#can't speak to how it adapts the source material or how it compares to the movie

[ironworked]

60 Sec Rec: Interview With the Vampire

"2022. Vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac lives in Dubai and seeks to tell his story to renowned journalist Daniel Molloy. Beginning in early 20th-century New Orleans, Louis' story follows his relationship with the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt and their formed family, including teen fledgling Claudia. As the interview continues, Molloy discovers the truths beneath Louis' story." [adapted from Rotten Tomatoes]

This is, I'd say, a show primarily about what makes you you, what makes you human or monstrous, and about perspective. More than about the answers, it's about asking questions, asking the right questions. About listening. About living.

It doesn't present a clear-cut story about heroes and villains, about right and wrong, about real things versus lies. It's about different perspectives and all in the in-between, in the flux, in the liminal, just like it mixes the natural with the fantastic. But still it's all incredibly grounded, funny and sad and... creepily romantic? romantically creepy? by turns (or even at the same time).

This is the kind of show that you'd call crafted instead of made, and in my opinion, even with such a strong baseline the cast still stands out. The actors are superb, absolutely impeccable in their roles and with tremendous, sizzling chemistry with each other. It even manages to make the recast of one of the leads work! it wasn't planned, yet the arcs play to the actresses' strengths.

Adapted by Rolin Jones (Perry Mason, Weeds, Friday Night Lights). Written by mostly newbies (!). Directed by Levan Akin (Swedish tv), Keith Powell (Big Sky, Superstore), Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones), Emma Freeman (The Newsreader). Starring Jacob Anderson, Sam Reid, Eric Bogosian, Bailey Bass, Assad Zaman, Delainey Hayles, Ben Daniels,...

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[bengiyo]

We are headed into our final Drama Shower show of the season. How do you rank the shows we got this season and how are you feeling about the direction of the project?

What is Drama Shower and Why Does It Matter?

Before we get into rating these shows, I want to do a breakdown of what this is. To give you a sense of how big a deal Drama Shower is, fans are regularly updating a Wikipedia page for it with relevant links to follow the project. Also, there is a dedicated MDL page for it.

Drama Shower is a dedicated half-hour programming block on MBS, a Japanese broadcaster that is over 70 years old, in conjunction with Kadokawa, a Japanese publisher and holding group, that plays BL content at 1:30 am on Fridays. The project's main producer is Kaoru Azuma, who is a self-described long-time BL fan. He wants to show that BL can do a variety of stories in genre, and has recently stated that he wants to produce original content through the project as well.

We originally had six shows air through year one: Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss!, Senpai, This Can't Be Love!, Takara-kun to Amagi-kun, Eternal Yesterday, Candy Color Paradox, and Jack o' Frost.

I originally reviewed these shows as overall a mixed bag, but showing great promise. I liked that they got more comfortable with depictions of m/m intimacy over time. I thought Mr. Unlucky was legitimately funny (9), Senpai never found its footing (6), Takara and Amagi mildly squandered their premise (8), Eternal Yesterday was extremely poignant (10), Candy Color Paradox had ambitions that exceeded its talent pool (7), and Jack o' Frost was a really strong finish (9.5).

MBS seemed to enjoy the performance of this project enough to continue it for another year.

For me, I think it's very significant to give BL itself a time slot to see how audiences are responding to BL as a concept compared to the pitch of individual shows. I'm really encouraged by MBS doing this. Even if you don't care about the name MBS, you have interacted with their content, because they are also behind Full Metal Alchemist and Haikyuu! anime adaptations.

Rating Year 2

I actually liked the way year 2 started, even if I'm a bit mixed on the end. I really loved opening with Tokyo in April is... I liked that they had BL trying to be topical. I think the show unfortunately conflates some things it shouldn't, but I loved TIAI and I loved Ren and Ryunosuke's experience being gay men. I liked the changes they made to the source material. This show was dark in a way that it owned, and I really like that. I gave it a 9.

We then moved to My Personal Weatherman, and that went over well for the people who like to see really hot people go at it with each other. I actually enjoyed how much Yoh and Segasaki actively misunderstood each other even as they were speaking to each other. I don't know that they exactly completed their story, and I suspect that there may be a future outing for this show. Despite enjoying it, I think it didn't get all of its pieces together fully and gave it an 8.5.

We then crossed over into uncertain territory with One Room Angel. Despite enjoying a lot of what was going on in this show, I don't actually think it's a romance. It's my understanding that the angel character is a lot younger in the source material, and so they may have been a little shy about how much they did with these characters on screen. I also don't think the storytelling was balanced between the leads. However, because I am susceptible to complex stories about grief, I gave this show an 8.

Now, we have Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun. I hated this show so much. I think it makes the unfortunate mistake of asking me to care about how homophobia and public perceptions impacts people through its flashback drama, but then does nothing with that in the front. It sucked so hard, and I'm really disappointed because I thought this show had some of the most potential, and I thought Toki was one of the most watchable characters Drama Shower had produced. I ended up giving it a 4.

Our next and final show (I think) for this outing is called My Strawberry Film. This one will also be in a high school, but I know little about it, other than we may have a GL plot in it.

So, overall I'd give Drama Shower an 8. I think fans of BL, and especially Japanese BL, should continue to show up and support it. The fact that we have a dedicated programming block is important. The fact that none of these shows has felt like a retread so far is super important. Drama Shower is varied. There is something in here for almost everyone. Drama Shower is the biggest commitment to BL we've had from a distributor other than GMMTV's ongoing BL slate. Taiwan has Vidol doing is four projects, but Drama Shower is the first time I know of that a Japanese distributor has focused on BL in a meaningful, ongoing way. We should stick with it.

[mylifeisjustafeverdream]

why didn’t you like british dimitri :(

I can't lie, he's simply not sexy enough. This is the man that had these hoes framing each other for murder for the CHANCE to be with him. You cannot convince me that British boy could inspire such nonsense.

On a more serious note...

My issue with British! Dimitri really just speaks to my larger issue with how the show, and others like it, chose to adapt the source material. I literally HATE when one of my favorite book series is adapted and it is done in a way that the VA show did. It's this thing that a lot of YA adaptations do where they take the basics of a series like the setting, characters, and usually the overarching premise of the first book and use it to create it's own show. It's what Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries, and Shadowhunters did. They take the series and gut it for parts to make a broadly marketable series that they can push for as many seasons as possible. An "adaptation" that you can identify as the book series, but also tells a completely different story. This isn't me saying these shows are bad television shows. I am saying they are bad adaptations. Of the previously mentioned shows I was only able to get through Vampire Diaries and most of Pretty Little Liars, and that was because I didn't read the books before I watched it. I wasn't met with the soul crushing devastation I was met with when I watched Shadowhunters and realized it was not actually going to adapt the book. (It's why, even though it's a literal dumpster fire, I prefer the movie because it at least tried to follow the books) Some people don't mind this, and that's totally okay, but I hate it so much. I feel like these adaptations take away so much from the story they are adapting, and make it worse. Obviously they could make it work having Dimitri be British, but it also just alters so much about how he is characterized. He wasn't Russian in the way that Lissa and Adrian are. It wasn't just used to give him a cool name, or to make sense in the overall world building. Richelle made Dimitri being Russian a significant aspect of his character. It influences his plotlines and is a major factor in why he behaves the way he does. The changes made to show Dimitri fundamentally change who he is in the world of the series. Him being a foot taller than Rose isn't to make a cute height difference, it is to signify just how massive he is compared to the other Dhampirs. The boys refer to him as a god, and that's not just because he was a good warrior. If that were the case they'd say the same thing about Janine, and they don't. Dimitri's entire being makes him a force to the dhampirs. He is other worldly to them. The show made him plain, average. That is my issue with British Dimitri.

