#and growth doesn't have to involve a change in hero name but i feel like tim and kon's names are so tied to their teen years

[space-specs]

Dick Grayson 🤝 Roy Harper

Sidekicks successfully able to move beyond their mentor and more well-known for their own individual vigilante identity now.

Stephanie Brown 🤝 Bart Allen

Original heroes that carried a couple legacy names before going back to their own unique hero names.

Tim Drake 🤝 Conner Kent

Stuck in the same name retelling the same stories and unable to fully grow as a character because DC can't seem to give them their own unique identities that would allow them to move on past this narrow idea of their characters.

[mirai-e-jump]

TV Guide Dan Vol.53, October 2024 Issue ft. Kamen Rider Gavv Cast Members Chinen Hidekazu x Hino Yusuke Interview (translation below)

Publication: October 15, 2024

DESTINY!

"In "Kamen Rider Gavv," which is based off the motif of "sweets," Chinen Hidekazu-san plays the role of Shouma (Gavv), a young man who comes from another world, and Hino Yusuke-san plays the role of Karakida Hanto (Valen), a young freelance writer. How did you personally feel after seeing the broadcast?"

Chinen: Personally, I was curious to see what the Gavvgablade would sound like, and I was very excited to see the super realistic scene that depicted it slicing the shipping container in half. The way Kamen Rider Gavv's actions and sounds were conveyed through production was very cool and impressive.

Hino: We have almost no experience performing on film, and this is our first tokusatsu set, so we really didn't know right from left. We were frantically trying to keep up on set, so I would've never imagined that the finished footage would be that amazing.

"What mindset do you have when playing Shouma and Hanto, and what parts of your performance do you think have changed over the course of each episode?"

Chinen: Compared to episode 1 and 2, where Shouma comes from another world and is exposed to human food and culture for the first time, I feel that I've been able to more naturally express Shouma's reactions to the "freshness" he feels in the human world.

Hino: In the beginning, it was incredibly difficult for me to understand and act out how hard it was for him to live alone without anyone believing in him since his mother was attacked by a Granute when he was very young. More than that, just when he's finally getting close to the enemy through steady progress, he's now also lost his own mentour…it was especially important that I express the emotional breakdown he had at that moment. However, I didn't want him to become a "weak and pitiful boy." I believe that it's heroes who rise up from adversity and stand tall, and that's why Hanto was able to become a Kamen Rider.

"How will the relationship between Shouma and Hanto, and Gavv and Valen, change in the future?"

Chinen: Despite being treated as a monster himself, so far, Shouma's been a solo hero who's saved humans. However, when he meets a Kamen Rider named Valen, he learns that there are others fighting against the Granutes besides him, which gives birth to a new hope. How will these two interact, and how will Shouma change?…look forward to it!

Hino: When he faces off against enemies he'd previously pursued only out of a desire for revenge, as a Kamen Rider, he'll also be forced to face what it means to "protect people" and what kind of person becomes a hero. As his personal growth is also depicted, he'll become involved with Shouma, so I hope you'll watch the growth and the change in their relationship.

"Furthermore, since this is the first time you two have worked together, and the first time you've appeared together in this magazine, please introduce yourselves and what kind of person you feel the other is."

Chinen: Yusuke-kun is cheerful, mischievous, and has the openness to quickly get close to others. Yusuke-kun takes the initiative when it comes to talking, so everyone got along with him easily. On set, he's the mood maker and a reliable person, but off set he completely changes…(laughs). I think that gap is one of the good parts of Yusuke-kun!

Hino: Hide's a pure person without any evil feelings. He's a boy with a very strong will, which is hard to imagine from his adorable appearance. He's able to face his "dreams" and "likes" straight on, and for that reason, I think people are naturally drawn to him, and on set he's like our "sun." He's an airhead, and he doesn't seem to be all there, but including those parts of him, he's someone I love.

"During the advanced screening, Chinen-kun said, "If I was going to play the lead role, I wanted to work with this person," and that he had been thinking of Hino-kun ever since the audition."

Chinen: It wasn't something that was definite, but something I felt intuitively. When I exchanged lines with Yusuke-kun during the audition, he naturally drew me in. At that moment, I felt like, "With this person, we could honestly play off each other until the final episode." Yusuke-kun was the only one who made me feel that way.

Hino: Wow, you really felt that way?

Chinen: Yeah. That's why when I went to costume fitting and saw Yusuke-kun again, my heart was racing as I thought, "I knew it." It really was fate.

Hino: Thank you. Through filming, I once again thought about how glad I am that Shouma is played by Hide. I knew that Hide was qualified, both as my long term buddy and as the actor who would play Shouma.

