#cg tanya

[starsurface]

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Regressor Mileena w/ CG Tanya (Fic)

"Mileena? Are you free, my dear?" Tanya asked, knocking on the door.

"Come in!" Mileena shouted.

Tanya slowly opened the door, smiling as she saw Mileena sitting at the desk. She was writing something. Tanya set the gift on Mileena's bed, walking behind her girlfriend and kissing her head.

"What's this about?" Tanya asked. The letter seemed . . . Well, the tone was more than displeased.

"It's a letter for the Zatareans. They . . . Are less than willing to accept Syzoth as my ambassador," Mileena frowned. "I am hoping this will help improve their treatment towards him."

"On Christmas? You are cruel sometimes," Tanya laughed, kissing Mileena's temple. "Now come, I have something for you."

"We already gave Christmas gifts," Mileena looked confused. "Johnny said they're usually given during the morning time. Plus it's after dinner."

"Well, this one's a special gift," Tanya said, grabbing Mileena's hand and leading her toward the bed. Both girls sat down and Tanya handed her the gift. "Open it. I think you'll like it."

The gift was wrapped neatly, with a ribbon and bow and all. Although the wrapping was different than the normal wrapping they used. Mostly snowflakes or Christmas designs. This wrapping, however, was pink, with unicorns on it.

Mileena wanted to laugh at the wrapping. It was childish, but adorable. Obviously Tanya had put thought into getting it for her.

She tried to neatly unwrap it, not wanting to destroy Tanya's hard work.

It only made Tanya more anxious.

Mileena gasped as she opened the box. It was a stuffie!! A brown stuffie with a pink ninja suit on. With jagged teeth, and a yellow eye, and an X on the other eye. It was adorable, in other words.

Tanya watched as Mileena stared at her new gift. She wanted to get her a friend for when Mileena was small. Not all the time could Tanya watch after her. And there were times that Kitana or Syzoth wasn't free either.

Plus, Syzoth had recommended getting her a toy. Apparently, Mileena had a habit of playing with his stuffie. And while Syzoth didn't mind sharing, he would like his stuffie during nap time. Ashrah got it for him! It was heatable!

Tanya didn't get her a heatable stuffie. But she hoped Mileena liked it. Liu Kang had actually suggested how it looked. While Tanya wasn't sure about the face, she did think the idea of making it look like Mileena was nice. At least with the pink outfit.

". . . Do you like it?" Tanya asked hesitantly. "I can get it returned. Or get it a new face. Or-"

"I love her!" Mileena giggled, hugging the bear tightly. "She's so cute!"

Tanya breathed a sigh of relief, she was glad Mileena liked it. She had gotten it custom-made, and returning it would have been a bit of a hassle.

"I'm glad you like her," Tanya smiled. "Are you gonna name her?"

"Uuuuum, I dunno what," Mileena pouted. "Can't think of a name, Mommy."

"Mileena, are you feeling small right now, Sweetheart?" Tanya asked. Mileena pouted more at her words. Tanya chuckled, opening her arms for a hug. "Come here, Angel."

"Not lil," Mileena whined, almost tackling Tanya with a hug, sitting on her lap. "But I dunno what to name her!"

"Well we can think of a name together," Tanya said, scratching Mileena's hair. "Do you wanna name her after her color? Cause she's pink?"

"Hmmm, no," Mileena shook her head, sitting back up. "Wanna just name her."

Tanya pulled Mileena onto her lap so the little could sit on it. Mileena giggled, snuggling against her. She continued to hold her new friend close.

"Well it looks like you, we could call her Mileena Jr," Tanya suggested. Mileena gasped, shaking her head. "No? Why not?"

"Me Mileena," Mileena pointed to herself. She then pointed to her teddy, "Not Mileena."

"Rasphberry?" Tanya suggested.

". . . Maybe," Mileena huffed. "But it could be better."

"What about a flower type?" Tanya asked. "We could find some pink flowers we could name it after?"

". . . Maybe," Mileena whispered.

"What about . . . Dahlia! You like those ones, right?" Tanya asked. Mileena gapsed, nodding happily. "Dahlia it is!"

"I like dahlias," Mileena hummed, playing with Dahlia's arm. "We need to introduce her to Sissy!"

"I'm sure Kitana would love to meet Dahlia," Tanya laughed, kissing Mileena's temple. "Did you have fun at the party tonight?"

They had a Christmas party, with all their friends invited. Johnny did something similar at the mansion. Christmas wasn't something celebrated in Outworld. There was usually a festival of some sort near this time, but not Christmas. Mileena wanted to introduce Christmas, through a party! Johnny helped her with the decorations and planning. Food types, and even some gift suggestions. It was funny, watching people run around on such short notice.

"Liked the music," Mileena giggled. "Like the song Jingle Bells! Me and Tomas sang that together."

"Yes, I heard," Tanya laughed. "His reindeer outfit was very nice, he and Kenshi almost matched. Did you like Syzoth's outfit?"

"Mhm, he was silly," Mileena snickered. "And he jingled when walked!"

Syzoth had been . . . less than willing to wear the elf outfit. But the happiness on Mileena's face convinced him. Plus the compliments from his friends, and how young children ran to hug the elf got him through the night.

"And Sissy was really pretty!" Mileena awed. "Johnny looked silly, but Sis was very very nice."

Kitana had dressed as Mrs. Claus, and had gotten many compliments. Johnny came as Santa, which went well with Kitana's outfit. Kuai Liang was suppose to be Santa. But he would do anything to desperately get out of the outfit, so Johnny was more than willing.

"But this my favorite gift," Mileena smiled, holding her teddy bear for Tanya to see.

"Oh? Even better than the jewelry Bi-Han gave you?" Tanya asked. Mileena freaked at the jewelry, and Bi-Han even let her give him a small hug.

"Mhm!" Mileena nodded. "Best gift yet!"

Tanya smiled more, holding Mileena closer as she prepped kisses all over her face! Making the young one giggle and squeal.

Maybe she'd get her more stuffed bears. Perhaps one with Kitana's outfit, or even herself. Or a tea party set! Christmas always came next year. Tanya liked this new holiday. Although she liked seeing Mileena's happy smile more.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Fun Fact: This was the fic that started my entire Mortal Kombat Age Regression stuff. I had been doing Spiderverse but I said I wanted to do Mortal Kombat and somebody requested this. If I hadn't done this, this blog wouldn't exist. Not my best fic, but definitely my favorite. <3

[marshmellowtea]

For fun: any agereg headcanons for Will Clarke :0

oh my gosh so many you have no idea alkgjdaslkf. i know i've made posts about him before but i don't think i've made a headcanon compilation post for him yet (and if i have uhhh i forgor 💀) so i'm gonna use this ask as an excuse to do that hope you're ready—

i already know this is gonna get long so i'm gonna put it under a readmore. tws for mentions of canon abuse and cults, and discussion of diapers. let me know if i should warn for anything else <3

will generally regresses anywhere between 0-5, but usually he hovers near the 1-3 end of that spectrum. he baby

his main caregivers are mike, tanya, and yu (who i like to picture adopting him in a happier au 🥲), but martha, ellie, and fisher and hutchins (for my tedfishyu fans out there lol) also step in from time to time. i think jimmy also sometimes looks after him but that's usually when he and regina have playdates (i also headcanon her as a regressor but that's a thought for another time lol)

i think mrs. hutchins steps in to look after him from time to time too, especially before he's taken in by his adopted family (which she's also a part of i'm not leaving her out, she's just there first and before it's official lol). i don't think she knew he was regressing per se, she just knew he was a vulnerable teenager who acted kinda childlike sometimes so she did her best to look after him when he needed it <3

lila also pops in from time to time in nice aus where she exists still, either as a headmate or as a separate person—she's my beautiful, evil babygirl so i usually tend to write her in somehow lol. i see her as a regressor leaning flip but she only ever really looks out for will, and she's more of a big sister figure to him than anything.

will is not picky about using caregiver titles, lol. if you're looking after him there is a strong chance you will get called mama/papa/dada at some point, even if you're just a babysitter and especially if he's regressed super duper young. i think they're like verbal stims for him when he's little, so unless you're tanya, mike, yu, ted, mrs. hutchins or fisher he doesn't necessarily think of you as a parental caregiver, he just really likes saying those terms :') and yes this is a bit of a projection on my part lol

will is not a permaregressor per se, but i do think once he finds his family he spends a lot of time regressed due to being forced to grow up too fast and the abuse he suffered from his mom and the fraternity (and lila, depending on the au. i love her but she's also canonically a villain and sometimes i do explore that in agere aus)

he's also definitely a padded regressor, i think he has a lot of incontinence issues due to disability and the aforementioned trauma that get exacerbated when he's little so it's just better to keep him in diapers or pull ups. i think they also just generally make him feel safe and comfortable, so he doesn't mind wearing them—he did have shame about it at first for needing them, but his found family has been nothing but supportive and kind about it so he's able to embrace needing them and find comfort in them :')

he has so many soft and comfy clothes!! onesies, big t-shirts (many of them stolen from his cgs hehe), overalls, super soft sweaters, and a few nightgowns/dresses/spinny skirts cuz gnc will reigns supreme in my head lmao. i think he has a wide variety of styles too because basically all of his caregivers have bought or lent him him clothes at some point and they all have drastically different styles so what he's wearing highly depends on who's looking after him and what cute outfit they wanna see him in XD

he enjoys it though! it's kinda fun being their dress up doll sometimes, especially cuz they like to coo at him and take pictures of him when they dress him up. it makes him feel very pretty and loved <3

honestly will doesn't really care much about gender in general, and that's doubled when he's little. he has a wide variety of toys ranging from traditionally "masculine" like trains and legos to traditionally "feminine" like play dress up costumes and a gorgeous dollhouse he got for christmas one year. i'm also shamelessly stealing this headcanon from @whenthedeeppurplefalls but he also lovessss puppets and has a handful of those as well, along with a puppet theater lovingly handmade by mike and tanya for a different christmas (or his birthday, i haven't decided lol)

honestly a lot of these headcanons have probably been at least partially stolen from tanya so shout out to her give her some appreciation <3

his taste in tv shows is similarly varied i think. going back to the puppet thing his faves are definitely the muppet show and sesame street but i like to think he's also a strawberry shortcake, scooby doo, my little pony and blue's clues kid also projection don't worry about it, pfft. he'll watch most things without complaint but those are his faves :)

he's a very touch starved kid so he can get pretty physically clingy sometimes and it's very adorable 🥹 sometimes he goes through periods of touch aversion (usually due to trauma flashbacks or overstimulation) but most of the time he wants to be close to his cgs so he's frequently being held in their arms or lap or just holding their hand waugh

generally will's a really easy kid. he's very sweet and doesn't like to act out, and if he does act out it's usually cuz he's overstimulated or having a bad brain day, and occasionally he will have meltdowns. his cgs have developed gentle protocols for dealing with those days and ways to prevent them because it is NOT fun to see their baby hurting and upset :(

loooooves playing pretend, especially if he gets to play an animal :3

he loves animals in general, whether it's watching shows about them or being read books about them. he canonically feels a kinship with them after all!

