#also in the case of adapting written medium to visual medium it can be very hard to decide whether to prioritize accuracy or vibes

[danmeichael]

i’m polite and i’m not going to um actually someone on their own post because their thoughts and feelings have intention and nuance that are not visible to me as an outsider in their brain but if you’re wondering, the reason visual mediums emphasize height differences between characters is (sometimes size kink but also) to add visual contrast between characters and emphasize their personalities and how other characters perceive them through their designs.

a character who is described as imposing and bulky will 100% of the time be drawn exaggeratedly tall even if they are only a couple inches taller than the POV character.

characters that are young will be drawn exaggeratedly short in highly stylized series because that’s a very clear visual indicator of their youth. yes highschool students are usually a similar size to the adults around them, but making highschool students shorter than their teachers visually emphasizes the divide between adult and child. Have you ever seen series where characters that are like, 7 years old come up to the knees of adults? yeah that’s not how it works but it easily says to the viewer “this is a tiny baby child”

character heights may also seem to change between scenes to emphasize the emotions of the people in those scenes. a normally tall character may be drawn small in contrast to another in order to visually express the characters’ feelings of helplessness, or to emphasize how cool and impressive the impossible odds of the battle are.

realistic heights are often just not as visually diverse. they feel bigger and larger than life when you experience those height differences in the real world, but when put 2D onto paper or screen it just doesn’t feel as impactful. so artists remake the impact through exaggeration

[purplerakath]

Dissecting an Adaptation - A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Adaptation is one of those weird topics. It's 'bad' because it changes things. But if it doesn't change things, its still bad. A no win scenario as you turn one thing into itself from a new angle. And a lot of the time people don't look at why it made changes, or what those changes do. Or how those changes play into the nature of the story.

TV, Film, Books, Comics, and Video Games have different tools, different rules, and different ways to do the same thing: tell a story.

This will have spoilers for both the first book, and the for season one of the series. I won't spend a lot of time on changes that impact books 2 and 3 (there are some) and won't go far enough to really qualify as spoilers for those two works.

Adaptations of Structure

The biggest change is the tools a work has to use, and the costs those tools have to use, which covers a lot of the bigger changes in the first season.

(I read the US version of the books, but won't be discussing anything to do with how those read differently from the international version.)

The books switch between three forms of writing over the course of it, narrative prose as normal for a novel, log entries written in character for Pip, and interview transcripts/text exchanges. These change the flow of how the book reads as they are written in different styles. They're very good for a written book, but won't do nearly as much good in a TV show.

Even just stopping for Pip to listen to a full interview wouldn't actually do much visually in an audio-visual medium like TV.

Which covers why almost everything from those is missing. The interviews Pippa does are all done in narrative without a break to a new format to make it clear what's going on. And this is, overall, fine. As much as Pippa's catfishing email exchanges are really good for showing how clever and duplicitous Pip can be, they don't play well in video.

Adaptations of Tempo

Books can cover a longer space of time than a TV show does, TV shows want some continuity of motion. Nothing as exact as 24's 1:1 time flow, but you want an episode to be days not weeks. A season to be months not years (back when seasons were 20+ episodes and not 6-8 episodes).

Which is bad if you're, say, unraveling a mystery. And you want the story to circle back to previous lies, previous interesting characters who graduate to suspects. Lies that become motives. But six episodes means we can't spend too much time chasing our tails.

This also means that a lot of characters who are there to fill space... can just be rolled into another character. Chloe Burch's role in the story being rolled into Nat's character is a good example of this. Ant Lowe being exiled from Pip's friend group is another good one.

There are problems, Stanley Forbes is entirely absent from this version. Similarly we don't see Mr. Singh or Mrs. Bell. And Jason isn't remarried. These all matter to a degree, but they also don't matter right now. And the room for these characters to show up in later seasons (if renewed) is there, so they will be around when we need them.

It's just a little bit of a problem.

Adaptations of Tone

Books have a tougher time with subtext, probably due to them just being text. You have what's there, and nothing else. The audiobook has a fullcast so there might be some read directions on dialog, but you can't rely on that to tell you anything if you're reading the paperback or an epub. So a lot less of it can be about what isn't there.

But when you have actors you can do so much with things that aren't being said out loud. The difference between Book 1 Pipravi as a relationship and Season 1 Pipravi is huge. The book didn't focus on Pip's feelings about Ravi outside of how he was impacted by the case, series Pip is awkwardly trying to work out her emotions over this boy pretty much out of ep 2 and it doesn't stop until she tells him to shut up in Ep 6.

Emma also brings a different sort of intensity to Pip than Book Pip seems to contain. Pip in the book is headstrong, certain of herself (until facts break her), but her need to solve this case is a little less clear in the book (where she's doing this because she thinks its right) vs the show where it's something inside her she has to struggle with.

The other tonal shifts are one of who gets treated kinder by which version of the story. Andie of course is a lot more complex in the books, while the series paints her as a well meaning terrible person. Changing her relationship with Nat is a pretty big one (and really the only shift in the series a fully dislike).

Meanwhile the book spends a lot of time treating Elliot Ward like a good man in a bad situation, that what he did was all moments of weakness and he didn't mean to. The series more firmly paints him as a man with a darkness he hasn't come to grips with, his breakdown in the books makes him less monster than the show. In turn Naomi is given more moments of helping Pip in the series, to lessen her hand in Sal's fate, making her less villainous in Pip's eyes.

These changes on who is framed in kinder light is fairly small on paper, but huge in practice. Changes born (in part) from the tempo of the series being faster. Naomi dodges Pip's questions more in the book, turning her into a more valid suspect. While in the series she's so desperate to tell anyone what happened she let's it slip in the first episode.

Overall...

Each version does different things well, most of the changes I find indifferent. Because as much as the changes are changes, adding the parameter of acting to it means that they can make characters like Max and Daniel skin crawlingly creepy. And while later books Max is very, very creepy, that's because of what Pip knows not how he was written.

While Henry Ashton knew exactly what he was playing and exactly how to sell it with just his presence on set. And that's got it's own value too.

[cosmicatta]

One Piece Live Action: a very brief, very personal review (spoiler-free)

So I've just finished watching all 8 episodes of the One Piece Live Action.

And I loved every single second of it.

I don't even know how to express how much I enjoyed OPLA, I'm—! I just feel very strongly about this, I'm so emotional right now that I can't even type properly. I was screaming and giggling about so many little details the whole time, I can't even begin to count them.

The show is super charming and lively and fun, the characters are great, the essence of One Piece is there, it has the soul of the original series. The characters were also all full of personality, and I really liked the interpretations of each one of them.

One of the things I appreciated the most about OPLA is how colorful it is. Most live action adaptations of animated shows try too hard to appear "edgy" or serious, and they end up taking a lot from the spirit of the source material by darkening everything (both visually and plot-wise). This was not the case with OPLA.

It's full of life and color, the world feels very alive and it mantains the "weird-core," bright and vivid aesthetics of the anime. Similarly, the goofy and whimsical vibes of One Piece didn't get lost in translation, and I think that's one of its biggest wins. It's very hard to navigate the thin line between "too cartoony for a live action" and "not silly enough for One Piece," but I think they did it very well. I was worried that some visuals and specific bits of humor that make One Piece what it is would feel awkward in live action, but everything was very well executed. Some things feel or look ridiculous because they are ridiculous, and I think that's always been part of One Piece's spirit.

And, while there are quite a few changes in the storyline, I'd say I only slightly disagreed with one or two of them. I think everything flowed very nicely the way it was written, and for the most part the differences do make a better narrative for a more cinematic medium. The changes also made it feel new and exciting for us old fans while still mantaining the essence of the story; I often found myself thinking "well, I know what's going to happen, obviously, but I'm intrigued about how it's going to unfold with these new additions!"

And still, the emblematic core moments that we all remember and cheer for are there. Not only that, but they're brought to life very faithfully, to the point that even some gestures and camera angles are made to resemble the source material.

Overall it's been an amazing experience, and I'm dying to know if we'll get a season 2, because I can't even begin to imagine what more we will be gifted with if it happens!

TL;DR,

I'm not saying it's perfect (it's not), but it is definitely so much more than what I ever thought we would get, and so much more than I ever asked for. I'm happy that I trusted OPLA, because it is a love letter to One Piece. You can tell it was made by fans for fans, with care and passion and respect.

I'm grateful for this wonderful experience that let me become an 8-year-old little girl again, meeting her favorite characters for the first time, the characters that would stay by her side and watch her grow for about 17 years (and still counting).

Thank you, One Piece. And thank you, One Piece Live Action.

[animehouse-moe]

Ishura Episode 2: Alus The Star Runner

I'm trying hard, I'm really trying hard to give Ishura the credit it deserves, but it's a struggle and this episode just further highlights that. Not much to talk about since it's mostly bemoaning circumstance, but I just want to give Ishura a bit of a chance.

First of all, Ishura is a very... wordy series. Yeah, kind of obvious since it's a light novel, but I more so mean that the presence of a narrator is borderline abused to describe characters and events in the LN. And I mean, when it's written like that it works. When you have to listen to a narrator say those things though it becomes very taxing.

I really don't want to say that Passione is not putting forth much effort in adapting Ishura, but I think that I'm comfortable with saying that they're satisfied with keeping things pretty well in line with the source material. Not the worst thing possible, but when you have so much opportunity to improve upon things via the medium you're working in, it's not exactly great seeing those things left as is.

Anyways, that's really the only complaint I have from the more broad strokes of an adaptation perspective. The real first complaint I have is the fact that this is being called a Passione anime. The first image is the 2D animation credits from Passione, and the second is all the CG credits from Sanzigen.

Clearly, one is pulling more weight than the other.

Regardless of whether there's more effort put into the CG side though, the fact of the matter remains that composition is grossly overlooked within this work, and the series pays for it dearly.

