#but the overall quality compared to the one i did last week is just so poor

[notasapleasure]

Me, thinking the short article on Norse poetry will be a little treat just for me to copy edit this morning:

Me, rapidly realising it's a hot mess full of incorrect names and bad referencing:

Me, looking up the author:

PROFESSOR ????

[loiseau-lyre]

Did you watch the atla live action and if yes, did you like it?

Hello,

Yes, I saw it, and I actually watched the latest episode last night. So your question comes at the right time!

Overall, I have a fairly neutral impression. I don't find it bad, nor do I find it stunning. There are some pleasant surprises and moments that let me a bit perplex regarding the narrative choices, which I will elaborate on.

First of all, I'm quite pleased with the casting. I found the actors to be convincing for most of them, especially considering they don't have long experience.

The special effects seemed a bit cheap to me compared to what the numerous trailers had led us to believe, and the lighting is rather poor. It's too obvious that it's shot in a studio. I found some of the choreography awkward, for example, during one of Azula's training sessions when she fights an earthbending prisoner and defends herself with a leaping kick. It looked like someone was throwing a panicked cat in front of them and I almost barked out laughing!

Regarding the plot, I initially enjoyed it but gradually began to doubt the decision to merge several episodes into one. The action unfolds a bit too fast to my taste and the characters passed by without us really having time to feel attached to them . It feels like Aang, Sokka, and Katara met three days ago at the end of the season, which doesn't make Katara's rapid progress very believable. I understand she's prodigious, but the fact that she becomes a master in just a few weeks thanks to a scroll and some silly and dubious advice from Jet isn't very credible.

I was a bit upset that Aang never tries to waterbend in 8 episodes, not even once, and doesn't try to encourage Katara to fight against the outdated traditions defended by Pakku, although his intentions (protecting his friends and preventing them from fighting) are understandable. They eventually gave this role to Sokka, which didn't bother me. I know many fans objected to the authors removing Sokka's sexism. That's not the only thing that changed about him. The new Sokka is imbued with much more responsibility and shows a maturity that we didn't see in the original show. Here, I say, why not? Although I sometimes miss Sokka's jokes.

I'm tired of secondary characters who seem to be there to amuse the audience while enhancing the other characters great qualities. Not that Sokka is that simplist in the cartoon but still...

Momo is ugly. As well as Appa. But I won't dwell on it. It's a matter of fact.

Aang is quite convincing but a bit too serious compared to the one we knew. However, it makes sense given his backstory.

Let's move on to my favorite part: the Fire Nation! I'm absolutely convinced by this new Iroh, and I totally share June's opinion: he's si cute. I want him to bé my uncle! I like that they accentuated his grandfatherly side and his relationship with Zuko, which is very touching. They still managed to maintain some ambiguity in him during the scene where he shows no remorse when an earthbender who captured him conducts his "trial."

I really liked all the scenes with Zuko, which respect the original character while adding more humanity to him. Making him the captain of the division he wanted to save from the general's Machiavellian plans was a good addition imo.

Zhao annoyed me much of the time, but I never liked this character who, for me, does nothing but delay Azula's appearance. Making him Azula's pawn was interesting, however, even though I sometimes found him a bit ridiculous and unbelievable and Azula's intentions seem unclear sometimes.

I am absolutely under new Ozai's charm, and it's not just about his abs (although...), but this new, more nuanced and manipulative version of the character makes me want to explore him in a whole new light and change his role a bit from what I usually assign him in my fics.

Finally, let's finish this review with my favorite of all time: Azula! I obviously love the fact she appears in the first season and the background given to her, a brilliant foreshadowing for the breakdown that inevitably awaits her. You feel the writers saw her potential as a redeemable vilain and I'm here for that. I wish there were flashbacks of her past and how her relationship with Zuko deteriorated and was once. I appreciated that she doesn't smirk when her brother is burned but her eyes shine with unshed tears insteaf. I love that we are able feel the pressure and terror Ozai inspires in her. Even though I had doubts at first, the actress plays the range of emotions that the princess experiences very well, and I think it was a good choice, even if she is physically quite different from what I imagine. (But I don't want to get into that territory).

Yet I regret that they reinforced Azula's "power-hungry" side that much, and I hope they will nuance this aspect of her character in the upcoming seasons. Especially to maintain her ambiguity and the complexity of her relationship with Zuko. Needless to say, if there isn't an adaptation of the episodes "The Beach" or "The Awakening," I'll make a scandal. Similarly, Zuko better show love and kindness towards her in the end and not be the insensitive jerk who gets rid of her without a word about the fate he reserved for her!

I liked that they didn't make Azula a simple prodigy but showed how hard she worked to get there. It was nice to have Mai and Ty Lee to convey Azula's feelings, but their role is totally static, to the point that it's a bit caricatural. Speaking about them: There's a problem with Ty Lee's costume and hairstyle, which are great for a cartoon but very unconvincing in real life! But the actress who plays Ty Lee seems perfect for the role!

So, that's my review. I'm pretty happy with what I saw, and I also think there are enough negative points to know that if something displeases me in this adaptation, I'll be able to distance myself. So, I don't feel uncomfortable.

Thanks for your question, and I'd like to know your own point of view!

[khaotungsfirst]

khaotungsfirst’s 2023 BL recap

Alright, I know I'm late but it’s the time of the year again where I post my favorite BLs of the year even though no one cares about my opinion lmao. Buckle up cause this is gonna be long...

Top Thai BLs

I Feel You Linger In The Air

What a breath of fresh air this was! Not only was the romance top-notch, I was also really invested in the plot and what was happening to other characters. The wlw sideplot felt natural and not shoehorned in and was what we all deserved. I'm just so happy to have experienced this masterpiece!!

Only Friends

Came for SandRay, stayed for BostonNick (and SandRay). Though it had its ups and downs I can't help but love it. There was so much messy drama that I was LIVING for every single week and experiencing that along with the rest of BL tumblr was the best thing. We desperately need more shows like this in the BL world.

Laws of Attraction

Ridiculous SFX could not deter me from loving this show. It's dramatic, it's over the top and it's ridiculous at times but it's crime so of course I liked it. Bonus points for cutting from the villain being killed in prison straight to the main couple's wedding. We love to see it!

Top Korean BLs

Our Dating Sim

This was my last watch of the year when I was looking for something that I could squeeze in without many expectations. How could I have guessed that it would turn out to be my favorite Korean BL of the year? Though the story is nothing new or groundbreaking, I enjoyed the main actors chemistry so so much. Korean BLs, to me, often feel a little stiff but they managed to make it feel so real and easy, I loved it.

The Eighth Sense

Oh, this was something else... High quality cinematography and high-quality story-telling. In the end I went into it with expectations that were too high to meet but still, such a touching BL that will definitely move you (maybe even to tears).

Why R U? (KR)

A show held together by three pieces of duct tape but enjoyable nonetheless. I don't think it's comparable to its Thai original. Yes, the plot is more or less the same but you gotta see it as its own thing. I do love me a panicked gay/confident gay pairing so it already had me from there. And let's talk about the kisses cause !!!

Top Japanese BLs

Tokyo in April is…

Friends to lovers my beloved!!! The PINING, the ACHING, the YEARNING! YEARS OF IT!! How can I not love it? Yes, this was a bit of a heavier BL but it was done SO WELL and the payoff from all the trauma was so satisfying.

