#big fan of characters dying and being revived and coming back ‘wrong’ or ‘different’

[peachzin]

it’s a long way down to the bottom of the river

[bookwyrminspiration]

pyro again! (and take your time answering my asks, i send in a lot askjskjsk.) do you think there's any chance another character will die by the end of the series?

(im personally really hoping bronte dies, but i dont think he's important enough to have an impact for most readers. maybe oralie, then? it could be her "redeeming" act, since that's a popular trope.)

welcome back, pyro!! I’ve sometimes wondered who would die if we got another, because it seems like we’ve been going suspiciously long without anything going drastically wrong. (I’m aware Biana got her scars, but that’s distinctly different because it was her personal battle and something she had to deal with compared to the more widespread effect of a death, if that makes sense

In the first few books it seemed people were dying and reviving left and right, but it’s been a while since then. I think our last death was Mr. Forkle 2, electric boogaloo, which was in Lodestar. That could be wrong though. But now it’s always like oops we made a mistake and some people got hurt but everyone will be okay. It’s been…long enough that’s it’s like ooo will this be it?

As for who would die next, I’m not entirely sure. Shannon has said she planned to kill Sandor in every book he’s been in, but she never follow through. So maybe next time she’ll follow through. He’s not her only bodyguard anymore, and he frequently gets hurt protecting her. It’s not unreasonable to see him going down in her defense. Maybe even in a dramatic battle scene where her buys her a few precious seconds to do something she needs to, or to take a fatal injury so she can keep going. That would result in a lot of guilt that would eat at her and complicate the story (in a good way).

I could also see Alvar dying. It seems like he’s on his way to just that with his weakening body, but I don’t know if that would have a big enough impact on Sophie for it to make it into the books. That’s more of a Fitz and Biana situation, and while they are important they’re not the main character. It seems the aftermath of thag would take place off-screen, which might defeat the point of a death and not satiate this ongoing tension

as for bronte and Oralie, I don’t think Bronte will die, but I’m open to being wrong. There’s already been so much chaos with the council and so killing him off because of his association or something feels like a repeat of Kenric. I also don’t think he’s truly close enough to Sophie for it to really sting. She’d hate it and grieve, but it would be fueled by anger at her own perceived failure and not at the loss of someone she was emotionally attached to. Now, if he were to die directly at Fintan’s hands as he tries desperately to reason with his old friend, that would be something I’m 100% open to…just saying. Begging and pleading with Fintan to stop, to come back, trying to apologize, only to be engulfed in flames. Dramatic. Excellent. I love it

Oralie I could more reasonably see dying because Sophie has such a tension with her and a history, which makes it more dramatic for us as readers. It’s the most likely to tear us apart because it’s going to tear Sophie apart. All the times she’d yelled at her, ignored her, hurt her. she’s going to think she shouldn’t spent that time getting to know her. Wanting to forgive her. I think she’d have the most regrets with Oralie’s death.

I’m personally not a huge fan of redemption through death, the idea that there only way to fix your problems is to sacrifice yourself. That you can’t learn and heal in a safe, positive, controlled way. but it’s popular and I could see Shannon going with that. There’s also be the element of her being reunited with Kenric, a dramatic lovers tale. I think if Oralie died she’d die alone with Sophie, slowly loosing consciousness as she tells Sophie all the things she wished she had the time to say as her biological mother, trying to fix as much as she can in the few moments she has left. And Sophie telling her not to talk like that and to hold on and all that.

I’ve kinda got off topic but those are the characters I personally could see dying! The one that are closer to Sophie or have a history with her to make it seem more real. It’s a very interesting theorizing about them and who would hurt the most!!

[tundrainafrica]

I’m so scared that the Hanji’s shard was actually her coming back to life!I’m not talking about the beast titan theory.I kinda think that for some reason the rumbling victims will be brought back to life (Zeke style with the titan carcass) and since I feel like Levi’s gonna sacrifice himself next chapter to detonate the bomb,he wont be back because they can only bring back the ones who died from the actual rumbling.I hope I’m making some sense right now.That promo photo of the vets where Hange was the only one looking directly at us was scaring me.Is that a hint of some sort?Don’t get me wrong,I truly want her back but at what cost?

Thanks for the ask anon! This is a pretty interesting take on the ending. 

To be honest, I kinda avoided making predictions about AOT at first because recently, every time I try to predict what happens next in a show, I imagine game of thrones and I imagine all the people who made predictions about game of thrones only to get that sorry excuse for slapstick humor that is season 8. The disappointment the fans of GOT is unfathomable and I don’t think I want to experience the same thing with AOT.

But... Since you’re bringing up predictions about the final chapters of AOT, might as well unearth my own thoughts about what will happen based on patterns I see from Yams and the general theme of the story.

yolo coz this answer is gonna be obsolete in like a week anyway.

I’m so scared that the Hanji’s shard was actually her coming back to life! I’m not talking about the beast titan theory. I kinda think that for some reason the rumbling victims will be brought back to life (Zeke style with the titan carcass)

I don’t believe Hange’s coming back to life. She’s my favorite character, I would have wanted her to get a better ending that what she did but I don’t think that’s where the story is going thematically. So I think Hange will stay dead. 

The main saviors of this show were set up to be Armin, Mikasa, Gaby and Falco and possibly the 104th cadets so I think generally vets like Pieck, Zeke, Hange and Levi are gonna end up dying (which they are already doing) to give space to the main cast to shine and step up. 

And I don’t think Yams would be the type of person to pull some Naruto Pain Arc shit and would magically bring everyone back to life. This show just never approached death similarly to other shows. The only time the show has ever brought someone back to life was with Armin (and okay fine to a degree Eren) but those two were never dead. With Hange, I think there was some finality to her death because although Hange did amazing stuff in the story, a lot of parts of her were not as fleshed out as that of EMA or FG so it would be odd for Hange to suddenly get revived and take the spot light when it was FG and EMA who were set up for something greater. 

(Now that I think about it though, with what’s happening now, I kinda have trouble understanding what type of message Yams wants to give so I might still be completely wrong)

As Levi mentioned in his own monologue though in the latest chapter, the vets job ended when they lead the kids to the sea and I think there should be a thematic reason behind that and that line really is giving hints to what Yams has in store for them.

I feel like Levi’s gonna sacrifice himself next chapter to detonate the bomb, he wont be back because they can only bring back the ones who died from the actual rumbling.

I am really bracing myself for Levi’s death. I really don’t think Levi will survive until the end of the manga. Although, I am praying he does, at this point, I think I’m praying more that I’m gonna have the strength to handle it if he does die. 

Levi has been getting a lot of death flags lately. I mean if you notice how the main characters have been dying lately, it’s usually like they get a really horrible injury or a permanent injury then within a few chapters, they die. That same thing happened with Erwin with his arm, then Sasha (Her injury in Shiganshina was bad) then Hange with her eye. 

And Levi got the brunt of all of those injuries. If Levi does survive he’s gonna be bedridden for months but I don’t think he’s even gonna make it back, his knee is fucked, his innards are fucked but to a degree, I feel like Levi was built for something, Yams didn’t let him survive being blown off then being bitten for no reason so whatever he dies doing is going to be incredibly important to the plot. 

Maybe, he’ll be the one who detonates the bomb like you said. But I don’t know I’m having trouble imagining how detonating the bomb would be the most crucial piece of bringing Eren back. Although they have been talking about it for a while, the fact that its taking them 2 chapters to even decide on detonating it? With Pieck trying and with Mikasa hesitating? I don’t think it will be that easy. There must be another crucial piece they will be considering and whatever that crucial piece will be, Levi might just lose his life making it possible. 

I hope I’m making some sense right now. That promo photo of the vets where Hange was the only one looking directly at us was scaring me. Is that a hint of some sort? Don’t get me wrong, I truly want her back but at what cost?

That promo art was beautiful and Hange is beautiful. It might be a long shot considering the relationship between promo art and the ending. Her promo art was unsettling but I think one big reason for that type of art could be a hint to her development in season 4 and the fact that she’s a lot more subdued this season. We all have seen how she talked in the last two episodes. I feel even Romi Park was coached on Hange’s traumas and her insecurities because with Romi Park’s work with hange in the last two episodes, it almost felt like Hange was a different person which is reasonable given her development the past 4 years after becoming commander. I do have a meta on Hange’s psych which you can check out here.

I want Hange back too but I kinda don’t want Hange back in exchange for some asspull. If she is built up for some return then that would be great but really, how often has Yams brought a character back to life and would he really bring her back side with only three chapters left and with EMA and FG still not completely developed?

There’s a word for this in Tagalog with no English equivalent which summarizes my thoughts on Hange’s fate. HAHA. So for my filipino followers who end up reading this. 

Oo nabibitin pa rin sa naging buhay at naging kamatayan ni Hange.  

Roughly speaking, Hange’s life and death seemed incomplete to me. Maybe because personally I was so fixated with her, I am so in love with her that I just couldn’t believe that she would end up meeting that type of faith. Because to me, she was always built for a greatness larger than she experienced then. But maybe it was all in my head, maybe that was just my own personal perspective as the audience. 

Yams gave us enough crumbs to get us to understand that Hange is great. Hange was an amazing character. Just like he gave us enough crumbs to understand that Erwin was a great character too. Sasha was an amazing character too. 

But Yams made sure to remind us too that everyone dies and so many amazing people are fated to meet unsatisfying deaths and he’s been saying that same thing since the first chapter with the fall of Wall Maria with that comparison between humans and cattle and let us all remember how horrifying the deaths of many of our other favorite characters were.

And in the grand scheme of things with the themes Yams was building, slowly transferring the fate of the world to the younger generations, where do Levi and Hange fit? 

At this rate, I’m probably gonna end up getting my fix from fanfiction so I’m really just bracing myself for this.

(I really hope I’m wrong though)

[bluerosesburnblue]

Nothing upsets me more than a legitimately good story being ruined by “extra” content. I’ve already complained at length about Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon’s story changes over the original games so now it’s The World Ends With You: Final Remix’s “A New Day’s” turn because CHRIST

I’m writing this as I come across points while watching a playthrough, so:

God, Coco is the single most insufferable being. “totez hilar” just dated this content so baaaad, and I’d even say it was dated language when Final Remix came out. No other character abuses modern slang as their entire character. Like, slang is used but not as a substitute for personality. Beat speaks in a very casual, urban style but it never ends up being detrimental to his character as a bit of a punk with a “perfect little sister” that he wasn’t as naturally smart as, so he just gave up on trying and ended up being a bit of an aggressive slacker. Heck, he tones it down a bit for emotional moments, too. Coco, though, comes across like her ultra-modern “cutesy” text message slang is supposed to be her personality, and even when it’s revealed that she’s the villain of the episode you just can’t take her seriously through the “like, ohmigosh, I can’t believe you’re ruining my plaaaaaans” bullshit. What does she have going for her if you rewrite all of her lines without that speaking style? She’s just a generic manipulative brat

Frankly I also just disagree with the entire premise of A New Day and the plot threads it sets up for a potential sequel, i.e. “having Neku and Beat run through a game again as a trap to get Neku into yet another game in a possible sequel.” TWEWY is a complete experience and had been for at least a decade. Literally every character had a complete arc. The worldbuilding was rich enough that they had more than enough to come up with a sequel set in the same world, but in an entirely different town with an entirely new cast and, heck, even entirely new rules for the Game that would’ve expanded upon the world of the games without taking away from the characters whose time in the Underground was already done

But, noooooooo, we’ve gotta bring Neku back. Can’t have a game without Neku they literally SAY THAT (”The Game, like, literally can’t go on without Neku.”). And let’s bring Minamimoto back, too, as a good guy! The fans loved him! This doesn’t come across as pandering at all!

Just... you have the girl with the red headphones designed! Make the sequel set in Shinjuku with her as the main character! (Hell, I don’t think I would have even minded Minamimoto coming back for that because there was enough leeway in the base TWEWY for him to have survived his encounter with Josh, just leave Neku out of it). This is the most infuriating part because it actually takes away from Neku’s story. The entire GAME was a test of character to see if even the worst, most closed off person could learn empathy and respect and Neku DID. And in return, that sparked a change in Josh. His story is done. Coco using Neku, though, has nothing to do with him as a character and everything to do with him being the face of the game and it shows

And why the hell is Neku so trusting of Coco anyway? I get that he opened up over the course of TWEWY, that was kind of the point. But you come back to life, everything’s fine, and then suddenly you’re in a death game again and so is one of your best friends, like, he should be WAY more concerned and suspicious. But one little Reaper gives him the sad eyes and he just caves instantly like “fine, come along.” Even when Neku grew to like some of the Reapers, like Uzuki and Kariya, it was still far more of a rival-like respect. He knew damn well that it was their job to see him gone and while he accepted their help when they gave it and helped them when their lives were in danger (possibly, up to player choice), they weren’t buddy-buddy with each other, knowing that as soon as the immediate danger to them had passed they’d be on opposite sides again. And these are the Reapers he’s closest to, even at the end of the game. And then all of a sudden Coco goes “but I’m a wittle wost baby weaper” and Neku’s response is, “well, shit, welcome to the team.” WHAT

I hate using the term “Mary Sue” but Coco is absolutely a Mary Sue in its original meaning. The plot bends over backwards to accommodate her at the expense of the main characters’ personalities or reason, all while giving her a clothing style incongruous with everyone else’s meant to stand out and make her look special and not having her face any repercussions for her actions (so far which is, again, another issue with the very premise of A New Day since that’s exactly how things will end off if TWEWY doesn’t get a sequel, the possibility of which is not a guarantee AT ALL)

Shiki and Rhyme start saying blatantly false things about themselves and handwaving it away with “ohhh, that must have been our new Entry Fee! Just the exact same ones as the first time again!” and only BEAT is suspicious and NEITHER OF THEM are suspicious of Coco, the only non-generic Reaper they’ve met so far. Christ, I appreciate Beat being attentive with matters of his sister because that’s in-character but NEKU was always the more paranoid AND observant one yet all he thinks about is “gee, I’m sure having weird visions today, huh?”

And then Coco starts BLATANTLY gaslighting them about Kariya and Uzuki’s personalities and they’re STILL not suspicious of her like ughhhhhhhhhhh. Nekuuuuuuu you LIVED THROUGH JOSH WEEK 2, you have BEEN IN A SITUATION where the mastermind partnered up with you to divert your suspicion and keep an eye on you how are you less suspicious of this brat than Beat is???

And why are none of the characters bringing up the fact that you have to be DEAD to be in the Game??? You all spent three weeks of hell to claw your way back to life, how are you not more upset about what seems like you all dying again, basically immediately after you just got brought back? And I know the Shiki and Rhyme in A New Day are illusions, but Neku and Beat AREN’T. Nobody even comments on the implication that they’re dead again and what that means!