Yes, a good deal of the CG animation is good, that sequence of Regnejee fighting the wild horde of Wyverns is great, and there's some good animation in Alus vs the dragon (we just don't say a word about the dragon).

But even within those aspects of really great work, the glaring issue remains the composition.

Take, for example, Regnejee's Thermal Arts. Looks great, sounds and feels great, but even in a simple sequence like that visual effect we find issues.

The beam of fire that Regnejee is preparing to fire off here is far away from the wild wyverns in the frame. However, that Thermal Art is shown to be placed in front of said wyverns. Plain and simple, a very glaring mistake for how simple a fix it is.

It just sets the tone for the level of quality in composition you should expect out of the series, and that level isn't great. Sure, in some cases like Alus visiting Nagan here, it looks good, but this is the type of scene that these models were built for. It's a blurred background, an up close shot that doesn't really try to give Alus texture through god awful color blending, and there's not any 2D work to better contextualize his model. But the real important piece is that he's in a dark scene with flat colors. There's no sun in the sky, there's no brightness or any variables to the scene, so there's nothing that has to change about Alus' model.

Conversely, Passione also proved that they can do good compositing work with these models, as we get a great look at Regnejee earlier in the episode.

He's in bright light, he has contrasting colors in his background, but he still looks good because of the composition. The armor actually has some semblance of a reflection in it, there's movement in the foreground of the frame, and there's actual composition appliedin the form of shadows and depth of field.

Similarly though, Regnejee is isolated in this frame, and is not doing much. If I were to argue any point with these two frames it's that the compositing is lazy and isn't putting a consistent effort in in any sense of the word. I mean, just look at the difference between the above Regnejee, and this one.

It feels almost embarrassing how different the two are.

And that's really my core issue with the show through these two episodes. The work in post completely destroys the production effort of so many people. They can make aspects of this series look great. The boarding might have taken a hit compared to the first episode, but it's still solid. The CGI fight for the wyvern hoards may have been short, but it looked impressively solid. Yes, the Dragon looked terrible, but Alus' part certainly had its moments. Even the visual effects dotted throughout the episode are good.

But something as simple as composition, or even the color design is enough to ruin that effort. It's tough to watch, especially because I've seen the good that the light novel can provide, and I know that Sanzigen and Passione are capable of good work.

So hopefully through this whining about the glaring issues plaguing this production thanks to a handful of aspects, I've convinced a few people to stick with the series. It's got potential, and it will still have its moments. It's just that like with many productions as of late, the issues and challenges created stem from singular or simple issues that remain unaddressed. It sucks, because it weighs on the industry and our experience as viewers a great deal.

[youssefguedira]

3, 5, 11, 14, 29? 👀👀👀

thank you!! <3 <3

3. what's your favourite fic that you've written?

complicated question. iron maiden joe has a special place in my heart on account of how long it took me to write and everything else, but there are parts of it i do wonder if i couldve done differently. i love hades au very much also i think the first fic has some of my best. for diabolik house of stone is my most beloved. also the entirety of angels in my time is really important to me. and if i ask you to stay makes me feel very [UNINTELLIGIBLE] so i don't have a particular favourite

5. what's a fic idea that you've had that you'll never write?

realistically it's unlikely to happen but i DID have a lil joenicky coffee shop au with a twist planned out in my head for a while based off a prompt post i saw on here. in which they've remained enemies / rivals / It's Complicated for a really long time, and after a few years of zero contact joe runs into nicky who has a coffee shop now. very silly. lot of fun tho. who knows it might happen some day now that i have free time again

11. do you have specific playlists for writing fics?

i do not! but most of my larger fics do have some kind of music attached to them even if the connection is just for me. iron maiden joe even has an actual playlist, though it needs editing and is a bit of a mess. so even if i didn't have the playlist for a fic there's usually a song i've linked it to in my head (in the case of one of my wips it's an entire album but that's a special case)

14. if you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which would you pick?

half of my writing process is Daydream About Character In Situation so i end up thinking about this a lot. iron maiden joe tho because there's some scenes that are really vivid in my brain, but this also applies to lotr au and other assorted fics, so who knows! in terms of diabolik one of my current wips i think would work really nicely

29. share a bit from a fic you'll never post or a scene that was cut from an already posted fic.

here have some zelda au (breath of the wild edition) because realistically. it's not getting posted any time in the near future but i HAVE written this part so

In one of the chairs, with her back to Nicolò, sits a woman. He cannot see her face, but the crown that rests upon her grey hair is enough of an indicator of her identity.

“Nicolò di Genova,” the woman says. “Please, sit. Let me see you.”

Nicolò obeys, crossing over to the closest of the armchairs and taking a seat. The woman turns to face him.

Her eyes crinkle at the corners when she smiles. She’s old, and wears a fine cloak with intricate patterns embroidered on its sleeves, a small sapphire set within her crown. Her hands are folded on her lap. Her voice is soft, but commanding nonetheless.

“I assume from your expression that you do not recognise me,” the woman says.

“I’m sorry,” is all Nicolò can say to that.

“Don’t be. We were told to expect it, though I imagine you would not even if your memory were intact. My name is Layla al-Kaysani,” she continues, and something tugs at Nicolò’s memory, clouded as it is. “Queen of Hyrule, or what is left of it. I have been waiting for you for a very, very long time.”

[tinycupcakesstuff]

Gonna jump into my time machine and do one of these!

1. Share a song that makes you think of - Celine Dion “I drove all night” is part of the soundtrack of my Eric/Sam origins fic when after having a big fight, Sam drives all night to rescue Eric from his family after he comes out disastrously when he returns home for his fathers funeral.

2. Do you read/reread your own fics? Yes, my WIPs.

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written? I’m enjoying my WIPs, my pre movie and during movie fics are my babies.

4. How many WIPs do you have right now? 2-3

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write? I started it, but may not post…a decades post movie fic where Sam convinces Eric to watch Fellow Travelers and he just totally loses it and adult Scot comes home to find eric a sobbing distraught mess and thinks someone had died only yo find out a Eric is in his feelings about Hawk and Tim and yells at him calling him snd *ass*hole.

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time? Yes all BwS fic on repeat in perpetuity.

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now? So many.

8. What project(s) are you currently working on? A Eric/Sam origin story pre movie with goal of 80k words, at 50k. I have a during movie into immediate post movie fic jm 30k words into.

9. Do you write every day? If you wrote today, share a sentence of what you’ve written! Not every day but I think about writing every day.

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting? Never published 🥴

11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics? No. I live in silence.

12. Do you have a playlist for your current WIP(s)? Share it! NA

13. How much planning do you do before writing? Lots of thinking of the scenes. I need to know what’s happening then write it down.

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick? Omg yes…TV series. Multiple seasons. Lots of story to tell.

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters? Still working on title for my premo is fic but my other one is a line from the film.

16. At what point in the process do you come up with titles? When it’s right. Can be at any point.

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic? Omg, well I’m a die hard hockey fan now. #Leafsforever

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

Eric never knew he had a type, but this has to be it. Physically, Sam was a very handsome man but it was beyond that to the very dignified way he carried himself at all times.

19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs.

Eric stared up at a group of men, the fluorescent lights created a halo effect around them. Instead of angelic and comforting, the effect was surreal. He suddenly felt frightened. 

By the tense posture and squared jaw he could immediately discern one of the figures as his coach, Bob Axelrod. Eric was careful not reveal any sign of fear or emotion on his face. There was also dad, a doctor, and a younger man he didn’t recognize. He shook his head in a lame attempt to collect himself. The feelings of fear and confusion crested into a wave of anger. 

His Dad spoke first. “It’s about time you woke up.” He and Axelrod were cut from the same cloth. Men hardened by their meager circumstances they could never quite overcome. In his father’s case, he was stuck running the family business and never got to live out his dream of being a hockey player. That was Eric’s job. Axelrod was just born angry and hateful, and had his own middling NHL career to stand on. They were equally triggered by any demonstration of humanity, that was weakness. Eric was supposed to be a hockey machine, nothing more, nothing less. This Dad and Axelrod were looking down at him with matching contemptuous scowls. They had a knack for sucking all the air out of the room.

“Yeah, I know, how embarrassing for me to be rendered unconscious by general anesthesia. What will the papers say? ‘Eric McNally is a sissy,’ right Ax?”

Axelrod snorted derisively, “Fucking faggot, more like. You caused a God damn brawl and now Sanders is out with a sprained ankle.”

Eric clocked the fourth man wincing from the use of the slur, and he self-consciously straightened his burgundy paisley tie that perfectly complemented his immaculately tailored suit.

“I don’t give a fuck about Sanders,” Eric spat out.

The nurse was still standing next to the fourth man and Eric watched them exchange an uneasy glance. He was tall and handsome and seemed to be comfortable in his own skin and pink tie. He didn’t look like someone who gets pushed around. Something in his expression changed as he stepped forward, “Mr. McNally, I’m so glad you are awake. I’m Sam Miller, your lawyer. John Thompson assigned me to your case.” He looked Axelrod square in the face and then back to Eric. “There was indeed quite a melee after you were knocked unconscious by Sanders. Multiple players engaged in a fight and sustained injuries. Some are pursuing legal action against the team. That is why I am here, and I would advise you not to speak with the team’s representatives without me being present.”

Eric’s Dad lunged forward. “They sent a lawyer up here! This is absolutely ridiculous. Bob Axelrod did nothing wrong. We don’t want you here.”

Sam then directed his cold gaze to Eric’s father, “No one sent me. Mr. McNally is a long-term client of our firm and I am here to represent him with all matters pertaining to his contractual relationship with the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club and his rights to pursue civil and criminal charges against those who assaulted him on Thursday.”

Eric’s dad wagged a finger in Sam’s face,“Get out of here! No one wants you here!”

Eric watched on in horror and sat up in the bed too fast causing an overwhelming shooting pain down his arm.“Fuck!” He cried out loudly.

