at a major disadvantage information-wise and he knows this ain't over (it's never over. it's never ever ever over, never ev-). but it's sweet that it's atsushi that notices this in a scene where it's just the two of them. idk, the fact that it's atsushi and that he doesn't really dwell on it, just reinforces how human dazai is in atsushi's eyes. to everyone else, it'd be a "!" moment. atsushi just notices it, as a fact.

-it feels like in dazai's eyes, atsushi is at his core all that is good and pure and righteous and shiny. the oda vibe in its purest form, never wavering, never tarnished.

-LOUISA IS ONLY 18?!

-"WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT YOUR INNER DRAMA!?" AHAHA RANPO-SAN <3 if that ain't the essence of bsd, i don't know what is.

-this ain't no rivalry, dear poe, you're just ranpo-kun's bitch. it's alright, we understand

-this "the conjurer" that they refer to fyodor as is the anime's "majin"? demon fyodor?

-i forget, DO we know the real reason fyodor let them capture him? we know why fukuchi wanted him imprisoned, but fyodor himself?

-ahahaha kunikida makes glasses with his skill and dazai knows and can nullify them? AHAHAHAHAAH that's cute

[craftmanatee]

Samurai Jack S5 Ep2&3

Thought Id put 2 episodes a post. (Spoilers bellow)

Episode 2 starts at an interesting angle.

We are shown Aku in a comedic way, not only that they fully let us explore his new voice and I believe he did an amazing job. It is basically an exact mimic of Mako, or atleast a satisfactory one and that just means huge kudos to Greg Baldwin.

Continuing on, jack finally encounters the Daughters of Aku with a symbolic sub-plot of a lone-wolf versus a bunch of alien tigers. The action sequence through out the entire episode is brilliant, but I especially like the silent in-between. First when Jack is in the minor dome talking to his ego, up with the slow mo run in the rain. The hiding from daughters in the temple and being revealed. As well as when he hides inside one of the coffins. And finally, Jack takes an unexpected swing at the neck of one of the daughters and realizes he just killed his first human, getting wounded then falling in to a river. This is a huge blow to samurai jack.

The entire episode 2 was basically 2 parts. There is Aku, then there is Jack. Akus bit was a minisode but honestly it made the entire episode that much richer for having it included.

Episode 3 continues with Jack on trying to survive after being in the river. He stumbles himself in a cave and is faced with his Ego again. This time, hes alot more evil looking. His ego is just different now, meaner, more seductive I guess to the idea of killing recklessly. I love the way they animated him, it was stylish in the right way. Samurai Jack himself combats (or satisfies) his ego by remembering something in his childhood that his father has said to him. I love this message, Samurai Jack was incredibly tenacious at not killing a human up until now, and now he finally found to understand the justification in killing a human. In the real world, this subject matter is a highly debated topic but in Samurai Jacks situation, you kinda have to agree with the message.

Basically, the message is that whoever wants to kill has made the decision that leads them into being killed. The only difference to whoever is defending himself (Samurai Jack), he needs to clarify this message to his opposers before hand. In terms of martial arts, hurting other people, etc this topic goes much deeper, but only in a debate. While in a short notice like in Samurai Jacks memory and the situation he was in, that is all you can say. Just do not let it be a justification. Despite Samurai Jack ignoring his Ego, he still pretty much does what the ego tells him to do, which is concerning, im sure the ego will pretty much twist what jack has done into something malicious.

Oh and there was a fight sequence, it was cool as hell.

He leads the 3 final sisters to a long fall, but he falls down with them. Ashi was the last to fall and showed that she is pretty much brainwashed. But, what was interesting is that she was probably the one to call for a “watch” then watching the starry skies. Also, they saw 2 deers FUCK not killing eachother, which was like, super weird for them. In anycase, this minor build up is probably not for nothing because of how the episode ends.

When jack falls down where the 3 sisters fell, it then ends in a cliffhanger.

damn...

[WHUATCHAAaaa.....]