My Personal Weatherman

What can I say? Japan just knows how to do it. In any other show the miscommunication between the mains would be annoying as hell. But the chemistry between these two was just off the charts. Nothing more to say.

I Cannot Reach You

Friends to lovers my beloved!!! the sequel. This time less traumatising but just as sweet and moving. A cute and innocent watch.

Top Taiwanese BLs

Kiseki: Dear to Me

The way I IMMEDIATELY knew ChenAi were gonna be my new hyperfixation as soon as I saw them in episode 1... They just have that je ne sais quoi, that special 'make me fall to the floor and bite my fist' quality to them. BZY and FZR also had their insane moments and in combination with everything that ChenAi were doing this show just hit the right spot. Can't wait to rewatch it.

Stay by My Side

Was it ridiculous? Yes. Was it cute tho? Also yes. Nothing I would rewatch but it did make me laugh a lot so there's that.

Top Chinese “BL”

Stay With Me

It’s not like we have much of a selection regarding Chinese BLs (cries in when will Eternal Faith, Immortaily and Winner is King be released from the dungeons?) but HOLY SHIT did they deliver with this one. I didn't know this was specifially made for international release when I went into it so I was in for a few surprises here and there. And I'm gonna say it: it's better than Addicted Heroin. The way their love story developed just has me screaming internally I LOVE THEM SO MUCHHHHH!!!

Top 3 overall

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Stay With Me

I Feel You Linger In The Air

Top pre-2023 BLs (that I watched in 2023)

The Eclipse (2022)

Can you believe that I only just joined the FirstKhao nation this year? I completely skipped this show last year NOT KNOWING what a masterpiece I missed out on. Finally a highschool BL with a capital P Plot! And the enemies to lovers was so so good!!! AkkAyan you will always be famous!

Love Mechanics (2022)

I'm not a fan of cheating stories at all but DEAR GOD these two!!! It's the YinWar magic that pulled me in and will never let me go. The constant back and forth did get a bit annoying at some point but I won't complain when we also got things like the shower scene...

Roommates of Poongduck 304 (2022)

Can ZB1 disband faster so Jiwoong can return to BL acting please? I jest, I jest... kinda. I loved the relationship dynamic in this one so much because they both held power over the other (and both were petty bitches about it lmao).

My Gear and Your Gown (2020)

The girls that get it get it, the girls that don't don't :) Falling for MarcPawin during Dangerous Romance and THEN realising that they're the mains for this show immediately put it on top of my watchlist and I'm not ashamed to say I liked it. It's very 2020 but sometimes that's all you need.

Favorite currently airing BLs

I did not want to consider these for the final rankings because they’re still airing and could theoretically still pull a Game of Thrones S7 on us but I have really high hopes for them.

Cherry Magic

HELLO???!?!? I LOVE ACHI SO F U CK ING MUCHHHH!!! And the way Karan is in love with him so gently and so deeply I- AAAAAHHHHHH. This is gonna be my new obsession I can feel it!!

Last Twilight

At first I didn't even plan on watching this because I didn't think JimmySea were a pairing I would enjoy (Vice Versa has been on hold for over a year lol). But GODDAMN did they prove me wrong! So soft, so precious... P'Aof you did it again!

The Sign

What a hodgepodge of genres... One second you're chasing a murderer, the next you're having sex fantasies about your coworker and then you're having visions about your past life with your soulmate (who is also said coworker). Love it!

Most disappointing BLs

Be Mine Superstar

I was so excited for a new JaFirst series as I really enjoyed Don't Say No, and Remember Me didn't quite quench my thirst. But this... if this was a BL then why did we spend SO MUCH TIME on the beef between the agents?? Shit was annoying af. Moreover, I really could not deal with Ja's character. I know a lot of people liked his innocent puppy-like behaviour but it was just too much for me. The only redeemable thing was the side pairing but even that turned into a hot mess quite quickly. Had to drop this at some point after I started watching it on 1.5 speed and realized that I'm torturing myself.

Low Frequency

Exciting concept but stiff acting and a plot that dragged on. Dropped halfway through.

Bon Appetit

It's not bad but just straight up boring. I finished it but it didn't leave any lasting impressions. I know you can do better, Korea...

Most anticipated QLs of 2024

Vampire Project (BOUNPREM VAMPIRE BL!!! I CAN DIE HAPPY ONCE THIS IS FINALLY ON MY SCREEN)

Jack & Joker (War finally getting his villain role let's fucking goooo)

IFYLITA Season 2 (PLEASE GOD MAKE IT HAPPEN P L E A S E also special ep WHEN????)

Spare Me Your Mercy (i will always be a slut for crime BLs)

23.5 Degrees (give it to us!!! LET US INNNN!!!)

My Love Mix-Up TH (istg if gmmtv doesn't learn from this whole cherry magic debacle...)

Eyes on you (even more spy/mafia/crime BL yes and thank you!)

Uranus 2324 (the production?? the story?? the cinematography??? I need it NOW)

Red Peafowl (this is either gonna be really bad or really good and I'm curious to see which one it's gonna be)

(I had Stay With Me S2 on this list until it was announced as cancelled on Jan 1st 😭😭 I wil never recover)

2023 Superlatives

Most iconic intro: Only Friends (long live First's thighs)

Quickest drop: Middleman’s Love (i was rooting for you Jade!)

Best supporting character: Tin's grandma - Laws of Attraction (sweetest lil supportive grandma who didn't deserve any of this)

Best Worst character: Jaewon's girlfriend - The Eighth Sense (I think this is the only bitchy ex-gf of the entire year and I'm glad about it)

Best side pairing: ChenAi - Kiseki: Dear to Me (do they even count as a side pairing anymore? If not then I'd go with GuyNawa - Dangerous Romance)

Best could have been if the writers wanted us to: NameSaifah - Dangerous Romance (no it was NOT enough!)

Biggest green flag: Win - Between Us (asking for consent is so sexyyy) / Yai - IFYLITA (he's the softest, most caring boy who's so so in love)

Biggest red flag (affectionate): Hira - Utsukushii Kare (my boy highkey needs therapy but Kiyoi wouldn't want it any other way so we'll let it slide) / Lom - Wedding Plan (the way he went about things was... questionable but I understand his reasoning behind it so I can't hate him)

Biggest red flag (derogatory): Boeing - Only Friends (bro just wanted to fuck with - literally and metaphorically - every and anyone and I respect that but dude...)

Most iconic kiss: Lee Won/Ji Oh - Why R U? KR (this was so fucking unexpected but they ate and left absolutely no crumbs)

Most iconic makeout scene: YangJai - Love in Translation (IN A GROCERY STORE?? FINGERS IN MOUTH??!)

Most iconic sex scene: TopBoston - Only Friends (oohhh the DRAMA of it all… truly gagged everyone with this)

Best unhinged horny scene: Jom - IFYLITA (I will never be able to look at massage oil without thinking about this...)