They all paused in their tracks, temporarily fixated on Eric who was breathing slowly trying to ride out the wave of intense pain. He was determined to put an end to this, and pushed through the pain to yell at his father. 

“Dad! What the fuck do you think you are doing? Don’t you dare lay a finger on him! Get out of here! You and Axelrod need to get the fuck out of here and don’t ever come back! You can go out there and talk about what a fucking disappointment I am and fantasize about how you want to take me out back with your rifle and put me down. Get the fuck out of here.” 

Eric laid back down in the bed and pressed the button to his morphine drip. 

Eric’s Dad and Axelrod left grumbling to each other.. Eric breathed a sigh of relief. Sam hesitated a second, allowing them to leave first. After their voices receded down the hallway, Sam started to make his exit. 

“Hey, Sam. You can stay. I just wanted those assholes to clear out.”

He turned back into the room and approached the bed with a hint of a smile , “I’m Sam Miller. Pleased to meet you officially. And, um, thanks for that.”

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written? TBD

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why? YES! I originally had them meet in a totally different way. But, I will post that as a separate one shot one day.

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing? No. I am more of a pantser than a plotter. All I know is HEA!

23. How do you choose where to end a chapter (if you have multi-chapter works)? I like to end on dialogue or a nice thought that is a nice point to pause or reflect on.

24. Share a moodboard for (one of) your current WIP(s). OMG, I have a whole pinterest for Eric and Sam.

Sam

Eric

25. Have you ever upset yourself with your own writing? Not really.

26. Is there something you’ve written that you would never want your family to see? ALL OF IT heheheheh

27. Is there a fic you were nervous to post/share? Why? I'm nervous to post, but I know that I want this story out there.

28. Have you ever tagged a fic “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat”? LOL no

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

Okay, I will post the above referenced fic.

“There, there.” Sam says, patting Eric’s head absently.

They’re sitting on the couch, Sam with his legs up on the coffee table and Eric sitting beside him with his head between his legs. Eric lets out a few muffled sobs. Sam hears the footsteps approaching quicker than he can think of a plausible explanation for the current state of affairs. 

Sam turns his head without removing his hand, fingers now weaving through Eric’s salt and pepper flecked hair. The contour of Eric’s skull in his hand is so familiar, it’s like the back of his hand. What is less familiar is Eric’s emotional outburst. Eric had become considerably more in touch with his feelings since Scot came into their lives, but this sort of outpouring of emotion was a first for Eric. Sam was surprised when Eric willingly watched the latest television series depicting LGBT issues. Eric didn’t typically care much, but when Sam explained the premise of the new series Fellow Travelers, Eric was intrigued.

They had met in the last few seasons of Queer as Folk which Eric would watch but roll his eyes at. It’s been more than 20 years since they met, and a lot has changed since then. Eric came out on air and became involved with several LGBTQIA sports organizations, learning the acronyms and finally embracing his community.

So they sat down on the couch each Sunday to stream it, Eric more than Sam eagerly awaiting the new episode. Yelling at the screen. He was completely and utterly captivated by the on screen depiction of two men in love.

Sam glanced over his shoulder expecting Scot to appear at any moment, his footsteps were approaching rapidly. 

“Eric is having feelings,” Sam says by way of explanation.

A look of terror washes across Scot’s handsome face. He had grown into a tall, broadchested  man in the years since they adopted him. He spent far more time in the gym than Sam would have ever predicted, much to Eric’s delight. There was a lot of truth to Sam’s theory that his strong embrace for the feminine was an expression of his grief for his mother and an attempt to stay close to her. As he moved into puberty and processed his grief he learned to embrace his masculine side. Now, he was a grown man with he/him pronouns and his partner is trans. He goes to the gym to keep up his bulky physique, but wears his hear long and styled to perfection with a full beard. He’s the product of three parents who embraced him fully and allowed him to express his authentic self.

“What the hell is going on?” He says, voice quivering, betraying a deep concern. The rich, deep, sound of Scot’s voice snaps Sam back to reality. Still, after all these years, sometimes Sam expects his prepubescent squeak after all these years. 

As if on queue, Eric pops his head up. 

“Oh, hey, Scot. How was the lecture?” 

“Eric, you’re sobbing!” Scot nearly shouts and rushes to the couch and wedging himself between them, a habit he’s had since he was a boy. Sam’s lips start to twitch up into a smile and he and Eric exchange a look behind Scot’s shoulders.

Eric, who has now fully regained his composure, opens his mouth to speak when he is abruptly cut off by Scot.

“Are you ok? Is Sam ok? Tell me. I can take it.” 

Sam’s hand is now on Scot’s head, weaving his fingers through his long, shoulder length auburn locks, “Scot, slow down.”

Eric slips an arm around Scot’s waist, “We’re fine, Scot. We were just watching Fellow Travelers.”

“Assholes!” Scot shouts as he shoots up off the couch.Sam and Eric can’t help but laugh. Sam is bemused by Scot’s swearing. He, like Sam, isn’t prone to profanities. Unlike Eric, who has very colorful language picked up of a lifetime of locker room talk.

He’s pacing in front of the TV.

“Ass—” he pauses, allowing Sam and Eric join him to complete the phrase, “holes!”

“First of all, I thought one of you were sick! I know the story of Hawk and Skippy is emotional, but Eric, really? Sobbing? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry before.”

“I’m a closet romantic,” Eric snarks back.

Sam chimes in to Eric’s defense, “I mean, it’s pretty sad. Historically speaking.”

Scot shrugs and settles back in on the couch, “So, Eric, do you want to talk about it?”

Eric huffs impatiently, “I think you guys are making more out of this than it needs to be.”

Sam rubs his back gently, patiently waiting for Eric to open up.

“Fine. It’s just that I think about how when we fell in love, and what if we met at another time, and I don’t know…”

Sam smiles a knowing smile that reaches his eyes while Scot looks on confused.

Eric waves a hand dismissively. “I was thinking about what if I couldn’t have you. What if we couldn’t be together. I would have ended up like Tim, on an odyssey to get over you but never able to.”

“I love that my parents are so in love.”

30. Ask anything

I’m Bored and Anxious So I Slapped Together a List of Fan Fic Writer Asks

1. Share a song that makes you think of [fic title] 2. Do you read/reread your own fics? 3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written? 4. How many WIPs do you have right now? 5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write? 6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time? 7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now? 8. What project(s) are you currently working on? 9. Do you write every day? If you wrote today, share a sentence of what you’ve written! 10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting? 11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics? 12. Do you have a playlist for your current WIP(s)? Share it! 13. How much planning do you do before writing? 14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick? 15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters? 16. At what point in the process do you come up with titles? 17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic? 18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic? 19. Give us a small teaser from one of your WIPs. 20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written? 21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why? 22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing? 23. How do you choose where to end a chapter (if you have multi-chapter works)? 24. Share a moodboard for (one of) your current WIP(s). 25. Have you ever upset yourself with your own writing? 26. Is there something you’ve written that you would never want your family to see? 27. Is there a fic you were nervous to post/share? Why? 28. Have you ever tagged a fic “Dead Dove: Do Not Eat”? 29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.) 30. Ask anything!

[nymposting]

OK WELL now I have irl friends following here so I reckon it’s high time for another pinned post~

Nym is my primary D&D/Pathfinder OC. He’s been through several systems and rewrites over time but his core identity and themes are just very dear to me so even after all his campaigns have ended I’m still writing about him. Right now his setting is a modern AU of Pathfinder 2nd Edition, with some major homebrewing going on around the magic mechanics.

This blog is just a pile of things that are On Brand as far as his characterization, sense of humor, visual motifs, lore jokes, et cetera. And possibly when I get something written that Im confident in, I might be willing to share. Maybe. Hopefully. We’ll see c:

Please don’t hesitate to send me asks or tag me in things if it seems like they fit the vibe~

Character bio under the cut 🖤✨

Vital info for the character bio girlies:

Full name: Nym Hruska. There are several aliases, nicknames, and a deadname as well.

Pronouns: he/any (genderqueer)

Ancestry: Fetchling. Fetchlings are humanoids who got trapped in the Shadow Plane ages ago and adapted to that environment. They look a lot like other humans but in greyscale, completely drained of all color, and with solid yellow or green eyes without visible pupils. Their eyes can reflect light like a cat’s or in some cases glow. Nym’s eyes are a vivid orange-gold all the way through. His skin is a medium-light grey, and his long hair is stark white. (It’s been straight in early iterations but is currently curly/wavy)

Class: Warpriest. Nym is a cleric of Nocticula, the Redeemer Queen - a goddess of the void, artists, protecting outcasts and exiles, as well as introspection and growth. It’s said that where the sun, moon, and stars hang in the sky, she is the darkness between them all. Previously he was aligned with the demi-deity Saloc; simply put, in the court where your eternal soul is judged, Saloc is your defense counsel. He’s often mistaken for a death cleric based on vibes alone but he’s deliberately blasphemed against the goddess of death before soooo definitely not in her camp lol.

Being a warpriest, while his spellcasting is competent, he excels mainly in combat. On Pathfinder jobs he wears full plate armor and arms himself with a guisarme. (And daggers. Always have a backup dagger.) His role is typically not only to neutralize threats, but to draw an adversary’s fire to protect his teammates. Despite being a cleric, he is not a healer. Healing magic is sparse in this setting, and he has a… complicated relationship with it.

Age: 41. Fetchlings have longer lifespans than humans, typically reaching physical maturity around 20, entering cultural adulthood at 50, and living to be well over 200. But they do visibly age at a closer pace to humans than one might expect. In terms of wrinkles etc, Nym looks about like a 30-year-old that’s been through the wringer.

Height/weight (avg): 6’4”/250ish lb. Due to how he uses magic and other factors, his weight fluctuates A Lot. 250 mostly in muscle is the goal, but it’s often less.