I can’t believe they made new expressions for the fake Josh’s changed personality but still refuse to make anything for Shiki’s true appearance

Hell, there’s enough lore with Josh that you could make an entire prequel about him becoming the Composer instead of this mess and, you know, EXPAND on someone’s character and what led to him being so disillusioned with Shibuya as the Composer instead of employing the Happy Ending Rewrite on Neku and then gutting his personality to make Coco the focus. I’d LOVE a Josh prequel with competent writing. Kingdom Hearts made the Xehanort prequel and hooked me in a single chapter with expanded worldbuilding and interesting ties with Xehanort’s character to friends that humanize him, do the same for Yoshiya “Joshua” Kiryu!

Pfffffff hire me and let me make the dream TWEWY trilogy: Joshua prequel > TWEWY sans A New Day > sequel set in Shinjuku starring Red Headphones Girl with Occasional Josh and Hanekoma Interaction

It is so unnecessarily cruel to make Beat relive Rhyme’s erasure and subject Neku to believing that Shiki was erased as well, and yet they do NOTHING with it except have it be cheap tension for five minutes. The characters basically say “wow, I’m so sad!” and then IMMEDIATELY move on to “OMG is Neku seeing the fuuuuuture?” Your LITTLE SISTER and FIRST REAL FRIEND IN YEARS just seemingly died permanently! When Rhyme was erased the first time it took Neku one and a half in-game days to even talk about it because he was so upset, and from then on he was focused on avenging her/bringing her back. Shiki was his entry fee in Week 2 and that made him hyper paranoid the whole time! WHY ARE WE JUST GLOSSING OVER THIS especially since they made SUCH a big deal about how they just finally started believing that the fakes were real (after a whole TWO conversations)

And then at the end they say that they’re inside Coco’s Noise that is SO BIG that it has an ALTERNATE DIMENSION INSIDE IT and Hanekoma’s like “I’ve never met a Reaper POWERFUL enough to make a Noise like this. Wow, Coco, you’re so POWERFUL that even I, an Angel, am impressed!” This. Coming from the guy who specifically chose Minamimoto as his failsafe to kill the Composer should the Game go wrong because a Taboo Minamimoto, heavily refined using forbidden methods, would be strong enough to defeat THE COMPOSER. And he’s now going on about how Coco’s the strongest Reaper ever, basically admitting that she’s probably stronger than the Composer of Shibuya. SURE. BECAUSE COCO WASN’T BAD ENOUGH ALREADY SHE HAS TO BE THE STRONGEST REAPER EVER, TOO

And then it just ends with Josh and Hanekoma exposition dumping about how Shinjuku got erased as Noise entered the RG (WHAT?), Neku’s visions were probably caused by the red headphones girl who’s super special (who???), and Coco’s just so special powerful (why...), but it’s not their problem so fuck it. Oh, and also Josh doesn’t care about Neku anymore, despite that being the whole point of TWEWY. Yeah, the guy who flew off all upset when Hanekoma asked him if he wanted to hang out with his friends at the end of the game. Uh huh. Even if he’s lying, why even put that THERE instead of saving it for the sequel?

And then Coco just... revives Minamimoto. Even though, oh, right, the Taboo Refinery stuff was so precise that the only reason Minamimoto came back the first time was because Hanekoma, THE PRODUCER AND AN ANGEL, set it up for him. But I guess Coco’s just soooooo super powerful and knows FORBIDDEN HIGHER PLANE KNOWLEDGE and can just do whateeeeeever she wants. Not like Hanekoma was so paranoid about someone finding out what he did for Minamimoto that he went into hiding, certain that he’d be reported to the higher Angels and destroyed

A New Day is so painfully shallow from a writing experience. It’s a poor continuation off of the solid, complete TWEWY story experience that just doesn’t have a handle on Neku’s character, turning him into this bland vision machine with no emotional connection to anyone. The way that it expands the worldbuilding with “Inversion” does one thing that I HATE, which is taking an emotion-and-character driven story and turning it into a generic “end of the world” scenario, “raising the stakes” in a way that divorces it from what made it memorable in the first place. If Kitaniji directly effecting the RG during the main Game’s plot was the point where he crossed the line in-universe, then that loses its special nature and impact if you then go “oh, btw, Noise can destroy the RG city if you let them”

And then there’s the absolute black hole of a character that is Coco Atarashi. She wasn’t designed to fit into the world of the game, she was designed to stand out. On its own that’s not a bad thing, especially given the themes of the game that revolve around owning your true self and baring it to the world, but then you combine it with no personality beyond being a manipulative brat obsessed with the events of TWEWY, extremely lazy text message slang dressing up her dialogue to make it stand out, the way that Neku and Beat’s personalities change to accommodate her presence just to shoehorn her in and then have a cheap “omg she was bad” twist, and then dumping powers on par with Josh and Hanekoma on her and there is NO saving her character

The only good part of A New Day is “Wake Up.” And even then, there’s better TWEWY songs, I just like the vaguely Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance vibes it has in parts

[emiliachrstine]

ok this was an ask i got and had a good time with but! what would jackie’s comics history be if she had been canon/how would it have differed from the film adaptations?

Okay, I need to preface this by saying I know nothing about the comics. Only what I’ve read through my research, so I apologize if I get something wrong. Anyways, here we go! (also I know I’m going to forget major points so I apologize)

Comics History:

Jackie doesn’t appear in the comics until the late 1960′s when they revived the character and comics in the early 60′s. When she’s first introduced, she is the only child of Addie Harris (nee Lewis) and Joseph Harris. She takes on her mother’s maiden name when she joins the academy. Jackie was born after WWII and her mother was friends with Steve during the war. She grew up around SHIELD and the stories about Steve Rogers. Since Peggy Carter was a very minor character in the comics, her relationship with Peggy wasn’t shown too much in the comics. But she did often talk about how much of an influence Peggy had on her growing up. 

By the time Jackie is introduced, she is already working as a SHIELD agent and has a rather fractious relationship with Tony Stark. She’s not as close with him as she is in the films, in fact, there are several instances where her dislike for Tony is very prominent. They are very much reluctant friends and allies, but they work very well together and share a few moments of genuine friendship and admiration for each other. There’s even a period where Tony has a clear romantic attraction towards her but Jackie persistently rejects him. But as the comic series goes on, their animosity slowly melts away and they become really good friends. Close to what would happen in the films.

Jackie is one of the best agents working for SHIELD. She and Sharon Carter are two of the most trusted agents and often go on missions together. However, there was always a level of competitive nature between the two, but it was always in good fun. They were always like sisters to one another. 

The character’s popularity spawned her own spin off series which were actually a rather big hit. The Argentina mission was the first major arc to be covered. The series starts off in the early 60’s during the first few years of her working at SHIELD. And it starts this whole complicated relationship between Jackie and Bucky Barnes that actually turns romantic at one point, way down the line. Jackie’s trauma from the failed mission isn’t as intense in the comics as it is in the films. She’s able to understand Bucky’s situation and forgive him more easily. It’s a very on and off type relationship, never one where they officially are together or anything of that matter. And it is a big rival against Natasha and Bucky. 

An offshoot comic series, has Jackie getting pregnant by Bucky and giving birth to a son. She gives her son up for adoption to protect him from a domestic terrorist, Baker, who discovered her identity after she infiltrated his group. Jackie ended up going on the run, never telling Bucky that he had a kid. It’s not until the kid returns as an adult in search of his parents. Jackie is presumed dead since going on the run and Bucky doesn’t believe that this kid is actually his. The kid is named Michael and he makes on and off appearances in this issue run.

But going back to the main comic series, Jackie is made head of the team who found Steve in the North Atlantic. While she’s not assigned to help with reintegration, she ends up helping Steve adjust to modern life. And they become close friends fairly quickly. But Steve and Sharon become a thing and they are a couple for quite some time. However, during the periods where they are not together, it makes way for a romance to blossom between Jackie and Steve. Much like her romance with Bucky, her romance with Steve is a very will they won’t they type relationship. But it became a very popular couple and most of the reception given was that people wanted them to get together. But they never do. Steve and Jackie’s romance is the tragic love that was deep and affectionate but was never meant to be. Even though Sharon and Steve are considered the couple and have a longer trek history, Steve never stops loving Jackie, even up to when he’s killed by Sharon. One could make the argument that Jackie was his true soulmate. 

Jackie is a lot more involved in the comics’ run of Civil War. She takes on the side of Captain America, becomes part of the Secret Avengers, and fights against the ones who are for the federal registration which brings her face to face with Tony Stark. When the Secret Avengers respond to a fake emergency call, they are ambushed by pro-registration forces and Jackie ends up getting killed during the skirmish which makes the team retreat. Steve continues on with the fight but ends up surrendering at the end, as we all know. Her death is mourned by everyone. Sharon lost her best friend and sister, Bucky lost someone he felt truly understood him, and Steve lost the love of his life. Even Tony ends up feeling guilty for what happened to her. 

Jackie remains dead throughout the proceeding comic issues. When the first few mcu films are released, marvel makes a whole new comic run that could run parallel with the films, while still keeping some details different. Of course, Jackie is brought back with a lot of changes done to coincide with what was being done with her in the films.

The Films:

There are quite a few changes that are made to Jackie and her backstory. Since the films were taking place in the 21st century, her birth date was changed to 1985. She is no longer the child of Addie but retconned to being her granddaughter. Kathleen and John were created for the films, then were put into the new comic runs. Jackie’s relationship with Tony becomes a more familial bond than what was depicted in the comics. Although, it was important for the films to keep in the fact that they butt heads a lot with each other. And the romantic interest on Tony’s part in the comics is completely erased in the mcu. 

Her involvement in Civil War is drastically changed compared to what happened in the comics. In fact, when it was announced that the civil war storyline was being done, a lot of the fans speculated that Jackie would end up dying in the film since she did so in the comics. In the film, Jackie refuses to take sides despite being against the accords. Her relationship with Tony and Steve prevents her from choosing one or the other. She very much becomes a witness and only intervenes when she sees no choice. Her being pregnant in civil war is a new detail created for the film. 

The biggest change is her relationship with Steve and Bucky. It is definitely decided between Feige and Stan Lee to try and put Steve and Jackie as the endgame couple, since their relationship tenure in the comics was quite popular. Their relationship is made to be much more complex and ended up being controversial because of key events that happened (i.e. the biggest being Steve choosing Bucky over a pregnant Jackie). Her relationship with Bucky is definitely toned down a lot more, the movies played more into her trauma and her hesitation to forgive Bucky. And this did not please bucky stans and also the bucky/jackie shippers because their relationship in the comics is pretty significant, and the films pretty much erased how important they were to each other.

Madison and John are also a new addition. They are eventually written into the new comic run and are given their own spin off as well. Though, John is based loosely on the son that bucky and jackie had in that offshoot series. And as for Madison, her name comes from a Captain America issue where Steve and Jackie talked about what a normal life together would be like. They would have a house on an isolated patch of land, away from the city. And they would have a kid, they always debated whether it would be a son or daughter. They liked the idea of either but always agreed that Madison would be the name of their daughter. So in the films, they decided to give them two kids with the daughter being named Madison and they move to a new home almost in the middle of nowhere.

Then, there will be Madison and John’s tv show, maybe even a show depicting Kathleen and John in their early years at SHIELD. There would definitely be a comic run for her parents in the new comic run. 

[vamish]

The Order

So recently The Order season 2 has come onto Netflix so I have decided to compare my thoughts and feelings of the characters from season 1 into their growth and whatever on season 2 

First we’ll start off with my babies and end it with the trash [any negative options of characters do NOT stretch to the actors themselves]

Randall  

Season one 

He is such a cute adorable soul, I love his loyalty and adoration fr his friends hes honestly one of the best written characters on the show, he is the definition of baby

Season two

we got to see more of a stubborn side to him this season, he still shows his undying loyalty to not only his friends but the cause. It actually hurt to see him so upset when that bitch ruby used him. He still is baby but he bi baby, that kiss with Hamish really made me realise that hes shippable with anyone and everyone.

What I would like to see for him in season three; 

I would love for him to slowly start to accept magic more, and to see him use it a bit more, and for him to find someone that genuinely cares for him, whether its Gabrielle or another character I just want my baby to be happy.

Hamish

Season one

I never really had much of an opinion on Hamish, at the beginning of season one I thought he was a bit bland, but then he really grew on me, the way he spoke about Cassie and his choice of beer pong to settle group choices, my mans not an alcoholic, hes a alcohol aficionado and my son. His little look at Vera at the end gave me a bit of feels

Season two 

I cant not start this without Randall and Hamish’s kiss, I love it, a love story for the ages, either both Hamish and Randall are bi or somewhere in the community or they’re so solid in their heterosexuality that they really do not care and I’m cool with either [I’d more so believe Randall is the first option than the second]. But Hamish and Vera are also a power couple, I’m not sure the age difference but Vera is older right? But I love Hamish’s belief in Vera and The Order its such a big difference from the Hamish that we first met that wanted to take them down. I would love to drink one of Hamish’s concoctions.

What I would like to see for him in season three;

I would love for Hamish to progress more with Vera, and for him and the other wolves to learn more about their wolves and the history.

Jack

Season one

In the first season Jack was literally just a puppet, he was always being controlled by something or someone, the main one being his granddad, the relationship was so broken between them I wish we had gotten a real bonding moment the closest we had was either when Jack was dying because of silver back and at that point he was barely conscious or when we saw his pops trying to avenge jacks and his mothers death and Jack had to watch him explode. I really didn't feel any real emotion except a little twinge because I knew that Jack was upset. Jack himself wasn’t inherently a good or bad character his biggest flaw is that he literally throws himself into things because of emotion. Was super happy when he woke up after dying and Randall came and gave him a hug

Season Two 

This has to be said Blonde Jack grew on me and low key was sexy as fuck no one can tell me otherwise [Thank you Gabrielle]. I love Jack I really do but his biggest fucking flaw is his feelings for one bitch that can not be named right now. He did make some big mistakes this season but he’s only a teen [Hes like what nineteen now?] but hes really willing to die for his team and and confirmed Jack has soft lips, my baba uses lip balm.

What I would like to see for him in season three; 

I would love for him to find all of the rest of the stolen objects, for people *AHEMALYSSA* to stop blaming him for everything ‘oh there is one cloud in the sky must be jacks fault’ 

Lilith 

Season one 

Now again I was not sure on Lilith just because when they introduced us to her character, I thought she was very one dimensional by that I mean they were just going to try and pass her off as a strong female by making her blood thirsty but within one episode I went from not liking her to loving her my little ‘Kilith’ a beautifully murderous soul, her reaction to her finding out that her at Alyssa were best friends was brilliant. Her and Randall's kiss was sort of unexpected but I was cool with it I thought they would have at least had it go somewhere lmao.

Season two 

Lilith and Nicole two beautiful women and they love each other, tell me I’m wrong, I liked the bob however I was not a big fan of the blue streaks, Lilith and Jacks moment before they went to the last fight against Rogwan, her sacrifice to save Jack, I love that girl so much. I’m upset that she was in barely any episodes this season I would have loved to see more of her relationship dynamic with Nicole.

What I would like to see for her in season three;

To see flashbacks of her in the demon realm and her badasserly survival, to see her slowly making her return back into the human realm. And for her to also find someone who truly cares for her, 100% would prefer a female.

