#almost all the characters are so lovable and unique and well rounded <3

[galmiahthepigeon]

God I fucking love boku no hero academia so much

[dndaddyissues]

im new to DMing, and while i seem to have gotten the hang of most things well, im super confused when it comes to running battles (especially when theyre my own monsters) how do i balance a battle? how do i tell how many enemies/how much health per enemy = fair for certain amounts of players? is there a chart or resource somewhere you know of, or is it all intuition? (bonus question: how long should normal and boss encounters last irl time wise?) thanks so much!

thanks for sending me this question! this answer is particularly huge… you have been warned. 

as usual, here’s the tl;dr:

- for an easy to moderate challenge, have the same (or fewer) number of enemies as there are players;

- for an advanced challenge, outnumber the players;

- lower your enemies’ AC to something that your players can hit 60-70% of the time;

- in exchange, buff your enemies’ HP;

- feel free to fudge hit points whenever you want;

- utilize the “minions” mechanic from 4th edition;

- for boss battles, introduce special bonus actions, reactions, and villain actions;

- combat usually lasts 3-4 rounds: plan accordingly;

- ask yourself: why is this combat happening? what narrative/dramatic and character stakes can i introduce?;

- and have fun!

i want to preface my answer by saying that i don’t enjoy easy combat – unless played for laughs/comedy, or used to foreshadow something plotwise (like a goblin scout’s death alerting the goblin horde at large), i hardly ever throw an easy combat encounter at my party.

so, the following advice is given with challenging the players in mind – either moderately, immensely, or impossibly. i guess i’m just a big sucker for jim murphy/matt colville-style DO OR DIE challenges. otherwise, what’s the point?

another preface: this answer is given in the spirit of avoiding the “slog” – the combat encounter where it feels like baddies and PCs are just stepping up to the plate, whacking at each other, and stepping back down. that’s boring. and boring combat is the worst. sometimes it’s unavoidable – we all have our off days, nothing wrong about that – but the less that it happens, the more fun that everyone has! right?

now, on to the answer itself!

first of all, i’ve already written an answer to an ask a little while back about combat that might be useful to you. click here to read about how to make more action-oriented monsters, especially for boss battles and random encounters that you want to feel significant and deadly.

second of all, here’s the 5e CR encounter calculator i used to use all the time. it’s extremely intuitive and has toggles for number of players, level of players, monster CR/EXP, and how difficult encounters would be rated (easy, medium, hard, deadly). 

third of all, i never use that calculator anymore.

over the course of the 2.5 years i’ve spent DMing 5th edition, there are three main things i’ve learned that can drastically increase, or decrease, the difficulty of a combat encounter. they are: # of baddies, armor class, and # of hit points.

regarding # of baddies. due to how the action economy in 5e plays out, the more creatures there are on either side of a combat, the bigger the advantage that side has. it’s just kind of how it works. so, an easy way to bump up the difficulty: throw more monsters at the players than there are players.

the one soft exception is boss battles. personally, i fucking LOVE having just ONE, super badass, super hard to kill, hardcore boss that the party gets to face down during crucial turning points in the campaign. it makes me feel like i’m running fucking Dracula in Netflix’s Castlevania against some lovable and deadly dumbasses. it’s great. it’s fun. it’s thrilling. to make bosses as challenging (and therefore rewarding) as possible, i highly recommend reading the ask i linked earlier in this reply. (click here for the link again.)

now, i say it’s a soft exception because i like giving my bosses minions. i basically utilize the 4th edition (i think?) “minion” mechanic where the AC, bonus to hit, and damage of all minion creatures are the same as regular versions of the creature. the only difference is, they have 1 HP. 

this can give the PCs the awesome feeling of wading through waves and waves of minions – say, dozens of zombies, as an evil lich cackles upon their raised stone dais 80 feet away. i don’t utilize this too often because then it can feel tiring to the party. but done sparingly, and with narrative stakes, it can be quite thrilling! (that maxim is also true for basically any kind of combat encounter in D&D.)

regarding armor class. obviously, the higher the armor class, the harder the challenge. if you can’t hit the damn thing obviously you can’t kill it. i personally like to pitch the AC of my enemies a liiittle bit lower, to increase my PCs’ probability of hitting. the exact number of the armor class will depend on your players’ level.

as a super general guide for players at level 3, 10-13 is easy, 14-15 is moderate, 16-17 is challenging (heavily favoring 17), and 18+ is very challenging/almost impossible. 

just so you know, i generally set my enemies’ ACs for a level 3 party to be 13 for less important creatures, and 14 for more important creatures. i’d probably set the AC to be 15 or 16 for a mini-boss, and 16 or 17 (if i’m feeling cruel lol) for a boss.

obviously, this scales as your party levels up, finds magical items, and gains special features and boons. i would scale the difficulty by 1 when they hit level 4 and get an ability score improvement, and then by 1 every 2 levels or so.

in other words, at level 4, i’d consider an AC of 11-14 to be easy, 15-16 as moderate, 17-18 as challenging (heavily favoring 18), and 19+ as very challenging/almost impossible. and by the time your party is levels 12-16, AC can often feel like it doesn’t freaking matter anymore because they’ll be able to hit, like, fucking everything. anyway.

there’s some nitty gritty mathematics about this if you like to get granular. this is a good video about dice math, armor class, and calculating advantage mathematically if that sort of thing interests you.

regarding # of hit points. honestly, i fudge this most times. because i like to scale my AC on the lower end, in exchange, i make my creatures fucking FAT. like, i’ll look at their stat block in the monster manual, and add 30-50% to what they already have. sometimes i’ll straight up double or even triple it.

for example, the spectator normally has 39 hit points, but i gave my spectator ~100, because it was a miniboss. i did, however, keep its armor class at 14 because that meant my players, at 3rd level, would be able to hit it 60-70% of the time. this strategy of mine tends to work out, because my players are usually able to dish out a LOT of damage per round. (we have a barb, a fighter, and a warlock in the party lol.)

something i did in the spectator fight, that i wish i didn’t do, was stay faithful to the number of hit points it had. the barbarian ended up killing it with a rather anticlimactic attack. i know for certain that my warlock, which was next in the initiative order, had this SUPER cool and character-relevant attack planned. what i would do differently, is keep the spectator alive just long enough for my warlock to do their cool fucking move, and have that move kill the monster.

and now for the big takeaway. combat, for me, is all about giving my players a chance to shine, be badass, utilize their class abilities, and be creative. just like any other aspect of d&d, such as roleplaying and exploration, combat is an exercise in collaborative storytelling (for me, at least).

i rarely introduce combat that doesn’t tie into an A plot, a B plot, or a side quest that the PCs are chasing. i don’t have anything against random encounters – in fact, i ran some RE’s in the second-most recent session – but what makes combat fun for me as a DM is the fact that it advances story, and potentially deepens the players’ understanding of their character.

so, before you throw your players into a combat situation, ask yourself: why? how can i make this narratively dramatic – and not just a slogfest?

bonus answer: most combat encounters will struggle to last beyond three, maybe four, rounds. especially if there are an equal or fewer baddies to the player characters. however, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. in fact, if combat went on for five, six, seven rounds, it can begin to feel like… well.. a slog.

so make the most out of your three, four rounds, and make each combat encounter unique! how about an environmental challenge? slippery ground, swinging axes, pools of lava, a sudden earthquake, a portcullis dividing the party, water filling the room.

or roleplay/plot-related challenges? maybe there’s a circle of mages attempting to summon a demon that are protected by enchanted suits of armor that the PCs need to hack through. maybe there are hostages. maybe there’s a powerful magical artifact that the baddies and PCs both want, and the challenge in the combat lies in who can most deftly and efficiently maneuver through the clockwork maze protecting the raised dais the item resides upon.

[littlepurinsesu]

V Watches MagiReco - Season 1 Review

*Spoilers for Magia Record Anime*

If you’ve been been following my weekly reviews on the Magia Record anime, you’ll know that my “reviews” are really more like general impressions, thoughts, and fangirling as I mentally recap the episode after my initial viewing.

For this final review of the season as a whole, however, I’m actually going to try and make it more like an actual “review" and discuss each aspect of the anime separately. I’ll be splitting my points of discussion into individual sections and giving each a score out of 10, before rounding it all off with an overall score/grade.

Oh, not sure if this needs to be emphasised, but these are just my opinions! You may agree and you may disagree, and either way is cool!  (・ω・)b

Before I begin, I just want to make it clear that one very, very important thing to keep in mind when watching and reviewing MagiReco is the fact that it isn’t a direct continuation of PMMM. So many people find themselves unable to enjoy the series because it’s “not the same” or “not the PMMM they know” etc. But it isn’t and was never intended to be. It’s a spin-off, not a sequel. To expect a spin-off to have the exact same impact and level of quality as the original is unrealistic to begin with, not to mention that although comparisons will be inevitable, the original PMMM anime has reached a legendary status where it isn’t really fair to compare anything with it xD

(And for the PMMM fans who are unhappy with MagiReco simply because it isn’t “dark enough” and there isn’t enough “suffering”, all I can say is that if a lack of darkness and suffering automatically means the show is bad, then this one just isn’t for you. Dark doesn’t equal good, and suffering isn’t essential. MagiReco is not intended to have the same tone as PMMM, and those elements do not entail everything that defined PMMM to begin with anyway.)

