#but compared to western markets it isn't

[wisteriagoesvroom]

underrated aspect of sg is the sheer number of options we have for lunch. honestly rad

[psychotrenny]

There's a real unearned confidence to the way that Social Democrats talk about their ideology, like they've cracked the code and found the perfect way forward and the only reason people disagree is because they're misguided or evil. Like they'll correctly point out problems within Neoliberal Capitalism before spouting some absolute nonsense about how uniquely evil and dysfunctional Communism was (nearly always in the past tense too; they take it for granted that the end of the USSR was the end of all Communism) and then going "Don't worry though, there's a third way; a mixed regulated economy. We can have a free market in consumer goods while making sure that corporations pay their fair share in wages and taxes that can fund the welfare that looks after everyone". And like putting aside the fact that such a model relies on the super-profits of imperialist exploitation to actually function, and the inherent instability of an arrangement where the Bourgeoisie make concessions even while maintaining ultimate control of the economy, there's the simple fact that much of the Imperial Core did indeed had Social Democracy but does not anymore.

Like these Social Democrats never think about why that might be, why their ideology failed and what they can learn from it going forward. They just act as though some dumb individuals (i.e. Ronald Reagan, Milton Friedman etc.) managed to slip into power and make bad decisions and like the best way to fix this is to vote good people in who'll change it back. Like hell a lot of these people take the previous existence of these policies as like a good point, the whole "We had them before so we aren't being radical by wanting them back. We don't want anything crazy we just wanna bring back The New Deal or Keynesian Economic policy or whatever". There's never any thought about why those policies failed (how often do you hear these people even talk about "stagflation" or "the oil crisis" let alone the impact of the fall of the soviet union) and what implications this might have on the viability of bringing it back. They also love talking about how Social Democratic institutions are still largely intact in the Scandinavian countries, but rather than even consider what specific factors in their political-economic situation led to this these people just go "Damn isn't Sweden great. Why aren't we doing exactly what they do?"

And sure some people might compare this to Marxism-Leninism, the whole "trying to bring back a defeated ideology", but for one it's stupid to treat the dissolution of the USSR as the end of Communism as a global political force. It may have been a major blow, but even if you write off like Cuba and Vietnam as too small and insignificant to matter you can't just fucking ignore that over 1/6 of the world's population continues live under a Marxist Leninist party. Whatever concessions these countries may have made to global Capitalism, it's just plain ignorant to act as though Communism suffered anywhere near the humiliating loss of global power and credibility that Social Democracy has. Sure the latter may be more politically acceptable to toy with in "The West", but "The Western World" ≠ The Entire World. Also, nearly every ML on the planet is painfully aware that Soviet Communism collapsed and that it collapsed for a reason. There might be plenty of contention about why exactly it died and what exactly we can learn from this, but nearly everyone agrees that we need to learn and ideologically grow. No serious Communist wants to "bring back the USSR" in the same way that many Social Democrats want to "bring back The Welfare State". Far from being a form of "best of both worlds" mixed economy, Social Democracy is nothing more than a flimsy tool to stabilise Imperialist Capitalism at its moments of greatest strain. And if people are still gonna promote it wholeheartedly as the best possible solution, I wish they'd be a little less arrogant about it. It's not as though they have history on their side

[soraka-in-warhammer40k]

I'm always fascinated when someone at the club rants about "how they just invented T'au to cash on them anime weebs", completly oblivious to the time and culture of their creation. So T'au came out first in 2001, and were obviously conceptualized some years prior, which puts them into the late 90s in their original design. This is slowly hitting "the majority of the populance has no relevant internet access whatsoever" levels of "barbaric analog ages".

So imagine where GW sits in the late 90s - its a small studio somewhere in England barely coming to touch with the first elements of the internet, with the most dominant medium being television which... is not really about "exotic" shows from the other end of the world? Those get ported over when they have proven to be a hit in their own country mostly.

And without the internet as we know it today, the anime community just... did not exist. You have to understand that the whole concept of online anime culture centred around piracy, fansubs, fanart, and the creation of the term "weeabo" was a mid-to-late 00s thing, and it took almost another decade before "weeb" was somewhat reclaimed and no longer an online-slur.

There was a whole generation that grew up with (often horribly localized) japanese shows on TV (Pokemon, Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon) which came over with some delay to their release in Japan. By the time this generation came to congregate into online spaces and form any sort of fan-identity and culture, the T'au and their battlesuits had already been a design over a decade old.

"But wait isn't Gundam from the 70s"? Yes, that is totally correct. However, this is the one glaring mistake people make: you cannot compare modern day media content circulation around the globe to the analog ages. Those of us who remember these barbaric analog times know how it was: you just did not know stuff existed. If it was not in the newspaper or on the telly, it might as well not exist unless you knew a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy.

Sure, the Internet was slowly becoming a thing that found widespread use, but it would still take a while - not to mention the technical limitations. No streaming episodes. You start the download (if you can find someone who hosted the file of a series you had to know even existed first) somewhere around lunch, to hopefully get something to watch in the afternoon. Oh and also that blocked the household's phone-line and if the download cancelled for whatever reason then it was back to square one. Under such conditions, the online community we know today could simply not exist, as the alternative was importing stuff from the other end of the world for quite the money, or hoping a really shoddy localized VCR-tape ended up at your Blockbuster-equivalent.

Of course there was anime before that time, even those regarded absolute classics in the west, but those mostly achieved that rank over here in retrospective. When in the late 00s people wanted to watch stuff and had the ability to do so they shared what was considered "the classics" first (shared to the best of their ability with one episode cut into 5 parts on youtube with sometimes very questionable subtitles).

So even if we assume there was someone at GW in the 90s who was a total "proto-weeb" and Gudam-fan, there was literally no reason to "make knock-off Gundams" because the miniscule western wargaming audience SIMPLY DID NOT KNOW THE STUFF.

You can't make a marketing ploy to reference something your average consumers have never heard off. If anything, the creation of the T'au as a robotic-centred faction was inevitable: they needed a design that could hold their own in the setting, but Necrons hogged the full-robot niche, Imperials were weird cyborgs, Orks the "madman-scrap-tech", and Nids the "biotech". The only thing left here was "not full robot but also very clean and efficient" - and just like that, the Battlesuits and Drones were born.

It was only in later years when the Internet had come into full swing where they decided to go full-suit with releases such as the Riptide, but if we talk about the OG design of T'au and the first decade? Nothing to do with anime or "fishing for weebs". The fish would not be coming to that spot for almost a decade, and it would take a bit more before their numbers were plentyful enough to make it worth casting a line out.