Vera 

Season One 

I liked Vera from when she decided that Jack was coming to belgrave, I love her character because she reminds me of Fallon and her makeup is always on point. 

Season two

Her fight for her position to be grand magnus, she was always one of the most calculated characters because everyone was constantly trying to tear her down and take way her title especially that bitch Kepler. Her and Hamish are hot AF power couple for the win

What I would like to see for her in season three;

GIVE HER HER MAGIC BACK!

Gabrielle 

Season One 

Shes good at what she does to bad she always was working against my faves.

Season Two

It was harder to hate her this season I loved the Karaoke scene, she wasn’t perfect but she tried [still couldn't like her but that’s due to my own personal hang ups 

What I would like to see for her in season three;

A redemption arc and not one that has her redemption based around Randall and for him, I really hope they give her a good one. I beg

Alyssa

Season One

She started off so well on the first episode, what happened, she has an unhealthy loyalty and what seams like some sly daddy issues her and Jack were cute though 

Season Two 

What. The. Fuck. First I’ll be nice that bitch can sing. Alyssa is a stupid irrational character, she leaves Jack to fight on his own, and doesn't help just stands there, tries to cut of her bond with him after she has sex with him for the first time. She was a very self centred character this season, some how everything was Jacks fault, but she was still adamant she had feelings for him? She was willing to kill her mentor and someone shes known for years for some random girl shes met, she believed everything that was said and didn't even have the audacity to let Vera explain and then took away her magic, who gave her the right, I know she was upset over her own magic but Vera would have helped her fix her powers another way. Again she was very self centred and I wish that she actually tried to understand and work with everyone and she wouldn’t have died, but oh well. 

What I would like to see for her in season three;

Either shes a completely new person when she gets revived for she can stay dead I ain’t got time for her foolishness anymore, some people have real issues not her made up problems.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk

[venus-says]

Kamen Rider Drive Movies and Specials

This is the end of the road.

To finally close the Drive chapter in this journey here we are with the post about the movies. And this time it's extra special because I'll be talking about some of the specials for once, I usually never do those because it's too much of a hustle to go looking for them and I don't have that much time to watch them either, but to download some of the Movie Wars movies I had to download them from TV-Nihon batches and they include the specials on them so I thought, why not? Of course I did that before I had watched Drive and I saw that I didn't like it very much but oh well, they're on my hard-drive already I must as well watch them.

Anyway, there's a lot of stuff to go through so let's get to that right away.

Kamen Rider Drive: Surprise Future

This movie... oh this movie... I feel like this movie doesn't work at all after you've finished the TV series. And even if you haven't finished the series I think it doesn't work very well either because they expect us to have some sort of connection to a character that hasn't been around for more than 15 minutes, and whatever connection we have with this character also dies very soon when the revelation that he's actually a Roidmude happen so... Again, Drive doesn't do family drama all that well. Also a lot of recycled things from the show, like another evil Drive? Really? And Shinnousuke apparently dying and the belt being destroyed again? How many times did that happen in the show again? Another thing that watching this movie after the show kinda ruins it is the treat of the Global Freeze because after we see the show it's obvious that the Global Freeze is useless, heck they didn't even care to explain what it is and how it works so seeing that being the treat was just irrelevant to me. Also that ending when they "revived" Krim was such a dumb Deus Ex Machina, I was just rolling my eyes at that point.

Well, at least Chase had a good bad-CGI scene where he destroyed a big thing that I don't even remember what it was. And Proto-Drive Chase or whatever it is called was kinda cool as well. But the rest? Pretty meh I'd say. Also, this movie had a Ghost cameo?? That really surprised me seeing that he appeared twice in the show?? it felt a bit excessive, but oh well... whatever.

Drive Saga - Chaser

THIS MOVIE. IT HIT REALLY HARD ON THE FEELS. And I don't if it's because is centered around my favorite character or if it's really that good, but I really loved this movie.

I think they've checked all the right boxes when making a story for Chase and it was very well rounded, if I had to say a point that they lacked I'd say it was in the action, but I feel like that wasn't really needed because this was so focused on working on the characters so, in the end, the only thing that comes as weird from this movies was the uncomfortable comedic close-ups, the weird erotic scenes, and Chase bleeding that much to remove the feather from his chest, I'm not sure if an android would bleed like that, but it doesn't hurt the experience.

But they do hurt your heart, because seeing Chase get close to that kid was really adorable and seeing that he doesn't remember it at the end HURTS and hurts A LOT. I felt sadder for that moment than I felt for Chase's death, heck this movie made me feel more things than in the 48 episodes and 2 movies I've watched at this point. Gosh, it's so good. I also like the villain they chose for this movie, Angel was a very interesting Roidmude, of course, I'd rather if she didn't look so psychopath right at the beginning so it wasn't so clear that she had bad intentions, but for a one-off villain, she was great. It was also very fun seeing a "softer" Chase, props to his actor he was so different but he still felt in-character, you know? It didn't seem fake or anything, it was weird at first of course, but It was really good. I bet his vocal cords also really appreciated the chance of speaking in a normal tone for a change. XD In the end, this was really enjoyable, Chase once again being the best thing of Drive.

Oh, I almost forgot, another thing that was really fun was seeing Ryu again, that was really great. It also makes sense that the rider who can transform into a bike made a cameo in a show where the theme is vehicles. You know, I didn't really like Ryu during W but everything else that he has appeared he has been so great?? That's so weird. Also apparently now he has a child with Akiko???? What???? You know, for all the crap I give to crossovers and such even I must admit that seeing Ryu and how his relationship with Akiko has been developing is really awesome. I still don't know why anyone would want to marry Akiko and build a family with her, but if he's happy, good for him. XD

Drive Saga - Mach & Heart

You know, this one was probably the one I was less excited about, and it surprised me, but it also got me very disappointed. This was totally a mixed bag. I wish these were more connected, for Heart's part to work Gou needed to be there and that worked really well, but aside from the villain Gou's part had very little involvement with Heart's part and it felt like a letdown.

Heart's part was quite good, the set-up was great, the story was pretty decent, and I really liked the payoff. As I mentioned in my posts about Drive I didn't really care for the Roidmudes or for the rest of the cast in the Special Crimes Unit, but seeing Heart and Genpachi work together was quite awesome, I had a lot of fun. I'm still kinda meh about that amalgam Roidmude being a thing, it is a good villain I'm just picky about how this guy appeared, and I'm not the biggest fan of Heart's rider design, but Heart's portion has enough things on there that make easy for me to overlook them and consider it a solid especial. I like that he came back as a fluke, and I like that he has Brain and Medic on his head too, I like that Shinnousuke appears because of the thing he had with Heart, and the emotional bits between him and Genpachi worked beautifully.

The same can't be said about Gou's part because they decided to make a love story, and they also decided to put family in the mix because Drive really knows how to touch in family discussions, and this was just underwhelming as hell. It gave Gou some development, and at least that's good because the show lacked a lot in that department, and it's always great to see Chase again even though it was just some weird supernatural thing, but I really couldn't care less about the other stuff going on. But if you like Gou maybe this will great for you because you'll be able to see the dude becoming happy, so...

Drive Saga - Brain

This one was surprisingly good, I don't know why but I came into this thinking this would be a serious thing, but I was wrong because this is a special for Brain so of course it would be a comedy. I thought seeing that it was just a comic thing would throw me off of it, especially because I wasn't the biggest fan of Brain in the show, but here it worked quite well. It still has the things I don't like about the comedy in Drive, but for some reason, they didn't bother me as much here. I think what I like the most is that it knows that is something ridiculous, and it owns it, like there's a moment during the fight in part 2 where one of the villains says "but this weapon ain't yours, it's just a recolor" and I cracked the hell up, I loved the joke that Brain has only 600 Giga in his hard-drive making him even weaker than my previous computer, and the fake-out he did on the final villain where his final blow was a headbutt rather than a kick was just marvelous. I got a few spoilers from villains of Ghost and Ex-Aid, but it was worth it. This was fun, Brain's design as a rider was freaking cool as heck, it's a shame but also very funny that the comedic rider got the best form of this entire season, and I like that this serves as either a prequel or a sequel to the Mach & Heart movie. If you want something quick and fun to watch go do it because this one is great. 

Drive Secret Missions

So these secret missions are kinda whatever, most of them aren't that good, but also most of them aren't that offensive, they're pretty mediocre. I think from these 5 only 2 are worth watching. Type ZERO is kinda okay, it doesn't add anything new so it's not that necessary, but we get to see Proto-Drive properly and that's really cool, his design is awesome, but that's pretty much the only interesting thing it has going for. Type TV-KUN is like a prequel for Drives episode in Movie Wars Full Throttle and isn't that good. Type HIGH SPEED is probably the worst of them because it's one of those Hyper Battle DVDs who have no purpose at all and are very boring, this one is even worse I feel because they try to make a full-length episode out of it and there's no need for that. Type LUPIN is another Hyper Battle DVD and while I love Lupin's design this one was pretty underwhelming, I'd say it was completely unnecessary.

Type TOKUJO, though, was pretty good, probably the best out of them and maybe the only one worth watching. Honestly, this story is so good it should've been in the TV show, I mean this gives inside on why each member joined the SCU, it's a fun case (despite the resolution being kinda dub, again), and also establishes that Bannou was inside Brain's tablet so it would've been perfect for it, I'd take this over any filler plot in the entire run of the show. I had a good time with it.

And that does it for Drive! Wow, this was very long, thanks for sticking with me until this far. If you have any thoughts, don't be shy, share them in the comments, I'd love to read them. Drive is over but this "marathon" isn't, and if everything goes right, the post with Ghost's first episodes plus his crossover movie should be out a few minutes after Super-Hero time finishes on Saturday (or Sunday, depending on where you are in the world). Once again, thank you so much for reading, I'll see you all around. Bye~

[fakemuggle529-blog]

"HARRY DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE?!?!"

I could go on for days about the differences between the HP books and the movies (just ask my wife). 7 books, 8 movies, 4 directors, 2 screenplay writers, a myriad of actors or varying levels of talent, but this 1 line haunts every single Harry Potter fan. One comment about this line was "we're never going to get over this, are we?" That one comment sparked this post, which was originally meant to be a list of my least favorite movie moments and why.

But Harry Potter is my favorite subject, and my rant about this became a separate post to answer that rhetorical question.

Simply put, no, we're not going to get over it. But why won't we?

As with any adaptation, since the world isn't ready for a 10 hour movie based on 1 book, bits and pieces of the Harry Potter books needed to be cut out. (I'd be down for that movie, but I digress)

Things like the Draco/Pansy romance, Rita Skeeter being an unregistered Animagus, or winning the Quidditch cup ultimately don't have an impact on the plot of "evil wizard finds path to immortality, boy wizard must stop him with the help of his friends," so they can get cut pretty easily.

Even things like the Marauders' full moon adventures and creation of the Map, Umbridge setting the dementors on Harry, and Neville's parents' fate are secondary material, meant to give more weight to the main story:

- The world would still be in mortal danger without four teenagers creating a map of their school, but that map helped stop that danger;

- Umbridge would still be a cruel bitch if we hadn't known she sent the dementors, but that tidbit show her own demented state of mind and how far she'll go to get what she wants.

- and we'd still want Voldemort dead even if we'd never heard of Neville Longbottom, because we've seen the impact he had on Harry. The info about the Longbottoms just gives more depth to the characters involved.

But regardless of what they left out, the basics stayed the same: "evil wizard finds path to immortality, boy wizard must stop him with the help of his friends" continued, except the written version had more information than the visual. The fans already knew what was missing, so our brains filled it in for us. And leaving out that bit of info for the adaptation process allowed people who hadn't read the books to know what was going on and how the information fit together, even if they had less information than the fans.

(I think of the miniseries Chernobyl, when the general asks how a nuclear reactor works. He gets a bare bones explanation, and can parrot it back to his subordinates later. He might not me able to do the math or understand all of the technical jargon, but that simple explanation has given him enough info to get things going.)

As the movies progressed, we saw more and more get left out since the books only got longer, or more in depth, or both which each new addition, but no matter what, that skeleton was still there, "evil wizard finds path to immortality, boy wizard must stop him with the help of his friends." And the 'friends' part was even more accurate with supporting characters!

Hermione was the nerd from the books, Ron was the goofy best friend, Neville was the underdog, Draco was the bully!

Every single character was fitting their book counterparts perfectly, they just couldn't be as in depth in this medium!

Lucius was the oily bastard you knew he was, Sirius was the Godfather who wanted to be there but couldn't, Bellatrix was the psychotic fanatic who'd do anything to earn Voldemort's praise, Dumbledo--

And that's where the similarities stop.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a lot of things: he's the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot (the Wizard High Court), honoree of the highest medal of Honor possible for Wizards, one of the most notable contributors to the field of alchemy, and from what I understand a PHENOMENAL dancer.

He's human, and fallible like any other human, but he is definitely not stupid.

Just in book 1, before Ms. Rowling had even gotten into her stride as a storyteller, we see Dumbledore:

Send Harry to the safest place possible; watch over him as much as possible; send updated owls to Harry with every change of address; send Hagrid as the most friendly way to introduce Harry to his true world; Send Harry the invisibility cloak as a connection to his dad; say that he 'doesn't need a cloak to become invisible;' RETURN the cloak after Harry lost it; and turned around on his trip to London on some intuition, barely managing to save Harry's life.

While he might not be the warmest of people, probably due to a tendency to think too deeply, Dumbledore shows the strongest of power when he needs to fight, the quickest of words when he needs to talk, and what seems to be a clear sense of right and wrong (the waters get a little murky with that last one, but he stands up for what he sees is wrong, regardless of what he thought at 18), and a calm dignity, even while getting his feathers ruffled.

And that's exactly why this gets under our skin so much.

As fans of the books, we see Dumbledore do it all, in great detail. Even that infamous line is ended with "he asked CALMLY" (All Caps is my addition). We see Dumbledore:

-sit next to an 11-year old who nearly died recently and promise to some day tell him about the first time he nearly died as an infant AT THE HANDS OF THE SAME GUY... Calmly, because this is a conversation he's been dreading for years, so he's prepared.

- hire a clear fraud just to fill his staff; have two 12-year olds crash an illegal flying car into a living tree AND talk down the teacher that wanted to skin them alive; deal with an unknown threat that was attempting to kill his students; get forcibly removed from the school, only return ready to console grieving parents AND watch the same 12 year olds from earlier emerge from an unfindable chamber WITH the 11 year old who was thought to be dead....calmly, because he's lost loved ones, and he knows what it is to grieve.

- Hire a werewolf; keep that a secret from his students, their parents, and maybe even the government; and have two 13 year olds illegally time travel to save an animal an a convicted felon...calmly, because an innocent man's life is important.

- Host a death tournament specially designed to 'not kill;' and slowly watch a plot to revive to worst wizard ever unfold before his eyes....calmly, because he didn't have all of the information yet.