For these reasons, I’m going to try my best to review the MagiReco anime as a standalone piece and try not to make too many comparisons with PMMM, unless explicitly necessary. Also, as a game player, the inevitable curse of “expectations” was a major issue I needed to overcome when watching the anime. I will therefore also try my best to look past these expectations and try to see the anime as a story of its own. However, there will be discussions on the changes that the anime made and how I feel the anime did in adapting the game story for a television series.

Anyway, sorry for all the additional rambling. Let’s jump into the review before I lose everyone’s attention ^^;; 

Plot: 8/10

One thing I love about the MagiReco plot is that they take the original world and concepts of PMMM and actually come up with a whole new story. It’s familiar yet different, and a perfect way to please the nostalgic fans while also offering something fresh. The PMMM world always had a lot of potential to explore other girls’ stories, considering how many Magical Girls there are, and it’s nice to meet a whole new cast of characters with their own story that’s still set in the same world and uses the same concepts we’re familiar with.

I think my favourite thing about the MagiReco plot, which is the same both in the game and in the anime, is the idea of the Wings of Magius. Any story that involves Magical Girls somehow trying to undermine or overthrow the Incubators’ system always has a lot of potential, in my opinion, and it’s a creative way to delve even deeper into PMMM’s unique take on the magical girl genre without being repetitive. But the key to what makes the Wings of Magius so compelling and intriguing as antagonists is the moral issues it raises. The grey morality going on with the Wings of Magius is not too different from the issues presented by Kyubey, and these kinds of moral debates get the audience really thinking about what’s right and what’s wrong, what’s good and what’s evil. The Magius are presented as being very similar to the Incubators in many senses--sometimes even worse--and I always love a compelling villain or villain group that actually gets the audience pondering whether the bad guys really are that “wrong" after all. Plus the whole idea of salvation and liberation and the whole cult impression we get from the Wings of Magius really adds another layer of that dark and creepy atmosphere that PMMM does so well.

However, I do strongly feel that many of the important scenes and major plot points were presented much better in the game. As mentioned earlier, having played the game meant I was going in with expectations for how I wanted/hoped/expected certain things to be done, and this is a common issue that adaptations have when there’s an audience familiar with the source material. I’m okay with completely changing parts of the game’s story to create something new, but there were instances where the anime intended to replicate the scene as it was in the game but somehow fell short in its presentation. These cases of inadequate storytelling thus hinder the unfolding of the plot, ultimately creating problems with coherency and pacing. (I mean, if you think about it, the “main plot” doesn’t really even truly begin until all five main characters have been introduced.) I have dedicated a whole section to this pacing issue, so I’ll go into detail when we get there xD

Characterisation: 7/10

The anime’s presentation of the characters ranges from fantastic to extremely lacking. Iroha has moments where she’s extremely passive, but also times where she’s shown to be quite proactive and brave as well. I’m honestly not too sure what to make of Iroha’s characterisation so far due to this big range, but I’m hoping that she’ll show more growth and that her changes will be written in a way that actually makes sense, rather than abrupt shifts that make you question how and when she had it in her. Either way, she’s a lovely sweet girl and a very likable character, and I do like that even if she isn’t necessarily always doing anything or contributing to a fight, the sole reason she’s in Kamihama in the first place (to look for her sister) is a good sign that she knows what she’s doing and has taken the necessary measures to go about her quest.

Yachiyo didn’t seem to display much uniqueness until her past was unveiled, and that wasn’t until we were well into the second half of the first season. In my opinion, this took way too long. I find this to be a slight problem because of how central to the plot Yachiyo is, and while I understand that backstories being revealed later on can have a bigger impact (like Homura’s in Episode 10 of PMMM), the way they portray Yachiyo throughout the majority of the season doesn’t have that constant loose thread hanging. She almost seems too “normal” at times, blending into the cast, and only when certain things happen or when someone says something in particular do you actually remember that we still don’t know what her deal is yet. I guess what I mean is that a more looming sense of “mysteriousness” could have justified the late reveal a lot better. The reveal of her past and her wish were slightly underwhelming, too, seeing as we hardly got to know Kanae and Meru before they were killed off, making it difficult to connect with those characters and thus relate to Yachiyo’s grief at losing them. And as for the revelation of her wish, I’ve ranted enough about it in my review for Episode 13, so you can check that one out if you haven’t already xD

Tsuruno has it even worse than Yachiyo because they literally haven’t revealed or even teased anything about her. All we know is that she works at a Chinese restaurant, was already friends with Yachiyo in the past (this “mystery” was later explained in Yachiyo’s flashbacks), and is super cheerful and energetic. Her backstory is the only one that hasn’t been shown yet, and they never really even hinted at there being something deeper about her character. While I completely understand that they’re intending to leave all that for the Rumour Tsuruno arc (which will most likely be done next season), I feel that they really needed to give us at least something for now. Even in the game, we got a better sense of who Tsuruno was as a person before the Rumour Tsuruno arc revealed her hidden sadness. I guess I can’t really fault the anime for this, since they’re just going in chronological order, but a little more insight into Tsuruno’s character would have been a better decision so that we don’t get another round of “info-dumping” when we do get to Rumour Tsuruno, and the reveal about her inner emotional turmoil would actually be a slight twist that adds even more depth to her character, rather than random information that never seemed important because there were never any signs of it.

But while Yachiyo’s and Tsuruno’s characterisation could have been better, Felicia’s and Sana’s were handled superbly. The anime actually made me adore Felicia as a character when I merely “liked her enough” in the game. She’s so much more than just the spoiled and rowdy child who goes berserk when seeing a Witch, and her introductory episodes (namely Episode 7) actually managed to move me to tears. Her bond with Iroha is also portrayed even more nicely in the anime, and I have a newfound love for the friendship between these two, which is quite underrepresented in the game. Felicia manages to retain all the lovable traits she displayed in the game with just the right amount of brattiness so as to not seem too annoying, and the anime hasn’t even really touched upon the cruel reality behind her wish. Whether or not they venture into that territory at some point, I just hope they continue doing as amazingly as they’ve done with Felicia so far, because she really is super cute and a lot more likable in the anime version <3

As for Sana, she’s more or less the same as her game counterpart, but something about the way the anime unveils her past makes it even more tragic. We’ve always known of her terrible “family” and the unfortunate circumstances of her home life prior to joining Mikazuki Villa. But the episodes that detail her story did a stellar job at bringing out and actually showing the sheer horror of having a family like Sana’s, and just how deep and suffocating her sense of loneliness was. Her story is absolutely miserable, but the anime manages to present it in a way that doesn’t make it seem like they were “trying too hard” just to make it as sad as possible. The things happen for a reason, and the consequences it has on Sana as a character are all realistic and believable, and even a wish as extreme as hers made perfect sense after seeing everything she had to go through.

Other characters don’t seem to have as much of a presence to warrant a paragraph of their own, but I will give honourable mentions to Rena and Tsukuyo. Rena’s Magical Girl Story made me a sobbing mess when I first read it, and while the anime obviously couldn’t sidetrack and include all the details, I think they did a pretty good job considering the limited amount of time they could spend on a supporting character. The anime also did a really nice job at giving Tsukuyo that humanising moment during her conversation with Iroha at the cafe, emphasising the good inside of her despite being an antagonist, and also taking the chance to give her a sense of individuality so that she and her sister are not always seen as an identical and inseparable pair with no personal lives or traits, so props to them for that :) Mitama has hardly made many appearances and doesn’t even seem very story-relevant at this point, so I’m wondering how they’re going to build up her importance in the next season so that she doesn’t seem like the “token shopkeeper character” who’s there for no real purpose outside of gaming mechanics (because we all know that Mitama is so much more than that). And as for characters like Kaede, she’s been changed so much that I’ll reserve my judgment for now because I simply don’t know where they’re intending to take her character. Same goes for Kuroe and her still-unclear purpose in the plot lmao

I think it’s important to remember that a lot of characterisation we get in the game is from Magical Girl Stories and Event Stories, both of which are obviously not viable to delve into too much in the anime. As a result, I guess it’s “to be expected” that the anime will have to give up quite a bit of the details that make all these characters so real, likable, or relatable. I’m not an anime writer, nor do I know anything about adapting games into anime, but I do feel that it would have been so much better if they had come up with some other way of compensating for the lost characterisation moments that are only shown in the game’s side stories. Not sure how else they should have done it, but simply removing some of these vital bits of information does harm the portrayal of these characters, especially when they’re part of the main cast.

But yeah, mixed feelings because while some characters really needed more work in the characterisation department, others were handled amazingly well xD

Pacing: 4/10

Okay, let’s be real. The pacing was almost definitely the anime’s weakest point, and possibly one of the main reasons why someone would find the show hard to enjoy or even understand. I’ve seen people complain that the story is too fast, and I’ve also seen people complain that it moves way too slowly. In my opinion, it really is a combination of both, and I’m honestly quite fascinated at how the anime somehow manages to pull off being both too fast and too slow at the same time xD

The story is almost excruciatingly slow in that it takes a whole ten episodes before the main cast is fully assembled. I thought a bit about this and, to be fair, some classic magical girl shows also take many, many episodes before all the main characters are introduced, such as Sailor Moon taking a whopping 33 episodes before all five Inner Senshi have gathered. So I guess this slow episode-by-episode “collection” of team members really isn’t something new. But MagiReco isn’t really a long-running anime that has filler episodes back-to-back to justify the slow pace of the plot. The plot is moving every week, yet it still feels like it takes forever to get the main cast together, which is slow enough to make the viewer question what they had been sitting through all this time when it’s been ten episodes and the story is really only “actually beginning” now.