Chinen: The same is true for Hanto and Shouma, but I think the relationship between Yusuke-kun and myself is also a perfect fit. We have areas where we complement each other, and he helps me out in a variety of situations on a daily basis. Yusuke-kun understands my traits, which makes me feel at ease, and I'm very happy that the role of Hanto is played by Yusuke-kun.

Hino: We also come from different agencies, so I think we're rivals as actors. But, even without those feelings, Hide has a certain appeal that makes you want to love him. Being together with him all the time makes me want to care for him (laughs). However, I don't want him to take advantage of that kind of relationship, and I want us to be able to express our thoughts to each other, even if it's harsh. This is why Hide and I are neither friends nor brothers, but perhaps we have a "one of a kind" type of relationship. Besides, I think it's similar to the relationship between Hanto and Shouma.

Chinen: Yeah. Even though we're both Kamen Riders, I think we're similar in that we have special feelings for each other that goes beyond that. Still, this is the first time I've met someone like Yusuke-kun.

Hino: It's the same for me too. If the world were full of Hide's, we'd be in trouble (laughs). It's good that there's atleast one Hide in this world.

"When Chinen-kun went to Hino-kun's house, did the gap between you two close?"

Hino: When filming had just started, Hide followed me home at the end of a shoot as if it were no big deal (laughs). I was like, "Alright then, let's have a meal at my place!," but the next thing I knew, we had been talking for about four hours (laughs).

Chinen: We ended up not eating anything, and just talked about each other's dreams and our own lives (laughs).

Hino: We talked alot about each other's lives before we decided to become Kamen Riders

Chinen: Strangely enough, I didn't feel like there were any barriers between us, and that I could just honestly say anything to Yusuke-kun. Right from the beginning, we were able to talk to each other as if we were stripped of any titles. I feel that our resolve to work together to overcome any difficulties on set in the coming future was solidified that day.

Hino: I'm glad I was able to talk to Hide that day. As I thought, there's no girl as pure and as nice as him. If he was my girlfriend, I'd have absolute confidence in him (laughs).

Chinen: Hahaha! I'm grateful that he always looks out for the people around him, and even when I run off on my own, he helps me out with a precise follow up. He's prepared for anything, and can act quickly when the time comes, but that's not a simple thing to do, as I don't think you can do that unless you have the composure to do so. If I were the opposite sex, I'd fall for him (laughs). Also, we like alot of the same things.

Hino: It's more like Hide's imitating me! (laughs). To my surprise, Hide tends to be influenced by trends, but that's also what's cute about him.

Chinen: When I see a hat of Yusuke-kun's that I like, I try to buy the same one. This is how I'm imitating him, so naturally, my things are becoming alot more like Yusuke-kun's (laughs).

Hino: I hope I haven't been a negative influence…(laughs). But really, it's more about our underlying desire to learn, we have the same mindset of absorbing everything and "learning as much as we can," so I think that's a big part of it. I myself have alot to learn from Hide, and we're able to take in alot from each other.

Chinen: Even when we're having trouble with filming or acting, we've been able to build a relationship where we can say, "We're happy to be able to participate on a set like this." The Director gives us strict, but loving instructions, and I'm glad that the two of us are able to accept it as love, and not with any opposing views.

[dreamwreaver]

When the pilot first dropped, I was a teen who shipped Chaggie only because it was canon and it was cute. But now that I'm older and watched the series, I realize how... simple and dare I say it, flavorless this ship is. They don't have that much in common, I can't really think of at least 3 things they have the same interest in. Their viewpoints are different and sometimes it can really broaden the perspectives of the couple for the better, but for Charlie and Vaggie, it only serves to clash in a way that doesn't amount to a lot in the long run, considering how Charlie often disregards Vaggie's caution and Vaggie shuts down most of Charlie's ideas. Not to mention that the whole "exorcist reveal" was poorly handled and did no service to their characters, only butchering these two further.

For me, I cannot see Vaggie providing any essential and substantial development to Charlie's growth in the series because of how bad the show makes her out to be only the love interest. Also, what is Vaggie's purpose to the hotel and for redemption as a whole? Simply being the manager and supporting Charlie doesn't really help much especially when she seems not to care all that much aside from her girlfriend. She cannot relate with all these sinners she was originally tasked to kill because she is most likely a heavenborn angel so what can she offer?

While I don't ship Chaggie anymore, I wish the show would take this ship seriously. They are doing their fans a disservice by failing to make their main pairing mean something more than scoring sapphic points.

My sweet nonny, you took the words right out of my mouth. Like, I feel that most charlastor shippers don't have an actual issue with chaggie being canon in and of itself, they have a problem with it being canon and yet it not meaning anything. Which isn't to say shows can't have main characters with stable queer relationships going on in the background. I think Kipo and the wonderbeasts did it? The new She-ra DEFINITELY did that, Steven Universe walked, and I'm guessing had it not been canceled after like 2 seasons Ok Ko let's be heroes would have developed lord box man and processor venemous' relationship in the background with major plot points being their on and off again dynamics (side note please watch it it's made by Rebecca sugar's spouse and it's so good!)