[phoenixwatchesmovies]

Dracula Season Watch Party: Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

The centuries old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker's fiancée Mina Murray and inflict havoc in the foreign land. - Dir. Francis Ford Coppola

I haaaaaaaaaaaaated this the one and only other time I watched it because, for a movie calling itself Bram Stoker's Dracula, it sucks ass at adapting the novel. It hits all the beats but misses the themes and adds extra stuff, and Jonathan doesn't even go after the Count with a shovel, ffs. However, it is technically one of The Most Faithful adaptations we have to date, which is impressive considering how much story there is to adapt. And if I stop being such a purist turd.... *sigh* it's a good movie.

Like..... REALLY good. The costumes, the colors, the music, the camera work, everything has such a surreal vibe, and the scene transitions move with something like dream logic. Actually, I think "movement" sums up everything I loved. Shots moving around a scene, SO MUCH gauzy fabric moving in a breeze, Dracula and Mina moving through a crowd. It's ✨pretty✨

It's also horny AF. Jesus Christ.

That being said, I think the criticism I've seen saying this version turns Lucy into a slut is pretty unfair. She and Mina gossip about their relationships (and kiss in the rain, by god I ship it), and she's flirtatious with the suitor squad, big deal. She's never overtly sexual until she starts becoming a vampire, and that's nothing that doesn't already happen in the book. The two scenarios don't compare. One is established friendships that come equipped with camaraderie and intimacy, the other is a corruption. Like, that's literally what's happening, and that's where the horror comes from. As for this version's take on her sleepwalking, we are NOT calling that slut behavior. That's all I'm saying.

Speaking of the suitor squad (Lucy's potential fiances, for the uninitiated), I understand there is only so much you can squeeze into a two hour run time, but I wish they had more time to shine. I need more of Quincey being a manly man with the most golden heart of gold ever. I need more of Jack being the most lovesick and emo wreck of a human with a side of medical malpractice. Most importantly, I need Cary effing Elwes to have more to do as Art. Not that any one of Lucy's boyfriends loves her more than the others, but I feel like Art's devotion to her is given more weight because he was the one Lucy chose to marry, and ASDFGHJKL. You can't cast CARY ELWES, aka WESTLEY THE FARM BOY, of Thee Greatest Movie Ever Made The Princess Bride, and then NOT give him any room to work in that space. He could have eaten that shit up! You know it! I know it! The only people who apparently don't know it are the people who called the shots on everything from the script to the casting, because if we had spent more time with canon couple Art and Lucy and less with fanon couple Drac and Mina, WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL. *insert Adele gif because I couldn't actually find one*

While we're on the subject of Dracula and Mina as lovers doomed across centuries, YES, it's fucking romantic as shit and I've come across the concept in other stories and would have snorted that shit if possible, BUT. The addition here detracted from time we could have spent on Lucy, as mentioned above, and despite what I've said about that so far, I understand why you'd make that call. If there's going to be an epic Gothic romance, it might as well be the focal point of the story and therefore needs to happen between the leads. But.

BUT.

THAT'S ALREADY IN THE SOURCE MATERIAL. IT'S MINA AND JONATHAN!!!!! Jonathan Harker is peak Gothic wifeguy. Dude never stops thinking about how awesome his wife is and how much he loves her, and I can't even think about his refusal to let her be condemned to hell alone and his determination to damn himself with her if she became a vampire without getting in fits about it. He said "fuck God if he doesn't love Mina, he's not good enough for her and I love her enough for both of us," and you think ANY other love story can beat THAT??? They did my good friend Jonathan so so dirty.

On the subject of my good friend Jonathan, I know I'm not the only one who thinks Keanu Reeves would look so. Fucking. HOT. With gray hair. I don't know what they did to him in the back half of this movie, but rather than be disappointed in how fake it looks, I'm choosing to look forward to the day we finally get Silver Fox Keanu.

Other details I loved now that I'm done complaining include Mina's wardrobe echoing Elizabeta's gown in the prologue, red light reflecting off Renfield's glasses when he's talking about his master, red appearing more prominently in Mina's and Lucy's wardrobe as they fall under Dracula's influence, the zoom-in on the bite marks on Lucy's neck transitioning into the wolf's glowing eyes in the next scene, Dracula's shadow moving independently of his body, everything Anthony Hopkins is doing as Van Helsing, and the entire standoff between him and Mina and the brides.

I think I've said all I feel like saying, and it took a full 24 hours to stop talking, so in summary: I DO like this more than I used to, but I like it more when looking at it on its own merit and not as an adaptation. What I like, I really like. What I don't like, pretty much has to do with how it differs from the book. The most important part is that I had fun watching. Even if there aren't any flappy bats on a string.🥂

[waitmyturtles]

Some very smart people yesterday (@isaksbestpillow and @nieves-de-sugui) wrote about yesterday's announcements of GMMTV adapting Japanese stories like Ossan's Love and Kieta Hatsukoi/My Love Mix-Up. I haven't seen Ossan's Love yet (and I WILL watch it, once I'm done with the OGMMTVC, because that's my due diligence/completionist side talking, ha).

Generally speaking, there's excitement and/or confused discontent about why Thailand is increasing its adaptations of well-known Japanese manga and dorama properties -- particularly about My Love Mix-Up.

Other very smart people, like Dr. Thomas Baudinette, a BL scholar, have written about what exactly fans *should* be comparing when these shows come out -- that the Thai live-action dramas are most often based on Thai literary adaptations of the original Japanese manga series that provided the material for the Japanese live-action doramas.

Au Kornprom, the director of the upcoming GMMTV Thai version of My Love Mix-Up, and Fourth Nattawat and Gemini Norawit, the lead actors of the Thai drama adaption, clarified these points as well.

I think all entities involved are aware of the confused discontent about what's happening here, and I want to unwind on it for one hot second -- because I myself am still relatively new to the Thai BL fandom, but my entrée to all of this was from Japanese BL doramas a few years ago.

Check the Kieta Hatsukoi tag on Tumblr, and we see all manner of different opinions about how the Thai adaptation will stand up to the Japanese live-action dorama original with Michieda Shunsuke and Meguro Ren. Same on Twitter. Michi and Meguro brought an incredibly distinct, controlled, comedic, and empathic perspective to Aoki's queer revelation, and Ida's inquisitive demi identity.