What’s he up to now: Currently he’s an itinerant priest, which is a fancy way of saying he lives out of his truck. He’s mainly a freelance field agent for what’s left of the Pathfinder Society, guarding research teams on expeditions and intervening when the modern world collides unfavorably with local monsters. He has a talent for getting into fights, whether it’s part of a job or not.

The travel is convenient for picking up a lot of contract work in various regions. But also, for totally normal reasons, he cannot stay in the city where he grew up and where most of the Hruskas still live. Officially his residence is in Hellbender Hollow, West Falmont, where he apprentices under his baba.

Notable past lore moments (i.e. from his campaign): stealing fish from essentially the Feywilds and accidentally starting a fish cult; leaving his first god’s service bc he killed one of that god’s boss’s personal soldiers one time; getting poached by a second deity and courted by a third while in a situationship with that last deity’s half-sibling who was also his senior colleague; growing gills as a result of repeatedly swimming in fey waters after the locals told him not to (I am actively trying to justify him having them in the modern AU I love gilled Nym so much)

Associated characters: his family, consisting of his mother, stepfather, four younger sisters and one younger brother; Kharinida, fellow Pathfinder agent and old friend/certified “it’s complicated” situation; Topher, local couch-surfing vampire who keeps saying he’ll join up “eventually”; others unnamed and/or still to come

And I will definitely be adding to this over time but this is the jist for now :)

[dailyrandomwriter]

Day 322

Every once in a while, I adapt my own writing, or someone else’s writing for a visual medium. Primarily comics, it was something I got into thanks to @wereah back when I was in university. The act of adapting something I’m familiar with into another medium often informs my views on adaptations.

That and Howl’s Moving Castle.

Both the book and the movie.

For those not familiar with the book (and I strongly recommend you read it, if you haven’t), Howl’s Moving Castle is a fantasy young adult book by Diana Wynne Jones. It’s actually part of a series, though I never got around to reading the rest of the books.

In all honesty, I didn’t even know this was originally a book. I had originally seen the movie and then was given as a gift by my sister as an adult. Which I treasure greatly because it’s such a bitch to buy books for me. Anyways, I loved the book, and loving the book never diminished my love for the movie. Both are excellent for very different reasons.

But the book made me appreciate the difficulty of adaptations from one media to the next. 

Without spoilers, the thing you have to understand about the world of Howl’s Moving Castle is that it is a world where the tropes of fairy tales are the way of the world. Sophie, who is the eldest, and as a result of fairy tale tropes, does not seek anything for herself beyond being a hatmaker at her father’s shop because the eldest always fails, while it is the youngest who goes on to have many magical and amazing adventures. 

From a story writing perspective, this book is wonderful in its storytelling and world building, because it describes the world and uses it to inform the reader what drives Sophie’s decisions. From an adaptation perspective, if you want to remain true to the book, it’s a goddamn nightmare.

One of the issues people do not talk about enough about adaptation is the unique ability that written narrative has over a visual medium like television and movies. Most writers write in third person omniscient, which is a narrative style that allows the reader to have a view of the character(s) thoughts and the world that the characters themselves may not have. 

This is also known as exposition.

There is a lot of exposition you can put into a narrative that would be clunky, awkward and create terrible pacing in another medium. In the case of Howl’s Moving Castle, as a movie, there’s no way you can let the audience know Sophie’s thought process about why she chose to be simply a hatter without adding an additional scene somehow, preferably not by having Sophie herself monologue her thought process. 

And that doesn’t even cover the fact movies are never enough run time to squeeze in all the ideas a full novel may have. I’m sure there are people who criticize the fact the movie had cut out Howl’s background and at least two story threads (turning two characters into one), but frankly you would not be able to fit this whole adventure into one hour and a half movie otherwise. The movie took the characters, a concept and the general plot and just ran with it, and that’s fine.

It was a very good movie after all.

But I think about Howl’s Moving Castle when I think about what it takes to adapt one work for another, and I appreciate the difficulty in doing so.

[loneswaggingranger]

Pondering Pride and Prejudice: The Book vs The 2005 Movie

(ps: spoiler heavy)

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a good book must be in want of a good film adaptation. Often times, there is an understanding required that when a book is adapted into another medium, the story edges may need to be resculpted so as to fit the narrative as provided by said medium so it can be more visually pleasing. For me personally, differences in adaptations are acceptable as long as they represent the characters' genuine self as close as possible to the originals.

Pride and prejudice somehow succeeds in both doing that and not doing that at the same time. It may be because I went in watching the 2005 movie first before reading the book, and really, that's just testament to how well the movie was made for me to be interested to pick up the book in the first place.

My mom first brought me the book when I was in my younger teens, I kind of brushed it off as "just another romance story" and that "it's not my thing". Then I stumbled upon the movie recently (two months ago) and was just mesmerised by a) the absolutely gorgeous set amd soundtrack, b) the intricacies of each character and their marriage prospects being viewed in a half-sociological, half-survival lens.

(Also Keira Knightley is just so beautiful and I keep falling in love with her smile every time she does i think im questioning my sexuality I- just, just look at her!!! I rest my case. )

Thus, after appreciating the more intricate and realistic approach to love, commitment and atonement in the movie, and the riveting conclusion that romance well-written is worth a lot of time, I decided "Hey, might as well give the book a try!" Which is how I found that certain parts of the dialogue wasn't exactly the same, and certain scenes were set in different areas (i.e. Mr Darcy actually went to Mr. Collin's estate to confess (rather crudely) his love for Elizabeth whereas in the movie, they did it in the garden).

Another thing I found was that book Mr Darcy was actually more pompous, and definitely more high-offish than movie Mr Darcy where he's more just, socially awkward and can't really... people.

As I was reading, it was more just fun to note the differences and very rarely did I think "oh, the movie should have followed the book in this" because, although the movie definitely altered more than a few pieces of dialogue, each representation just felt so right for the story pacing and its characters.

Well, except for one scene where Lizzie's friend Charlotte relays the message that she's marrying Mr Collins, though it's only this one scene that I'm not particularly on board with. I felt the interaction a little too explosive even before reading the book. When compared, the message was relayed comparatively calmly in the book, albeit there existing undercurrents of tension. For me, the quiet way the book handled that little interaction where the girls just swiftly changed the topic, though Elizabeth inwardly retracted her good will for this friend she used to be close with - that felt a little more true to life for me.

But really, it's only this one scene that wasn't handled to my very subjective tastes. Overall the movie still stands with a solid 90% as a comfort movie I could watch again and again and still experience the same whirlwind of emotions.

(this gesture alone is already making me feel things 🥺)

Which begs the question: why did this work? Why did this adaptation, in particular, work so well despite straying quite far from its original counterpart? Why did this supposed "romance novel" work so well for a person who rarely goes for solely romance plots?

So I did some soul-searching, watched videos, read through some article reviews, thought about it in the back of my head, and my answers are this:

The more modernistic values and approach which we adhere to in the 21st century was more prevalent in the movie than the book. Obviously, considering they're literal centuries apart, but shifting Mr Darcy from the "arrogant wealthy man but kind at heart and honourably in love" to "emo boy questioning himself and everyone around him but still honourably in love" possibly made him dearer to the modern audience. Like, I'm no expert in historical societies, but I'm sure Mr Darcy as a character in 1847 must have been making ladies swoon for him as much as he is now. (Because honestly can you ever find a man who will right his wrongs to you despite you being kinda mean to him, only because he loves you, yet does not expect anything back? Both movie Darcy and book Darcy have the quality of integral atonement in them and it's just 👌👌)

(the walk symbolizing Mr Darcy doing what Elizabeth loves is a very nice touch from the movie)

Mentioned before, the dazzling actors, the set, the score, the witty script - everything that makes a movie a good movie, this movie's got it all. They took the original dialogue, enhanced it in their own words, a different voice but the same mind. I think that's what makes it pop off so well, that they can be different but still stay true to the core heart of each interaction. And even if certain interactions did not take place in their original locations, the movie still took care to craft every single crucial setting in the story. So although they might have missed a couple of Liz and Darcy's garden walks, I honestly don't mind, since I still got to see the garden anyway and the interaction we got there was a very solid A plus.

(cries in boy tried his best to express feelings but was still a prick about it)

The friendship between Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley being more, humourously portrayed in that one scene where wingman bro Mr Darcy acts as Jane is an absolutely brilliant addition. Their entire thing in the books was already a pretty fun juxtaposition of one another, like, Bingley as an uwu boy of the 19th century and Darcy the emo boy. This dynamic was enhanced further which alone gives the movie considerable brownie points because I love watching friends be friends :))

Maybe, maybe, just maybe, I may be influenced because I watched the movie first before the book, but this is like a very minor factor because I'm sure had I read the book earlier, I would still be able to appreciate how well-made the entire piece was.