related but every time he's taken to the zoo or aquarium it's the best day of his life aglkjdsklfjd. he also likes going to the library and the park, and sometimes for a special occasion his family takes him to an amusement park or festival where he gets to go on the rides (it's very stimulating for him in a good way, you know how little kids like to be thrown around sometimes? it's like that <3)

he's pretty clumsy even out of headspace so his balance is naturally even worse when he's in headspace alkgjadsklf. his caregivers often have to catch him when he wobbles, and if he's younger than two, they often need to carry him (at that point he's usually crawling anyway, but if there's places he needs to go that's when they just ask if they can scoop him up......assuming he hasn't already asked to be carried, that is 🥺)

okay this has gotten out of hand so i'll end it here lol, but god i have. so many thoughts about this kid i forgot how much i loved little will waaauuugh 🥹🥰

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

24 Books in 2024 tag

so I saw @backlogbooks and @agardenandlibrary kick this off the other day and I finally have time to do it! this is probably my favourite booklr meme each year because I always fail spectacularly at it 😂 but maybe this year will be different 👀

so, in 2024, I wanna read:

Afterlove by Tanya Byrne

Clown in a Cornfield 3 by Adam Cesare

The Feast Makers by HA Clarke

Don't Let the Forest In by CG Drews

Breaker by Kat Ellis

Boy Like Me by Simon James Green

Better By Far by Hazel Hayes

Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

Last Seen Online by Lauren James

What Feasts at Night by T Kingfisher

Jamie by LD Lapinski

Not Just Gal Pals by Elizabeth Luly

Different For Boys by Patrick Ness

A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn

Lavender House by Lev AC Rosen

If Tomorrow Doesn't Come by Jen St Jude

Edie in Between by Laura Sibson

The Summer Love Strategy by Ray Stoeve

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

Have You Seen This Girl? by Nita Tyndall

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

The Bone Spindle by Leslie Vedder

Inkflower by Suzy Zail

there's a mix of new releases and backlog books there so I should have plenty to keep me going hehe

tagging anyone who's got an "M" in their URL 🥰

[beecanons]

Hello could I request MK 1 Kitana care giver headcanons please thank you💜💜💜

going with princess kitana instead of titan kitana cuz she gets more screen time <3

Caregiver Kitana!

very sweet and caring almost dotingly so gentle when holding a little

she uses soft words when talking a gentle tone of voice but can be firm if need be "what's the matter little one? come here" "no, you have been told not to, do not make me count to three"

mileena might babysit or better yet tanya and kitana might arange a playdate with you two

she would absolutely love to spoil her littles she's the princess after all, she could get you anything you wanted of course she's going to shower you with all the gifts and love youre so cute, how could she not

she'll absolutely adore being called things like "mama" or "big sis" any nicknames or cg names you give her make her really happy

she liked looking out for mileena growing up so she likes having the responsability of caring for a little

she's more than happy to help look after a pet regressor i see her as a dog person who likes cats so she's happy helping out anyway she can regardless of what animal you might regress too

has so many nick/pet names and terms of endearment for you sweetheart, little one, dear (one), darling, little warrior and more very respectful if theres something you dont want to be called

respects your boundaries but needs to remind you to set them will ask you when something new comes up if youre comfortable with it or not "theres going to be a party later, little warrior, will that be alright?"

tanya will tattle on you to keep you out of trouble when kitana isnt looking "are you supposed to be back here little one?" "i dont think you can have that, can you?"

fashion shows loves dressing you up and doing little shows when she has to get dressed up for something thinks matching looks is super cute insists mileena gives her opinion on every outfit.

hope these are okay!

[animehouse-moe]

The Saga of Tanya The Evil: Complete Setting Material

Note: For Those That Want To Check Out The Art Book But Can't Afford It, Click Here For A Free Online Version

So this is a very cool art book, for a very cool series, from a very cool studio. I sorta wish there was a key animation or storyboard collection for the anime because it's so interesting and intense, but beggars can't really be choosers. Regardless, some initial history of the series might be cool for some, and provides even more reason to be impressed.

I think the most interesting thing is that the light novel for Tanya The Evil is completely different. It's not a super strong toddler out on the battlefield, but a child fighting for the ability to not have to put their life on the line every single day. It's far more tactical, far less showy, and incredible technical by comparison. Which is awesome. Two almost entirely different products, and both are amazing in their own right.

What's also amazing is the studio behind the anime, Nut (yes, that's their name). The Saga of Tanya The Evil was their first anime (not counting a FLCL movie they worked on with 2 other studios). It was the first series, all the way back in 2017 and they killed it. Not many studios can say that they nailed their first project as well as Nut did.

So at the end of the day, The Saga of Tanya The Evil is a crazy bold and brash anime adaptation that put Nut on the map, and gave us super cool art books like this Tanya The Evil setting material one, which has some really beautiful art underneath the dust jacket.

There's loads of extra details alongside the art in this book as well, just little extra pieces and drawings to help spice it up. Like this cover page for the character design section of the book, or the little Tanya illustration that acts as a cover page to the whole book.

Overall in the book, there's 6 "chapters", though effectively 4 or even 3. Character Design, Prop Design, Environment Line Art, Staff Interview, Environment Art, and Light Novel Illustrations. Other than the Staff Interview and LN Illustrations, the chapters of the book are pretty beefy and cover a really solid amount of information and insight. I mean, just look at the character design stuff for Tanya.

Tanya alone has 8 pages dedicated to her in the Character Design chapter, eight. Most will only have 2 or maybe 3, but because of that it covers a really nice breadth of characters that take you all over the place. It's really interesting to see just how much detail and effort is placed into how so many of these characters look, as they end up feeling somewhat simplified when in color and in motion.

Next up is the Prop Design chapter, and I found this section to be the most interesting of the batch. The detail and research put into a lot of the historical weapons and utilities of the era was really impressive, and the detail and thought process for some of the fictional pieces of equipment was super interesting to follow. In contrast to the Character Design chapter though, this one features a lot more full color and even CG work.

Following Prop Design is the Environment Line Art chapter, and man, line art just really gets me. It's something you really take for granted in a lot of shows and you don't really realize how much detail and design work is placed into stuff. Just page upon page upon page of sprawling environments, massive castles or buildings, and all manner of other thing.

Skipping over the Staff Interview (because it's in Japanese) we come to the fully completed environment work. Devoid of characters, motion, and misdirection, the scenery and detail absolutely sucks you in. It's crazy how detailed some of the art ends up.

And last but not least is the Light Novel Cover Illustrations. It's rather small detail overall, but I really appreciate that they went through the trouble of including them because they're so good, and basically the only way outside of the LNs to have Shinobu Shinotsuki's illustrations. Of course, I had to go with my favorite cover illustration, Volume 7, though 6 is a close second.

At the end of the day, for any Tanya The Evil fans, I'd say this art book is highly, highly recommended. I know there's a bit of an impediment due to the price of it, but overall you can grab it for a somewhat reasonable price. eBay has listings that are pretty pricy, but buying in Japan through a proxy service you can get much more reasonable prices and even deals on shipping.

[joethetoonfanandoutcast]

This is the complete list of characters I would have cameo at a Universal Animation assemblage similar to Once Upon a Studio.

Felix the Cat: Felix the Cat

Woody Woodpecker: Woody Woodpecker, Winnie Woodpecker

An American Tail: Fievel Mousekewitz, Tanya Mousekewitz, Papa Mousekewitz, Mama Mousekewitz, Yasha Mousekewitz, Tiger, Henri le pigeon, female pigeons, Tony Toponi, Bridget, Honest John, Gussie Mausheimer, Warren T. Cat, Digit, Maus Street Maulers, Cat R. Waul, TR Chula, the Cactus Cat Gang, Miss Kitty, Wylie Burp

Land Before Time: Littlefoot, Cera, Petrie, Ducky, Spike, Littlefoot's grandparents, Chomper

Opus 'n Bill: Opus, Bill the Cat, the ducks

We're Back!: A Dinosaur's Story: Rex, Elsa, Woog, Dweeb, Louie, Cecilia, Vorb, Stubbs, Captain Neweyes, Dr. Bleeb

Casper: Casper the Friendly Ghost, Stretch, Fatso, Stinky

Babe: Babe, Fly, Rex, Ferdinand, the mice

Balto: Balto, Jenna, Boris, Steele, Muk, Luk, Nikki, Kaltag, Star, Dixie, Sylvie, Rosy

Rocky & Bullwinkle: Rocket J. Squirrel, Bullwinkle J. Moose (in their 2D/CG 2000 looks), Fearless Leader, Boris Badenov, Natasha Femme-Fatale (in their 2D 2000 looks)

Curious George: Curious George, Ted the Man in the Yellow Hat, Maggie Dunlop

The Tale of Desperaux: Desperaux, his parents, Chiaroscuro "Roscuro", Chef Andre, Boldo