[brown-little-robin]

Robin do you have any thoughts on Christian religious themes/imagery in Japanese storytelling? I watched enough of Tristamp before getting locked out of Hulu (lol) to pick up on the themes and imagery and now I'm reading FMA and I'm seeing it there too, and like... I'm all for it, it's very interesting, I'm just curious as to why that seems to be rather pervasive in this genre (are Trigun and FMA even the same genre...?) and if you have any Thoughts... bc if anyone was going to have something to say on the topic, it would be you my friend :)

HIIII THANKS FOR THE QUESTION <333

short answer: I don't know! I would like to find out too!

longer answer: okay I'm gonna generalize for a second, so please know none of this is true for Everyone In Japan, thank you. But Christianity is a minority religion in Japan (under 2 percent of Japanese people are Christian). It's not unknown—some Western Christian customs, such as celebrating Christmas, have trickled into Japanese culture over time, plus Christian art is widely appreciated in Japan—but most Japanese people don't know the actual doctrines of Christianity. Christianity as a practice simply is not that relevant in wide Japanese culture, so it doesn't appear that much in Japanese culture based anime as a whole.

Christian themed anime: some anime, of course, such as Blue Exorcist or Trigun, are explicitly themed around Christianity, but that's a subgroup, not typical of anime as a whole. I think that what you're seeing of the presence of Christian themes/imagery in anime is kind of... confirmation bias? Both of our friend groups have a lot of Christian presence, and of course we both tend to gravitate toward stories that deal with faith, and we tend to talk out loud about elements that are subtextual in the original work (Trigun is HEAVILY Christian coded, but isn't like, Christian Fiction TM the way Christian Fiction TM happens as a consumer culture thing in America, whereas Blue Exorcist doesn't actually present a typical or complete Christian worldview, just uses demons as generic monsters). I don't think I can speak to anime as a whole, but I don't think Christianity is either overrepresented or underrepresented there compared to the interest in Christianity in Japanese culture. shrug!!

short note about genres: FMA and Trigun are both under the (huge) umbrella of "shōnen" (boys') anime/manga. FMA is a pretty standard, if unusually sophisticated, shōnen adventure story; it was serialized in Monthly Shōnen Gangan. Trigun is specifically "DEEP SPACE PLANET FUTURE GUN ACTION!!" (that's the official uh. description.) it's a sci-fi western :] it was originally serialized as "Trigun" in Monthly Shōnen Captain, but it's meant for a more mature audience, as is clear from its subsequent publication as "Trigun Maximum" in Shōnen Gahosha's seinen manga magazine Young King OURs. Seinen is like shōnen, but marketed towards young adult men instead of boys and teens.

about the authors: Yasuhiro Nightow, author of Trigun, was apparently raised Catholic. So that's where the Christian imagery and themes in Trigun comes from! I don't know much about FMA's author (Arakawa Hiromu), but I know that it's themed around historical European "alchemy" and the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins, with the ideas of "nature", "God / Divinity", and so on, all of which are of course historically intertwined with that era's interpretations of Christianity. So obviously it's easy to apply Christian ideas to FMA's themes.

more information and a link to a good source under the cut :]

source: "A Little Faith: Christianity and the Japanese" by Ishikawa Akito, associate professor at Momoyama Gakuin University, where he teaches religion and war studies. 

[rainbowsky]

Hi Rainbow 🌈, I love your blog, I always come to you to get your views.Hope you are doing well. May I ask the rumours about DD recently aiming to get intention away from incidents or political issues in China. It seemed to me things happened similarly with the other celebrities in China🤔 So we have to be more careful what we say about GGDD as the international fans. Looking forward to see GG in Milan. Thanks

Hi groguj23! I'm doing OK but let me tell you this cedar, alder and juniper breeding season is kicking my ass! Trees can be so indiscriminate about their mating rituals...

I hope you're well! Thanks so much for your kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying my blog. 😊

Yeah, unfortunately when there's something going on in China that's unpopular with the public you'll frequently see a sudden huge uptick in celebrity gossip and scandals. It is what it is.

As I said in this recent post, what we say about GG and DD internationally isn't very likely to have much of an impact on them. We simply aren't that relevant, in part because the average Chinese citizen will never see our words from behind the great firewall, in part because we are a drop in the bucket compared with the Chinese market, and in part because we're dismissable as debauched Westerners.

That isn't to say there aren't things we should always be circumspect about (and I talk about that in more detail here), but I don't think we should spend any time hand-wringing over what turtles say in the international fandom unless it falls into those categories.

[fromtenthousandfeet]

https://www.tumblr.com/fromtenthousandfeet/762649366059204608/httpsxcom97901suestatus1837382052729311473?source=share

Yes seven and golden were definitely successful. The music that was chosen all have easy hooks and JK's by no means a bad performer. Also JK was extremely popular prior to his solo songs. And anon isn't wrong per se - I'd say JK is definitely the most known member of BTS right now. He should be shouldn't he? Comparing his activities to the only other two members who could've possibly competed - Jimin and Tae had a pretty limited rollout. They didn't go on extended radio legs in the west or otherwise, didn't perform at any big locations like times square or gcf or iheart, didn't have huge collabs with huge western artists, didn't get the Hybe / sb marketing team hounding every music critic, radio host or netting awards for them (imo VMAs are usually negotiated, I've said this before JK entered the picture so i wont be changing my opinion just because he won one - they wouldn't give it to some unknown but the fan voting is a formality). What I question is if goldens only purpose was to be successful for its own sake.

How well did JK really do? With Jimin we can see that his newer songs from muse did better than his older ones from face. Even though sgmb wasn't as popular with his fanbase or in English, it still did better than smf pt 2 and who obviously performed much better than like crazy. Jimin's success with face translated into more fans, more organized fbs and hence a better performance with muse even though he's enlisted and couldn't properly promote his album. I won't consider nlg a worthy comparison since it's just a fansong but let's compare SNTY to 3d or seven. That's fair enough right? JK only had a few weeks to promote it before he enlisted but I would still say better than being totally radio silent like Jimin for muse. Anyhow SNTY's success was very JK from BTS-esque coded. As in without all the marketing and hype, that songs success is what I would've initially expected from JK in the first place from chapter two before the insanity of seven. It did very well of course. But how is it that we went through such a huge hype cycle of the biggest global popstar who sang seven to rival western artists and BTS themselves, all that marketing and activities and then end up right back to the same situation with his music performance that he would've achieved with his popularity post-hiatus anyway. If Jimin is dependent on his fans for his chart performance then SNTY shows that JK is still dependent on armys but how are they both now in the same situation when one has industry plant level money behind him? (industry plant is just a factual moniker for me not an insult for example I love industry plants Olivia Rodrigo and Sabrina Carpenter). But where are all his new fans that he gained from seven and 3d?