And at the same time the plot somehow manages to feel too fast at the same time. How is this even possible? My answer to this is simply the fact that they introduce conflicts and mysteries, only to quickly resolve them and then immediately jump to the next one before the audience has even had a chance to really process or understand what they just watched. We’re not given the time to really absorb the development of the story or the subtle changes the characters are undergoing before we’re immediately thrown into a new mini “arc” the next week. In some ways, it almost seems like the “Monster of the Week” formula that many magical girl series adopt, only instead of being aware that we’re seeing trivial conflicts that are intended to last for one episode with characters we are likely not going to see again, MagiReco is throwing out new ideas, new terms, and new plot-relevant characters almost every episode, vomiting out information in a way that viewers who haven’t played the game will find very difficult to keep up with.

And that brings me to one of the biggest problems I had with the anime: important terms and concepts are often thrown in as a “by the way”. (This is most apparent with anything to do with the Wings of Magius before Episode 10, most notably Alina’s introduction.) Game players will obviously know what they’re talking about, but anime-only viewers are left confused and lost as to what exactly is happening half the time. I’ve seen more than a few instances where a viewer who wasn’t familiar with the game needed extra clarification and explanation before they understood certain things, and honestly that isn’t a good sign. All the important stuff should be made crystal clear so that even anime-only viewers will be able to grasp all the concepts without game players to spell things out for them. The anime should be a standalone piece on its own, not a “supplement" to the game. And the consequence is that anime viewers are constantly raising their eyebrows and wondering what the heck just happened or when the heck something was ever established, because crucial information is thrown around with no emphasis and the fast pace doesn’t allow viewers to digest anything properly. This unclear storytelling wastes the opportunity to present mysteries that are intended to keep the audience invested; rather than continuing the series because you just have to find out what something means or why something is the way it is, you’re left with question marks popping up all around your head because you’re confused af and wondering if you forgot or missed some crucial information at some point.

Another issue I had with the anime was what I’ve decided to dub the “one-shot curse”. Witches and Rumours alike are one-shot-ed so quickly and fights resolved so suddenly that I was often left wondering what the point of that fight was. Not to mention that a lot of the battles lacked real “action”. Witches appear, get one-shot-ed, and the characters return to whatever it was they were doing before as though nothing had happened. So... what was the point? I guess they really wanted to emphasise just how many Witches there are in Kamihama and just how easy it is to come across one everyday? Or maybe it was just for the sake of including an obligatory battle in each episode so there’s at least some action each week? Either way, if you’re going to include Witch battles, you may as well do them properly. For crying out loud, InuCurry, the guy who designs the Witches, is the director of the MagiReco anime! You’d expect a bit more emphasis and flourish to highlight what he’s so good at! But to be fair, there were some good Witch battles, such as the ones in the first episode, the ones in Yachiyo’s flashbacks when Kanae and Meru died, and of course, the epic battle between Holy Mami and Sayaka in the final episode. So they’re not all that bad, but I just feel like there was a lot of wasted potential.

I find that the main problem is a lack of balance between the battles, the exposition, the plot, and the fluffy slice-of-life stuff. All these are crucial to a good anime, and a lot of these moments were done quite nicely as standalone scenes. But the way the MagiReco anime has packaged them together and tied a very unattractive Bad Pacing ribbon on top just doesn’t work. It’s like a giftbox that has some lovely things inside if you look carefully at them one by one, but the way the gift is presented just isn’t very appealing and ruins the goodness of the content inside.

I get that the anime probably has issues with pacing because it’s essentially adapting a mobile game. I’m not sure if the pacing would be better if this weren’t the case and the MagiReco story was scripted for an anime to begin with, but I really, really hope they fix these pacing issues next season.

Visuals and Animation: 8/10

To me, the visuals were nearly always top-notch, and definitely a huge improvement from the original series. They managed to retain the art style of PMMM while also updating it so that it looks a lot more sleek and polished. The characters looked great, the scenery is gorgeous, the labyrinths all unique and intricately designed, and there was a lot of clever visual symbolism going on in the still shots and subtle scene transitions. I’m not an expert on animation or visual arts, but I definitely think this series deserves a very high score for this section.

There were a few instances where we saw some wonky “meguca" shots, but those were rare and nowhere near bad enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the series. I don’t really have much else to say because, like I said, this really isn’t my forte, but I genuinely loved most of the visuals we got.

Music and Soundtrack: 9/10

I know a lot of us were disappointed when we learned that Yuki Kajiura would not be returning to do the music for MagiReco. And we all knew that whoever they hired would have very, very, very large shoes to fill. And I can definitely say that I was not disappointed at all.

Guys, the music for this series is AMAZING. Takumi Ozawa managed to capture the style that Kajiura used for PMMM in a way that retains the original tone of the franchise without seeming like a mere carbon copy of her work. I don’t think there was a single musical piece in there that didn’t make me feel like, “Ah, this is no doubt a PMMM anime!” And none of them gave me the impression that he was “trying too hard" to “rehash” Kajiura’s style. No, there’s familiarity and there’s originality, and it’s all packed together in a way that allows MagiReco to retain the charm of its predecessor while also standing strong as a work of art by itself.

I only docked one point because there were so many amazing tracks from the game and I don’t really understand why they didn’t use them when there were moments that seemed perfect for those tunes. It would be a nice sense of familiarity for game players, and it’s still considered “new stuff” for anime-only viewers too, so I really don’t get why xD Maybe they really wanted to separate the anime from the game? Which is also fair enough :)

I wasn’t so sure about “Gomakashi” as the OP when I first heard it in the trailer, but it’s definitely grown on me! While I still think “Kakawari” is superior and has a more catchy and iconic sound to it, “Gomakashi” is sweet and girly, very much like the kind of song you’d hear in a magical girl series. I don’t think this is an OP that will be legendary enough that everyone knows the tune (like the theme song for Sailor Moon, for example), but it’s a lovely song and I do like it a lot ^^

“Alicia” was beautiful from the very first time I heard it, and I’ve only grown more and more fond of it with each listen. Definitely one of my favourite EDs of all time, and perhaps my favourite OP/ED song out of the entire PMMM franchise.

And that ED song for the final episode? Gorgeous, too. Almost has a “Magia” kind of sound, and definitely sets a darker tone for the upcoming season where (I assume) sh*t starts getting real.

Overall: 7/10, B+ or A-

Despite my criticism and picking the anime apart in this review, overall I still genuinely enjoyed it a lot :D It’s far from perfect, but I was nowhere near as disappointed as I’ve been in the past with other anime adaptations, and while some parts could definitely have been handled a lot better, it was mostly still decent in my opinion. Get rid of the pacing issues and I’d probably give it a solid 9 (for context, I rate the original PMMM anime a 10/10, perhaps even higher if possible).

Again, I think my experience and knowledge as a game player definitely influenced my view on the anime as an adaptaion. For example, I already love the characters and know enough about them, and so I probably didn’t really feel the consequences caused by the anime’s sometimes lackluster characterisation. I also often have ideas of how I want or hope a part gets adapted, and then get disappointed when it’s done in a different and underwhelming way compared to what I imagined. I’m sure my impressions, comments, and scores would be very different if I were an anime-only viewer and had no idea how things went in the game. But alas, you can’t have both experiences to compare, so it is what it is xD