Despicable Me: Felonious Gru, Lucy Wilde, the Minions, Dr. Nefario, Margo, Agnes, Edith, Kyle, Vector, Mr. Perkins, Silas Ramsbottom, Eduardo Perez/El Macho, Antonio Perez, Scarlett Overkill, Herb Overkill, the Nelsons, Balthazar Bratt, Dru Gru, Marlena Gru, Fritz, Clive the Robot, the Vicious Six, Master Chow, Wild Knuckles' henchmen

Hop: EB, Easter Bunny, the Pink Berets, Carlos, Phil, bunnies, chicks

The Lorax: the Lorax, the Once-ler, Ted, Audrey, Mrs. Wiggins, Granny Norma, Aloysius O'Hare, O'Hare's bodyguards, Sy the Delivery Guy, the Hummingfish, the Swommee-Swans, the Barbaloots

The Secret Life of Pets: Max, Katie, Duke, Gidget, Snowball, Mel, Buddy, Pops, Tiberius, Rooster, Chuck, Liam, Daisy, Hu, Sergei, wolves

Sing: Buster Moon, Miss Crawley, Herman, Rosita, Norman, their piglets, Gunther, Johnny, Marcus, Stan, Barry, Ash, Lance, Becky, Eddie Noodleman, Nana Noodleman, Mr. and Mrs. Noodleman, Hobbes, Meena, her mother and grandparents, Mike, Nancy, Suki Lane, Porsha Crystal, Jimmy Crystal, Jerry, Nooshy, Darius, Klaus Kickenklober, Clay Calloway, the Q-Teez

The Grinch: the Grinch, Max, Fred, his mate and calf, Donna Who, Cindy-Lou Who, Bean, Buster, Bricklebaum, Mabel, Groopert, Axl, Izzy, Ozzy

Super Mario Bros.: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Bowser Koopa, Donkey Kong, Cranky Kong, Kamek, penguins, Giuseppe

Migration: the duck family, Delroy, Pigeon, Erin

Characters I'm unsure would make the assemblage:

The Veggies of VeggieTales

The Jetsons, Mr. Spacely and anyone involved in Jetsons the Movie

And for real-life people:

Steven Spielberg, David Kirschner, George Miller, and Chris Meledandri as themselves.

What do you think?

[medea10]

My Review of Overlord

Okay, I’ve managed to blow through Konosuba, Re:Zero, and The Rising of the Shield Hero in the past several years. Now, I think it’s time I blast through this isekai so I can get to Isekai Quartet. I know it’s absurd to push up a wonky spin-off like that. But I watched Carnival Phantasm when I clearly didn’t know half of those characters. We learn from our oopsies and mistakes. I’m older and wiser now. Once I finish this, I’ve watched all���

But don’t you have to watch Tanya of the Evil too?

(ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻

Momonga is a working man, who in his off-time plays an MMORPG named Yggdrasil and plays a character known as Ains. After so many hours playing this game, the servers are going to shut down and he is the only one left with his memories of the good times playing. He decides to stay on the server until midnight when the servers plan to go dead. Midnight strikes and he’s still logged in. Problem is, HE CAN’T LOG OUT! Welcome to the Isekai rabbit-hole! But unlike many other isekais, Momonga has a legion of loyal servants to do what he says. Hell, he can cop a feel on a hot girl and she’ll just moan and beg for more.

Albedo is all kinds of kinky!

So, let’s watch as Momonga (or Ains Oon Goal) navigate this world where the NPC’s do a lot more than you’d expect and a world that’s different from the game. He is the overpowered overlord that will one day rule the land. Get ready. There’s about four seasons and a million chapters of light novel to this.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: Say what you will about FUNimation, they do give us some quality dubs from time to time. And in the first season, I was so happy to hear Ed Blaylock’s voice in what was probably his final role (that wasn’t One Piece related) before his passing. I’m also impressed with Chris Gurrero’s voice going from Momonga to Ains like that. I almost thought it was two different voice actors, so color me impressed. If you’re wondering, I did watch some of this series subbed. A lot of the specials and movies were sub only so I had no choice in the matter. But by the time season four came around, I was already caught up so I caught the sub there.

Hey, I wasn’t going to miss out on Mamoru Miyano acting dorky. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Ains is played by Satoshi Hino (known for Sai on Naruto Shippuden, Kamui on Gintama, Rengoku on Demon Slayer, Yuuji on Shakugan no Shana, Hamazura on Index, and Gauche on Black Clover)

*Albedo is played by Yumi Hara (known for Takane on Idolm@ster and Kosame on Magical Girl Site)

*Narberal is played by Manami Numakura (known for Pieck on Attack on Titan, Rio on Assassination Classroom, Brandish on Fairy Tail, and Hibiki on Idolm@ster)

*Shalltear is played by Sumire Uesaka (known for Nagatoro on Miss Nagatoro, Chloe on Miss Kobayashi, Dekomori on Chunibyo, Aya on Tonikawa, Nanase on In/Spectre, and Anastasia on Idolm@ster: CG)

ENGLISH CAST: *Ains is played by Chris Gurrero (known for Moriah on One Piece, Valtos on Black Clover, Nobuta on Assassination Classroom, and Ichiya on Fairy Tail)

*Albedo is played by Elizabeth Maxwell (known for Ymir on Attack on Titan, Uo on Fruits Basket 2019, Caulifla on DB Super, Lisa on Fire Force, Jenny on Fairy Tail, and Cordelia on Gosick)

*Narberal is played by Anasatasia Munoz (known for Gracia on FMA: Brotherhood, Minerva on Fairy Tail, Mayu on Fruits Basket, and Monomi on Danganronpa)

*Shalltear is played by Felecia Angelle (known for Hagakure on My Hero Academia, Georgie on Miss Kobayashi, Asahina on Danganronpa, Tetia on Black Clover, Frill on Wonder Egg Priority, and Perona on One Piece)

DISLIKED CHARACTER: So, I hate this sick, sadistic bitch right here.

I know it feels weird to stick it out with a season one villain. Especially because season four had a treasure trove of idiots that deserve to be hated. I just hate Clementine.

SHIPPING: God damn, Albedo and Shalltear are THIRSTY for Ains.

Um…so which girl? Which girl or girls are to be Lord Ains’s wife or mistress or concubine?

Okay, obviously we will never get an answer to that unless we read the entire light novel series. And even then, is there really an answer? We know it’ll never be Evileye from season two despite her sorta falling for Lord Ains.

Let’s just chalk this section up to the only true ship in this series is Nferia and Enri. Cute moment from them in season one and savior moments in season three. And now they’re married. Oh and I suppose the lizards from season two. Last I saw, they mated and have offspring as of season four. Call it a win if you’re married and still alive by the end of season four.

MUSIC: All of the songs are lit. There’s really nothing more to say on the matter.

Voracity is my favorite.

ENDING TO SEASON ONE: Throughout the series, we’ve seen Ains in disguise when going on mini-missions throughout the land. He goes by the name of Moman and travels with one of his Pleiades maids Naberal (or Nabe). After killing off these dead-raisers and a very unlikeable villain, he returns to his base to learn that there’s been a betrayal amongst one of his loyal followers.

It would seem odd for any of these characters to turn against Lord Ains or anything like that, especially when you see it was Shalltear. But whoever caught Shalltear certainly has Ains sweating (if it’s humanly feasible for a skeleton to do so). Not many can compare to his strength. However, Shalltear is a different story. Statistically speaking, there’s a less than 50% chance that Ains can win against her in a fight. When Ains decides to deal with this situation by himself, this frightened many of his disciples. Ains is the only person left of his original group that brought life to many of these characters. If he’s gone, Albedo might lose her sanity. Not just her, but the rest of the characters too. So, when Ains went after Shalltear, it looked like his power was useless to zap her out of her trance. And she did seem somewhat conflicted going against her lord and master. Could it be that someone besides Ains was stuck in the game as well? Could it be one of his former comrades from before the game shut down?

The end of this season doesn’t give us that answer. But we were not disappointed by the Ains vs. Shalltear fight. Ains didn’t hold back in this fight and ended up using many items crafted by his former comrades who used to be a part of the game before the permanent shutdown. I know there’s a lot to be said about overpowered protagonists and how boring a show can be with one of those, but for some reason I can live with Ains taking down a rogue servant. Ains ends up killing Shalltear, but then resurrects her (for a very steep price).

Shalltear is unaware of what happened during that time she was being mind-controlled. And I suppose we will not know until the following season.

PLEIADES SPECIALS: What the hell? Is this shit animated by the same company that does Isekai Quartet? Son of a gun, it is! Every season, there will be these short episodes. These episodes have everything you would expect from your average short-run special including; fanservice, main focus on characters that we never focus on, out of place dialogue, and no one acting like they would in the main show (except for Albedo). As the name indicates, we focus on the Pleiades combat maids; Yuri, Lupusregina, Narberal, Solution, CZ, and Entoma. And there’s only one thing I want to say about the specials.

I got to watch Clementine die six more times.

Oh yeah, there’s also a Clementine special with the Pleiades. More Clementine torture! I can’t say no to that. But that’s just the first season. Later seasons feature many crazier characters like Pandora’s Actor. Mamoru Miyano is having so much fun with this role. I know he is.

SEASON TWO: Three years, two recap movies, millions of Rule 34 artworks featuring Albedo, and a multitude of Isekai Quartet-style specials later…

We’re watching the story of dragon tribes getting a stark warning in the sky, working together, and then defeating armies of the undead. Wait, did I pick up some other anime by mistake or is this really Overlord? Yeah, the first few episodes of this season we’re watching a lot of these dragons, learning about these characters, and then watch them die off (this time by Coctys). That is until Ains comes in and forces the remaining dragon clans to answer to him.