If I invested so much money at JK only for his performance at the charts to revert back to the same level as it was before I did that, then I'd be questioning a lot. Of course scooter and his buddies probably still made a sick amount of money from seven and golden but as Hybe trying to make a new BTS, I'd be annoyed that my marketing budget for JK would have to stay huge to get the returns I want. He's no BTS - invest minimal budget and get huge returns. JK might still get the golden treatment once he's back - sunk cost theory is a thing after all. And while JK didn't quite become the next Justin Bieber like he was supposed to, he's still more successful than 95% of Hybe's other projects. Anyway I doubt people who aren't as deep into this as us can even tell his popularity isn't at the level it's supposed to be at. They'll just say JK is the most successful member from BTS because like you said marketing works. However JK in chapter two has shown me that unless he makes a serious breakthrough with his next projects - his merits as a solo artist are still inextricably tied into his groups fanbase. Which is fine since Armys are still huge and maybe that will be enough even though I feel he failed to net enough dedicated fans with his solo music. But I do wonder about the sustainability of this arrangement when the group returns or if the group decides to go on a more permanent hiatus. Will armys all convert to jjks? I guess we shall see.

Also sidenote I know Tae's music has never done as well as Jimin's and his popularity is more superficial than Jimin's but I still think he's more popular than the other members by far and he could've potentially gotten to Jimins level if he'd done a better debut solo album. Just clarifying since I bunched Tae and Jimin together here even though it's not 2022 anymore and Jimin has strided past Tae as a solo artist. Also they may have definitely not opted into whatever deal JK had - I doubt they were offered one but it's possible it was their choice too. I don't want to strip them of their agency. Tae and Jimin have seemed more wary of Hybe than JK I think

Thanks for sharing. Lots of good info here.

[rikeijo]

Hello! :) Hope I don’t seem like I am trying to cause drama. 😅 I would like to ask how different and / or similar is the YOI fandom in Japan compared to the English fandom? Another thing I’m curious about is how do Japanese BL / GL fans view view Western shows with LGBT+ characters? For example does The Owl House have a lot of GL fans or do they not really care about the show?

Hello! Thank you for the message!

I don't think that it's trying to cause drama... In case of YoI and all the very unusual things that happened with this IP, if we try to understand why it happened, imo, it's impossible to see the whole picture without taking into consideration how Jp anime industry&fandom perceive LGBT+ related stuff.

The main difference is that, in case of anime like YoI, in Jp, majority of people think "fujoshi" when they see it, not "gay representation/ LGBT".

This is a quote from an article I happened to read recently (link) that answers a lot of your questions. A person, who works for a company that specializes in BL marketing, talks about Jp and Asian BLs.

"In Japanese BLs there is a lot of settings and cliches expected to appear in the story. There is so much that I'll only give you an example here, one that is difficult to explain in words - for example, the seme (the man that leads in the romantic relationship) is cool and the most popular person in the class, and on the other hand the uke (the man that is led) is more plain, and a bit of an natural airhead - this pattern is one of the classics. In BL, part of the culture is to enjoy those settings and story templates.

(...)

Of course, in the West, there are also BL stories called M/M, which portray romantic relationships between men and they have a lot of fans in Jp. But according to Tsutsui: "In the West, those stories are created more in the context of LGBT and are of a different kind that Japanese and Asian BLs."

(...)

Also, in BLs there is a lot of taboos, called "jirai, landmines". If you detonate those because you lack understanding [of the BL culture], users will immediately go away.

One example of a landmine is when seme and uke swap places, called "reverse"."

Of course, YoI isn't BL, but fans of YoI ships have exactly the same mindset: one uke, seme(s), enjoying our fantasies, not interested in LGBT. Obviously, it's not 100% of the fandom, but the vast majority is really like that.

VicYuu (Victor seme, Yuuri uke) is the most popular ship (seme the coolest character x uke the main character "I'd like to read shojo manga, but they have women there and I hate those" template is the most popular fujo template for every story - for example, in case of JJK, the most popular ship is... Gojo Satoru x Itadori Yuji (15) with almost 700 millions views in total on pixiv). So, that Yuuri doesn't look uke enough and Victor looks like a "fa*got with fake eyelashes" (that's a quote), when he should be a masculine seme, in a lot of arts is one reason why fujos started to hate members of YoI staff. Just like that person in the article said - for fujos, it's a landmine. I've talked about it a few times before - one of the most hated YoI staff member is Mitsurou, and there is plenty of reasons why she was targeted, but one is that the way she draws Yuuri and Victor is more similar to how "YuuVic" fanarts are drawn (and often you can basically tell the ship by how the person draws the characters)...

I don't know a lot about The Owl House, but of course, it has fans in Jp as well - only, I think that those fans (of Western LGBT shows in general) are more from the progressive side and there is little overlap with classic fujos (so a kind of BL/dojinshi fan). Another example, the Witch from Mercury was also popular with the progressive people of Jp twitter and they were also bashing the IP holders because of the marriage controversy... Of course, more progressive people read BLs, too, but many are against being labelled as "fujoshi"... That's generalization, but fujos are those people who labelled and still call heterosexual love "normal love" - I think that says a lot.

In my observation, YoI's Jp fandom is in majority fujo-fandom (2016 was a few years ago...). In 2023, however, more and more people are more open and know more about LGBT+ stuff, so there is also growing "progressive" population of fans on twitter etc. and those people gravitate towards different shows/have different interpretations compared to classic fujos.

So yeah, generally & simply speaking, in Jp, fujoshi, BL =/= LGBT. And btw, as I was labelled fujo-hater in the past, I don't think it's "bad" that fujos like to feminize their uke so much to self-insert and fantasize about the masculine seme(s) loving them, effectively making the ship into a heterosexual ship, because that's what they prefer (although when a grown-up woman is fantasizing about a tiny teenager having sex with a man twice his age and size, well... I'm not sure it's healthy) but I just don't think that it has much to do with LGBT rights and being allies or anything like that, and that it's something that should be acknowledged, too.

[blueikeproductions]

I know you've said a few times that the most logical step for Transformers would be a new anime, but I don't think that's true. Don't get me wrong, a new TF anime would be cool, but there just isn't a big enough market over there to justify it. With how interlinked Hasbro and Takara are with the franchise, it'd have to be a joint collab like the Unicron Trilogy, and the issue with that is Transformers is not nearly as popular in Japan as it was back then. And even back then, it was only relatively niche compared to the West. There hasn't been a completed Japanese dub of a Transformers show since Animated, and I'm pretty sure the Earthspark dub is a web-exclusive. Why would Takara invest in a full-blown anime when they can't even get the existing shows to land over there?