- Get slandered by the entirety of the government, and forcibly removed from his position in the Courts; have a government spy forced onto his staff; purposefully pissed her off; evade arrest and go on the lam...calmly, because he knows he's right, and the truth will out. THEN come back, fight every Death Eater in the ministry, fight Voldemort, convince the government not to arrest him, then talk Harry through his Godfather's death....calmly, because he knows he messed up, he even says that Harry show be so much angrier, and 'please, by all means, destroy my possessions'.

- Find out he's dying; find out there's a hit on him; recruit an old colleague, and use Harry as a means to reveal a crucial part of Voldemort's past, which he's been teaching to Harry all year; find a horcrux as well as pass on as much info about them as possible; AND get psychologically tortured mere moments before being murdered....

- AND, postmortem, we find out that Dumbledore has been playing pretty much everybody, but especially Harry....calmly, because for once, it really was "the greater good."

But he was fun loving too, maybe childishly so due to the fact that he had to grow up so fast.

- Some of His first words after Harry starts school are, "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! And tweak!"

- He did what was best for the school AND Firenze by hiring the centaur, but he clearly enjoyed shoving it in Umbridge's face.

- and let's not forget the night he picked Harry up front Privet Drive. He obviously made those glasses hit the Dursleys as some small payback for how they treated Harry.

That's Dumbledore. Serious, wise, and seriously wise, with a penchant for mischief.

The movie Dumbledore gave none of that, especially with that terrible, terrible reading of that line.

That one line changed the entire character of Albus Dumbledore. Instead of the cool, calm, and collected man he always was, he lost control. In front of his foreign and governmental guests nonetheless. That would never happen to Dumbledore. He's seen the signs, and can tell something is up. That's WHY he hired "Mad-Eye."

Even that stupid Christmas scene added to the HBP movie, as much as I freaking HATE it, doesn't CHANGE anything. The Death Eaters attack and for some reason burn the house down. Boo hoo. Nobody gets hurt, nobody dies, the house is back to normal the next movie. No big deal. They just wanted to add to the drama some, instead of the usual deduction from the cuts.

This change is why we hate SO many other adaptations, or "cuts" as they call them.

-Those of us who are old enough to remember will freaking riot over the "Han shot first" argument, because we knew that there was no way in hell Han would sit and let Greedo take a shot at him, ESPECIALLY since they freaking showed it first, then changed it later.

-It's why we all hate M. Night. Shyamalan's fucking guts, because he took the single greatest cartoon masterpiece ever created, and tried to make it better. The one scene that sticks out to me is when they're trying to escape the earth-bending prison camp. First, they had to be removed from the land entirely, or their pride would cause a rebellion instantly; second, 6 benders did what we see Toph do her first lesson as a blind toddler. Unlike Lucas, Shyamalan wasn't trying to appease anyone. He just wanted a name for himself, so he decided to take on the most popular cartoon ever. Pass or fail, he has that fame now.

Some of the fault might lie with the director, or possibly even the actor himself. Michael Gambon is a respected actor, and probably had a sense for how the character would play, even if that sense might not have been based in the books. Couple that with multiple directors by this point, multiple actors having playing Dumbledore, and the books still gradually coming out, and the information and range for the character of Dumbledore might have been quite limited.

And let's not forget those cuts that needed to be made. With a shorter story comes a need to get the information across faster.

Instead of mulling it over for a moment while the rest of the group argues (and probably for a good year or so by this point), and calmly asking Harry if he entered himself in the tournament, the quick explosion both saves time by cutting the opening argument AND gives the audience a cue for suspense. They know something is wrong NOW, and they don't know what, but they'll find out as the people on screen do.

Personally, I believe that this system can be broken by a rather simple solution: TV show.

Instead of one movie, each book gets one Season, and every couple chapters or so gets an episode. I foresee problems as we get to the later books as opposed to the early one, since they start getting thick AF with GoF.

But I think the pros outweigh the cons.

-The locations for HP are actually incredibly limited. They pretty much go back and forth between the same dozen locations all seven books, so you could make sets to switch out whenever needed, and just reuse the exact same sets for seven straight years, with little to no change in between.

- We have all of the books now, and then some, and then some extra BS on top of that, and the plethora of headcanon out there, so we have more than enough information for every single thing about this place, excluding literal physical dimensions. Find a kid who looks like Harry, another actor who can flawlessly pull off Snape, and some old guy who wants to be goofy sometimes, and you've got gold.

- We could actually include the minor characters too. Peeves could pop in and out every few episodes, Dobby can play the role he was meant for, Kreacher can exist as more than 3 lines. The vanishing cabinet could actually be introduced in year 2, then addressed in Year 5, then revealed properly in year 6. Moaning Myrtle has her scenes, Bill Weasley has his, Tonks could be the most important female character besides Hermione or Ginny.....

Anyway, you get the picture. This whole thing was inspired by one comment, and I've been working on this for almost 6 hours now. Pretty sure I've worked harder in this post than any papers in high school...

Hollywood, if by some miracle you see this, I'll totally be a screen writer for the Harry Potter TV show. In the meantime, goodnight.

[sludgyreview]

Frozen 2 Review

Okay, this is my first review on here. I am not a professional or anything so I will just kinda write what I felt when leaving the movie. 

First off, I do want to say that I actually really enjoyed the movie. I was a big fan of the first one, even with its flaws, and that’s true for this movie as well. I’m generally critically, but also easily pleased so if you’re not looking for any spoilers, I can give a quick rundown for whether or not you should see it.

Non-Spoiler Mini Review:

If you liked the first movie, you’ll like this one. The characters are still entertaining, music is still good, and it looks great. Overall, just a very solid movie, as anyone would expect.

Okay, time to get spicy. SPOILERS ARE AHEAD

Okay, so almost everything I love about this movie also has a negative side to it. Many of my complaints fall under a giant umbrella complaint of “This movie should have been longer.” The movie was 1 hour and 43 minutes, according to google. I just don’t feel like that was enough time to tell everything they were trying to tell. I’m going to run through everything I think falls under this category.

Kristoff

One of the main characters of the original movie, I think he suffers the same fate that Buzz did in Toy Story 4. He was largely written off as a recurring joke, since most of his screen time had to do with trying to propose to Anna, and failing horribly. Sure, it was funny, but it would’ve been nice to see more out of him. Maybe something about how difficult it is to be in love with a princess or something. (Idk I’m not a screenwriter)

Elsa (And her relationship with Anna)

To preface, I think Elsa was kind of boring in the first movie. She was one dimensional, with basically all of her personality being “I am scared people will know about ice power,” and “people know about ice power, now I am free.” 

I think that this could’ve been the fault of the movie, and not Elsa’s character, since the plot didn’t allow for much development here. However, the second movie is different.

There was a really good concept they started exploring, mainly regarding Anna and Elsa’s relationship. Multiple times throughout the movie, Elsa tries to leave on an adventure without anyone, so they don’t get endangered. First, when she leaves Arendelle in the first place, and second, when she leaves the camp. Anna, understandably, wants to go with her, because last time this happened everything went to hell. She manages to convince Elsa those first two times. This culminates in one last event, where Elsa forcefully distances herself from Anna using ice powers and stuff, and continues the adventure on her own, having tricked Anna (and Olaf) into thinking she was going to go with her. After Anna and Olaf are able to talk to each other again, Olaf comments that he’s actually angry, something he’s never felt before. Anna shares that he has every right to be angry, and it’s clears she’s also angry that Elsa pushed her away again.

So right here, this could’ve been great. The setup is perfect for Elsa to have more character development, realizing that pushing people away isn’t the answer. It could’ve brought depth to this one dimensional character, who realizes her flaw. But that’s just the problem. Due to a certain event, which I will expand upon later, when Anna and Elsa reunite, Anna is only happy to see her, and this aspect is never touched on again.

I love when characters have genuine flaws, and I would’ve loved if more time was spent on this.

Also, one minor thing I did like was the reveal that Elsa and Anna’s parents’ ship actually sank in the Dark Sea, while they were looking to help out Elsa. Elsa understandably felt responsible for their death, which I felt was good character development. However, it is reconciled fairly quickly with Anna, so this also suffers from not having enough time put into it.

All the Elements and Stuff

A new idea introduced in this movie was the Enchanted Forest, which is guarded by 4 spirits, Fire, Earth, Water, and Air. (Wonder where that’s been done?) It was a cool idea to have more magical stuff in this movie. A lingering question from the first movie was, “Where did she get her powers?” or whatever. Watching Elsa tame the different spirits was entertaining, especially the little lizard dude, because he was adorable.

My problem comes in with the whole Ice Spirit thing. It is revealed that Elsa is actually the ice spirit, and that the voice calling to her was her mother. To be honest, I didn’t really understand what was going on. I don’t know what her mother was, or if she had actually been alive or something. I felt like they were trying to convey something that was clear to the writers, but not to the audience. Something about it was just off, so they should’ve taken time to elaborate.

Or I’m dumb idk

Okay, gonna switch over to some other topics now. I want to talk about another main issue I had, that being, “a lack of consequences.” To start, I’m going to talk about my least favorite part of the movie.

The Elsa and Olaf Death Fakeout

My other complaint I felt were passable. Sure, they could’ve been expanded upon, but the movie was still doing fine. This though? I actually didn’t like this.

If you’re reading this without seeing the movie, I’ll give a quick rundown. After Elsa realizes she’s the ice spirit, she goes into a weird cave and learns the truth about a past event that is key to breaking open the magic wall of the Enchanted Forest. (More on that later) For some reason, what ensues is the rapid freezing of Elsa, just as Anna froze in the first movie. Elsa sends a last breath to send an ice message to Anna about the truth, so that Anna can save the forest. Olaf begins to die as well, since Elsa had “died”, and Anna is left in a cave, crying over her dying friend. What follows is a very sad song and all that, and it’s actually pretty emotional.

But here’s the thing. This is a Disney movie. If a character dies in a Disney movie, they build up to it. Big time. They really let you know the character is dead. Elsa “died” so suddenly that you knew right away she was going to come back. And because she was gonna come back, Olaf was going to also. 

And come back they did. After breaking the spell on the Enchanted Forest, Elsa is revived, and saves the day from another event. (See next section.) She brings Olaf back, and everyone lives happily ever after.

This pissed me off. Elsa had pushed Anna away, gone alone, and died because of it, which seemed like a good consequence of her actions. But everything ended up fine anyways. The consequences were almost immediately resolved, and I just hate that. So, here’s what I would’ve done instead!

First off, rewrite the story in such a way that Elsa does not “Die.” Make her get trapped by something in the cave, or have her pass out. Make Anna go save her. This way, their reunion could also include the Elsa character development I wanted so badly, since Anna would know she wasn’t dead. 

Second, a more intriguing option. Some might disagree with this, but maybe make another movie. Set up some sort of conflict that leaves the movie on a cliffhanger, with Elsa comatose and Olaf out of commission until that’s resolved. I’m not sure what the ensuing movie would be, but it would be far more interesting than what we got. Of course, the main issue with this would be ending an animated Disney movie on a cliffhanger, which never happens. I know why this wouldn’t work, I’m just saying it would be better this way. 

Better than trying to fake us out.

Arendelle not being Destroyed

This one is smaller, but a conflict at the end of the movie includes destroying a dam to free the enchanted forest. However, destroying the dam would also destroy Arendelle. Anna, knowing what the “Next right thing” is, something that is commonly referred to in this movie, decides that destroying the dam is the right course of action.

The water makes way to destroy Arendelle, and then Elsa comes in at the last second and saves the day. 

My main problem with this is it lessens the blow of the movie’s message. “Doing the next right thing” is a powerful message to give today. It indicates that even though something may be hard, or you may have to sacrifice something, it’s better to do what you know is right. (Ex: climate change) However, what this demonstrates, especially to younger children, is that doing the right thing doesn’t have any consequences, I think that’s the wrong message to send.

They easily could’ve done the “Arendelle is a people, not a place,” and it all would’ve worked out.

I have one last complaint, and it’s a small one.

Twist Villain

This doesn’t matter too much, but they pulled another “twist villain” on us. The twist is that the conflict that trapped people in the Enchanted forest was started by Arendelle, not by Northuldra. 

Obviously. 

It is a huge exaggeration to call this a twist. I don’t know how it would’ve been rewritten though, so I guess I can let it slide.

Okay I know that sounds like a lot of complaining, but I do have a couple of extra things I was to pay special attention too that were great. I’m gonna go rapid fire because I’m getting tired of writing, and it’s easier to talk about the things you like.

Music- The music was integrated much better into the story than the first movie. Every song advances the plot, except for Lost in the Woods. But that’s excusable, because the whole sequence of Lost in the Woods is hilarious. Can’t wait to see the memes come out of it when the movie is released digitally. Also, they didn’t forget that the movie was a musical halfway through, like the first movie, so that’s nice.

Anna and Olaf- They were still great. Olaf was funny, and Anna was complicated enough. Just as good as they were in the first movie. Also, Anna becoming queen at the end felt right, so I’m glad they did that.

Again, the fire spirit lizard is so cute.

The movie is gorgeous. It’s still amazing to see how far animation is progressing, even since 2013. (Also, Frozen came out in 2013. That’s not okay. :(  )

Okay, that’s my review. I know it sounds like I hated it, but i really didn’t. I thought it was great. If you like animated films, or just the first movie, definitely go see it. Although I suppose at this point if you’ve been reading the whole thing you’ve either already seen it or don’t care.

I plan to review the Devil May Cry Series after this, since I just finished the fifth game. Gonna review them all at once, since I played them one after another. Not sure when that will be, guess we’ll see.

[zdbztumble]

Ah yes...this one...

Well, I was writing posts back when the Japanese release was imminent about how spoilers painted M20 as overstuffed, that I wasn’t happy about swapping in two new characters for the OS cast, etc., so I obviously didn’t come to my viewing without baggage. Still, I kept as open a mind as I could about I Choose You.

And there’s credit to be given here. Aside from the usual stellar animation - which may be at its best to-date in this flick - I Choose You is, ironically enough for a film that’s part-retelling, different. Volcanion laid bare just how stale the typical pattern these movies follow had become, so even a look back to the start of the series represents a welcome break from routine. And the divergence from those early days comes fairly early in the film. Even having been spoiled on the broadstrokes of the plot, I didn’t feel like I knew exactly how things would play out, which was another pleasant change of pace.

FROM HERE, THERE BE SPOILERS

And those first few scenes, telling an abridged version of the first episode, are delightful. This is the most personality Pikachu’s shown in quite a while - cheeky, mischievous, even bratty. Voice acting and animation work together beautifully to sell that side of him, and it’s easily one of the highlights of the film. Ash is given some great lines unique to this telling (”There’s something wrong with this Pokemon,” Oak tells him. “That’s alright - I was late, so there’s something wrong with me, too!”), and if you overlook the absence of a certain redhead, this is about as nice a retelling of Ash and Pikachu’s first meeting as you could ask for.

I Choose You earns credit on another score - it actually has Ash as the protagonist. It’s still shocking to me how rarely the main character of the anime gets the through-line, or even an arc, in these movies, but he certainly does here. The plot isn’t as laser-focused on his and Pikachu’s friendship as some of the comments by staff would have you believe, but I wouldn’t say that’s bad in and of itself. Reviving the “Chosen One” angle for Ash was something that wasn’t spoiled for me, and seemed appropriate for a story featuring the second member of the Legendary Duo.