Anyway, no matter how much I nitpicked, I still love MagiReco a lot, both the game and the anime, and am really looking forward to Season 2! With the obvious changes they made in that last episode, I get the feeling that it’ll only diverge even further as the story unfolds. I’m okay with these new surprises and new takes on characters, but I do hope that they aren’t changing it all completely, because there’s a lot of good stuff in the later chapters that I really hope gets animated, e.g. Kanagi’s entrance, Rumour Tsuruno, Yachiyo vs. Holy Mami, basically everything that happens at Fenthope in Chapter 9, and of course, the big reveal about Ui, Touka, and Nemu’s wishes in the final chapter. Just imagining these things animated already gets me super excited, so hopefully we’ll at least still keep the core of the game’s story despite the changes (and hopefully these changes are all improvements!) ｡^‿^｡ 

~~~

And since the anime is taking a break, my reviews will also be going on a break ╥﹏╥ I’ll probably still pop up in the MagiReco tag every now and then if I can think of something to talk about, though? Depends on what I can come up with xD But yeah, I don’t really post updates about my gameplay here (unless it’s something major like pulling my favourite character lol), so if you’re interested in seeing any of that stuff, you can follow me on Twitter instead, since I’m much more active there nowadays. I’m always happy to discuss things and scream with fellow fans, so whether it’s here or on Twitter, please feel free to approach me anytime if you want someone to fangirl with (๑ゝڡ◕๑)

I’ll be ending this post here! Thank you so much for reading, and please continue to love and support MagiReco while we wait for the second season ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Superhero Spotlight: #SaveLucifer (Spoilers)

One of the biggest shocks of 2018 so far is the announcement made at the end of last week that Fox have cancelled Lucifer after 3 seasons. Not only was this a shock for fans but also to the cast including star Tom Ellis who started the #SaveLucifer campaign. So I thought I would offer my reasons as to why the cancellation is a mistake and also offer my suggestions to Fox for where they can take the show going forward.

Also as a disclaimer, this post will have spoilers for the entirety of the show so if you haven’t see the series finale of Lucifer, don’t read on.

Reasons to #SaveLucifer:

#1. Tom Ellis is Fantastic in the Role

Like many Brits who have watched this show, I knew of Tom Ellis in British TV roles prior to this such as EastEnders, Merlin and most notably Miranda. So prior to becoming the devil, he was diverse in both comedy and drama, however nothing to this level.

Lucifer as a character is charismatic, charming, hilarious and relatable as someone who is a genuinely honest person and essentially a fish out of water as of course he is used to either Heaven or Hell. All of that is obviously partly down to the writers but mostly down to Tom Ellis’ acting as he is almost unrecognizable in this role compared to those previously mentioned roles.

I think the difference is with roles like EastEnders and Miranda, he is playing the typical “nice guy” and with Merlin he was a stereotypical “arc villain”, but as Lucifer Morningstar, he is a fully-rounded, complex character and that, I feel, is why the show works at its core, because of Tom Ellis’ acting.

#2. A Different Type of Comic-Book TV Show

Believe it or not, Lucifer is based on DC Comics! Officially the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics but Lucifer Morningstar is a supporting character of The Sandman, who is a creation of Neil Gaiman. Now yes, Lucifer in the comics is blonde, Gothic and has different adventures to what he has in the show, but the very fact Lucifer is officially based on a comic-book property makes it a very different type of comic-book show compared to the likes of the Arrowverse shows or even the Marvel Netflix shows.

Because of this it is in a unique space of being a relief to both fans and non-fans of comic-book shows that may be finding the genre saturated at this point with the same type of show.

The only powers featured in Lucifer are divine powers which are either the effects of heavenly weapons or flight. Also the show is in that unique position of not needing special effects or powers because that isn’t what the primary focus of the series is.

#3. A Lovable Cast

Aside from Tom Ellis, this show has one of the best supporting cast in any show currently out there. I would list my MVPs but I do really like them all; I didn’t care much for Kevin Ranklin as Malcolm Graham in the first season but other than that I have loved watching all of these characters and obviously the acting is a huge part of that.

My two favourites aside from Tom Ellis are Lesley-Ann Brandt and Rachel Harris as both were just so compelling to watch whether with Mazikeen’s bad-ass nature or the journey of Linda discovering Lucifer’s true identity.

Also Scarlett Estevez who portrayed Dan and Chloe’s daughter Trix was fantastic, for a child actor (she was seven at the start of the series so by now she must be 9/10) to steal a fair few amount of scenes without diminishing the roles of the other actors is a gift, this girl I see a great future for if she pursues this as a career.

#4. Equality for Both Genders

There is a slight imbalance in genders as there has been one more female main cast member than male, but that’s not to say they push a feminist agenda or even make it about girl power like Supergirl. In fact the cast is very well-balanced both in terms of gender roles and ethnic diversity.

Also the victims and culprits every week or story have an equal mixture in both male and female showing that anyone can be a murder victim and anyone can be a murderer if given the right motive.

#5. Inventive and Creative Plots

So yes it is essentially a police drama with a divine twist but that is not to say that every episode has that formulaic “murderer of the week” angle, in fact while a lot of the cases are a simple murder investigation plot, the story around said plot is what becomes inventive and creative.

For example, in Season 2 there is one episode where Azrael’s blade is the murder weapon, Azrael’s blade is a divine weapon originally owned by the Angel of Death which forms the Flaming Sword when combined with a medallion and a key that Amenadiel always wears around his neck. In its debut episode, “The Sword of Death” is wielded by mere mortals which brings their inner anger to the surface and causes a mass stabathon.

This was inventive because it was the first and really only time that a weapon of the divine had been used by mortals without anyone aside from the divine realizing what the weapon was.

Which brings me on nicely to the series-long plot of Lucifer’s true identity, this was a very creative plot because...he was completely honest about who he was from the very first episode. Every opportunity Lucifer had to refer to himself as “the devil” he took it, even some random prostitute calling him “the devil” and him going “you have no idea”. The greatest part of this entire plot was that it took 3 seasons and 55 episodes for Chloe Dekker, who was the secondary protagonist and Lucifer’s main love interest, to finally realise that Lucifer was in fact the devil. How was this revealed? His devil face finally returned after a season-long arc of losing said face and Chloe finally saw it.

Honestly, and no disrespect to blondes, but Dekker is the definition of a stereotypical dumb blonde because while she was brilliant as a detective, the woman had literally every other episode with Lucifer telling her who he is and yet, a lot like Linda used to do, she compartmentalized that into Lucifer using metaphors.

It has been a fantastic long-running plot because, again, with traditional comic-book superhero shows it’s all about protecting the hero’s identity, like on Arrow this season, yet here Lucifer makes no secret as to who he is it’s just a question of no one actually believing him.

#6. Responsible for Bringing Tom Welling Back

This point was a personal bonus addition for me because I grew up in the noughties watching Smallville, which was the origins of Clark Kent becoming Superman, which starred Tom Welling in the main role of Clark Kent.

I was very happy when he was announced as a main character for the third season and hoped he would have a bigger role outside of just being Dekker and Dan’s lieutenant and fortunately he was. Not only was he the criminal known as the Sinnerman but also in a mid-season twist he was revealed to be Cain from the bible.

It has been great because to see Welling go from playing one of fiction’s greatest superheroes to supposedly the world’s first murderer shows a good range in acting from Welling despite the fact his two best-known TV roles are both with DC Comics.

Ideas for Future Seasons: 

Alright so I have said why the series is so good, now I’m going to say why I think the series should come back with some suggestions for future plots.

#1. Introduce God

We’ve met Lucifer, we’ve met Amenadiel, we’ve met their mum who I am going to call Goddess and we’ve met one of their other siblings Uriel, but where the hell is God himself. i’ll admit that I am an Atheist/inactive pagan so believing in a higher power or deity for me only applies to the Greek/Roman/Egyptian mythologies but in a show that deals with angels and demons I do want to see the king of angels as I have seen the king of demons.

Introducing God I did always feel would be an endgame for the series of the build up he has had but even if they brought the series back for a final season just to give the fans a feel of closure then to bring in God for that final season would be a great idea.

#2. Crossover With Other DC Shows

Even though I know it is ending, I would really like Lucifer to crossover with the likes of Gotham because both shows have the same type of genre and both do not usually go so far into the comic-book genre that it becomes fantastical.

Failing that I would love Lucifer and Mazikeen to meet Constantine because Constantine is all about banishing demons and the next season of Legends of Tomorrow does seem to be a demon hunt so why not bring Mazikeen in for that?

#3. Crossover With Shadowhunters

This is a personal favoured choice of mine but again much like Constantine, the Shadowhunters are all about destroying demons and with that in mind I would to see a full on fight between Mazikeen and Isabelle. I also think both Lucifer and Dan’s egos vs. Jace and Alec’s egos would be a fun battle to witness within itself. Think Star-Lord and Thor in Avengers: Infinity War.

Now I know people are probably going to say “What are you talking about? Shadowhunters is on a completely different network to Fox!” Yes well because Fox has dumped Lucifer, it makes sense for it to be picked up by another network, now with Shadowhunters I think being broadcast on ABC in America (If I am wrong correct me please) but being broadcast by Netflix worldwide, it does make sense just to move Lucifer from Amazon to Netflix.

Also in regards to the different networks, the Supernatural boys just had a comic-book crossover with Scooby Doo, I think this is doable.

#4. Show Heaven

Quite simple for this one, we have seen Hell and purgatory but we have yet to actually see Heaven. Amenadiel took Charlotte to Heaven when she died in the penultimate episode but we never actually saw them go there, even just to have see them fly up towards it and see the golden gates or something would have at least maybe given us a tease for something potentially to come.

Also visiting Heaven would hopefully introduce God as I stated before but also allow for returning characters like Amenadiel and Charlotte but also, now that Chloe believes all this Heaven and Hell stuff, if Lucifer was to somehow take her there then she may be reunited with her dad which would make for a great dramatic and emotional scene.

#5. A War for the Earth