The rest of this season had a lot of screentime to Sebas. Sebas was found interfering in the human world. He took in and healed a prostitute named Tuare and assisted with helping the bodyguard of a princess. With Sebas doing a lot of questionable actions while undercover with Solution, Lord Ains might fear of another betrayal much like last season with Shalltear. But as we all know, the opening theme told us that Demiurge was going to betray Lord Ains. Maybe! Ains gave his decision and will not punish Sebas and will see to it that Tuare will be taken care of by having her serve at the Great Tomb of Nazerick.

As it turns out, a lot of factions in this part of the story want to put an end to a crime syndicate known as “Eight Fingers”. The kingdom (particularly Princess Renner) has her close allies (Blue Rose) and loyal bodyguard (Climb) take out their organization. Sebas has had his moments with these gentlemen, as the crime syndicate consisted of brothels with injured women. Along with Sebas, we also have season one veterans Brain and Gazef get involved. However, things get messy when several of these groups get a nasty meeting.

I mean it, this season is full of new characters that are either in several episodes in great detail or die off faster than their appearance in the opening sequence. And in usual Medea-fashion, I’m going to have to give these people stupid nicknames. Let’s see…

Fluffy and Fuzzy’s Guide to You-Know-What

Thing One and Thing Two

Isekai Jasper

Odvall

Fat Royal Armin

Blonde Yuno Gasai

Dead One, Dead Two, Corpse One, Corpse Two...

Feminine Obvious Ian Sinclair character

Gilgamesh Knock-Off

END OF SEASON TWO: What do you suppose is going to happen when Lord Ains’s diciples get involved in a messy situation? You’ve got Entoma eating humans and Demiurge slaughtering members of the princess’s allies in Blue Rose. And then Lord Ains shows up in his Moman disguise right in the middle of this cluster-fucking mess. We do get the fight between Demiurge and Ains, it’s just that Demiurge wasn’t under a spell like Shalltear was last season. This was more of a bigger plan as both of them are using their alias names. It’s all an act.

Things get messier when Ains gets involved in Blue Rose matters. First of all, Evileye shouldn’t be falling in love with Ains. Ains has no interest and two other thirsty ladies back home. Second of all, this story is already more twisted than Lombard Street in San Francisco. Well, we get a satisfactory conclusion for Ains as he was able to make more connections in order for his alias (Moman) to be the great adventurer. Fake fighting with his allies of the Great Tomb of Nazerick and “defeat” the bad guys. And we close with seeing knock-off Gilgamesh plotting something. Oh, I’m sure we’ll see it in season three.

SEASON THREE: One anime season later…

God damn, that’s pretty fast for a Madhouse production!

Okay so, there’s still no word on who possessed Shalltear back in season one and no word on anyone else in this world from Lord Ains’s time as Momonga. Meanwhile, the guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazerick are planning their next plan of attack. Entoma wants revenge on Evileye from their fight at the end of season two. Solution wants to eat more humans. And Demiurge is looking forward to total world domination. And Ains is trying his best to stay the strong leader in front of everyone and still put out signs in case anyone from the game is there and finds him. With all of that happening isn’t it the perfect time for everyone to take a day off? Yeah, the first episode of this season was almost a throwaway.

Thankfully, we get back to the engaged storytelling and killing soon after. For a couple of episodes, we follow those humans from season one, Nfirea and Enri. And of course, they are the special kinds of humans Lord Ains trusts the most as they actually know Lord Ains by name and are indebted to him. Plus goblins! Enri controls a horde of goblins. I gotta give this girl some credit, she is pretty bad-ass.

END OF SEASON THREE: So Ains was not too pleased about random human scum entering the Tomb of Nazerick uninvited. In fact, that downright pissed him off. He kills the trespassers, has Shalltear kill off any runaways, and sent Aura and Mare to send a message to the kingdom with a pretty clear message of, “fuck around and find out”.

Now the emperor (Gilgamesh knock-off) made a legitimate attempt at forming an alliance to avoid more deaths like what Mare and Aura did in front of him. The royal family however decided to take matters in their own hands. One of the princes (not fat royal Armin) led an army to E-Rantel to take control. In another edition of “fuck around and find out”, Enri led an army of ogres into victory. That and Lupusregina annihilated any survivors. So now we’ve got a full-blown war between the Tomb of Nazerick and the kingdom. Ains has an army of goats that he’s bred to take out…

THOSE ARE NOT GOATS! No, don’t give me that “Baaa” shit. Those are not goats! Those aren’t even crimes against nature! They’re worse than that. They don’t have a name that they’re so…they shouldn’t even exist. Lord Ains, you are truly a wonder to behold!

And one warrior actually is given an opportunity to end the bloodshed by becoming one of Ains’s men. It was survivor of season one and two, Gazef Stronoff. Gazef refuses. Let’s see what happens in this edition of “fuck around and see what happens”. Gazef dies in 0.000001 seconds. The end result of this battle, the kingdom lost soldiers somewhere in the tens of thousands including Gazef, who was an essential warrior for the kingdom. Victory goes to Ains and the Tomb of Nazerick. And that’s where we end season three!

Still no word on who brainwashed Shalltear in season one! Still no word if Ains has found any contact with any comrade from before being sucked into Isekai Heaven over here. Let’s see what happens when Season IV comes out.

Hey, I only had to wait six months for this.

SEASON FOUR: The opening is still a banger and Ains is now supreme overlord of the entire kingdom (now known as the Sorcerer Kingdom). He is now using his actual form with those he’s never shown before instead of hiding behind his other persona of Moman. Though he will pop in as Moman or have Pandora go in his stead. The important thing is that Ains will be heard and will be obeyed.

We get some stories involving other creature characters including wolfmen, dwarves, and dragons. But other than that, we see more diplomatic scenes now that Ains and Albedo are frequently present at the kingdom. Gee, wouldn’t it suck if something were to happen to this kingdom? Like if something were to go wrong, do you think Lord Ains would do something so extreme like kill all humans?

ENDING: Something went wrong and now it’s time for humans to die.

“Someone” stole from the Sorcerer Kingdom. Yeah, this is the night bitches die.

Look, the kingdom should know to walk on eggshells with Lord Ains. Aura and Mare left a clear and present message for the kingdom in season three not to fuck with the Tomb of Nazerick. But leave it to one big, dumb, idiot, fucking asshole to ruin everything. Yeah, we’re talking about Phillip! The same idiot that tried to hit on Albedo this season, glossing over any other female in the room is the mastermind in stealing from the Sorcerer Kingdom. The balls on this man! Well, I’m pretty sure by the end of this season, the balls on this man will be torn asunder.

Prince Zanac (the guy I call Fat Royal Armin) took over royal duties for his ailing father. He has hopes of quelling Lord Ains’s fury and prevent the entire kingdom to be wiped out. And it went over as one would expect from this guy. His negotiations with Lord Ains fell flat and his own men mutinied and sent Fat Royal Armin’s head in a bag for Lord Ains. This is in hopes that these men and their families would be spared from Lord Ains’s wrath.

I gotta say, seeing Fat Royal Armin’s head in a bag brought back School Days memories. But I was just surprised Crunchyroll showed this. We see more season two survivors pledging loyalty to Lord Ains. And a shining armor guy with a fake name try to stop Ains from destroying the entire kingdom. Almost had Ains on his knees. I say almost because that wasn’t really Lord Ains meeting the knight, but Pandora’s Actor dressed up like Lord Ains.

The kingdom genocide is about to proceed as Cocytus comes through parts of the kingdom by freezing everything in sight. He also wound-up freezing Brain (one of the few characters that survived since season one). Princess Renner and Climb stay behind while their comrades of Blue Rose leave. The slaughter commences. Mare leads her army through the kingdom. Meanwhile, Lord Ains and Demiurge take out the king. Albedo ends up taking care of Phillip, that big, dumb, idiot, fucking asshole I mentioned before. Whether or not Albedo tears this guy’s nutsack asunder is up for debate, but I’d like to think she did. As it stands, it looked like Climb and Princess Renner were the last two seen alive. Climb ends up trying to fight Ains. He puts up a decent fight, but we all know the overlord was going to take him out. And now for the most disturbing scene of the season.

Climb wakes up to Princess Renner who is now a demon with ties to Lord Ains. She asks him to become a demon with her as well so they can live happily ever after for all eternity. The princess was behind this mass genocide. Most of the plans was from her. I KNEW IT! I KNEW THIS BITCH WAS TROUBLE FROM THE START! I KNEW THERE WAS NO GOOD IN TRUSTING PRINCESS BLONDE YUNO GASAI! NO GOOD! And then she sings a demonic Disney princess song while many viewers are pissing themselves in utter fright.

And with the fourth season’s end let’s check out the mysteries that remain so. Still no word on who possessed Shalltear in season one. No sign of any allies from Momonga’s time before the MMORPG became for real. Unknown connection with the latest characters we saw in the fourth season. And the kill count is infinity +1.

Overlord was not what I expected. Going into this, I thought this was going to be like the other Isekai animes that came out at the same time. For starters, there were characters I thought were going to have more screen time than they really did. The first 2 seasons, it felt like that when it came to Shalltear and Albedo. Most of the time we just saw Lord Ains in disguise with one of his maids, Narberal. But that’s the funny thing, we rarely saw any of the Pleiades in season four.

And then there’s the massive cast list for every season. Adventurers in season one, lizardmen in season two, goblins in season three, and dwarves, dragons, and wolfmen in season four. Add to that a myriad of humans that are going to be dead soon enough. You know when you’re watching Overlord’s many bomb-ass opening sequences and we see many characters with bomb-ass entrances? Many of their appearances are about as long as their couple of seconds in the opening. Don’t get me wrong, there are characters that have extended episodes dedicated to them. But some of them I don’t even remember when I replay the opening themes. I play them a lot. They’re all bangers!

So, what’s next? The light novel is still in publication and last checked it’s nowhere near being finished. One can wonder what we’re to expect next. Although, the final message in season four means we’re heading to a final arc of some sort or something might change if we’re to get another continuation. Whatever the case is, I’m all in and waiting for the next installment.