The problem with chaggie, is that they're BOTH main characters. Charlie is essentially the titular protagonist. Vaggie is one of the core six. Them being together in a relationship can be casual while not being missable. Let's look at a straight example of this being done right; Kim Possible. Nothing about Kim and Ron's dynamic as friends/heroes changes once they're in a relationship. Sure, fears and concerns that drive plots change, but the fundamental characters and dynamics do not. Moreover, we see the casual displays of affection between them that definitely indicate they're not just friends. (Then again KP did an awesome job of establishing that Kim and Ron both have this weird attachment to each other long before they got together. They had an official Kim/Ron night on Fridays).

Chaggie at least as far as season 1 is concerned, is not the focus. And yes, I know, "it's only 8 episodes!" Okay, but tell me if every episode counted why did we have one focused on introducing the Vees? Why did we have an entire episode focused on Huskerdust? These are not complaints in and of themselves but it makes you wonder when the big season 1 plot twist is that Vaggie's been an Angel the whole time.

You're also right about Vaggie not... really having a place there? She's just kind of there, and it's very glaringly noticeable. She's manager in name but Alastor handles all the facilities work and is by his own admission (believable or not) that he's there to watch people fail for his own entertainment, Charlie's the one involved with lesson planning and activity development and she certainly doesn't lack for cash to fund the place, Husk and Nifty both have positions within the hotel but are very obviously only there because of Alastor. Angel and Pen are guests. So what does Vaggie actually do besides wrangle sinners and tell Charlie no?

And part of why I'm so annoyed by this is that I think everything we do know about Vaggie's character could make her super compelling if it wasn't so heavily dependent on Charlie. A fallen angel and former exorcist who was cast out because she did the right thing rather than follow orders? Awesome! Injured in the process losing both her wings and eye? Badass! Believes that people can better themselves long after the lives they've lived? Cool! Is constantly fighting against her own self hatred and projects that out onto other people without meaning to? Feels she's utterly useless if she's not being of service to someone or something? Like this is barely scratching the surface but it's all there and it's all super interesting!

Except for the fact that tying it to Charlie negates all of it. Vaggie doesn't seem to have a character outside of Charlie, which is why they aren't really separated. Think about it, even when Vaggie's confronting Carmilla is on Charlie's orders. And while I'm sure vaggie always means well, her way of helping Charlie involves Charlie changing herself to be more acceptable to others. Alastor's way of helping Charlie involved him bringing her to a place where he knew her natural inclinations would actually be welcomed with open arms.

Alastor and Charlie just make too much narrative sense to not be together. They're foils, dark reflections, and they have so much chemistry it's honestly insane. People said that shippers got shafted when dad beat dad came out but all I saw was the greatest "your daughter calls me daddy too" joke of the last like 20 years. Alastor, who is canonically only in people's spaces to piss them off, who makes even his closest female friends wait for permission to touch him, both climbs over Charlie like ivy on a brick wall and lets her touch him on prompted without recoiling. Alastor always offers something useful to Charlie, even if he delivers it in an insult, and more importantly; not once has he ever laughed at her. He wants to guide her and watch her reach her full potential; malicious intent or not he's in it for the long haul. Again I say this not to bash on Chaggie but to emphasize how WEIRD it is that there's this dynamic isn't present in the canon ship.

I'm with you on your last point nonny, I can not actively ship chaggie and want better for it. I cannot tell you the rage that filled my body when I watched the last episode and saw that out of 8 episodes Chaggie got 1 30-second song and not only was it a REPRISE it was a reprise of the FATHER-DAUGHTER SONG!!! If that creative decision doesn't tell me everything I need to know about the ship's treatment going forward, I don't know what would.

[dynamightmite]

Been seeing a lot of takes about how Bakugo should stay dead "because it's better narratively speaking" and I don't mean to tease, because hey, valid opinion, but the more of these I read the more I'm realizing that most of you uhhhhhh do not know what the fuck that means lol.

Like? Him coming back to life being a "bad" narrative choice simply on the basis that he doesn't stay dead is not... how that works. Not just because a "good" narrative is subjective, but there is such a long history of characters dying and being resurrected in stories that are far older, more popular, and more critically acclaimed than My Hero Academia could ever hope to be.