I deeply appreciate Dr. Baudinette, Au, Fourth, and Gem for clarifying where GMMTV is coming from with this adaptation -- that this adaptation stems from the Thai adaptation of the original KH manga.

But I wanna offer a thought, again as someone new to the Thai BL fandom. BLs across Asia make up only a TINY slice of the massive amount of dramas that Asia have to offer. For those of us that stay close to Asian queer content: many of us have seen a LOT of shows over many countries. And we can't help but to compare shows! That's comparative media literacy for you. If the stories are similar, if the stories stem from the same original source -- well, we can't help but compare.

I want to also say that Japan and Thailand are going to have different - maybe VASTLY different -- ways of managing elements of the KH story, such as Aoki/Atom's queer revelation, and Ida/Kongthap's demi identity. Japan and Thailand are different countries -- OF COURSE they are going to have different socio-national lenses on these identify factors.

What got me in my heart when I watched Kieta Hatsukoi last year was the EMPATHY, the skilled and pointed empathy in which Michi and Meguro played their Aoki and Ida. Japan and Thailand are just DIFFERENT when it comes to kissing, love, and sex. It won't be fair to compare their international lenses to each other as holding up to each other in art.

But what I don't want to do is invalidate the broader fandom's experience of how we saw Michi, Meguro, and the Japanese BL world from interpreting these incredible characteristics that made the Japanese version of Kieta Hatsukoi such a deep show to watch. Was it cute? Was it fluffy? I'd actually argue: NO. It was communicated in a uniquely Japanese way. (I can't find it, but there's a TikTok of a group of Americans dancing to what they think is a Japanese fluffy pop song -- when the lyrics are actually about suicide. Cultural competency is always important for all of us to keep in mind as we watch Asian shows from country to country.)

And I also want to point out, speaking for myself, as I continue to burrow my way into the Japanese, Korean, and Thai BL fandoms -- that, once upon a time, there were WAY FEWER Asian queer shows to watch. So if you were looking for queer shows from Asia? You were LIKELY watching shows from ALL the Asian countries producing BLs. Thus the massive fandom overlap from people who HAVE seen the Japanese Kieta Hatsukoi/My Love Mix-Up, TO the people who WILL see GMMTV's version.

I absolutely heed and RESPECT where Au and Dr. Baudinette are coming from in specifying from where the GMMTV adaptation will come from.

But in regards to comparative perspectives on what Japan has produced, and what Thailand WILL produce? I truly don't think we can avoid the comparisons. I don't. I do very much wish for a broader, smarter, more intellectual comparative media dialectic between Japan and Thailand. But sometimes, us fans just wanna squee and TALK about our beloved shows. I squeed at the Japanese version of Kieta Hatsukoi because that show communicated complicated factors of queer identity with comedy and empathy. That's a particularly Japanese tack on producing BL art.

Because the BL fandom has had only a set amount of shows year over year, of course, many fans who WILL watch GMMTV's version of My Love Mix-Up WILL have watched the Japanese dorama version. Because, because! As I said before, the amount of queer media from Asia has always been smaller than het material.

Au Kornprom is a HERO to me. He's given me Bad Buddy, he's given me Theory of Love, he's given me A Tale of Thousand Stars, Moonlight Chicken, Still 2gether, all shows I fucking LOVE and LIVE WITH, I'd SLEEP WITH THESE SHOWS like a Nong Nao doll if I could.

There is no one, expect for Aof Noppharnach, that I trust more with this adaptation.

But I did just want to say my piece about the validity of comparisons and comparative media literacy here. Because there's no avoiding comparing the two dramas -- there isn't. Because Kieta Hatsukoi was so, SO good, and we do very much indeed hope that the key elements of that story are honored.

If they're not? Then we will learn, through the GMMTV version, what Au and his Thai team honor in the story, and our perspectives will be broadened. I recognize that the GMMTV team may value different elements. But I also respect the feeling of nostalgia for KH, and what we loved about that show, and how Japan communicates the elements that that nation values, too. We just can't help but compare, and my biggest wishes are that:

1) Fans watch the Japanese version of Kieta Hatsukoi before the premiere of the GMMTV, to understand where us on the comparative sides will be coming from, and

2) That Au, Fourth, and Gem slay in their usual way, because no matter what, we will still love and appreciate them for being THEM.

My fingers are BIG crossed, and my hopes are BIG up. This is just a great opportunity for those of us who are curious to take a respectful moment to compare Japanese and Thai drama art together, and to have a lot of fun doing it.

(Tagging some people that I've either been reading or talking to about this: @bengiyo, @lurkingshan, @taikanyohou if you're interested!)

[sexyleon]

I felt that post of yours about the Dracula fandom and the way it talks about adaptations tbh, like, I'm someone who was very involved in DD last year and I've written critique myself about Dracula adaptations bc I love comparative analysis and really thinking about the choices adaptations make, for good or for ill, but from my personal experience, a lot of fandom commentary on adaptations isn't really thoughtful analysis, and don't get me wrong, I'm a hater sometimes too and enjoying venting, but I noticed that this year, there were so many posts that started out as thoughtful commentary on the book, then launched into bitching about the evils of adaptations out of nowhere, and people can write what they want, but it got tiring after awhile to be in a fandom with so much angry energy, not to mention the divergence in canon vs fanon that was much starker this year that made me feel like I had read a different book.

Also, every time I see people point at re: Dracula to be like, see, it's so easy to do a perfect 1:1 adaptation of the novel, why can't other adaptations do it?, it's like, it's an audiobook, a movie can't be that long, even a television mini-series would have to make cuts. And I might dislike a lot of choices adaptations make, but creatives absolutely have the right to take a public domain work and put their own spin on things beyond book accuracy as the number one goal - and like, do we truly want a 100% accurate adaptation when the novel is still ultimately a xenophobic reverse invasion story? Like, I would hope modern directors would seriously grapple with those aspects of the original story instead of reproducing Victorian bigotry unquestioned.

Hi, thank you for your response! I'm glad that my post resonated with a few people!

I definitely also felt a shift in energy with this season of Dracula Daily, and I'm pretty sure it is a direct result of the phenomena that is Re: Dracula. Don't get me wrong, I am a HUGE supporter of RE: Dracula, and I found it to be absolutely delightful specifically because it was a 1:1 adaptation of the book, but I also think that it has skewed the way people engage with all the other adaptations of Dracula. You are so right when you say that Re: Dracula's media as audiobook is what allowed it to be so authentic. Even if it was a long-form series, there would have to be creative liberties taken to account for visualising certain aspects of the text. I am 100% sure someone would be able to do it, but it would undoubtedly be a labour of love and expense.