If you would like to check out Overlord, Crunchyroll and Hulu have every season available.

[phyc]

Tanya Von Degurechaff - Hair base sculpt

Hello all, here with an update!  Things have been slow despite wanting so, but my body demanded a break from being at my desk. Back again though!   Recently wrapped up making a base for Tanya’s hair. The plan was always to make a hair for her in xgen for that realistic feel. Still doing that, but I plan to make hair cards after for a game engine friendly version. So in the end there will be a sculpted hair for tanya, a cg version for renders in Vray, and a hair card ver for in-engine. That’s a lot of separate hairs! Why? Well, I want to be well rounded and practice as much as I can, its good opportunity even though it’ll add to the time till completion. Well without further ado I’ll start with the first version of her hair to the final.

First shot, really liked it, but the front view wasn’t quite doing it for me.

2nd version i yanked the side out, but didn’t feel close to what i wanted. Bang edits I liked though.

Did some swift edits to adjust the direction of the back if her hair. Closer but not quite there.

Aaannd finally here we are. A bit of brash edits and disregard for flow but It felt more accurate towards than anime style of hers. May do more edits today but it shouldn’t divert much in the end. Das all for now!

[starsurface]

These were apart of the other request for the Baby Regressor <3

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

CG Kitana w/ Baby Regressor Hcs

💙 Oh my goodness she loves you

💙 Is really good with a lot of regression ages, but does specialize with baby and toddler regressors

💙 Your just so cute!! How could she not adore you? 🥺

💙 She is a princess, making you her little prince/princess/royalty

💙 Is really good with clingy regressors too

💙 My- I mean, our women here is strong, and she'll totally show off her strength 💪

💙 She'll princess carry you to bed when you're getting sleepy

💙 She also just likes to carry you around on her hip just because <3

💙 Do NOT ever worry about being too big or heavy, you're as light as a feather to her >:(

💙 Enjoys playing dress up with you, but mostly dresses you in soft onesies and such

💙 You get the softest onesies in all the Realms, fr

💙 Would be overjoyed if you want to dress like her, but will make sure to get you a safer onesie version of her outfit

💙 If you like to mess with her fans, she'll get one without the blades so you can play with them

💙 Your babysitters are probably Tanya, Mileena, Syzoth, and Tomas (Did you know that he helps Mileena train and Kitana helps Syzoth train?)

💙 Maybe also Liu Kang (she only trusts a handful of people with you)

💙 But if you really want someone like Johnny to babysit you? She won't mind . . . But him? 😒 (they're friends, she's just joking)

💙 Absolutely hates leaving you with others when your small though

💙 She just gets really busy sometimes with big kid princess and General work, but she'll make sure to make time for you!!

💙 Would love to set up little playdates with either Mileena or Syzoth

💙 But if your too little or shy for playdates, that's okay, you can just stay with Momma for the time being <3

💙 Sometimes she'll carry you around on her hip if she has to do work really quickly

💙 ^ Of course only if your comfy being outside her room while small

💙 Plus . . . no one can make fun of you, just like with Kotal Kahn, you have the entire Riyal House on your back

💙 If your also comfy with it, she'd love to take you out to the royal gardens!!

💙 You can sit on her lap and watch the butterflies fly by

💙 Or go over and see the pretty flowers

💙 You can even have a picnic!! :D. (She'll have the royal chef make only pastries and yummy snacks, per your request)

💙 . . . She'll also make sure you eat more healthier options though 😒

💙 She's so up for making you different kinds of bottles of milk!! (Like Honey Milk, or those other little milk things I've seen online)

💙 Favorite CG nicknames are Mama, Momma, Mommy, Sissy, and ‘Tana

💙 Any type of grabby hands and babbles is so accepted though, she'll scoop you up in a heartbeat!!

💙 Favorite little nicknames for you are Sweetie, Princess/Prince/Little Royalty, Sweetheart, Little Warrior, Honey

💙 Will redirect you to your paci if you chew on her fingers, that's not sanitary, sweetheart <3

💙 Or a chewie!! She'd love to get you one of those baby chew rings in your favorite color

💙 Likes to lay beside you during tummy time

💙 Your so cute, babbling and showing her your stuffies or playboys

💙 I'm not saying she's rich (she is, she's literally a princess) . . . I am saying that if you asked, she'd dedicate an entire section of her bedroom as your designated baby area

💙 A little playmat with toys and such, just for you 🥺

💙 If your a bratty baby, she'll find every act you do adorable (and put her foot down)

💙 She scold you if you push your sippy or bottle off somewhere, but will coe if it was entirely an accident

💙 Accidents happen sometimes, although she knows if you're doing it on purpose, it's like a sixth sense of hers!!

💙 She's a stickler for the rules 😒

💙 You get lucky because your smaller, she doesn't really send you to time out or lectures you

💙 It's mostly gentle scolding, you're probably too little to understand what you did wrong

💙 Will not scold you if she knows you've had a bad day or are feeling icky though

💙 She'll gently rock you, suggest you take a bathe and change into something comfy, and make you a bottle or get you applesauce

💙 She'd get you one of those little baby mobiles if you have any adult sized crib (she'd buy it for you if she notices you even just longing for it)

💙 She loves cuddle time, and will gently pet your hair and kiss your forehead

💙 She's very soft when it comes to nap or bedtime

💙 She's also insistent that you get a nap, babies like you shouldn't be up for so long, sweetheart!!

💙 She'll make you yummy warm milk, or just water in a baby bottle, and will bottle feed you and rock you to sleep

💙 She doesn't allow hair pulling, but one time she tried to remove your bottle from your mouth and the grip was so tight, she learnt her lesson

💙 Also doesn't really allow hitting, but if you giggle and whack something soft, like a pillow, she'll laugh and copy you, making it a little game between you two

💙 Knows a lot of different kinds of hair styles from helping Mileena and Tanya with their hairs, and loves to put your hair into something pretty

💙 She'd probably get a lot of your regression items in a baby blue to match her aesthetic, but if you want a different color just tell her

💙 Plays with stuffies like a champ!!

💙 They all get their own voices and she knows all their names (she didn't spend hours memorizing them, your being silly, sweetheart)

💙 Adores babbling of any kind, and treats it like a full blown conversation

💙 Is also really good at knowing what you want (it took a few times, but she got in the hang out it)

💙 Very sweet and comforting if you need a nappies of any sort, and never makes you feel ashamed or silly for them (not that there's any reason to feel silly, darling, your regression is your regression)

💙 She'd make a sticker chart to make sure your on task for eating and such, and will treat you to ice cream or a new stuffie at the end of the week

💙 And don't worry too much if you miss a few times!! Things like these take time to adapt to, she'll still give you your special little treat <3

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

CG Bi-Han with Baby Regressor will be next!! :D

And JFJSBDBAKWK, I love Kitana. 🥺

[officialotakudome]

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New Post has been published on https://otakudome.com/sentai-acquires-new-anime/

Sentai Acquires New Anime

Sentai Filmworks has acquired several new anime titles for this year:

HOUSTON, TX — May 27, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired Nozo x Kimi, the risqué comedy OVA spinoff series of Nozoki Ana, for audiences in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Republic of South Africa, Latin America and Scandinavia.

Kimio Suga didn’t intend anything untoward, but a cascading series of unlucky events leaves him hiding in a gym locker as his female classmates return from PE class. Luckily he’s found by Nozomi Komine, a shy classmate who covers for Kimio despite his incriminating predicament. But Nozomi isn’t as demure as she seems, because shortly after saving Kimio, she blackmails him into a series of clandestine and compromising scenarios!

A production of Studio Zexcs (Diabolik Lovers, Cuticle Detective Inaba, Say “I Love You”), Nozo x Kimi is directed by Masato Jinbo (Senryu Girl, Restaurant to Another World, Shomin Sample) with series composition from Hideki Shirane (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Hayate the Combat Butler!!, Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar). The OVA series stars Ayaka Suwa (The Fruit of Grisaia, Love Lab, The Demon Girl Next Door) as Nozomi Komine and Yusuke Kobayashi (Darwin’s Game, Dr. Stone, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-) as Kimio Suga.

Sentai will stream the Nozo x Kimi OVA in association with select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Sentai

A Cool Japan Fund portfolio company, Sentai is a leading global supplier of anime and official anime merchandise, distributing and curating one of the industry’s most diverse libraries of top trending and classic titles. Sentai offers thousands of hours of content across both traditional and digital platforms and is dedicated to bringing captivating stories and iconic characters directly from Japan. With hit series that include MADE IN ABYSS, Food Wars!, Princess Tutu and Parasyte -the maxim-, Sentai’s catalog continues to grow with new favorites like Bloom Into You, Revue Starlight and O Maidens in Your Savage Season, as well as classic anime series such as Legend of the Galactic Heroes and The Big O. For more information, visit www.sentai.com.

HOUSTON, TX — May 24, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired omnibus movie The Magnificent KOTOBUKI THE MOVIE, which sends the high-flying aerial action of The Magnificent KOTOBUKI to new heights. Sentai will distribute the film to audiences in the Unites States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Central America and South America.

In a desolate desert world, air pirates rule the skies. They prey on aerial commerce and hold remote towns for ransom, but the talented pilots of Team KOTOBUKI use their impressive aerial instincts and hard-won skills to defend cities and cargo shipments from these vultures… for the right price, of course. In their existent reciprocating engine aircraft and with ice in their veins, Team KOTOBUKI will take on any enemy that comes their way in an explosive frenzy of aerial dogfights, including never-before-seen new fights unique to The Magnificent KOTOBUKI THE MOVIE.

The film stars Sayumi Suzushiro (Bloom into You, We Never Learn) as Kylie, Eri Yukimura (A Certain Magical Index Ⅲ) as Emma, Sayaka Nakaya (AKB0048, Momokuri) as Kate, Asami Seto (Chihayafuru, Food Wars!) as Reona, Hibiku Yamamura (Arata The Legend, DOREIKU: The Animation) as Zara and Miyu Tomita (MADE IN ABYSS, Holmes of Kyoto) as Chika.