Yes, I stole that from Wikipedia. The hero's journey/monomyth is an extremely common and infamous narrative structure (which yes, has many flaws and has been dissected at length in the academic sector, especially Campbell's, I know, shut up) which has a specified part of the story where the hero character dies/descends. It's a Biblical callback— you know, with Jesus and the dead for three days thing—but character resurrection as a narrative tool appears in even older works as well, such as the Mahābhārata. It features in the Greek myths, in folklore around the world (Little Red Riding Hood is one most western readers will be familiar with), the Arthurian legends, and has a place in modern literature such as The Lord of the Rings, meaning it has spanned our collective storytelling and been used as a narrative device to great success for thousands of years. If I wasn't being clear ebough—there is nothing inherently "bad" about a character dying and being brought back to life, because it can serve just as much purpose as keeping a character dead. Generally speaking, the concept of resurrection is one associated with transformation and change, and can even be a purifying act. It's a mark of the ultimate low, and is frequently a test of a character's ability/growth.

Beyond the historic/literary route, character resurrection has a very long, prominent place in manga/anime, especially shonen. Watch any season of Dragon Ball if you don't believe me. Naruto? One Piece? Jojo's Bizarre Adventure? Actually I can't just start naming them, we'll be here all day. Suffice to say it's practically a running gag at this point that characters aren't dead until the story's over, and sometimes not even then. To be clear: despite my previous phrasing, manga is not somehow "less" literary than any other medium of storytelling, and the tropes that come with it should not be devalued. People love to pull the whole "it's a manga thing", but the point of our Lit 101 speedrun was to show that "manga things" are rarely a) unique to manga, nor b) considered universally bad/stupid outside of manga.

Like, yeah, there are absolutely arguments as to why Bakugo coming back to life would be to the story's detriment. You could feel it would cheapen his sacrifice, or you could talk about how it would affect the emotional impact of the war setting. Maybe you feel there wasn't enough lead-up to the possibility of the character dying and coming back. You might prefer tragic hero characters, or maybe you just hate Bakugo. Maybe you just hate character resurrection. None of those reasons are wrong, because they are opinions first and foremost and you have the right to yours. But please, for the love of God, get it out of your head that character resurrection is always a lazy deus ex machina used by writers backed into a corner. It's not true and is, quite frankly, poorly informed.

Personally, I find there to be a lot of foreshadowing of Bakugo's continued, active involvement in the plot, as well as further developmental growth that otherwise has just been cut short. If the goal is to get him into the vestige world where a bunch of dead people are, him dying doesn't seem strange or out of place to me. Equally, this being a transformative moment for his character, where afterwards he will never be the same, makes sense. Character resurrection is frequently used as a symbol of hope within the story, and if that wording rings any bells— it was intentional. To me, Bakugo coming back to life could easily serve a purpose that fits appropriately within the narrative framework and the morals and ideals it imbues. I can't 100% guarantee he won't stay dead, but hey, the story's still not over.

Final disclaimer: no, I don't care if you hate Bakugo and/or want him to stay dead, it's fine, people can disagree about things. I just hate the rhetoric I've been seeing surrounding character resurrection as a narrative tool. Also, yes, this is an overly simplified look at literature studies that has a more western slant to it, I am extremely aware. If you try to debate with me about Joseph Campbell I will physically manifest in your house and chew on your drywall.

[shoujocentral]

Symphogear S1- Now this is MY kind of anime!

Every once and awhile when I'd log onto Twitter, I'd see people saying "watch Symphogear" accompanied by images from the show. From looking at the pictures, I assumed it was just another magical girl show like Precure but with less magic and more... techno. Oh, and apparently they sing while they fight? Sounds kinda dumb...

Buuuut... I have heard that there's some yuri content? Maybe I'll give it a try. I mean, I'm always open to watching new stuff, even if it's just a silly little kid's show 😅

😳

Well........ color me hooked.

I have to say, this show is not at all what I was expecting in the best possible way. It feels a lot more like a Shounen action show along the lines of Fullmetal Alchemist or Neon Genesis Evangelion than a Magical Girl show (if that's even what it's supposed to be). Today, I'm going to be giving my first impressions of Senki Zesshou Symphogear season 1, which will be spoiler free for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

Plot:

So what is Senki Zesshou Symphogear about?

In the not too distant future (next Sunday A.D.), Japan is under attack by monsters known as Noises, the likes of which cannot be killed by military weapons. The only thing that can kill them are girls clad in weaponized armor known as Gears, which is activated and powered by singing catchy techno-pop music.

One day, a girl named Hibiki Tachibana is caught in the middle of a battle, and one of the Gear users, Kanade Amou, sacrifices herself to save her. Two years later, Hibiki discovers that a piece of Kanade's Gear was embedded in her chest during the fight, giving her access to the Gear's powers. Hibiki is recruited by the Disaster Relief Squadron, the organization that created the Gears, to help defend Japan from the Noises.

However, Kanade's former girlfriend partner, Tsubasa Kazanari, sees Hibiki as nothing more than an obnoxious, naive girl trying to be Kanade's replacement. Will the two learn to work together, defeat the Noises, and possibly uncover a deeper plot to all the attacks?