And there are Easter eggs aplenty here for hardcore fans. I suspect there are many more that went over my head, me still being so far behind on the series.

But these highlights can’t compensate for all the defects. I Choose You is a seriously flawed film, in ways that could be predicted from the synopsis, and in unexpected ways as well.

Everyone who’s reported that the film is overstuffed is correct, but that doesn’t hurt the film in the way one might think. An overstuffed plot will often feel overbearing and unrelenting - too much going on for there to be any focus. Diancie is a good example of this from the Pokemon canon. This is the odd overstuffed film where, too often, it feels like nothing is happening. And I blame this on the way the film structures the middle section. After the abridged first episode section, the movie falls into what I can best describe as the almost-montage. An example: Ash and Pikachu are battling the Celadon Gym, but instead of leading into a montage of Gym Battles, we go into Ash calling his mom at the Pokemon Center. Or, when Ash and his friends are battling some Trainers after getting together - instead of leading into a montage of traveling and battling, it leads into an encounter with Cross. Time and again in the middle of the film, vignettes that feel like they should be part of a sequence instead segue into scenes that introduce plot elements. This isn’t an inherently wrong way to plot the film out, but these elements never get followed up on immediately; they just peter out into another vignette, which in turn leads to a different element. The effect, then, is one of momentum getting lost over and over again, and nothing substantive happening until the last third of the movie. It makes watching the middle section extremely tedious.

Worse, many of the elements introduced don’t have much of a purpose for being here. The abridged recap of Ash’s Butterfree’s story is probably the worst example. It’s devoid of any of the rough times or more quirky, humorous moments that played out in the series, it’s so compressed that it’s impossible for their departure to carry the impact it did in the original, and it’s completely unconnected from everything else in the film. It’s a lushly-animated abridgment of a well-known OS arc, just for the sake of having it.

But while Butterfree’s inclusion is probably the most disparate meaningless plot thread, the Legendary Beasts are the most frustrating for me, because there was a lot of potential there. Exploring the origin story of those Pokemon and how they tie in to Ho-Oh was a wonderful concept, and Entei at least provides a decent action scene. But it all amounts to nothing. The Beasts do not in any meaningful way affect Ash’s journey to find Ho-Oh, and their connection to him only serves as a neat bit of trivia. Like Butterfee, they’re just shown for the sake of showing some Legendary Pokemon - Legendaries that had already been used in previous films.

I Choose You also struggles with forced moments. I know some people were moved by how Ash dismisses Pikachu in his moment of frustration after losing to Cross, but I found that scene a dreadful piece of writing. Ash’s reaction to that loss - especially compared with how OS Ash would’ve reacted - is rather muted. It isn’t nearly strong enough to suggest that it’s eating away inside of him and tempting him down Cross’s path. This in turn makes the rest of the group’s impatience with him seem needlessly harsh, which makes Ash’s continued muted reaction seem like a failure to move his character  forward, which makes his comment to Pikachu a random, unearned moment of anger rather than a significant moment of weakness springing organically from his character. It takes a lot of the impact away from the subsequent dream sequence, because Ash never feels like he’s fallen low enough to have that sort of nightmare or take away any lesson that he really needed.

And then...there are the new guys.

Let’s get this out of the way up-front: being upset that Brock and Misty aren’t in this movie is a pet peeve. In and of itself, creating new characters to be Ash’s first friends on his journey is not a writing flaw. And Sorrel, at least, is very much his own character, not a cheap stand-in or replacement for Brock. He has an interesting personality and a shockingly dark backstory. Verity is a less successful character. A tomboy with a Water-Type who gets into a bickering/teasing relationship with Ash right off the bat and has family she wants to prove something to - she does feel like a replacement, and a rip-off, of Misty, with a bit of Dawn thrown in. (Side note: if her mother really is meant to be Cynthia, then that photo could’ve looked more like her.)

But the thing is: both of them are expendable. If you took them out of the film, Ash would still get the Rainbow Feather from Ho-Oh and be on his way. You could say that he wouldn’t get the background on Ho-Oh that Sorrel provides, but old man Bonji could’ve done those honors. Neither of their backstories factor into anything in the main plot, they don’t have arcs for themselves; they’re just there to be Ash’s friends, provide some brief character moments, and drop exposition now and again. I would have rather this been Ash’s solo journey than have two new characters with some potential but no payoff, but if there had to be traveling companions...with all the other homages to the OS, why not use two characters from the OS? Two characters well-loved by much of the audience and who played an important role in the show’s history, I might add.

I don’t have much to say about Cross. He’s what I imagine many fans think Paul is, if you took away any humanizing characteristics. Cross’s turn to the side of right at the end was an arbitrary change that didn’t really sell as organic character growth to me. Leaving him as the villain would have been preferable to the sudden heel turn by Marshadow, something that felt very much as if the staff felt obligated to have a big battle with a Mythical Pokemon. It’s a point where the old formula rears its ugly, tired head. As is Ash’s not-death, a concept that should be retired permanently. At this point, the only way Ash dying can have any impact anymore is if he really dies.

Oh, and the TRio were there. They were a waste of screentime. Nothing else to say.

All in all, I can’t say the film isn’t without its charms. And I do hope anyone who’s refused to see it thus far over Brock and Misty’s absence will give it a chance. But if it isn’t the worst of these films, it’s far from the best, and outside its opening moments is a very flawed if well-meaning effort at a 20th anniversary.

5/10

(You may have noticed I didn’t comment on The Speech. Frankly, I don’t see what’s so offensive about it. It was a dumb idea poorly executed, but nowhere near the low point for me.)

[aion-rsa]

Shazam: Who is Black Adam?

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Black Adam doesn't appear in the Shazam movie, but he's headed to the DCEU soon. We have a history of one of DC's best villains for you.

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As we all know, Shazam is really Bally Batson, the young orphan boy who is pure of heart and worthy of the power of six mythological champions. But Billy isn’t the only mortal who was able to tap into the power of Shazam. There were a number of other Shazam family members, but today we are going to focus our attention on the most badass recipient of the ol' Shazam magic, Black Adam. Black Adam is truly the most complex (and violent) character to spring from the Shazam mythos and has been the center of some of DC’s best tales of the past 20 years. Black Adam has become one of DC’s greatest anti-heroes, a godlike being of profound honor and with an immense capacity for violence.

The strange thing about Black Adam is that until recently, he had only a handful of appearances to his name. He was an afterthought until the 1990s, but he has developed into one of DC’s greatest. Dwayne Johnson has been attached to play Black Adam in an upcoming DCEU movie for several years now, and with Shazam! now in theaters, it's only a matter of time before we finally see him on the big screen. December 16, 2021 to be exact.

The Early Days

Black Adam first appeared in 1945 and was created by Otto Binder and the creator of all things Shazam C. C. Beck. In his first story, Adam was established as an ancient pharaoh and the first mortal to be granted the powers of Shazam. Although, with Adam, the acronym stands for something a little different, with a more Egyptian theme: Shu (stamina), Hershef (strength), Amon (power), Zehuti (wisdom), Anpu (speed), and Menthu (courage). Teth-Adam (which means Mighty Human) is corrupted by the Shazam powers, and after cutting a swath of destruction across Ancient Egypt, Adam is exiled into space by the Wizard.

read more: Why Black Adam isn't in Shazam!

Adam returns in the modern age to find that the Shazam powers had been gifted to Billy, Freddy, and Mary, and a true epic of the Golden Age follows as Black Adam is finally tricked into saying the Shazam magic word and reverts back to Teth-Adam. Sadly for ol' Teth, he is now five thousand years old and instantly turns to dust. Yikes.

Oddly, for such an important villain, this was Black Adam’s only Golden Age appearance. I guess none of the Fawcett writers could think of a way to un-dust Adam so he was a true one hit wonder. When DC Comics revived Shazam in the 1970s, Black Adam returned thanks to Dr. Sivana’s Reincarnation Machine (why not) and became part of the DC Universe proper. He'd return again in the late 1980s as part of the short lived Shazam: A New Beginning era of the characters, but it wasn't until 1994 that Black Adam would realize his true poential.

Power

The modern Black Adam made his debut in Jerry Ordway's The Power of Shazam which establishes that Teth-Adam was one of the greatest warriors serving Pharaoh Rameses II, catching the eye of the Wizard who grants him powers. Adam serves as Egypt’s guardian for centuries until he is corrupted by a demonic entity known as Blaze. Blaze is kinda like Marvel’s Hela and Marvel’s Mephisto combined. The Wizard strips Adam of his power after the whole "seduced by a demonic succubus" thing and places the Black Adam power in a scarab (as one does). 

Complete Guide to DC Easter Eggs in the Shazam! Movie

The big takeaway here, other than the fact Ordway’s Shazam was beyond awesome, is that the writer/artist established Black Adam as a once noble soul. Black Adam was Egypt’s greatest champion (sorry, Hawkman), and until he was corrupted by Blaze, Adam was the model of heroism in the early days of the DCU. The tale of Black Adam is almost biblical in scope as he rises a champion and falls a corrupted soul that murders the family of a boy destined to be a hero.

A True Anti-Hero

The time of Black Adam as dark protector, homicidal king, and complex anti-hero would truly begin under writers Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer and artist Marcos Martin in the pages of JSA. Adam joins with the JSA villain Johnny Sorrow (if Sorrow looks at you, you die, it’s intense) and almost defeats the JSA until Black Adam's original, Teth-Adam nature reasserts itself. He helps the JSA defeat Sorrow and a repentant Adam asks to join the world’s first super team.

read more: Shazam Ending Explained

With Black Adam aboard in the JSA, this is where things get truly awesome. As leader of his own nation, Black Adam shows that he is all about the harsh biblical justice of old. This story retcons a few elements from The Power of Shazam, moving the place of Adam's origin from Egypt to the fictional North African nation of Kahndaq. In addition, the writers tie the character to Hawkman as Adam served side by side with Prince Khufu, the first incarnation of Hawkman.

They also tweak Adam’s origin, losing the "corrupted by Blaze" elements and replacing it with conquering of Kahndaq by Ahk-ton and the immortal Vandal Savage. During the sacking of Kahndaq, Adam’s family is murdered. Driven by vengeance and the good of his people, Black Adam returns to Kahndaq and gets all sorts of Old Testament on the invaders. This level of violence shocks the Wizard, who strips Black Adam of his powers and murders him. That’s some dark stuff. This change of origin stripped Black Adam of his true villainous roots and made him more akin to Magneto or Namor: a leader who will go to any lengths to protect his people.

Billy tries to befriend Black Adam during this period, sympathizing with his longtime enemy. It doesn't go well. Things get tense between Adam and the JSA due to Adam’s great weakness: his ego. When Kahndaq is under attack, the JSA comes to the nation’s aid, but Black Adam tells his people that it is the JSA who is the threat because he cannot admit he needs the help of other heroes to protect his homeland. Adam and the Justice Society also come into conflict because Adam believes the heroes should simply kill the villains they face and be done with it to prevent future threats. Yes kids, Black Adam is basically Frank Castle with the powers of six gods. Adam does forge enduring friendships within the JSA particularly with JSA member Atom Smasher. Atom Smasher lost his mother to supervillain violence and agrees with Adam’s views on killing. 

War

While Billy Batson has long had his own family, in the classic series 52 (2006) by Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Keith Giffen, Black Adam gains a family of his own. But like many parts of the Black Adam story, boy, does it end tragically.

read more: Shazam Post Credits Scenes Explained

52 introduces Adrianna Tomaz, a beautiful slave who is offered to Black Adam, the ruler of Kahndaq, by a group of criminals known as Intergang. Black Adam doesn't take kindly to slavery and violently murders the gang. He falls in love with Tomaz and even shares his powers, transforming her into the hero known as Isis (a nod to Saturday mornings of yore as the character Isis used to share a live action programming block with Shazam back in the 1970s). Eventually, the lovers find Tomaz’s brother Amon dying from injuries suffered from a horrific beating. Black Adam shares his powers with the young boy who becomes Kid Osiris. This all sounds great until Kid Osiris is eaten by a talking, bipedal crocodile. Later, Isis is also killed, telling Adam in her dying breath that she was wrong for trying to soften him and that he should avenge her. And, God help us all, he does just that, going on a rampage around the world, killing a number of international heroes, until the mystic heroes of the DCU drain Adam of his powers as Billy changes the magic word that grants Black Adam his mystic might. No more Shazam for Teth-Adam.

Of course, that has all changed since then, with Adam back in charge in Kahndaq in the pages of Doomsday Clock. But when Black Adam does hit the big screen, fans will witness the arrival of a one of a kind villain, a hard hitting take no prisoners hero, and a champion to those he deems his subjects. 

Read and download the Den of Geek NYCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!

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Feature

Movies

Marc Buxton

Nov 15, 2019

Shazam

DC Entertainment

Dwayne Johnson

Black Adam

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[odanurr87]

My thoughts on... The Seven Deadly Sins

A long time ago, more specifically, when I wrote my thoughts on The Irregular at Magic High School, I mentioned I had watched another show by the name of The Seven Deadly Sins and would, eventually, write up a review on it. Unfortunately, one thing led to another and I kept postponing the review until, well, too much time had gone by for me to remember everything that had transpired. Curiously, last weeked I found myself binging the series on Netflix again so I figured, what the heck, might as well tell you what I made of it.

Simply put, it was really good.

A small disclaimer, I’m not an avid anime viewer and I’m certainly nowhere near an expert, so it’s possible that The Seven Deadly Sins is not the best exponent of the Shōnen genre. Regardless of its categorization, the show follows a team of superpowered heroes called The Seven Deadly Sins as they help a princess retake her kingdom from an order called the Holy Knights. If I had to make a comparison, I’d say Sins is very similar to Akame Ga Kill! (yes, I watched that one too, part of it at least). Both are shōnen, and in both you’ll find teams of superpowered heroes and villains constantly fighting each other and upping their game, slowly revealing new and more powerful abilities that make us fear for the lives of the protagonist/s. However, I found Sins to be the more light-hearted and fun of the two; it did help that it’s also less gory, and features less creepy and deranged villains (that dog girl was bonkers). In fact, one could argue the show echoes the personality of its lead protagonist, Meliodas, or at least aspects of it. Hmm... Come to think of it, perhaps it’s more of a mix between Akame and Magi: Adventure of Sinbad, another fun shōnen with an OP main character well worth watching. Anyway, back on topic...

This is Meliodas. He owns a tavern and has a talking pig named Hawk.