Sentai will release The Magnificent KOTOBUKI THE MOVIE on home video in Summer 2021.

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Sentai

A Cool Japan Fund portfolio company, Sentai is a leading global supplier of anime and official anime merchandise, distributing and curating one of the industry’s most diverse libraries of top trending and classic titles. Sentai offers thousands of hours of content across both traditional and digital platforms and is dedicated to bringing captivating stories and iconic characters directly from Japan. With hit series that include MADE IN ABYSS, Food Wars!, Princess Tutu and Parasyte -the maxim-, Sentai’s catalog continues to grow with new favorites like Bloom Into You, Revue Starlight and O Maidens in Your Savage Season, as well as classic anime series such as Legend of the Galactic Heroes and The Big O. For more information, visit www.sentai.com.

HOUSTON, TX — May 20, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired exclusive home video distribution rights to critically acclaimed Vinland Saga, WIT STUDIO’s Viking-inspired anime epic based on the award-winning manga of the same name. Originally a streaming-only release, Sentai is now readying Vinland Saga for home video and targeting a Summer 2021 release. Sentai is planning both collector and standard editions for this highly anticipated series.

Raised on tales of the legendary land of Vinland, where warmth and plenty abound, young Thorfinn dreams of leaving behind the cold climate of Iceland and venturing into the great unknown. But when Viking sails appear on the horizon, the young boy is conscripted into a life of violence and brutality at the hands of merciless Viking Askalaad. With nothing left to him save revenge, Thorfinn swears vengeance against the man who slew his family, plunging headlong into a sprawling, blood-soaked, coming-of-age epic that marches to the drums of war.

Vinland Saga is animated by WIT STUDIO (Attack on Titan, Great Pretender, The Ancient Magus’ Bride) and directed by Shuhei Yabuta (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress: Director, Inuyashiki: CG Director, No Game, No Life: CG Director). Hiroshi Seko (Jujutsu Kaisen, Mob Psycho 100, Dorohedoro) provides the series’ script and series composition; Kenta Ihara (Ajin: Demi-Human, The Saga of Tanya the Evil, Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious) provides the series’ script and screenplay. Vinland Saga stars Yuto Uemura (Tsurune, Bungou Stray Dogs, Darling in the FranXX) as Thorfinn, Naoya Uchida as Askeladd (Dororo, Kaiji, Drifters), Kensho Ono (Tanaka-kun is Always Listless, Kuroko no Basket, Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign) as Canute, and Yumi Hara (Overlord, Trinity Seven, Brave Witches) as Anne.

The series was awarded Anime of the Year at the 6th Anime Trending Awards, with Gerald Rathkolb of Otaku USA stating, “[Vinland Saga] is one of those rare anime that could have appeal outside of the anime sphere because of its setting and focus on complex characters and the excellent political intrigue ever-present in the show. It comes with my highest recommendation.”

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Sentai

A Cool Japan Fund portfolio company, Sentai is a leading global supplier of anime and official anime merchandise, distributing and curating one of the industry’s most diverse libraries of top trending and classic titles. Sentai offers thousands of hours of content across both traditional and digital platforms and is dedicated to bringing captivating stories and iconic characters directly from Japan. With hit series that include MADE IN ABYSS, Food Wars!, Princess Tutu and Parasyte -the maxim-, Sentai’s catalog continues to grow with new favorites like Bloom Into You, Revue Starlight and O Maidens in Your Savage Season, as well as classic anime series such as Legend of the Galactic Heroes and The Big O. For more information, visit www.sentai.com.

HOUSTON, TX — May 13, 2021 — Sentai announced today that it acquired the psycho-suspense thriller Alice in Borderland OVA series, based upon the manga series by Haro Aso, Imawa no Kuni no Alice. Sentai will distribute the three-episode Alice in Borderland OVA series to audiences in the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa as well as Latin America.

Be careful what you wish for. Antisocial misfit Ryohei Arisu wanted nothing more than to leave his mundane life behind, but a careless wish on a firework transports him to the post-apocalyptic Borderland, a sinister parallel reality where danger lurks around every corner and survival is not guaranteed. To live to fight another day, Ryohei and other unwilling contestants must win a series of deadly games, each more dangerous than the last — but returning home means putting not only his skills, but also Ryohei’s humanity to the ultimate test.

The OVA series stars Yoshimasa Hosoya (Akame ga Kill!, Chihayafuru, ID: INVADED) as Ryohei Arisu, Takahiro Sakurai (7SEEDS, Babylon, Mob Psycho 100) as Shuntaro Chishiya, Tatsuhisa Suzuki (Beyond the Boundary, Diabolik Lovers More,Blood, My Little Monster) as Daikichi Karube, Tsubasa Yonaga (Free!, Demon King Daimao, D.Gray-man HALLOW) as Chota Segawa, Maya Sakamoto (Cutie Honey Universe, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Arrow of the Orion, Black Butler) as Saori Shibuki and Minako Kotobuki (Punch Line, K-On!, Bloom Into You) as Yuzuha Usagi.

A production of studios SILVER LINK. (Chivalry of a Failed Knight, Armed Girl’s Machiavellism, Strike the Blood), the Alice in Borderland OVA is directed by Hideki Tachibana (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III, Armed Girl’s Machiavellism, Dragon Crisis!) with series composition from Ryosuke Nakamura (director Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions, episode scriptwriter Monster, Aiura).

Sentai will stream the Alice in Borderland OVA in association with select digital outlets with a home video release to follow.

For Sentai’s latest announcements regarding this and other great titles, be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

About Sentai

A Cool Japan Fund portfolio company, Sentai is a leading global supplier of anime and official anime merchandise, distributing and curating one of the industry’s most diverse libraries of top trending and classic titles. Sentai offers thousands of hours of content across both traditional and digital platforms and is dedicated to bringing captivating stories and iconic characters directly from Japan. With hit series that include MADE IN ABYSS, Food Wars!, Princess Tutu and Parasyte -the maxim-, Sentai’s catalog continues to grow with new favorites like Bloom Into You, Revue Starlight and O Maidens in Your Savage Season, as well as classic anime series such as Legend of the Galactic Heroes and The Big O. For more information, visit www.sentai.com.

[smokeybrand]

This is the Good Life

I read a ton of manga. I find the content coming out of Japan to be far more genuine and creative than the sh*tshow comic industry we have here in the states. I’m not saying there isn’t good content to be found in the massive annals of Marvel and DC, i am in particular love with whatever the f*ck is going on with the X-titles right now, but that is the exception, not the rule. Japan is different. Even the most blatant shill of a cash-in has a unique spin to it. When the moe boom happened and we were inundated with slice of life fodder for a decades, shows like Higurashi, Toradora, Haruhi, Lucky Star, and basically anything out of Kyoto animation, were absolute masterpieces. Each tells a distinct story, adapting that cutesy art style to their respective strengths, and it worked beautifully. The homogeneity of formulaic content here in the US, isn’t really a concern overseas and that is a wonderful thing. It makes for amazing storytelling and a creativity freedom, even when awash in trend or fad. I say all of this to preface the fact that Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life is chef kiss levels of shine, even if it is a manga staunchly entrenched in the grating isekai fad.

Now, i say “grating” in the glib sense because i genuinely love the isekai genre. I have for decades, going back to Escaflowne, El Hazard, .Hack, and Rayearth. What i think most people are frustrated with, is the OP protagonist in these stories. You can only identify with some, overwhelming, power fantasy, so many times going into these tales. How do you frame that narrative? how do you keep it compelling? You don’t. Entries like Overlord and Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken do a great job avoiding that stagnation by building out the world around their ridiculously plot-armored mains but that doesn’t work all of the time. If you want a character driven narrative, you have to build great characters. You have to make your principal cast affable, flawed, and fun. I think that’s the strength in Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life. You almost immediately fall in love with the cast you’re going to sped all of your time with and that’s absolutely necessary because this story is as much about the world building as it is about the main cast, themselves.

Slow Life follows Eizo Tanya, who is hit by a truck in the process of saving a cat, who turned out to be an inter-dimensional god or something. Since the Kitty deity f*cked up and was almost “killed’, causing Eizo’s death in turn, it offers to reincarnate him into a brand new world with a mad overpowered cheat skill. Eizo gives it a thought and chooses - blacksmithing! You see, Eizo was a salaryman, bitterly unhappy with his life in the old times. He wanted, more than anything, to be able to work with his hands in the new world so, instead of asking for he power to be a Hero or some vicious Demon Lord, he just wanted the ability to make dope sh*t in the woods. Kitty Deity is a little surprised but grants Eizo his wish and, boom! We have the foundation for a pretty delightful romp. Stuff happens, Eizo gets a tiger wife and a dwarf apprentice. His craftsmanship is the best in the world and his tale toward legendary status begins.

The simplicity of this narrative is one that has a level of accessibility not found in most isekai. The simple desire of a man, overworked and looking to be fulfilled, to find value, in what he does with his life, really resonates with cats like me who have been in the workforce for decades. I left my job a year ago to pursue my dream of crating so i identify with Eizo’s passion to be more than just a cg in a machine. More than that, i love the way he is written. Eizo feels real, like a proper person lost in a world of fantasy and magic. The supporting cast is also amazing and decently developed. I immediately fell in love with tiger waifu, Samia. She is capable, tenacious, curious, and f*cking adorable. There isn’t a ton of groundwork about her past being laid but i have a feeling we’ll definitely get into that as the narrative develops and i can’t wait to see where that leads. Newcomer to the story is the dwarf apprentice, Riku Moritz. We haven’t had a great deal of time with her so far, but she comes across as a studious, knowledgeable, junior who yearns to be the best at her craft. She reminds me of Miles Morales from Into the Spider-Verse, to Eizo’s Peter B. Parker and i adore that type of dynamic. We are only a handful of chapters in, but this story seems like it has legs and i look forward to where it goes in the future. I’d say it’s a slow burn, but it really isn’t.