Symphogear's plot might not be the most original thing ever; evil monsters attack, teenage girls transform into superpowered warriors to fight them, evil mastermind tries to take over the world, etc. But what makes this story stand out is it's unique approach to the fights. Having the Gears be powered by music, resulting in every fight being accompanied by a song, is either a genius way to amplify the fights, or a genius way for the producers to sell a techno soundtrack.

I was worried that the constant use of insert songs would become repetitive and annoying, but on the contrary, they heightened my enjoyment! The fights in Symphogear are easily my favorite part of the show: fast-paced, badass powers, lots of screaming, and downright brutal at times! Hibiki has officially joined the ranks of my all-time favorite battle cries, right up there with Goku from DBZ and Souma from Kannazuki no Miko.

If there was one thing I had to nitpick, it would be that most of the fights take away the credibility of the Noises. They're supposed to be this terrifying threat to Japan that can't be harmed by the military, but as soon as the Gear wielders show up, they're reduced to nothing more than cannon fodder as Hibiki and her comrades seem to waltz through them without breaking a sweat.

Thankfully, the versus matches between Gear wielders are much more balanced. My favorite has to be Hibiki vs Chris (see above), but then again, any fight with Chris is an absolute win!

Characters:

Hibiki Tachibana

Hibiki is your typical genki girl protagonist: optimistic, hyperactive, naive, and pure. What makes her a more compelling hero, however, is her slow growth into becoming a strong Gear wielder. Unlike most magical girl protagonists, who seem to master their powers after one line of "EH?! What just happened to me?!", Hibiki takes time to learn how to fight. She starts out with the mindset that she has to be Kanade's replacement and thus tries to fight just like her. However, she eventually comes to invent her own battle tactics that work much more in her favor. Mainly, punching the everloving shit out of everything in sight.

Hibiki is, in my opinion, a flat character done right. She doesn't go through any personal growth or development throughout the show (learning to fight doesn't count), but her belief that all humans can get along if they communicate and desire to protect people just because she wants to is the cause for most of the change in the people around her. The world is in a dark place, and Hibiki is the light. She doesn't need to change, because she's exactly what the world needs.

Tsubasa Kazanari

From what I've learned, Tsubasa is a favorite amongst Symphogear fans. Me personally, though, I have a few issues with her character. Now, I have nothing against brooding, damaged characters. In fact, Tsubasa's recovery from Kanade's death and learning to cherish her own life was incredibly engaging... for the most part. Sorry, but I can only take so much edge. Her constant repitition of "I am a sword, I exist only to fight" grew old after the first 10 or so times.

Also, while I love her overall development, I feel that her acceptance of Hibiki was a little rushed. For the first four episodes, she hates Hibiki for carrying Kanade's Gear to the point where she tries to fight her to the death. Then, after another fight sends her into a coma, she has a (extremely gay) hallucination of Kanade telling her to get over herself. Next episode, she's treating Hibiki as if they've been friends the whole time. Did I miss something? Did Hibiki even apologize for saying she wanted to replace Kanade? Did Tsubasa apologize for trying to shishkabob her?!

Development aside, her fighting style is awesome and unique, and leads to the best choreography in the show. Hopefully as I watch more seasons, my opinion of her will improve.

Chris Yukine

Best Girl. No questions. Anyone who disagrees is wrong. Deal with it.

Jokes aside, Chris is my favorite character of the show bar none. Maybe I just have a weakness for evil-turned-good characters, but I adored her "don't take no shit from nobody" attitude and her soft side emerging as the show progressed. And let me tell you, Tsubasa would have no right to brood if she knew what Chris went through as a child. I won't give anything away, but just a few brief images and harsh words were enough get the picture across and tug at my heartstrings.

She also had my favorite Gear and fighting style in the show. If there's one thing that always gets my blood pumping, it's gatling guns and an endless supply of missiles. Seriously, I could watch this girl fight for hours.

Kanade Amou

A moment of silence, ladies and gentlemen.

......

Kanade would be my favorite character if we had gotten more of her. But alas, she has to die in the very first episode. DAMN YOU, PLOT!!!

Even though we get very little of Kanade, she makes it her mission to leave a lasting impression. Her sacrifice at the beginning sets the tone for the rest of the show, and her flashback is the best of the bunch. I got hard chills when she transformed for the first time. Let's just say she's psychotic in all the right ways.

Kanade died for our sins. Remember that... 🙏

Finé

Our main villain of the show. That's it. There's really nothing much else to her. She's cruel, manipulative, and powerful beyond belief, as most big bosses of these kinds of shows are. She was honestly my least favorite part of the show.