Alright so this one is kind of a follow-on from the last one but also a throwback to the very first episode. Right at the end of the first episode in a conversation between Lucifer and Amenadiel about how Lucifer defying both their father and Amenadiel would start a war, something Amenadiel was okay with.

Now while Amenadiel is currently on side with Lucifer, that doesn’t mean God will start a war either with Lucifer, Earth or Hell to get what he wants, and that could be the main story-arc of Season 4...a war either between Heaven and Hell or a War for the Earth. After all, god supposedly created the Earth so logically he can also destroy it.

This doesn’t even have to be a series-long war like Arrow has been known for, it can simply be a villain of the week or couple of weeks and then God interjected at random moments in the season until the big confrontation at the end. Wars don’t just have to be physical they can also be intellectual.

Overall I think I have made some rather good arguments as to why Lucifer is a fantastic show, why it should remain and what the potential storylines could be. There are still talks about the show trying to find a new home so hopefully we will see it back. #SaveLucifer

So that’s my Superhero Spotlight on the current state of Lucifer and the possibility of it going forward, what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Superhero and Supervillain Spotlights as well as other posts.

[deejadabbles]

@ygotplusweek Day One! What made you fall in love with this ship? What made them fall in love with each other?

Gonna start off this fan week light, and just do some headcanons/ranting regarding my ultimate OT3 and why they love each other! Hope you fellow encourageshippers enjoy them <3

((edit: *coughs nervously* so apparently what I meant by “light” was actually “a giant essay on why these three adore each other” so umm yeah I’m gonna put it under the cut because it turned out a lot longer than I expected heh))

 I think the main thing that really “made me ship them” was a lot due to the fact that I loved seeing the characters grow together. One on one, each of them had very unique friendships with each other. 

Yugi and Anzu had the sweet, simple understanding childhood friends type bond, Anzu and Atem had to put a bit of work and time into their friendship and let it grow which imo made for a very strong connection, then of course Yugi and Atem shared this impossibly deep, intricate partnership that’s almost indescribable. I just see these bonds meshing well and easily growing into a very healthy, well rounded relationship. Whether or not the persons involved would make for a healthy future is always a BIG factor in me shipping something, so these three having the such sweet, selfless and strong bond with one another makes me very drawn to them.

Now, as for what made them fall for each other? *cracks neck* well lets take a look, shall we?

Yugi is most definitely drawn to strong personalities, which both Anzu and Atem posses, as well as kind, fair hearts. But lets look at their individual qualities. 

Anzu was likely one of his only friends growing up, so not only does he have that nostalgic fondness, but something much deeper that grew from it. Kids are cruel and we know poor Yugi was bullied, probably pretty consistently, but Anzu stayed by him. She played hand-held games with him, stood up for him when classmates took their teasing too far (say she didn’t do that i’LL FIGHT YOU) but most importantly, she simply stayed with him. It didn’t matter how quirky he was, she smiled and laughed along with him. It didn’t matter that every other boy was getting their growth spurts while his body acted like someone put a stopper in his biological clock, she would just shrug and assure him his would come someday. It didn’t matter when his timid, shy side showed through and overwhelmed him, she stood up even taller in the hopes of sparking his own confidence and sass. She accepted him as he was first and foremost, likely at a time where he had never experienced that (aside from maybe family members). She understood and accepted him, who’s to blame him for falling for his best friend?

Now enter Atem. Yes Yugi was fine the way he was, but he had this confidence and bravery inside him that was stunted, blocked somehow. While Anzu loved Yugi for who he was, Atem always encouraged and brought out what Yugi could be, the best version of himself he was always meant to be. Not only that, lets also not forget how Atem made Yugi feel like he really mattered, like he was needed by someone. Yugi always wanted to be the person someone else relied on and confided in and Atem was that person. Yeah on the surface Atem seems like the cool collected one who had everything figured out and under control, but deep down that’s simply not the truth. He even admits himself (pretty readily) that Yugi helps him in ways no one would even realize and I think Yugi know’s that. Atem grabbed Yugi and depended on him in a way that fulfilled a side of him no one else had. Yeah, I’d fall for that too tbh.

Now let’s talk about Anzu and her love. We’re talking about two men who, together, are arguably THE PERFECT man. But what makes the perfect man?

Again, Yugi is the comfortable, familiar, cozy sweater of a person due to their childhood friendship. In fact so comfortable, it took a long time to actually realize she was more than a little in love with him. So what if she walks with him to school every single day? They’ve done it since they were in fifth grade! So what if she always chooses to sit next to him no matter where they are? It’s the best position to talk with him, duh! So what if she’d rather sit inside during lunch and listen to Yugi go on and on about duel monsters instead of watching the popular boys play basket ball? You’re the crazy one not her- I mean do you see the sparkle in his eyes she can’t pass up a chance to see that! If you actually asked her what she loved most about Yugi, she’d think of nothing and everything at the same time. His lovable qualities: his kind heart, his loyalty, the way he makes her feel like the most important person in the world by just looking at her, those things are all so familiar and apparent to her by now, she can barely define them. 

But that familiarity came at a price, because the first one she actually knew she fell for, was Atem. The knight every girl, in some way or another, dreams about. Yes she is a strong woman who can stand her own, but who doesn’t love a confident, smirking, mysterious hero-type? Atem awoke a sense of adventure and discovery no one else could provide her with. But there was also the complexity of their situation, for a long time there was this distance that seemed impossible to shorten, which likely only made her all the more interested. And then when they finally closed that distance? Oh boy, dose that make a girl feel special. Her patients and persistence paid off and now she gets to truly discover him, even if it was only as a friend at first. The best part? His mystique and confidence wasn’t all there was too him like so many ‘bad boys’ who may have caught her interest, he was kind and genuine at his core. Yeah he has his moments of overt arrogance, but in his heart of hearts he’s a good person, and that’s the winning factor that really sealed the deal for her heart. Girl you’ve got good good taste.

And finally, we have Atem. Woo boy, does he have a future full of love with these two. The first two who accepted him in this new chance at life.

Yugi saved him. Simple as that. Okay okay so, not that simple, let me elaborate. Not only did Yugi free him from his prison inside the puzzle, but this sweet sweet boy selflessly lets him share his body so that he might have at least something that resembles a life? How did he get so lucky to find this embodiment of all things light. Yes, light, that’s what Yugi is, his light. Atem has always been scared of his darker tendencies, ashamed even, worried that the darkness is who he is deep down. But again, there’s Yugi, his light and reminder that he can be better than his lesser qualities. People always praise him for bringing out Yugi’s confidence and strength, but in Atem’s eyes, that pales in comparison to what Yugi brought out in him. Yugi is the reason he can be kind and gentle, the reason he didn’t fall into darkness forever. They make each other the best versions of each other, and Atem is forever grateful for that. 

But let’s not forget Anzu. Admiration is likely the first word that pops into his mind when thinking about when he first fell for her. Her determination to make her dreams a reality no matter how hard it was. Loyalty that ensured she always stood up and by her friends no matter the situation. Valor and heart mixing together to make the perfect balance of fearless defender and caring supporter no matter how life tried to break her. Even if he didn’t show it outwardly, he was entranced by this pillar of love and strength. She was the first to really accept him as his own person, instead of an extension of Yugi (save for Yugi himself) and that truly awoke him. Yugi helped bring the light to his life, but Anzu lit the passion in his soul. Her own enthusiasm for life and the things that filled it, in turn, made him love life again, albeit in his own more even-toned way. Her passions spilled over and fueled his own, even if she didn’t notice it. She is drive and zest and spunk and joy all in one! Simply put, she makes him feel alive, and who doesn’t love that feeling? 

Whew, wow, if you read all the way through that I appreciate you, friend! Please please feel free too add your own thoughts and comments or just talk to me about these precious babies! Thanks for reading <3

[thighpower]

The Home Netflix Series Is Underappreciated And Here’s Some Reasons Why

Ok, so you may be thinking: “Home was an OK film, but not exactly the best thing Dreamworks has made, why would I want to see a cash-in show based on it?” which is a perfectly valid thought to think. However, let me make a bold statement here: THIS SERIES IS BETTER THAN THE FILM WHICH IT IS BASED UPON.

I know, I know, I may sound crazy. But hear me out. We all know Dreamworks has produced a lot of netflix shows recently based on their film franchises, like the Puss In Boots and the King Julian series, and I have no opinion on those since I haven’t watched them, although I do watch Race to the Edge and I doubt they’re as good as that. However, it’s interesting that I chose to watch Home over these other shows, since I know the Shrek and the Madagascar franchises much better than the film Home. I think a large factor that helped this decision was the fact that:

this series is in 2D animation.

Yup, you heard- er.. read me, unlike most other series based on a 3D Dreamworks film, this series deviates from the film’s animation style and takes on not only a 2D style, but a style all of its own. It’s so colourful and vibrant and bouncy and all-round gosh darn gorgeous! You can really tell that the animators, like everyone else who works on the series, have put so much passion and effort into it and every other component aside, it’s an absolute joy to watch. I actually follow one of the storyboard artists here on tumblr and it’s from him that I found out season 3 is coming soon!!

Reason #2: the characters/diversity

The main characters are Tip, a young girl of colour, and Oh, a cute lil alien. There’s also Tip’s single mother Lucy who went from being a rather one-dimensional character in the film (her personality was just caring mother imo) to a fleshed-out, completely crazy and strong and lovable character in the series (she’s seriously completely insane sometimes and I love it. also they decided to give her pink hair and i have no idea why but i fully support that decision).