Yeah that’s the tricky part.

Prime & Cyberverse utterly tanked, RiD15 seemed to do better (and honestly looking back the Starscream arc was pry the best place to stop anyway), and I have no idea how well EarthSpark is doing down there. I get the impression Japan doesn’t care much though.

Mostly I think an anime would do well in general after Bravern sorta reignited an interest in super robots, and anime is really the only thing doing well right now anyway, so it would make sense to try an anime again to capitalize on the new boom.

The problem is beyond returning to stuff like Optimus having a Super Mode, I don’t really know what you’d DO as a hook for toys.

Going by trends, it would probably be based on the 13 Primes’ relics, being collected by the Autobots & Decepticons and the relics having a Mini-Con/Cyber Key style power up, functionally being a spiritual successor to the Unicron Trilogy with bits of RiD01 included like its own relic hunt, Side Burn, Scourge and Sky-Byte.

Really I’m only focusing on how western kids would approach it because unless it’s anime or older cartoons, they largely don’t care. I don’t know if TF can really be saved in Japan and Prime & Cyberverse’s offering didn’t help at all. One was too serious, one was too Lol Random, I think RiD and Cyberverse are lucking out being a happy medium, though it’s no guarantee EarthSpark is gonna continue past its first season down their either, or even finish its season for that matter.

[skaruresonic]

Your latest post about Sonic reminded me that apparently Pariah has joined the "Sonic has always been inconsistent" crowd, and he used this clip: https://www.tumblr.com/randomthefox/749471225809666048

But... What is the logic here? So the Classics were more lighthearted (except CD I guess) and the Adventure games were comparatively edgier, with their anime style and more serious stories. That is a change in direction, for sure. Let's even say they are two different "artistic perspectives". But to the point where you'd call them two different Sonics, the same way Boom Sonic is different from Modern Sonic?

I think "Sonic has always been inconsistent" has completely lost its meaning. The series has evolved in tone to match the times (Sonic was far from being the only videogame series who got more serious in the 2000s), but that doesn't mean Sonic became a different character in every game he starred in.

To be quite honest, I don't think it ever really meant anything to begin with. When you drill down to the bedrock of the sentiment, you'll find more often than not that it's just another thought-terminating cliché people trot out when they have no other way of elaborating themselves, because they always act like the claim is self-evident and not subject to scrutiny. Like how "Shadow mandates" are used to explain any and all poor Shadow portrayals. It's not a claim anyone can say has substance because all folks seem to use it for is to say "Sonic games bad."

They don't really provide examples of inconsistency because those examples don't exist on a diegetic level, just on an artistic or a marketing one, at most. Can't say I've ever seen a Sonic game where Sonic turns into a gun nut, lol.

---

But... What is the logic here? So the Classics were more lighthearted (except CD I guess) and the Adventure games were comparatively edgier, with their anime style and more serious stories. That is a change in direction, for sure. Let's even say they are two different "artistic perspectives".

I wouldn't even say that. SA1 takes heavy influence from the Classics. The divide between Adventure and Classic is not as deeply drawn as folks seem to think.

I feel like if you really zoomed out and tried to obtain the most holistic picture of the franchise possible, you'd see the series, for all of its ups and downs and all arounds... Really isn't that inconsistent.

The Adventure era is touted as serious business, but folks forget that some of those games could get goofy as shit, and Heroes is not an outlier in this regard. Even uber-serious '06 can get silly at times, what with missions to rescue beloved dogs being placed alongside "save the princess" as equally important objectives, and janky physics that make me want to hurl my controller across the room.

Likewise, the Classic era had moments of serious storytelling not in spite of its cartoonish aesthetic, but because of the power of its environmental storytelling.

Besides, if most of the confusion re. the series' "inconsistencies" can easily be cleared up by disregarding spinoff material (which includes the comics), can it really be said that it's the games made by ST that are inconsistent? Or would it be more accurate to say it's the external understanding of Sonic which fluctuates over time?

To be clear, I'm not trying to turning this into yet another JP vs. Western Sonic debate, because frankly, that doesn't matter. Not when the folks looking from the outside in refuse to see what's plainly there.

Also, think about it this way: if Sonic has always been inconsistent, then you're saying Sonic never had a coherent identity to begin with. Which means the argument rests on a self-contradiction. Either:

A.) you (general you) have to acknowledge that consistency once existed in the series in order to allow yourself enough berth to argue for a change in direction of the era of your choice... thus disproving the entire premise of "Sonic was always inconsistent,"

or B.) you need to apply the "inconsistent" label to every era, including the ones you prefer, thus rendering every "Sonic needs to go back to [XYZ] era" argument nonsensical. Because Sonic might as well build a new identity instead of appropriating old ones that, according to the argument, failed.

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

when u think abt the timing of bts and blackpinks debut time there really wasnt much competition they were a one of their own type as one direction had just broken up (also rip liam 😭) ik lots of ppl like to peddle the narrative bts paved the way but i do feel like they got a leg up or a helping hand some way or other. also 7 is kinda a masonic number jsyk...

i dont feel like their success was totally all themselves and dare i say some of them mightve been passed around for such sexual favours or something much worse that we dont know about. if the diddy + taeil stuff has only just come about then i cant fathom what worse things they could have to do in order to debut. all these foreign groups love to cater to western audience so it makes me fail to believe they havent had a leg up from evil western entertainments ways of doing things. if that makes sense? i do think they sugarcoated their real hardships cause its more marketable and that they havent really told everything they have experienced in their predebut years.

what i find hard to believe as well is how quickly they were kinda just everywhere? again its not hard to fool ppl especially with the internet that has also aided these foreign groups to get more known. but also every other group or band has "got rid of" a member before either by the members own choice ie: drugs and alchohol and im really surprised that they still are almost in tact even scandals cant seem to touch bts too hard if that sounds right to say? ie: agust dui fine really was nothing at all compared to if he had done it in the west and seungri gets a slap on the wrist for his crimes. same for blackpink really who can seemingly half ass everything and theyre still good to go next year sorry for my rambling but ehh i needed to say it even blackpink have been a little bit dissapointing tbh