Fine's motivation is incredibly confusing on first watch. I had to go back to pause and read the subtitles multiple times to understand her backstory, but maybe that's my fault for being a slow reader. On the other hand, the explanation as to who she is and why she's so powerful comes right out of nowhere and doesn't seem to connect to anything the story had been building up to that point. Also, by the time I understood her motivation and actually found it a little intriguing, she dropped the dreaded "I'm going to take over the world" line. Aaaaand.... all my interest just went out the window.

There is a twist involving her connection to a certain other character in the show that I genuinely didn't see coming, but in the end, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for her shortcomings.

Miku Kohinata

God bless this little angel. Miku is a precious cinnamon roll who must be protected at all costs. Thankfully, Hibiki's got it covered 👍

Words cannot express how much I love this girl. She may be only a supporting role for the time being, but good lord, does she support! It always broke my heart whenever she tried to spend time with Hibiki or talk to her, but the Disaster Relief Squad kept pulling them apart. I know DRS is classified, but Miku deserves better than to have secrets kept from her! Life sucks when your girlfriend best friend is a superhero...

Well, that was a mouthful. There's a lot more characters in this show, but I don't really have much to say about them. However, while we're on the subject of Miku, let's move on to the reason I checked this show out in the first place, and the reason I'm sure most of you read my stuff.

Yuri:

No sooner did I finish this show did I start looking up HibiMiku fanart 😍

I was expecting a fair dosage of yuribait going into Symphogear, but mother of all that is gay, did I get an overdose!

First and foremost, the main ship: HibiMiku. These two are dating. Nothing anyone says will change my mind. They compliment each other perfectly, with Hibiki's energy and Miku's sweetness... HHNNNGGH! IT'S TOO PRECIOUS! I sincerely hope these two get more time together in the next few seasons. Now if only they'd stop with the damn F word...... 😡

Next up, TsubaKana. This one seems more like it was one-sided feelings on Tsubasa's part, judging by how dedicated Kanade was to fighting the Noise. Regardless, you don't just lose all sense of your humanity and self-worth after your "partner" dies. And all that hardcore blushing in the flashbacks and naked cuddling dream sequences... nah, Tsubasa was hella hot for Kanade. Sadly, our lord and savior was taken from Ms. Brooding too soon.

Finally, there's Ryoko Sakurai, the DRS's head scientist. She was initially hinted to be gay, what with her being all too eager to have Hibiki undress and wanting to "pop her cherry" (yes, an adult said that to a 15 year-old). However, after a certain conversation occurred, it seemed more like she was straight or at least bisexual, if all that dirty talk wasn't just teasing.

I've heard future seasons introduce more potential couples, so I'm keeping my eyes open and my yuri goggles on tight 😋

Conclusion:

I enjoyed the first season of Senki Zesshou Symphogear through and through. As someone who enjoyed Akanesasu Shoujo and Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka, I have a soft spot for shows about badass girls kicking monster ass and unleashing their inner yuri. Overall though, I think Symphogear might be my favorite of the bunch so far. It has its fair share of flaws, sure, but I think its positives outweigh the negatives by a long shot. If I got this much enjoyment out of the first season, I cannot wait to see what the following seasons have to offer!

Symphogear delivers a fun, action-packed story with colorful characters, kickass fight scenes, head-banging music and plenty of yuri content. Anyone who loves Magical Girls or Shounen battle shows needs to check it out!

Rating: 8/10

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go binge Symphogear G. See you next time, my fellow yuri lovers!

[adreamofspring-archive]

+ Mel keeps changing her perceptive on the prophecy, and doesn't believe Azor ahai is one person anymore. I think everyone is trying to make it one or the other because the show has merged AA and the one who was promised into the same prophecy/person. In the books, Dany is TPTWP (because as you said, she woke dragons from stones, causing a red and bleeding star, she fits the literal prophecy) and Jon is AA, but the show has merged them into "I believe you have a role to play, as does another 1/4

(cont) That’s my personal theory anyway. Also. Jon wanted to take back the entire eastwatch mission when Dany lost Viserion, even knowing that if he could go back and do just that he’d lose support he is desperately after and still wouldn’t go, and that is before they’ve acknowledged their feelings for each other, there is no way he is going to kill Dany when he is married to her and openly in love with her for anything.Im sorry, I rambled, and that probably made no sense at all I just get so involved in theories around the prophecies and there is no sense to the Nissa Nissa theory when Nissa Nissa really did exist and already happened and doesn’t need to happen again since Beric could light his sword at will. And because if Dany HAS to die (I spent 6 seasons thinking she would, but the more theories I read from people who’ve been correct before, the more I start hoping - help me) it needs to be fitting for the breaker of chains, not by childbirth or being killed by her husband to make him the sole hero (obvs if it did happen Jon wouldn’t let her go unkown but the fandom dudebros you know) And here I am rambling again. I’m sorry for flooding your inbox you can ignore these if you want lol.For the breaker of chains, not by childbirth or being killed by her husband to make him the sole hero (obvs if it did happen Jon wouldn’t let her go unkown but the fandom dudebros you know) And here I am rambling again. I’m sorry for flooding your inbox you can ignore these if you want lol. and I went way off topic I’m so sorry I just have a habit of thinking of a million things at once and sometimes it translates when I type

no omg don’t apologize! the only times I ever get to talk with someone in depth about things is either my mom or a few of my friends so please don’t apologize! I love it when people talk to me! I ramble too so here we go!