Best gays on a bike scene: Stay With Me (like… facing each other…. grinning at each other.... give me a minute)

Newest addition to the poor lil meow meow collection: Ai Di - Kiseki: Dear to Me (my feral murder kitten I LOVE YOU SO MUUUUUUCHHH)

And there we have it! What a year it's been... I can't wait for 2024 to be just as wonderful, unhinged, crazy and amazing. If you've read until this point I wanna thank you for enduring all that and also for supporting me and my edits throughout this year. Whether we're moots or not I truly appreciate every single person that interacts with me on this hellsite 🫶❤️

[nikrei]

May Comics Round Up!

I didn't think I got all that much read this month, but it looks like there's a decent amount!

Swamp Thing (71-90) (1988-1990)

Swamp Thing tells a good story as always, and is delightfully messed up in many ways. Intertwined a bit with the start of Hellblazer at this point, so read them together!

The Demon (1-4) (1987)

Missed this mini last month, so grabbed it this time around. A pretty good sequel to the 70s run, and ends with Etrigan kissing Blood on the mouth as they break up, so I think it's a success.

Invasion Event (1-8 + all tie-ins) (1989)

This is a fun event! It is also where the term 'meta-human' originates, so check it out if you wanna get that history.

New Guardians (6-12) (1989)

Sort of a mediocre run overall. Definitely groundbreaking, but you can tell that the guy with the vision left after the first couple of issues (because dc wouldn't let him be as progressive as he wanted to be with the story). Makes me wonder if Tom continues to be a fully enlightened being when he shows up in GL issues after this (if he doesn't they're all cowards)

Plastic Man (1-4) (1988-1989)

A fun gag comic mini. Good for an intro to the character, and it's neat how each issue starts with detailed "serious" comic art that then becomes v stylized and fun.

The Spectre (21-31) (1989)

Oh boy did this go places in the finish. The first half of this run has an entirely different vibe then the second half and neither of them really do it for me.

Dr. Fate (1-14) (1988-1989)

Look the new Dr Fate is sooo wierd, they are just wildly going places with this whole thing. Old Lord of Order Nabu is now a grumpy couch potato, the new Dr Fate duo have no idea what they're doing and consist of a kid that's been aged up to adulthood and his v young stepmom, and also they are soulmates. No idea where they at gonna go with this after they've killed Eric off.

Hellblazer (1-26) (1988-1990)

I like this one a lot, as serious titles go. It really is amusing the difference between Constantine in this title and in Swamp Thing. In his own title he struggles to travel around England, hitchhiking and train hopping and the like, compared to how he's jetsetting around the world in Swamp Thing.

The Question (Annual 2-33) (1989)

The Question is always quality, and also Shiva showed back up!! Many things happen, and also Hub City is literally the worst. Gotham and Bloodhaven think that they are the worst but it is 100% Hub City sorry guys.

Action Comics Weekly (609-641) (1988-1989)

Or at least the bits that were Black Canary/Dead Man/Phantom Stranger/Nightwing/Speedy/The Demon/Phantom Lady (i am not immune to the power of tits okay). These little stories were all really fun, and super easy to miss if you don't have a reading list to follow (I was following a Roy list, then backed up to catch the Dinah stories story) However, the Demon story there at the end had Jason and Etrigan back together already, so I looked up a reading list for him and discovered:

Cosmic Odyssey (1-4) (1988)

Read this to find out how Etrigan and Jason got back together. I love the fourth world. I have many things to say about it and I have written out some of that already. Jim Starlin is my enemy.

Secret Origins (26-38) (1988-1989)

Catching up on folks changed backstories for the post crisis era pretty much

Green Arrow (14-16) (1989)

Only just got started on Arrow at the end of the month! I'll read more now!

Bonus: weeks 5-9 of the Comic Kon superboy reading club! We've finally made it to the Superboy solo! But boy, does that start off getting caught in every big event around, the extra credit has to work hard!

[thekaijudude]

Blazar isn't over yet but I feel that the plot here is one of the worst. Even Trigger had a more consistent plot

Agreed tbh

Tho the actual issue with Blazar that I have (and I can sense that we're on the same page here) is that this is basically following the early Heisei formula, which are episodic seasons where theres not much focus on an overall plot.

Personally, while I did grow up with the Showa and Heisei series, I always wanted the series to focus on the Ultra itself, in terms of treating it as an actual character with dialogue, actively contributing to plot development etc, rather than being basically a plot device. Which is why I prefer the New Gen series (And im literally just rewatching them while Blazar is airing cause its boring af)

So its not really the issue of Blazar having a bad overall plot, its just that the focus of the series from the get-go was it to be a episodic season. And I wouldnt really say that the plot is bad, but just too basic. Even Taguchi outright said this that Blazar has a simple plot.

But to us that are focused on continuity of how one episode leads to the next, yeah Blazar is really bad. Like compared with the other seasons where each week im actively looking forward to watching the next episode to see how the plot develops after new revelations have been made in the previous episodes, I literally actively procrastinate from watching Blazar episodes cause I know nothing substantial is gonna happen anyways.

Tho on the other hand, the second thing I look for in a series are the quality of the fight scenes. Which was definitely a disappointment because I honestly expected to see an improvement from Z. And while it too had a pretty simple plot, Z's fight scenes then was essentially the peak of the franchise. But Blazar fell short in this department. But then again, this could all be part of Taguchi's plan to make Blazar a more "realistic" series.

I dont vibe with that decision either based on what it turned out but hey, at least its finally ending lol

Of course not to say that its totally bad tho, because we do have highlights like Niji, Brood Gevalka, introduction of M421 (however little) etc

But overall, I'd give Blazar a 4/10. Completely unmotivated and uninterested to watch most of the episodes, might put it at 3/10 which would make it the same tier as RB which I actively hated how the plot turned out but I dont think Blazar, as boring as it is, is THAT bad (so maybe 3.5? Stay tuned for the final review after the last episode). But at least they did remove cringe content (only cringe I rmb might be the washing machine scene?) so at least thats an improvement?

Movie dosent seem interesting either since there's neither new forms nor crossover

All we can do is hope that Arc would return to the usual New Gen formula

[silvertsundere]

Silver Talks AniManga (17/09/23)

turns out we actually got jump today after all let's go babyyyyyy also one more new series in this serialization round next week but it's about ice skating so not super interested, but we'll see how it is

blue - finale/completed green - new series/new to me

Anime

Atelier Ryza Ep12 (Finale)

nice and chill finale for a chill anime. no sequel announced or hinted at so I guess that was the point of them adding that plotline with empel and lila hunting down the philuscha monster thing. anime was nothing to write home about, the animation was serviceable and never really dipped in quality because of that, the music was from the game so it was good and the voice acting was good as well. some episodes felt really slow but it just be like that when you're adapting a JRPG let alone an atelier one lol. I enjoyed it overall anyway, ryza is super cute and I love her so this anime was basically just an excuse for me to indulge myself in her cuteness for 20 minutes. they also had a lot of klaudia ryza moments which I greatly appreciate. if you've never played the game and want to know if this is a good introduction/starting point.. you should just play the game. you don't really get anything out of this you wouldn't out of the game and you get the whole story instead of just like half of it.