I do feel BTS' growth was organic, but then it became its own animal. I have gotten undertones in my reading of idols entertaining parties for favors, that could be to get deals, success, or to appease these perverts in the industry. I didn't know why I got that energy, but I did get it. Yeah, it surprises me that BTS is very hidden well, which means I feel HYBE is very good at hiding sh** and controlling the narrative, and the government definitely works with the industry, they are closely tied, so they help another out, so they may hide stories to keep them safe, that is what I get intuitively, because I am surprised with their fame nothing crazy has been leaked and I don't see these boys as squeaky clean. I don't see them as horrible though, I won't assume. I will be real Blackpink's success surprises me, not hating but other girl groups outshine them, but luck, having visibility and yeah, maybe playing the game better got them where they are. I just don't trust the industry anymore, so I question everyone who is crazy successful these days. I just think, what type of crazy stuff did you do to get there. I am so glad I am a normal person, living a normal life, because fame is no joke and a different breed, it isn't for the weak, because it will swallow you up and destroy your self-worth. Sorry, for the long rant lol

[miini-nalog]

HYBE was a shitshow from day one

these are my OPINIONS if you dont agree you can comment so long as you regulate yourself and thoughts like a normal person

Hybe is a shitshow.

the whole idea of a parent company and smaller labels was a bad idea in the first place considering how competitive kpop is and is becoming due to oversaturation in the western pop market causing a knock off effect in the korean pop market -- where kpop as a genre gets it's main influences/trends -- and having multiple sub labels releasing groups when they're all seen as just 'HYBE' is a quick way to make people sick of you.

groups like TWS and BoyNextDoor could've massively benefited if TWS debuted a bit later,, im aware that BND are under KOZ and TWS are under PLEDIS but to the general public or someone who isn't nose deep into kpop it's "why is hybe debuting another group?"

this is the same with ILLIT and NEWJEANs, only I dont think the 'illit copied nwjns' narrative would've stopped bc bunnies have been throwing this claim of 'coping newjeans' to basically every group that tries something fresh comparing GIDLE to newjeans is insane.

comparing illit to newjeans is stupid bc conceptually they dont have anything alike, musically theyre very different with very small similarities like no bridge and smililar vocal direction , and visually the only things that are similar is long natural hair which newjeans long abandoned 2 years ago and 5 members which wasn't planned as they were meant to be a 6 member group, and the choreography wise I think belift were aiming for a cute reference but overestimated how nice kpop fans are, especially after the lineup reveal disappointed many people.

and then the whole Min HeeJin thing, im not even going to talk too much about this but if hybe were a good company with good intentions would they hire and let a woman with p3dophillic tendencies set up a company under your label and take trainees from another one of your labels, then ask her to publicly step down..?

if hybe were a good company the only news we'd get is that mhj was kicked out of the CEO position

also I'd like to touch on hybe's love for 'all publicity is good publicity' mindset/rage baiting because why would they release a documentary on drama 1 year after the survival show,, letting some random girls blatantly hate on one of your artists on your OWN platform while painting 2 girls from your own group as bullies if not to make headlines or get people talking?

[dearweirdme]

https://www.tumblr.com/dearweirdme/765493103428878336/httpswwwtumblrcomdearweirdme7654362686047354?source=share

HYBe absolutely monitor the fans and fandom engagement. I don't want to shit in anyone's cornflakes because I know some people still like to think of B.T.S as completely organic but they're not and never have been. The group is a product, first and foremost and the company considers the individuals in it to be products too.

You don't get to go from bare minimum to being a billion dollar company off the back of 7 kids unless you are willing to milk them and their supporters dry. You just don't.

Their business model is obvious and so is their manipulation of the group and the fans. These guys were practically children when they got the job and we've literally seen them sing and dance until they break, faint, cry and then hit up a live telling army that they willing to give anything and everything to them. They're institutionalised into this shit and conditioned from their most secondary formative years that the show MUST go on and that pleasing the fans is #1 priority--- and that's why I can never blame them for doing their job because it's so obvious how much of a controlling hand the company has over them

Consider this. They've been performing for 10+ years, members have had a hand in the creative process, they've sold out tours, broke every record there is, badically rule the charts, done multiple variety shows and extra content and are still nowhere close to being as rich as they should be because despite his eye on the western market, Bang never wanted to pay those Western wages and is/was more than happy enough to stick to the Korean model when it comes to underpaying his moneymakers (the members have only an estimated 5% share each in the billion dollar company that they helped build from the ground up) In 2024, for example, Tae is considered the richest member with a $40 million dollar estimated networth and a chunk of that comes from his brand deals. Compare their individual wealth with Western artists who have been performing less years and doing less PR and putting in less grind.

(I'm sure their contracts look much different now but that doesn't change the fact that for the 7 years he had them locked in, they were being vastly ripped off based on contracts they agreed to as poor and/or unknown kids)

As for the fans, if people still want to delude themselves that the group is a special exception to the Korean entertainment model, consider the fact that years ago, Hybeee literally put out a survey that included questions about the (YOUNG) fans mental health, self esteem etc and the next release after that was, LOVE YOURSELF and the heavy messaging that came with it seemed very inspired by those survery answers. (If people want to go back, that's when a good few of us old heads started looking kinda side eyed at the company because we were sipping the 'not like other groups' koolaid too) It seems like a good thing in theory that a company is asking fans for input but it wasn't a nice feeling to feel like we were being tapped via a marketing survery at our most vulnerable level to decide the groups next concept

(And yes, LOVE YOURSELF not a bad message but it proves that the creative direction isn't as organic as people want to believe it is and that the company actively mined fans for information on what will increase engagement -> money)

Anyway, rant over but TLDR; the company has always been greedy, controlling, intrusive and shady as hell and the group have never been the creatively organic wet dream that fans convinced themselves they were...and hybee have been hoarding the bag from day one and the members should have been paid more

Hi anon!

Oh, the psychological layers in all of this are extreme! We as fans try to explain and give reason to their actions, but none of us are able to come close to actually understanding what it’s been like growing up in the kpop industry.

I’m not at all surprised by Hybe being on top of trends in the Kpop industry. That’s absolutely necessary to stay on top. I was surprised at the way they did it and the unprofessional manor in which it has been done. Hybe ia absolutely right by apologizing, though it’s too little too late imo. I doubt they are actually sorry about being harmful, and they’re probably more concerned with how this reflects on them.

One thing that stood by me was Jk’s response to someone asking him if he got scolded by the company by doing the InstaLive with Tae. He said something along the lines of him not having been scolded because he has already been an idol for so many years. It’s subtle, but he’s basically saying that had he been a rookie.. he would not have had freedom. We know these things. We know by many subtle comments and by learning about the Kpop industry that Idols have many restrictions and rules. I suspect BTS members by now have more freedom (Jk and Tae both went live constantly and seemingly without company knowledge last year). I also think there’s still restrictions and they are not allowed to do things that go against their image.