I agree with you that dany is TPWWP and that Jon is AA in the books but in the show like you said they combined the two and it’s impossible for dany to be both azor ahai and nissa nissa cause then she would have to kill herself? it doesn’t make any sense if she’s both so idk. Jon would not, under any circumstance kill her lmao, like I don’t know how else to say it but like no, he’s not going to kill the woman he loves also the mother of dragons and the leader of the unsullied and the dothraki like if he didn’t even love her he still needs her to win this war. He’s not going to murder her, especially if she’s pregnant with his child lmao no, no no noo no.

I… am on the fence about her dying.. I go back and forth every day, sometimes I’m like theyre gonna screw us over then the next day I’m like no she’ll live alskfjslkfj it’s so stressful to think about. I know some people disagree but in my opinion Daenerys fucking Targaryen has come too damn far to die, she’s been through too much for her story to just end. I don’t think there will be a throne for her to sit on when this is all said and done, I think part of breaking the wheel will destroy the throne all together and the lands kingdoms will go back to rulling themselves before aegon, and I think Daenerys deserves to see that through, I think she deserves to see that wheel broken and she deserves to live! if she is pregnant (some people think she’s not but i personally 100% without a doubt think she is lmao) then it is my personal opinion that she deserves to see her child grow up? for so damn long she has been thinking and believing that she was the last of her line, believing herself to be barren and holding the weight of being the last of her name on her shoulders and I personally think she deserves to see her family restored?? I think she and jon both have suffered too much for them to just, die. I’m so stressed about it honestly like please just let them live oh my god please please let them live.

I really really hope they don’t screw her character over in the end, they’ve done plenty of fucked up things purely for the shock factor (ex. shireen being burned alive, sansa being raped) and.. i could see dan and dave.. totally fucking her storyline up and killing her off.. it doesn’t matter if it would be in childbirth or if they had jon kill her both are fucked up and.. the series will essentially be dead to me if they do that.. not even kidding. i will be so livid lmao. you can’t just have years and years of growth just to.. die..

and i know some people who think it would be fitting and bittersweet if she died before she got to see her family restored or got to break the wheel or sit on the iron throne and tbh I think people who believe that have a boner for Dany dying lmao, that’s not ironic nor bittersweet that just ruins it.

also yeah I could see dan and dave killing her off and giving everything she’s worked for and earned to jon… I don’t care.. I love jon with my whole entire heart (like all of it deadass) but like… if they kill her off and then he gets her dragons, her armies and her title and just. no. I’m sorry. No. she’s worked like 6 seasons to get where she finally is?? no. no. sigh.

anyways, yeah i went hella off topic too sorry! 

[captaindoubled]

Me, the person that spent the last years at college studying and researching evaluation conditioning in the media and how it affects people's feelings towards different races irl: Even though media is getting better, folks are still falling into harmful tropes that only harm the message they are trying to get across and it helping.

I love Akande in overwatch but he is still a hulking black villain and that only reinforces the black hulking stereotype. Evaluative condition g is quick and instant and on a subconscious level for the most part so when folks look at him, they make connections with the racist stereotype of a big black man even if his character is far from it.

Dream Daddy has trans representation but has had their name tacked on to transphobic gamers and regardless of their involvement, that association is there. Gay men will be played as a joke because viewers of these gamers will be primed to think of gay men as a joke and not nuisanced people.

VLD relies so heavily on character tropes that genuine moments of character growth are lost because viewers are only going to see them through those tropes. Example- Characters like Hunk have moments where he shines through as an individual in the show are lost because the viewers have already been told multiple times that he's a fat food guy coward and because this trope is old and connections are strong in people's head that this trope is easily recognizable, moments where he's brave, math clever and just kind are overshadowed even if those moments are even with his food moments.

Steven Universe is another show that I had a lot of hope for but ultimately i had to step back from entirely because they constantly did nothing about their anti black biases and continued to demonize or other black coded characters within the show. Black woman characters being mules for the feelings of other characters, even when they were given moments to deal with those problems were turned to moments to lift up another character in the end (When Pearl used Garnet to fuse to feel powerful but only ended up being a character development moment for Pearl when that story arch should have centered around Garnet carrying the burden of the team). The creators have refused to do better with the POC coded gems or POC characters in the town and have mostly focused on white coded or thin characters. This is an example of people trying to be progressive so much so that they don't stop to check themselves or allow themselves to be criticized which is a shame. It's hard to see the progress in media when half the time it's one step forward two steps back.