So yeah, that was that. My very lengthy thought process on this piece of work that though having several valid criticisms posed against it in terms of its social stance, as a story in itself, it flourishes elegantly with iconic characters, mic-drop lines and wonderfully crafted settings. The depictions of various types of marriage in that time period, and the considerations one must take as a woman examining her prospects for herself and her family makes it less "another swoony love story" and more "realistic portrayal of romance and its circumstance." I'm still reading up on how Austen uses different settings to enhance her narrative (eg the location of Longbourn having certain implications by being fictional in an actual location Hertfordshire etc) and if I ever finish that reading, I might just come back here to rant again lmaooo

Also!!! What do you think? What made Pride and Prejudice, movie or book or both, pop off for you? I wanna find kindred souls so bad, leave a comment, anything!!! XD I'm very very open to discussion, and it would make me, ahem:

completely, perfectly, and incandescently happy

[wangxiians]

i want to get into mdzs, but i have no idea where to start or in what order or even where! help?

ur asking the most chaotic mdzs consumer because i did everything out of order 😭 after watching cql i read the last 20 chapters of the novel, and then season 3 of the audio drama and THEN went back to read/listen from the start gfhdjfhdjshf. 

there’s pros and cons of every adaption and ppl have different tastes depending on if you prefer written, audio, or visual media so i’ll make an overly simplified list of pros and cons/where to access them (i’m guessing you’ve watched cql but in case you haven’t i’ll still include it in this list :3)

i’m not galaxy brained enough to write intricate meta about the differences of each adaption so bare with me 😭

novel  pros: the original material so it’s the truest form of mdzs, complete, very complex and enthralling plot about morality, not censored, covers really dark themes extremely well cons: the only complete english translation is occasionally a bit uncomfy to read (ignore the author’s notes lol), the author writes terrible sex scenes </3 where to read it: full english translation can be read here

donghua pros: IT’S SO PRETTY, like the animation studio’s style is breathtaking, also closely follows novel canon with some minor alterations due to censorship and time constraints, lwj’s voice actor is the same as cql! cons: it’s still incomplete, it can be a bit hard to follow in the beginning if u haven’t read the novel where to watch it: for free on the wetv app  or on youtube 

donghua q pros: it’s currently airing!!, it’s the cutest thing u will ever watch, they’re all 5 minute bonus stories, it’s adorable cons: there are none where to watch it: for free on the wetv app or on youtube

manhua pros: follows the novel almost identically except for the few times when censorship struck (the artist still gave us the kiss tho, bless them), weekly updates every monday morning!!, the chibi panels r always so cute cons: still ongoing and probably won’t be finished for a year or so, can be hard to follow if u haven’t read the novel, the official english translation is a bit awkward (fan translations r better but idk if there’s any up to date ones) where to read it: the original can be read here (only first 25 chaps r free), the official english translation can be read here for free but there’s also a paywall (as of rn chapters 1-99 r free)

audio drama pros: complete!!, follows the novel plot, extremely well produced!!, wwx’s voice actor is the same as cql!, has heaps of extras, everything about the production quality is just *chefs kiss*, the audio drama is so underrated as an adaption and idk why bc it’s so well done cons: it can be a bit strange at first to listen while reading subs (if u don’t understand chinese) but u get used to it, the fansubs can get a bit annoying during certain scenes  where to listen to it: the official version can be found on the missevan app (no subs and gotta pay), and all the fansubs can be found in this discord!, heaps of the extras r also on youtube bonus bc i love the audio drama: listen to this and also this extra.... it’s domestic asmr and what convinced me to listen to the ad properly 🥺

drama pros: completed very easy to get into, very pretty, probably the easiest version to get into for someone who hasn’t read cnovels before cons: it’s the adaption with the biggest plot changes (due to various forms of censorship) where to watch it: netflix (paid), wetv, viki, youtube (all free)

drama ~special edition~ pros: occasionally contains extra shots that didn’t make the original cut, the ending is edited differently just to spice things up cons: they condensed 50 episodes into 20, i still don’t understand the purpose of why it exists ????  where to watch it: wetv and youtube

is this list helpful in the slightest? probably not 😅 tldr; there’s a version for everyone no matter what your favourite medium is

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: The Hollows Author: Daniel Church Genre/s: mostly folk horror, with a bit of what I’d call survival horror in the middle Content/Trigger Warnings: implied child and animal abuse, implied sexual assault, physical assault, kidnapping, human and animal death, gore Summary (from Angry Robot Books): In a lonely village in the Peak District, during the onset of a once-in-a-lifetime snow storm, Constable Ellie Cheetham finds a body. The man, a local ne’er-do-well, appears to have died in a tragic accident: he drank too much and froze to death. But the facts don’t add up: the dead man is clutching a knife in one hand, and there’s evidence he was hiding from someone. Someone who watched him die. Stranger still, an odd mark has been drawn onto a stone beside his body. The next victims are two families on the outskirts of town. As the storm rises and the body count grows, Ellie realises she has a terrifying problem on her hands: someone – or some thing – is killing indiscriminately, attacking in the darkness and using the storm for cover. The killer is circling ever closer to the village. The storm’s getting worse…and the power’s just gone out. Buy Here: https://angryrobotbooks.com/books/the-hollows/ Spoiler-free Review: A pretty fun read overall! The concept’s solid, and while it’s not what most people would think about when they think of folk horror, especially if their first contact with the genre is Midsomar or Wicker Man (the old one, not the remake), it fits in the genre pretty well. It takes a while for the connection to click, but when it does? Whooboy! Also like Midsomar and Wicker Man, I genuinely think this’d make a great movie or miniseries! There’s passages in the book that read as very cinematic, and a part of me wonders if this book was written with the possibility for adaptation into a show or film already in mind. Even if that was the case, I think it’d work wonderfully in a visual medium. Not sure which director would work best on this - I mean, Ari Aster’s the obvious choice because of his connection to folk horror, but there’s aspects to this that make me think another director might be a better fit. That being said: I wish the pace of the narrative was better. There were several chapters that I think could have been more tightly-written; for a moment I thought this was going to turn into survival horror, and I think it was that for a moment, which doesn’t make me happy (not because I think survival horror is a bad subgenre; it’s just not my schtick). But once you’re past that part the story picks up again; I just wish that slow chunk was, as I said, more tightly-written. Rating: Three creepy entities and one half-corpse (three and a half) Thoughts underneath the cut for spoilers

- There were plenty of nods to Lovecraft, particularly where the Harpers are concerned. I don’t know if those nods were deliberate, but there they are (or at least, there I think they are; it’s likely I’m the only one seeing them). - Speaking of nods to Lovecraft and the Harpers, I wonder if the veering away from incest when it came to Paul and Jessica was the author seeing what direction they were going and deciding “Nope!” at the last minute. This is only speculation, and I could be entirely wrong, but given the way that the “no incest happened here!” thing was put forward, I can’t help but wonder if that was the case regardless. - Can I just say that I love how women took care of most of the business in this novel? Not all of them met happy ends, but I’m glad for the ones who did. - Also: the scene where the Harpers were holding Charlotte Famuwiya and her boy hostage? And they said they’d had a noose around Charlotte’s neck? Godsdamn if that doesn’t say “lynching” to me, especially since Charlotte’s mixed-race. - And given the history of the village and the Harpers’ farm and their relationship to the Tatterskins and the old gods: fuck the Normans, and therefore, fuck the French.

[ouyangzizhensdad]

what’s the line between a good adaptation and a bad adaptation? I’ve been running circles in my head thinking about where cql stands these past few days. Because i was also thinking about other adaptations like the pjo films and howl’s moving castle, like one of these is hated and the other is very much loved but both of them change so much from the original source material that it cannot be considered the same, movie howl and book howl are completely different characters and the plot for pjo was messed w so much in the films. So I was thinking about how much an adaptation can change before it’s considered a bad adaptation? or if changes really even matter if the adaptation achieves what it set out to achieve regardless of how different it is to source material? For the record I think cql is a bad adaptation but I’m unsure how to word it because the line seems kinda blurry

Hi anon,

As much fun as it would be to be the final arbiter on what constitutes a good or bad adaptation, it is a question to which there are unfortunately no definitive answers. But I am of course happy to share my opinion and thoughts on the topic!

I think a good adaptation needs first to meet a crucial condition, which is that it must be, on its own, a good work of fiction. That means on the one hand that it should not rely on the source material to be thematically or narratively cohesive--if prior knowledge of the source material is necessary to understand fully the adaption, I personally consider it a failure. On the other hand, this also simply means that the work of fiction must be competently-made, coherent, enjoyable, etc. on its own merits. However, some adaptations that are well-made and generally self-contained works of fiction remain bad adaptations. There is obviously more to the process than just producing a strong work of fiction based on elements of another work.

It’s good to keep in mind that changes are not inherently a bad thing since the process of adaptation requires change. Generally an adaptation aims to tell a story through a different medium, which requires changes even when the creative(s) in charge of the adaptation want(s) to remain as faithful as possible to the original. Telling a story through a visual medium vs the written form demands a different approach! And technical limitations might end up having a huge sway in the process: do you have the budget or the technology to execute everything described in a fantasy novel, for instance? how much time or locations do you need to tell the same story? As well, since adaptations are generally spear-headed by different creatives, changes to the source material are part of the creative process, by adding another perspective and by being forced, in a sense, to choose a specific interpretation of the source material. And that’s not even covering how adapting something from a different era or from a different cultural moment will require a form of “translation” to make it both intelligible and relevant to contemporary audiences. 

In addition to these sort of “unavoidable” changes, there are many other factors that may enter into question. With CQL and MDZS, we have a salient example of how censorship might influence the process of adapting a property. The people who have a veto, in some shape or form, over the project may also pursue their own agendas. Matters of marketability and of targeting a specific market will also influence the direction an adaptation takes, especially when an adaption is done in a medium that requires large initial financial investments.

Personally, I believe that the way to make a good adaptation is to go either of these three ways: 1) take a source material that contains obvious weaknesses and improve upon them; 2) figure out exactly what is the appeal of the source material and what makes it original, and make sure that these elements are kept in the adaptation; or 3) reinvent the source material. In the first scenario, it is a case of stronger story-teller being handed a property that has a lot of flaws, and either doing away with them or filling up the gaps in the original narrative--thereby allowing the good in it to finally shine. A good example of that, imo, is The Old Guard movie, a tight narrative that excised a lot of the less savoury elements of the graphic novels and included a lot more emotional depth and pay offs.