Small detour: I think there’s a lot of genuineness as well. I think members do try to be honest in the ways they can. I recently saw an ask about Jkk in Ays having been inspired by fanfics, but the anon being confused about the romantic part (I forget which blog, apologies). And I can see the confusion, because I think while the storyline of AYS could be inspired by fanficlike ideas (two young men on the brink of enlistment, bonding before losing their freedom) the execution was very broey.

Back on track: To Hybe, BTS is a product. They use business tactics to sell them. There’s little feelings concerned when it comes to the people on top and members. I would actually not be surprised if Hybe was already making plans to slowly push another band upfront.

[cakejerry]

literally what are you people talking about, ever 😭😭 jimin debuted for the korean market, with a normal kpop album release structure and promotions on korean music shows and interviews. jungkook is wholly dedicated to the western crowd. his song (not even an album) is produced by an american, featuring an american, promoting in america, american payola lyrics fully in english with themes that would never go with knetz. that shit is not even kpop. i dont get how this isn't obvious. they're trying to accomplish two different goals. stop comparing apples to oranges

[tenthhdoctor]

I was going to let this go, but I can't stand it anymore.

What is UP with Evilive and Australia???

(This is a joke btw and not at all serious I love this show)

Okay, so I haven't heard of an 'E2' class Australian visa. No big deal. But it made me curious as to what it was, so I briefly looked for information on what visas Australia had in 2008 and...I couldn't find anything referencing an E2 visa for someone emigrating from South Korea to Australia. What I can find is an E2 class visa for someone emigrating from Australia to South Korea. I can also find an E2 visa for someone emigrating to the US.

So: 1. I'm dumb and missed something. 2. The writers were familiar with E2 visas because South Korea has them, and the US has them, so like...who would notice?

(Side note: They are emigrating to Sydney!!! Whoo NSW representation!!!)

But this...this was what broke me:

???

??????

Okay. So, you're exporting to...Sydney? Maybe? Sure, lets go with that because literally nothing else makes sense (except Newcastle??? Which has a major port, apparently). And then bypassing Brisbane to ship to...Gladstone, Queensland? Okay, sure. I googled it and they seem to...export a lot of stuff, and have a major port there, so maybe they import too?

And then...what.

Where even IS that in WA (Western Australia)???

Oh! I looked it up and it's most likely Port Hedland, which is apparently another major port! The largest bulk...export...port in the world, supposedly. But maybe they import as well? (Okay, so it DOES import, but wow the difference between the import and export numbers is...a lot. Wikipedia even has 2008 statistics. Neat!)

Wow, the attention to detail sure is great in this show, but...uh...

Why???? Coal????

Why are you shipping our major export, that we export to you, our #3 export market in 2008...back to us?????

Like...it's just about the only thing we do. We export coal. I learned about our coal industry in school. Our richest person is a billonaire mining magnate. One of our former Prime Ministers became a joke for saying, "Coal is good for humanity." And then my university lecturer for Environmental Law got so pissed she put the quote in our final exam as an essay question.

But I digress.

I still looked it up to see if we import coal and export it, and the answer is...no. We do not.

LNG and ORE are also unlikely, as they're some of our other major exports (well, Iron Ore is). I can't find a lot of data from 2008 specifically, but the 2016-2019 data isn't good (compare imports on pages 52-53 with exports pages 54-56) and it seems recently (2021-2022) our major imports from South Korea included refined petroleum and cars. Not Ore and LNG. However, despite being the #1 exporter in the world for Iron Ore in 2021, we were the #42 importer of it too, so that one's possible imo. LNG though? Not as likely as ORE, because we export it and seem to supply it domestically, but way more likely than Coal.

Conclusion?

For a scene that barely lasts 2 seconds, the level of detail is crazy. I'm genuinely very impressed.

Also. It is hilarious that Seo Do Young was planning to sell us coal. The end.

[quirkymarshmallows93]

The westernization of Poland as exemplified by flagship fast food restaurants

Hi everyone! It's time for a full-on blog post, I'm talking paragraphs and shit. This will be another then and now comparison post, also set in Warsaw, Poland, now with multiple sections.

The First McDonald's

On June 17, 1992, McDonald's opened its doors for the first time on Polish soil. That day, the taste buds of 45,000 Varsovians would discover the hyperstimulative combination of the Big Mac, French fries, and fountain Coca-Cola, the American counterpart of a traditional meal of kotlet mielony (frikadelle), ziemniaczki (potatoes), and kompot (homemade juice). At 8 AM, the ribbon was cut by Jacek Kuroń, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, who was asked to be present in exchange for a donation from the company to the impoverished children of Poland. Also in attendance were cultural figures such as the coach of the Polish soccer team, Kazimierz Górski, and poet Agnieszka Osiecka. The opening and the fanfare surrounding it was as much a celebration of Polish culture as American culture. The building which housed the restaurant was located on the facade of the Sezam department store, a staple of the communist era, providing a juxtaposition of life in the Soviet Bloc and in the West.

Above is the restaurant the day of its opening, and below is the modernist building shortly before being demolished and after its shuttering in 2014.

The location of the fast food joint is at the corner of Świętokrzyska and Marszałkowska streets, two main thoroughfares in midtown Warsaw. Following the closure of the seminal McDonald's, a new restaurant was opened just slightly east of its forebearer. Below is a comparison of the locations, with the emblematic Palace of Culture and Learning in the background of both photos, the latter photo being taken in May 2023.

The department store was replaced by an L-shaped high rise building visible to the right of the present-day McDonald's, with Sezam still occupying the ground floors. The replacement McDonald's is not as grandiose as the original; however, these days one can walk several hundred meters in any direction and come across another one of the company's franchises, which now number 517 in Poland.

The Stillborn Taco Bell

A while back I posted photos from the 90s of an ultra-rare combination Pizza Hut/Taco Bell/KFC restaurant in the center of Poland's capital. These are likely the only images, on the surface web at least, of the lone Taco Bell which operated for merely a few months in the country, according to PortalSpozywczy.pl. Evidently, the chain's offering didn't quite align with the market's tastes. Still, memories of the restaurant's presence live on online, with a dormant Facebook group pleading for its return to Poland. A Reddit post links to an article about Taco Bell's unsuccessful entry into Central Europe, with commenters reasoning that currency exchange rates in a nascent free market economy made fast food a luxury for consumers, and that the Polish customer simply deemed Tex-Mex adjacent food too exotic, especially when compared to the already unfamiliar offerings of hamburgers, pizza, and fried chicken by competitors.

