#but jp!voices and us!voices were given different directions some characters are really not the same

[randomnameless]

Considering that the English translation prettied up Caspar's endings for Flower (changing "often out of control to "sometimes reckless" and removing the text confirmed Caspar's career involves invading other countries), while vilifying his non-CF ending (saying he had victims), yeah. Same with turning Rhea restoring the Church to her rehabilitating it. There's definitely reason to side-eye the changes made by the translation team.

TBH,

(bcs i didn't enjoy FE14)

FE16 and Nopes (and all Fodlan content) seriously made me reconsider my stance on the localisation.

After FE Tellius I knew (I mean after FE10) that changes/omissions existed but never thought they were deliberately made to push one character by destroying others, the general feeling was the same at the end of the game (we are supposed to worship Ike, the localisation played it up to 11, but FE10 does it on its own).

Now, FE16 ?

I was pleasantly surprised with FE15's voice acting so I thought the dark eras of lolcalisation were behind us...

But then Rhage popped up.

And with Rhage, I started to notice all little tweaks here and there made in the localised (some at least) scripts, that added end up with the result that "maybe Supreme Leader isn't that bad" that is pretty different from the JP/og version.

When FE10's loc said "Ike is the most awesome dude ever" instead of the jp FE10 saying "Ike is the most awesome dude", the Fodlan lolcalisation tries to give a different meaning to the solution/story given by the game!

As you pointed out, Caspar doesn't invade countries and is "sometimes" reckless, instead of being "out of control while invading the rest of the known world", his non uwu endings are worsened, Rhea was swapped by Rhage, the church needs to be "rehabilited" instead of "restored"...

I don't want to be overly critical and dissect everything when I'm playing a game, I'm playing first and foremost to enjoy myself but when I listen to Leigh's voiced lines and see this :

or this :

even if you're not thinking about localisation too much, you can see there is an issue in voice direction, which leads to discovering issues in script localisation and then... you start to ask "why", and come up with sad answers.

So, because Fodlan verse really disappointed me lolcalisation wise, even if I made exceptions earlier for FE14 and FE15, I can't be assed to trust the lolcalisation at all, so if a game has audio but no dual audio, it will be a hard pass.

Even if a kind soul, like the ones who made the FE Datamine site, compile and upload the script with the different audios to compare, it's a big no-no.

I know jp audio will not solve everything (especially if i still don't understand the jp script lol) but at least when the localised script tries to sell me the apple that is orange in the original script is akshually purple I'd have some clues about something being wrong.

More power to you if you like purple apples, but if I was supposed to get an orange apple, I would like to get this orange apple (or maybe red or yellow if needed), and not another product.

[tratserenoyreve]

im pretty partial on the dub i chose on the rest of my gameplay (jp) and its obvious since xiao's VA is already skilled enough to know the tone that fits him. though its interesting each dub interprets xiao in quite a variety of his characteristic; as most of them maintains his reserved outlook, jp has that spark of sass and confidence when he feels like it (it really has his struggle noises nail you in the head), cn takes the reserved more gently and accurate to his nature (a lot more tired and timid to vulnerability, casual), kr is a lot different but not far from eng, but it fits his maturity and he sounds older (he sorta has a playful tint, too).

what saddens me is not really the performance, but the subtle yet irritating inconsistency and potential hyv did on their characters' interactions and dynamic thats lost to translation. the eng subtitles may give you the basic context of something, but dialog-wise its much more than that (perhaps even more different on other subs), since jp cn kr has lots of meanings behind their writing. xiao addresses zhongli indirectly as rex lapis too in jp, and the latter had expressed concern as if he has been convincing xiao instead of stating the chasm's danger. ("do you really have to go?". theres lots of those coming from too. klee calling albedo as her brother instead of the typical Mr, same from ayaka to ayato, etc. its obviously not something easy for hyv to change and keep it all streamlined overall, but the chances were truly left unseen.

the dubs do definitely change the tone of characters yeah, and i've also been picking up on how much the lack of nuance the english dub has for honorifics changes how character interactions feel! all of the voice actors do good work, just some were given different direction than others and can't do much about localization choices.

zhongli for example has a decent amount of lines that are actually adages, old proverbs that add to his "wise elder passing on stories to the next generation" image. but in english, because we don't have the same cultural context or puns, a lot of that doesn't translate and it instead comes across as him rambling about boats. like, he is rambling, but there's more to it than what english dubs get.

another notable instance of translators having trouble with conveying layered dialogue that i can think of is during venti's story quest, where diluc and kaeya are having a discussion outside of angel's share. in english, we still get the overall idea that the two brothers are still having a disconnect but some of the details on how kaeya talks to diluc is lost. the english dub has them more directly confrontational whereas, if i understand correctly, the original chinese has kaeya using more double-meaning with his phrasing to express how he feels abandoned and diluc is being unintentionally blunt. which is why he's surprised with kaeya actually being so upset when diluc poked at him about drinking alone so often.

and yeah!! the klee thing is one that is so?? ashfhjdg i've seen a number of people be surprised to learn that klee and albedo are adopted siblings, because in english i believe one of the only instances (outside of events) of that being clear is on albedo's profile after you've boosted friendship with him and he calls klee his little sister. something that requires having albedo, which many people don't!

xiao's interactions definitely feel way different with context on what honorifics he is using in other translations. with how tight the update schedule has been and how the development team is being shuffled around between projects, i don't think the translators really have the time they need to cover those details.

[6ix-dragons]

My Overall Impressions of the Edens Zero Anime

Originally, I wanted to do an initial impressions post of the Edens Zero anime, for the first few episodes. Then, it changed to cover the first 12. However, with the 25th, and final episode (of the first season) having premiered on Saturday, I felt like I wanted to give my overall impressions of the anime, instead. I’ve seen all 25 episodes, including the final one—and, there are a whole bunch of things I wanted to talk about. So, let’s get started!

ART STYLE AND ANIMATION

First, let’s talk about the art style, and the animation. Before the first episode came out, I honestly had a bit of reservation in my mind, having known beforehand of what animation studio is in charge of the anime adaptation, and the previews of the character designs. However, when the first episode came out, I was quite surprised at how well it was, when it came to both the art direction, and the animation.

While the character designs aren’t as exact, as what they are in the original manga, they are at least much closer to them. Where the art style/direction is best found, happens to be in scenes that involve the environment around the characters. Shots of landscapes, like the buildings in the planet of Bluegarden, and the Ether pillars in Norma, are the better examples of how great the art direction is. Even the shots of outer space, especially with the planets (despite how different they looked compared to their manga counterparts), are another example of it. It just makes the world in the anime more lively.

However, there can be some parts in every episode, where the art style is inconsistent. Of course, there will always be characters, and other objects that are off-model in far-away shots. For the most part, ‘though, the art style is pretty much consistent, from scene to scene, on every episode. Colours are used appropriately, with duller colours used in the more serious parts of the story—such as the latter-half of the Sun Jewel arc.

When it comes to the animation quality, it’s about as good as the art direction that i covered above. The quality of the animation doesn’t vary all too wildly, but, much like the art style, it can get inconsistent in certain parts for every episode. Where you’ll find the best animation, however, is in the chase and battle scenes. An example of that can be found in the first episode, when Shiki took on Lord Castellan. Even more examples I can think of, includes: The part where Shiki and Rebecca are being chased by Sibir, in Norma; the first time the “Leaper” ability was activated, in Sun Jewel; and, when Shiki took on Madame Kurenai, in that same arc.

Now, I’m going to dedicate this part of this section to talk, rather briefly, about the CGI used in the anime. I was actually surprised to see it being used, in certain scenes—with the titular battleship seen in space, for instance. Another example I can think of, is Sibir’s Knight Gear, in Norma, as well as Kurenai’s, in Sun Jewel. Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with CGI being used in any visual medium (whether it be live-action shows, movies, or even anime)...as long as it’s done well. That wasn’t the case here, with this anime. I would rather see something like the battleships be hand-drawn, rather than in CGI, where the results would look out-of-place, instead.

Issues with the CGI, and inconsistent animation, aside, we can at least attribute the better parts of the art style and animation, to the team at J.C. Staff—particularly, with two key members of that team: The chief animator, Kenichiro Aoki...and the director of the anime, himself, Yuji Suzuji. It’s rather unfortunate to know that Mr. Suzuji had passed away, last month, knowing that he had made his contributions to the team, as the anime’s director. I tip my hat to him, and to all the other members of the entire team responsible for making this anime adaptation.

VOICE ACTING AND AUDIO/SOUND

Alright, let’s talk about voice acting, and the audio/sound. I was also a little concerned, before the first episode even came out, when the voice actors/actresses were first announced. However, after watching the previews—and then the first episode, my concerns were put to rest. I feel like all of the characters featured in the anime sounded much like I thought they were, and that the voice actors/actresses really nailed down their parts quite well. 

I also thought the same for the voice actors/actresses, in the English dub version (when the anime came out on Netflix). It’s only the first 12 episodes, so far, but I was genuinely impressed at their performances. While it isn’t the same as the original JP version of the anime, I thought they all sounded as close to their other counterparts. 

The rest of the audio/sound was also impressive, too, with proper mixing in certain scenes that feature intense action, as well as in quieter scenes. Furthermore, the music used in the anime also helped add to the impact of those scenes. There’s a mix of orchestral music, and guitar rock that’s featured in the anime—although, given the sci-fi and tech elements featured in it, too, I would’ve liked the inclusion of EDM, techno, and dubstep (I’m partly-serious about those).

Finally, let’s talk about the songs used in the first opening intro, and ending...as well as for the second opening intro, and ending. I know that T.M. Revolution does make music that gets used in anime (Gundam SEED and SEED Destiny, for instance), and “Eden Through the Rough” is a real banger. The song featured in the first ending—”Bouken no Vlog”, by CHiCO with HoneyWorks, conveys the lighter tone in the first cour of the anime.

For the songs featured in the second intro and ending, however...I’m actually inclined to agree with some who argue that both these songs are appropriate for the second intro. What I will fully agree, however, is that both these songs also convey the darker tone of the second cour. Regardless, I thought all of these songs, as well as the entire OST, are perfectly-suited for the anime, as a whole.

CONTENT COVERED

As far as the content covered from the manga goes, I’d say the anime does it well, for the most part. In terms of the arcs that the first season covers, it covers the introduction arc, all the way to the end of the Sun Jewel arc. 

I did notice that there were some changes made to the anime, from its source material. And, I would say that these changes are being made, for better or worse, depending on what you prefer. Already, I’ve seen a few instances of this, in the first episode, where they cut out the part in the manga where Rebecca discovers they are being taken by hostage robots on Granbell Island. There was also a part in the manga, during the Digitalis arc, where Rebecca yells at everyone about their sleeping habits. That was never present, at all, in the anime. 

When it comes to blood and nudity, however, the former is more inconsistent than the latter. With blood, first of all, it is present where you’d think it would be (especially so, if you’ve read the manga first). Examples of this, would be the flashback with Rebecca and Happy being involved in a traffic accident, and when Shiki punched Kurenai’s Knight Gear with only his bare fist. However, you also have scenes where blood should’ve been present, like when Spider/Jamilov was shot dead by Seth. In the manga, he was clearly bleeding out, unlike in the anime. 

For nudity, I did mention it is more consistent than blood—but, only in that it is consistently censored out. While, yes, the original manga does block out full-frontal nudity, the anime adaptation takes this much further. One glaring example of this, is when Rebecca is changing into new clothes, in the Sun Jewel arc—just before taking on Nino. In the anime, we only see her from the shoulders up, while the panel in the manga reveals more of her upper torso. 

Now, I can understand the decisions made to censor/tone down the blood and nudity. However, as the anime is aired on Japanese television late at night, it doesn’t make much sense to do so. In spite of all this, however, these kinds of changes haven’t really taken away my viewing experience of the anime.

As Edens Zero is made by Hiro Mashima, you can expect easter eggs from his other, previous works, much like in the manga. You have your standard Fairy Tail cameos, such as Team Shadow Gear in the Shooting Starlight guild, the usual Natsu and Lucy appearance—and, the triumphant return of the “Wow!” sound effect.

So, yeah, for the most part, the anime adaptation does follow the source material. There’s changes that some may or may not want, as well as a few additions to certain parts: I believe the scene where Shiki gets chased around by Kurenai’s Knight Gear was extended a little bit, compared to what happened in the manga.

CONCLUSION

Before I give my overall impressions on the first season of the anime, I just wanted to mention the preview for the second season—for those who have watched the final episode. I’ve read the manga beforehand, and from what I’ve seen in the preview...I can’t wait, until the next season comes out. I just can’t wait for what they will pull off, in that upcoming season.

Overall, I’m impressed with the anime adaptation, from start to finish. I do recommend this for anyone else, not just as a fan of Edens Zero (and Mashima’s works)...but, as someone who has watched anime, in general. It does a more than decent job at covering the story arcs from the manga, in spite of the issues it has—art style, animation, and censorship. 

Is it a flawless, excellent anime? No, but it certainly is alright enough to give it a peek, if you’re interested. Again, I just can’t wait to see what they have in store, for season two. Here’s hoping, with the next season, they will improve from the first.

[fgodestinyawakenings]

EOR SE.RA.PH Singularity: Act 4

Leaving the final Act and epilogue... Hopefully this can be done before going back to JP, especially given Reines Case files is ending way earlier than Seraph. I’m heading out for Doujima in the weekend, and grinding for Eater X is going to be hell

Act 4 (1/4)

After beating Caesar... It’s still not surprising that there’s more Servants left on the rear side, Cat. Then again... At least no one fell for his smooth-talking this time round. If anything, yes, Cat is one of our iron chef in Chaldea Kitchen!

Gaining Lip immediately as Tamamo Cat’s next disciple... Thankfully she avoided going to actual Beni-Enma’s Hell’s Kitchen to learn. Seeing Melt happy for Lip being able to speak up without worrying on other’s opinions, she eventually appreciate Gudas for not killing her back then. And that’s no way to shoo Emiya Alter away, Cat!

Cat’s case is still surprising for me so far. None of them are Alter Egos class yet potentially to be one... Or given in Lostbelt there’s already one debatable to be either Assassin or Alter Ego. Something that surprise Melt never realized it until now, except Lip

Melt then explained to Cat what part of BB they were based on as she and Lip are completely different from each other. In basic term, Melt is a sadist and Lip is a masochist which hence they are a good pair to each other.

Emiya Alter returns once Melt finished revealing more about herself, asking if Suzuka is the only Sentinel left. With Melt’s guess on where Suzuka is, our next destination is to head for the spine

Before Emiya Alter suggest we take back BB’s advice to defeat Suzuka again the same way we defeat Lip. But, aside from the issue Suzuka has with the original Tamamo... Hope Tama Cat has a way to beat her down then

Act 4 (2/4)

A dead end instead of a path to the Spine... A good question to learn.... It turns out Sakurament is basically QP where BB make us do the dirty work to collect all even if it’s not necessary. Yeah, I didn’t church allowed sending asshole Arnold to talk to us too, Cat

No shit, we don’t even know about Seraphix in the first place. Anyway, looks like Arnold got the map of the Planetarium we’re looking for. I think he’s more than just cog in the machine, Emiya Alter.... But, we’ll need to settle that later. I think there could be worse people to be in charge, Melt...

Though, we got 25 hours+ left aka 15 minutes before Seraphix sink to the bottom. Thank you for your concern, Lip. But we need to focus on the bigger issue to find Suzuka and get to the planetarium. Guys, Gudas really appreciate your concern for them, BUT LET’S NOT DO SOMETHING CRAZY AS DECIDING TO THROW THEM OUT FOR SERVANTS TO EAT AS MUCH I’D LIKE TO!

And despite their bickering or so, both Lip and Melt are really close to each other. Or, at least once they develop more sense of self and others, they really care for each other a lot. Also again, you’re hiding something, aren’t you, Melt? Nevertheless, we’re still trusting you, no matter what

After Melt giving another talk to the Gudas about herself, we move on to find Suzuka!

Act 4 (3/4)

Reaching to the temple soon... We’re definitely close with Tama Cat confirming her presence. Emiya Alter briefly mentions about who Suzuka is and her historical deeds in the past. To be honest, I don’t know who’s real or not but Tamamo originally IS a nine-tail fox.

Lip’s turn to mention about her tragic love story that she was known for. Yeah for someone supposed to be intellect, I’m guessing all of it went to her high school chunnibyou. Though have to admit, her strength is something with her bloodlust craving for fights.

At the mention of Masters.... WE DEFINITELY HAVE NOT SEEN A SINGLE ONE ASIDE FROM GUDAS! What the hell?! This is still one of the biggest mystery that has been yet to solve...

Anyway, reached her temple at last. Suzuka is right there all ready to kick our ass again. Before that, where’s your Master, Suzuka? .... Okay, looks like she don’t even know who her Master is.... Regardless, we’re not letting you touch Tristan to settle your score for the Holy Grail.

5~6 turns later... That’s some fucking gimmick to keep herself alive until the finals of the Holy Grail War. Wait Melt... Before we throw that key away, there should be a way to use it from that defective AI. And shut up, Arnold! Spectators should just keep quiet and watch!

And you, Suzuka! Are you okay being that stupid, useless and inferior AI’s Servant?! YEAH, I’M CALLING YOU A FLUNKY, CHUNNIBYOU! Tama’s right, you’re nothing but a puppet to that stupid AI right now! If you’re really planning to follow your Master’s wish, then let’s end this properly!!

Thanks to Tama Cat’s trap... Time to unlock her heart! I’m feeling sorry for Hakunos at this point.... Relax we don’t event want to do this. Blame the fucking writer who needs everything to be a sex scene.

One showdown of Suzuka and her boyfriend Hijikata later.... Not so fast on the dramatic suicide, Suzuka! Yeah, you’re definitely way too dramatic, Suzuka! There’s such thing of people dying of a broken heart... But, you’re perfectly fine! For a previously married divine goddess, there’s nothing about you like a high school girl...

Argh enough drama! Cat, do your job and smack-talk some sense into her! And we’re the winner, so we decided you get to live or not. And, we take the former of you living to join us! I’ll pass on your friend request... Social media been avoiding weird people to add later on Facebook in particular

Before we go back, another earthquake? Wait... This is..... The Demon God Pillar Zepar!! Why the---What the fuck?! It turned the whole area upside down!! We’re saved, but Melt took the hit for Gudas!!!

I don’t think they can understand us, Lip! And if we’re at the lowest... Oh fuck that’s where Zepar is supposed to be reborn!!!

Eight hours before we bottom! And we’re already long before you start yapping, Arnold! We’re going to save Melt, so no, we’re not going back without Melt! Lastly, you’re not even the boss of us so peace out!

Suzuka’s direction is helpful now we can get back to business. Enough of arguing who’s coming, and don’t you implied Lip’s weight, Suzuka! It’s just you and Gudas, so do your job properly.

Meanwhile, Melt woken up to remember she fallen while saving the Gudas. The Rejection Calf aka the Disposal area... Her legs broke from the fell back there. Her body has really hit her limit ever since the arrival of Gudas. Closing her eyes, she reminiscence her memories with the Gudas and more about her true thoughts.

Thankfully, the Gudas picked her out of there before she got destroyed once and for all. Gripping tight of her hand and ignoring the harem yapping, we got to get out of there before 3 Shapeshifter, 3 Eaters and 1 fucking giant Rider boar coming at us!!!

.... And there’s more! Yup, I agree with you there, Suzuka. THIS IS COMPLETELY FUCKING BULLSHIT!!! Hey, don’t forget the rope to get us out of there!! And... The rope was cut?! What the hell?!!

But... Tristan is here and he managed to save us! Oh right, you flew with that harp of yours in Halloween event.... That’s another way to get us out of there, or not. Let’s create a camp session until someone picked up up. Tempting to beat Arnold, but that’s a goner. Wait, Cruel Thenar... Melt’s former workplace? .... I guess a pathetic AI decided to use her brains for once to save us

Ah typical loser who decided to squish the final two contestant just to get her reward. Well, where’s our supposed next battle with you? Now? Yeah yeah, you may have a certain thing like Tiamat, Goetia and so on. You’re in the end just an AI who felt the need to better herself than everyone at how fucking weak you really are. A sad case, truly.

Hold on, mistake? Weren’t you the one started this whole stupid mess?! How the hell did things fucked up!! And knew it, obviously she’s going to send us down than up

Meanwhile... Good thing Arnold’s not a Master, otherwise, I’d like to see him the first Master get betrayed and screwed by his Servant. Considering he heartlessly get both his Director and Deputy Director killed... And now trying to get Gudas to obey him by force

And since Emiya Alter is here? Or the one who betrayed us too.... Yeah, thank you for doing everyone a favor to kill him. It’s about time someone needs to kill off that irritating character. And Mable? Oh why her?! Wait... You killed them to prevent Animusphere experiment...?

But the voice that attacked Emiya Alter... OKAY WHAT THE FUCK? That’s like an interior of a demon pillar! I thought we killed that!! This person talking to Emiya Alter is someone he knew well, given how they now spoke about themselves...

And the bloodied past, of Emiya Alter... Taunting him as the whole screen now turned bloody too. So, they are the ones who killed Gawain too! Whatever Emiya Alter have his reason, he needed to kill them in our world since he already know what they will be like in a certain distant future.

Act 4 (4/4)

Definitely right at the bottom of where Melt’s workplace originally is... At the most painful landing ever. Melt then explained Cruel Thenar was once a place to excavated oil... Aka finding leylines in truth. Oh, you want us to enter your heart?

That makes things easier in a sense. Nah, it’s fine, it’s more annoying to beat around the bush, Lip. Yeah we got the key after we ripped off from that AI before falling down. Well... At least, we got a job to do. Oh please, not all of Gudas are interested in woman. There’s this called of “I’m gay and my life is hell in a harem manga”, so there. With Lip’s advice, time to enter her heart to unlock this area!

And WE’RE FUCKING DONE WITH HER! DW just give us a fucking Anti-Alter Ego class already!!! But with that down, Melt then showed us a way to the Planetarium via her territory. And.... We’re back at the front! That’s enough rest, you’re coming with us back to the church. So keep quiet or we’ll drop and break your legs here!

No one is here to greet us... Where did Mable and Arnold go? What the... Emiya Alter is not even here! Before that... Some AI dropped a nice invitation to go beat her up. Hey, it’s not like we didn’t beat her over and over again like she deserved it under Martha’s punch.

That’s right, Tristan. It’s gone far too long for this Holy Grail War. With Melt back at the chapel resting, we head off to the core to get Ruler Martha, Amakusa and Jeanne to gang up on her.

After we left, Melt then begans her own monologue. Thinking there should be a way out for Gudas, she hope Suzuka, Tristan and Cat eventually found a way to do so.

And really done for the day... Literally.... Because all my energy was wasted in walking with an eventually broken shoe, running back to my house to wear a new one before heading for my interview is gone. Plus, today’s also happened to be one of the many worst days.... I’m going to need sleep before grinding some quest for KP

[maevelin]

That is what i find so frustrating about TO. You have to be on another level of crap storywriting, if you have all the characters you need there in front of you on a plate yet instead of using your creativity and working with what you have you conjure up a baby plot revolving around a character no one even asked for. The whole reason we wanted TO as a show was to see more of TO family. These are supernatural creatures that have lived 1000 years yet theyre reduced to soap opera storylines. 1/2

I was really slow to pick up on the fact that TO wasnt going to be the show we all asked for. I wasnt really an active part of the fandom on social media then so didnt know what was going on so when TO was announced i stupidly thought this is going to be amazing, a plot about the original family. By that point i was sick of damon and most of TVD characters and was rooting for klaus to kill them all lol. It wasn't till the scene where Rebekah's driving away from NOLA in her car i (2/3)

Realised that she's actually leaving for good. I still thought in my head that this is just part of the plot but then i found out Claire left and i realised that this baby plot is actually what the show is, and not the show i was expecting so i stopped watching for a long time. Maybe i was just stupid because the pilot did make it clear it was about a baby plot and not TO family. Also weird how elijah was barely in TVD, rebekah was in it more yet Elijah was more prominent in TO. (3/3)

--- 

I honestly believe that JP never cared or wanted to write for vampires. She doesn’t have the knack or the talent for that genre. She does not grasp it. She does not care for it. I think she was there to fill in the blanks for Kevin and together they made a decent team. Kevin had the genre down up to a point and was good with the plot and the characterization and Julie could sprinkle some soap to the ships and the emotional drama and that combination actually fit. 

It is no wonder that once Kevin was out everything became a shipping soup and by the end of it everyone seemed to have one goal. To be human. To act human. To get the white fence, the babies, the normal life. Which would be find for a drama soap or show concerning humans but was catastrophic for the kind of genre show TVD was and what TO was meant to be but never was. I mean how many vampires were even left in the end? Not just those that died but those that turned...human. Come on now. JP wanted to have her cake and eat it too. She didn’t care for TO in the way a genre writer should and would. She wanted to get her baby soap and that was the only chance she actually had to go through with it. Everything else of hers that didn’t belong to the TVD franchise was getting cancelled in their pilots or before their first seasons even finished airing. And in general as a writer she writers for the telenovela kind of soap and she can’t separate in her mind church from state in the way that she couldn’t divide what she wanted as a fan from what she should write as a professional. She believed it to be one and the same and when it would not work she would throw everyone else under the bus so to avoid responsibility and then she would try to make it work anyway. Well... newsflash Felicia!

I on the other hand however was not in the same boat you were where TO was concerned. 

By the time S4 of TVD had reached its middle I was seeing things I hated. When they killed Kol while they were planning for the spin-off my mind was on red alert. I knew by that time how JP operated. It was obvious. I already knew her ways with the fans from Kyle XY too. Then I heard Phoebe had signed first. BEFORE Joseph while they had killed off Kol so Nate wouldn’t be part of the show. I saw where that Klayley trainwreck was leading. I already knew JP’s lack of talent and her inability to actually create intellectual plots and twists. So I was suspicious. I wanted this to actually work. I was an Original groupie first. I was rooting for the Original to get their own show but not in that way. It was like I watching a crash happening and I could not avert my eyes while everyone else was not seeing it.  I was voicing my concerns back then and I remember that the fandom kind of saw me like the crazy lady in the lot but when the backdoor pilot aired I was 100% sure of what TO was going to be. Rebekah was regressed to a supporting cameo ffs! Kol was dead. Klaus was OOC crying in the streets next to his lunch that was obviously by the promotional interviews and the way they framed it in the backdoor pilot meant to be his love interest with what I saw from the gifs later (since I had never finished the backdoor pilot because when they threw the twilight scene I was out) was a copy of a KC scene with the whole art but meant to be more ‘deep’. The whole episode had some cinematic moments that were okay and I remember liking that they had used the Lafayette cemetery from Interview with the Vampire. The soundtrack seemed awesome. Marcel actually seemed interesting. And then...the baby crap and I was out. Back then before the backdoor pilot had even aired Joseph Morgan had said in an interview that if he was in charge some things may have been differently done. But then I remember thinking...oh crap...and then the episode actually aired and OH CRAP.

I never bothered with TO. 

I dropped TVD like a bad habit when S4 ended and saw the ridiculousness with the doppelganger nonsense. At that point given everything JP was doing I found it really hard to understand how people could hold on to hope when it came to her and her writing. I was trying to warn people from the fandom left and right. Because I had honestly gotten truly attached not only with the ship but with the fandom too and I didn’t want people to get their hopes up and get treated as I was seeing them get treated. I was seeing it, I was speaking about it and understandably most people believed me to be irrational. I remember even people that I was close with and still am to give me the sideeye and be okaaay then.

By the time the official pilot aired along with TO’s first season I was 100% they would cut out the KC phonecall scene that was only meant to be a hook to get the green light for the backdoor pilot rather than anything else. The seen was cut of course.

But then I remember thinking that any responsible writer would aim to get a crossover as soon as possible and get Caroline there even to create a closure small arc to span in the two shows slowly (as they did with BTVS and ATS) but then they were all about saying how logistics were not working and the universes were going to be separated and I was still unable to understand how people actually had hope when the people in charge had no talent to do the basics and were so reluctant. The warning bells were there. Kudos to the DCTV universe for actually going for the crossovers in parallel back then so to show to everyone how the excuses the TO writers and producers were using were just that...excuses.

I was out for sure but I remember that I still kept an eye out to what blogs I followed reblogged and I remember when I realized how sloppy TO actually was. I remember seeing a gifset from a flashback of Klaus that aimed to be a visual parallel to Lestat from Interview with the Vampire only in the lore of the TVD franchise it was from before he broke his curse and he was shown with double fangs and golden eyes that were Hybrid traits. They actually didn’t bother to keep the basics of their main lead consistent for crying out loud. I don’t remember from which episode that gifset actually was. Only that it was from the first episodes and I was like...come on!

I remember I basically muted and unfollowed many blogs back then so to get my dash clean from that mess.

Anyhow I then returned for the 100th episode of TVD. When 5x11 of TVD was meant to air and the promos were out I was insisting that anything else that a kiss would be bad news for KC. I didn’t want to ruin everyone’s excitement but I was just getting a bad feeling about it especially after knowing JP’s track record. It was just too obvious to my eyes and it would be a regression in the development KC had up to that point. You DON’T narratively speaking -from a writing perspective- go from one cheek to the kiss to the whole sex when the characters are in different shows forming different attachment and ships if you don’t meant to wrap up the story. Which would mean leaving fans high and dry after leading them along. By that time TO was doing well in the ratings and I knew JP only cared for that and the KC fandom was not needed in her mind. I had made posts about it warning people again before 5x11 had aired. I remember I had even gotten some aggressive asks from KC fans about spoiling their fun and being negative without an actual reason. Then 5x11 airs, the sex scene is there (all sloppy to just get it out of the way...bad directing, not bothering with a song, giving the bare minimum) and JP goes all out and gives the interview about the KC closure minutes after the episode airs so to ruin everyone’s parade. Then there was the bomb with Claire’s exit which in my eyes was pending anyway ever since I had heard Claire had wanted to stay in TVD but was given an ultimatum only for her to be barely there in the backdoor pilot.

So generally speaking when it came to TO I was never hopeful. Not when JP was in charge. Not when they hired Carina out of all people for their writing team. Carina that hated Klaus and the KC fans. Not when they were disrespecting KCers from day one. Not when they were disrespecting the Kol fans. Not when Daniel was out there saying that once we would meet the new girl we would forget all about KC (which was said before TO’s first season aired so it was obvious that everyone was lying about Klaus not having a love interest). Not when the cast was mocking a whole fandom. Not when the conflicting interviews kept coming. Not when they had hired the gossip girl writers and producers and no one bothered with the actual genre. Not when...not when...not when...the list kept going. 

I kept my criticism and my predictions going and I remember being patient because most people believed me to be crazy (which I am generally but not when it came to that so I could understand the confusion) 

....and flash forward and here we are. 

Although, admittedly, certain things did surprise me on a real life level, at first anyway, because fictional stuff aside I could never believe that certain people could act in the way they did (losing flights? getting into twitter fights, picking out fans, and even calling them assholes in podcasts? on and on), but otherwise I never had any expectations to begin with so most things didn’t surprise me and yes I did earn the right to go ‘I told you so’...which I tried to tone it down many times but sometimes it was just too fun to resist. 

[renmaru]

you know. sometimes i love something a lot so i need to scream about the things that piss me off about it. i don’t think this is a particularly negative post but it’s just like sheer frustration and if you dont get some satisfaction from articulating your frustration into tumbler dot coms longposts and destroying the capital of this website because you are not a gemini sun then like fair i guess feel free to disregard this. tonbokiris kiwame is cool go look at that.

now to the lukewarm tea ive been simmering for five years. the one thing i always think about all the time is that tkrb is a popular game despite itself. the piss poor gameplay with only the barest of bare QoL in the five years its been up, the seeming complete lack of direction and the frankly nonexistent worldbuilding is held up purely because of its attention to detail and reverence to the original culture and history of the swords combined with some very good character design and subtle but nuanced character writing that can be openly interpreted. just enough flavour to imply something larger but chickening out on actually making anything y’know. concrete. basically allowing the fans to draw their own conclusions. but even then a game like that would not survive cause there have been countless, hundreds of games with high quality and fervent attention to detail and respect for the source material that just died completely because they have such little to actually offer in terms of engagement. i think the main thing that bugs me about tkrb is that it has one of THE most creative, dedicated and strong fanbases of this genre of game who go out of their way to engage with any and all of the content and the devs seem kind of oblivious to this.

in comparison to modern gacha style games, touken ranbu releases barely any new content and frequently recycles content but somehow it’s still relatively popular with approx. 1mil active players daily but the maddening thing is that tkrb can reach much MUCH further. the fans are there, the curiosity is there, it’s just the game content is not fucking there. it does not put the effort into commissioning seasonal art, pushing new events with actual plotline/story content, creating promotional materials, tie-ins etc. but somehow its still in the top 5 comiket circles for nearly five fuckin years straight. here are your badley compiled receipts: c89(w2015), c90(s2016), c91(w2016), c92(s2017), c93(w2017), c94(s2018), c95(w2018), c96(s2019)

 it can launch itself from laughably low in the appstore ratings, hovering in the middle of the 200′s to TOP 30s in the appstore at the flick of a switch. what is this magic button that fucking quadruples revenue and skyrockets your app into the top 50 grossing apps? 3/4 of your characters getting static CGs that you cannot use at all anywhere in the game but will do a powerpoint transition and appear for 5 seconds at login. oh and like a few free mats i guess. and i kid you not it fuckin worked.

wanna know why that worked? it’s cause otherwise characters, especially fan favourites just don’t get anything at all. it’s like most characters outside of the very popular ones rarely get new art, new recollections, new anything outside of their kiwame upgrade which is more often than not years down the line and only recently, four years in, they decided to add alternate costumes but even then there’s a catch which has me feeling some kind of way.

and yes, i fully understand that tkrb is a multi-media franchise, i get that it’s got its fingers in so many pies like the stageplay, musicals, various manga anthologies, the animes, hell its even got live action but man, would it hurt to give some love in game? i’m not asking them to go full fgo route and commission the industry creme de la creme to make 6 full CE illustrations, lots of promo art and tonnes of new merch every single month. but the fact is for such a big franchise, reusing the same sprite art on nearly every piece of official merch, going so far as to add NEW costume art which is just the heads of the old default sprites edited onto new bodies? it screams cost cutting, it screams lazy, the path of minimum effort. it’s almost like the game itself and the original materials are an absolute afterthought at this point with only the most dedicated hanging on to it. i guarantee that the majority of people still playing tkrb are the committed day1 players and the actual rekijou cause it’s just painfully offputting to new fans, with other fans even going out of their way to specify the game is not integral to enjoying the series which sucks, but it’s true.

its a real damn shame to think that something you are so invested in is not particularly invested in itself. sometimes, just sometimes i wish they dev team for tkrb was more hands-on, more adventurous, more willing to listen to players, invest in the game and genuinely try and make the game the best it can be. i’m not asking for balls to the wall summer events, beautiful animated CMs from the likes of the industries best animators, i’m not asking for pages of supplemental lore compiled into books, character backstory novels or whatever i’m just asking for the lore and the characters that we love to sometimes occasionally be remembered in the actual game outside of like ... the two years between their kiwame and the vague possibility of a recollection. i want to feel like this game puts as much effort into itself as the fans do towards it.

it’s a painful truth but there’s one shining light which is that the fandom for tkrb is genuinely one of the most committed and transformative ones ive ever seen. i have never been involved with a fandom that varies so widely and puts in so much effort for these characters and this world. tkrb exists solely as a popular franchise due to the sheer legwork of the fans carrying it on their backs collaboratively. ultimately, tkrb is very very lore-light, there’s so much thats missing and the characters in-game rarely rarely interact with each other. the characters are contained solely in however many voice lines they get at implementation, their kiwame letters, and their updates kiwame lines and the only interaction they get with other swords is recollections or depending on the sword, the odd custom sparring lines.

but despite that there has been so much fan effort to explore everything in so many different varied ways, and amazingly there are certain tropes, relationships, lore etc. that have started off fanon and become canon. the fan community, especially the fanartists, doujins, writers, animators etc. being given a small indulgence by the anime is one of my favourite things about tkrbs relationship with its fanbase. that’s not to say that the fans dont give back in kind a hundred fold.

there’s so much i love about tkrb fans going out of their way to go SEE historical swords in japan, single-handedly reforging swords using crowdfunding and revitalising lots of small-town tourism having real world impact. shit makes me unbelievably happy. the stage plays and musicals are always met with warm reception and are always well attended and even though its hard to access, there are lots of western fans who have dived into a whole new MEDIUM that most of us arent really familiar with but out of their love for tkrb theyve done that. they have hosted the musical as far out as india and france, making tkrb a truly worldwide franchise and there theyve met full seats! as far out as india! then theres the fantranslators, who always have the drive the commitment and energy for the thankless work, the wiki always always is well maintained and they have new content up so fast, and there are so many people willing to help you out. even when crunchyr*ll got hanamaru s2 (i think) a week late and we were left without subs for the premier episode for a whole ass week, fantranslators who had never subbed before stepped up to translate a whole episode for FREE, encoding, subbing and timing it all despite never having done so just so others could understand the episode faster than cr*nchy themselves could. even, as well, it’s made so many history nerds out of a whole bunch of people, it’s created an appreciation for nihontou and japanese history that would otherwise probably never be in their orbit because of how inaccessible it is, especially in english. even on a personal note, i started learning japanese primarily so i could understand tkrb and the history behind it better and to read jp fanart/interact with fanartists.

 no matter what, i am forever warmed by how much i love tkrb and its fanbase and im glad that tkrb is still going strong, even despite itself sometimes and i hope that moving on tkrb tries new things, and becomes better for everyone.

[randomnameless]

Do you think 3H is a critic of various political systems? Feudalism, Meritocracy and Theology?

Answering this old ask because something popped out in the replies of a post -

Just like FE16 is NOT a critic of feudalism, it is not criticising theocracy nor meritocracy.

Of course we, as players, know what can go wrong and/or how fast it can go wrong with those regimes.

But FE isn’t a Civ game, it doesn’t promote a regime over another.

FE, is, at heart, a franchise where good guys almost always have to return to their rightful throne to rightfully rule over randoms who are happy to see them return, because they were mistreated by an evil empire/ an evil sect / an evil dragon.

It has been pointed out regarding FE16, but I remember an earlier discussion we had with friends about Jugdral, FE is irrigated by the “Mandate of Heaven” concept. It is not Louis’s divine right to rule, but the contrary. If the people want you, then you have to be their ruler - fit in those shoes whether you want it or not. Of course the “traditional” Lord wants to fit in those shoes, and be a good ruler to his/her randoms, that is, get rid of Bandits (tm), make sure there are no wars and no asshat who wants to conquer the land.

FE10!Elincia is widely regarded to be a compassionate and a good Queen for Crimea, but Brom and Nephenie (two peasants) do not elect a representative to form a parliamentary house to balance Elincia’s powers. Crimea is a monarchy, yes, and we dgaf about it.

Meritocracy? FE also doesn’t care about it.

One could say Ike earnt his “noble status” in FE9 because of his talent and swordskill but 1/ he ditches it when it’s too much work 2/ he doesn’t care about it 3/ we’re talking about the man who “inherited” his Father’s mercenary company not because of his skill, but because it was his Father’s mercenary company. The only ones who complain are a racist and a skirt chaser so we’re not supposed to take them seriously.

Meritocracy in Jugdral? No, of course not. Absolutely not! Seliph and Leif are destined to rule over people and lands, but through their journey, they have to learn about what it takes to be a good ruler and not fall in the pitfalls of their fathers. Jugdral’s lords (FE lords?) are destined to rule, they can’t decide to fig off, and in Leif’s case, he isn’t the best suited to rule because he isn’t as awesome as other people (or so he thinks!). But the Lord has to pull through and become a good/worthy leader (worthy of the mandate) and usher in his/her ending card an era of peace.

Ephraim learns the lesson in the later half of FE8. Hector does too when Uther kicks the bucket.

I know FE16 tries to paint a certain conflict with meritocracy, just like Ashnard did. But Ashnard turned his brother in law in a mindless beast to mount him, ditched his wife when she couldn’t transform in a dragon and couldn’t give a fuck about his son since he wasn’t OP at birth. We are not supposed to care about Ashnard’s ideals, and even if street rats like Sothe and the Dawn Brigade seem to miss him, they don’t understand who they’re talking about (and the guy is dead!). Reyson shot Ashnard’s ideals in their battle quote. Elincia did too. Sothe (kid?) and the nostalgia surrounding Ashnard is only used to show what Begnion does is awful because people miss the crazy war mongerer, but also, that Tellius Twitter doesn’t exist, so no, Leonardo, Kid!Sothe and Nolan doesn’t know Rajaion isn’t a big wyvern.

However, in FE16, it is raised again as a solution against systemic corruption, but again with this game, the localisation/direction went completely off the rockers.

Localised!Hanneman seems to preach how meritocracy and nobility always sucked because it keeps low-born people down.

However, @garlandgerard pointed out, OG!Hanneman doesn’t judge as harshly nobility. OG!Hanneman strives to be a “good noble”, nobility or what it entailed is not completely rotten to the core, but some people use the concept of “nobility” to, well, be rotten to the core.

Just like Begnion Senators abused their privileges to be slave traders, or marry women against their consent, or kept humans as pets, etc etc. No one in FE10 says the Senate sucks because Senator sucks.

Localised!Hanneman doesn’t reach the same conclusion, because some nobles are asshats, nobility sucks. Judith sucks, not because of her actions, but because she is a noble, unless Judith is one of the “good ones” Hanneman mentions how nobility “often” is used to keep people down - but then goes on dismissing it entirely calling it “nonsense”.

And while part of me just want to say “oh it’s just a localised thing” - it is again another grain of salt in the vase about, say, a localisation team not understanding a game, giving directions completely contrary to its meaning which gives us a half-baked product.

To be clear, I am not saying Meritocracy is the bestest thing ever, or it sucks, not am I saying Empires are cool and/or monarchy is OP.

What I’m saying is, FE doesn’t give a crap about political regimes.

The only mention that could be made is about merchant republics, who are always shat on in the franchise, but that’s all.

[randomnameless]

Needing that evening salt

While I thank @nilsh13 for giving me the link to that interview.

I was like “prepare for a ton of salt, take your lemons”  however, I’ve kind of mellowed out a bit because the VA seems to be a really nice person -

and I’ve read the Toyonaga interview recently.

Sometimes, the VA are allowed to interpret the character in a certain way that fits with what the game developpers more or less intended (granted they are the same guys who didn’t hire a continuity guy so...), and sometimes, it fails because direction sucks, because lenses are given and doesn’t match with the content you’re adaptating.

As a result, we have Jp!Rhea and lolcalised!Rhea.

i wonder if inoue will ever make an interview one day about 3H but I doubt it

We start with the infamous 

“You don’t have to try it so much (to be the calm and composed person), Rhea doesn’t try, she just is - The essence of Rhea is enough”

Pat no :’(

But... Rhea isn’t calm and composed, Rhea is emotional, pretty much, she’s a bubble waiting to burst and she tries to be calm and composed and keep a facade (more on that later) but, I feel like the “Rhea doesn’t try she just is” might be the reason why lolcalised!Rhea feels detached during certain events, when Aelfric’s attempted Nabatean homonculi Transmutation backfires, when Kikuko Inoue nails the sense of sadness and dread because, uh, a man she just said she saw as her own child basically died here to become a grotesque monster and attempted to replicate her own mistakes. 

Rhea tries to be a calm and composed person, she managed to keep up appearances for, apparently, 1000 years, but Rhea is also emotional as fuck.

But... This is where everything falls apart.

“You were given the direction - paraphrasing - to channel your inner Dumbledore?”

It’s safe to assume most people can draw parallels to “Three Houses and Harry Potter”

And Leigh falls in the biggest trap, trying to “play the game and figure out who is who” because, while I think someone replied to an earlier post about the parallel (i’m really sorry when i finally had time to reply 2 weeks had passed and i didn’t want to necropost), but I still firmly disagree, and truth to be told, this is, in a way, what I was afraid of when 3H was announced.

FE is a series that loves to reference itself, so when it was announced that the next game would be set in a school, and Bernie and Dorothea were previewed I grew really afraid that the game was going to have the typical “North American High School AU” and none of the “Fire Emblem” series. We had the recluse, Sylvain appeared to be the frat boy, I was expecting the cheerleader, Ignatz to be the nerd etc etc.

With the HP thing, and “trying to see who is who”, I feel like the localisation team and the VA were trying to look at the game with a special - tailored by them for their own use - lens. I will not say “western” lens, but they were trying to look for things that just... aren’t?

Yes, 3H took inspiration from the latest behemoth who was trending at that time, but it wasn’t HP, it was ASOIAF. 

And even then, it is only a flair and a colour scheme. 

If Edel isn’t enough, the Golden Deer, with its specific color scheme immediately calls back to the Baratheon sigil (a black stag on a field of gold, when the Golden Deer is a deer... on a field of gold). House Lannister and Arryn are reversed, the Lion isn’t associated to the Red House but to the Blue one, and the Eagle (actually the Arryn sigil is a falcon) leaves the Moon to the Blue House and lands in the Red House. And the Ashen Wolves are... grey wolves on a white field, like this house. IS managed to take animals from traditional european heraldry, but with the colors and the specific animals picked? It’s hard to deny the ASOIAF nod.

Hubert calls the mole people snakes, but it is his own nickname, the death cult has its own name, Agarthans. They never use a snake of their banner, nor refer to themselves as such.

Bar the aesthetics? 

IS wanted the monastery to be a nod to FE Jugdral’s Barahra Royal Academy, a place where, apparently, heirs of various nations could study together and form lasting friendships, which were supposed to prevent wars (or at least made former alumnis of said academy sad to fight against each other).

But because FE Jugdral wasn’t released overseas, and someone didn’t do their homework about the series (when Toyonaga is a big fan of the Jugdral saga), the monastery, and its academy, was linked to... HP.

Rhea isn’t Dumbledore. Rhea is an amalgation of Gotoh - the mentor who guides you - and, twist, of Tiki! 

If Seteth doubted Billy’s abilities, it is tied to their own nature as a self-insert, Fred doubted Robin when they first met, but then mellowed out. Or, without the avatar angle, when Greil trusts Ike, and later on, Titania, Shinon doubts him until the end (or until you recruit him).

So with a blurred lens, it is no wonder why localised!Rhea is so different from Inoue!Rhea. 

Then Leigh continues on with the interview, noting how insecure she is, irl, and how Rhea helped her realise that “sometimes I don’t need to try to be someone else to fit it, it’s okay to just be myself” ...

:/

How can the direction give this impression of Rhea to her VA when Rhea, her character, is the complete opposite? 

Rhea tries to be someone else, she laments about it, she cannot be herself, she has to put on a facade and make careful choices and pick certain words as an archbishop, Rhea has to anonymously ask how to tell people she doesn’t like hot tea because she is afraid of hurting feelings, she wants to socialise with people but cannot due to her station and the role she has. Rhea has to pretend to be a guide and a leader to her people, when she only wants her Mother to return to assume this role she thinks she is butchering.

So, doubling Rhea should actually have the opposite effect, Rhea cannot “just be (her)self”! or maybe it’d be an advice Leigh gives to Rhea, the character?

So if you take the blurred lens coupled with the tragic direction given, Rhea’s depth is erased. She is instead turned into the scary fanatic who never emotes, save to raeg, and only wants to rez her mom.

Cute moment though, even if the topic is one I disagree on, where, talking about Rhea’s temper, Leigh says she wouldn’t want to encounter her when she’s stuck in traffic :) (lbr we all know Rhea would pull out the wings and reactor of her DeLorean and fly over everyone, without Billy though, she cannot time travel)

Tl; dr : Imposing doesn’t mean frightening, Leigh and the interviewer watched too much DBZ and ASOIAF (rather, GOT) was the “western” behemoth referenced in FE16, not HP. 

The other referenced behemoth was... well, a small series called Fire Emblem.

As always, I’m more willing to cut some slack for the VAs because the industries is more recent than the one in Japan, and/or roles weren’t directed the same way (do you know the guy who dubs Morgan Freeman in Wonder France also dubs the voice talking during Uncle Ben’s ads? Or Bruce Willis is in Martin Mystery?)

But the Directors? No. Games have been imported and translated/localised for several decades now, you can’t pull a “4Kids” anymore on content you do not understand or do not wish to understand, and butchering a character (or misunderstand a character that much) shouldn’t have happened in 2019. 

Dub is nice, when it exists, but for now, I’m still going to stick to Sub.