Meliodas is the Sin of Wrath and captain of the Seven Deadly Sins. He is also, incidentally, the first person Princess Elizabeth recruits to her cause and together they set out to find the scattered Sins and save the kindgom. Similar to Tatsuya in The Irregular at Magic High School, Meliodas is a clearly overpowered character, as are the Sins in general, and has little trouble dispatching the enemies sent his way throughout the show. As a matter of fact, most of the time he comes across as restraining himself in battle, as if he were afraid to go all out. Of course, there are very few enemies that call for a full display of his abilities so maybe he doesn’t want to break a sweat. As such, it’s easy to predict he’ll never truly be in dire straits, even more so when he can count on the other Sins to come to his aid: Diane, Sin of Envy; Ban, Sin of Greed; King, Sin of Sloth, and not to be confused with the actual King of Liones and Elizabeth’s father; and Gowther, Sin of Lust.

No, you’re not wrong, I’ve only mentioned five Sins thus far, and that’s because those are the only five you’ll see for the most part of the show, with Merlin (Sin of Gluttony) showing up in the last few episodes and Escanor (Sin of Pride) not even that. Even so, these five are more than enough to give the Holy Knights a run for their money and then some. For better or worse, Sins is not a show where you’ll have to worry about one of the protagonists dying, even though there are several of these moments, but rather wonder how they’ll make it through their latest predicament, what new ability they will reveal to counteract their enemies’. Like I said, it’s a more cheerful, hopeful, version of Akame, something that is also reflected in its soundtrack, with the track “Perfect Time” being the, well, perfect example of this.

By the way, the soundtrack is surprisingly good and you’ll easily guess it was composed by Hiroyuki Sawano (Blue Exorcist, Attack on Titan, Aldnoah.Zero) just by listening to tracks like “Nanatsu no Taizai” or “Yosei Ba” (incidentally, two of my favourites tracks). You are bound to notice the influence from some of his previous works like Blue Exorcist and Aldnoah.Zero (maybe more) in this soundtrack. Having said that, tracks like “Yosei Ba” veer from the cheerful, dwelling in the sad memory of how Ban became immortal. The show will often explore the past of the main cast as Meliodas and the Princess find and recruit each of the Sins, and it’s one steeped in misery and tragedy for most of of our heroes. Meliodas’ own past, while repeatedly mentioned and hinted at, is surprisingly the least well-developed to my mind, or perhaps the least well-rounded. Unlike Ban, King, or Diane, we never get to see a full flashback of Meliodas in his role as Captain of the Guard of Danafor, relying instead on third-party accounts. Maybe this is something that will be explored in Season 2? After all, Gowther’s past is not explored at all. In fact, the season never does answer the big question of how the Sins were branded and how they got their powers in the first place, although this is somewhat hinted at via Meliodas’ arc and the Holy Knights’ own. I won’t spoil it so let’s just say that one of the Grandmasters (the actual title is Great Holy Knight) of the Order found a way to boost the power levels of his knights so they could be more of a match for the Sins.

Another thing I wrote in my Mahouka review was that the story of The Seven Deadly Sins was one where the villains had to save the kingdom from its heroes. This is true, from a certain point of view. Ten years ago, Zaratras, the Grandmaster of the Holy Knights of Liones, was murdered and the Sins were conveniently in the right place at the right time. Framed for a crime they didn’t commit, they chose exile rather than... I’m not sure. Couldn’t the Sins have explained the situation to the King? I mean, if they had wanted to overthrow him, surely they had more than ample power to do so. In retrospect, I can’t help but think that, had the Sins intervened then and there, there would’ve been less bloodshed. Of course, odds are they wouldn’t have found the real mastermind behind Zaratras’ murder then. In any event, it seems like the Sins are now fixing a problem of their own making.

That’s just how the Sins greet each other.

The show does a good enough job building suspense, introducing different characters within the Order of the Holy Knights that seem to have their own agendas, such as Grandmasters Dreyfus and Hendrickson; Gilthunder, a Diamond-ranked Holy Knight with a score to settle with the captain of the Sins; or Master Helbram, another Holy Knight who has a history with the Sin of Sloth, King. These are possibly the only characters who can rival the Sins in terms of power, save for one other group: the Sins themselves. As you’ll undoubtedly see throughout the course of the series, some of the Sins have scores to settle amongst themselves what complicates matters further. At other times however, they’re just bashing each other for the fun of it, as is the case between Meliodas and Ban. In fact, one of my favourite arcs has the Sins enter a fighting contest alongside a couple of Holy Knights by the names of Howzer and Griamore. It’s an obvious setup but it provides an ideal opportunity for Meliodas and Ban to test their mettle against each other. Howzer himself, upon learning the identity of the Sins, turns into a fanboy and warns the other Holy Knights not to interfere with the contest until their duel is concluded, echoing my sentiment that this was one fight not to be missed. It was a very humorous situation and, to be fair, Sins is a show that always finds the time to mix in some humour between, and sometimes during, its action sequences. Some of it is hit and miss however, such as Meliodas’ inappropriate groping of Princess Elizabeth from time to time, her bashful reactions, and Hawk’s and Diane’s (she’s very jealous that one) subsequent admonitions. To my mind, these were superfluous, adding nothing to the story, as if someone was simply ticking the fan service box in the Shōnen list of tropes. Fortunately, the fan service is kept to a minimum, at least when compared to other genres (certainly a lot less than Slice of Life).

Overall, I’d say The Seven Deadly Sins makes for a highly entertaining watch and I thoroughly recommend it. From what I’ve managed to gleam from the series alone (there is a manga), there is certainly enough material to create a second season considering we haven’t uncovered all of the Sins’ abilities nor thoroughly explored their past. On the other hand, Meliodas seems to have revealed his ultimate ability already and, seeing as he is the main character of the show, it may get repetitive if we see him spam that ability in combat. Of course, he still hasn’t recovered his Sacred Treasure, an artifact that boosts his already-powerful abilities significantly, so we may yet see Meliodas unveal even more powerful skills against deadlier enemies. The animation studio behind Sins, A-1 Pictures, has already confirmed Season 2 will air in 2018 and it will be called, “Revival of the Commandments.” Hopefully, the sequel will also see Elizabeth grow out of the “damsel in distress” trope and wearing more suitable attire (Meliodas!).

If you’re done with Season 1 already and are eager for more, Netflix also has an OVA that they had originally incorrectly labeled as Season 2 and have since renamed it to, “Signs of Holy War.” The OVA features four 20-minute episodes that explore the aftermath of the Sins’ victory (hardly a spoiler, is it?) before they embark on their next adventure. In fact, you know what? I think I’m gonna do just that. See you again in Season 2!

[furederiko]

As one self-centered figure leaves the show, an oddball another enters to take his place. Kyuranger's 21st episode closes the curtain for a scorpion, and opens one for a legendary bird...

- With the way things ended last week, this episode throws us directly into the fight against Scorpio. Thanks to that, Scorpius Orange and Ursa Minor Skyblue get the chance to showcase their super moves "Antares Impact" and "Polaris Impact" using Kyu the Weapon's Spear mode (yes, both of them!). Leo Red tags along with his "Regulus Impact", but he certainly feels like the third wheel here. LOL. - But as I said, Scorpio is a Menaster, so he's still way too powerful for them to deal with. Not to mention, the venom in Stinger's body is starting to seep in. They were lucky enough that Scorpio's 'Rider Kick' isn't giving them instant sudden-death, but they urgently need more backup. But... how? Draco Commander, Chamaeleon Green, and Dorado Yellow are having their hands full with the two giants leftovers. While wounded-Naga and Balance are stuck at the Orion babysi... I mean with a paralyzed Garu and Raptor. Can't believe I'm saying this, but for a team with the most active members in Super Sentai history... the show's actually running out of one! - Cue the dramatic entrance of... CHAMP!!! Yes, the one and only fighting robot Champ. We did see his eyes lit up last week, but who would've thought he would arrive just in time to save the three from doom, right? And awwww.... Stinger is all mopey-mopey about it! He even calls him 'Partner'. But the best part of his rebirth: his memory is still intact! So much for making such a big deal out of it before, huh? Naah, I'm kidding. Even if that opens up more plot development, it's more emotionally uplifting this way. NOTE: Ignoring how Champ was able to 'teleport' across galaxies (it can still be explained easily, with the assumption he has been awake for much longer than was shown), this scene was still logically flawed. Why? The position of the Kyu the Weapon Axe he threw, did NOT match his point of entrance! Not just that, if you put the episode on slow-motion, a camera staff was briefly seen throwing the object too! Ouch... - Seriously though, it's SOOO good seeing Taurus Black in action again. I actually gets carried away somehow *sobs*. It's 4 against 1 now, so more advantages to the Kyurangers. And that seems to be the case, because Scorpio is... defeated! Evil big brother no more! I've read many people question why it doesn't require all Kyurangers to do this. But I'd gladly argue that it's the strength of bond and teamwork that does the wonder here. Particularly between Stinger and Champ, since this works as some sort of closure to their personal arcs. A fact that is neatly presented through the whole action sequence, and is only made full circle with Scorpius Oranger delivering the final blow using Taurus Black's Axe. A minor but truly meaningful touch! - Of course, we get a dramatic heart-to-heart dying message between the Scorpius System Bros. Scorpio acknowledges his little brother's strength, while Stinger says that he's only gotten this far by aspiring to be like how his big brother was in the past. Aaawwww... the feels. In the end, Scorpio is just the case of... bad blood, huh? It is melancholically serenaded with what I assume to be Stinger's character ballad, performed by his actor. Does this mean we'll be getting different song for each member? Cool! - Unfortunately, what comes next is the part that kind of rubs me off the wrong way. In his last moments, Scorpio has a massive sudden change of personality! He absorbs all of Stinger's venom, hands over the Kyu Globes he had stolen, reveals the key to stopping all of the activated Consumarz, heroically takes Don Armage's attack to protect Stinger and his friends (yes, big baddie finally reveals himself in front of the Kyuranger), and even dies saying "I'm glad... I could protect you one last time" towards Stinger. Is this the same guy who couldn't care less and wanted to sacrifice his own brother for his selfish goal? Hmmmm. His end suddenly feels... somewhat predictable, and sort of ruins the emotional moment for me. One might argue it's basically an act of redemption for him. But I would actually prefered him to go out as a jerk, swallowing that massive ego and pride of his along the way. Oh well... being killed by Don Armage kind of serves that point, I guess. NOTE: Here's an interesting fact. We don't exactly see Scorpio's death on screen! Meaning the show pretty much can revive him later on, in the case they even need to for twist purposes. Who knows, probably for that V-Cinema for Stinger? Perhaps you can catch some hints from the teaser trailer... - With Stinger's arc put into a wrap in just 10 minutes in, what happens in the next 14 minutes then (including ending song and previews)? Well, those nasty planet-sucking Consumarz of course! They need to be put down right away, otherwise it's doomsday for Earth. But Orion is also under attack, meaning the gang back there are more stuck than ever to provide a help. Commander Xiao departs with Hammy and Spada to aide them, so once again, we're left with Stinger, Champ, Kotarou and now-fourth-wheel Lucky. What can they do? - Don't wait until next episode... just combine Puppis, Vela, and Carina to form #89 Argo Kyu Globe right away! LOL. In a cool but sadly brief and bad CG sequence, Lucky uses the neat-looking Bronze-Colored-with-actual-Miniature-Ship Kyu Globe, and summons the glorious massive Legendary Battleship. I wonder how fans would react if it turns out to be the famous "Gokai-Galleon" instead? Hmmmm... - Inside the ship (where Lucky properly utilizes the Shining Kyu Globe as... flashlight! XD), the team discovers a cold-sleep hibernation capsule in the center. Wait a sec, why does this setting look familiar? Is TOEI reusing the church and also those Eyecon capsule from "Kamen Rider Ghost"? Anyways... ignoring Champ's warning, the kids (Kotarou and... Lucky XD) unlock it and awaken... a man covered in... hair! HUH? Is that supposed to be body hair? Human or a Beast? Wow, now this is what I call... a hairy entrance. No facial hairs though, so rather inconsistent. - "The Legend Begins" and... ugh, "Holy moly" is this guy's tagline. He just wakes up, but already so... full of himself. Seeing the team transforms into Kyurangers (hillariously) clears up the misunderstanding among them, and the man of mystery changes tone as soon he sees that. And by tone, that's because he also has an interesting dumb-sounding vocal tone that matches his dumb-expressions. LOL. He introduces himself as the Earth-born and raised Legendary Savior, Tsurugi Ootori (played by Keisuke Minami). He literally 'burns' most of his hair for a rather pointless shirtless fan-service, and utilizes his weapon the Phoenix Blade & Phoenix Shield to use the power of #12 Phoenix Kyu Globe. Using it to transform into... Space Bu-star Phoenix Soldier! - So the Argo is... nothing important? The secret weapon is... HIM? And well, would you look at that, he DOES take/shut down all those Consumarz... singlehandedly. Including "Phoenix End"-ing the giant controller one, and delivering the (hopefully) final blow to persistent assassin Madako. Before walking away rather... awkwardly. Wow... one weird guy is gone, another certainly takes his place *smh*. - As usual, the new member is excessively overpowered during its debut. But with all the boasting talk about 'Legend', is Tsurugi really a stuff of one? A TRUE living legend? Or could this be just TOEI's sneaky way to let us know, that... I don't know, he's going to be member using the Legendary Figure-based Kyu Globes from now on? I mean, just look what he's secretly hiding in his hand... that's the Herakles Kyu Globe!!! Hold on... could that be the actual source of his tremendous display of power? Is he truly... weak then? Something's fishy about this guy. I wonder how the Kyurangers will react to this truth? The story of another day... - While Stinger pays tribute to his big brother, the others are having celebratory party for Champ's return. Kotarou shows off his creation, Stinger's plushie! He also reveals a 'dark secret' to the team: The other plushies were made by Stinger (lies... sweet lies. They are made by Bandai! XD). He did so in order for Champ to not get lonely during repair. Aaaaaw! Gotta love that "Scorpius System warriors... do their best work with needles." excuse too! Comedy gold. Looks like we're going to see a totally different side from Stinger from now on. Underneath his cool and silent outlook... he's nothing but a pure softie inside! Cementing his role as the tsundere of the group. LOL. One, two, three... Mooooo!!! XD Quick personal opinion time! This time for the new member to the series. Here goes: - Over-Time uses 'Ohtori' for his last name, but since I'm not fond of using 'H' for vowel elongation in romaji, I'll go with 'Ootori' instead. Both literally means the same anyway. 'Ootori' means 'Giant Bird / Phoenix', while 'Tsurugi' means Sword. So his full name means 'Phoenix Sword'... referring directly to his transformation devices. Yes... TOEI definitely is NOT trying to be subtle about it. - Also, sharing a striking similarity to Time Fire, Tsurugi/Phoenix Soldier is apparently the show's official '6th ranger'. This is evidenced by the fact that unlike Xiao or Kotarou, he's not a big part of the Summer movie. - Why Phoenix? Mythology-wise, it fits the theme of death and rebirth that seems to be the highlight of this entire episode. But since we know that Kyuranger is not-so-subtly inspired by "Star Wars", I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually a nod to the space opera's Phoenix Squadron. - I dig his design, because it sets him up a bit... different and tactical-based compared to the other Kyurangers. Once again, just like Time Fire. His helmet in particular, reminds me of Magi Red who is also Phoenix-based. Shinken Pink and KingRanger shared similar shape too. I do wonder why they have to go with another Red though, instead of going with another shade like Crimson or say... Vermillion (Vermillion Bird or Suzaku, is many times linked to Phoenix). Is it because the show's pulling another Time Fire plot? I hope this will be firmly explained in the future. - As for the actor? When it was first rumored that Keisuke Minami is portraying Tsurugi, I... wasn't quite sure about it. Now that I've seen him in action, well... it's rather mixed-bag for me. I DO like that he portrays the weird oddball style of his character nicely. One that easily reminded me of Utsusemimaru, who is also a soldier lost in time. But I sure wished he worked out or bulked up a little for that gratituous shirtless scene. I don't know, he looked rather... out of shape. That it came off rather... unappealing/embarassing for me, even if it makes sense, being a sleep for hundred of years and all. Of course, that's just me nitpicking about body-types. Then again, he also looks uncomfortable in that trench-coat too. Hmmm... - Another song was played during Tsurugi's debut, but unlike the one on Stinger's moment, this one wasn't sung by Minami. It was confirmed to be sung by Shinichi Ishihara, the singer to that rousing uplifting opening theme to "Kyukyu Sentai GogoFive". Minami himself is a singer and musical actor himself. So considering the high likeliness of this show to have a Character Song Album, expect to hear him belting out his vocal sooner or later.