While visiting the city for a few days, I decided to photograph the site to contrast between 30 years ago and now, as I did with the site of the first McDonald's. Below on the left is the restaurant pictured in 1993, while in the center, the site in 2023. I tried to take the photo on the right from the same vantage point as the 90s image, but the frame isn't quite identical since the lens of my iPhone SE camera doesn't have as wide of an angle. Also, it appears that the restaurants’ signs have been moved back, rendering them not visible from where the photographer was standing in 1993.

Below on the left is the second of the two rare photos, showing the northwest corner of the building. On the right is my recreation.

For some context, the restaurants only occupy the ground floor of the building. It was built as one of Warsaw's handful of pavilions, which were meant to showcase cultural exhibits and provide a space for various expositions. Built in 1968, the complex bears the name "Zodiak", and remains a venue for architectural exhibitions and events, itself a post-war modernist structure. The astrological theme is currently slightly subdued, as the original pavilion featured a neon map of constellations on the building's facade, and a cosmic-inspired mosaic, which was replicated in the renovated building as pictured below.

Back to the fast food chains. The most obvious difference is the erasure of the Pizza Hut and its replacement with a Starbucks café. The pizzeria was relegated away from the street and toward the interior of the block. Gone are the branded trash cans and tiled enclosures, which were cleared to make way for Starbucks' tables and umbrellas. It's clear that Pizza Hut was running the show here thirty years ago, having prime frontage and dominant branding in the complex. Burger King has also invaded Yum! Brands' former fort, now nestled between the still-strong KFC and the Pizza Hut that let itself go. Today, just like thirty years ago, this site is still an example of an old order public institution, here an exhibition space for architecture and design, coexisting side by side with iconic American foodservice brands.

Communism to Capitalism: the Failed Attempt to Convert a Socialist-Nationalist Symbol into an Outpost of America's Largest Export

A similarly famous pavilion to Zodiak in the capital is the nearby Cepelia, which was constructed in 1966 to house a gift shop with the purpose of "solidify[ing] the rural identity of [Poland as] a socialist nation." That's a tall order for patterned mugs, kitchen towels, and woven baskets, but the store was a staple of Warsaw until May 2019, when it closed as a result of the building being sold. The ownership of the building was privatized following the creation of the Third Republic in 1989, and the company which owned the pavilion had been in a state of bankruptcy ever since, while the company which operated the store became the spiritual successor to the brand Cepelia in a schism of sorts, still profitably in charge. Before the closure even took place, McDonald's proposed the construction of a new restaurant in honor of the original vision of Cepelia's architect, Zygmunt Stępiński, after the land's change of hands to a new developer. The fast food giant went as far as saying that the design would go beyond this dream, because building technology had advanced between 1966 and the modern day in such a way that even more remarkable architectural features could be added. However, in 2022, it was announced that the redevelopment into a McDonald's would not take place at the request of the Masovian voivodeship's historical commission. The future of the pavilion remains unclear; meanwhile, McDonald's has not had a true flagship location in Poland since 2014.

Above, from left to right: Cepelia pictured in 1971 in the evening, Cepelia pictured in 2019 with its architectural elements obscured by advertising, and a rendering of the McDonald's which was to replace the pavilion while replicating its original distinguished design.

Fast Food Ephemera: Taco Bell's Free Drink Coupon

Back to Taco Bell. While researching more about its Polish presence, I found a photo of a coupon for a free medium drink with the purchase of any combo posted by a Reddit user.

I figured I could exclude it from this deep dive into the world of Polish fast food, as it didn't add much value to the analysis. That is, until I looked at the bottom of the coupon and noticed its expiration was at the end of March 1997. This shattered my view of the world, to put it hyperbolically. It was my understanding that Taco Bell was only around for a few months in 1993! This is the historical consensus at least. The only explanation for this could be that the coupon was simply valid for a few years instead of the standard few months, as the chain saw a bright future ahead for itself in Poland. Also, since we're here already, it's interesting that, at least in this promotional material, the brand emphasized its vegetarian offering, perhaps since all of its competitors served beef or chicken as their core products. This is the only piece of ephemera I could find online for Taco Bell's Polish presence, but the failure of Taco Bell in the 90s reminded me of the double failure of Dunkin' Donuts (now just Dunkin') in Poland. Buckle in for some more franchise lore.

Dunkin' Pączki?

The coffee chain operated in Poland not only from 1996 to 2002, but also from 2015 to 2018, when the company attempted to reenter the market. When searching for traces online of the company's first presence in the country, I could not find a single photo of a Dunkin' Donuts branch, but something arguably more interesting: a dormant Blogspot blog devoted to a similar mission as this post. Its author posted four entries, all in 2006, and one of them was of ephemera from 1999 that advertised DD's offerings.

Clockwise, from the top right, we have three pamphlets side by side advertising the chain's seven locations in the city of Warsaw, a brochure featuring photos and detailed descriptions of the product offering, complete with pronunciation tips; a flyer which brags that because the donuts are made with vegetable oil and not butter, they contain 40% fewer calories compared to traditional Polish pączki (quite bold of them); and an ad showcasing frozen coffee through iconic 90s graphic design. 14 years after closing its doors in Poland, Dunkin' Donuts came back, making the same mistakes, so I've included below a photo of a storefront with signage proclaiming its grand opening for August 11, 2016, in the city of Łódź, and below it a tweet from the company's Twitter account, stating, "We're coming back, and for good this time! :)" Foreshadowing at its finest.

My take is that Dunkin' Donuts did not have the correct marketing approach when coming to Poland. In other European countries, the chain was able to succeed despite, or likely because of, its emphasis on donuts, since in those cultures, there was room for a novel pastry, and the rest of the shop's offerings - coffee and sandwiches, mainly - could complement the American-style donut. Dunkin' begged Poles to understand that their pastries are unique, but we just saw them as shitty pączki. When the core item, already disliked by the average consumer, is in the place's name, it's no surprise that the rest of the product range didn't catch on and that customers weren't coming in. Perhaps if Dunkin' makes another comeback sans-donuts, it may be more fruitful given the company's shift to a "beverage-led" strategy in recent years. As they say, third time's a charm.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading! I'd like to acknowledge that this shit took me literal hours to conceive of, research, do my own field work for, write, edit, and publish. I was almost late to my great aunt's apartment for dinner because I took those pictures of the old Taco Bell! I know my worth, and what I'll say is that this quality content that you bitches get for free on here should be behind a $500 paywall on ScienceDirect, I'm just so philanthropic I could cry. Now give me my honorary history, marketing, and sociology PhDs. But seriously, I don't know which niche of the internet this sort of thing fits into, but that's the beauty of Tumblr and its randomness. For the most part, I'm just writing this for myself, to put my thoughts into words and try to make sense of capitalism and globalization.