In the second scenario, the most important factor is that the creative (or creatives) in charge of the adaptation really understand not only the source material but also why it became loved enough to be picked up for an adaptation--why it appeals to people, what makes it unique, what stands out. What I mean is that creative liberty and changes to the source material are totally fine so long as they do not lose the identity or appeal of the source material and do not present an interpretation that is not actually rooted in the original text. For instance, I personally hate the Anne with an E adaptation of Anne of Green Gables because to me it fundamentally misunderstands the point of the novels and why they became a phenomenon. Making a story that was written to be an uplifting fantasy about an abused orphan who still managed to find beauty in the world and to find love and acceptance in it into a grim “realistic” drama to try to “appeal to modern audiences” is fundamentally stupid and, honestly, offensive. As well, while I enjoy Pride and Prejudice 2005 as a film, I think it is an horrid adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, mainly due to the fact the director Joe Right clearly did not understand the novel. As a result the film is a representation of what he projects unto the narrative (something that is very clear when he talked about the novel in interviews or in the bts), and not what is actually in the text.

In the third scenario, what would be a loose adaptation is a situation where perhaps very little of the source material may remain. It might only be the premise, or some plot points, or some character relationships that are ultimately  kept. These also include for me the “what if X narrative but Y set-up”, which can be awful (the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie is so shockingly bad when it could have been a fun, campy romp) but also a way to explore a source material in new ways or underlining certain themes that might have been not given as much light in the source material. In this case, I guess that what really makes it a good “adaptation” is whether it has something new or interesting to add to the source material through this loose adaptation, or whether it is just a gimmick. 

To me, CQL fails as an adaptation both on its own merits (due to plot holes, on-the-nose and clumsy storytelling, inconsistent characterisation, technical failings, etc.) but also as it does not retain, for a number of reasons, what makes MDZS appealing imo (WWX’s characterisation, Wangxian’s journey, its heavy reliance on mystery, intrigue and themes, its willingness to show characters do cruel and violent things, etc.), all the while making the cardinal sin of being a weaker story than the source material (when the source material already provided them with all the material they would have needed to tell a story of at least equal complexity and competency). 

[marireadshellblazer]

Constantine TV Series Episode 4 “A Feast of Friends”

Aight, I feel the need to express some feelings about this episode. I’m not sure this is going to be terribly articulate, but I’ll do my best. Let’s do this.

First off, it’s obvious to anyone who has read Hellblazer that this episode is based off of the first two issues of the comic book series. As I wrote in my post about my experience reading it, these issues were the perfect way to start off the series. It’s like “BOOM! This is how it is! Get ready for some serious shit! This is your only warning; this is what you’re in for.” Even though they did change the story for the episode, I still absolutely loved it. The storyline from the comics is a favorite of mine, but even with the changes made in order to adapt it for TV, this was an awesome episode. In fact, it’s my favorite episode of the TV series. Here’s why!  

   Why is it episode 4?

  Unlike the comics this story was adapted to be episode 4, meaning it doesn’t start the TV series. So, why wouldn’t it start the TV series? I think that you have to look at it from a few different perspectives.

  Let’s start with the comic: Issues 1 and 2, titled Hunger and A Feast of Friends respectively, make up the first arc of the Hellblazer series. Most fans know, however, that Hellblazer is not John’s first appearance in comics; he got his own series after appearing throughout the American Gothic story arc of Swamp Thing. Consequently, many people came into Hellblazer at the time having some familiarity with the character. While this chapter does expand on John’s character some, this doesn’t serve as a major introduction to him. They just drop the reader into one of his nightmare-inducing everyday situations with little to no preparation. Those who are familiar with his role in Swamp Thing will, odds are, not find these issues to be terribly weird or particularly jarring considering it’s in a series about John; they have a good idea what they are in for.

   Here is a quick run-down: John returns to his apartment in Paddington after dealing with the horror show that is the Brujeria in the Swamp Thing comics. Exhausted, he comes back to an unwelcome guest; Gary Lester. Gary is one of the friends who was involved in the Newcastle incident (which is fully explained in issue #11), which left each of them scarred in their own way. Gary dealt with the aftermath via drugs, which have left him wide open for other issues. After foolishly releasing a demon from a sacrificial victim, Gary runs to John for help dealing with the destruction said demon is causing. In this case it’s a hunger demon that causes people to feast upon whatever they greatly desire; food, a crucifix, and even an athlete committing autocannibalism. With help from club owner and Voodoo practitioner Papa Midnight, John betrays his vulnerable and trusting friend in order to stop the demon by instead making him the new sacrifice. Trapping the demon inside of Gary, the literal and figurative ghosts of John’s past haunt and torment him mentally as his friend dies slowly and in agony, ending this arc with a melancholy feeling. John stopped a demon, but at the cost of a friend who truly trusted and cared for him.

Using this story to begin the TV series as is, however, would have been more than a little strange. In the minds of most people outside of the comic book world, John Constantine was first introduced to them via the horrifyingly inaccurate Keanu Reeves film. (I love Keanu, I really do, but that film give me agita). Or, if they were introduced to the show after it had already aired, they are introduced via Matt Ryan’s masterful work portraying him in Legends of Tomorrow. While he does an incredible job in both Constantine and Legends (to the point where I find that I may simply be unable to accept anyone else taking on the role in live action) it depresses me terribly that Legends toned down John’s character so much with all the goofiness. It did not suit John at all! If anything, I find myself feeling sorry for Matt Ryan, who tried so hard to do John’s character justice. Uhg.

   Anyway…Already, a lot of the audience is going to be more than a little taken aback by the Constantine series’ portrayal of the character, however comic book accurate he may be. This show is tailored to as wide of an audience as possible, meaning they expect that pretty much no one has read Hellblazer or Swamp Thing before. Consequently, having the series start by just dropping the audience into his crazy world, especially with this particular story arc, might not be the best idea. I’m not saying that his introduction is done super well with the first episode (it’s not a total wreak, but there are issues) but it would have been much harder to start with A Feast of Friends.

     Characterization

    Now, let’s look at it from another angle: characterization. As the 4th episode this was, odds are, done assuming that there would be a lot more episodes after this (oh, the painful reality), but really the viewers are still just getting to know John. So, these early episodes are supposed to establish his character. They see him as knowledgeable and ready to handle the weird and scary in the first episode, and in 2 and 3 you see that he is serious about his work, a loner, weirdly well prepared, and how he interacts with others. While in some situations he does come off like a douche, his douche-ness is on full display in this episode. Honestly, this is accurate to how he is in the comics; he’s a nasty piece of work, after all. A world class bastard. He gives Gary shit for his drug addiction pretty much the entire episode as well as his choice to mess with a demon and the chaos it made that he now has to fix. He, like in the comics, tricks Gary into helping him and it results in a slow, painful death for the man. Gary really did trust John, and not only did John betray him, but he was callous about it. Now, that’s not to say that the situation and Gary’s death doesn’t bother him, and this is also seen in both the episode and the comic, but John solders through a lot of it with his mask of stoic indifference; he blatantly a deliberately betrays his friend without much hesitation.

    John’s characterization in the show is really important. While fans of Hellblazer know what they are in for (John being a dick, betraying people, sacrificing friends, etc) the wide audience the show was meant to appeal to might not respond well to that. How is the audience supposed to relate to a character whose major personality trait in this arc is to basically be a douche (even if it is justified in a way)? Generally speaking, TV shows try to have a lot of characters with redeeming traits and very basic bitch personalities so that as much of the audience as possible can relate to them in some capacity. They can describe the main character as “cool, quirky, sweet, loving, etc” because that is what network television strives for. The point is for the audience to relate to and find a lot of reasons to like the character, especially the main character. The audience is supposed to be able to see the qualities of the character in themselves. An example of a douchy character being changed for network television is the titular character in TV series Lucifer. He can be an asshat at times, but his redeeming qualities shine through in pretty much every episode; he’s helpful, has a strong sense of justice, and cares about Chloe. He often goes out of his way to understand others, although he often misses the mark, and tries to fix problems and issues that he accidentally creates in order to keep relationships with others. These are things people can relate to, and although he can be rather uncouth, it’s played for laughs, and he has more redeeming qualities than not. If the Constantine series started off with John coldly betraying a friend after giving him shit for his addiction the entire episode with not a lot of his positive traits coming through, from the perspective of most people, this might not be a good way to try and connect with the audience. I’m not saying there are people who don’t/won’t, but again, this is network television and they tend to play on the safe side.

    Comic book -> TV

    Ok so let’s move onto the meat of this; the changes made to the story. People always complain when something isn’t totally accurate to the book down to every last detail (Harry Potter *cough cough*) and making story and character changes to adaptions of comic books is nothing new. However, to be fair, there are some legitimately good reasons for this. Time, money, limits technology wise, and pacing are good examples. The most important thing to consider, in my opinion, is that we are going from a comic book to television. Literally, that is the most important thing. Essentially, what the writers had to do when adapting this story for the show was carry over the plot from one medium to another, which is tricky.

    What’s a medium? A medium is a platform that allows a message to be shared or presented. So, using the medium of a comic book is how Jamie Delano was able to share his message; the story of John Constantine. The writers of the television series then had to adapt the story from comics, a visual and written medium, into a different kind of visual medium with different features to it; stage craft, voice, music, etc.

    Comic books have features for story telling; the size and placement of the panels, the writing, word bubbles, narration bubbles, colors, art style, etc. The pro’s to this are that you don’t get paragraph after paragraph describing a place or a person; they literally show them to you and the art presents those details. They also allow for the art to take in the reader emotionally through what the images convey; messy art, sudden loss of color, or even a sudden blank page after a tragic event are simple yet effective ways to convey emotion that are, at times, difficult or downright impossible to put into words. And sometimes the writer wants to leave things to interpretation or allude to something without saying it outright. While this can be done in writing, it can be done through the art as well, and depending on how skilled the artist or creative a set up can be just as effective if not more.