I think the biggest thing that got lost in translation in my post is that I was speaking specifically on the rhetoric of "bad adaptation = bad media." I don't even like to use the term "bad adaptation" because it feels inaccurate and gives the connotation of being holistically terrible; "failed adaptation" or "inauthentic adaptation" seems more apt when discussing how close an adaptation relates to the source material. I think it is unfair for any adaptation to be written off solely on the fact that it does not strictly adhere to the original text. This can be in way of narrative, characterization, theme, etc. I don't think it's fair to say "x adaptation is bad because it ignores x from the text" because that fundamentally dismisses all the other attributes that contribute to whether or not a piece of media is subjectively good (because honestly that's all it is-- subjectivity). Media, especially film and stage, has so many dynamic and moving parts. There are so many attributes that contribute to the success of any one given thing, especially adaptations (which can claim the title with even the loosest references to the source material). I feel like the black and white thinking when it comes to this doesn't really allow for a dialogue to exist between people who enjoy Dracula adaptations for what they are and, forgive me for saying this, book purists.

Understandably, there is criticism against some adaptations that have claimed to follow the source text closely, but very distinctly did not (Ahum, Cappola). However, I think it does everyone a disservice to deny the impact of a lot of these (mostly) films. Someone in the reblogs of my original post did a good breakdown of the origins of the Dracula genre itself, and I think it goes to show that the story of Dracula has a life of its own outside of the pages of Bram Stoker's book.

The most annoying thing about the responses to my initial post was the refusal to believe that anyone was making these comparisons. I really would not have gone out on a limb to rant about this if I hadn't been consistently seeing vent posts in the main tag with mostly negative responses to a lot of different adaptations of Dracula based on the authenticity of them to the text. I admit I was frustrated when I wrote it, but it really was meant to just address the black and white thinking re: failed adaptations making bad media. This is not to say that criticism of adaptations isn't valid, but I think there should be more nuance to this conversation and that's what I wasn't seeing. It's not fun to dive into the broad Dracula tag and find post after post shitting on your favourite media because it isn't like the book.

Sorry this was a bit long! I am just really passionate about Dracula okay!! And I really really really like all the shitty little shows and movies and plays and comics and all other media that comes out of his name (because YES, a lot of adaptations really make vampire synonymous with Dracula and ROLL WITH IT). Vampires are really neat and the Dracula genre of film has been a huge influence on horror media. I think there is a lot to be said when analysing adaptations, but none of it can come from blanket statements against them.

@spider-xan

[sepublic]

God I'm gonna miss Drolta in S2. She was clearly someone in production's favorite character and it shows. Hell, she's one of MY favorites too!!! S2 is just gonna feel empty without Drolta's presence... I hope in S2, we get flashbacks of her so Drolta's character can live on in spirit, so to speak.

After all, she was an Egyptian priestess; So compared to other vampires for whom we have canonical age ranges for (either from the show or as implied by the source material), that makes Drolta our oldest vampire by a long shot. In terms of age, she makes Dracula himself, and even the Varney persona, look like babies.

I'm really hoping we get flashbacks that explore Erzsebet's backstory, and tie it with Drolta's; I don't think it's a coincidence that Erzsebet is impersonating the stolen power of an Egyptian goddess, and meanwhile her lieutenant and most loyal follower was an Egyptian priest. What happened, what came first; Did Erzsebet drink Sekhmet's blood, and Drolta worshipped her because of that, seeing Bathory as a god incarnate?

Or was it the other way around; Drolta helped Erzsebet drink Sekhmet's blood by using her knowledge and connections as a priest. What are her motives, because let's be real, Drolta is gleefully helping this white woman appropriate her own religion. I think that's an angle worth exploring, especially since Olrox is much more aware, and motivated, by this angle regarding Bathory. They're both vampires of color, yet Olrox is compelled to fight Erzsebet for this, while Drolta serves Erzsebet in spite of the fact. Did Drolta betray her own beliefs for some Erzsebussy???

I've also seen theories that Drolta is more of a Varney/Death here, pretending to be a supporter, a follower, when in reality she's the one pulling the strings for her own benefit. Which makes it a shame that she's dead; You can't account for everything in your plans! Or maybe Drolta isn't dead. I'd love it if Bloodlines got adapted, and they brought back Drolta as the evil crone she was in the games (hags are fun characters), maybe explaining her appearance as a disguise, or poor aging after she shriveled up from Alucard's stab.

I just think Drolta has a lot of character potential, either from a posthumous perspective, or by resurrecting her, since Castlevania has well-established that as a possibility with Forgemasters and the like. Maybe we'll see her get brought back as a night creature. I'd love it if Drolta got fleshed out more in flashbacks, and we got to see just how much of a spanner in the works she ended up being, and the pivotal role she plays; Give her actions huge ramifications post-mortem!!! Give Drolta a massive legacy! Make her like Enya from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure or something; Incredibly important lore-wise, despite being taken out relatively early within the main story.

[bloody-wonder]

I found this interesting books ask :

https://www.tumblr.com/dnana-2809-blog/749706502296813568/bookish-asks?source=share

Do you mind if I ask, no. 13, 14, 15, 18, and 50? Thanks...😁

thank you! i love talking about books :)

13. name a book with a really bad movie/tv adaption.

i just finished another book by celeste ng so the one that springs to mind right away is little fires everywhere. imo ng's biggest strength is that she writes about identity politics in a very accessible but nuanced way and the show adaptation just took all that nuance and threw it out of the window. my personal little nitpick is that they turned the mc who is aroace-coded in the book into a bisexual. yes, one could argue that her ruminating on how she can't help her daughter deal with romantic heartbreak bc she has never been in love herself is just a throwaway line but it's one of those lines that completely reframes the character and makes everything we learned about her make more sense in hindsight - that is, if you're open to seeing someone as aroace. if not, as a reader, you will assume she has probably had relationships which she just never mentions bc they're not relevant to the story (see: dumbledore rollerblading in every scene). as a showrunner, you will fill in those alleged gaps in her romantic and sexual life with bisexual drama which will give you more content for the show's runtime, if nothing else. so that is an interesting example of aroace erasure - it's not intentional but the fact that a person's deliberate lack of love life is something they, consciously or not, decided just not to represent speaks to a larger problem with aroace rep. if you straightwash a queercoded character people will likely notice. if you allo-wash an aroace-coded character no one will even blink.