Image Sources

[pyr0cue]

WAHOO thank you for answering my ask!!

while i certainly agree that satanic aspects in horror movies is, at this point, kinda beating a dead horse, but i think it's also considered the 'root' of all horror, in a western sense at least. unfortunate because it sort of shoulders away not only other religions, but other wild ass concepts like how far you can push something like Cosmic horror, but at the same time, i feel like Longlegs can even be viewed through THAT lens, simply because there's a lot of 'well, what if?' scenarios.

like for example! Lee's 'psychic' abilities- i've seen people come up with ideas that Lee isn't psychic at all and it being even kinda confirmed in the film with her saying 'i also missed eight,' when discussing how she got eight right on her test, so she's right half the time, which isn't really that remarkable, it's only made remarkable because of the scale of the things she predicts (her partner not listening to her, being the biggest)- but it could also be something as it's not her at all, it's simply Longlegs in her head. at the point of her predictions she was still 'possessed' to a degree, Ruth begged Longlegs to not hurt her, who's to say he wouldn't go out of his way to drop little hints and gut feelings for her, for the sake of keeping something he perceived as a 'little angel' safe? but also, why would someone so evil really care in the first place? what does Longlegs believe he's doing? is it human at all, or something else? is it really dead? i think its neat!

i do feel that towing the line of uncanny valley with a character like Longlegs would be interesting- making limbs longer, doing something that just makes him a bit more unnerving to look at would be a tight rope to try and walk. i think the details of his makeup now, wary as it may be to some viewers, was excellent in the 'what am i LOOKING at' type of way- how is hair looked punched in like the dolls, his eyes that were difficult to look at for long, how he looked like a 'something isnt right' with how he spoke and moved- i think they made a good representation of what a nightmare could look like, or what the antichrist would present itself as. his appearance of course is going to stir the pot, and i think that may be intentional, because people are going to try and make sense of a walking nightmare, of something evil, and some peoples nightmares may be something that just doesnt look right, while others may be horrified to see a nightmarish portrayal of an overplayed stereotype that may, inevitably, harm them. kind of like a pennywise in a way? but then again, i may be looking into that aspect way too much!

i really think like comparing it to Silence of the Lambs was something that was't really intended, but more of a way for the director to be like 'it fits in this category' of a thriller/ crime-genre, this with supernatural undertones, to the point where i'd compare it more to something like Sinister despite how silly that movie got towards the end. the plots are pretty similar, with a wildly different protagonist, but again with the 'it's a demon!/ it's got something to do with satan!' aspect kind of shoveled in. it had a lot of people going in expecting something different and walked out disappointed because it wasn't that, and at the end kind of boiled down to 'this antichrist-adjacent character uses dolls and balls and a loving mother to commit horrible atrocities', and i can see where people are like 'thaaat is not the type of horror i like, that's actually pretty silly.' i think theres some substance to chew on even if the film feels a little hand holdy, because there's always a question that can be asked that sometimes doesn't have an obvious answer. BUT!!! that is why we have opinions!!!!! and thats important!!!!

HOWEVER, yes, the marketing deserves all the praise it can get, it stirred up an audience already pretty well fed when it comes to horror this year and made a ton of money, and i hope they get their cut because it is WELL deserved.

i am YAPPING but honestly fr you get it- saw 5's banter was top tier for the franchise, and as a big hoffman fan myself, for sure one of the best ones. 6 is near and dear not only because the traps but the very loud and blatant 'hey the way shit is run through dogpits picking out errors from the sick needing help sucks, actually' which is, as faaarr as i remember, one of the loudest messages from the saw franchise (other than, like, 'dont be an asshole,' i guess?).

5 did have HoffStahm golden moments and the glass coffin - and Strahms death is probably the one that actually made me gagging in the theater with just the brutality of it. here's to the next one with (hopefully) some more hoffman because his little ending in the most recent with john & the tummy tickler trap has me hoping we'll see some more of him :""")

Again I do like this reading it’s so much more interesting then what i got out of the movie lmaooo im choosing to think about it your way because it’s so much more fun than what I walked away feeling

I think you are super right about the difference between expectations and reality, I actually didn’t read anything or watch more than the first trailer because I find I like movies more when I don’t go in with a lot of prior knowledge. But I definitely let the rounds of “this is the scariest film I’ve ever seen!” Get to me, so I think I walked in wanting a film that was very scary rather than more of a story focused film. And yeah I think it’s just not my cup of tea, if my horror film is story based i want much more thought out and nuanced story than I felt I got with longlegs (I am spoiled by Jordan peele and Ari aster lol) but as much as I think the story wasn’t well thought out in reality it DOES give a lot of room for speculation and filing in the gaps

I do like the speculation about Lee’s abilities, and I do subscribe to the theory that they’re somehow tied to her doll/its ‘brain!’ My biggest question walking away from the film was ‘why are the brains so significant in the dolls?’ I like to think it’s longlegs way of making them feel whole, and the satanic stuff was incidental in why Lee could sense stuff from them, that they’re a part of the child they’re made for and not special on purpose. But it’s probably connected to a satanic ritual if I had to guess? Idk, I think there are some interesting questions left I’m just not sure if they were intentional.

I also think my favorite part of the story was longlegs being connected to Lee’s mom, but I really wish there’d been a bit more of a build up to it, and I wish Lee was more of a PI than an FBI agent, I feel like a lot of the crime/thriller aspects were ruined by how fast the crime got solved in favor of Satan. I did love the dynamic between her and Lee tho, the character work in this movie was really good!!

And yeah, I don’t really think longlegs is like….intentionally calling to some stereotypes I think it was just something they thought would be creepy and didn’t think about the implications of. And I can definitely see the makeup and voice and everything being creepy, i also went in after watching 2 nick cage movies with some friends and the whole time i could NOT unhear cage which ruined that effect. Word of advice, don’t watch more than one nick cage movie at a time all you will see is nick cage

YESS I love how like 90% of the saw franchise is like being an addict is bad get saw trapped and suddenly saw 6 is like “the systems of capitalism we live in promote dishonesty and immorality because exploiting people for money is easier than being honest” with a side of “im john Kramer and you fucked me over” my favorite switch up ever. It also has the added benefit of the gallows trap where jigsaw just bullies that young guy for not having any friends, I love that one. The oxygen crusher too…man that was evil and I would die immediately (<- asthmatic) so i can like. Feel that one everytime I watch the movie

I always say the only franchise I support is saw because. Well I think they are fun. I really do hope we finish Hoffman’s story and I hope they continue the tradition of showing “the younger version of himself” by smacking on a backwards baseball hat.