     In television storytelling can be done with another wide array of features. Close-ups on the actors, the actors and their performance in general, music, background narration, changes in location, lighting, ect. This allows for emotions to come across in different ways; the quality of the acting can make or break the effectiveness of the scene, and music and lighting can alter the message or feel of scene in order to change or heighten the point, pacing, the use of CGI or practical effects, etc. So, keeping this in mind, there are many features that are exclusive to film that are not in comic books, and vice versa. So, as you can imagine, adapting the stories or message from one medium to another is nowhere near as straightforward as people like to think it is. In other words, I tend to give the writers/actors/etc a break when it comes to adaption because, honestly, there is a lot that goes into it and it’s not like I could do better, honestly. I mean, there are piss poor adaptions, I’m not gunna lie, but there are a lot of them that I think don’t get enough credit simply because it’s “different” in some ways.

     Aight, let’s first refer back to what I said earlier concerning the comic; these issues aren’t so much an intro to John as they are literally following him from the end of the American Gothic arc in Swamp Thing and to his apartment where he gets involved with more shit (no rest for the wicked, amirite?). So, again, not a good way to start the TV series. In the TV show, they also have to tie in the changes they set up in the previous episodes. Continuity, my friends.

    So, what is different? Here are a few things: John having a safe house, being in the US, Chaz being American and also not involved, Zed being involved and being Latina, the new angel character Manny, and the absence of Papa Midnight really change a lot about the story. The heart of it is John’s relationship with Gary and the defeat of the demon, which thankfully remains unchanged at it’s core. This is the central idea that drives this story and I think that idea was actually done a bit better in the film medium than in the comic.

   Keeping all of these factors and all of these changes that needed in order to keep things consistent with the TV show’s changes, let’s get into why I think that this episode is good even with the changes, but why I love it.

I love It

      After taking some time to consider things, I realize that what really makes this episode great is the actors; specifically, Matt Ryan and Jonjo O'Neill. The chemistry between them is undeniable. The way they look at each other and how they talk to each other really makes you feel like, at one time at least, they were friends. The scene where Gary swipes the ID badge and says “I learned from the best” is a great example of this. The look on his face and John’s; I don’t have a real eloquent way to say it. I just sort of feel it.

The retcon of Gary’s character really helps with this. Being that Gary is introduced and then killed off in two issues, you don’t really get to know his character in the comics. He’s only in one episode of the TV series, yet he feels more fleshed out. Soul was added to the character. Showing his struggles with addiction, as well as what I suspect to be depression and PTSD, really humanized him. In the episode, he was more than just a desperate, annoying junky; he was a flawed and relatable human being. Who hasn’t made a mistake? How many people have made BIG mistakes with consequences difficult to handle? How many people are haunted by their actions from the past? Addiction and the effects is has on people is devastating. I’m glad that they kept the ending true to the comics, but the way he was portrayed in the episode really made me feel for Gary in this case. It almost made me hope that maybe he really would get better, and have the chance at redemption that he was trying so desperately to find. But it wouldn’t be a John Constantine series without an ending like this one; John loses a friend and slowly digs himself deeper into hell.

Of course, it’s the ending of the episode that people really remember best. It’s the scenes that solidified, at least for me, Matt Ryan as John Constantine. It’s what really helped me have faith in the series. Watching it now, and seeing what really could have been, makes the episode somewhat bitter sweet for me. I felt like this is when the series really found it’s footing; the acting, storytelling, and how well arcs from Hellblazer could be adapted. This is where I think Matt Ryan hit his stride and we could see what he was really capable of as an actor if they let him spread his wings. In the earlier episodes I was honestly unsure. He looked the part, but the soul of the character had not really had a chance to shine through.

How John treats Gary at the end really made a difference, too. Holding him while he was in pain, and sitting with him as he died in agony; these simple yet effective changes really drove home John’s humanity in the face of evil and the tough decisions he has to make. The look he gives many at the very end, the anger and sorrow he seems to be struggling to hold back, is haunting.

In this episode, Matt Ryan’s love and dedication to John’s character shine. Seeing the story in live action gave this story a stronger impact. Even without a lot of the social commentary that was present in the comic, the live action element is what really helps drive the story home. I think it’s because it’s real people showing these very real emotions that can be hard to translate into art. Not to say that John Ridgway did a bad job, but it’s different in live action.

I hope I was able to get these thoughts across. I wasn’t sure if I should share this or not, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. I know this is sort of jumbled, but hopefully it’s not a total mess to read.

[eien-no-gakusha]

Winter Begonia is Art

(...by virtue that its English title has very no association with its Chinese title)

Winter Begonia is a stunningly beautiful show!  Despite the toning down of the homoerotic elements from the source material, I would say this is a case where the adaptation elevated the source material and can stand on its own.

I never finished the novel, it’s a particularly hard read.  But from what I read, the drama is practically lifted from it while adding to it.  The novel is a historically accurate depiction of the people and society of the time, the mentality of the time included.  The drama provides more complex characters, anachronistically infusing the leads with modern sensibilities and much appreciated character growth.  Not to mention the great cast who had the nuanced acting chops to carry such a heavy show.  Both mediums are well researched from dialect (novel only) & cultural nods to timeline placement and the featuring of famous (& thematically relevant) operas.  The story is layered, addressing many deeper themes and historical realities very maturely.  In other words, subject matters communist China usually wouldn’t address.  The time period and the subject of Japanese invasion, the Republic, civil wars, and general anarchy still hits too close to home but the drama handles them with some nuance.  That aside, the interpersonal stories are well written and their arcs stimulate philosophical thought and emotional investment.  Show only elements were seamlessly incorporated.  The filmography and costume design (both on and off stage) are lovely visual spectacle.  

Overall, a class act.  Perfection.  *chefs kiss*

If we ever get a legal DVD/BluRay box set of this, I will buy it and proudly display it in my collection and NEVER watch it ever again. @liuet I know you will know if/when it will be physically distributed.  Keep me posted!

BUT...

Not sure if the highly coincidental family bonds were a drama only invention but I have mixed feelings about it.  Really drives home good old Confucian values about blood being thicker than water.  Perhaps I’m too westernized but I would have preferred the show to just let Shang XiRui continue to dislike of children to validate alternative lifestyles.  It would have also been a nice way to portray other forms of success & even filial piety outside of preserving the bloodline.  On the other hand, having Shang XiRui or other family members accepting FengYi without her lineage being confirmed could positively represent unconventional families.  Like would Shang XiRui have had a change of heart if FengYi was not his biological niece?  If we’re being anachronistic, lets be ballsy about it!

[x0401x]

Have you watched Tsurune, by an chance? If yes, what do you think about it?

Finally managed to write down a reply for this! (Told y’all I was gonna do it and I did not give up, lmao.)

So this ask caught me off-guard for two reasons: one is that I never see it coming when people send me Tsurune asks now that the anime is long over and the fandom is inactive, and the other is that nobody has ever asked me this question so straightforwardly. Whenever I got asks about Tsurune, people would question me about the differences between anime and novel, the anime versions versus the canon versions of the characters, fanservice and ship tease, alterations in character relationships and my opinions on specific episodes, chapters or scenes. As far as I remember, no one has ever asked me what I think of the anime (or the novel) in general.

I won’t go into the novel since this ask is just about the anime (I can do that in another one if you like), but I’ll end up mentioning it every now and then because it’s pretty impossible to discuss about an adaptation without talking about its source material. Still, I promise this review won’t be centered on that.

This is actually a very condensed version of my thoughts, because the real thing would be a bible. It’s still a lot, though. Here comes a long-ass ride.

I guess I should start by making clear that I usually follow the history of KyoAni’s productions very closely as I’m a big fan of the studio. This includes reading the novels and mangas they adapt into anime as well. I had read volume 1 by the time the Tsurune anime came out, so I already knew what the canon was like. I must add that I was also familiar with Japanese archery to some degree and I was reading Zen in the Art of Archery when the anime was airing (it’s referenced early in the novel, so I decided to give it a try).

With all of this being said, when it was announced that Tsurune would get an anime, my first reaction was to worry. This surprised even me, because I usually have high hopes for any KyoAni adaptation, even the ones I end up not liking. I mean, it’s a studio filled with brilliant stars and holds the golden standards of the whole industry, so even when the content isn’t good, the quality of the animation itself is enough to make their shows worth anyone’s time. But the choice of director had me very concerned.

Now, this is Kyoto Animation that we’re talking about. In no moment did I fear for the animation’s quality. Most of Tsurune’s staff members, if not all, already had previous experience working on Violet Evergarden. And we all know that even newcomers freshly graduated from KyoAni’s preparatory school can make a stunning visual masterpiece. Yes, I am talking about Kyoukai no Kanata. And yes, I said visual masterpiece, because we also know that what these productions normally lack is the most essential part: the content.

In those cases, the one who actually makes a difference is the director. I’m a firm believer that the more inexperienced the staff is, the more competent a director they should be placed under. If not a senior animator, at least let it be a rising talent with the best prospects possible. But the schedules usually don’t help with that, so these hatchlings ended up under Yamamura Takuya’s wings.

To elaborate a bit further on why I think brighter animators should be the ones leading new packs (no, it’s not discrimination against the less accomplished, because you gotta start from somewhere), it’s because they usually have this knack for bringing the most out of the stories they’re working on. When the story is great by itself, that’s a different thing, but when it doesn’t quite reach its full potential with just the text, then the one to give it life has to be a person with more vision.

Am I saying that Tsurune is one of those stories? Absolutely. Tsurune is about archery, which is an art that is best appreciated when observed. You can’t get everything out of it just with words, and there are many things in it that people who don’t know much or know nothing about Japanese archery wouldn’t understand without actually seeing them, so the series obviously needed an anime in order to reach its full potential. But other than that, I’ll be honest: I love the Tsurune novel for its cultural baggage, the handling of its characters and its fairly innovative views in the repetitive and boring scene that sports animanga are nowadays, but I don’t consider it a well-written novel. Because it isn’t.

This might seem controvesial coming from someone who defends the canon with claws and teeth, but I’m aware of its flaws. I think Ayano Kotoko has a lot of room for improvement, and she’s evolved remarkably from volume 1 to volume 2. But volume 1 is what the anime was based off, so there was a deep need for a clinical eye in that production. One that could measure the original work’s strengths and weaknesses and balance them out by powering one up and overcoming the other. And also a certain level of knowledge about Japanese archery. Sadly, Yamamura Takuya didn’t have any of it.