Overall: If you're thinking "Maaan, this episode should've been divided into two separate ones", then well you're definitely NOT alone. I'm totally in agreement with you. Some of its moments felt rushed, and it had too much stuff going on... that this recap-view probably got way longer than it's supposed too. But instead of playing the blame game, I have a pretty good idea why TOEI ended cramping these two major storylines into one episode. One word: GOLF. Yes, blame it on Golf! Unlike Kamen Rider and Precure that won't be affected, Super Sentai is forced to undergo another break next week. All the while TOEI and Bandai have had a fixed long plan for July to be Phoenix Soldier's grand debut. Postponing his appearance in the show until the 3rd week, would've easily ruined that momentum (affecting merchandise sale along the way). Hence why there's a sense of disconnect between the two halves of this episode. I can imagine the editing staff had to cut several part of the scenes and compact two episodes worth into one. Sure, shuffling several plots in one episode can't be considered new in Kyuranger. Yet this one had a strange flow to it, an emotional disjoint that felt like it's missing pieces of the puzzle somehow. That's how I see it, at the very least. Thankfully, albeit resulting a heavy and crowded sensation as a whole, the various parts worked generally well and served their purposes. Stinger received a well-suited closure with Scorpio, that involved Champ and Kotarou. Argo Navis has been revived, and Earth was (temporarily) saved thanks to it. And Tsurugi certainly made one heck of an impression, while alluding mysteries and doubts for future episodes to explore. Next week: Tsurugi v. Spada: Dawn of Raptor? Mecha Argo debuts! PS: In case my words above weren't clear enough, Episode 22 of Kyuranger will not air next week, and will instead arrive on July 23rd. This inevitably reduced the number of episodes in total. The series will now be 49 episodes at most (with the assumption it won't air on Year End/New Year, and there aren't any other delays in the coming months). And I wasn't kidding when I hinted that Super Sentai gets sacrificed over and over again. I'm guessing THIS is the main reason why TOEI has decided to change its time slot. Too bad it won't be in effect until October though. Otherwise, we wouldn't have lost 2 episodes already!

Episode 21 Score: 7,8 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: July 10th, 2017 - Version 2.07. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

[andymull]

The WWE Superstar Shake-Up Review - Smackdown Live

After a quick break I present to you the write up of the SD Live side of the superstar shake-up, the slight wait for this brands review has been welcome as things have greatly changed on SD in terms of were people have been slotted and the new feuds that have developed. So with any further wait, wagons roll....

Kevin Owens

The former Universal Champion and current US Champion makes his way to the blue brand, my first thought was that this would be a great move for Kevin in being able to get straight back to the top of the card on SD Live like he was as Universal Champ on Raw but that sadly hasn't developed so far. 

He had the US Title, dropped it to Chris Jericho solely so that Jericho could also move brands, then won it back from him the same week solely so that Jericho could leave to do some touring with Fozzy over the summer. Thankfully he is now in a feud with one of the best guys in the company in AJ Styles and involved in the MITB match, if he wins the briefcase then everything will be roses for him otherwise he faces a longer stay as the secondary title holder which is a waste.

In terms of future feuds for Owens more of Styles is a given, then id love to see feuds with Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton and Luke Harper, the later of which would be much welcome for Harper as it would bring him along alot in development as well as providing fresh matches for Owens.

Charlotte

‘The Queen’ moves over in a swap with Alexa Bliss, she really is the main focus of the company when it comes to the Women’s Division so was a little surprise that they went along with moving her to SD Live. 

The first thing ill say about her move is that I predict alot of turns from her, due to the lack of good opponents and lack of faces. She came in a heel and is now a kind of face working with Naomi and Becky until she gets a title match where she’ll be back a definite heel. Depth is sooo going to be a killer for most of the good women wrestlers, as there is none, so they’ll be stuck feuding with the same people for too long or will get stuck in mini feuds with women who cant lace their boots.

The New Day

Anything new for this group was more than welcomed, after holding the belts for the longest reign in the company to only hosting Wrestlemania and not even being able to get a match there these guys needed something fresh, they needed SD Live.

Sadly for this review there’s nothing to actually....review, as Kofi needed surgery and had to have time off, Woods and his partner welcomed a new addition to their family and Big E, well Big E married a couple, legit.

But now they are back with this week seeing their debut for SD Live, kinda, by appearing Talking Smack with the beautiful Renee Young and Shane McMahon, something ive wanted since they announced the move/ trade as Big E/ Big Wool live with Renee is always great.

Now they are back we sadly cant look forward to the group gaining revenge on The Revival, who in storyline injured Kofi, as they their-selves are also facing time on the sidelines with injury. When it comes to the blue brand we can look forward to them getting ring time and feuds with The Uso’s, American Alpha, The Fashion Police, hell maybe even the Colon’s if the company decide to build them more first with wins and actual character development.

One of the other things I want with this team after the shake-up is to have one of Kofi or Big E to go more into the singles ranks, with the depth issue after the brand split it could be very vital elsewhere outside of the tag division. Let Big E be the one to do so, while still keeping the group together, and have him be a strong beast around the US Title and if things go well give him a chance higher up around the World Title.

Sami Zayn

The man that before the shake-up was the one everyone was saying needed the move the most, lost and under-valued on Raw this would provide a great re-start for him and allow him to show his skills more and move up the card with great crowd reactions. Geez how wrong were fans to get their hopes up for that, just before the move Sami somehow annoyed someone important backstage and was known for being someone who kept yapping on and talking rubbish backstage which quickly became something he had to do on tv, some kind of punishment if you will for something he did no wrong in. 

He’s now seen as someone on this show the same as Raw where whenever he loses he still stays over exactly the same with the fans, so why not have him lose more and put over newer talent. Hence the feud with Boring Baron Corbin and loses to others who needed the odd win, in truth its going to take something big for management to decide to use him in something more worthwhile in making an impact for SD Live and the company overall. I see that being a injury bug affecting 2 or 3 top names possibly and that being the opening he would need for them to strap the rocket to him.

Rusev + Lana

One of my favourite superstars in the company had kind of reached his peak with people on Raw and was stuck losing to Roman Reigns and feuds with Enzo and Cass so again a much needed move, but again he was injured so we dont really have much to go on.

But, saying that we can still asses their plans and lack of follow up on them. Afew weeks back he appeared in a pre tape interview somewhere talking about he deserves a title shot at MITB and would turn up the following week on SD Live to demand it from Shane McMahon. So the new week came and no Rusev, and sign of him since sadly.

My hope is that he returns and gets added to the MITB match and wins the briefcase, then have him destroy Jinder Mahal for the World Title for a huge pop and face turn which would be so fresh and the fans are dying to cheer for him. Have him become an American Patriot after the turn and title win, which will then lead to an awesome feud with Kevin Owens to take back the US Title from the Canadian for Rusev’s adopted America.

The thing I dont get though is the seeming split of Rusev and Lana, she’s been having video packages of her wearing different dresses every week whilst making love to a chair, if they plan on making her a wrestler good luck, otherwise why even bother splitting the pair, its never worked before as they work so well together.

Sin Cara

? 

Seriously.

They realised that Kalisto needed to be on Raw so that he could be included in 205 Live (he still isnt) and to do so they had to come up with someone to bring the other way, and chose Sin Cara, that’s it, no future plans/ideas for the guy, enjoy the few tv appearances you get and jobs you have to do fella.

The Shining Stars

Straight away lets make it clear that they dropped the Shining Stars name and have gone back to just calling them The Colon’s, good move, dropped the time share gimmick, good move, had them debut and attack American Alpha, good move.......Just nothing more since then?

Don’t get me wrong I dont expect them to be the champions instantly as they need ALOT of work to reinvigorate them and make them a solid and believable threat for the fans. Its just that after a solid start to do so they have done near enough nothing with them which is really disappointing as both are very solid wrestlers and can be very useful. I guess the spot of developing a team into a bigger threat has gone to Breezango at the moment, so imagine they will be re-focused on in a month or two’s time possibly?

Jinder Mahal

Now this, this is the reason ive delayed this piece, imagine how stupid I would have looked reviewing his trade straight after the shake-up as a jobber moved over to take loses and that’s it...............and he is now World Champion, yeah that’s right.

The real story at hand here is that the company are moving into the Indian market more this year, with a tour in the last quarter of the year and needed to focus on an Indian talent to help them move into the market easier. They dont have much in the way of options when it came to that requirement so Mr Mahal was, well, ‘it’. A quick unwarranted push as well as a quick title win with his new cronies the Singh Brothers, as well as the rumour that he will be inline for a long title run. 

This really brings Smackdown down in being taken seriously, but at the same time we all want new people focused on and given the big opportunity or rocket, its just that this wasn't the guy we wanted was it, but still we should give him the time to see if he improves and runs with the ball. Then, I dont mind shitting on his run after a month or two if its just boring promo’s and poor matches/ feuds.

Good luck to the guy’s that have to work with him and try to carry him to something good, as long as he fails epic-ally he will shoulder the blame for it.

Tamina

Really not sure how she has survived in the company for so long, even with her father being Jimmy Snuka she has in no way warranted keeping her job for so long. She debuted in 2010, yeah that’s right, now how many great matches or great feuds can you name her being in???????

Poor wrestler, has been inured a fair few times, cant talk on the mic, was kept off of tv for a long time while her father was taken court then passed away, now she has been brought back as part of the Welcoming Committee (poor poor name) and you’ll soon notice who gets to stand at ringside most weeks without wrestling again, yeah stealing a living, Tamina

Byron Saxton

Near enough the same as David Otunga, employed in this position because of his skin colour, extreme lack of talent for the announcing position, he fulfills other roles in the company and should be doing those off camera and not wasting a seat at the announce booth. In a company that employs Nigel Guinness and Steve Corino there should be zero space for Saxton/Otunga/Booker/Percy Watson.

Overall SD Live won the shake-up in comparison with Raw by a mile, its just that they have handled alot of the picks badly, in trying to reshuffle their brand after losing names they seem to have slotted people completely wrong. As ive mentioned before I like seeing them giving opportunities to fresh wrestlers to see what they can do and of they can make a big impression over some of the long standing main eventer’s, but we shouldn't just be forcing those new talents who are’nt ready into those positions.

Nakamura being called up as well is a HUGE move for the brand, as well as potentially picking up another 2 or 3 of the top talents there in NXT would help do wonders for them, as long as they get used correctly that is, which sadly is now a big factor.

In talking about NXT and their top prospects I think that’s the next article ill be approaching and looking at the top 5 that should be getting the call up next.

Hope you've enjoyed my reviews or at the very least hated them with valid reasons, hit me up @AndyMulligan on Twitter and let me know

Bye for now

Andy

[sparda3g]

Attack on Titan Chapter 120 Review

It felt like forever to receive a new chapter. It’s probably the most thrilling follow-up yet in the series. It’s likely due to the ending hype, the crazy cliffhanger with a flying head, and endless theories from fans on where do we go next. One thing for certain: someone got it right. I can’t say the same for the following scene that really captivated me, and it’s not over yet. This chapter wasn’t all I expected, but I will gladly take this direction with its tensed psychological duel.

My anticipation to see the follow-up was beyond the scale. I can tell with my chilling feeling when turning a page. Either I was scared to know the truth or scared for the inevitable. Before the answer, the flashback does serve a great symbolic between Eren and Zeke and it is done with catching baseball. They may be brothers, but Eren dropped or missed the ball, which, in my opinion, symbolized their trust.

On one hand, you can argue that it’s a sign of one will die, which is Eren. However, recalling Zeke’s time with Tom, they always caught the ball as they are in the same page. Eren missing the ball strongly suggested that they are not. It is reinforced when Eren basically lied about him feeling weak. Trust lies on the ball. It’s definitely proven to be true, but we’ll get to that soon. It’s a great start to a thrilling chapter that will ultimately represent the theme.

It goes into a great morbid montage of an epic warfare. It’s a tensed sensation that no innocent would want to be part of. You have Braus Family in hiding, Marley’s men dying and devoured by titans, plenty of ongoing battles including Mikasa and Armin taking on Cart Titan, and to top it all off, decapitated Eren. What a nice sight of hell. Tons of theories were going around for a month. Did Eren alter the memories? Will he go back in time? Is he hiding somewhere? The answer is what you see; he legitimately lost his head. But, Zeke catches it in time and yes, the magic touch has come through. Good call on fans’ prediction. I mean it makes sense; I just didn’t know where it was flying to.

The whole moment was breathtaking. It’s probably because of no dialogues, which created a morbid sensation. It has the endgame feel to it as well. We don’t know if this is the last action phase, though I doubt it. I can’t imagine what the final battle would be like. The catch felt surreal. The past chapters played off as the defining moment and I certainly believed it. It’s even bone-chilling to see the collection of memories scattering over two pages. Some are Eren’s, some are not. There are few that may not have shown yet for us fans, but we may learn really soon.

The sight of PATHS is rather mesmerizing. I know it’s a simple beam of light, but the emphasis on that solo page brings out the magnitude of its atmosphere. It’s where everything will change forever, and it all comes down to Eren. Zeke is also there, but looks older. Apparently, the time within differs from outside world; probably years have gone by for all we know. Zeke did confirm that he made contact in time before Eren died. I assume that means he is really dead; however, it’s still possible for him to be resurrected by Ymir. My only concern is, what is happening currently outside. Losing his head might not only be done for shock value, but a reason to skip time. It depends on the path, no pun intended.

Ymir the Founder emerges and Zeke assures Eren that it’s her. It’s quite telling that Eren learned about her background from Zeke and the one that stood out the most is her loneliness. It’s true that anyone would be shocked and perhaps awed to hear a little girl in sadness, but he just heard many things connected to titans, yet only that one he reacted to. It’s perhaps a contrast to where Zeke was more amazed by her connection, while Eren was more on her being. Zeke is chained by “vow of renouncing war,” so he leaves Eren to do the final act; the final plead to save the world. Karma just keeps on coming.