Also me, but an optimistic person who just wants to have a good time and have faith in folks: I still enjoy the characters of Overwatch and other actually diverse big name pieces of media and even with its flaws it's a step in the right direction. The flaws will help them learn and if it doesn't, the spite will fuel other people to do better with their own IPs. I've seen plenty of folk get on their grind from bad media just as much as good media. And within the full context of the story, Akande is more than just a big black man and if fans and folks don't see the humanity in him, that's their problem. It is the job of the creators to do what they can to not promote harmful stereotypes but if fans can not see humanity in black characters than there is little that can be done.

Example- Lució is a good man, a musician and a hero to his people but people either Demonize his character by saying his a criminal for stealing from an oppressive force or dehumanizing him because he's one of the shortest characters on canon and because they don't see him as a "threatening" black man, they find ways to make him even less threatening, almost infant like as a counter stereotype which is just as harmful to black people.

I will bring up Dream Daddy again because other than small moments that are iffy, the game is actually very tame and very well made and not the fetish fuel that the fans have made it out to be. Most of the dates are just friends hanging out and only on the third date do you lock in a romantic interaction. Some of those last dates don't even become romantic until the last minute. Even Joseph's story which doesn't have a "good ending" is balanced for in the fact that not every gay has to have a good end when the majority of them in the story do. Only positive stuff doesn't make people see gay men as complex human people and the idea that just because it's a dating sim, huh can't always get what you want is nice and treats him like a human man with his own issues and not just fan fuel. I can see this being a stepping stone for folks to take the dating sim genre more seriously because both them and visual novels are easier to program and create than fps,third person games, or side scroller and so more indie folks can create bigger and better representation without being tacked on to the Game Grumps.

VLD has been an odd show from the jump and has done a lot better than previous versions of the show. It's far more diverse and the stereotypes are annoying but not as bad as they were in the past. I prefer to watch the show outside of the fandom and I don't interact with the fans because again, it becomes a situation where the fans own biases have soiled the entire experience and made the show something that it isn't. It could be better but nothing is perfect and I'll critique it because that's my job as a viewer but I'm still proud of the work it's done so far even if it's not super good all the time.

Also also me, an exhausted person: Just do better. Both shows and fans. People make these shows and pieces of media and people aren't perfect. It's both the job of the creator to do better and to apologize when implicit biases, which are very hard to change unless you actively go out of the way to fix them and recondition yourself, are present in characters or they just fuck up on something.

But it's also the job of the fans to educate themselves on what's right and how to interact with folk. This isn't a reasonably, be nice thing. It's a, maybe don't send really weird messages to folks about your ship unless the creator has made it know that they like to engage in that talk. Even if you are angry, actually say what's wrong with sources instead of working off hear-say. If you don't know what's wrong with a show, ask and do your own research or only form your opinions from folks that actually did the research and not a random post with literally no sources but lots of outrage. Also accept that sometimes your opinion on stuff is wrong. Cis women who only interact with a show for the gay ships are fundamentally wrong?? And annoying and you hounding a creators for gay content is actually very gross when you can support shows when canon can characters.

BUT as fans you do have a right to critique a show for stuff going on and creators have to have thicker skin when it comes to critique. They have every choice to listen to it or ignore it but fans have every right to critique the media. It's how things change. Again, a point back to Steven Universe. Both with the fans and the creators didn't want anything bad said about the show. Just because it was progressive for one group, doesn't mean it's progressive for other folk.

There were good moments that children and adults needed to hear but nothing is perfect and if a show can't be critiqued nothing will get better and the deeper in your craw you get about a problem, folks tend to double down on them (I have a theory that racist/sexist/ist thoughts and actions tend to get worst when you tell folks to stop because they can be learned through conditioning and so go through a thing called an extinction burst ((an extinction burst is when you try and stop a trained behavior by not reinforcing it any longer the thing doing the behavior does it a lot more out of frustration because they aren't frying their treat anymore)) so they do racist shit more because they aren't getting rewarded for their behavior) the worst you'll get.

The rise of social media and creators wanting to connect with the fans have created a situation where folks have easy access to one another and there is a lack or respect for folks space. This was a problem with Bryke and members of the ATLA crew entering in spaces meant for the fans and being upset with how overwhelming the close interactions were and got defensive about critique of any kind. This is a problem with folks on the VLD fandom holding pieces of media hostage to get what they want, ignoring the real world consequences of those actions. The closeness allows for direct responses with problems but also the same way texts are, people expect and answer immediately when people behind contracts and are representing their content and everyone who's worked on it has to put the message out fast but same time it has to follow rules probably set out by their company. Both sides just need to do better.