14. name a book where the movie/tv adaption actually was better than the original.

i can't think of one that is better than the original off the top of my head but there are some adaptations i'm attached to much more than i like their source materials. the lord of the rings movies, for example. a re-read of the series i did a few years ago proved to be a slog but the movies will forever remain a special quality time i can share with my dad. the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is another example. i know for a fact that the fans of the book don't like the adaptation but i'm biased bc it's one of my comfort movies and i don't get why the book is supposed to be better, despite having read it two times🤷‍♀️

15. what book changed your life?

all for the game changed my life bc by reading it and becoming part of the fandom i have discovered the aroace spectrum and realized i'm on it (on the far end of it, in fact lol). i'm pretty certain the same couldn't have happened via just learning about asexuality from some educational materials bc neil's headspace and the subsequent frustration with how he got twisted in fanon were essential for my aroace awakening🖤🩶🤍💜💚

18. which character from a book is the most like you?

lol idk. i think if i encountered a character who is a lot like me it would make me so uncomfortable i'd erase this from my memory immediately. so instead of an answer please kindly accept this meme i made for my friends and draw your own conclusions😅

50. why do you love to read?

i read for escapism. that's why entertainment and immersion are the main two factors that make or break a book for me. granted, i have weird tastes and often find entertaining the things other readers find boring and vice versa. and i like when fiction is so immersive i can feel my soul leave my body and get transported to a different world, a different life. bc of this one might think i yearn for adventure but that's not true - i love my boring life and i love the illusion of control one has as a reader compared to the lack of control one often experiences irl: if the adventure is not to my liking i can simply close the book.

bookish asks

[fuckknowledgeandideas]

(ask for you because i ran over the character limit for replies. these are some movies you may like) immediately the holy mountain comes to my mind but i will admit i've never seen it i just know it's one of my classmates' favourites and she talks about the symbolism in it a lot which is primarily biblical to my knowledge but there's also a lot related to hermeticism . while im thinking about that one i'm also reminded of taste of cherry which has a vaguely similar ending but tbqh i am just mentioning it because it's my favourite movie ever it's fairly straightforward in its narration through most of the movie and i would call it pretty grounded. in the realm of abstract films, i haven't watched very many of them but the song of avignon (which is unfortunately only like 9 minutes long. it's on youtube though) was extremely good. uh you didn't mention surrealism directly but some surreal films i like and you might too are an andalusian dog and la jetee, but those are both short as well so they wouldn't do much to occupy your time LOL i know they adapted la jetee into a feature film (12 monkeys) but i've never seen it because it seems too blockbustery for the source material, but maybe watching both of them and then comparing how they're told would be a fun way to spend an evening idk. mister david lynch of twinpeaks fame is also known for interesting narratives but i've only seen 2 films of his (mulholland drive and the elephant man) both of which were really good but the elephant man is a lot more straightforward as well. charlie kaufman is well-known in that regard too and his movies stick in my mind forever. uncle boonmee who can recall his past lives is also surreal and i liked it a lot the atmosphere in that movie is really really strong. these 2 i can't speak fully to because i haven't finished them but you might like stalker or fantastic planet as well. this is really disorganised My bad. have fun with movie

THANK YOU SO MUCH I have heard of some of these names but never watched any of them.. Also seeing how easily tired I am with long stuff shorts are also really good as recs for me don't worry about that hehe.. AND I am actually trying to get into David Lynch's movies so you hit the nail on the head Noting these down thankyyyy

[beatthegame]

I just beat Final Fantasy (Pixel Remaster). Available on pretty much every modern console. You can even download it on your phone! But I played this one on the Nintendo Switch. Which is appropriate since the original game first released on the Nintendo Entertainment System way back in 1987. The very first Final Fantasy under more than 16 entries in the franchise! Perhaps the very game that pioneered the template for turn-based JRPGs for decades to follow. Who still remembers the little details and artworks in the Nintendo Power Strategy Guide?! Nostalgia aside. Final Fantasy was one of a kind. But how does it hold up against modern games today?

In a nutshell: It's Japanese Dungeons & Dragons without the awkward live human interaction. You choose 4 out of 6 warriors to travel across an 8-bit open world of repetitive turn-based battles via random encounters in order to reactivate the planet's elemental crystals and save the world. This might sound cliche, but keep in mind that this game originated that entire trope! The Light Warriors walked before Cloud, Squall and Lightning were even born. You can choose between several classes: warrior, thief, monk, red mage, white mage and black mage. Each warrior class offered unique pros and cons. You can assemble your own group of 4 warriors and you can even create unique names for your characters! I don't know about you guys/girls, but I had a lot of fun naming warriors "FART" or "BUTT". It provided tons of laughs during future dialogue interactions. But perhaps I'm missing the point? How does this game stack up overall?

The Good: Aside from naming your Red Wizard "TITS" this game offers a lot of depth for an 8-bit game. Although the pixel remake offers updated graphics and sound, the base game is still in-tact. They didn't stray too far from the source material, which is a relief. They preserved the old asthetic and truly improved upon the pixel art. Which better represents Yoshitaka Amano's character designs. Speaking of which, it was a nice addition to include Amano's original concept art in the bonus gallery. I never made the connection first playing it as a child. But now, you can appreciate how well the pixel remaster adapted from that concept art. Definitely a cool supplement.

It's not gory, so it's safe for everyone. However, there is a lot of reading and quick item management involved. So it's not recommended for younger kids or anyone without patience. Which leads to...

The Bad: The random battle system, while innovative at the time, will continue to be an annoying game feature throughout the entire game experience. Unless you are walking around in a town? You are gonna fight. This game does not chill! You're trying to walk across a single hallway to open a treasure chest and you're getting into a battle every two steps. It can get really frustrating. You can't even chill on the fucking WATER without getting into a fight lol! Although, in their defense, the ocean is pretty violent and terrifying in real life. But I digress. Random encounters suck. But, one of the neat new features in the pixel remaster is the auto battle option. It breaks the monotony of repetitive battles and allows you to breeze through most battles and essentially level up faster. While this might seem like a decent fix. It doesn't really offer anything to make the gameplay less monotonous. Also, you really need to read and pay attention to the clues given in this game. You can't just run through and beat this like any old game. You gotta follow the clues, run one fetch quest after another. It's a linear experience but you can get lost fast! Like, my lil nephew would NOT have the patience to play through a game like this. You are not going scratch that Fortnite itch with Final Fantasy. But comparing those two types of games wouldn't be fair (for either genre) But if you can set those superficial flaws aside, you'll find a unique gaming experience that has spawned over a dozen more epic adventures like this one. The tip of the iceberg!

Overall: Final Fantasy is epic! A large world full of unique characters and monsters. Working together for your entertainment. This game was purchased during one of Nintendo's online sales. So it was a great deal for the amount of game you're getting. A nice little slice of nostalgia for veteran gamers. Or perhaps a new experience for those who want to know their roots behind great JRPGs? At all starts with Final Fantasy!

A-Class

[puffles]

Canto V rambling in regards to the Perquod crew

One of the weakest points of Canto V imo is the fact we don't get to see how the whole Perquod crew affected Ishmael except for Ahab and Queequeg, and I don't think this was intentional because I felt that there are parts in the narrative which felt that there was gaps and rushed towards the end.

Though I usually don't like referencing the source material for adaptations, I think it can work because Ishmael's journey isn't a Project Moon version of Moby Dick. Her journey is the aftermath of Moby Dick where we reconcile her feelings towards the journey, the fact she was the sole survivor of the ship, the sacrifice of her wife close friend especially the symbol of Queequeg's death-turned-will to live being her salvation.