Thanks to Armin and his recollections of subtle hints to Eren’s true intention, it feels so satisfying when Eren finally comes clean and backstabs Zeke. I can’t lie, but I was fooled by his act earlier. Some parts did show signs of hidden agenda, but his act was very convincing. Now, I am so damn happy for his “betrayal.” With that said, he still didn’t reveal his main goal; only desire for Ymir to share her power. Plus, we still need to know what he really saw in memories trip, including the supposedly truth of Ackerman. In due time. I can enjoy yet somewhat sympathize with Zeke weeping. His only family had double crossed him. It’s all over. Or so I thought.

In this series’ fashion, no twist is limited to one alone. Add a twist on top of the twist and you get the real twist. In a sense, Ymir denies Eren and favors for Zeke. I didn’t see that coming. The real twist is Ymir is actually a slave to Royal Blood and guess who has it. That’s right; Zeke has pulled a counter trap card or how fans would call it, a reverse card. I miss playing Uno.

This finally explains the reason for Zeke’s “revival.” This series is known to have every moment count. Have he not underwent the first time, he wouldn’t have understood everything. In his second trip so to say, he obtained many details and ploy an act to see if Eren is truly on his side. Otherwise, Zeke probably weep and witness the downfall entirely. This creates for an exciting development. We are back to protagonist versus antagonist, and that’s not a bad thing. Also, the two sides can finally go head-to-head (no pun intended?) in a thrilling psychological duel.

It’s interesting that despite the betrayal, Zeke is willing to go through one last attempt to bring his little brother to his side. I’m glad that he didn’t go out of his way and become cartoony villain with evil laugh and betray his character. It makes the most sense for him to try to convert because he is the only family he has left. His backstory and thought process complement his character. It speaks true brotherhood. The one way to try to convince him is to present Grisha as a mad man; only this time, his life behind the walls.

I’m amazed how much of a character Grisha has shown without being alive. Kudos to Isayama to remind the fans of his relevancy. It’s also amazing how much details we continue to learn about the past that we thought we’ve seen enough. Eren and Zeke travelled back in time to the moment when Eren was born. The vision presents the scene as one big happy family. Zeke congrats Eren’s birth, but he holds bare grudge against his father. It speaks volume how much he detested him till this day. Eren, on other hand, speaks for those who truly loved their family. That look on his face watching his family tells everything. It’s a sincere moment that shows two reaction from two sons.

Fans had wonder how Grisha discovered the Founding Titan’s location. Thanks to PATHS with its memory trip, we finally received the answer and it’s under our noses in a sense. It’s due to his status as a doctor that granted him an opportunity to travel and seek for those who has connection. This gives Zeke the firepower to convince Eren that their father was always selfish and cruel; putting his mission over his family. Eren looks to be convinced, but it’s more of what Zeke wanted to hear.

It’s really neat to see a montage of Grisha’s time as a family man. We have seen the plot points, but hardly in a slice of life scenario. There are best of times, there are worst of times. I always appreciate the cameo of Kenny in these past scenes. By this point, I still didn’t like Grisha and how he was too prideful to fulfill self-created destiny. I made that clear in one of my past reviews. But, these moments did grant us to see more of his human and normal self, colliding with his mission. Then, the scene that should have been the definitive strike happens, and Zeke definitely convert someone’s opinion.

Grisha discovered the Founding Titan’s location years before the start of the series. This could have been a “told you so” moment; by that, I mean Zeke is right. Grisha struggled to decide on what to do next. It’s like a video game. You have two choices and one will guaranteed a path differ another. However, there’s no return. If we go by that logic, the dark or renegade path would be going inside the basement. The light or paragon path would be ignore it. It was that moment that changed my mind on Grisha. He actually put his family first above his mission. In other words, he was a changed man.

This speaks tons of volume. In fact, it lined up really well with every moments with him. My impression was that he never really changed and always came off as a stubborn, prideful man. Even the last moment with him and Shadis felt ominous; like he was really sinister. Now, the impression I have is, he really did change for the better. It’s just unfortunate when the Wall broke down, the thought of the mission returned heavily.

The way I see it is similar to Reiner. Both lived in a new life and a better one at that. The only difference is Reiner was progressing his mission slowly. However, both took their time and enjoy what they had. Once tragic or a reminder struck, it came races through their head. Both can’t escape the past and must pay the price. Grisha was hit hard when his wife died, so he charged to the King of the Wall’s base, and the story of Eren begins. This is my assumption and it’s possible that the next chapter will reveal more of his side of the story, but I believe this is the case. This would paint him as a man who went through a redemption phase. If so, I’m glad to be wrong on his character. Yes, his past self was awful, but if one can learn, a second chance can appear.

Speaking of the past, an interesting element rise up once again and by that, I mean the possible interference within the memory. Krueger left an ominous message about Armin and Mikasa, even though he never met them. That scene has been driving fans crazy, but it looks like the answer is upon us. Grisha woke up and believed he saw Zeke, but in his current design, beard and all. Undoubtedly, a “what the hell” moment. On top of that, Grisha was dreaming something where he was apologizing Zeke for his mistake; further proving his redemption arc was complete.

This raised plenty of questions. Was Zeke’s presence alternating the past? Was it like that beforehand? This reminds me of Game of Thrones, where a character was interfering the past and ultimately changed someone for the present. I wonder who will hold the door. One fan would suggest that perhaps Eren is manipulating the scene to convince Zeke that he’s wrong. I don’t think so. I believe Eren knows everything. He takes the control, so to speak, to tour Zeke to see where he was wrong and why Eren won’t change his mind. It’s a very intriguing development and a clever use of uncovering all remaining pieces of Grisha’s past.

Overall, this chapter may be confusing at first, but surely, all answers will come, and the pathway of its memory trip will make everything sense. The idea is the two brothers are in psychological warfare. With that said, it was pretty compelling. I thought once the touch was made, it’s immediately game over, but this direction is more intriguing and insightful. Eventually, it will lead to the world-changing event. It abruptly ended with Eren ready to show the next phase. Whoever wins, the future will be set.

[doctorwhonews]

The Second Doctor Volume 2

Latest Review: Writers: Julian Richards, Rob Nisbet, John Pritchard, Tony Jones Directors: Helen Goldwyn, Lisa Bowerman Featuring: Anneke Wills, Elliot Chapman, Frazer Hines, Daphne Ashbrook, Louise Jameson Released by Big Finish Productions - June 2018 Order from Amazon UK What with Big Finish’s ever-accelerating expansion into new realms of the Doctor Who universe, from boxsets chronicling the exploits of underserved New Series allies to their ambitious work reviving axed spin-offs like Torchwood, it’s often all too easy to forget that the studio’s roots lie in offering classic incarnations of the titular Time Lord a bold new lease of life. How better to remind us of this noble goal, then, than by transporting us back to the 1960s with the latest Companion Chronicles boxset, showcasing Patrick Troughton’s tenure at the helm of the TARDIS in all its monochromatic, bowtie-donning and frequently base-sieging splendour? Whereas those content to explore Troughton’s televised adventures alone can only – barring telesnaps or the painfully gradual drip-feed of animated reconstructions from BBC Studios – experience but a minute fraction of those serials in their entirety at present, our lives are different to anyone else’s: we’ve got The Second Doctor Volume 2. So without further ado, let’s dive straight into this nostalgia-laced new collection and discover whether there’s life in a bygone era yet or whether, much like the ancient Cyber Tombs of Mondas, some artefacts are better left buried… “The Curate’s Egg”: “I’ve walked on the moon. I’ve faced down the Confederates of Brilpoor. But there is nothing, nothing in the universe as exhilarating as riding a dinosaur!” Had soon-to-be showrunner Chris Chibnall’s 2012 Eleventh Doctor odyssey “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” aired in the Troughton era rather than the dying days of Matt Smith’s, then Julian Richards’ charming opening salvo offers perhaps the perfect approximation of how the story might’ve played out under such circumstances. Dropping the newly-regenerated Doctor, Ben and Polly within spitting distance of a castle populated by cybernetic dinosaurs, “Curate’s Egg” throws caution to the wind, embracing Doctor Who’s frequent flirtations with the fantasy genre through elements as unashamedly ridiculous as mind-swapping gizmos, talking T-Rexes as well as arguably the best canine-themed visual gag of the year so far. Will it all seem too far-fetched for some listeners? Quite possibly, although Anneke Wills and Elliot Chapman – working on double duties here, albeit with Ben only featuring in proceedings for 10-15 minutes at most – do a fine job of keeping events grounded with their heartfelt exchanges as Polly and underappreciated scientist Andrew Clarkson respectively, their joint irritation at society’s efforts to side-line them at every turn adding a welcome emotional core amidst all the prehistoric hi-jinks. Indeed, so brimming is “Egg” with potent concepts – not least the Doctor’s underlying efforts to regain his companions’ trust in the wake of his recent “renewal” – that this reviewer couldn’t help but wish at times that Richards had explored some of them in greater detail over the course of his jam-packed hour, for instance by saving one or two ideas for future scripts instead. Food for thought next time around, perhaps. “Dumb Waiter”: “Die, false Doctor!” Anyone well-versed in the increasingly popular art of the meme will doubtless recall one such trending gag which did the rounds on social media in April, come the release of Marvel Studios’ long-awaited cinematic superhero epic Avengers: Infinity War: Marvel: “Infinity War is the most ambitious crossover in history.” Me: “[Insert award-worthy viral response here.]” Apologies if the experience of reading the last 55 words felt akin to learning a foreign language for the first time, but put simply, Infinity War might’ve just met its match in the eyes of Doctor Who fans worldwide with Volume 2’s sophomore instalment. Just as we’ve seen multiple Doctors cross paths in anniversary specials from “The Three Doctors” to Big Finish’s own The Light at the End in 2013, so too does the audio behemoth’s wide-ranging Who license allow them to bring together companions from differing eras of the show at times, and in this case it’s the turn of James McCrimmon to shine alongside one Leela of the Sevateem. In other words: cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war. Thankfully – not that this should come as any surprise given the levels of acclaim which both stars continue to court with their audio portrayals – neither Frazer Hines nor Louise Jameson disappoint, their hallowed characters’ clash of primal wits so ferociously unpredictable and regularly hilarious that you’ll soon wonder how it’s taken so damn long for this heavenly pairing to occur. That’s for the best too, since the core plot of “Waiter” leaves something to be desired in comparison, its rapid barrage of reality-warping setpieces and convoluted technobabble rendering the TARDIS team’s trip to a deeply sinister garden party, even more, overwhelming for the audience than it is for the Doctor as his present and future collide before his eyes. Scribe Rob Nisbet has his character drama down to a tee, then, but he’ll still need to work on balancing this with comprehensible plotting in order to craft the next Big Finish masterpiece. “The Iron Maiden”: “I suppose that time makes legends of us all…” It’s worth noting from the outset that Volume 2’s penultimate chapter, John Pritchard’s “The Iron Maiden”, houses all the components of a great Doctor Who serial – intriguing temporal anachronisms by the dozen, an extremely sympathetic central supporting character with whose mind these anomalies predictably play havoc and quite possibly the finest companion of the Troughton years, Wendy Padbury’s Zoe Heriot, taking the initiative as our de facto protagonist this time around. Upon sitting through the credits one hour later, then, imagine this listener’s disbelief at only being left with the following inescapable question: just what went wrong here? Despite her touching struggle to endure the seemingly endless conflicts of 14th century France, all while realizing that the worst is yet to come thanks to the suspect arrival of First World War technology on the scene, Jo Woodcock’s fascinating prophet-of-sorts Marie is criminally underserved here, lacking much to do beyond trigger the plot with her mysterious visions and prompt Zoe’s occasional epiphanies as she gets to the bottom of the situation. Throw in the disappointing absence of any real suspense – in spite of the deadly weaponry in our heroes’ vicinity – as well as what should’ve been a hugely poignant denouement falling surprisingly flat due to our minimal emotional investment in the ensemble, and “Maiden” unfortunately ranks as the boxset’s weakest link by some distance. “The Tactics of Defeat”: “We’re on the clock, Zoe.” Volume 2, in stark contrast to prior Companion Chronicles collections, opts out of binding its four serials with any ongoing plot threads or recurring thematic beats, such that “Tactics of Defeat” isn’t nearly as burdened with tying up loose ends as The First Doctor Volume 2’s “The Plague of Dreams”, wherein Guy Adams faced the intimidating task of endowing the First Doctor with a more fitting send-off than his abrupt departure in “The Tenth Planet”. If the benefits of this procedural structural approach weren’t already obvious to Big Finish upon commissioning the set, then they’re downright unmissable here, with Tony Jones’ refreshingly understated quasi-season finale proving all the more satisfying as a result. Not dissimilar to “Curate’s Egg”, “Tactics” pairs Zoe with her supposed Foe from the Future – better known to us as UNIT captain Ruth Matheson. Why the change of moral allegiances on Ruth’s part? Is everything as it seems? Both fair questions, but you won’t find us spoiling the answers here; much of the piece’s appeal lies in the constant twists and turns which Ruth’s mission to recover plague-emitting extra-terrestrial technology from a decaying temple take, not least Zoe’s supposed oncoming demise at the vicious hands of unknown assailants. The latter plot element might appear unthinkable given our foreknowledge of events to come in “The War Games”, yet we’re also well aware by now that “time can be re-written”, and indeed future Doctor Who scribes should keep in mind Pritchard’s tense work here as a prime example of how to put gripping new spins on the well-worn paradox-driven story format. Come for Daphne Ashbrook’s still-endearing work as the constantly resourceful, inspiringly courageous Ruth; stay for one of the more innovative scripts that we’ve seen enter classic Who’s audio pantheon for quite some time. The Verdict: How much you’ll get out of Volume 2 depends largely on what you expect from Big Finish’s Second Doctor productions – if you’re looking for authentic reprisals of the Troughton era’s unashamedly outrageous jaunts into fantasy territory or surreal mind-trips into worlds hell bent on distorting their visitors’ perceptions, then the fifth Companion Chronicles boxset since the range ceased its monthly output will fall right up your alley. If, however, you’re hoping to see the scribes involved push narrative / creative boundaries given their lack of 1960s budgetary limitations, then barring the basic set-up of “Curate’s” and the brilliant “Tactics” in its entirety, the end product mightn’t offer quite as much bang for your buck. But while we can’t afford the collection with quite the same glowing recommendation as its Chronicles predecessors, rest assured that there’s still plenty of entertainment in store for any Second Doctor fans craving further sustenance after last year’s "The Power of the Daleks" animated rejuvenation. And who knows – if Matt Smith consulted Troughton’s work in “The Tomb of the Cybermen” as part of the inspiration for his portrayal of the Eleventh Doctor, perhaps future stars lucky enough to portray the Time Lord’s allies might follow suit by picking up Volume 2, thereby starting the cycle of legacy anew… http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2018/08/the_second_doctor_volume_2.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr