#anime winter 2018

[anisongoftheday]

A Place Further Than The Universe Opening

The Girls Are Alright! by saya

[figurecollection]

Hyakca-chan Original Character Garage Kit, by DInner Chips

[hairunowa]

Sanrio Boys | Yuu Mizuno

[okochamasensou]

magical mirai figure transparents

[latvian-spider]

Into the Aquarium 11

Originally Uploaded on DeviantArt as WinxPossible on Jan 28, 2018

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Original Description:

Turtles chilling out on a piece of wood!

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No comment.

[hardworkandguts]

Mitsuboshi Colors

三ツ星カラーズ

(Anime + Manga)

Slice of life comedy by Katsuwo

Era: 2010s

Rating: B

Plot: Around Ueno Park, peace is protected by the Colors, three elementary school girls doing errands and having fun.

Length: 12 episodes

Thoughts: You know, I really should stop watching shows because YouTube suggests me a video that I find funny (you can guess which from the image on top). Then again, so far the record on "shows I've seen from random clips suggestions keeping me entertained" is pretty good, so why stop? There really isn't much to say here, we have the three girls, the shy leader and bit of a crybaby Yui, the energetic menace Sat-chan and Kotoha, always holding her blue 3DS and looking for to put her feet on someone's head, and the people whom they interact on their adventures, including Saito, the neighborhood cop who's a prime target of the girls antics, Oyaji, owner of the local general store and novelty glasses aficcionado who often gives the girls something to play with, Nokoka, an highschooler friend of the girls who runs their family's small bakery, which her older sister Momoka wants to turn into a onigiri shop and Sat-chan's mother, who sells fruit.

This is another of those shows you can just turn off your brain for a bit and have fun. Most of the jokes are based on the girls' vision of the world and the kind of bluntness only kids have, but it's never exactly mean or ill-oriented (Saito probably disagrees). Each episode has two or three different segments, as the manga chapters can be quite short, which keeps things going pleasantly without trying to drag much story. As for the manga, the adaptation covers pretty faithfully maybe one half of it, there's no order to the chapters as beside the introduction of characters like Colonel Monochrome right in the first chapter and the Sasaki sisters, there's no continuity. Both are equally fun, there's more adventures in the manga, but the VAs really did s good job capturing the characters, so just do both, it's not particularly lengthy. Could it have another 12 episodes to cover the rest of the stories? Yeah, Sat-chan imitating a pigeon, the girls and the Sasaki sisters trying to harmonize in the rain would probably be a blast seeing animated and with sound. Necessary? Probably not.

Recommended to: very chill times

Plus:

It's all-around cute fun

"it's fun to be stupid", words to live by, Sat-chan.

Minus:

It is what it is, don't expect anything incredibly memorable, this is just a very fun thing.

[animehajime]

Pop Team Epic ⬢ Extremely Silly, Great Fun, But What?

Pop Team Epic Season One (more…) “”

[songs-of-the-east]

Pavel a Khudi Nenet from Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, Siberia, Russia. 2018

"The life of Nenets people in this area is based on following the reindeer as they move along ancient routes around the tundra. To survive the winter the reindeer eat a type of lichen known as reindeer moss, which may be covered in metres of snow. The Khudi Nenets brigade we visited have a herd of some 4,000 reindeer, with roughly 1,500 of them belonging to the Khudi Nenets themselves. The remaining 2,500 are owned by the ‘state farms’. If Khudi Nenets people slaughter a state-farm animal, its value is docked from their salary, but they are allowed to slaughter their own reindeer."

- Jimmy Nelson

[thegildedbee]

winter solstice 2024 fic rec

The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is one of my favorite holidays: Yuletide, the ancient Norse celebration of the arrival and departure of the shortest day and the longest night, as our planet's patterns begin their reversal as part of the natural order. In dark times, it's important to remember that gathering quanta of light are always being regenerated, even if, sometimes, it is hard to spy them out. It's an especially apt occasion to rec a story like this one: in which two characters, who endure separate darknesses, have their worlds gently transformed by a warm, golden radiance rooted in hope and renewal, at the moment they meet: Ache by @finamour [ 2018 / M / 7284 words ]

FinAmour's story begins in London grit and despond, for a drug addict who lives on the streets and a damaged war veteran who lives in suspended animation; both untethered, until they come into each others' lives. It's a sweet and joyful regeneration in many meanings of the term, not least because of the subtle dream-like threads that re-enact the Holmesian legacy. 🌘A Happy (belated) Solstice to you all, and to all a good night!!! ...................................................................... { You can find other Solstice🕯️recs by scrolling down at thegildedbeeloves 💛🐝💛}

@calaisreno  @totallysilvergirl  @friday411  @peanitbear  @original-welovethebeekeeper

@helloliriels  @a-victorian-girl  @keirgreeneyes  @starrla89  @naefelldaurk

@topsyturvy-turtely  @lisbeth-kk  @raina-at  @jobooksncoffee  @meetinginsamarra

@solarmama-plantsareneat  @bluebellofbakerstreet  @dragonnan  @safedistancefrombeingsmart  @jolieblack

@msladysmith  @ninasnakie  @riversong912  @dapetty

[mountrainiernps]

How do you winter?

You might be thinking, “hey, it’s March and winter is over!”

That’s not quite true in the Cascade Mountains. As you go higher in elevation, it gets colder and more snow has piled up over the winter. At Paradise, we can get snow storms into June.

So while the temperatures are warming up, a little more sunshine, and days a bit longer, winter keeps a tight grip on the subalpine meadows like Paradise and Sunrise. The plants and animals are well adapted to the challenges of these winters.

For animals, there is a choice. Do you travel to warmer climates, stay and snow camp, or snooze through the cold temps? Rufous hummingbirds are our champions or long-distance travel, migrating to the south and even Mexico in search of warm temperatures and food. Pikas are big winners at snow camping. They store food in the homes under the rocks all summer so that they can stay active all winter eating their stores. Last but not least, black bears are great hibernators. While not technically sleep, the bears lower metabolism, heart rate and respiration to make their fat stores last until snow melts and food emerges.

So, how do you winter?

NPS Photo. Rufous hummingbird circa 1975. NPS/I Metzen Photo. Pika perched on rock in talus field near Lake Louise. 2018. NPS/Spillane Photo. Black Bear, which come in several colors, among plants and shrubs. 2016.

[haveyouseenthismovie-poll]

End of month update - May

Hello, all! This is the end-of-month update, where I post Tumblr’s current top four films that have received the highest percentage of “yes,” “no,” and “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

As of today, the top four films with the highest percentage of “yes” votes are:

Finding Nemo (2003) | Shrek (2001) | Monsters, Inc. (2001) | The Lion King (1994)

Next, the top four films with the highest percentage of “no” votes are:

Sausage Party (2016) | Pinocchio (2019) | Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014) | All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

This top four changed through the new addition of Pinocchio (2019), which replaced Bonnie and Clyde (1967).

Finally, the top four films with the highest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes are:

Like a Cat on a Highway (2017) | Dean Spanley (2008) | Monica and Friends: Bonds (2019) | Monsturd (2003)

This top four changed through the new additions of Like a Cat on a Highway (2017) and Dean Spanley (2008), which replaced Heroic Losers (2019) and Death Trance (2005).

Currently, The Incredibles (2004) is the still the only film to receive absolutely zero “haven’t heard of this” votes.

That’s it for May’s end-of-month update! Remember that you can view last month’s update by clicking here. Additionally, you can view the full ranked Letterboxd lists of movies that have come up on this blog by clicking the following links:

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “yes” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “no” votes.

This list is ranked from highest-to-lowest percentage of “haven’t even heard of this movie” votes.

Remember to vote on the polls that are currently running: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) | Now Add Honey (2015) | Lady Bird (2017) | Kath & Kimderella (2012) | Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 (2012) | The Fly (1986) | First Reformed (2017) | Candleshoe (1977) | The Thief and the Cobbler (1993) | Addams Family Values (1993) | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) | The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) | Yentl (1983) | Two Times Lotte (1950) | The Fox and the Hound (1981) | Muriel's Wedding (1994) | The Loved Ones (2009) | Kenny (2006) | Winter Sleep (2014) | Mustang (2015) | The Butterfly's Dream (2013) | Re-Animator (1985) | Bride of Re-Animator (1990) | The Runaways (2010) | American Psycho (2000) | Nim's Island (2008) | No Reservations (2007) | Nancy Drew (2007) | Battle Royale (2000) | [REC] (2007) | La Vage aux Folles (1978) | Y Tu Mamá También (2001) | Beau Travail (1999) | Happy as Lazzarro (2018) | Farewell My Concubine (1993)

[anisongoftheday]

Pop Team Epic Opening 1

POP TEAM EPIC by Sumire Uesaka

[aftgficrec]

Favorite Neil/Jean or Neil&Jean fics?

In the aftermath of the publication of The Sunshine Court the relationship between Neil and Jean has been put under the spotlight a little more (no spoilers here though!), but there have always been authors who have shown this combo the attention it deserves. In addition, many fics under our raven!neil tag feature friendships or relationships between Neil and Jean. - S

Previously recommended:

Neil Josten & Jean Moreau:

close friends Neil & Jean here

BFFs Jean & Neil here

Neil/Jean tumblr fics and headcanons here

‘Afterthoughts Chapter 68’, ‘Jean, Neil, and Kevin hanging out’ here (plus some more Neil & Jean under previous recs)

‘not very good at this’ here

Neil Josten/Jean Moreau:

Neil/Jean fics here (you can also find a link to our Neil/Jean tag here)

More Jean/Neil fics here

‘we’ll survive, you and i’, ‘Heart on Your Sleeve, Eyes on the Street (the Heart-Eyes Remix)’, and ‘Doves & Ravens’  here

Some of our favourites from previous posts:

Your humble and silky life by moonix [Rated G, 3582 words, complete, 2019, locked]

Jean’s life these days is quiet, uneventful. His best friend has a hopeless crush on the unattainable Minyard, Jean’s colleague at the botanical garden. Jean has a standing appointment every week with the most beautiful woman in the world, who is happily married to someone else—but that’s okay. There’s still Jeremy the waiter, whose smile is the highlight of Jean’s week.

tw: animal death

Black As Is The Raven, He’ll Get A Partner by nekojita [Rated E, 644156 words, complete, 2018]

When Wymack, Kevin and Andrew came to recruit Neil Josten in Millport, Neil decided to say 'no' instead of 'yes' to joining the Foxes and does what he does best, which is run. Unfortunately, that brings him to the attention of the Moriyamas, who return him to his 'rightful' place. Now Neil has to learn how to survive at the Nest with his only ally another 'asset' long kept under Riko's heel.

tw: violence, tw: rape/noncon, tw: dubcon, tw: blood, tw: panic attacks, tw: drug use, tw: alcohol, tw: minor character death, tw: homophobia, tw: involuntary outing

Apart from Your World (A Part of Mine) by ApprenticedMagician [Rated T, 17647 words, complete, Aftg Big Bang 2018, locked]

David is shipping him off to the Isle of Anglesey and, frankly, Neil could use the time and distance away from an ugly break-up that still hasn't smoothed over. The problem is, if he isn't being reminded of his ex (courtesy of working alongside his identical twin brother), then he's being reminded of the mother who abandoned him (courtesy of their assigned patient who suffers the same affliction she once did). All around, it's shaping up to be anything but the trip he signed up for.

tw: references to past abuse

NB: find art for this fic by @llheji here

So Keep Your Heart On Your Sleeve (And Keep Your Eyes On The Streets) by CasTheButler [Rated T, 4162 words, complete, Aftg Winter Exchange 2018]

Cause it's a God damn long drive fall, Back to normality. Jean starts at a new school on a new soccer team, makes some friends, and spends the whole time falling in love with a punk. Written for the 2018 AFTG Winter Exchange.

tw: panic attacks

And here are some fics we haven’t rec’ed yet:

Neil Josten & Jean Moreau:

Je crois en la chance de rejoindre la mer by Elyant [Rated T, 2007 words, complete, 2021, locked]

Part 4 of The Devil Makes Three

Jean has chosen the café whose tables were closest to the large windows overlooking the tarmac. After spending so many years underground and under the harsh fluorescent light of the Nest, he doesn't think he will ever have enough of the natural warmth of the sun. A duffle bag of clothes that are too new to feel like his, the tin of home-baked cookies Renee thrusted into his hands before he left, and a small package wrapped in kraft paper are his only baggage.  He's waiting for a plane from London to land because of a phone call he received a few nights before. He is therefore purposefully two hours too early for the flight that will take him to South California, to meet the team in crimson and gold that will become his family, even if he doesn't know it yet.

tw: implied/referenced abuse

from rain by ratbandaid [Rated T, 62807 words, complete, 2023]

Over time, Jean grew unsure as to why he'd been so intent on running from the mafia. He barely took care of himself and could hardly call whatever he was doing living. After all, he knew that one day, he'll be caught and dragged back, kicking and screaming, to be killed or worse: put back in the hands of Riko Moriyama. But when a snot-nosed, cocky brat, Neil, stumbles into his life, Jean slowly realizes what he's running for.

tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: implied/referenced child abuse, tw: violence, tw: nightmares

based on this art by @estavs

NB: This one contains slight spoilers for The Sunshine Court:

epic understatement by LadyTimelessness [Rated T, 335 words, complete, 2024]

he's pissed off that jean had to go through this. they're basically nothing to each other, but damn it, neil wants to crack grayson's skull open that second. faith in the world finally burns out in the fire of disillusionment.

tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced murder

Neil Josten/Jean Moreau:

Skip the Last Dance For Me (the Trojan Horse remix) by justadreamfox [Rated T, 3572 words, complete, Aftg Remix 2020]

Neil and Jean are free of the Nest, and wearing the Trojan red and gold, but they've still got "normal" life to navigate and friendships (past and present) to juggle. Really, sometimes you just want to be alone with your boyfriend.  Ft. Exy, pizza, and Steven Spielberg.

Nothing Mattered Until You by Lostintheuniverseslies [Rated M, 22497 words, complete, 2023]

On the docks in Marseille, Neil fell in love. But his mother ripped him away and for years he never dared hope to see Jean again. He believed that he would die before ever getting the chance. But when recuperating with his uncle after his father is killed, Neil's chance comes. Unfortunately, he isn't the only one who went through some horrible things over the years. Despite their horrible pasts, they decide to try for a future together. Going to college and even making some friends along the way. But Riko has other plans and wants back what he considers his.

tw: implied/referenced torture, tw: implied/referenced domestic violence, tw: stalking, tw: harassment,  tw: dissociation

It's Friday, I'm in love by Greenfallleaves [Rated T, 5834 words, complete, 2023, locked]

The day Neil had found himself pushed into the strong chest of their school’s new student Jean Moreau had been one of his luckiest in hindsight.

Hold my breath in your hands by Greenfallleaves [Rated G, 2154 words, complete, 2023, locked]

Adapting to the world outside the nest hadn’t been easy for either Jean or Neil but now that they had had a few years to get used to it, they got to complain about (i.e. enjoy) spending quality time with their friends.

sleep notes by nanatsuyu [Rated T, 2928 words, complete, 2024, locked]

Neil smokes a joint and discusses the possibility that Kevin is an honest to God vampire.

tw: recreational drug use, tw: implied/referenced abuse

A kiss while someone watches by @stabbyfoxandrew [tumblr, 2024]

Nathaniel never really saw the point of kissing until he was brought to the nest. Or rather, until the first time Jean Moreau backed him up against the wall of their shared dorm during an argument.

Art

Jean & Neil by @ziegenkind094

Raven!neil au - napping by @dawnatlas 

Raven!neil au - partners by @dawnatlas

‘Stitch by stitch, tape and gauze…’ by @dawnatlas

two by @02511213942

Neil and Jean find an empty pool at night by @aminiyard

i believe in jean moreau supremacy by @caraleadraws 

secret santa gift for @nekojitachan by @aminiyard

Hello sunshine court by @estavs

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

What do you think about opinions that Chloe’s development was ruined in season 3 finale because Thomas didn’t like that viewers like her more than Marinette? I Don’t think that it’s true, but it gave me idea that Thomas ruined Chloe’s already few character development because viewers liked her more than Gabriel.

I've heard this theory before and it seems like a massive stretch to me. It's always possible, but I don't feel comfortable making accusations like this without some hard evidence and I've yet to see any, though it's not like I follow this guy on Twitter or anything. My knowledge of what goes on behind the scenes is all based on random things that make their way to my Tumblr feed. So if someone has hard evidence, feel free to reblog and add it, but the most likely explanation is just bad writing. Why ascribe malice when incompetence makes just as much sense and requires a lot less motivation?

Think about what this accusation is actually saying. It's claiming that an adult man willfully ruined a major element of his passion project (or even just the show that he's known for, meaning that it will define his future career) because he was salty that people liked a character that he created. That seems like a conspiracy theory take to me.

It's also not like Thomas has full creative control of the show! Head writers have power, but they rarely have total power. They're still employees and a ton of things happen between an episode being written and the final version being aired. Producers, directors, censors, and many others usually okay a script prior to an episode being animated because that's the most expensive element. Plus it's not like he's the only one who wrote Chloe's story. Every season two and season three episode is credited to multiple writers. In other words, it seems like multiple people signed off on Chloe's story.

There's also the issue of the air dates. Queen Wasp and Miracle Queen first aired about twelve months apart (October 6 2018 vs October 15 2019). Production times for animated TV shows are about that long, which would mean that Miracle Queen was probably being written or was even already set in stone around the time that Queen Wasp aired. In other worlds, every element of Chloe's journey was probably at least sketched out before the audience ever saw it start. That would mean that nothing in that story was reactionary. It just doesn't fit the timeline.

While Chloe's season three ending was a total mess, it was hardly out of nowhere. It was glaringly obvious that Chloe couldn't stay Queen Bee from the moment that we met Queen Bee. You can't willfully out yourself to the world and expect to stay a hero (or, at least, that shouldn't be a thing Felix). I was honestly baffled when they gave her back the bee in Malediktator and relieved when Marinette finally acknowledged the problem in Miraculer:

Ladybug: I'm sorry, Chloé. I should've told you this a long time ago. I might never be able to let you be Queen Bee again.

Which was, of course, the setup for Miracle Queen, further complicating this theory because it looks like less than a year passed between the world premieres of Queen Wasp and Miraculer (October 6 2018 vs May 15 2019).

I don't know if this made it to your Tumblr feed, but the Miraculous writing team announced that the writing for season six was done back in late March. The show won't air until sometime this winter, well over half a year later, because that's just how animation works and they've supposedly done things to make the animation process faster this season. I just don't see how this Chloe theory works or why it needs to be a thing when her bad writing falls perfectly in line with things like the absolute disaster that was season five. She wasn't a fluke, she was a warning of things to come.

As best I can tell, the entire Queen Bee plot was just an incredibly awkward and forced way to show how dangerous identity reveals were. Which isn't a bad plot to have, but don't do that plot and then let a bunch of other temp heroes keep their miraculous post reveal! Writers, what are you even doing?

If you want my best guess answer to that, then I don't think that the writers planned to make their story feel massively hypocritical. I think that they just did a dumb writing mistake that I've seen multiple shows do: they wrote a really cool cliffhanger ending without planning how to make that ending work in the following season. And there was no way to really make the ending work, so they end up just kind of ignoring it.

The reason why this happens is pretty simple. Most shows try to end their seasons on cliffhangers so that fans will come back for the next season. It's extremely rare to have a solid happy ending that ties everything together. This can lead to writers making questionable calls because they're pressed for time and have to come up with something that will keep the fans wanting more even if that thing makes no sense. It can also lead to writers making questionable calls because they DO have a plan for how the cliffhanger will play out, but when it comes time to actually put that plan into action, it gets shut down and now they have to scramble to make the nonsense work.

Anyway, what I'm really trying to say is that, as much as I like the concept of a redeemed Chloe joining the team, it was pretty clearly never going to happen in canon. The writing only backed that read for a brief moment at the start of season two where we got a handful of episodes that made Chloe feel less like a cookie-cutter mean girl and more like a true character, but then the Chloe plot really got going and I was just waiting for the inevitable fiery end. I actually thought that Chloe was going to be treated as a tragic character and become a true villain in season four. Instead we got utter nonsense that tossed her character all over the place to the point where I have no idea what they're even trying to do with her.

[shiningliive]

Today is Utapri's 14th anniversary, and we've gotten some more information about previously announced Shining Live Memorial Books, Nnintendo Switch port, and a new set of collection cards.

Shining Live Visual Collection Cards

Not much known at the moment, but it looks like there will be some kind of special bromide set using artwork from Shining Live

Scheduled to begin release in Winter of 2024 (Japan time). More information will be revealed at a later date. You can find the official website here.

Shining Live Archive Book

*Some information may be incorrect. Please check for yourself!

The memorial books will be released as a 7 volume series, and will contain "various visuals and costume designs" from Shining Live.

They will be sold individually and as sets at Broccoli and Animate's online stores. They are A4 size, hardcover, and around 300 pages per volume. Each individual volume is approximately 1.2kg, and 6600 Yen.

The release dates and set prices for the volumes are:

Volume 1 and 2 - 13,200 yen. Releases October 31, 2024.

Volume 3 and 4 - 13,200 yen. Releases February 27, 2025.

Volume 5, 6, and 7 - 19,800 yen. Releases May 7 2025.

Each volume contains content from a different year of the games time in service:

Volume 1 - August - December 2017

Volume 2 - January - December 2018

Volume 3 - January - December 2019

Volume 4 - January - December 2020

Volume 5 - January - December 2021

Volume 6 - January - December 2022

Volume 7 - January - December 2023

More specifications and information on the order bonuses can be seen on Broccoli and Animates online stores linked above, but there are currently no sample images.

Nintendo Switch Port

*Image is from the official staff blog and is still under development. Not much information was revealed. It has only been confirmed that they are still planning on porting "various content" from the app to the Nintendo Switch.

It's unknown if this would be a standalone switch game, or if it may somehow be tied to the release of Dolce Vita, which was also confirmed to still be in the works.

[latvian-spider]

Into the Tropical House 15

Originally Uploaded on DeviantArt as WinxPossible on Jan 28, 2018

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Original Description:

Snails…nothing much to say.

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No comment.