Pokemon Horizons Ep22

nice and action filled episode for once with the return of the original villains and the appearance of this pink chicken. I thought it was p funny moltres is another of the ancient party members since the other is shiny ray and the arboliva which isn't legendary but we'll see how the rest of the party is. also the episode ended on a cliffhanger and I thought that was fucked up since the anime is gonna be on break 2 weeks between cours but that's apparently only next week tehe

Manga

Do Retry Ch19 (Finale)

nice final chapter for do retry, 18 felt a lot like a finale too but this one was a timeskip, all the way to present day, following aozora's grandkid, him going to his funeral and learning about his past. as for the series overall it was...ok. it started with a good impression with some strong art fruit of the author's previous assistant work for matsui but the quality wasn't consistent. the story felt alright at first but as soon as MMA entered the magazine you could really see the gap in their quality. ofc it's not that fair to compare a newcomer to a veteran but still. and then came the cancelation which made the story speed up even more which didn't help it either making it end up as a pretty weak series. I'd say the author could do a better job on their next series but I think they'd be better suit to do some more assistant work for a bit before trying again, but hey I'd rather read another do retry than ichinose so it's not all bad.

Kagurabachi Ch1

hey that was pretty good, I liked it a lot more than mamayuyu last week. the art looked serviceable during the downtime scenes but I really liked how the action looked. also, as is known, I'm a huge slut for swords so having a katana based series like this is like a treat, just for me :). not much to say about the story since they didn't really reveal much either, seems like a standard fare revenge story but we'll see how it goes.

Kaiju 8 Ch93

the hoshina fight is finally over, it was a lot longer than I expected considering the others but it was VERY cool I've always liked hoshina since he's a Swordsman™ and this fight really showed how cool he is. was pogging out my gourd when he went santouryuu. only 2 more fights left now til we get the big climax one with hibino

MamaYuyu Ch2

oh hey would you look at that, I guessed it right last week and their world is getting invaded by demons. we'll see next week how the action goes cause it'll be mc's first time fighting. also gonna take some more time to get used to the weird paneling but it had some neat ones like chap 1 again

Blue Box Ch117

great chap, not only did taiki get his first major w but we also had this cute moment with him saying natsu's name without the honorific

Martial Master Asumi Ch13

great chap too, nito's first official fight started off with a bang and we finally got to see his long teased super move. ofc the next fights won't be so easy but that makes me look forward to them more

[novel-sugar]

So it’s been roughly a week since I finished all the currently available chapters of Dark Deception, and I felt like leaving my thoughts! Gonna be going in chronological order so let’s begin with:

Monkey Business

This level was definitely a strong start for the game. I remember back when the original demo in 2014 came out, so it felt really cool to see the hotel and the Murder Monkeys now in a higher quality. It serves as a good introduction to the main gist of the gameplay: you collect shards and avoid monsters. The difficulty isn’t too bad even without the insane powers you’ll get later on, but it certainly isn’t easy neither. Overall great way to begin this twisted tale!

Elementary Evil

Coupled with Monkey Business, this level also serves as a great introduction, but this time to the gimmick of powers and Malak as an active threat. This level was definitely a lot easier than the first, probably since Agatha is the only real threat for most of it. Fuck that semifinal chase though. Agatha as a whole is adorable in a weird way, found her gremlin shenanigans very fun. Really gotta give props to Kat Cressida for such an energetic performance!

Deadly Decadence

Fuck this level. Plain and simple. Another “tutorial level�� (and one of my least favorites). This one introduces stage hazards and hoo boy they couldn’t have picked a more annoying scenario to place them in. The hedge maze in Zone 1 isn’t the worst and can be done easily as long as you’re not careless, but Zone 2 is just frustrating to say the least and Teleportation just didn’t feel like the right power up to introduce here. All in all not impossible, but it took me forever first time I played. The difficulty spike was like slamming into a brick wall during a joyride.

Stranger Sewers

Fuck this level but to a much lesser degree than Deadly Decadence. The last of the “tutorials”, here we’re introduced to enemies that can stun with the Dread Duckies. Needless to say, teleportation really showed it’s worth here due to the sewer water slowing you down in certain areas. Still had my fair share of deaths (many of which were frustrating) but compared to the previous level not nearly as infuriating. The final chase sequence with Doom Ducky was definitely the highlight of this level and really cool, overall this level was ok just wish it was more interesting aesthetically.

Crazy Carnevil

This is where the game really picked up for me, I was already enjoying myself for the most part but the introduction of the Primal Fear ability was a godsend. On top of that, the areas introduced in this level were much more colorful and diverse than in Stranger Sewers so it felt super refreshing. The Clown Gremlins weren’t the hardest enemy to deal with but still not to be underestimated, especially once you get to the Funhouse.  All in all a good level, not my favorite but a nice breath of fresh air from the chaos of Levels 3 and 4.

Torment Therapy

This level was pretty short and to compensate, they had a LOT of shards to collect. Telepathy and Primal Fear really had their work cut out for them whenever the Reaper Nurses were cloaked. The Reaper Nurses themselves have cool designs and it felt surreal hearing Tara Strong in an indie horror game (something I’d get use to for the rest of the game) Overall this level was alright but it could get a little grating at times, the overall map design was alright but nothing too special but I did love the foreshadowing for certain details we learn in the next level. The Matron boss fight was pretty cool but felt very slow paced compared to the previous bosses, a lot of waiting around for the Reaper Nurses to climb up and stun. If there’s one major gripe I’ve had while trying to S rank this level, the beginning goes on for way too long and after several attempts it just gets annoying. Really hope they can add a way to skip ahead to the actual gameplay in a future patch.

Mascot Mayhem

This level was actually the reason I got interested in the game in the first place. Ever since I began, I had been anticipating this level right from the get go, biding my time waiting until I could play it and by God did it deliver. The Joy Joy Gang were such fun characters (especially Penny) and could be a real bitch to deal with at certain points. I only wish that the other zones just had us unlocking different areas of the park instead of just going inside an office building and a factory, felt like a big missed opportunity. Zone 2 was definitely annoying with 2 of Hangry roaming around, especially when Vanish didn’t feel like working. Joykill was pretty alright, not the most interesting design wise but a tough boss nonetheless. The true highlights of this level for me were Best Girl ™️ Penny, Tara Strong must’ve had a field day voicing her, so hyperactive sweet and bloodthirsty all at the same time! Also the story revelations at the end of the level (after a delightful beating from the JJG).

Bearly Buried

Holy hell this level is good. Absolutely one of my favorites for a multitude of reasons: 1) The first area mixing it up by taking our powers away after getting so used to having them by this point. 2) The general vibe and area design are all so good especially Zones 1 & 3. 3) EVERYTHING ABOUT MAMA BEAR. She’s so cute yet so menacing! Once again Tara Strong brings some impeccable VO work, giving her this nice balance of monotone and motherly. Also her themes are honestly some of if not the absolute creepiest in the entire soundtrack so far. Abso-fucking-lutely on par with Penny for being my favorite character. Like with Joy Joy Land, I kinda wish they got a little more creative with the later zones but that’s just a nitpick. Out of all the boss encounters, I actually think the final confrontation with Mama was the most difficult for me, but trial and error is an effective teacher. All in all a fun time that leaves me thirsty for more.

Closing Thoughts: Overall a good game! It’s definitely not for everyone but I feel like a lot of people can get some enjoyment out of it. One thing I haven’t mentioned that I feel should be addressed is the amount of bugs that are currently present in this game (especially in the last 3 levels), but that’s a whole other conversation and I still managed to have fun regardless. If you have $20, a weekend without plans and the slightest interest, I’d say give this game a go! As for me? Now begins the agonizing wait for Chapter 5 and the epic conclusion it’ll bring.