Tip is such a good protagonist not only for representation as a black girl, but her personality is also so unique. She’s imaginative and energetic and strong-willed, and also doesn’t fall into any gender stereotypes; she’s interested in both “girly” things and “boyish” things. The only “problem” with her that’s more of a personal thing is that she’s on the brisk of puberty and the show really wants you to know it. Almost every episode she has to say something about boys or crazy emotions etc., and tbh maybe that’s a good thing bc it’s realistic and stuff??? I’m not sure. I remember seeing on imdb once that a few people who work on this series also worked on Pubertina (which I swear was that Smosh animation), so I’m wondering if that’s where the inspiration came from lol. I also love how she’s animated; she’s a weird crazy child and they’re not afraid to use animation to their advantage by making her facial expressions as exaggerated as needed. Also the actress who voices her is absolutely PHENOMENAL and her characterisation of Tip is spot on. All of the actors are amazing tbh.

The secondary characters are also amazing and so much more fleshed out than their film counterparts, such as Kyle, and oh my gosh I LOVE Smek! A former villain now working at the local store is an hilarious plot line. There’s also new characters like Sharzod, whom I also love for their sass.

In terms of diversity, the background characters come in all shapes and sizes and colours, and that’s just the humans! Whilst there’s no explicitly LGBT+ characters or moments that I can recall, it is explained that there are seven Boov genders, and when Tip is informed of this, she makes sure to use the correct pronouns. This is so important, especially for children, as it introduces them to the idea or possibility of a gender spectrum outside of our binary. Also Boy George has a character in one episode so that’s pretty cool lol.

Reason #3: the music

I don’t even need to explain this part to you if you go find the full theme song and listen to it now. You’ll understand. The actress who voices Tip was actually on X Factor I believe, and they have definitely utilised her glorious talent well as there are several musical numbers within the series, all of which are bops. There is a season 1 album which I bought, but I wish they’d release a season 2 one as well!!

Reason #4: the humour

The tone of the show is definitely comedic, however there are also moments of drama and emotion. The comedy is absolutely hilarious in my opinion, but I’m not sure how to describe it. Sometimes it’s parody, but mainly it’s....idk...just crazy? I know I’ve used that word quite a bit in this post but I’m not sure how else to describe it. I think a reason why the humour works so well is because every single component of the series (the animation, the acting, the writing, the sound, etc) compliment each other wonderfully; they’re like different musical instruments that sound good on their own, but create a glorious symphony when combined.

In conclusion, there’s so much more I could say about this series, but I’d better stop myself before I write too much. I’m honestly surprised I love it so much because usually I don’t like shows that don’t have a main constant underlying plot, but this series still manages to pace itself so well and is an absolute pleasure to watch again and again. I implore you to check it out for yourself, and share it as much as possible! More people need to talk about this!!!!

[magicaldistractions]

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Walt Disney  Walt’s dream of “opening new doors” is coming true at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As Magical DIStractions continues to report, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is undergoing a major expansion. With the new Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land on the horizon, it is inevitable that some of the “oldies but goodies” have to go. Today’s edition of the Things I Miss Series covers just a few of the things that I miss at  Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Some of the attractions closed prior to the announced expansion but others are making way for the new lands and new memories for the Guests.

Things I Miss: Disney’s Hollywood Studios Edition

Osborne Family Lights: Photo Credit: Murtagh Photography

7. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure closed its gate at the end of the day on April 2, 2016 and I was a bit sad to see it go. At 11,000 square feet, the play area gave kids the room to play to their delight!  The attention to detail was amazing! Anty the ant and Quark the dog made appearances alongside the giant paperclip and super soaker. Kids and adults alike loved to pose on the back of the oversized ant for one of the most unique picture taking opportunities in the park.  Back in the day when my kids were younger, they could have played for hours if I hadn’t encourage them to see other parts of the park.

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6. Streets of America and Forced Perspective Backdrops

The buildings along Streets of America were all fascades but unless you looked really closely, you may not have been able to tell. Disney’s use of forced perspective made Guests feel as if they were actually on the streets of New York  and San Francisco. In true Disney form, the attention to detail amazed all who walked the area. If you listened closely, you could even hear the sounds of a busy street. The backdrops also afforded cool photo ops such as a mini-version of The Beatles crossing Abbey Road created by three in our group.

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5. Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade

This fun parade featured cute floats and lots of characters from Pixar films. Included in the cavalcade of characters were Mr. Fredricksen, Russell, and Doug from Up. Marching along the streets and on the floats were The Incredibles. Flik, Princess Atta and more of A Bug’s Life characters delighted the Guests as well. And, one can’t forget Mike, Sulley and the sock wearing monster from Monsters, Inc.  Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade was fairly short lived having only run from January, 2011 to April, 2013. But, it is one of the things I miss because the parade included so many lovable characters.

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Things I Miss-Disney’s Hollywood Studios Edition-Photo Credit: Lisa McBride

4. The Backlot Tour

There have been several versions of The Backlot Tour over the years.  The tour was in several parts that included both walking and a tram ride through what was then Disney MGM Studios. Some of us veteran Walt Disney World Resort Guests still catch ourselves calling it MGM Studios.

When the attraction first opened, the tour could take quite some time to complete as you were taken behind the scenes and given the opportunity to see actual television production sets, and were later taken on a tram ride through areas of the park. I still remember seeing the sets of Home Improvement and 102 Dalmatians during the walking portion of the tour.  To make the queue for the tram a bit more fun, Guests walked through a portion of the props department. There you would see props from the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe, Mulan and more! It was also quite something when the tram rolled down Residential Street past the houses used in The Golden Girls and Ernest Saves Christmas and Empty Nest. I’m dating myself, I know!

Over the years, Disney revamped the attraction to make way for the park’s “new” attraction: Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show which, by the way, has since closed, and makes this list too. Gone was the tram ride down Residential Street but Guests were able to see something a bit more exciting: Catastrophe Canyon! And, any true Disney fan loved getting an up close look at Walt’s personal plane.

Sadly, The Backlot Tour closed and the last tram tour rolled out on September 27, 2014.

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3. Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show

I’m not a stunt show type gal but Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show added an extra vroom-vroom of excitement to my Disney’s Hollywood Studios day. The stunt show spun the tires for the last time on April 2, 2016.  That’s the same day that Streets of America closed.  The stunt show packed a lot into the approximately 35 minute show. There were specialty designed cars, motorcycles, jet skis, and even explosives! The show was set in a Mediterranean village and included a classic story line of good versus evil. Few adjustments were made during the almost 11 year run.

Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show was massive at 177,000 square feet with a 5,000 seat stadium. By doing away with the show, Disney’s Hollywood Studios gained a lot of ground for their new expansion.

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2. The Great Movie Ride

The lastest attraction to close its doors at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is The Great Movie Ride. Housed in a recreated Chinese Theater, The Great Movie Ride was, at 95,000 square feet, a massive indoor attraction. Guests would board a large tram and greeted by their very own host who gave details on the attraction and even played a roll themselves. Guests were taken past life size animatronic stars, including Gene Kelly, John Wayne, James Cagney, Julie Andrews, and even Cheeta from Tarzan. Fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien and The Wizard of Oz were delighted as they traveled through sets of the classic movies.

A video montage of short clips from movies such as Good Morning Vietman, Chicago, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Lady and the Tramp, Tangled and Frozen, rounded out the tour.

While I am sad that this classic Disney attraction shut its doors on August 13, 2017, I have to admit that I’m exciting about its replacement: Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

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1. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Sadly, Disney pulled the plug on this very popular yuletide spectacular on January 6, 2016. Arkansas businessman, Jennings Osborne, started the lighting tradition for his six year old daughter. Year after year, it grew bigger and more popular. Neighbors sued Osborne and he was forced to stop by the Supreme Court. Mr. Osborne’s story caught national attention and Walt Disney World contacted Mr. Osborne who accepted Disney’s offer to move the display to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

In 1995, The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights made it’s debut and it was an immediate success.

The Backlot area of Disney���s Hollywood Studios was covered in millions of glittering lights. There were displays that danced to special songs of the season, twirling carousels of angels, toy soldiers, a spinning Earth, and even Santa and his reindeer flew high above the street. Guests were amazed as the truly spectacular event.

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  That’s a Wrap!

So, there you have it folks. That’s my list of the seven Things I Miss at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Do you miss any of these attractions? Are there others that you hated to see go? Let us know in the comment section below!

Things I Miss: Disney’s Hollywood Studios Edition

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Things I Miss: Disney’s Hollywood Studios Edition "We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

[recentanimenews]

The Weird and Wonderful Worlds of Columns II and Ichidant-R

  Arcade games always have a special allure to them. Lots of experimentation, lots of new ideas and ways to eat quarters, and also lots of difficulty bringing those games perfectly to the home console market. In a previous review, we took a look at SEGA AGES versions of Space Harrier and Puyo Puyo, which attempted to bring the arcade magic of those games to the Switch, taking advantage of the fact that modern hardware has allowed games to recreate their arcade perfect selves.

  For many of the SEGA AGES titles, the focus has been on classic, well known titles, like Sonic the Hedgehog, Outrun, Phantasy Star, Alex Kidd and other famous SEGA franchises have already had their time in the limelight. But what about lesser known, weirder titles? Thanks to our friends at SEGA, we were given a chance to check out two titles that fit that bill: Columns II: The Voyage Through Time, and Ichidant-R, and boy were we surprised by these two! 

Columns II is perhaps the simpler of the two to talk about: the sequel to the original puzzler Columns, Columns II is a game that’s eluded home release for a while, having been an arcade only release for much of its life except for a port to the SEGA Saturn; interestingly enough, its sequel, Columns III would see release on the Genesis, which explains why many SEGA Genesis compilations tend to skip from Columns I to III. And, frankly, that’s a bit of a shame! Columns has always been a somewhat unique puzzle game, as much of its action runs counter to what players familiar with Tetris or Puyo Puyo might expect: while combinations can be made horizontally and vertically, Columns really shines from careful consideration of diagonal plays to clear boards and create combos.

Columns II: The Voyage Through Time features two distinct modes of play: Flash Columns, and Vs Columns. Flash Columns takes players on a journey through time (hence the name) where they are tasked with completing 70 frankly punishing stages. The name “Flash Columns” refers to the fact that players are presented with a board that is already partially filled with gems (or other weird objects, like fossils or futuristic orbs; remember, time travel) that includes numerous flashing gem/fossil/things. The only way to clear a stage is to burrow down into the level and clear those flashing gems, a task that becomes increasingly difficult as the speed of the game picks up, and your own poorly laid out plans create unwanted consequences as you become your own worst enemy.

Along the way, players will run into Skulls, which appear in the board and act as a roadblock: clear them, and the entire board will be ratcheted up, meaning you have less space to work with! Flash Columns left me with what I can only describe as two distinct feelings: that I just didn't get Columns, or that I was so hyper aware of Columns that I knew the moment I had lost a board from a single set of 3 gems being placed. It was a weird feeling, to say the least, to oscillate between knowing the game is hard, to knowing the game well enough to realize I had already lost 30 seconds into a level. Thankfully, with unlimited continues and save states, this allowed me to play through the entire 70 stages of Columns II and feel a sense of accomplishment that, in an arcade, would likely have been physically impossible or extremely expensive.

Columns II runs so counter to the way most other puzzle games play (the focus on the diagonal being key to playing the game) that at times I found myself getting in my own way, trying to stack vertical or horizontal matches of icons, only for the board state to either remain exactly the same as it was, or in some cases, be even worse than it was before I cleared things. There aren’t many options to rotate or “drop” pieces either, which means that 3 stack high block is going somewhere, and you need to find the absolute best order and position for it to drop before you end up replaying that level all over again. Some stages would feel like a breeze, and others would be a grueling 30 minute long battle.

In the end, I was surprised at how I grew to actually like Columns II unique gameplay and challenge, where I initially came in comparing it only to other puzzle games, and despairing when the "wrong" 3 sets of jewels dropped. My reward for clearing all of these stages were the “Jewel Case”, a cute bonus added for SEGA AGES that features various “Jewels” of SEGA’s gaming collection, such as Nei from Phantasy Star II, and running through some frankly obscure SEGA characters and games to round out the overall collection. Having some goal or achievement to work towards, even if it was just an image of a cute SEGA character, really did help make me want to play more of Columns II, where I likely would have otherwise just played it till I got my fill and maybe picked it up occasionally afterwards.

In fact, compared to the SEGA AGES Puyo Puyo version, Columns II feels like a more robust package. Versus mode in Columns II allows 2 players to face off head to head in a format that plays like the original Columns, with each player building their board over time and trying to defeat the other (or simply outlast them) by creating cascading combos and chains. You can also take the game online and challenge other people to face you in Columns, although I must admit the overall community for such a game feels fairly small. Still, it is a nice addition to the game that gives it some extra life. There is also an included version of the original Columns as well, which gives you the option to play “regular” columns if Flash Columns is too difficult or tiring, and also gives you the ability to turn on “Skull Smash” which lets you play Flash Columns without the dreaded Skulls appearing. All of these really do create a nice package that spruces up a unique and absent part of the Columns family of games, and will really test your puzzle mettle, especially if, like me, you’re too used to those lovable tetrominos! 

While Columns II was fun, the real gem in the rough of this duo of releases is Puzzle and Action: Ichidant-R. Ichidant-R is the sequel to Puzzle & Action: Tant-R, itself a spin-off of Bonanza Bros. The Bonanza Bros. heroes, Robo and Mobo, shed their original jobs to become detectives (Tant-R), Medieval knights (Ichidant-R), and reprising their roles as detectives in the final game, Treasure Hunt for the SEGA Saturn.

While that interesting tidbit of lore isn’t required, I was personally amazed to learn that Bonanza Bros. spawned such a unique trilogy of games in their own right, and Ichidant-R is perhaps the first SEGA AGES game that I’ve felt greatful to experience because of how unique the title is. Ostensibly, it’s a collection of minigame puzzles that players select from randomly; in some cases it wouldn’t be wrong to say the Puzzle & Action games feel like very early inspirations for Wario Ware titles. These games range from memory puzzles to mazes and almost everything in between, with a somewhat shocking amount of variety given the age of the game.

While Ichidant-R is a very interesting and fun game, there are a few minigames that just aren’t very fun. The pencil sharpening game feels like an absolute nightmare on the analog sticks of the Joy-Con controller, and while the Pro controller is a bit better, this certainly feels like a game that didn’t age well after the removal of the arcade stick it expects you to be using. Other times games can just get ridiculously difficult; one of Ichidant-R’s biggest features is the oppressive time limit you have to complete a round of the minigame you’re on, and sometimes a single error can spell doom for an entire attempt at the game.

This is fine, since we have unlimited continues, and one nice feature is that when you continue from a game over, the game seems to recognize this and tones down the difficulty a bit before ramping it back up. Still, there are some games I definitely don’t want to play again, and some that I found fun enough to keep me going or replaying the game. Two players can play, as well, making it a bit of a challenge to see who will complete their games faster and essentially team up to take on the challenges the game presents you wish.

However, Ichidant-R’s true magic shines in the extras included in this SEGA AGES release. SEGA really went all out for the first official Western release of Ichidant-R, presenting players with the option to try out the Mega Drive version of the game. The biggest differences here is a “Quest” mode that is almost like a miniature RPG coupled with minigames, where players roam around an overworld map, fight off enemies (who challenge them to minigames), and collect the Philosopher Stones in order to save the kingdom.

Unfortunately, the entire Mega Drive version is in Japanese, and given the amount of text in the game this is understandably something probably not worth the investment in to translate. To mitigate this factor, SEGA’s manual for the game (available online here) includes a full walkthrough to help you experience the unique Quest mode, and also has the explanation for the 2-4 player Mega Drive only Competition mode, where players compete against one another to try and reach the boss first and be the one to bring them down! The Mega Drive mode offered in this version is worth the price of admission alone, letting players explore a game that would have never likely seen the light of day in the West in any other circumstance.

In our previous review of SEGA AGES titles, we mentioned that sometimes these versions of the games introduce new, arcade perfect versions of games with some updates, like Space Harrier, and others present a somewhat flat experience of the game as it was, like Puyo Puyo. In these two titles, Columns II and Ichidant-R, SEGA AGES really shines for the showcase of games it was meant to be. Not only do players get to experience arcade perfect ports of these two previously forgotten and unpublished games, they also get a bevvy of extras, with Ichidant-R’s Mega Drive mode really taking the cake. If this is the kind of quality that gamers can expect from SEGA AGES releases, they have a lot to look forward to as the line continues to grow; for now, do yourself a favor and pick up both of these if you love puzzle games, or simply like experiencing unique games that you can’t get anywhere else!

REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ Arcade perfect ports of Columns II and Ichidant-R.

+ Lots of extras; Mega Drive Mode in Ichidant-R is worth the purchase alone. 

+ Both games look and sound great, and controls are generally spot on. 

+/- Some of the minigames in Ichidant-R aren’t so great, and difficulty can be uneven.

- Tetris brain will really ruin you when trying to master Columns II. Go for the diagonals!

  What’s your take on these hidden SEGA gems? Have you played any of the Puzzle & Action games before? Let us know what you think of the game in the comments! 

    ----

Nicole is a features writer and editor for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[izzystitchlover]

Character Cast Analysis

Following on from my Character Cast Design Workshop, we were then given the task to analyse 3 existing Character Casts against the following principles; Audience, Shape Language, Silhouette and Shape Symmetry.

My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic: Main Cast (Season 8)

Audience:

The Audience to begin with was aimed at young children, primarily girls (aged 4 - 12), but the show slowly generated more popularity from adult men (also known as bronies).

Shape Language:

The Characters are all similar shapes as they are mostly ponies. The diversity of the cast can be seen more vividly when you look at all the characters featured in the show and not just the main ones. However, this main group of characters, particularly the ponies in the front row, are all rectangular/square shaped which project them as having a solid, stable and maybe stubborn persona. Though other qualities often assigned to a character’s personality, because of their square/rectangular structure is dependability and confidence. The use of similar shapes throughout the group (Mane 6) also helps show the idea of unity between them.

Silhouette:

The Pony's silhouettes are all very similar. This is mostly due to the fact they are all the same size with a tail, mane and 4 legs. Although they are fairly similar when silhouettes, we are able to identify each one as an individual due to their characters all having a part of them which makes them unique. Such as; Pinkie Pie’s hair (the pink one), Flutter Shy’s posture (the yellow one), Apple Jack’s Cowboy hat (the orange one), Rainbow Dash’s stance (the blue one) and Twilight Sparkle’s horn and wings (the purple one).

Asymmetry:

The Pony’s are all very asymmetric with manes which fall on only one side apart from Flutter Shy’s, but one side of her mane is still seen more and is bulkier than the other. Twilight Sparkle’s Horn and wings help us to separate her from the rest of the group as this makes it clear that she is different and suggests her importance both as the main character of the T.V Show and the group’s leader. However, most of the Cast on the back row have very symmetrical designs and are all different shapes and sizes, this could be because they aren't ponies so the designers wanted them to be different so they were unique in their own ways. The Yak’s hairstyle matches on both sides, as do the Griffin’s glasses and wings and the Dragon’s horns,

Lilo and Stitch: Main Cast

Audience:

Lilo and Stitch’s Audience is Families as it is loved by both adults and children. The use of bright/bold colours, the simplistic design and animation style of each character makes the film look colourful, friendly and fun.

Shape Language:

The shapes of the main cast are really varied, this works well as it shows off their individual personalities. For example, Evil Scientist Dr. Jumba Jookiba is noticeably larger and more rounded than his smart and lanky assistant/sidekick Pleakley. A fat looking character is usually made to be the ‘dumb’ or less intellectual one in a cast who can sometimes come across as being ‘big headed’. But, an oval shape can also be perceived as friendly, safe and harmless, which helps emphasise Jumba’s good nature and optimism.

Silhouette:

The silhouettes of the cast are all extremely different, this is good as it allows us at a glance to easily tell them apart. Some of the characters (Stitch) are also anthropomorphic, so their silhouettes occasionally reflect the animals they are/the animal idea in which they were created from (a Koala). This gives us hints and more of an idea about what they will be like before we even hear them speak.

Asymmetry:

The majority of the cast in this film are symmetrical, in fact, I don't know a character which isn't. This may not so much create a visual interest as such, but the characters are all different in colour, shape, how they walk and ways some of them can travel. This interest in the design is what helps to show the main personalities of the characters to the audience.

Gravity Falls: Main Cast

Audience:

Gravity Falls I'd say is mostly aimed at a younger audience but overall it is loved by all ages. It is about twins ‘Dipper and Mabel’ who visit their Grunkle whilst on Summer Vacation who lives in a house in the woods called ‘The Mystery Shack’. As is typical of cartoons aimed at young viewers, the children have larger heads than the adults, this trait is referred to as ‘Neoteny’, which helps to show their youth.

Shape Language:

The shapes of the cast are varied, much like Lilo and stitch. This works really well as it shows off their individual personalities. Grunkle Stan has a very rectangular/square like build, which communicates strength, stability and confidence. Although this shape can be large and daunting, It can also resemble a comforting and clumsy character.

Silhouette:

Grunkle Stan’s Silhouette could be somewhat misleading due to the type of hat he is wearing, so in a silhouette you may not be quite sure whether it's a hat or part of his head/hair. On the other hand, you could quite easily pick out Jesus ‘Soos’ Alzamirano (an awkward but lovable man-child) due to his extremely large body, as well as the baseball cap he wears which is almost always side-on. The sideways idea in a silhouette is really smart as it means you can see the ‘visor’ part more clearly so it doesn’t look like it's part of the character's body.

Asymmetry:

There is a variety between the characters when you look at their asymmetry designs. The Adults, Grunkle Stan and Soos are both very symmetrical in design, whereas the kids; Dipper, Mabel and Wendy all have a fringe or a hairstyle meaning there's more hair on one side of their body compared to the other making them Asymmetrical.

[magicaldistractions]

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Walt Disney  Walt’s dream of “opening new doors” is coming true at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As Magical DIStractions continues to report, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is undergoing a major expansion. With the new Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land on the horizon, it is inevitable that some of the “oldies but goodies” have to go. Today’s edition of the Things I Miss Series covers just a few of the things that I miss at  Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Some of the attractions closed prior to the announced expansion but others are making way for the new lands and new memories for the Guests.

Things I Miss: Disney’s Hollywood Studios Edition

Osborne Family Lights: Photo Credit: Murtagh Photography

7. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure closed its gate at the end of the day on April 2, 2016 and I was a bit sad to see it go. At 11,000 square feet, the play area gave kids the room to play to their delight!  The attention to detail was amazing! Anty the ant and Quark the dog made appearances alongside the giant paperclip and super soaker. Kids and adults alike loved to pose on the back of the oversized ant for one of the most unique picture taking opportunities in the park.  Back in the day when my kids were younger, they could have played for hours if I hadn’t encourage them to see other parts of the park.

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6. Streets of America and Forced Perspective Backdrops

The buildings along Streets of America were all fascades but unless you looked really closely, you may not have been able to tell. Disney’s use of forced perspective made Guests feel as if they were actually on the streets of New York  and San Francisco. In true Disney form, the attention to detail amazed all who walked the area. If you listened closely, you could even hear the sounds of a busy street. The backdrops also afforded cool photo ops such as a mini-version of The Beatles crossing Abbey Road created by three in our group.

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5. Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade

This fun parade featured cute floats and lots of characters from Pixar films. Included in the cavalcade of characters were Mr. Fredricksen, Russell, and Doug from Up. Marching along the streets and on the floats were The Incredibles. Flik, Princess Atta and more of A Bug’s Life characters delighted the Guests as well. And, one can’t forget Mike, Sulley and the sock wearing monster from Monsters, Inc.  Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade was fairly short lived having only run from January, 2011 to April, 2013. But, it is one of the things I miss because the parade included so many lovable characters.

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Things I Miss-Disney’s Hollywood Studios Edition-Photo Credit: Lisa McBride

4. The Backlot Tour

There have been several versions of The Backlot Tour over the years.  The tour was in several parts that included both walking and a tram ride through what was then Disney MGM Studios. Some of us veteran Walt Disney World Resort Guests still catch ourselves calling it MGM Studios.

When the attraction first opened, the tour could take quite some time to complete as you were taken behind the scenes and given the opportunity to see actual television production sets, and were later taken on a tram ride through areas of the park. I still remember seeing the sets of Home Improvement and 102 Dalmatians during the walking portion of the tour.  To make the queue for the tram a bit more fun, Guests walked through a portion of the props department. There you would see props from the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion Witch and the Wardrobe, Mulan and more! It was also quite something when the tram rolled down Residential Street past the houses used in The Golden Girls and Ernest Saves Christmas and Empty Nest. I’m dating myself, I know!

Over the years, Disney revamped the attraction to make way for the park’s “new” attraction: Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show which, by the way, has since closed, and makes this list too. Gone was the tram ride down Residential Street but Guests were able to see something a bit more exciting: Catastrophe Canyon! And, any true Disney fan loved getting an up close look at Walt’s personal plane.

Sadly, The Backlot Tour closed and the last tram tour rolled out on September 27, 2014.

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3. Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show

I’m not a stunt show type gal but Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show added an extra vroom-vroom of excitement to my Disney’s Hollywood Studios day. The stunt show spun the tires for the last time on April 2, 2016.  That’s the same day that Streets of America closed.  The stunt show packed a lot into the approximately 35 minute show. There were specialty designed cars, motorcycles, jet skis, and even explosives! The show was set in a Mediterranean village and included a classic story line of good versus evil. Few adjustments were made during the almost 11 year run.

Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show was massive at 177,000 square feet with a 5,000 seat stadium. By doing away with the show, Disney’s Hollywood Studios gained a lot of ground for their new expansion.

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2. The Great Movie Ride

The lastest attraction to close its doors at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is The Great Movie Ride. Housed in a recreated Chinese Theater, The Great Movie Ride was, at 95,000 square feet, a massive indoor attraction. Guests would board a large tram and greeted by their very own host who gave details on the attraction and even played a roll themselves. Guests were taken past life size animatronic stars, including Gene Kelly, John Wayne, James Cagney, Julie Andrews, and even Cheeta from Tarzan. Fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien and The Wizard of Oz were delighted as they traveled through sets of the classic movies.

A video montage of short clips from movies such as Good Morning Vietman, Chicago, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Lady and the Tramp, Tangled and Frozen, rounded out the tour.

While I am sad that this classic Disney attraction shut its doors on August 13, 2017, I have to admit that I’m exciting about its replacement: Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

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1. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

Sadly, Disney pulled the plug on this very popular yuletide spectacular on January 6, 2016. Arkansas businessman, Jennings Osborne, started the lighting tradition for his six year old daughter. Year after year, it grew bigger and more popular. Neighbors sued Osborne and he was forced to stop by the Supreme Court. Mr. Osborne’s story caught national attention and Walt Disney World contacted Mr. Osborne who accepted Disney’s offer to move the display to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

In 1995, The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights made it’s debut and it was an immediate success.

The Backlot area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios was covered in millions of glittering lights. There were displays that danced to special songs of the season, twirling carousels of angels, toy soldiers, a spinning Earth, and even Santa and his reindeer flew high above the street. Guests were amazed as the truly spectacular event.

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  That’s a Wrap!

So, there you have it folks. That’s my list of the seven Things I Miss at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Do you miss any of these attractions? Are there others that you hated to see go? Let us know in the comment section below!

Things I Miss: Disney’s Hollywood Studios Edition "We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.