So, my personal justification for why the Perquod crew wasn't elaborated on is the fact that all of them were made to contrast with Ahab in the source material, and now they have become part of Ahab's will. They can't play off Ishmael because they do not have their sense of self anymore (except for Queequeg who still has her connection to Ishmael). This becomes literal during the battle where their E.G.Os are used by Ahab, and even Ishmael was at risk of becoming her.

God I really love the theme of unity in this chapter from the U corp singularity, the whales, to the mad GILF who has become what she hated.

Yeah I don't know, I'm definitely rereading soon because I love Moby Dick and I love lesbians so I can fully digest it but this is like my most surface level cope of why the Perquod crew wasn't explored in depth, which lowkey sucks because it means you actually have to rely on the source material compared to Canto 3 and 4.

[unrelated to what I wrote] also people who call queequeg a himbo are fucking idiots. she's not dumb, she (and book queequeg) are very intelligent motherfuckers that are unable to articulate what they are speaking due to physical issues/language barrier. lowkey racist as hell to think theyre stupid just cause they arent speaking in full english or maybe just a general misusage of the word himbo aaargh

[bitimdrake]

hello! my contact with with batfam stuff is mostly through fandom and i've recently seen people complaining about the whole 'tim liking coffee' stereotype, but i can't really understand why it annoys people. i know it doesn't have any real basis in canon, but is that all? or is it because of the characterisation that usually comes attached to it? or something else?

hi! Yeah, so, even compared to other fandoms, comics fandom really tends to make the characters ooc (presumably due to the number of fans who've never engaged with the source material nonetheless enjoying the fandom, with a side of all the influence from non-comic adaptations of the character). And in response, there can be a lot of annoyance (or sometimes outright anger) from those who do read comics and are desperately trying to find fan material that is...actually about those canon characters they got attached to. So that whole environment does exacerbate things to begin with.

When it comes to the "coffee addict tim" thing in particular, I think your guesses are pretty accurate. I'd basically boil it down to three things:

(1) As you say, it doesn't have any basis in canon--but it's super prevalent in fanon. And any fanon characteristic that gets popular is always going to become a hot topic, however (un)important. If the coffee thing only cropped up in sporadic fics, I don't think there would be any broad debate about it. But it appears everywhere, so strong opinions form.

(2) Sometimes (not always, but enough to be notable), "coffee addict tim"--or really any 'food obsession' fanon, or fanon in general--makes characterization super flat in fics. Like, think of the number of fics/posts/meta you have come across where Tim is coffee obsessed and sleep deprived and...that's it. Those are the only traits he gets. Tim appears in this scene? Better mention how he's exhausted and looking for coffee!

(3) Relatedly--and imo this is the big one--as you've guessed. the coffee thing has a REALLY strong likelihood to tie into this greater fanon characterization of Tim that just doesn't look anything like the comics character. For example:

Fanon Tim is dependent on his coffee habit. Canon Tim not only barely ever drinks coffee, but--like his entire family--is wildly opposed to having any kind of substance dependence or lack of control over his own body. These are contol freak health nuts, y'all.

Fanon Tim drinks coffee because he's always tired. Canon Tim just falls asleep in ridiculous places at ridiculous times, which is also OBJECTIVELY funnier and I can't believe fanon didn't latch onto that.

Fanon Tim is so constantly sleep deprived that his whole family finds it wild and shocking and is always concerned over him. Canon Tim is pretty much on par with the rest of the bats, and his canon friends and family don't find it that notable considering their own experiences.

In fact, Oracle Babs is the only bat I can think of who's regularly seen drinking coffee. And Dick is the batkid most likely to follow Bruce's bad habits and work himself to the bone without breaks.

Speaking of, Fanon Tim is sleep deprived because he does nothing but work work work all the time and refuses to take care of himself. Canon Tim misses out on sleep because he's trying to juggle vigilantism with a regular life as a high school student--and iirc, after he drops out of school and becomes Red Robin, we don't seem him having any more problems with sleep.

Red Robin Fanon Tim is also busy work work working at Wayne Enterprises. Canon Tim is the CEO in name only and I literally don't think we saw him working in the office even once. The only WE work he does is very part-time for his passion charity project, the Neon Knights.

Despite not taking care of himself and constantly appearing fragile, fanon Tim is nonsensically also the most badass and clever guy ever. Canon Tim (usually) follows so much more logic here--when he's exhausted because, say, he stayed up half the night as Robin and the other half doing homework, he ends up not operating at his best and making dumb mistakes. When he's cool and badass and executing plans perfectly, it's because he's gotten enough sleep and food to be in that top shape.

And then other little non-canon details are typically added in fanon--Tim being super pale, having constant dark circles, acting like a zombie in the morning, keeping a coffee maker in his room, etc.

Additional fun facts because I hate shutting up: Dick is canonically a capable cook, has no single favorite food established, and as far as I know has never stated any preference for sugary food. Steph loves waffles a normal human amount, and her comfort food is mashed potatoes. Tim is a little rich boy, but he learned how to make genuinely good soup from his step mom, so I have faith he can learn how to cook in general if he sets his mind to it. Bruce once burnt soup and also failed to make an edible tuna sandwich, so I have no faith in him at all.

(PS: If you are curious about getting into comics and seeing what Tim is like, but overwhelmed at the number of places to start, Robin vol 2 (1993) is gonna be your main source for Tim characterization. Alternately, Young Justice vol 1 (1999) is focused on the whole team rather than Tim specifically, but is a fun and consistent run the whole way through. And I'm always happy to give more detail!)

[takerfoxx]

The Sandman, Season 1, Episode 3, "Dream a Little Dream of Me," First Impressions!

"Fuck it, let's go to Hell!"

Yeah, I know that line had nothing to do with the plot of this episode, but c'mon, what a stinger.

And hey, can we just take a moment to give it up for Patton Oswalt for getting to live the fanboy dream, no pun intended? A few years ago my sister and I attended a Neil Gaiman talk and autograph signing, and Oswalt was the host, and he started the night by basically confessing that he grew up as the biggest Gaiman fan ever, so much so that they basically hired Gaiman's stalker to host the show. And now he gets to play (well, voice) one of the most important characters in the long-awaited Sandman adaptation.

So anyway, this episode was surprisingly nostaglic, but for a different reason than what I was expecting. When I first graduated high school, I made a point to marathon all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, mainly because I fell in love with Firefly and wanted to see Whedon's other works (no, I am not going to talk about recent controversies). And I loved them deeply. There was just something about the whole gothic urban fantasy mysteries with pithy dialogue and corny jokes I found appealing. Never did move onto Supernatural for whatever reason, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Buffyverse.

This reminded me a lot of that, even if the source material, both Sandman and Hellblazer, predates Buffy by a good amount. Johanna's flashbacks to the Job Gone Wrong and the bit with the princess's possessed fiance were much in that same vein, and were a ton of fun. I can't help but wonder if that little girl in Johanna's nightmare is going to show up in Hell the next episode.

Even though I knew it was coming, I still popped hard when Mad Hettie basically stepped off the page. As much as I've enjoyed what's been changed, expanded upon, and updated, I still appreciate the parts where they went, "Nah, this is fine the way it is. Just adapt it word-for-word."

I would have liked to have the Mr. Sandman musical drops. It would've been funny. Wait, did they have it and I just missed it?

Speaking of which, while it would be neat to have the John Constantine, rights are what they are, and Johanna made for a very impressive replacement. She was exactly the kind of messy individual who's trying her best but has made a ton of mistakes, has hurt a lot of people, and is also just so done with everyone coming to her with their problems, and yet so can't look away. I wonder if they renamed her ancestor in the coming Men of Good Fortune episode. I guess we'll see.

Also, to everyone complaining about how changing the Constantine character female made the show even more gay, go and look into John Constantine's romantic history. There's a reason why making King Shark his ex in Harley Quinn actually isn't that farfetched.

I was bummed that the only rogue dream we got in Rachel's apartment was that reunion with the fake Rachel. It was very good, yes, but I was looking forward to the trippy house haunted by her dreams, with the rogue Nightmares pissing their pants when they realize that Dream is present and the inside-out guy on the walls. I did smirk when Johanna mentioned telling Rachel's father about her passing, because this version of the guy actually got lucky compared to his comic counterpart. Ouch.

And in regards to what I said earlier about Gaiman taking this show as a do-over, building up the tension between Dream and Matthew is actually kind of a nice touch, as the conflict with their relationship was mainly around Dream just being a little cold and standoffish with him because he's like that with everyone, but this has something for them to actually work out, along with a very good reason for Dream not wanting another raven along, given what happened to the last one.

The John Dee and Ethel Cripps stuff now fell more-or-less to how it went in the comics, albeit a bit more dramatic. And gory. I really like this depiction of him. He's both something sympathetic while also being rather horrifying. It just brings a human layer to the character that will serve to make the diner episode even more horrific. I also smirked at the sidelong references to Doctor Destiny that don't violate trademark but do wink at it.

Corinthian wasn't as active here as I was expecting, but he is still lurking in the background, nudging things around to fuck things up for Dream. I wonder if his end will be the same as the comics. I hear they spiced up the confrontation between him and Dream to make it more appropriate as a season finale, but it still would be really funny if after all of his attempts to basically assassinate Dream throughout the season, he still meets his end via Dream just crashing his Cereal Convention speech. Like, you try so hard to kill a motherfucker, doesn't work, and then you go to hang out with your friends to burn off steam, only for him to ruin your big moment with a, "I lived, bitch!"

Okay, time for the momentum to really pick up. Let's go to Hell!

[yrptraumacentermanga]

Hey, I really love your series! I’ve always thought about making a webcomic adaptation of a game like you’re doing, but it always seemed like so much work. Do you have any tips or advice on making comics?

Hey there! Glad you're enjoying the series!

As for my advice, here is what I can offer from my experience with working on Trauma Center and my own comics:

Before you start drawing pages, script out the story. I can't stress this enough but having a written script has been a life saver for me. Helps with keeping things on track and gives a rough idea how long chapters are gonna be. (And the story as a whole)

It's okay to make adjustments as you go. Sometimes when something was written awhile back you might not have considered a possible scenario. So if something new comes to mind that might work better and doesn't break anything then give it a shot. If you compared some of the recent chapters of Trauma Center to the original script it would be noted they look nothing alike. (This is abundantly clear with later chapters.)

Thumbnailing (The process of making quick little rough sketches) is a beautiful thing. Saves you from making more pages than you need to and helps you figure out pacing with quick drawings rather than sketching out whole pages then finding out maybe you made too little or too much. (Also helps with formatting)

Have a friend or group of friends who can act as editors/beta readers. It's always good to get feedback to make sure a story is making sense and to check pacing. (And checking for typos. Though be warned sometimes even after three people, typos can still sneak past. I speak from experience and I often scream internally when I realize there's still a typo.)

As an addition to the editor/beta reader thing that's exclusive to Trauma Center, it was good to have a beta reader that wasn't familiar with the source material. I wanted the manga to be friendly to both fans of the game and people who have never played. I never wanted playing the game to be a requirement to enjoy the manga. So, it's a good way to check.

The last bit of advice I can offer, and this specifically in regards to adapting a game into a manga, don't be afraid to make some changes. With any adaptation, it's okay to take some liberties. Gameplay mechanics in particular have to be slightly ignored since it won't make sense in story. (For example: Don't know if anyone has noticed, but we don't bring up the stabilizer even once in the manga. We threw it out entirely.) Important thing is to keep the main story beats and character arcs intact. If you want to expand on something the game didn't? Go for it! Want to shine some more light on a character? Do it! Want to add some extra characters to make the world feel more lived in? Go nuts! (I did all three of these things.) Bottom line, don't feel like you need to do a 1 for 1 adaptation. It's actually pretty limiting if you do it that way.

And that's all I can think of besides the general advice of studying other manga adaptions of games to see how others handled it, studying comics in general so you can figure out how to format your own, and so on.

Though one last thing I will mention quickly. Be prepared for the work load cause yeah, it is a lot of work to make something like this happen. Comics/mangas take a lot of time and it can be intimidating. But the important thing is to pace yourself and well... don't stress too much about it. Have fun with it and take all the time you need to get it done. Just be patient with yourself and if you need a break, you need a break. Your project will be there when you're ready to start work again.

And that's it. I wish you the best of luck with your project and I hope this advice helps!

[callonpeevesie]

I don't know what I'm going to unleash with this question, but I'm asking it anyway — what are your opinions on Charmurti (1978)?

Oh man you unleashed all my petty rage and nitpicking, god bless. Heads up for anyone who likes it, I'm going to BITCH. And disclaimer that I haven't watched the movie in a couple of years and I'm going off memory.

So. To start off I'm super nitpicky about adaptations especially when the source material is something so important to me so I rarely like any adaptations of Tenida. And my criticisms are possibly too harsh. I don't mind changes to minor story details, I really don't. Satyajit Ray's Feluda movies did that. Minor adaptations don't bother me as long as the general essence is faithful and changes are often necessary for book-to-film adaptation. My problem with Charmurti is that Umanath Bhattacharya does not seem to Get the essence of the story and characters.

First of all What was that ending oh my god. I don't remember exactly what happened but there were some dumbass fight sequences which. what was the point? The book had a perfect climax, it was dramatic and funny but not over the top, it was Handed to you on a Platter and you choose to drag it longer for no reason? Eijonyo desher kichhu hoy na. Even more than the disservice to the canon ending, what bothers me about the ending is that. they're not meant to be op. They're literally just kids who want to have a good time. They're not meant to like, fistfight criminals while cops uselessly hang around in the background. I cannot stress this enough, they're average humans. Chaotic and dumbass yes, but they're not Fight Sequence people. Adaptation directors be like "this generally peaceful domestic character can fistfight. As a treat." (Byomkesh Gotro I'm looking at you)

Anyway moving on. Manna Dey's intro song was nice though the other songs were So random. The comedy was. well. I don't exactly remember why I'm not a fan of the comedy but it seems like the sort of easy-flowing humour of the books translated to pointless yelling and slapstick comedy in the movie? I think it ties in with the director not Getting It but I don't remember these things very well so I'll give it the benefit of doubt.

Now my favourite part: the characters. I did not like Chinmoy Roy's casting At All. I don't get why he's so hyped up in that role because it was objectively bad casting? I mean I know why, it's because people interpret Tenida as slapstick comedy with no depth, but I don't understand. He just didn't have that Personality or even look the part tbh. And you know what? Prabhat Mukhopadhyay whom Tenida was based on didn't much like his portrayal either. Validation right there. (I wish I could link the article I read that in but I can't find it rip)

Habul, Pyala and Kyabla were good appearance wise. Vibe wise not so much. Kyabla was. Idk he's so chill in the books, but he was just? yelling all the time in the movie? He honestly felt kind of dull compared to book Kyabla's bright personality. I really wish I could appreciate the part with Kyabla being emo about Habul being kidnapped but I can't, it's just so over the top. Like the movie does show that they care about each other but it's hard to take seriously because everything is so extra, unlike how in the books there are wholesome parts and they seriously Experience Things even though the style is lighthearted.

And speaking of Kyabla, why are the filmmakers so obsessed with his mother and if they are why don't they show her properly? They rushed through the main plot while wasting half the time on her. The 2012 movie did that too, she's there in the movie all the time and serves no purpose except moping around. She's Not Like That. She was super chill in the books (Kyabla came from somewhere right?). She's the only functional character in the series imo but that's just my opinion. I just? If you must drag her into the story for no reason then do it properly jeez.

Habul was one of the few redeeming qualities of the movie though. And Santosh Dutta. Shantosh Dutta being in the cast is always a good thing. Jhonturam was great, and as far as I remember I liked Satya Bandopadhyay and Rabi Ghosh. I don't remember anyone else rip. Habul was accurate to the books, they somehow miraculously retained his subtle humour and the actor did a Wonderful job with the whole joking with a straight face thing. Genuinely made me laugh in the same way book Habul does, love him for that.

I saved Pyala for last because ofc I'm most passionate about him. He was SO UNDERPLAYED. He comes across as just super try-hardy and extra™ and all he does is whine and get dunked on all the time? Not that I'm surprised, he's always underplayed everywhere. If I were to voice all my grievances about his misinterpretations we'd be here all day but my biases aside: Pyala is super important in the books right? The plot follows him because he's the narrator obviously and that's enjoyable because the reader has that extra connection with him. He affects the narration so much. Sometimes he has more protagonist energy than Tenida and that's fine, Tenida is not meant to be More Capable than the rest like Feluda is.

This is what adaptations go wrong with. They always hold up Tenida as the MVP and don't bother to establish the relationship between Pyala and the viewer. Yet the plot follows Pyala anyway even though he's not established as that special. Why? Why would anyone care so much about him? Either give him the importance he has in the books or nerf him and change the narration accordingly. This is just lazy.

Adapting books with first person narration to movies without first person narration is hard. Afaik some of the Byomkesh movies keep Ajit the narrator and that works. Feluda movies don't keep Topshe the narrator and that also works because the narration is adapted accordingly. In case of Tenida I honestly feel the best way is to keep the first person narration just because the narration affects the story so much.

Yeah I think that's all I have. All that being said, I don't actively hate it, I'm mostly meh on it (especially after seeing the 2012 movie, the 1978 one seems like heaven by comparison) and I guess I only have so many grievances because I'm extra possessive about the books. I don't think it can be judged separately from the books either because it's Supposed to be a direct adaptation. The plot mostly follows the book (other than that ending) so that's good. Overall I guess it's fun but lacks a lot of nuance of the books. THANK YOU for the ask, it was super fun to let off all this steam.

[headlesssamurai]

Why should a piece of film be faithful to a book? Why can't it be considered a separate artwork with input from several artists?

The reasoning behind a film being faithful to its source material, if there be any, should be obvious, but I’ll try be quick for the Ritalin kids’ sake. Anything derived from another work of art, plain and simple, ISN’T a separate work. It’s ball-and-chain married to that original source material forever, whether it likes it or not. There are nuances of course, like films which were inspired by one thing or another, and other films which are heavily, suspiciously iterative of other works (see Michael Bay’s The Island versus 1979′s The Clonus Horror) without claiming to be directly based on anything in particular, sometimes quite conveniently.The main dynamic faced between adapting one form of art into another medium comes from how influential both works are on their own, sometimes the adaptation is far more recognized than is its point of origin, and thus is regarded as more important with the original work being virtually forgotten.In the case of books being adapted into movies, generally speaking, most books as literary works are unfortunately held to a much higher standard of editorial efficiency than most screenplays, because the actual writing is all that exists tell the story in that medium (this is also because film producers reserve the right to edit or completely trash a screenplay if they feel like it or are having a particularly shitty day). Thus, books tend to have far more artistic integrity in terms of character writing, plotting, world-building, and narrative coherence because their existence as storytelling mediums are entirely predicated on telling a fucking story, and if it isn’t told well they get tossed in the thank-you-for-playing bin by most publishers and never see the shape of print.If a book, held to that overbearing standard of quality, gets to the point where someone wants to option it for a screenplay, it’s either because millions of people are reading it, the book is written particularly well, or a combination of both (but neither of these are ever mutually exclusive, look at gutter trash like Fifty Shades for instance).I’m not arguing the validity of one art-form over another. I enjoy both books and movies for their own respective strengths, and I find comparing the two to be a futile effort.I stress the following as my opinion, but objectively sound regardless, movies should not be adapted from a book if the producers have no plans to respect the source material. Movies can never be one-hundred percent faithful to books, these are very different mediums after all, but fidelity and respect are different things. If you plan to take a book and turn it into a giant silver-screen spectacle, please have some respect. I understand the point is to sell as many tickets as possible, but alienating the story’s established fanbase by butchering the story or characters is ethically and artistically questionable. I believe the distance between respectful movies based on books and cynical ones that butcher their story is about the same distance between an artist and a pimp.If respect isn’t in the cards for you as a film producer, just don’t adapt the book. What’s the point in adapting something if you just want to axe out everything that made it great to start with? Just don’t adapt it, plagiarize it if you have to, then title it something else and act like it’s your own original work. You know, like that dude who wrote a Black Widow screenplay but got rejected, so he turned it into a novel with sequels and everything– then got a movie deal! I mean, damn. That’s some serious mimesis right there.Reckon that wasn’t quick after-all. Ah, well. Just pop another pill, you’ll be fine.Anyhow, as MauLer says: Please have some respect.

                      侍   headless