[bungakusyoujo]

Zettai Karen Children final thoughts

I read the entirety of the manga in about three weeks, and enjoyed it very much. It’s been a while since I last read a manga that was so consistently high-quality (for the most part, at least). I have a few minor complaints, but overall, this was unexpectedly a very well-written, captivating story.

The good:

The art. It starts off as simple "retro" style, but considering that the manga ran for over 15 years, it's not surprising that it eventually evolved into something much more polished and impressive. Comparing the first chapters to the later ones, I still think both styles are good-looking and distinctive.

The manga is obviously very long and depicts the main cast in three major stages of their lives, yet there are no actual time skips. You watch the characters grow in real time, which allows for very natural development.

Another thing I liked is the pacing, particularly how the plot is comprised of smaller independent stories which are marked by common titles. While the overarching story arc definitely exists, dividing it in such a manner keeps the story digestible and not overly info heavy per chapter. (This is less prevalent in the final story arc, which I will address later.)

The characters. Almost every single one of them is likeable, believable and interesting; their psychology also feels very convincing, particularly the depictions of trauma. The main cast is charismatic and nicely developed, while side characters stay relevant throughout the story. The author often draws from known tropes and archetypes, but still manages to give his characters distinguishing qualities that make them stand out.

The comedy. It’s not easy to make me giggle, let alone laugh out loud, but this manga did both on frequent occasions.

The fanservice is not too much in your face and doesn't distract from what's happening. Most of it is focused on female characters, but it’s also worth noting that the manga doesn’t shy away from showing shirtless men.

The bad:

Towards the end of the manga I noticed an increasing amount of repeated panels, namely closeup panels being copied from other bigger panels. They appeared up to a few times per chapter, which I don't think should be happening to this extent (or at all, preferably), though I can imagine the reasons why the author resorted to that solution (deadlines, most likely).

Spin-off characters (Andy and Yuugiri) received really weird treatment. Their mother story, "the UNLIMITED", requires no prior knowledge of the ZKC manga, yet if someone was to read the last arc without watching "the UNLIMITED" first, I feel like they'd be very confused with the Blue Star Foundation. It gets even worse that the organisation and its members have very little impact on the manga story, which is SUCH A SHAME. It could have been a great opportunity to expand on these characters after rather poor development they received in the spin-off (yes, they were main characters and I still feel like they got nerfed by a bad script). The Foundation should have their own IMPACTFUL story arc. If you aren't going to do that, why put them in the manga in the first place? They contributed nothing. (Let me guess, Andy was a very popular character as reflected by the popularity polls, so they wanted to spike up the sales?)

Related to what I said earlier about the pacing, the final arc suffers from changing the formula at some point. It drags for too long before we finally get to the bad guy. If the main villain is supposed to feel threatening, we should have more story related to him than just a few glimpses (it was well executed in the second arc where Gilliam had enough screentime to be interesting, but for some reason the final arc neglected him in favour of having him brainwash everyone, so most of the time is spent on fighting the brainwashed allies instead of the actual enemy).

That one time every main character got a nice summary of their role while Aoi got reduced to having small boobs. Yeah, I didn't enjoy that part.

[machidielontheway]

Just came back from seeing Barbie at the theater ! impressions / spoilers under the cut

the visual / touch sense at the beginning was incredible. Some kind of madeleine de proust some kind of 'i now this in 3d but not in 2d' and 'reverse miniature : i know them little but here they're so big' ! the plastic feeling is great. very curious if it's all real plastic or what. really looked like that low quality from before

the Barbie's brushing their hair with the big brush... loved it. a lot of giddy feeling from the memory sense of my childhood (didn't have a lot but had one or two set maybe once ? and then alone barbies)

i did like the diversity shown here and there - maybe it's tokenism i don't know but i was still happy to see them at the moment

i didn't laugh a lot (compared to one of the friends i went with who i heard surprise laugh a lot of times, which made me glad) but i'm not too big on comedy / this kind of comedy so. sometimes i went "eh" and waited for the story to continue

was a bit confused at times cause i wasn't too sure where the story was going at some point. Like were we about barbie discovering herself or was it the kendom. Also some bits were very satirical but some where not and sometimes i wasn't too sure where we were at ?? the "messages" seemed to shift a lot sometimes or be kinda contradictory / saying one thing and showing something else. tbh i'm not great at meta and this kind of thinking in general so i just know it wasn't clear enough for me or they just dropped the ball on some things

i cried like threeee times ok. the emotional / slow part about humanity and discovering life and knowing who you are just. went Deep in the kokoro. when she's on the bus bench discovering life.... the old lady... man i'm tearing up just thinking about it again. the end of the movie (before the joke, actually i'm kinda disappointed about the joke because it's funny but i was just still so into the Just Existing Makes You Human You Don't Need Permission that i wasn't in the right state of mind)

i did like the acting of barbie, there is some scene where her face acting was subtle but clear (like when she talks to ken at the end and realise what she's saying at the same time also applies for her) and i really like this kind of acting

the meta + breaking of fourth wall + narrator i liked a lot

still not sure how i feel about the patri'arc'at (get it), and even the resolution of it, but the beach battle and the danse i like a lot

ACTUALLY THE CAR CHASE. the car chase was great ??? i really liked the music (actually all the music in the movie tbh) and the lady (does she has a name ????) just going full on let's do this bitch. it was really nice.

the moment of recognition between the lady and barbie... right in the kokoro. i loved the actress, her character, how she reconnects with her daughter. man her monologue was good. loved the fact that there was zero music for the whole scene, people forget how good no music / sounds can add to a scene.

so barbie apologise for neglecting him but he doesn't apologise for patriarcing the world :/ but the reverse (ken in a world of barbies) is also not talked about besides a parting shot from the narrator. meh.

i had other things i thought but right now i forgot them. so yeah basically it felt a little like they tried to have three different movies in one, and it makes it uneven at times / overall, but there was some really good parts (well, to my likings at least) so i'm still glad i went to see it !

Eta to add : SCREAMS ABOUT BBC PRIDE AND PREJUDICE LOL. i think i was one of the only one who laughed a lot at that moment. i'm no depressive barbie but oh boy have i watched bbc pride and prejudice (1995) a LOT. literally i saw the bit in the movie last week.

[xmystophalesx]

Best New Heavy Metal Releases Week of February 17th, 2023

Bit of a rough week for me on a personal level, as I wasn’t really sure if I was going to put out a new list for the week or not. I tested positive for my second round of Covid Wednesday night and that put me pretty far behind on my list. Got on some Paxlovid and things turned around pretty quickly after that. Not sure if it was the meds or knowing that Hellripper had put out a new album. Ill just go with both being a tremendous help. Time for the highlights.

All My Shadows-Eerie Monsters (Heavy/Hard Rock)**

This was a very pleasant surprise. From the album art and the band name, I would have bet money this was going to be some American metalcore band. I was fully expecting for this to be a short couple track listen and then a move to another album. Well, this is actually the vocalist and guitarist from the band Vanden Plas, so what you have here is some top quality Melodic Metal with a Progressive tinge. Excellently crafted songs with some killer guitar work. Not exactly sure why this was not just used on a VP album, as this sounds like classic VP. Regardless of all of that, if this is a genre you enjoy, this could easily be stuck on your personal play list for quite a while.

