#but i rewatched it in the spring when i watched the live action show

[trekscribbles]

I'm rewatching season 2 of Almost Paradise (spoilers) and was working on something else while it was on in the background, got to the Waterboarder episode and did a spit take because why is Zuko trying to kill Alex? Dante Basco?? On my cheesy Leverage-adjacent show?? Amazing. Thank you, casting people, you're the best <3

[mrinafria]

Just last night I was sitting there going through my edit drafts, and I looked at this scene, to notice all these things Seon Jae does before/during the live radio call.

Really wasn't going to write about OG Seon Jae after my last post on him. I never knew I had such a masochistic side to me until Lovely Runner because all I've done since this show started is go back to rewatch episode 1-4, over and over and over and over again as if this was a hell loop I created for myself.

There's hope, anticipation, a bit of excitement too. He will hear her voice. Again. He will get to talk to her. For the first time. Yeah. The OG Seon Jae never got to talk to Im Sol. He admired her, crushed on her, liked her, observed her, tried whatever he could as a 19yo to save her, but he never, ever got to talk to her. This is the very. first. time. he's able to have a conversation with her.

But she doesn't pick up. And he has to put a leash on his emotions in those few seconds because this version of Ryu Seon Jae stopped showing his true emotions long back. Ah, this was the only chance I had. I wish I could talk to her. I wish I could hear her voice. I wish I could know how she's been doing. Just once. Just this one time.

He introduces himself using his name. Not along with his band name, which is the usual practice, mind you. And a very little pause before going "Do you know me?"

Sometimes when you long for a person, crave for their voice, their smile, their presence in your life and your world, you desperately want to be present in their world too, no matter how trivial your presence or your existence might be to them. Seon Jae hoped she would remember; even if she didn't consider him her savior (which he never thought he was) he desperately wanted some semblance of familiarity in her voice, even if it was out of nothing but resentment. Maybe even something as painful as How dare you call me.

And she does share her resentments, not towards Seon Jae the 19yo boy who she doesn't remember, but Ryu Seon Jae the idol, along with everyone present there, for putting her through this misery, triggering her worst trauma and twisting the knife in her wound that has already driven her to the brink of ending it all. Everyone is uncomfortable here, except for this one guy. He's back to reliving that incident that forever changed her life, his life and brought them to this moment here. He is reminded of just how big of a failure he is, for failing this one person he never wanted to fail. He is reminded how a moment of indecision/inaction on his part led to the person he loves the most to be this miserable. In this moment above, you look at him and realize it's no longer Ryu Seon Jae; it's the 19yo Seon Jae, the one at the reservoir, the one who kept chanting mianhae to an unconscious Im Sol, the one who waited on that bench while she underwent surgery--clutching on to the watch in anguish as if that was the only thing keeping him from falling apart--the one who stood by her hospital door, listening to her screams while shattering into a million pieces inside. It's the 19yo Seon Jae who would be haunted by her screams and live for the remainder of his brief life in extreme guilt and regret mixed with intense longing, until he meets his untimely demise on that fateful night.

I often wonder if he could sense it from her voice on the call. Just how close she was to the edge, how she was probably going to do something that very day right after the call ended. Was it because he felt her pain as if it were his own? You see him springing to action right when we think it's over, as if he is desperate to help her, any. way. he. can. You see how restless his eyes get all of a sudden? He likely wants to say so many things to her. Sol-ah, I'm glad to hear your voice. Sol-ah, I'm sorry. Sol-ah, I hope you are okay. Sol-ah, I'm grateful you are here. Sol-ah, I'm really sorry I couldn't do better. I'm so sorry I failed to wake you up. I'm sorry I let you miss your stop. I'm sorry I didn't reach you sooner. I'm sorry I couldn't be more careful. You can hate me all you want. I'll live the rest of my life being sorry to you. You don't have to forgive me. I'm fine as long as you're okay, you're fine, you're happy. Sol-ah, I miss your smile. I miss the sound of it. I miss knowing you're happy somewhere, even if I am nowhere in your somewhere. Sol-ah, thank you. Sol-ah, please, please live.

But oh, he can't say any of that to her now. So all he says is "Thank you, for living. The ones by your side will thank you for that". And yes, he means himself.

He wanted to be the umbrella she once was to him, the gift she has been to him all his life, both literally and figuratively. And because Ryu Seon Jae is a person who will receive the affection/love you give with the utmost appreciation, increase it 10x more and return it to you gift-wrapped with sparkly ribbons, he chooses to be her umbrella this way, the only way he can.

He wanted to pull her out of the reservoir, literally and figuratively, so she could live. He didn't mind spending all his life stuck in that reservoir himself.

This was supposed to be a response to @thedeathdeelers rewatch post here and as usual, it ended up being a mess of feels (why do I even try really) I swear atp I feel like we're the same person watching feeling the same things lmao. You, don't ever shut up about this show please :')

p.s. I love writer Lee Si Eun for ultimately wanting to save THIS OG Ryu Seon Jae, and therefore initiating the memory flashback with pieces from this timeline. Although my heart will forever ache for this OG boy, it finds some comfort in that.

[verosikastrikerstellaexcuser]

One of my biggest gripes about Helluva boss is that it's not a comedy anymore and the core plot is gone. There has been no funny hijinks, no human world shenanigans, no IMP. It's drama now and i didn't sign up to watch a shitty soap opera.

Remember when it was about

WHEN YOU WANT SOMEBODY GONE AND YOU DON'T WANT TO WAIT TOO LONG CALL THE IMMEDIATE MURDER PROFESSIONALS HAND GRENADE OR CYANIDE, WE'LL MAKE IT LOOK LIKE SUICIDE THE IMMEDIATE MURDER PROFESSIONALS WE DO OUR JOB SO WELL BECAUSE WE COME STRAIGHT UP FROM HELL WE'LL KILL YOUR HUSBAND OR YOUR WIFE, WE'LL EVEN LET YOU KEEP THE KNIFE WE'RE THE IMMEDIATE MURDER PROFESSIONALS!

I don't understand how some people think it got BETTER in s2. I miss so bad when it was about this cool premise of hell born demons being paid by pissed off dead sinners to go up to Earth and assassinate those they have beef with. That is a great premise for a show, why the fuck would you abandon it for what it is now. I've been on a S1 rewatch today and I s2g seeing them up on earth doing that in spring broken made me wanna weep whyyyyyy is it not that anymore.

They only ever went to like, LA as well. You could show them going all over the world getting involved in so many scenarios. People saying that that would have become boring... how in the fuck is constant "misunderstandings" where Stolas actively treats Blitz like a sex toy (but so totes loves him deep down) and then gets upset Blitz thinks Stolas sees him as a sex toy more interesting than assassinations all across the world? Fucking really? The gang trying to assassinate a french mime that keeps invisible boxing them, the gang having to ride across the desert to assassinate someone who lives in the middle of nowhere, the gang stumbling upon someone who knows they're trying to be killed and keeps leaving decoy dummies of themself all over the country they live in... theres so many zany concepts they could do, and they could still intersperse stuff like the Loona/Blitz drama of Spring Broken in between it. I want to go back so badly to that kind of thing and not shipping drama. This show went from an action/comedy cartoon to a 13 year olds first fanfic.net post...

[judgementdaysunshine]

Small moments prompts

Divider credits to @firefly-graphics

Actions

Dancing in the rain

Listening to favorite songs

A smell bringing back fond memories

The first sip of coffee/tea

Hearing the birds tweeting and singing

Showering after a long day

Going to sleep in freshly washed sheets

Driving around on a sunny day

Bike rides in the spring evening

Rewatching childhood movies

Cooking a romantic dinner

A trip to the beach

Watching a sunset or rise

Family time

Smelling flowers

Baking

Looking at old photos

Disney trips

Concerts

Sleeping in

An unexpected road trip

Picnics

Reading books

Drawing

Picking flowers

Staying up together when you can't sleep

Catching snowflakes

Hiking

Thrift shopping

Painting

Ice cream walks

Long hugs

Flea markets

Bonfires

Dialogue

"Life is made of small moments like this"

"Happiness lives inside of the smallest moments"

"The little things? The little moments? they aren't little"

"Sometimes it's just the little things that make you happy"

"Little things will always matter to me, always"

"Moments like this make me love life in a way I never have before"

"It's the little things that make a big difference"

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart"

"Those little things, those brief moments are the most precious"

"You make the little things even bigger and more precious"

"It's the little things in life that mean the most"

"Sometimes little things are more than enough"

"My life is a collection of small moments with you"

"You always show me how big the little and simple moments are"

"I never knew how important moments like these are"

"None of these moments would mean anything or be complete without any of you in it"

"You all taught me how to truly cherish and hold the little things close and dear to my heart"

"Any moment with you no matter how big or small means the world to me"

"These are the moments I didn't realize I was looking for all my life"

"I would have never known that love could be shown in a small moment so unconditionally"

"All my life I have looked for meaning and now in this small moment with all of you, I realize I'm home"

"You saved me with the smallest moments of love and nothing could be bigger than that"

"Home isn't in this house, it's with you and the little moments we share together"

"There are no moments that hold more love than the smallest moments"

"Small moments forge deep bonds"

"I hope you can see how the everyday sweet little things are the most beautiful"

"Appreciate small moments of happiness because they are so important"

"Happiness is enjoying the little things in life"

"Life is a collection of small moments"

[houkagokappa]

I stayed to watch anime because I have zero desire to watch anything on my own these days lmao, and I'm glad I did because we saw some good episodes!!

We watched the gacha episode of Odd Taxi. I've seen clips from it, so I knew what was coming with the dodo, but I was not expecting the YJA bidding bit. It killed me, because I too have gotten stuck in bidding wars (last spring I spent more than twice over my limit on a gorgeous fukuro obi ahahaha rip me altho it was worth it in the end).

I'm really liking Odd Taxi, I love how contemporary and human it is (despite the animal characters heh), especially how they've managed to include social media in a way that feels real and not overly forced or ridiculed. I'm also a huge fan of stories with a big cast of characters with their own separate story lines that eventually mix. I think it's very neat and cool to see how one seemingly small action ends up being significant for someone or something else. The only problem with this is, that because I watch this show with two weeks between each episode, it's a bit difficult to remember everything that might be of importance, or how one thing came to be. It definitely feels like a show with a lot of rewatch value to catch all the connections and foreshadowing.

I was also very happy to stay and watch more Gankutsuou. We're only on episode 3, but so far I've loved every single minute of it. I can't wait to see where this goes, because I can tell that the tension and drama will be delicious and heart wrenching.

Great Pretender was a lot of fun as well. It's cool to see characters outsmart each other and satisfying when it looks like they're about to get caught, but it turns out that they've thought and prepared for everything in advance. I don't know how Edamura will get out of preparing sakura magic in front of the director, but I'm sure he'll find a way.

I did sneak out a bit during Kamichu! to see the final minutes of TRHPS, because I had to see what kind of vibe they were having. I could barely hear anything from them, so at times I questioned if they were even watching it?? But they were, just in complete silence. I guess that's one way to do it.

Earlier I talked about not liking Kamichu! a whole lot, and while it's certainly not a favourite of mine, some episodes have been decent. The episode I missed half of had Yurie negotiate with a martian on behalf of the prime minister which was/seemed fun! The second episode we watched had her be sick and lonely for a few days, which felt incredibly pointless and boring to me, although I get how it might feel significant for someone in middle school.

Then we watched episode 4 of Bokurano where the kids finally learn that Zearth runs on their life forces. I liked this episode, and I'm glad to see how Kodama got to learn his lesson and then die. I'm curious to see what will happen next and how the whole series will end.

Finally, we watched two episodes of Tomo-chan wa Onnanoko! In my last post I was cautiously optimistic about it, and now I can confirm that it's a good show! It's funny, the bits are short enough not to get overplayed, it has very nice character dynamics and interactions and it doesn't solely focus on the romance, so that part hasn't gotten stale in any way. It really helps that Tomo and Jun are best friends, so they bounce back from all the misunderstandings and awkwardness without it becoming a huge deal. It's also sweet to see how clearly Jun likes her back, making the show a wholesome slow-burn. Also, it's really cool to see a tomboyish lead who's very comfortable with themselves and their style, and how whenever she does try to be more feminine (to catch Jun's attention as per the premise of the show) she tends to do it on her terms.

Overall I'm happy with what we're watching (except for Kamichu! which I could live without).

[excusethequality]

My 2024 in Film: January

Since doing the whole year all at once was way too much of a chore, I figure this year I'll just do it by month.

Plus that way anyone who is interested can periodically get some ideas on what to watch during the year.

* = rewatched

January

*

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

(2023)

—Animated Coming-of-Age Action Comedy

When a family of mutated teenage turtles come across a band of mutant criminals, they are forced to choose a side: the humans they admire or the mutants they relate to.

I've always been a big fan of the ninja turtles so consider me biased, but I adore this movie. If you too are a turtles fan, you've probably already seen it. So for everyone else, here are some things that I love about this movie:

They are use actual teenagers for the turtles' voices and they do such a great job. Plus the production gave the kids a lot of creative control with the script and it really gives the characters a lot of life and realism.

There are so many interesting artistic choices going on in this! They use this really wild art/animation style that's purposefully made to be messy and have slightly broken proportions. Also the humans are designed to look a little more monstrous, while the mutants are made to look cuter. And more! They paid so much attention to the visual look of the film and it shows.

I'm always a sucker for themes of found family.

Jackie Chan is in it and he is SO good! Seriously, I know he isn't usually known in the US for his acting skills, but he brings some serious heat here. His Splinter might just be my favorite character in the movie.

Ayo Edebri is April O'Neil and she's probably my favorite version of April.

It is just such a fun movie. It's like a teenager personified in film. It's silly and heartfelt and quirky and passionate and full of emotion and personality.

If action-comedy kind of things just aren't your jam, this probably won't change your mind on the genre. But if you're on the fence about this one I thoroughly recommend you give it a go.

2.

The Boy on the Heron

(2023)

—Animated Fantasy Adventure

A boy with a tragic past must make an important choice for his future when he discovers the entrance to a magical world.

I'll need to rewatch this one after I've read up on it some, because I'm pretty sure some of the themes were going over my head. But I was a rather underwhelmed. It tonally felt a lot like Spirited Away to me, just not as good.

Also I need an animator to watch it and tell me if I'm crazy or if the proportions are sometimes really weird? Like when they did a close-up of a face where a hand was in the shot it looked like the hand was HUGE?

3.

Angst

(1983)

—Horror Thriller

A man gets out of prison and almost immediately begins to act out his twisted fantasies on an unsuspecting family he comes across.

This one made me really uncomfortable. I realize that that was the point, but that still doesn't make me like it. I know some other Horror fans love it, but it definitely wasn't my jam.

4.*

Palm Springs

(2020)

—Sci-Fi Rom-Com

While attending a wedding two guests become stuck in a time loop and are forced to relive the day of the wedding day after day. In order to move on with their lives the two must battle against the nihilism of their situation and discover what it really means to be alive.

Those that know me know that I'm a sucker for a good time loop movie and this one is no exception. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti have a really fun chemistry. And I enjoy the very Millennial take on the genre.

5.

John Wick: Chapter 4

(2023)

—Action Adventure

John Wick discovers a way to get out from under the thumb of the council, but things get complicated when old friends are turned into enemies.

I know some people who love, love, love the John Wick movies and I wish I was one of them. I am typically a sucker for really well choreographed action movies, but I just cannot get into these. They just burn-out my brain with non-stop really long action scenes. It's too much action!

And I don't even really care about the stakes behind it all, so for me it's just like watching action for action's sake.

6.*

Exit Through the Gift Shop

(2010)

—Documentary

An eccentric French man's attempt at making a documentary on street art is turned on its head when one of the artists documents him instead.

I really liked this documentary when it came out and I've thought about it a lot over the years. All this discussion about AI art recently made me want to revisit it. The film asks some really interesting questions around the nature of art and of whether or not art made from copying other artists' styles and for purely commercial reasons (not self-expression) is still art.

7.

Jerry & Marge Go Large

(2022)

—Feel-good Bio-Pic

The dramatization of the true story of a married couple who discovered a loophole in their state lottery and proceeded to use it to help their small town.

It's the kind of middle-of-the road movie designed to be watched by families when they want to do something together but don't like the same things. The kind that when they're over will make everyone go, "Well that was nice, wasn't it?" and then immediately forget about it.

8.

Bunny Lake Is Missing

(1965)

—Mystery Thriller

A woman's young daughter goes missing while at school, but did she ever even have a daughter at all?

This movie is a wild ride. Plus it's one of those black & white movies that looks so crisp that you have to wonder why so many modern movies look so bad in comparison. My only big complaint is that the tension of its Thriller moments are often undercut by its wilder moments so it has you ping-ponging between two very different tones sometimes.

9.*

Winnie the Pooh

(2011)

—Animated Family Musical

Christopher Robin is missing and the gang of the Hundred Acre Woods is on a mission to save him...and also find what happened to Eeyore's tail.

Back in the day this movie made the mistake of releasing the same weekend as the last Harry Potter movie and subsequently got obliterated at the box office and most people just never saw it.

But it is so cute and funny and the animation is SUPERB! They aren't animating anything super crazy or flashy, so I think it flies under some radars, but it is so crisp! Like the animators in this are just so friggin' talented.

10.

Big Fish & Begonia

(2016)

—Animated Fantasy Adventure

A girl from a fantastical world under the sea puts everything on the line in order to save the soul of a young man who died while trying to save her life.

It's only been a couple months since I saw this and I don't think I could even properly explain the entire plot to you. Even while I was watching it I was having trouble following what exactly was going on.

It didn't help that I watched this after Winnie the Pooh, because the animation is a big step down in comparison. I get that they had a much smaller budget, but if you know you have a small budget you gotta plot accordingly or you're just gonna have to wind up cutting every corner you can find.

11.

Encanto

(2021)

—Animated Fantasy Musical

The only normal member of a magical family must go to extreme lengths to discover the secrets behind her family's powers.

I don't even know what to say. It's fine? The main character is great. There's some great animation to be found in here. But it feels like it was afraid of really committing to its themes and often plays it really safe.

Plus it is guilty of one of my many story pet peeves: when characters do some truly fucked up shit and then at the end they just say they're sorry and suddenly everything is perfect.

ESPECIALLY in movies for kids.

It is dangerous to teach kids that apologizing makes everything better, because it doesn't. It's a good first step, but if the person doesn't put in actual work into bettering themselves and making amends then apologies are just empty words. And far too many abusers and far too few victims know this.

12.

Suzume

(2022)

—Animated Fantasy Drama Adventure

A teenage girl inadvertently sets off a chain reaction that puts all of Japan at risk and embarks on a journey to set things right.

Considering it's directly dealing with the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake from 2011, it's impossible to judge it properly from an outsider perspective.

It's a very ambitious film and I've thought about it quite a bit since seeing it.

My issue is that it was just trying to do way too much in too little time. If this had been a mini series or something though? Holy shit, it would be so good in that format.

13.

Self Reliance

(2023)

—Comedy Thriller

A depressed loser is offered a bizarre opportunity: the chance to receive a million dollars if he's able to avoid being murdered by a squad of hitmen for a month.

I was intrigued in the first act, having an absolute ball in the second act, and then the third act really spoiled everything for me.

Jake Johnson and Anna Kendrick are delightful though. I can't take that away from them.

------------------ ------------------

January Stats

------------------

Movies watched this month: 13

Rewatches: 30.8% (4/13)

Favorite new movie of the month: Suzume

Least favorite movie: Big Fish & Begonia

[justalittleobsessedhere]

Nick Nelson: It Hurts to Hear the Person You Like Say They Don’t Like You

Even if it’s just pretend

One thing Nick Nelson knows for sure is that he likes Charlie Spring - in a romantic way, not just in a friend way. His sexuality, on the other hand, took some time to figure out. Charlie gave him more than time and understanding to figure it out — he ran interference when people asking prodding questions.

What Nick wasn’t prepared for was how it felt to hear Charlie staunchly deny any relationship or attraction. In the show, we see three times where Nick stands back and listen to the guy he likes tell the world that Nick Nelson is definitely not his type. At first watch, Nick could be seen more nervous about his secret being revealed, but closer rewatch reveals more pain that worry in these looks.

The first instance is in episode 1.04 (Secret) at the rugby match at St. John’s. Nick can’t help but hover near Charlie and his friends. When Darcy’s super attuned gay intuition calls out Charlie and Nick’s chemistry, Charlie quickly and deftly deflects by saying they are totally platonic good friends. Charlie is doing exactly what Nick asked, but, man, he does it so well that it stings. This culminates in Nick doing the most un-Nick thing when Charlie gets hurt. He is immobile, staring at Charlie on the ground — someone else takes Charlie to the nurse’s office. Even when he enters the office later, any tenderness he starts to show, he immediately backtracks when Isaac enters.

At Charlie’s birthday in episode 1.05 (Friend), Charlie doesn’t make a public declaration of Nick’s incompatibility, but he does have to downplay their relationship. When Nick overhears Charlie insist to Tao that Nick is only his friend, it is different than before or what’s to come. I would argue it’s more painful for Nick to hear that Charlie can’t defend himself with the truth. He feels bad but for a different reason. Nick’s instinct is to protect, and here he can’t be the golden retriever he is without outing himself, which he’s not ready to do. But it’s Charlie! He’s still immobile but this time only when eavesdropping. After the hearing Charlie protect his secret, he gives Charlie his trademark bear hug, and, a little later, he agrees to their first in-public kiss.

***Great note by @new-seas — Another example, just between the two of them: At the arcade the moment when Charlie says “it’s not like we’re officially dating” and NICKS FACE! You can tell he WANTS to be officially dating***

The next time is in episode 1.07 (Bully) at the cinema in front of Nick’s friends. Here, Charlie goes one further (these are the people he wants to protect Nick from the most) and says that NICK ISN’T EVEN HIS TYPE. At this point, I think Nick is tired of hearing how much Charlie doesn’t like him, even if he knows it’s just for cover, and this is one of the main catalyst for him wanting to come out. There is no immobility here. He chases after Charlie and then comes back to get into a fight with Harry. The hesitation that came with the full-on gay crisis is replaced with a need to act. The next morning he goes one step closer to coming out when he recharged on Charlie’s shoulder while sitting in the full classroom during form.

After all of this, in episode 1.08 (Boyfriend) Nick’s worst fears come to light when Charlie’s actions start mirroring his words. I think that through Nick’s entire journey he worries that keeping the relationship a secret will be the reason Charlie breaks up with him. Here, the worry starts to manifest into reality. It turns out it sucks. He’s living all of that repressed pain from listening to Charlie pretend to not like him, and Nick really gets what it means to have (and not have) Charlie in his life. And it’s too much.

Having come to terms with his sexuality, knowing how good it feels to be honest about his relationship, and experiencing his life without Charlie, we get to see Nick embrace his relationship with Charlie (both literally and figuratively) and he doesn’t have to to be the reason Charlie can’t say that Nick his is boyfriend.

For a great side by side gif post from @aimeegbbs: https://aimeegbbs.tumblr.com/post/685523121051254784

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Korea is Doubling Down on BL

June 2022 Wk 5

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Unforgotten Night (Weds on GaGa) Ep 2 - Good lord. Side couple is gonna kill me on this one. TRASH WATCH REBORN!

KinnPorsche (Sat iQIYI) Ep 13 - VegasPete ya’ll, what more can I say? 

Love Mechanics (Sat WeTV) Ep 2 - As messy as Check Out is, LM is messier. It’s also a lot better because all the characters are realistically tortured. Also YinWar are really good at going off the rails while still pining about it. It is HARD to watch as a result. This is just boys in pain lashing out at each other. Also triggers all ‘round. If you don’t want high angst high drama don’t watch it. Also We all miss James. Did you notice Mark switch from phi to hia with Vee and then back again? Sarcastic his is a new execution for me. Cute. 

Even Sun (Wed iQIYI) Ep 1 - it’s a good cast full of fun familiar faces (and BounPrem of course) but I don’t really jive with any of the characters. I’m not really into buffoons, or good boys trying to be bad, or whatever. I mean I’m still watching it, but I’m not impressed. Prem’s orange hair is fun. 

Check Out (Sat IQIYI) Ep 4 - all sorts of wild rumors about this show. Meanwhile here are my thoughts: Just so messy+ sex work and Nine being just pretty much gay af but closeted. Thailand, you are out of your depth and in a hot tub. I don’t like Nine, he’s pretty irredeemable. 

My Secret Love (Sat YouTube Sat) Ep 5 - I might tap out on this one. 

Sky in Your Heart (Fri YouTube) Ep 5 - it committed probubly the biggest entertainment sin in my book, it got really really boring. I’ll finish it but honestly, I almost fell asleep while watching this week. 

Triage (Mon AISplay) Ep 9 - I’m still waiting.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Old Fashion Cupcake (Japan Mon Viki) Ep 4 - ONE TAKE, that final scene, holy effing chirst on a pancake, what? GAH. This show is so transcendently impossibly good. I do not know how I am going to make it to next week. Oh wait, no I do, by rewatching this ep every day until then. And also because Japan is also giving us... 

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry (Japan Weds GaGa) Ep 1 - OMG it is so good and so cute and I don’t even care they dropped two of my least favorite tropes in the first ep (white towel sponge bath and heart knows). This show is just Japan doing its own heritage proud with some absolutely classic live action yaoi, and I just couldn’t be any happier. It is everything I love about BL. I’m so delighted we are getting 12 episodes! Yes it will be drawn out and messy tortured age gap, but I do not care. Shin is so beautiful and yet has that little bit of edgy sinister to him that only Japan can really execute well in their semes. He’s a little too good at flirting, and little too intense about it and therefore GREAT. 

To My Star 2 (Korea Viki) Ep 7-8 - This show is so painful. Like they took the first bit of WBL2 and stretched it out to an unbearable degree. We all knew and hoped the perspective switch would give Jiwoo reason, but it’s REALLY difficult to interface with. And yeah, I totally identify predominately with his character, I too run when I feel too much. But it is still SO HARD to watch. 

Love in Spring AKA Spring of Crush (Korea grey) Ep 9-13 I kind of do want her/him to just leave without anyone the wiser. Honestly, the best thing about this BL(?) is how many great female characters support there are. That’s so rare in this genre. And yes, they are stereotypical but I am happy for any representation of women at all. The female assassin is an interesting character, but her presence seems arbitrary until she finally fits in to the plot in ep 12. Episode 10 = the secret is finally out, and you know, the dude from B.A.P. isn’t a bad actor (Yoo Young Jae). “Knives and money are gender neutral.” is my ne fav quote. And finally (to no one surprise) he is a psycho but I still have a 2nd lead syndrome with this drama. Nice twist in 13, and quite the soap opera, everything but identical twins has now been trotted out: amnesia, secret identity, lost noble heritage. It’s all happening. 

Want to See You (Vietnam YT) Ep 5 - Catfight! That is fun. But the rest of it was boring. 

Senpai, Danjite Koidewa! (Japan Fri Viki) Ep 3 - no ep this week, resumes next

Gossip

The industry is certifiably crazy right now. I have absolutely no idea what is going on. Nothing makes sense. Like NOTHING occurring in BL makes sense on any level right now, especially industry. 

Not Thailand’s highest heat content going to (not going to?) a flipping Chinese distributor. 

Not Korea's kisses and seriously honest queer content allasudden plus casting multiple members of THE SAME K-pop groups in THE SAME BLs. 

Not the sheer volume of content coming from Japan (srs WHAT? where is it all coming from?). 

It's OPEN season, like WILD out there. 2022 might be the end of days for most, but clearly the BL universe is taking the burning of the world as an excuse ofr a goddamn rave. 

New Vietnamese BL Memory forthcoming. Maybe? I usually don’t track these well, if you want someone up on VBL follow @heretherebedork .

I’m struggling to keep up but here’s what I’ve got. Please add in the comments if I missed something, because I probubly did. 

BL Production announcements out of Korea:

Silkwood (studio behind Peach of Time) announced that Korean Thai colab project Love is Like A Cat to star Mew Suppasit. Yeah. Fucking-A. Korea scooped him. I am not surprised but also, fuck me what the hell is Korea going to do with that level of gorgeous? And guess who else is in the cast? Lee Geon Woo and Chu Ji Min AKA Geonu & JM of JUST B. It’s about a romance between a rookie star and a vet. I expect it to be mostly in Korea and Korean. 

This is Silkwood’s thing, they already have another one in production, Eccentric Romance starring former The Man BLK member Yoon Jun Won and Thai actor Save Saisawat (Ai Long Nhai). I begin to think every The Man BLK member will eventually lead out a BL at this point.  

Oh My Assistant has been acquired for BL adaptation, and rumored cast. This is a sexy one for Korea about an artist who draws adult webtoons and spends most of his time horny because of it, who hires an assistant that turns out to be his biggest fan. I guess we’re gone see how Korea handles thirst. 

The New Employee (from Watcha Light On Me & Semantic Error) rumored to star Choi Si Hoon (Netflix's Single's Inferno). Another office set BL. 

Unintentional Love Story to star Cha Seo Won and Gongchan (maknae of K-pop B1A4). All we know is it’s a “love story that started with a lie” about rebuilding trust. 

Meanwhile, Thailand announced Wish Me Luck starring my boy Fiat (Grean Fictions, SOTUS S, My Gear and Your Gown, Triage) who I’ve been waiting to lead a BL for a decade it feels like. About a boss and his temporary employee in an advertising company, based on Bittersweet's y-novel of the same name. Remember these are less likely to happen than the ones from Korea. 

In Case You Missed It

There’s movement on the next GMMTV offering Vice Versa, starts July 16 on their YT channel. I am excited for this one. 

Pappy & Daddy 2 (new cast for one lead) will start airing August 8 on GaGa. 

Plus & Minus is getting a special ep and some bts extras, which is why it still has open episode slots on GaGa and Viki. But it is a completed story arc at 12. 

In A Relationship TH, Thailand’s answer to Gameboys (a bit late, kids) seems to kinda be already happening. It’s airing on GMTV8′s YouTube. Is anyone watching this? I’m generally not a fan of lockdown romances, but I LOVED See You After Quarentine? Still 20 episodes is A LOT and the preview did not give me any confidence. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Nothing new is starting that i know of/remember, but Cupcake and KP are wrapping up. 

This week’s best moments?

Now THAT’S a confession. 

Hello my new obsession. Boy howdy does this one know how to flirt. Minato does not stand a (snow)balls chance in hell. The eldest of a big fam? He’s also used to getting his way. 

That’s one way of putting it. 

Ah, the Thai version of Netflix and chill. 

(last week)

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 10 first part

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Palaver) 

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Meet the Hotties

Since there have been only 7 or 8 brutally hot men in this show so far, which is clearly not sufficient, this episode drops three fresh ones right from the jump. Meet true loves cultivation partners travel buddies SongXiao. The ethereal one, Xiao Xingchen...

The forceful one, Song Lan...

...and their nemesis Xue Yang.

Xue Yang has some Yin Metal...oh hai I just noticed, his name is Yang and he has Yin Metal. Which...probably doesn’t mean anything. When he first appears he’s so fey and over the top he could be taken for a comic relief character, except for all of the corpses he’s scattered around, and the one moment where he is caught off guard in the fight and looks genuinely angry. 

Later, of course, we discover that he’s a fucking psycho an extremely complex person with a fascinating range of emotions, none of which are good. 

Did OP make a fighting fanvid just for this charming asshole? She did. Spoiler: Hanguang Jun fucks him up. [Is OP a shameless self-linker? She is.]

(more after the cut!)

Not Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

Wei Wuxian tells Jiang Cheng not to join the fight but just to watch Xiao Xingchen’s moves; then he proceeds to join the fight by using his web shooter binding talisman to keep Xue Yang off guard and in the field of battle. 

Do as I say, not as I do, bro.

It’s all right it’s all right it’s all right, Cocaine

Far from comic relief, Xue Yang is one of the strongest fighters in the show and is a master of his own variety of crafty tricks--the chemical variety. He launches a devastating white powder attack at our gang. His powder attacks later in the show will blind Song Lan and will poison the junior cultivators. 

This powder attack does...nothing. Well okay then. 

Fanmeet

After Xue Yang has been properly suspended tied up to a rafter, the cultivators introduce themselves, and Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng proceed to squee over their idols. Lan Wangji drops some flowery titles for both of them and offers to organize a mass donation of their brand of spring water. 

Jiang Cheng is so happy he shows nearly all of his teeth without being angry. 

Xue Yang butts in to harsh on their fandom and call them hypocrites. Can’t let the nerds have too good of a time. 

Two Minutes in the out of the Closet

Now we have an interesting moment in which characters discuss queerness directly, albeit briefly. Wei Wuxian searches Xue Yang to see if he’s carrying the Yin Iron. 

Most other instances in which queerness is lampshaded in CQL are about Lan Wangji’s discomfort, or growing comfort, with Wei Wuxian and his stripping flirting. 

In this instance, Wei Wuxian fondles Xue Yang’s chest and ass while Xue Yang  asks “what will people think about this M/M action?”

We Wuxian responds, for the whole room to hear, that he DGAF; in fact, he’s proud of being a disaster bi “cheeky.”

I don't give a damn 'Bout my reputation I've never been afraid of any Qi deviation An' I don't really care If ya think I'm strange I ain't gonna change An' I'm never gonna care 'Bout my bad reputation

While Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes, Lan Wangji takes note. 

Clan with a Plan 

Nie Huaisang and his entourage arrive, and once again the Netflix subtitles take away the meaning of his words as he calls out for Wei-Xiong, Lan-Xiong, and Jiang-Xiong; Netflix has him using surnames only, like an English public school lad. 

The group decides to send Xue Yang to Nie Mingjue for judgement. Meng Yao invites them all to come hang with Nie Mingjue at the Unclean Realm, to decide how to best fuck up the Wen clan.

Note: “Unclean” seems to be an accurate translation but it has particular connotations for western audiences who grew up steeped in the Bible or Monty Python. Like, “would you like to come to the plague castle?” type of connotations. 

Meng Yao: Can you all come with me? I’ve got another hot man to add to this episode. 

Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian look deeply into each other’s eyes in order to decide if they’re going to go to Unclean Realm with the Nie gang , and they opt yes. 

SongXiao do the same thing and opt no, with a speech about how the clans are a bunch of eugenicist snobs, or words to that effect. 

This speech convinces Wei Wuxian to immediately join their fan club.  He is...really not cut out for clan life. 

Night Swimming Hunting

September's coming soon I'm pining for the moon And what if there were two Side by side in orbit Around the fairest sun?

Wei Wuxian praises SongXiao for their egalitarian values, and compares himself and Lan Wangji to them, giving Lan Wangji one of his sweetest, warmest smiles.

This moment is clearly embarrassing to Lan Wangji, but most things are embarrassing to Lan Wangji, and unlike the “shut up!” moment in Episode 09, this time it doesn’t make him angry, barely earning a tiny glare. 

It’s different this time for Wei Wuxian as well, because he’s not teasing or being provocative; he’s genuinely moved to tell this roomful of people that he cherishes Lan Wangji. 

It does make Jiang Cheng angry, and he tells Wei Wuxian, not for the first time, that because of his attachment to Lan Wangji, he should not come home. 

This is a standard jealous response from Jiang Cheng, and he doesn’t mean it...yet.  But there’s a direct line between each of these false banishments, and the moment when he actually does banish the two of them from the Jiang family shrine. 

Baoshan Sanren

Wei Wuxian quickly goes from being cheerfully aflutter over these kindred spirits, to being stunned and even devastated when he discovers an unexpected family connection. 

Xiao Xingchen: My grand master is Baoshan Sanren

For once Lan Wangji doesn’t seem all that attuned to WWX’s feelings, while Jiang Chang super is. 

Jiang Cheng: Should I say something? Words? About feelings? Yeah no.

Outside of the compound, Xiao Xingchen and Wei Wuxian talk about WWX’s mother. In this moment we see how kind Xiao Xingchen is, when he carefully softens the blow of his revelation that Baoshan Sanren is not accepting students or visitors or new patients at this time or at any time. 

I hope that finding Baoshan Sanren is what Wei Wuxian did with his solo road trip at the end of Episode 50. 

XXC and WWX acknowledge their clan relationship, which takes Wei Wuxian another step away from his membership in the Jiang clan, and creates a filial obligation to his newfound shishu that he will fulfill much later, in Yi City.

Once again Jiang Cheng sees and understands Wei Wuxian’s pain, and gazes at him with love and concern, but he doesn’t reach out or speak. They are not a reaching out & speaking pair of people. Once we see their whole family together, we will understand why.

Farewell to SongXiao

When SongXiao hit the road, Lan Wangji watches them with a look of pure yearning, and then turns that look, with total openness, to Wei Wuxian. 

Lan Wangji: Ow

The open road and the chivalrous path pull equally at both WWX and LWJ, but Lan Wangji lives under a weight of formal obligation that he will carry for his entire life. During WWX’s second life he will find ways to compromise between the forces that are pulling him, but not escape them.

Wei Wuxian’s obligations are just as heavy, eventually costing him his family and his life, but they are dictated only by his heart and conscience. Yet he never suggests that Lan Wangji should follow his path. He constantly insists on LWJ’s attention, but he accepts that their roads are different, which is part of what makes Lan Wangji’s declaration on the Carp Tower steps so touching; he is giving Wei Wuxian something he never, ever asked for. 

Here, WWX acknowledges both of their sorrows with a nod, and they walk away together to play their parts in the coming war. 

Keep an Eye on the Psycho

Nie Huaisang sighs in admiration of the departing hotties, while Xue Yang tells Xiao Xingchen not to forget him. Which is very, very, very good advice.

Meng Yao is put in charge of guarding Xue Yang. I hope that doesn’t awaken anything in him. 

Soundtrack: 1. Joan Jett, Bad Reputation  2. REM, Night Swimming 3. INXS, Devil inside

Smut Prompt: If the story of Wei Wuxian searching Xue Yang does get out among the clans, what will it have morphed into by the time Clan Leader Yao hears it?

[alma-amentet]

Tagtastic Tag Game

tagged by @sheirukitriesfandom

Thanks for tagging, I like things like this :)

Favorite color: Nile Blue =) Various shades of teal, actually. Green as well.

Currently reading: Evermeet Island of elves by Elaine Cunningham. I’m tryin to get back to regular reading now. Haven’t read much this year, haven’t neeb reading at all recently, that saddens me.

Last Series: sorry I don’t understand whether it’s book series or TV shows (eberyone seem so fond of TV shows these days)... Everyone is writing about book series, so... House of the Serpents by Lisa Smedman in 2020 when I had that Forgotten Realms yuan-ti brainrot. And I kinda liked those books.

As for shows, if you ask, I watched season 3 of Westworld, also somewhere in 2020... That’s all. In the past, I used to watch cartoon series, even was in My Little Pony fandom, cosplayed and attended bronycons. I also enjoyed Steven Universe. But I hardly watch any movies now, and no series at all... And I was never a fan of live action adult TV shows, making rare occasional exceprions. Tried starting Arcane once, but didn’t go past the first episode.

Last movie in the theater: Onward, spring 2020. I’ve been a huge Pixar fan since my early teens, so I don’t miss their new movies, usually rewatch them more than one time... 

Then there were all those lockdowns, then I realised prefered watching movies at home.

Currently working on: I always have an art plans list and try following it. 

tagging @coyote-ralyn @nostalgic-breton-girl (if no one did before)

[cybernaght]

Guardian rewatch: episode 7

The world’s most amicable mugging continues in this episode, as Shen Wei waits for Zhao Yunlan to spring into his defence as his personal knight in shining armour. Or, as the official subtitle of the episode states:

I kid you not. Here’s the original with the alternate translation.

I am once more very much not mad at it. 

I say that Shen Wei’s mugging is amicable, but that is of course is before one of the “gangsters” tries to grab at his Pendant of Pining. “It’s not something that you people can touch”, he states, easily restraining the man’s wrist. He’s not losing his composure just yet, but his warrior’s stance is showing, and he comes pretty close to breaking cover.

Thankfully, this is when Zhao Yunlan shows up to intervene. Hearing him approach, Shen Wei’s first priority is hiding the Pendant of Pining. His second priority is straightening his collar and tightening his tie. Shen Wei may be in a middle of an attempted mugging, but he’d be damned if he allows Zhao Yunlan to see him dishevelled. Come to think of it, it’s kind of hilarious that Shen Wei’s attempt at pretending to be a poor helpless human includes being completely nonplussed by being attacked. Surely freaking out a little would be an infinitely less suspicious choice. 

Yunlan politely but firmly pushes the professor aside, and Shen Wei waits patiently next to the wall, neatly folding his hands the same way he did at the unpleasant councillor meeting in the previous episode. 

Here we finally see that Zhao Yunlan is pretty impressive in hand to hand combat. This man may not have a sword, but he can easily knock two dudes out with three moves. Again, this is a very short, but pretty damn flawless little piece of choreography. Zhao Yunlan’s fighting prowess is even more accentuated with a gleeful adrenaline-filled grin he breaks into after he’s done. I understand Shen Wei’s endless desire to protect the man he’s devoted to, but, honestly, it’s nice to see Zhao Yunlan not really needing protection - not against simple street crime at least. 

Shen Wei proceeds to calmly dust off his discarded briefcase. Zhao Yunlan proceeds to retrieve the other man’s watch from the ground and then passes it on. With physical contact. Should I be obsessing over how their fingers linger together for a second? Maybe not. I am doing it anyway. 

“What a coincidence”, deadpans Shen Wei, who knows for the fact that the other man is tailing him, and causes a delightful burst of faux outrage in response. 

“What are you implying?”, Zhao Yunlan asks innocently, deflecting further by inquiring whether Shen Wei thinks he staged this little rescue mission. He follows it with “Only you’re allowed to be here this time of night?”, which I choose to read as, “Really, Shen Wei. Why do you think you should have a monopoly on stalking in this relationship?”

As the two are distracted by the low key flirting, one of the muggers makes an opportunity attack on Zhao Yunlan. Shen Wei is alarming Yunlan to this with genuine worry, but does not lose his composure enough to intervene.  

We are treated to another excellent three moves, which are block-break-backfist. Well mixed sound helps, but Bai Yu does look very good as well. The footage does not appear sped up at all, but his movements are fast and crisp, he’s engaging his whole body, everything lands well angle-wise, it’s appropriately safe... Again, I cannot fault this at all. Bai Yu is not physically strong, and this just goes to show that you don’t need a lot of muscle to look like you can be an effective fighter. I don’t want to go into long detail on western media’s obsession with unrealistic physical standards in action media, but suffice it to say that it’s an unhealthy and pointless aesthetic choice which has nothing to do with reality of combat performance - as this scene clearly illustrates. (Look. As I said, stage violence is one of my jobs, and I’m a curvy woman who spends a lot of her time with insecure young actors and drama students. I have opinions.)

Having fended off the attack, Zhao Yunlan exaggerates the situation with the proverb “talking too much will get you killed.” Shen Wei is obviously distressed over his choice of words, but he looks down to hide it. 

At this point the two decide to go home instead of getting the street criminals off the street. 

Zhao Yunlan follows Shen Wei into his flat, pretending very loudly that he has not seen this place before. He is trying way too hard. And there is a touch of a naughtily feline glimmer in his eyes, because he is probably still on that adrenaline rush: his heart would be pounding, senses elevated, brain basking in a pleasant sharpness akin to a sugar rush, when everything is a little bit too saturated. And an attractive mysterious man he just saved is asking him to stay. Zhao Yunlan’s going to have even less brain to mouth filter here than he usually does. 

Shen Wei is getting a first aid to kit to treat Zhao Yunlan’s injuries. It’s anyone’s guess why the self-healing Envoy needs a first aid kit at all - it lives in a Tupperware box as well, suggesting that it’s been assembled and organised by hand rather than store bought. 

Sitting down, and tucking his tie in (because neatness is everything), Shen Wei prepares to administer a mysterious ointment to Zhao Yunlan’s bruise, and states that this is him giving Chief Zhao an opportunity for interrogation. I bet he has got a lie prepared for any question, because this situation has definitely been pre-planned. 

Instead of probing the other man, Zhao Yunlan offers him a job. Shen Wei’s answer is a firm no, which he utters without even a second hesitation. To Zhao Yunlan, this clearly reads as a rejection, as his face crumbles. 

He livens up however, when Shen Wei hurries to add that this is not a denial of help or cooperation. Zhao Yunlan is right to ask why he would take the job then case; this is an entirely reasonable question. I’m guessing, Shen Wei’s reluctance comes from his unwillingness to compromise Hei Pao Shi’s position, rather than an attempt to prevent Zhao Yunlan from getting involved in the cosmic shitstorm which is currently brewing: as the Lord Guardian, he’s gonna get right in the middle of said storm either way. 

“You just move in and didn’t invite your neighbour over for some fun?”, Zhao Yunlan asks.

Laying it on really thick, I see. 

Shen Wei blinks disbelievingly, as if to say “did he just…?” then recovers enough to huff out a laugh.

“My mistake. Next time, I’ll properly invite you.”

Zhao Yunlan snaps his fingers in delight, visibly vibrating with joy. In his head this is Yunlan - 1: Xiao Wei - 0. 

As Shen Wei starts to apply the mysterious ointment, Zhao Yunlan flinches, and Shen Wei is genuinely taken aback by an idea that he might hurt this man. He is so preciously startled for a second, shedding ten thousand years in an instant. I am never going to not be impressed by Zhu Yilong’s ability to switch into Baby Shen Wei mode in a matter of seconds. 

“I didn’t expect you to have such skilful hands.”

Zhao Yunlan’s charm attack truly is unrelenting, and Shen Wei looks up with such a fragile hope in his eyes. He has lived a long time now, and he has learned to maintain thick walls around himself, but he is still incredibly affected by Kunlun’s shameless flirting. 

Continuing his charm offensive, Zhao Yunlan gets so distracted by trying to further impress Shen Wei, he unwittingly reveals that he knows the layout of this flat. And realises what he said. And hopes that the other man had not noticed, adorably brushing his nose in embarrassment. 

He dug this one out for himself, and Shen Wei is far from mortified: he is pleased to have caught the other man out. Zhao Yunlan flails, and Shen Wei quite literally is failing to wipe a smug smile off his own face. 

He’s not even really waiting for an explanation. He’s just happy to win this round. There is even a little “yeah sure let’s pretend I believe you” tilt of the eyebrow, when Yunlan finally comes up with something that sounds as a reasonable excuse. 

After his massive blunder, Zhao Yunlan tries to leave again. Shen Wei stops him, again, and there is no limit to how slyly Zhao Yunlan turns around, followed by a hind of disappointment when all he gets is an ointment, and not, you know, an opportunity to have a good look around Shen Wei’s bedroom. 

Shen Wei is left alone in his flat in a state of utter emotional overload, stroking the Pendant under his shirt. 

Let’s disregard for a second the fluctuating length of the chord the Pendant hangs on (is it between his collar bones or in front of his breastbone? Pick one!), and just appreciate the pining. Shen Wei is going through a lot of feelings since his Kunlun’s returned into his life, and sometimes computing is not an option. 

In the next scene, the muggers are discussing Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan, calling them both too formidable to even attempt an act of revenge against them. Definitely a wise idea. Unfortunately for them, they immediately get attacked by… something.

Spoiler alert: no, it’s not a bear.

It’s the White Shirt Day at the SID. Chu Shuzhi is the only one not participating. In this scene, we discover that Lin Jing likes a horror web novelist called Lai Su - which will be very convenient for the case at hand. During their conversation, Wang Zheng alerts he team to the new case, asking for the whereabouts of their boss. Zhu Hong’s reply is that who knows which old pal the man is hang out with. As we never see him having any friends outside of his job, I choose to believe that he is probably hanging out with Shen Wei; quite possibly exploring the layout of his bedroom. Especially considering how good his mood is as he strolls into the office announcing that he is going to buy a feast for everyone.

Unfortunately, the feast has to wait. Zhao Yunlan, Chu Shuzhi and Xiao Guo head towards the crime scene, which is the very same alley the mugging took place the night before. 

“Based on my experience, he died from freezing.” 

There has never been a more apt reason to use the phrase “no shit Sherlock”. 

Apparently, there is a cctv camera trained right on this very particular dark alley. Which implies that the muggers were even less professional than they appeared to be at the beginning of the episode. Mysteriously, the footage fails to show the actual monster who attacked the poor unfortunate street criminals. It did, on the other hand, capture Zhao Yunlan’s dashing rescue of Professor Shen.

Zhao Yunlan can’t exactly stop his team from rewinding the footage, so he is just left squirming as those around him gape at him spending time with Shen Wei in the middle of the night. 

“You... and Shen Wei? This late at night?”

Chu Shuzhi’s transition from disbelief to a knowing “ah” via a mischievous smirk is particularly amusing. 

The following afternoon, Zhu Hong appears in Shen Wei’s office, laptop in hand. She is quietly furious at being given this task; as I imagine it is very awkward indeed to be a laptop carrier for your crush’s crush. The entire scene she will be alternating between glaring, rolling her eyes, pursing her lips, and glaring with even more venom. 

After Shen Wei gets over his initial bafflement at technology, he realises that Zhao Yunlan is video calling him in order to ask for his expertise on the current case. For the most of this scene the call looks like some sort of fake generic video conference software, apart from some shots on the SID side which very obviously show a pre-recorded footage being played: with a pause button, and a time stamp, and everything.

Shen Wei is in full trolling mode when he educates the SID team on all the types of bears that could have attacked the victim. He tasted this feeling of outsmarting Yunlan the night before and it’s too sweet to let go. Judging by the fact that Da Qing, who is by Zhao Yunlan’s side, is falling asleep during this conversation, we can guess that it’s been going on for a while. 

Zhao Yunlan knows that Shen Wei is trying to prove a point here - he will not be bullied into being a consultant. So, Zhao Yunlan changes tactics, and asks Shen Wei for clues as a friend. Shen Wei assures Zhao Yunlan in turn that he would never hide anything important from. The magnitude of this particular lie is immeasurable, unless Shen Wei considers turning himself into a literal suicide bomb inconsequential. Which, to be fair, he might do. 

Finally, Da Qing wakes up and suggests that the suspect is a Youchu (translated in subs a “secluded beast”). He is not correct, but it is important that we know what those are, because we’ll see them in a couple of episodes - so it actually makes sense to write them in here. 

Shen Wei instantly comes forward, fishes a relevant file out of his drawer, and educates the team on that particular monster. Zhao Yunlan relates that he is familiar with those, and that he knows Hei Pao Shi fought them before in nearby cities. 

Existence of aforementioned nearby cities will remain a beautiful enigma, which will never be explained. Seastar will remain very much a Little Prince-sized planet. 

At this point Zhao Yunlan gets a call about the other mugger being found, and Shen Wei tells him in a rush that he does not think those two men possess Undergrounder qualities. 

When asked however what those qualities are, he does not elaborate, and, after a thick silence, Zhao Yunlan sighs in resignation and finally lets Shen Wei off the hook, assuring him that he knows not all Undergrounders are monsters. He knows - of course he knows - that Shen Wei is hiding stuff. He knows the other man is somehow invested in the Undergounders, and is probably is one himself.  Once again he chooses to trust him absolutely. I know it feels like I say those words every single episode, but this is also the choice Zhao Yunlan makes, deliberately, every single episode. This conversation will leave Zhao Yunlan very cranky for the remainder for the case, but his willingness to keep giving Shen Wei concessions is actually really sweet. 

Shen Wei asks, perhaps, impulsively, that Yunlan shares his findings with him, because he is curious who the culprit is. It makes, as ever, little sense for him to do so considering that he would find it out anyway as Hei Pao Shi.

After completing her mission, Zhu Hong leaves in a huff. She did not say hello and she does not say goodbye either. Shen Wei tries to wave amicably, but aborts the gesture.

He does not yet know - and will not find out for quite some time - why Zhu Hong feels so antagonistic towards him. 

Next stop: the hospital ward with a now insane criminal. Portrayal of mental health issues on this show is... interesting, by which I mean terribly stigmatising. I would have understood if this was a magic-induced psychosis, but I don’t think that’s the case at all. 

Lin Jing realises that the case sounds very much like the web horror novel he likes. It sounds insane, but Yunlan hears him out. The scientist goes into great detail over the author, revealing that he was a leader of his fan club at some point, and detailing several murders from his recent novel that appeared to have have happened in reality.

The team moves on to scout the author’s - Lai Su’s - house, with Zhao Yunlan being the one to approach it. He then proceeds to summon his team via a non-existent radio. 

Look. There is no mouth piece on this jacket. There is no earpiece in his ear. There are no wires. None of the team have radios. None of them even look like they are listening to radios. (Trust me, the “please shut up for a second, someone is speaking into my ear” is a recognisable look). Guardian’s writers/directors. Mah dudes. If you can’t afford radios, just make him do a non-verbal signal, seriously. Same effect, with much less silliness, and no continuity issues. 

Before the team enters the house, we see Ya Qing in crow form for the first time. Even without the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to recognise that the crow will become narratively significant because she is animated, and this show would not waste its very scarce and rapidly depleting CGI budget in vein. 

We also know that the crow is a Yashou because Lin Jing starts talking about Zhu Hong at that exactly moment. Guardian is many wonderful things - it’s dramatic, breathtaking, heart-wrenching, and poignant - but subtle it is not.

Inside the house, they discover a secret room, which Lai Su is hiding in, and we finally get to meet our unfortunate culprit. 

It is very peculiar how mean-spirited this episode seems to be. The web novelist in question is shown in an unequivocally negative light. He is a coward hiding behind a blanket, a weirdo living in a secret room, a glutton stuffing his face with snacks and drinking wine. He is shown as too vain to stop chasing clout even when he suspects that his novel is leading to people dying. He writes for attention and money rather than out of genuine artistic expression. He is a whimpering mess, begging Lin Jing on his knees to speak to the Chief on his behalf. Even if we consider that moral of the story (as stated later in Guo Changcheng’s diary note) is “internet bad”, this insistence of making Lai Su so unmistakably despicable is baffling. The series is based on the web novel. What kind of message is this sending about its origins?  

On the bright side, I suppose it is nice that part of this episode not revolving around Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei’s relationship is actually rather Lin Jing-centric. So far, he was mostly there for occasional tech support and countless shots of him of screaming at a computer, but here we get to know more about him, and he goes on a little emotional journey of his own - meeting his idol and being distraught by the author not living up to expectations. It is always so disappointing to see creators you admire being imperfect, or downright unpleasant, and it’s easy to sympathise with Lin Jing’s discontent. 

Zhao Yunlan’s modus operandi has always been intuition. Looking at the author, he knows that he must be responsible for the murders, and also knows that he could not possibly have been. For once it is actually Xiao Guo who suggests the solution: multiple personality disorder. Or, magical multiple personality disorder, as it is the case. We see this click with the Chief, and he genuinely praises the young man. 

Back at the house, Lai Su is deciding to stop the murder spree by writing the demise of the homicidal protagonist of his novel. This is his ultimate redemption, which also leads to his untimely death by the hands of the monster who lives within him and is manifested through his writing. 

The team asks Zhao Yunlan what was going on with this strange case. They won’t get an explanation; but Shen Wei will. 

Zhao Yunlan, as promised, drops by Shen Wei’s office late at night to tell him all about the case. He concludes that Lai Su must have had Undergrounder blood in him, with his power not manifesting until now. Zhao Yunlan sounds rather remorseful as he stipulates that the writer could have lived a long happy life despite his origin and abilities, had he not started unknowingly abusing his powers. This Zhao Yunlan is miles removed from the man who vowed to catch every Undergrounder, and we can see Shen Wei infinitely moved by this man’s empathy. 

This, I think, is the very moment Shen Wei starts to fall in love - not with the man who was Kunlun, or the man who will be Kunlun, or the man who resembles Kunlun - with Zhao Yunlan, Lord Guardian, Chief of Special Investigations Department, with all his incessant flirting, and sharp edges, and pointed questions, and endless understanding. 

In the final moments of this episode Zhao Yunlan shares a dark premonition that something truly terrible will happen in their city. 

He has no idea how right he is. 

Next up: Episode 8: The Morning Porridge 

——

This conversation happened with my partner as I was working on this recap:

Me: … I am two scenes in and this is how much I’ve typed up already. 

My partner: Honey! I know you’re Russian, but War and Peace has already been written. 

[cherry-valentine]

Spring 2021 Anime Season

Mars Red is one of two series this season set in one of my favorite periods, the Meiji era. It’s a vampire series that deals a lot with the politics of war as the Japanese military is attempting to establish a vampire unit, supposedly to compete with the British vampire unit (because of course that’s a thing). It focuses on a human military officer named Maeda who is charged with recruiting and managing vampires. Maeda is the type of character I really enjoy. Handsome, a little older than most anime protagonists, chain-smoking, overly serious, and voiced by Junichi Suwabe (who has to have the sexiest voice in all of anime). The series has a classic, romantic feel to it. Its take on vampires is somewhat traditional (they evaporate in the sun, drink blood, sleep in coffins, have super strength and speed, etc.). If it brings anything new to the table, it’s the concept of vampires having different ranks, from S-class down, and how lower ranks naturally fear higher ranks. Still yet, the classic vibe works in the show’s favor. Combined with the historical setting, it gives the show a certain charm. The art is lovely, from the backgrounds to the character designs, and the music is a high point. It easily has the best ending theme of the season.

Fumetsu no Anata e (To Your Eternity) is a unique series. I’ve seen a lot of people comparing it to Mushishi, but with an overarching plot, and that assessment is pretty accurate. The show follows an entity that comes to be known as Fushi. It begins as an orb, and as it makes contact with other objects and creatures, it learns from them and can possibly take their forms. Among the forms it most often takes are a white wolf and a young man. Originally, it’s a somewhat empty shell, incapable of communicating, but as it meets different creatures and learns, it develops a personality and begins to speak. The series is, overall, about Fushi’s journey through this world and all the experiences it gains, both wonderful and tragic. There’s a subtle beauty to the series, with an early focus on nature, but it also has scenes of trauma and violence. The animation is fluid and the facial expressions are amazing. There’s an overall natural feel to it that, like others have pointed out, reminds me of Mushishi (though it’s definitely faster paced than Mushishi). The show also likes to make you cry, so keep that in mind.

Joran: The Princess of Snow and Blood is the other series set in the Meiji era this season, albeit an alternate version of it that has a strange form of technology. To be honest, I’m a little fuzzy on some of the details, but it seems to be about a group called the Nue who work for the government to fight against a growing rebellion. The main character is Sawa, a member of Nue who has some sort of special powers involving her blood, which allow her to transform and battle monsters, or whatever else stands in her way. Her goal is to get revenge for the death of her entire clan (implied to be wiped out because of their power). Sawa is a decent heroine, a woman who craves vengeance and is determined to get it through any means, but is, at her core, a compassionate person who would rather live in peace. It’s this internal conflict that makes Sawa compelling (even if it’s not entirely original). The other characters are interesting, particularly Tsuki, whom I won’t talk much about because it would involve spoilers. The plot and details can get a little convoluted, but the action and animation are solid. When Sawa transforms, the art style changes, and it’s a really cool visual effect. The music is also nice.

Shaman King received a remake this season. I was a huge fan of the original, and so far I’m enjoying the remake, but to be honest, I’m having trouble seeing the point. The art is almost the same (just a lot shinier), the voice actors are the same, the plot is the same. Maybe it’s just that it’s been so long since I saw the original, I’m unable to remember the details and so I can’t tell what’s different. But to me it feels like I’m just rewatching the show. Which is fine, because I loved it to begin with. Maybe it gets different later on. Maybe it more closely follows the manga. I’ll keep watching to find out. For anyone new to the series, it looks like the remake is a solid place to start if you want to get into it. I won’t go into plot details for a story this old, so I’ll just say it’s a top tier shounen fighting series with a unique art style and some very memorable characters. If you like that sort of thing, and missed the original (or you just want a refresher), definitely check it out!

Godzilla Singular Point is a true delight. I’m a huge Godzilla (and kaiju in general) fan. I’ve watched every single Godzilla movie, as well as all the related movies (the Mothra films, Rodan, etc.), but I never watched the previous Godzilla anime that was on Netflix a few years ago. It just didn’t sound like something I’d like. Singular Point, however, is right up my alley. Set mainly in a small seaside town that’s suddenly attacked by bird-like monsters known as Rodans, we have two geeky protagonists using their intelligence to figure out what’s going on while more and more monsters appear. Mei and Yun are excellent heroes. They rely on their wits rather than physical strength, which is a refreshing approach. It’s also interesting that they have little to no face-to-face interaction. Instead, they chat with each other via text as they work separately. They often challenge each other with science questions. It’s adorable. The show’s overall feel is fairly upbeat and energetic. The colorful art and peppy character designs by Kazue Kato (who did Blue Exorcist) help with this feel. It should be noted that Godzilla himself doesn’t fully appear until halfway through the series. It says a lot about the quality of the show that I don’t actually mind that at all. Some of the science stuff does go over my head, but the general plot is easy enough to follow and the action is very well done. It also has fantastic music, with my favorite opening theme of the season. Even if Godzilla isn’t your thing, consider giving this series a shot if you like nerdy science types as heroes.

Burning Kabaddi is a sports anime about an unsual sport. I’d never heard of it before now, and if people in the comments were not talking about the very real sport, I would have assumed it was made up for the anime. The show is aware that the sport is obscure, so it takes great pains to explain the rules and details so that we can all follow the action. The story centers on Yoigoshi, a soccer prodigy who decides to drop all sports once he gets to high school due to all the drama and angst that surrounded him (mostly due to his teammates being jealous of his talent), and pursue a career as a streamer. All the various sports clubs at the school want to recruit him (especially the soccer club, of course) because they’ve heard of his skill and he has an athletic build. He rejects them all, but the Kabaddi club is strangely relentless. He ends up being manipulated into joining (the vice captain of the team straight up blackmails him by threatening to show his online streaming account to the whole school). Despite this rocky beginning, Yoigoshi actually starts to enjoy playing Kabaddi, and more importantly, begins to bond with his new teammates. It’s pretty fun stuff that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The art is serviceable for a sports anime and the music is fine. The series isn’t going to blow your mind, but it’s a fun way to spend twenty minutes every week. Worth a watch if you have a weakness for hot blooded sports anime.

The World Ends With You finally got its anime adaptation and I was so excited. The game is one of my all-time favorites. So far the anime is pretty good. The art is a near perfect replication of the bold, thick-lined art of the game. The battles are exciting and cool. Best of all, the anime often uses music from the game. This is important because the game has one of the best soundtracks, ever. Every time I recognize a song from the game, I almost squeal. If I had a complaint, it’s that the pacing feels a little off at times. It feels like the anime is rushing through the story, but that’s understandable. In the game, it took longer for everything to happen because you were walking from place to place, fighting battles along the way, stopping to scan NPC’s, shopping at stores, spending time in menus, etc. The anime has to cut most of that out, so naturally things are going to move faster. The result is that you don’t get to spend as much time with these characters, and so you feel less attached to them. Anyone watching the anime who didn’t play the game might feel like the emotional beats are lacking. I feel like this anime is definitely meant to be enjoyed by fans of the game, rather than newcomers to the story. But if you are a fan of the game? You should be watching this every week. It’s an excellent refresher on the story, just in time for the second game to come out this summer. Super high on my watch list.

Boku no Hero Academia has a new season. To be honest I don’t remember what number we’re on. This season, so far, focuses on a tournament-style competition between the two main hero classes. I would much prefer the plot to move on to something more exciting involving the villains, but I suppose they have to throw arcs like this in every so often just to remind everyone of which characters have which quirks. The plus point is that instead of being an individual competition, it’s team-based. What this ultimately means is that characters that are viewed as weaker or having more obscure quirks actually get a chance to shine. These are characters who definitely aren’t going to win one-on-one battles. In an individual tournament, it’s pretty much a given that characters like Deku, Bakugou, and Todoroki are going to win most of the matches. But in a team, everyone has to work together. The end result is that the lady characters, all of whom have fairly weak or situational quirks, finally FINALLY get to actually do stuff! Even better, in several of the match-ups, the girls have taken the lead in planning and strategizing. It’s been pretty nice to watch. The girls from the other class have been very proactive as well. I really wish the girls could do more in “real” battles with villains, since it’s clear that they can step up when they need to. Who knows? Maybe this is a sign of good things to come.

86 is a new mecha/sci-fi anime based on a series of light novels. The setup is fairly cool: In a country where everyone has silver hair and eyes, the people live in what looks like a utopia. There is a war going on outside their protected land but all combat is performed by automated robots, so there are no human casualties... or so the government would have the people believe. In reality, there is a district that exists on the outskirts of the country called 86, where people who don’t have silver hair and eyes are sent to pilot the robots and fight to protect the country that shunned them. Most of the pilots are children or teenagers. The mortality rate is high. Only a few people in the government know of their existence, mostly military types that include “handlers”. These handlers each take on an 86 unit and communicate with them through a system called “para-raid”. Using this, they monitor the battlefield from their safe positions and issue commands. Naturally, most handlers view their units as nothing more than tools in the war, and most 86-ers view their handlers as privileged snobs who know nothing of actual battle. The real plot kicks in when Lena, a young Major, becomes the new handler for a particular 86 unit. Lena is sympathetic to the people of 86, but it’s going to be hard getting her notoriously rough unit to accept her. The plot is a bit complicated and the show deals with some weighty themes (racism, privilege, war, child soldiers, death). Lena is a likable enough heroine and the members of 86 are all interesting and fairly well written. The music is fine. The art... well, it’s pretty to look at, but it feels a bit generic to me. A bit too shiny. The mecha designs are great, but I’m not crazy about the character designs, which feel like they could be from any other modern anime. I also find it sad but hilarious at the same time that the women’s military uniforms are clearly designed for fanservice (they include mini skirts, thigh-highs with garters, and a short jacket that opens up just above the chest to show the tight shirt underneath) while the men’s uniforms are just totally normal military wear. To be honest it’s just too stupid to actually be offensive, so it comes across as comical. Thankfully, the interesting setup and plot carry the show, making it good enough to overlook the generic visuals.

Moriarty the Patriot has a new season... maybe? I think it’s technically still season one, but with a split cour. Regardless, it feels like a new season so I’m treating it as such. The series focuses on famous Sherlock antagonist Moriarty, here represented as a trio of handsome brothers (though one of them is clearly the protagonist and the leader of the group) who work as “crime consultants” and basically help the lower classes wage class warfare against the nobility. This season shifts the focus away from the individual crimes Moriarty concocts and instead focuses on larger-scale conflicts that involve government conspiracies, corrupt cops, etc. We’re also treated to a lady James Bond (finally!), fixing one of the very few complaints I had about the first cour (that it lacked strong lady characters). The show remains very compelling, with beautiful art and excellent new opening and ending themes.

Best of Season:

Best New Show: Godzilla Singular Point

Best Opening Theme: Godzilla Singular Point

Best Ending Theme: Mars Red

Best New Male Character: Maeda (Mars Red)

Best New Female Character: Sawa (Joran)

[millepara]

waccha primagi eps 13+14 spoilers (finally the s3 game news makes sense to me)

I think from now on I’m going to wait to watch primagi on yt instead of watching live and then struggling to remember if I thought anything about it when I rewatch. anyway I’m not going to talk abt all the eps I missed but I just want to say that Hina became my #1 super duper ultra fav in eps 11-12 & I nearly had an aneurysm (positive) at all the pretty rhythm references.

I did want to rewatch 13 though bc it’s been a while!!

this plotline is ripped straight out of Kiki’s Delivery Service, but I don’t mind. no such thing as too much of a good thing (that’s how the saying goes, right?) !!!!

realizing that ‘waccha’ = ‘what’s your’ really broke me for a second. how did I not catch that. what an unbelievable stretch of pronunciation

a perfect character. how could you not like her

big pervert energy coming from blue magic guy as usual

wow I sure do love Hina + Amane’s whatever they’ve got going on. they talk about their feelings! they support each other! they see when they’re not at their best and they accept it! at least Amane does all that stuff for Hina, and I hope & assume it’s the same the other way around...

I totally forgot that Touma confessed. seems like Matsuri did too though which is the maximum amount of romance I want in the show, so that’s ok

love Jennifer’s song (just like every other primagi song). though the abrupt use of it right before the ad break was a little weird

I’m ok now, but I’m p sure I cried at this part where Myamu learns to talk again the first time I watched it lmao

as a whole this coord w its gimmicky skirt shape doesn’t do anything for me but I do want those macaron shoes irl. so cute

both in the last ep and this one when Matsuri gets her wings I can literally hear the Aurora Rising music in my head over Magi Waccha Parade and it is defo making me teary-eyed. too early in the show for the mc to successfully perform Aurora Rising?? it isn’t and if it is I don’t care. I started pretty series waaaay back with Aurora Dream so the nostalgia value of simply being reminded that Aurora Rising exists is too powerful for me to resist

I was iffy abt the illustration vers of Heart Feather up till now but the anime one is so cute!! I love it! it looks so good on Matsuri too 💕

next is whatever’s up w Amane!!!

oh but I forgot the coord spotlight at the end actually gave me new info, which is that the heart thing on Myamu’s ribbon tail is a balloon. I like that, it makes sense now & could feasibly be recreated irl. an important quality for a coord imo. anyway Amane!!

wow. this ep is really off to a start. man look at this girl with all of these 90s butterfly clips in her hair. not those basic plastic ones either but the metal ones with the spring-action wings, that’s how you can tell she’s really fancy

that really is Lemon’s uniform, huh. I like that Myam gets a uniform too

obsessed with Patano’s outfit, which I somehow only just realized is overalls and a top hat. what a look

fascinated with Patano making an exquisite picture book about Amane’s problems, only to explain exactly nothing about it, forcing everyone go to her school to figure out what’s happening

if Midoriko was a primagista, then what happens to her partner when she quits primagi...? :( oh no Patano too.....

this is so melodramatic. funny that I said that thing abt the last ep only for this one to show that Amane is clearly not comfortable with Hina doing that for her.

no matter how many times I see Amane’s signature pose I still can’t get over it. like what is she doing with her fingers, etc

um. Holy Shit

wow.............  what an experience that was. my fav part was when she tosses out a couple handfuls of rose petals, as if there weren’t enough special effects already happening in primagi. but I think I have to watch it a million more times just to be sure. eternal revue indeed

overall I think this ep could’ve been better, and I probably had some thought about how Amane seemed to flippantly decide to resume primagi in a split second bc of a letter after all that talking that they did earlier in a way that made it seem like they just did it that way bc it was almost the end of the ep and they were running out of time... but Amane’s performance melted my brain so actually I didn’t have that thought. yay pretty song ✨

next week is the training camp. oh. why the heck did I think it happened in the off week?? ofc they’re going to make an ep about it

[crowdvscritic]

round up // JANUARY + FEBRUARY 22

The start of the year feels like a good time to remind you these lists aren’t ranked but my favorites from this time period in the rough order I experienced them. (The only ranked list linked here: my best of 2021, which is the piece I work hardest on each year.)

At the start of the year, I am also in the mood for silliness. My threshold for burnout is low, and some of the best medicine is laughter, thrill, and spectacle. What I read, watched, and experienced was so full of it I had to share it with you, too! Get to scrollin’ to make sure you find every bit of laughter, thrill and spectacle you’re looking for in this dreary time while we’re waiting for Spring. 

January + February Crowd-Pleasers

1. Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022)

I appreciate that HBO Max listened to my notes on the Friends reunion and made this just a nice sit down with people I love watching together. What a warm hug!

2. Hawkeye (2021)

Is Hawkeye the greatest entry in the MCU canon? Nope, but it sure is a fun time. As a big fan of Jeremy Renner, Christmas, and (mild spoiler alert!) Florence Pugh (spoiler done!), this was just fun, action-packed treat.

3. Beyond Van Gogh Exhibit

Going to an art exhibit with no the original art is an odd setup, but the Beyond Van Gogh exhibit (touring across the U.S.), finds new ways to make Vincent’s work come alive. It’s like walking through a painting, and it animates the movement Van Gogh’s painting implies. I still recommend you see the real stuff, but it’s pretty nifty to see his thick brushstrokes in detail. 

4. Triple Feature — Early ‘90s Spoofs: Hot Shots! (1991), Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), + Wayne’s World 2 (1993)

The Hot Shots! movies (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10) spoof Top Gun and Rambo to the nth degree, and Wayne’s World 2 (Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 7.5/10)  spoofs everything from Double Indemnity and The Graduate to Thelma and Louise and the “YMCA” video. If that’s not your jam…are you broken?

5. Double Binge — Netflix Murder Comedy Series: The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window + Murderville (2021)

Netflix dropped two murder comedy shows in consecutive weeks, and since the seasons were so short and sweet, they were easy-peasy binges even for someone who would rather watch a movie than a show. In one, Kristen Bell spoofs every incompetent Jessica Fletcher whose substance abuse makes her an unreliable busybody. In the other, Will Arnett invites celebs like Ken Jeong and Kumail Nanjiani to help him solve murders in an improv version of Murder, She Wrote. So yes, these were specific and hilarious Venn diagrams of my interests. 

6. SNL Round-Up

You know the drill: Just click and laugh! These are the skits from Studio 8H that have made me laugh most in the last few months.

“HomeGoods” (4709 with Paul Rudd)

“The Christmas Socks” (4709)

“Biden Spider-man Cold Open” (4710 with Ariana DeBose)

“Urkel Reboot” (4710)

“Weekend Update: Elmo and Rocco” (4710)

“Cinema Classics: Gaslight” (4711 with Will Forte)

“Now I’m Up” (4712 with Willem Dafoe)

“Please Don’t Destroy - Good Variant” (4713 with John Mulaney)

“Subway Churro” (4713)

7. Double Feature — Nickelodeon Reboots: Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019) + iCarly (2021)

I turned on the Dora live action movie (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 6.5/10) on a whim and was pleasantly surprised—who knew this would be a self-aware comedy poking fun at the ridiculousness of children’s program and paying homage to Indiana Jones? If I had children—which I realize is a weird thing to say after admitting I watched this—I suspect Dora would be a refreshing addition to the non-stop movie rewatches.

As for iCarly, is it weird to say I’ve enjoyed reruns of the original series more as an adult than I did when I was in the target demo ? Yep, that’s also weird, but I’m blaming it on my intense desire for silliness. (To its credit, most episodes aren’t more juvenile than SNL—they’re just smoothed down for children.) The reboot is just as bombastic though it’s more grown-up, and Spencer (Jerry Trainor) is still GOAT. Now someone explain to me why the Lizzie McGuire reboot can’t happen!

8. Marry Me (2022)

My current best movie of 2022 because I’ve only seen two of them. That said, I feel excellent saying that about a mash-up of Notting Hill and The Proposal that made me smile the entire time. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6/10

9. Double Feature — Unlikely POTUS Comedies: Dave (1993) + Head of State (2003)

In Dave (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10), Kevin Kline is a doppelgänger for the President, and when the Commander-in-Chief becomes incapacitated, Kline’s normie steps in to cover his responsibilities. In Head of State (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10), Chris Rock is a D.C. alderman who is promoted to a Presidential candidate when the nominee dies. Plot twist in both movies: They might be better at the job than the politicians!

10. Red Eye (2005)

Is it too much to ask that more movies be 85 minutes? Wes Craven says no! He directs a taut thriller about Cillian Murphy terrorizing Rachel McAdams on an airplane, and while there are shades Scream, I appreciate the less-gore-more-mind-games approach. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

11. The Warriors (1979)

Another month, another movie that inspired Stranger Things, another affirmation the Duffer Brothers have great taste. The Warriors was an inspiration for the season 2 episode “The Lost Sister” (an episode I probably enjoyed more than many), and this movie is that punk rock gang vibe to the max. What’s a Coney Island gang to do when they’re framed for a crime and every other gang in New York is out to get them? And by every other gang, I mean a Baseball Gang, a Mime Gang, an Overalls Gang, and a gang that prowls in a trashed school bus. It’s a teen rebellion adventure but also about the challenges of growing up with less than. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

12. Wordle + Taylordle

Choo choo! I’m all aboard the Wordle train, and the Taylor Swift version is another Venn diagram of my interests.

January + February Critic Picks

1. Best of 2021

As promised at the end of December, my Best of 2021 is wrapped! After squeezing in 10 more contenders in January and February (including CODA, Cyrano, C’mon, C’mon, Passing, The Tender Bar, and Tragedy of Macbeth, all of which I recommend), I narrowed down the the year to my top 10 films for ZekeFilm. 

Bonus: You can read full reviews for Belfast, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and tick, tick…BOOM! after seeing where they land in my top films of the year.

2. Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)

Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing make what’s retro modern in this classic musical. Read my ZekeFilm review of the new Blu-ray to see what feels dated and what still feels thoroughly modern. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

3. Double Feature — Women Going Through STUFF in ‘40s Romances: Cat People (1942) + My Reputation (1946)

In Cat People (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10) , a Serbian immigrant (Simone Simon) fears she will turn into a vicious feline if overtaken with passion. In My Reputation (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10), a new widow (Barbara Stanwyck) falls in love again and her neighbors are overtaken with gossip. Strong female leads and actresses anchor these moving stories, and they only take 73 and 94 minutes! Bonus: Stanwyck’s melodrama is example of a recurring theme of I’m noticing in ‘40s films: women just trying to live their best lives but society won’t let them. You know I had to make a Letterboxd list!

4. The Essential Directors: The Art and Impact of Cinema's Most Influential Filmmakers by Sloan De Forest (2021)

My new Christmas tradition: asking for Turner Classic Movies books and reading them over my winter break. In this year’s edition, I dug into directors I’m familiar with (Howard Hawks, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg) and ones I’ve never met before (Dorothy Arzner, Ida Lupino, Josef von Sternberg). The book recommends 440 films to understand these filmmakers, and I’ve only seen about 40% off them—as per usual, my watch list is never complete!

5. Good Reads

A miscellaneous collection of pieces on how trends that only last 4 days might not be trends, why some TV shows should be movies, the generational and political divides in the Christian faith, decision-making, Oscar nominees, and just calling it a day on your writing.

“The Year of Garbage Internet Trends,” Vox.com (2021)

“Your Bubble Is Not the Culture,” TheAtlantic.com (2022)

“Why Are Movies So Long Now?” Variety.com (2022)

“Dear TV: Stop Making Two-Hour Movie Ideas Into 10-Hour Limited Series,” TVline.com (2022)

“The Dissenters Trying to Save Evangelicalism From Itself,” NYTimes.com (2022)

“How to Figure Out What You Want,” AestheticsOfJoy.com (2022)

“Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman and More React to 2022 Oscar Nominations,” Variety.com (2022) - A lot of gems in here, like Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch flexing they've already seen all the nominees, Jane Campion rooting for Lady Gaga, and Andrew Garfield loving "Timmy Chalamet becoming the king he’s always meant to be" in Dune.

“Revising Your Writing Again? Blame the Modernists,” BostonGlobe.com (2013)

6. The Mission (1986)

Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons are European missionaries to South America in the 1750s, but when politics get tense between Spain, Portugal, and the Catholic Church, their jobs become more than spreading the Gospel to the native tribes. Soon—yes, this historical epic is only two hours—they are the last line of defense between political rivals trying to take the people’s homes and make them slaves. The extra complication: De Niro and Irons don’t agree on the Christian response for protecting God’s people. You can find this on my Letterboxd list of essential films about the Christian faith. 

7. Double Feature — ‘00s Crime Thrillers: Insomnia (2002) + Michael Clayton (2007)

In Insomnia (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10), Al Pacino is investigating a teen’s murder in the round-the-clock summer sun of Alaska, Hilary Swank is the local detective on the case, and Robin Williams might be the killer. In Michael Clayton (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10), George Clooney is a fixer for a Monsanto doppelgänger, Tilda Swinton is its legal counsel, and Tom Wilkinson might be the source to a major scandal for the company. Though the settings and crimes vary, the story of two films is the same: Do the ends ever justify the means? 

8. Fight Club (1999)

That twist was spoiled for me years ago, but this film still left me unsettled and unsure why something so violent and unstable has become a pop phenomenon. Fight Club may not be for Taylors, but I also had to read reviews from Roger Ebert and more critics to absorb what I just watched, which is always a sign I just watched something full of crunchy ideas and effective filmmaking. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

9. Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)

An exception to my belief that movies weren’t a thing until 1934! Buster Keaton is still a hilarious charmer almost 100 years later, and the gags are still a gas. Crowd: 7/10 // Critic: 9/10

Also this January + February…

Kyla and I kicked off season six of our podcast SO IT’S A SHOW?, all about pop culture references on Gilmore Girls. 

In our first episode focused on a Michel reference, we watch the ’80s sitcom character he compares himself to, Benson

Lorelai says “they screwed up Bewitched!” The movie, that is. We investigate: did they? 

Since we Millennials were wee children at the beginning of the Iraq War, we research ousted CIA agent Valerie Plame and whether Rory should use her as inspiration for her DAR espionage

Lorelai is cleaning out her VHS tapes, but first, we need to check out one of the longest-running prime time dramas in history, a family sitcom, an ‘80s show that turned into a movie franchise, a Hallmark movie that would never be made today, and some Super Bowl commercials.

These were busy months at ZekeFilm! In addition to the reviews I shared above, I wrote about inexplicable-Best Picture nominee Don’t Look Up and watched the oldest movie I’ve ever seen!

Photo credits: Beyond Van Gogh, Good Reads. Essential Directors my own. All others IMDb.com

[franniebanana]

CQL Rewatch - Episode 6

What I learned from this scene: Jiang Cheng is really picky about women and Wei Wuxian is perfectly happy being without a woman (as long as he has alcohol), and THAT parallels what Lan Wangji says later on that he’s fine being alone too. A little thing, but it shows that while Wei Wuxian talks big about all the cute women in Yunmeng, he has zero experience and isn’t really even interested in them. Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, IS interested, but is terrible at talking to them.

Call me crazy, but I don’t actually think Lan Wangji walked in there just to punish them for making noise/disturbing others. By the way this scene is acted, it seems like Lan Wangji is genuinely curious about what they’re up to, to the point where it almost feels like he wants to join in. Like he’s really taken what Lan Xichen has said about making friends to heart. And that all is super cute to me if that’s true. Like he hears the noises coming from their room (maybe he was already going there to see Wei Wuxian anyway!) and thinks, “Sounds like they’re having fun! Maybe I can join.” I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility for him to think that way, albeit probably hesitantly. And it’s not like he walks in with a dour expression, ready to throw the Gusu Lan Sect rules in their faces. It’s not until he sees the alcohol/Wei Wuxian asks him to drink with them that he pulls the rules card out.

Lol his look here. DON’T. TOUCH. ME. The phrase “if looks could kill” was made for people like Lan Wangji. He has nailed that glare. But like, how ballsy is Wei Wuxian to suggest drinking? He KNOWS Lan Wangji will not willingly break the rules, and if he doesn’t know, then he’s a dummy!

I love how quickly this whole thing unravels for Wei Wuxian. He thinks it’s so funny at first—stick Lan Wangji with a talisman, get him to do what you say—only he has no idea that Lan Wangji has absolutely zero tolerance for alcohol and his response is to immediately pass out. The sheer panic in Wei Wuxian’s face and voice is delightful to watch, honestly.

I’ve watched this scene so many times in the last week or so. I like it better in the special edition, since we get more wangxian and more drunk Lan Wangji—two things that I will always take more of. The part I like is that it shows how much Wei Wuxian commits and takes responsibility for his actions. He gets Lan Wangji drunk, so he spends half the night making sure Lan Wangji is okay. It’s a very sweet scene: the two open up to each other about their parents and it’s a very unifying moment for Wei Wuxian, finding out that Lan Wangji has suffered, just like him—that he is a human being with emotions, parents, that he’s experienced loss too. Wei Wuxian, up to this point, has dealt with his troubled past by clowning around and being generally optimistic, which is obviously not how Lan Wangji has handled his own past.

Lan Wangji probably remembers nothing of their conversation (or very little) but Wei Wuxian, who can hold his liquor a lot better, remembers all of it. It’s still fun watching them grow together, even after watching this so many times. Every time they experience something together, it just brings them closer. Really calls to mind themes of fate and destiny, though I like to believe that fate had nothing to do with them falling in love.

And here’s where Lan Wangji says he’s fine being alone, to which Wei Wuxian basically goes, “EH?!” in his mind, but instead calls him and his father boring. And then things get a little heavy, since Lan Wangji fully admits that he has no mother (in other words, his mother is dead). I assume (and Lan Xichen says later) that Lan Wangji would never have divulged this information while sober and it’s interesting that Wei Wuxian never lets on that he knows. It’s kind of a shame, really, that they never talk about it again. He only talks about it with Lan Xichen, but it would have been nice to see the two of them really talk about their parents.

In my mind, they slept in the same bed. Like, not that they did anything, because let’s be honest: they passed out. In my movie, Lan Wangji would have passed out again, and then Wei Wuxian would have put him in bed, and then passed out right next to him. It’s sort of strange that Wei Wuxian dragged himself across the room to sleep upright on the floor. He doesn’t seem like the type to do something like that, and why should he care if they share a bed? Especially given the fact that he’s also drunk.

It’s also super cute how Wei Wuxian is only like half-dressed (I say half, but it’s more like three quarters): his overdress is not pulled all the way on. His shock, then laughter here kind of indicates that he doesn’t remember much from the previous night, or maybe he forgot, and then remembered. The amusement is short-lived, though, since as soon as Lan Wangji wakes, up, he flips the fuck out and drags them all to get punished. I kind of wish we’d gotten to see that, although I do love the way they wove in the conversation between Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen.

His fucking face. He goes from, “Ah, Wei Wuxian, that rascal!” to “Wangji, WTF?!” I love that so much. And the thing that makes it funnier is that Xichen was the one to suggest that Wei Wuxian might be a good friend for his brother, and now it kind of ends up biting him in the ass, since he’s KIND OF a bad influence. Obviously, the next scene shows that this hasn’t really had a negative effect on Lan Wangji, since he is willing to accept punishment for something he had absolutely no control over, even when Wei Wuxian chastises him for doing so, and announces to Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen that, in fact, Lan Wangji was forced to drink the alcohol.

Which brings me to the punishment scene. I like this scene a lot too. I love Lan Wangji’s tenacity here, how he refuses to try and get out of the punishment even though he drank the alcohol against his will. I love how Wei Wuxian immediately comes to his defense to try and get Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen to stop the punishment for Lan Wangji. This is a good contrast to earlier scenes when Wei Wuxian would not admit to breaking the rules and was always trying to make an excuse for himself. Here he doesn’t do that at all. He fully admits to breaking the rules and to dragging Lan Wangji down with him. I know Lan Wangji is upset here, but I think he’s mostly upset with himself for allowing himself to break the rules (even though he really had no choice in the matter).

Another great Yunmeng siblings scene. Wei Wuxian complaining about being punished and Jiang Yanli just keeping it real: you shouldn’t have broken the rules. She’s such a good big sister, though, because while her speech has a touch of disapproval, she’s still very sympathetic to their injuries. I do feel like she’s a little harder on Jiang Cheng, because she knows he’s better than that and he has to be better than that if he’s going to be a clan leader someday. As usual, she’s softer with Wei Wuxian, who she just has an abundance of sympathy for. And I don’t see that as a bad quality at all—I think she and her father are willing to see past some of his behavior because overall he’s well-intentioned and, as is discussed later on, he’s not going to be clan leader. His job will be to support Jiang Cheng, not to run the place, and he’s a fierce friend and extremely loyal to the Jiang Clan.

But anyway, this scene is cute how both Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng tell Jiang Yanli that they need more protein to heal and she should really add some lamb to the soup.

A few minutes ago, he could barely walk, and now he’s literally running down these steps. Maybe you don’t need that cold spring, after all.

RIP that other shoe that he originally kicked off right into the spring.

I love all of Lan Wangji’s expressions here and his responses to Wei Wuxian’s advances (I can only call them that, because he’s such a flirt here). You can totally read this scene that Wei Wuxian is just teasing and taking the piss with Lan Wangji, but I’m not going to, and I’m assuming, if you’re reading this, you aren’t either.

Wei Wuxian was delighted when he saw that Lan Wangji was also at the cold spring. He clearly went there for his wounds, but I think the wounds are all but completely forgotten as soon as he sees Lan Wangji.

I also love how shy Lan Wangji is, that as soon as he hears him coming, he immediately dresses again. He doesn’t leave, but he doesn’t want to be seen without his clothes on. That’s incredibly endearing to me that he is so modest. And then you have Wei Wuxian, who threatens to take off his clothes several times (although this is the only time he does it for reasons outside of teasing Lan Wangji). He does not care—he’s seemingly not modest about his appearance at all. I really do love all the contrast between these two characters—it’s not that they’re opposites of each other—it’s not that simple—but there is a lot of contrast which I think just keeps things interesting. I have nothing profound to say about it (or anything else, really), but I just find it really enjoyable to watch. And a side note, the contrast between Lan Wangji and Wang Yibo constantly leaves me in awe; it’s hard to believe that Yibo pulled off this character so well because he was such a goof on set.

Wwx: A lot of benefits come with being my friend.

Wwx: [immediately starts undressing]

I see what you did there, writers/directors.

But ironically, it turns out that a lot of not-so-beneficial things come from being his friend. Because Lan Wangji becomes so devoted to him, he ends up getting in a lot of trouble within his clan and without. Obviously he’d do it over and over if he had the choice, but the fact remains that Wei Wuxian becomes a pariah and, to a lesser extent, Lan Wangji was headed that way as well. Really, if Wei Wuxian hadn’t died, Lan Wangji might have ended up living with him in Yiling. That would have been quite interesting, actually.

I don’t care how many times I’ve seen this episode—this scene will kill me with its cuteness. Wei Wuxian so wants to be Lan Wangji’s friend here! He’s adorable! “Don’t leave me alone!” and “Come to Yunmeng, and I’ll pick lotus seeds for you!” and “There’s cute girls at Yunmeng!” Oh, wait, Lan Wangji doesn’t care about cute girls haha. I just love the change in the relationship. Wei Wuxian approves of and respects Lan Wangji and wants to be closer to him. It’s not just an interest or a fascination now—it’s something deeper. It’s the shared experience at Biling Lake, it’s the drunken confessions about their parents, it’s the 300 hits of the bastinado, and the secret cold spring pond where they can heal together.

Note how long it takes Lan Wangji to actually try to leave here. That’s telling enough on its own, how long Lan Wangji tolerates Wei Wuxian. He’s willing to put up with the jabbering and the endless chattering from Wei Wuxian. This is so much progress!

I have absolutely nothing to say here, other than that Yibo looks so fucking hot in this scene.

Because other than him and of course the headband, I find the stuff with Lan Yi to be kind of boring. I like her and all, but it’s just like, meh on all this Yin Iron stuff. I read about how this is just a big trope in cdrama, so it is what it is. Personally, I found the book to be compelling without all these shenanigans, but I understand that the written word doesn’t always translate well to the screen (especially when you are censoring the relationship between the two main characters).

Oh, and the rabbits are also fucking adorable. The more rabbits, the better.

Aaand now you’re married. Thanks, bye. Other episodes: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

[maraczeks]

Do the show questions thing for DLL 💕

YES LETS GO

first song you listened to: i watched it without listening before sooo oldest orphan

favorite song: that is.. hard i think i couldnt know someone less, things i didnt know, and secret of happiness

least favorite song: im a beast LOLLL for obvious reasons

favorite scene: ahh when they climb sky hill, most of jervis’ jealous to sallie’s brother, her monologue abt imagination and her monologue at the end after his first proposal

least favorite scene: .. umm to be fair ive watched it like 15 times towards the last few rewatches the beginning of the second act is a little boring

first impression of it: super cute megan and adam adorable then i couldnt stop thinking about it

favorite character: jerusha doy

least favorite character: lets go w mrs semple

favorite original cast member: megan mcginnis my beloved

favorite non original cast member: adam halpin duh and christy altomare

favorite actor portrayal for jerusha abbott: mEGAN OWNS JERUSHA IDC FROM THE MUSICAL TO THE AUDIOBOOK SHE DID THAT SHOW FOR LIKE 1/4 OF HER LIFE GATEKEEPING JERUSHA FROM ANYONE ELSE PERSONALLY

least favorite actor portrayal for jervis pendleton: the guy that did it on the road 

how’d you hear of it: omg i remember years ago when i used to check broadway . com everyday hearing about it being the first show to be livestreamed but i didnt watch it and i knew megan was sutton’s bff but i lowkey forgot what she did besides little women then we were on spring break / lockdown last spring so i did the broadwayhd free trial and watched it

rating from out of 10: 9

favorite spoken line: yours in sackcloth, the imagination and final monologue cant remember any of it rn

favorite sung lyric: WHEN SHE GOES “you are such a dream come true” and there’s the ripple down a couple notes DRIVES ME INSANE

dream cast: hmm idk anyone young enough LOL

greatest weakness: they do their best but theres very little action bc its a two person show in one setting the whole time :/

if you could change one thing, what would it be: im a beast is just wrong

how long have you followed the show: theres nothing to follow..

favorite cut thing from previews/prebroadway: omg the girl in the window display from the world premier album is so good i wish they kept that instead of our manhattan ohh and the lockwillow theme

favorite change from previews/prebroadway: paul alexander nolan and adam halpin

pre-broadway or broadway: i wish there were a boot of national tour but sigh off bway i guess

have you seen it live: no :(

do you own the cast recording: no but i wanna get the cddddd

do you own any physical merch: yeS rags got me dll themed stickers and a notebook 

unpopular opinion about it: there arent enough opinions to have an unpopular one

favorite post-canon headcanon: jessie mueller plays sallie and jerusha and anne shirley are bffs

favorite backstory headcanon: shes an orphan idk what to tell u

favorite ship: jervis and jerusha but especially megan and adam’s