As much as I admire Yamamura as a key animator and in-betweener, I believe he has a long way to go before he can be considered a good director, and I certainly don’t think he was ready for his debut when he was put in charge of Tsurune. I would rather, and I mean this in a good way, have seen him work as anything else for the rest of his career. Being a series director was too much for him. I say this taking into consideration not only the fiasco that the Tsurune anime was in sales but also Yamamura’s history in the studio before becoming a director.

This might sound funny, but Yamamura had no idea how big Animation Do and KyoAni were before he decided to join. He also was never very skilled. His in-betweening was actually not approved at first when he was trying to enter the company. He even once admitted that his knowledge of animation was extremely limited at the time, and what a time that was, because the studio was busy up to the neck with the making of Lucky Star back then. He didn’t know left and right, basically, and he recalled in an interview from last year that he is still surprised the studio actually hired him.

Despite all of this, Yamamura joined the company with the intention of becoming a director. While he did manage the feat in the end, it took him +10 years and a few frustrated attempts. Animators usually start out at in-betweening and earn other positions through passing exams. Yamamura failed his first exam to be key animator, only managing to pass half a year later. He also failed his first exam to become a director. At his second attempt, one of their colleagues even suggested that maybe he should stay a bit longer as a key animator, and I couldn’t agree more. While he did pass the test, I can only bring myself to think that he did so with an average score.

Now, I did say that this info came from a 2019 interview, when the Tsurune anime was already over. But they weren’t really what shaped my opinion on Yamamura regarding his direction. It was the anime itself. But this interview served to confirm something I had already noticed from his tragectory to series direction: with him being in the studio for so long and having worked on so many titles, it was weird to me that he was rarely an episode director in comparison to key animation and in-betweening. Episode direction is a step that I consider crucial for one to become either series director, animation supervisor or series composer. I do know that quite a few directors take just as long as he did or even longer to debut and actually do thrive in the end, but observing Yamamura’s work always gave me the impression that he was better off following decisions made by someone else rather than making his own.

Yamamura also loses points with me in that he’s backed up within the company by Kawanami Eisaku, another director who doesn’t get rave reviews on his works. He’s the one who replaced Utsumi Hiroko after she migrated to Mappa, and ever since he took over the Free! franchise, its sales decreased to less than 1/3 of each of the first two seasons separately. I personally don’t like that he seems to look down on Utsumi despite his lack of success in inheriting her legacy, but leaving this aside and focusing only on his skills, I’m not fond of directors who opt for simplistic approaches in general. I think animation is a medium that should be used to amplify the appeal of the source material, not water it down. It also feels like these kinds of directors are always trying to play safe, which (they don’t seem to realize) goes against the audience’s expectations and kills the hype. It strikes me as cowardly, to be frank. I also don’t like when they ignore what the characters had been building up and simply retool them to their own tastes. I was praying that Yamamura would be different from this bad example, but turns out he was actually worse.

I got a really bad feeling when the anime PVs of Tsurune were released. My very first impression was that Yamamura was still too much of a beginner and he wouldn’t be able to make Tsurune into a successful anime. I know this might seem like an exaggeration, but here’s the thing: ever since KyoAni started making its own titles, I’d never seen lack of hype for their upcoming works. Ever.

Until Tsurune.

Every time a PV of a KyoAni show comes out, people go crazy. It’s not always a frenzy like it was with Free! in its heyday or Violet Evergarden when the novel commercials were the only pieces of animation we had of it, but there’s usually lots of debate and speculations going on. With Tsurune, almost no one cared. You’d see next to nobody talking about it save from a few people on Reddit. And honestly, why should they bother? It didn’t seem promising at all. Didn’t show much of the characters or the story’s premise, didn’t highlight any particularly interest aspect of the plot and didn’t leave any impression animation-wise. It was very bland, to say the least. Unfortunately, so was the anime series.

It might be blunt of me, but my overall evaluation of Tsurune is that it was a really boring show. Nearly all elements that made the story and characters interesting were either taken out or squeezed into a cookie cutter mold, cliche version of what they looked like they were going to be at first but turned out not to be in the novel. And I say this because one of the things that make Tsurune a good novel is how it turns stereotypes upside-down. It introduces the readers into what seems like is going to be a typical sports shounen and starts out describing the character archetypes in the most common ways possible and puts them in the most common situations possible, then it reverses them all. That’s what’s most charismatic about the books. It’s what incites actual character development and gives us different sides of each relationship, yet the anime makes no use of it.

The anime also hardly makes any use of all the mystic, Zen and lowkey folklore-ish veils of the novel, which are supposed to add up to the archery elements. The Zen part is actually essential since Japanese archery is fundamentally a Zen form of art. Yes, art. Japanese archery is, in fact, not a sport. This is one of the aspects that elevate Tsurune above other works of the sports genre: it’s only categorized as such because it can’t fit anywhere else, but it’s not really a sports novel. That could have elevated the anime to the same status too, if only the studio hadn’t treated it like a sports one. But they made that mistake.

Still, I think the biggest sin in this adaptation was to try to cling to tropes that are considered successful and ignoring the characters’ personalities, which didn’t match these tropes at all, resulting in both characters and bonds being utterly destroyed and the flow of the story slowing down to a slug pace. By the second half of the anime, literally either nothing interesting happens or the things that were supposed to be interesting don’t hold the audience’s attention enough, which the animators attempt to cover up with queerbait. Everything is so tediously predictable that I’ve seen countless comments from the Japanese side of the fandom about how similar the Tsurune anime was to Free! and how “KyoAni only ever makes male characters like that, don’t they”. They were referring to Seiya and his weird jealousy, by the way. Even first-timers could tell that the characterization was a disaster.

The sad thing is, they were right. The Tsurune anime really did feel highkey like a Free! copycat in the characterization department. The main character is always getting swung about by everyone around him. The best friend is very clearly co-dependent. The deuteragonist is revealed to be bitter because of a deceased relative and is an asshole to the rest of the main cast for a good portion of the series. The rival from the other school is rude as hell for no reason and he’s got annoying groupies on his team who don’t exist outside of idolizing him. There are only four female characters and they have almost no screen time. And the list goes on.

As for the animation itself, I would like to say that it was perfect, but what really rang the alarm in my head was the many beginner mistakes so evident here and there, such as missing frames, the opening theme starting out of nowhere, the colors of the background often being too bland, lack of movement or scenes where the characters are too static, etc. I shit you not that when I saw the title splashing onto the screen all of a sudden in the initial ten seconds of episode one, the first thing I thought was, “This won’t sell well”. Sure enough, it didn’t.

So there you have it. I didn’t like the show. The only things I enjoyed were the archery scenes and the soundtrack. The rest simply didn’t do justice to the original work. I hope this summary has explained why, but if you want more info on it, maybe visit my Tsurune tag. You’ll find me elaborating more on particular topics in response to similar asks. Or you can send me other questions if you feel like.

That’s it!

[linklethehistorian]

Randou and the Sins of Season 3's Fifteen Adaption (Part 25/???)

Bones' Biggest Changes & Greatest Failures — The Tragedy of Arthur Rimbaud (4/?)

Just for starters, consider this — if there is one thing that everyone knows about Mori in terms of how he likes to conduct his business, it’s that he is a highly intelligent and capable strategist who clearly prides himself on using all of his men and his assets in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible, planning very far ahead for every possible outcome he can imagine; that being the case, why on Earth would he even bother to use some conventional form of shackles knowing fully well that Chuuya could very easily break from any normal restraints, especially when Randou’s ability alone — the only thing that would be able to overcome not just the boy’s gift, but also his overall physical strength — would be more than enough to do the trick? Yes, you could say that he wanted something there as assurance that he wouldn’t escape even after he sent the hyperspace owner out of the room, but in that scenario, why not just have Dazai take over with his ability, keeping a hand on him to ensure the redhead’s gravity stayed nullified? I’m not denying that there may have been some unforeseen reason as to why Asagiri chose to write this scene the way he did in his book, but if I — an avid lover and defender of that version of Fifteen — cannot quite see it, I guarantee you that the average person watching the anime version is not going to, either, and you absolutely cannot convince me nor surely anyone else that Mori was stupid enough to believe that those chains would be able to hold Chuuya for even a second without Randou or Dazai there actively suppressing his ability. Besides, he already had plenty of power to keep the teen in line should he do anything rash without the need for further physical containment, just by having captured a few members of Sheep to hold for ransom.

The only thing that maintaining the old approach would do for the usurper boss is make him look even more excessively evil, and — as I’ve discussed in my previous article on Fifteen’s potential inclusion into Season 3, and soon will go over again in later parts of this section — that is absolutely not something the anime needs more of, much less its viewers, and least of all in this particular season. It leaves a far better taste in one’s mouth to have Mori genuinely treating Chuuya like an honored guest rather than a feared and dangerous beast needing containment, and that is a very important thing to achieve at this point in the animated series.

Furthermore, in regards to how it effects Rimbaud, without the careful nuance that only an unrestricted, written text-based medium like a light novel can easily provide, visually suggesting that he would ever stand by and tolerate the young man being physically chained up in some pointlessly cruel manner by placing him there in the middle of such a situation only gives the audience the very wrong impression that he condones these actions as morally acceptable and is just like everyone else in the organization when in fact it is the opposite. Indeed, for that reason, it far better conveys and remains true to his actually quite gentle and considerate nature to have him instead directly restrain Chuuya with his own non-traumatic and light-filled ability in the animated adaption — something which, once more, I’m very surprised they managed to accomplish, considering their decision to later just turn around and demonize and mutilate him for their own benefit, but then again, I doubt this was done for his sake anyway.

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