Tulus-Fendens Kall (Black)**

This is labeled as Black Metal, but to be completely honest, that is to simple a designation. There is a lot going on here, from folk influences to straight up simple Hard Rock and even flashes of Doom. This was the first band Blodstrop and Sarke were in before starting the band Khold. I will freely admit for Black Metal purists, this album may be hard to get into but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Hellripper-Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags (Black/Speed)**

What can you say about James McBain that hasn’t already been said? Hands down one of the very best in this Black/Speed Metal genre and still a one man project. This album just continues his streak of releasing one killer album after another that are just a blast to listen to. The only differences I see is maybe a bit of advancement in the overall songwriting and his guitar leads are getting better and better, which is impressive as they were already pretty damn good to begin with. Hellripper for me has become an automatic purchase album every time I hear he has an album coming out and this one was easily a preorder.

Tryglav-The Ritual (Melodic Black)**

Yet another one man Melodic Black Metal project. Slowly but surely, this is becoming more of the norm than the exception. I first listened to this on Sunday morning so I didn’t get as much time with this as I did the Hellripper album. Even so, it was really pushing the “Warlocks…” album for the pick of the week. Excellent use of melody and guitar work throughout the length of the album. There is something very addictive about this album and I feel it will get a lot more play in the near future.

That will do it for this week. Still not at 100% but getting there and when I thought of possibly skipping this week, it made me feel worse than the covid. The cause of Heavy Metal waits for no man! Illness is nothing compared to praising the glory of all the Metals! Or even worse, disappointing my tens and tens of fans that actually read this thing….lol Until next week, and as always, listen to metal and fill your soul with happiness and, of course…

BANG THY HEAD!!!

All worthy of a listen if you like the genre

*= standout in that genre

**=best of the week regardless of genre

Best of the Week

Street Tombs-Reclusive Decay (Death/Thrash)**

Scars of Oblivion-Misanthropy (Melodic Death)**

Last Legion-Metall, Blod & Aska (Thrash/Death)**

Tramilizer-Fumes of Funeral Pyres (Death)**

Tulus-Fendens Kall (Black)**

Knights of Blood-El Juicio de Osiris (Heavy)**

All My Shadows-Eerie Monsters (Heavy/Hard Rock)**

Hellripper-Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags (Black/Thrash)**

Tryglav-The Ritual (Melodic Black)**

Standout in their Genre

Cryptic Witch-Summoning (Doom/Stoner/Psychedelic)*

Proxima B-Void Cycles (Melodic Death/Progressive)*

Desosser-Vitalism (Death)*

Age of Ruin-Thieves (Melodic Death)*

Hard to Kill-Resistan (Death/Hardcore)*

Parasitario-Everything Belongs to Death (Death)*

Ulthar-Anthronomicon/Helionomicon (Death/Black/Progressive)*

The Abbey-Word of Sun (Doom)*

Hail the Void-Memento Mori (Doom/Stoner)*

Winds of Tragedy-Hating Life (Melodic Black)*

Setanera-Equilibrium (Gothic)*

Robin McAuley-Alive (Heavy/Hard Rock)*

Gutted-A Path To Ruin (Death/Grind/Technical)*

Majestic Ryte-Majestic Ryte (Heavy/US Power)*

Exhibition-The Last Laugh (Thrash/Crossover)*

66Crusher-Limbo (Thrash/Progressive)*

Creye-III:Weightless (Hard Rock/Progressive)*

Depravation-IV:LETVM (Black/Death)*

First Signal-Face Your Fears (Heavy/Hard Rock)*

Kromheim-Journey to Divinity (Melodic Death)*

Siege of Power-This is Tomorrow (Death/Thrash)*

Worth a Listen

The Black Moriah-Desert Hymns & Funeral Grins (Black/Thrash)

Clit Commander-Obey the Clit (Brutal Death/Grindcore)

Avatar-Dance Devil Dance (Heavy/Alternative/Hard Rock)

Skinflint-Hate Spell (Heavy/Speed)

Ad Omega-Aphelic Ascent (Black)

Enisum-Forgotten Mountains (Black/Atmospheric)

Man Must Die-The Pain Behind it All (Technical Death)

Genghis Khan-Who Art in Hell (Traditional Heavy)

Soul of Death-Spiritual Disease (Melodic Death)

Hellpass-Gates of War (Heavy)

Strange Omen-Marasma (Heavy)

Theophonos-Nightmare Visions (Black/Experimental)

Pick of the week goes to Hellripper with yet another fantastic and FUN album. 5 lazy bulldog side eyes out of 5! Go buy this record!

[omardelgado]

Omar Delgado figure drawing portfolio

1)GESTURE ( FROM SECOND DAY OF CLASS)

2)CONTOUR ( SECOND DAY OF CLASS )

3) BLIND CONTOUR

4) 5MIN POSE (first weeks of class)

5) BLIND CONTOUR POSE

6) DRAWING EGGS

7) BLIND CONTOUR HANDS

8) STUDIES OF SKULLS

7) THORACIC CAVITY & *PELVIC STUDY (Spine in lieu of Pelvic study )

8) SKELETON STUDIES done IN CLASS

9) PEER PORTRAIT

10) SELF PORTRAIT /3 VIEWS

11) PERSPECTIVE STUDIES(3 fIGS color)

12) 3 FIGS COLOR ASSIGNMENT (LAST 2 WKS)

13) MIDTERM

14)MUSEUM INSPIRED (missing)

15) FINAL 2 PAINTINGS (one or two)

ARTIST STATEMENTS (3)

a) MIDTERM

When doing the midterm, having both drawing and figure drawing classes at the same time definitely helped as we had been working with graphite in both classes. The challenging part of the assignment was definitely putting in the time and effort into the piece itself. In total I ended up spending thirty plus hours with all the darkening of certain areas and overall paying attention to all the tiny details that had to go into the artwork. Overall I enjoyed the assignment as it definitely teaches you to trust the process and take your time to put in the effort into what you're creating.

b) FINAL

To start off the final assignment is nowhere near done as it definitely still needs improving and changes to elevate the piece. Starting the assignment off, I didn't know how to go about it mainly because I had slight experience in using paint. The human figure itself is hard to draw as it is and you add painting into it now, I was completely lost and didn't even know how to go about tackling the assignment. Once i figured what direction i wanted to go in I just took the assignment head on and what I have produced so far is coming along pretty decently. My main issue was that I didn't think I would be able to capture the likeness of a person and I think I did a good job of capturing my own likeness in the piece.

c) CLOSING STATMENT

Coming into this semester I had no idea what to except from a figure drawing class other then I was going to work with human figures. I had never taken any drawing classes previous to this one and it just so happened that I took both drawing and figure drawing this semester, which definitely helped as the semester went by. Out of all the materials we used i definitely gravitated towards the graphite drawing pencils and I think the reason for this was that its essentially the shape of a wooden pencil so i was more familiar with it. I also liked how more controllable graphite is compared to something like charcoal. With me favoring graphite out of all the materials, the midterm assignment ended up being my favorite assignment to work on and I can confidently say is the best piece of artwork I produced this semester. Yes it can definitely be improved but the hours spent working on the assignment was all worthwhile and definitely played a big part in better understanding have to draw the human figure accurately. Going forward I will defiantly take what I learned in the class and sharpen my skills to better produce higher quality work not only to make myself proud of what i can create, but also build a strong portfolio to use to transfer to another school as I'm graduating this semester.

[gdrar]

2/13/24: More Than Words by Ralph De Jongh & Crazy Hearts

Yesterday's amnesia has worn off just in time for a week's worth of- Oh. I've already done 7 days of this. Today is the eighth review. (I'm going to be honest, I really thought I started this last Wednesday, not last Tuesday, making this post a week's  worth of reviews. How I gaslight myself into thinking that, I do not know.) For the start of another week's worth of reviews, we have a good one: some bluesy rock from Mr. Jongh and his posse, though the precise shade varies quite a bit. Overall, this is probably my favorite album so far, though that might just be because it's pretty comfortably within my comfort zone- and, admittedly, it's perhaps not quite up to 'regular listening' status for myself.

The first song in the album, and probably my favorite song (along with being the least bluesy) is 'More Than Words' itself, with a really catchy chorus and some satisfyingly dextrous guitar (especially in the solo). A lot of songs have some good choruses, actually, with some effective use of choral singing, like 'Where Did You Stay' or 'Tears of Rhyme' (which specifically is probably the most bluesy on the album).

More Than Words isn't really an adventurous album, but some of the instrumentation did surprise me. The saxophone in 'Worrywise' is absolutely delightful and adds a lot of interest to an already pretty good song. 'Build Me Up's instrumentation really intrigued me, though I do think that song in particular suffers from not quite building up to the heights I wanted it to. It gets pretty close by the end, though, and it's snubbed a little by being a more vibey song for most of the duration compared to the other songs on the record.

As for the rest of the album, if I haven't mentioned a specific song so far it's really all not that notable. Not bad, just not worth commenting on. They're needed for the atmosphere, I'd say.

Closing thoughts, I think it's a little surprising how obscure this album is compared to its quality. I dunno, it's just past a basic level of production quality that I'd expect there to be a little more attention given to it on Spotify… I guess it goes to show why I'm doing this in the first place, huh? Doesn't matter if the artist has only got 63 monthly listeners, they've got the same chance of getting reviewed as anything else.

That's all! See you tomorrow for! Something!

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Vox: Class of 96 1996 Britpop / Power Pop / Alternative Rock

Remember the era of the freebie CD, folks? Music magazines liked to pump these things out on about a monthly basis to be packaged with their own issues, and while we may not have fully appreciated them as they were being distributed to us at the time, in retrospect, they actually really serve as very important pieces of ephemera that, in totality, can authentically document what a whole part of a certain time period sounded like. I closed out last week's comp run with one of these things from UK music magazine Q, which provided a short list of what the publication had deemed as the best tracks in the UK for 1997, and this week, I'm kicking off with another one of these freebie CDs, from what was once one of Q's biggest competitors, the now-defunct Vox, which is obviously not to be confused with the liberal news site of the same name that's still very much around today.

But while that Q CD dealt with 1997, this Vox one tries to tackle 1996. And once again, although this comp isn't nearly as good as the Q one, it still nevertheless reinforces my opinion that the UK's alt rock landscape of this time period was of a *much* higher quality than the US's. Grunge had led the way throughout the early-to-mid-90s in America, but once it fell off, we were left with what was basically this empty void of nothingness, or as Thom Yorke once put it, 'fridge buzz.'

From the 1998 Radiohead tour doc, Meeting People Is Easy:

There's a line in "Karma Police" about 'he buzzes like a fridge.' And to me, when you're driving around in America and you have the alternative stations on in the background or in your hotel room or whatever; and it's just like a fridge buzzing. That's all I'm hearing. I'm just hearing buzz. It's really odd. It's kind of funny, though, really. You just have to laugh.

So, I really think where American alt rock radio programmers screwed up in the post-grunge era was when they collectively decided not to fully embrace Britpop. It could've been such a great, contrasting commercial successor to grunge, but instead we tried to replace it with Third Eye Blind and such. And not to throw too much shade on them, specifically, because "Semi-Charmed Life" is still, and will always be, the fucking jam, but 3eb is just not nearly in the same stratosphere as what so many Britpop bands were doing at the same time. Alt rock radio would give us glimpses of Britpop with some Radiohead, Oasis, and Blur singles, and to be clear, those three are really the royal triumvirate of the whole era, but there really was so much more to it than just some of those bands' songs and The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony."

And this Vox CD from 1996 offers up some of those bands that Americans are undoubtedly less familiar with, like Suede, Kula Shaker, and Ash, who were leagues better than pretty much every other alt rock radio group that got played in the US. Don't get me wrong, I very much love to wax nostalgic about the American 'fridge buzz' too, but this Britpop sound was just so much richer and more dynamic, overall, and it's a total shame that it didn't get a significantly larger chunk of the American alt-rock radio pie than it did, because I think we would've been much better off with having something like Suede's Bowie-channeled "Trash" in constant rotation—one of their most popular songs, but still never charted Stateside in any capacity—rather than, like, I don't know, the super dorky "Hey Leonardo (She Likes Me for Me)," by Blessid Union of Souls?

All in all, this CD honestly still isn't *that* great, and if compared with a generic American alt rock radio playlist from the same year, I still might prefer the American radio one instead. But that would really only be purely for nostalgic reasons, because when I take these rose-colored glasses off, even though some of the music on here definitely feels a bit clunky, it's still a whole lot more substantive than just about everything else that American alt rock radio was serving us up at the time. And that really just goes to show how drastically the programmers were missing the boat by back then, because second- and third-tier Britpop bands were, I think, inarguably, qualitatively outshining whatever American stuff was being put into the heaviest of rotation. And unfortunately, a whole lot of us ended up missing out on some *very good* Britpop tunes as a result of that decision-making 😔.

Highlights:

Suede - "Trash" Kula Shaker - "Smart Dogs" Ash - "Oh Yeah" Geneva - "No One Speaks" Super Furry Animals - "Hometown Unicorn"

[bakerstreetbabble]

My Top 5 Holmes Actors: revised

A few years ago, I did a series of posts where I discussed the Top 5 actors who, in my opinion, have played Sherlock Holmes the best. A couple weeks ago, I promised to re-think that list. And now I have. This time, I shall present all of my Top 5 in one post, rather than stretching it out into five different posts. I realize many Sherlockians will disagree with this list, but at the moment, it's where I stand. First, here is my original list:

Benedict Cumberbatch

Jeremy Brett

Peter Cushing

Jonny Lee Miller

Basil Rathbone

And now I shall revise that list, and explain my reasons for each ranking...

#5. Ronald Howard

I no longer have Basil Rathbone on my Top 5 list, even though he was Sherlock Holmes for many fans for several decades. Having watched the Rathbone/Bruce films, and comparing them to the TV series from the 1950s, I find Ronald Howard's portrayal quite superior to Rathbone's. He's a younger, bouncier Holmes, with much more of a sparkling sense of humor. He may have been just a bit too handsome to play Holmes, but overall, I find what he brought to the role to have been much more impressive than Rathbone's portrayal. Moreover, his Watson, played my Howard Marion Crawford was quite good, one of the earlier performances to buck the Nigel Bruce trend of playing Watson as a bumbler.

#4. Benedict Cumberbatch

My thoughts on Cumberbatch's portrayal of the great detective have changed an awful lot since I originally put him at the top of my list. One of the things that changed my mind on Cumberbatch was Season 4 of Sherlock. It may have happened gradually throughout the series, but by the last episode of Season 4 it became painfully obvious that Cumberbatch's Holmes had become something very different from what it was in the first season of the show. Sure, he and Martin Freeman still make a very good duo, but the show replaced its earlier emphasis on Holmes's deductive abilities with an action hero ethos (Exhibit A: Sherlock and John jumping out of the window of 221B when a grenade explodes). What was originally, for me, a really remarkable reimagining of Sherlock Holmes became a slightly annoying caricature.

#3. Jonny Lee Miller

Now that I've watched much of the first five seasons of Elementary, I can't help but think that the format of the American series has allowed Miller to inhabit the role of Sherlock Holmes much more than most actors have. Meanwhile, I think Miller's portrayal of Holmes has been more consistent overall than Cumberbatch's. And the Holmes/Watson partnership demonstrated by Miller and Lucy Liu (as Joan Watson) has been intriguing. So I've moved Jonny Lee Miller above Benedict Cumberbatch on my new list.

#2. Jeremy Brett

I very nearly put Jeremy Brett at the top of my list, as so many of his performances were so good! However, watching later installments of the Granada Sherlock Holmes series, it is painfully obvious that Brett's portrayal, and the quality of the series overall, were negatively impacted by the actor's numerous health problems. If all that survived of Brett's portrayal of the great detective was that first series of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, I believe he would very likely top my list. However, I feel that I have to take into account how the series suffered as Brett became more and more ill. Incidentally, both David Burke and Edward Hardwicke did an admirable job at playing Watson.

#1. Peter Cushing

Not only did my new #1 do an amazing job at portraying Sherlock Holmes in the 1959 Hammer Films production of The Hound of the Baskervilles, but Mr. Cushing also nailed the role of Holmes in the TV series he did in 1968. Just looking at the consistent quality of his performance in everything he did as Sherlock Holmes, I'm impressed by his attention to detail, the perfect physicality he brought to the role. He has the piercing glance, as well as the quiet frenzy as he works, that makes him a perfect Holmes to my way of thinking. And Nigel Stock is a top notch Watson, which makes the pair almost perfect.

​As I mentioned above, I am quite sure that other Sherlockians will disagree strongly with the ranking above. Give it another few years, and I may end up disagreeing with myself! Still, at this point in 2019, this is where I stand. I'd love to hear readers' comments and feedback.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (571): Mon 9th Oct 2023

Another day on tug. They’re offering overtime at the moment but I don’t know if the overtime I’ll be volunteering for will be for shipping or one of the old processes I used to do. If it’s the latter then at least I’ll be able to do it knowing that I won’t be penalized for making shitloads of mistakes. Back when I was in stow if I made too many errors that would show up on my managers computer and he’d have to have a word with me about improving my overall performance but if I were to volunteer for one five hour shift a week in stow I don’t imagine this would be a problem since my overall performance will be insignificant compared to the full time cunts. I think moving to shipping is the best decision I could have made. During the last few weeks that I was in stow my manager was coming over to me and telling me that my stats and overall quality had dropped and despite my pointing out to him that the items we were being given to stow were absolute shit he told me (politely to his credit) that I needed to try and improve them. Now I’m my current roles there are no stats at all it’s literally just walking, scanning and pulling. Plus a month or so ago I was walking around the warehouse past the waste / recycling area and saw one of the lads I used to work with in stow helping to clean the skips. I asked him if he’d volunteered to switch roles and he said that he hadn’t but his stats had slipped so bad that they told him the only way they could avoid letting him go would be if he changed to this much smellier job. So thank fuck I decided to switch to shipping when I did or else I could possible be a fucking skip cleaner right now too.

[annimovsisyan]

Time for a personal rant and reminder about why, as good as private healthcare looks right now (compared to the state the NHS is in at the moment), we need good quality healthcare (less than good is insufficient) to be free for all.

The emergency doctor I saw yesterday at my local GP (who was a dr I'd never met before) prescribed antibiotics for my ear, but my ear was blocked so he couldn’t tell if the problem was just the wax, or also an infection, or something else.

But I don't have any other symptoms or signs of ear infection like I normally get and I'm not gonna use antibiotics unnecessarily because 1. antibiotic resistance and 2. I often get a stupid fungal infection afterwards (cos it kills the good bacteria that help keep your immune system in shape as well as the bad bacteria… I really hope big pharma is at least working on ways to develop antibiotics that can be more targeted?!)

privileged enough to have a sister who gets work perks like free private gp appointments, I had a TWENTY MINUTE phone call with one of them today and it was so much more thorough and useful than the 5 minute appointment I had yesterday (the only useful thing about that was getting my ear looked at).

After explaining everything from how my symptoms have developed since last week, what I think triggered it, my ear health history, etc - we came to a very different conclusion (where he basically agreed with me that I don't think this is likely to be an infection). He thinks that as well as the earwax I may have a blocked eustachian tube, which could definitely have been triggered by the sore throat I had for a couple of days last week (which I think wasn’t due to any infection but from temperature fluctuations i experienced the day before). 

So one doctor’s quick conclusion was antibiotics. The other doctor’s conclusion was: use the steroid nasal spray i already have leftover from when covid gave me post-nasal drip and take some antihistamines. and he explained WHY (reduce inflammation to help unblock the eustachian tube), and he went into the detail of HOW to use them all - which included some nasal spray tips i’d never been made aware of previously even though i’ve been prescribed nasal sprays before.

I’m so glad I’m knowledgeable enough to be able to suspect some things in the right direction, but also grateful that I'm privileged enough to get a second opinion that corroborated this and taught me even more. But healthcare is a human right, so everyone should be able to get healthcare (not being diagnosed/treated sufficiently is not healthcare - that’s negligence) without having to pay or have any privileges.

If I took those antibiotics when I had no bacterial infection to treat, it would’ve not only been a waste of medicine, it would create complications for my immune system that would take even longer and more effort to treat - and the original problem with my ears would still need treating as well.

I’m old enough to remember when NHS GP appointments were long enough to explain yourself in full detail, heck even back when I was 5 years old they did home visits if you requested it! 

Problems are often complex when you have health conditions and when you are aware about certain kinds of things pertaining to your health, so you want to give your doctor as much relevant information as possible so they can make the most informed choices about what will be the best treatment for you. Short appointments are insufficient and can therefore be damaging. The NHS needs FUNDING, RESOURCING, and much more effective forms of MANAGEMENT than it currently does. The last thing the NHS needs is cuts and privatisation, both of which have  led to mismanagement, inefficiencies, consequences for patients, and therefore worse health overall for the population.

I need everyone in government and corporate who is working on sabotaging and privatising the NHS to be stopped. Speaking of which, these guys are trying to do just that: https://everydoctor.org.uk/