I was hooked from chapter one and a lot of that, aside from the great writing and developing character work, stems from the artwork. My, goodness, is Slow Life gorgeous! There is a purposeful elegance to how these lines and strokes come together. The line work is clean and precise, granting each panel thjust the right amount of detail hile staying true to the artist's personal vision. It's actually very refreshing to see. The style is very distinct and carries it's own, unique hallmarks, similar to Toriyama or Oda, but slightly more relaistic than those. I am absolutely in love with it. Like, i follow a few trash rags because the art is dope and immediately hooked me. Isekai Meikyuu de Dorei Harem Wo, Gunbured X Sisters, or Kouya Ni Kemono Doukokusu immediately come to mind, all decent in their own right, but it’s very obvious the strength of these entries lies in the art. True to form, it took a while for me to get into their respective narratives and, in all honesty, they’ve gotten pretty good but those first few chapters were a bit rocky. The art kept me coming back and now, these three are some of my favorite titles to read. Slow Life did not have that issue. The art immediately took my breath away. It felt like cracking open Tsugumomo, BLEACH, Lv2 kara Cheat datta Moto Yuusha Kouho no Mattari Isekai Life, Gleipnir, Meikyuu Black Company, or Isekai De Skill Wo Kaitai Shitara Cheat Na Yome Ga Zoushoku Shimashita: Gainen Kousa No Structure. That’s a lot of titles but i am a slut for great, unique, artwork and these entries hit my sweet spot immediately. I’m just lucky that the narrative accompanying them was enough to do the linework justice because it would have been a shame to abandon these titles over sheer ugliness. Slow life definitely dodged that bullet. It is, without hyperbole, some of the best looking manga I've seen in years.

Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life is absolutely amazing. It’s an easy read filled with exceptional art, deft character work, and a world that is both compelling and growing steadily. Eizo is a great protagonist, easily to identify with and none of the edgelord OP, baggage most Isekai protags tend to have. Samia is a delightful love interests who carries a quiet strength and enjoyable naivety, which immediately endears and Riku is just plain hilarious. This laid back narrative of a smith who just wants to make dope sh*t, while being dope to his tiger wife and faithful apprentice is an distinct palate cleanser in a world of power fantasy saturated, isekai, trash. I love this book and feel like more people should have eyes on it so, you know, got put your eyes on it. You won’t be disappointed. Also, all the other titles i specifically mentioned. They’re worth a gander, too, especially Isekai De Skill Wo Kaitai Shitara Cheat Na Yome Ga Zoushoku Shimashita: Gainen Kousa No Structure and Lv2 kara Cheat datta Moto Yuusha Kouho no Mattari Isekai Life. Them sh*ts is just plain lovable and have two more of these objectively bias essays forthcoming. But that’s for later, for now, go read all of Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life, right now! Is totally worth! Plus, Samia is f*cking adorable, man. Seriously, tiger waifu is best girl!

[askthewitchlady]

Cagaster of an Insect Cage Review

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

So first things first yes this is one of the many CG animated anime that’s been popping up a lot lately, no its not good. Yes the occasional segments of 2D is much better.

With that out of the way.

This has a neat premise. Essentially at some point in the near future humans begin to suffer from a sudden onset illness that turns them into giant man eating bugs.

These people refereed to as Cagasters take 20 minutes to fully turn into bugs, during that time they can be killed but must be beheaded because the neck remains the weakest point of the body.

Interesting right? But that's all we get because this story isn't about bugs, or fighting the bugs or surviving against the bugs as much as the first few episodes with their episodic type story lines would lead you to believe.

The story focuses on 14 year old Ilie, a young girl who survives a bug attack witnessed by a merchant and his friend our exterminator protagonist 17 year old Kidow. Let me point out never in the show is his age stated I learned that from the wiki.

Why is this important? Because in one scene in Kidows back story he's sexually taken advantage of by an older woman while grieving the death of a father figure, then a little later (in the show not in his history) he proceeds to try and force himself on Ilie to cope with his grief. It's more then uncomfortable especially when you go in thinking he's gotta be in his early twenties like I did.

Anyway Ilie loses consciousness but is protected by her father who suffers a mortal wound. He begs Kidow to take Ilie to her mother Tanya.

Ilie wakes up as they prepare to leave and in horror and desperation to save her father tries to run back to the truck only for Kidow to smack her.

What a hero...

This show would have been in no way effected if Ilie had been 16, or better 18. It would have made their relationship a lot less uncomfortable.

The story goes for a few light hearted episodes (Well as light hearted as you can be with grisly murders happening.) With vague hints to a deeper plot. By episode six the show jumps the shark into WTFville

Ilie is a Cagaster Queen. Ilies mom Tanya was born from a woman who had a 'Cagaster outbreak' while pregnant making her a queen, Tanya was also in a desperate one sided incestuous relationship with her (not blood related) brother. Ilies father (Tanyas adopted brother) is a sociopath who believes he died in place of his father and his body was possessed by his fathers soul, he uses Tanyas love for him to achieve his goals but does have a distorted affection he doesn't understand. Ilies mother Tanya had been used to try and make more 'Queens' resulting in the creation of asset 8 her cloned 'twin' considered a failure because he was boy. His half bug breeding is manifested in literally having a half bug half human body.

There’s a general who wants to rid the world of bugs by using the Queens to see who has Cagaster potential and kill them hoping to eventually wipe them all out a plan that causes the destruction of two major human settlements.

That's not even all of it. Cagaster outbreaks are never explained, all we know is a queen can see it and trigger it if she wants. Anyone under 15 also will never suffer an outbreak though its never said why. We don't know what else triggers it because obviously there aren't a bunch of Queens walking around.

Ilie and Kidows relationship is weird and a little out of left feild especially after she gets her memory back and goes full on tsundere on him. The fact it's a major case of hero worship and that she's 14 makes it sqicky i know Kidows 17 so its only a 3 year age gap but what 17 year old gets the hots for a 14 year old, the mental maturity alone is hugely different.

A lot of things are left unexplained about the bugs, we gets hints that they are the next step in human evolution... Riiiight

The climax of the show lasts 5 episodes... in a 12 episode show, that’s bad.

That being said there are some good things

The bug concept was neat and the idea of a human queen that can sense and control it is cool to.

There are some complex character relationships and the scenes with Ilie growing up with the man she thinks is her father are adorable.

Mario is awesome, moar Mario, a prequel about Mario, something.

The setting is never actually stated but judging by fashions and terms its its likely its someplace in the middle east which is cool.

Final thoughts?

This show held my attention till the end, but, it's flaws make it one I'll probably not watch again. It's not terrible and I am sure some people will really like it, there where parts I really liked but unfortunately the problems and the very very slow ending that felt akin to a DBZ or Naruto fight mean it hasn't got a lot of rewatch value.

See it once but I doubt you'll want to watch it again.

[smokeybrandreviews]

This is the Good Life

I read a ton of manga. I find the content coming out of Japan to be far more genuine and creative than the sh*tshow comic industry we have here in the states. I’m not saying there isn’t good content to be found in the massive annals of Marvel and DC, i am in particular love with whatever the f*ck is going on with the X-titles right now, but that is the exception, not the rule. Japan is different. Even the most blatant shill of a cash-in has a unique spin to it. When the moe boom happened and we were inundated with slice of life fodder for a decades, shows like Higurashi, Toradora, Haruhi, Lucky Star, and basically anything out of Kyoto animation, were absolute masterpieces. Each tells a distinct story, adapting that cutesy art style to their respective strengths, and it worked beautifully. The homogeneity of formulaic content here in the US, isn’t really a concern overseas and that is a wonderful thing. It makes for amazing storytelling and a creativity freedom, even when awash in trend or fad. I say all of this to preface the fact that Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life is chef kiss levels of shine, even if it is a manga staunchly entrenched in the grating isekai fad.

Now, i say “grating” in the glib sense because i genuinely love the isekai genre. I have for decades, going back to Escaflowne, El Hazard, .Hack, and Rayearth. What i think most people are frustrated with, is the OP protagonist in these stories. You can only identify with some, overwhelming, power fantasy, so many times going into these tales. How do you frame that narrative? how do you keep it compelling? You don’t. Entries like Overlord and Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken do a great job avoiding that stagnation by building out the world around their ridiculously plot-armored mains but that doesn’t work all of the time. If you want a character driven narrative, you have to build great characters. You have to make your principal cast affable, flawed, and fun. I think that’s the strength in Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life. You almost immediately fall in love with the cast you’re going to sped all of your time with and that’s absolutely necessary because this story is as much about the world building as it is about the main cast, themselves.

Slow Life follows Eizo Tanya, who is hit by a truck in the process of saving a cat, who turned out to be an inter-dimensional god or something. Since the Kitty deity f*cked up and was almost “killed’, causing Eizo’s death in turn, it offers to reincarnate him into a brand new world with a mad overpowered cheat skill. Eizo gives it a thought and chooses - blacksmithing! You see, Eizo was a salaryman, bitterly unhappy with his life in the old times. He wanted, more than anything, to be able to work with his hands in the new world so, instead of asking for he power to be a Hero or some vicious Demon Lord, he just wanted the ability to make dope sh*t in the woods. Kitty Deity is a little surprised but grants Eizo his wish and, boom! We have the foundation for a pretty delightful romp. Stuff happens, Eizo gets a tiger wife and a dwarf apprentice. His craftsmanship is the best in the world and his tale toward legendary status begins.

The simplicity of this narrative is one that has a level of accessibility not found in most isekai. The simple desire of a man, overworked and looking to be fulfilled, to find value, in what he does with his life, really resonates with cats like me who have been in the workforce for decades. I left my job a year ago to pursue my dream of crating so i identify with Eizo’s passion to be more than just a cg in a machine. More than that, i love the way he is written. Eizo feels real, like a proper person lost in a world of fantasy and magic. The supporting cast is also amazing and decently developed. I immediately fell in love with tiger waifu, Samia. She is capable, tenacious, curious, and f*cking adorable. There isn’t a ton of groundwork about her past being laid but i have a feeling we’ll definitely get into that as the narrative develops and i can’t wait to see where that leads. Newcomer to the story is the dwarf apprentice, Riku Moritz. We haven’t had a great deal of time with her so far, but she comes across as a studious, knowledgeable, junior who yearns to be the best at her craft. She reminds me of Miles Morales from Into the Spider-Verse, to Eizo’s Peter B. Parker and i adore that type of dynamic. We are only a handful of chapters in, but this story seems like it has legs and i look forward to where it goes in the future. I’d say it’s a slow burn, but it really isn’t.

I was hooked from chapter one and a lot of that, aside from the great writing and developing character work, stems from the artwork. My, goodness, is Slow Life gorgeous! There is a purposeful elegance to how these lines and strokes come together. The line work is clean and precise, granting each panel thjust the right amount of detail hile staying true to the artist's personal vision. It's actually very refreshing to see. The style is very distinct and carries it's own, unique hallmarks, similar to Toriyama or Oda, but slightly more relaistic than those. I am absolutely in love with it. Like, i follow a few trash rags because the art is dope and immediately hooked me. Isekai Meikyuu de Dorei Harem Wo, Gunbured X Sisters, or Kouya Ni Kemono Doukokusu immediately come to mind, all decent in their own right, but it’s very obvious the strength of these entries lies in the art. True to form, it took a while for me to get into their respective narratives and, in all honesty, they’ve gotten pretty good but those first few chapters were a bit rocky. The art kept me coming back and now, these three are some of my favorite titles to read. Slow Life did not have that issue. The art immediately took my breath away. It felt like cracking open Tsugumomo, BLEACH, Lv2 kara Cheat datta Moto Yuusha Kouho no Mattari Isekai Life, Gleipnir, Meikyuu Black Company, or Isekai De Skill Wo Kaitai Shitara Cheat Na Yome Ga Zoushoku Shimashita: Gainen Kousa No Structure. That’s a lot of titles but i am a slut for great, unique, artwork and these entries hit my sweet spot immediately. I’m just lucky that the narrative accompanying them was enough to do the linework justice because it would have been a shame to abandon these titles over sheer ugliness. Slow life definitely dodged that bullet. It is, without hyperbole, some of the best looking manga I've seen in years.

Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life is absolutely amazing. It’s an easy read filled with exceptional art, deft character work, and a world that is both compelling and growing steadily. Eizo is a great protagonist, easily to identify with and none of the edgelord OP, baggage most Isekai protags tend to have. Samia is a delightful love interests who carries a quiet strength and enjoyable naivety, which immediately endears and Riku is just plain hilarious. This laid back narrative of a smith who just wants to make dope sh*t, while being dope to his tiger wife and faithful apprentice is an distinct palate cleanser in a world of power fantasy saturated, isekai, trash. I love this book and feel like more people should have eyes on it so, you know, got put your eyes on it. You won’t be disappointed. Also, all the other titles i specifically mentioned. They’re worth a gander, too, especially Isekai De Skill Wo Kaitai Shitara Cheat Na Yome Ga Zoushoku Shimashita: Gainen Kousa No Structure and Lv2 kara Cheat datta Moto Yuusha Kouho no Mattari Isekai Life. Them sh*ts is just plain lovable and have two more of these objectively bias essays forthcoming. But that’s for later, for now, go read all of Kajiya De Hajimeru Isekai Slow Life, right now! Is totally worth! Plus, Samia is f*cking adorable, man. Seriously, tiger waifu is best girl!

[thats-miss-spider-to-you]

fav anime of the 2010s

Madoka Magica  (in terms of cultural relevance, influence, and sheer creative brilliance, this is one of those titles you’ll be hearing about for generations)

Houseki no Kuni  (many people really didn’t think you could make a good 100% CG anime before this. they did and it was BREATHTAKING.)

Aikatsu Stars (i genuinely didn’t expect this anime for little girls to go as hard as it did)

Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyori (food porn! art porn! yaoi baiting! an op that slaps! this bitch has it all!) 

K (animation so good, make you wanna slap your art teacher. i will die mad about how they bungled season 2.)

Asobi Asobase (i have not laughed out loud to an anime since middle school. this shit had me in tears.)

MSG Iron-Blooded Orphans (the Gundam series is really hit or miss with me - this was a hit)

Aggretsuko (come for the cute Sanrio characters, stay for the metal. stay longer for cute Sanrio characters spitting Hard Fax about adulthood.)

Tsurune (just a solid sports/shonen ai anime. stood out for being calm and introspective compared to the other sports anime this decade - much like archery!)

Kuragehime/Jellyfish Princess (there is no season 2. i was robbed.)

honorable mentions: Dororo, PreCure a la Mode, Zombieland Saga, BNHA, Shingeki no Kyoujin, Saga of Tanya the Evil

[zcyaa]

💚💚💚

Biarkan aku meng-alay malam ini.

Dear Dreamies.

Pertama kali kalian debut, masih unyu-unyu kek bayi.

Sebelum itu sebenernya udah tau kalian, mayoritas udah tau nama dan sering nonton.

Flashback dikit yaa eh banyak keknya.

Pertama kalian foto kalian di up.

Liat unyu banget kan, Jeno masih selucu itu. Chenle yang masih belum fasih ngomong bahasa tetangga, Jisung yang masih pakai rambut andalan maknae SM, Ginsul Renjul yang masih berjaya, Suara Jaemin yang masih cempreng, Mark sang pro-debuter dan Haechan yang savage.

Lagu andalan aku, masih inget banget download di kamar pas musim liburan dan menjelang PPL.

2016 udah lama berlalu ya dek adek.

Entah kenapa, dibandingkan unit lain. Kalian yang paling berkesan. Hadir dengan kelucuan kalian khas anak kecil, polosnya kalian, kikuknya kalian tampil di NCT Life. Semua yang kalian lakukan, menyenangkanku.

Dengan Chewing Gum, kalian menemani masa PPLku. Terimakasih, jadi makin berwarna.

Next tahun 2017.

Dimulai akhir tahun 2016 dengan hiatusnya Jaemin. Kalian comeback kali ini mini album pertama, MFAL.

Masa ini, aku sedang sibuk skripsi. Lagu ini hampir setiap saat terdengar di kamarku. Bahkan penghuni kamar tetangga aja sampe hafal reff lagu ini, sampai sekarang.

Inget saat kalian ke Indonesia, dia langsung nge-wa aku dengan bilang "kae ono nae ga odi isodo kum soge sodo". Haha. Kalian berkesan, memang.

Dan pasti moment ini yang paling berkesan, pertama kali kalian dapet thropy chat musik mingguan. Noona bangga padamu dek.

Aku lupa baca dimana, ada tulisan ngomong gni.

CG itu masa TK kalian.

MFAL itu masa SD kalian.

Dan saat itu mereka menebak, jangan-jangan akan ada konsep sexy versi dreamies.

Dan ternyata kalian juga pengen pakai konsep itu. Haha dasar kalian.

Setelah MFAL, aku tetap mengikuti kalian.

Tambah bangga saat kalian dipilih untuk menjadi ambassador World Cup U-20. Mana pake nyanyiin OSTnya lagi.

Ku tau, itu pasaran kalian banget. Anak muda banget.

Lalu kalian comeback tema pantai-pantai khas summer "We Young". Gilla, makin e& diriku.

Walau Jaemin belum ikut join. Tapi kalian selalu mention dia. Menyakinkan fans kalau Jaem baik-baik aja. Lagu di album ini semua keren, dan tetap walk you home yang paling ikonik. My Page jangan di tanya, pas banget sama aku saat itu. Yang udah wisuda dan mikir gawean. Liat temen lain udah kerja, lirik My Page pas banget pokoknya.

Dan jengjeng. 2018 pertengahan. Jaem kembali. Udah berubah dengan suara berat, udah mulai keliatan bucinnya. Haha.

Kali ini hadir dengan lagu "Go" with semua unit NCT. Konsepnya keren, anak gaul Amerika yang mainnya malem, lari-lari di jalan kek anak jalanan, dan ajeb-ajeb dikamar haha.

Gak tau kenapa, saat Jaem kembali. Kalian makin mempesona, Renjun makin keliatan ketularan jailnya Haechan. Si Chenle yang udah lancar banget ngomongnya dan makin cs sama Jisung. Dan Jeno yang makin keliatan no jam. Haha, dua orang (Mark & Haechan) yang sibuk sama unit lain.

Lalu "We Go Up". Tahun terakhir kalian bakal bareng sama Mark di Dream. Di comeback kali ini lebih remaja banget. Kek anak SMA gtu, banyak pakai seragam dan tebar pesona sana-sini. Akhir tahun 2018 ditutup dengan "The Dream Show" buat melepas Mark. Hmmm sedih iyaa. Tapi Mark tetep stay di grup chat mereka kok. Comeback kali ini lagunya keren, dan saya sukaaa. Kurasa banyak fans yang suka lagu ini.

Dear Dream, Beautiful Time. Kek lagu buat Mark banget.

Eh kelupaaan, ada SM Station 3 kalian. Candle Light, walah kalau ini mah masterpiece banget deh. 💚

Pasca-Mark pergi, kalian berenam.

Mark ada aja kalian lepas kendali, Mark gak ada walah udah keliatan kek apa kalian bertingkah. Wkwkw.

Kami sebagai fans modal kuota dikagetkan dengan kolaborasi kalian sama HRVY di SM Station, astagaa. Mana seumuran sama Mark lagi. Penyanyi British yang lagi naik daun. Dan aku juga tau lagu-lagunya.

Kalian bawain DNYL. Gilla pesonanya keluar semuaaa. Astagaaa, jerit-jerit akutu.

Haha Noona Fans banget elah.

Tapi tenang, ku nikmati sendiri kok. ^^

Abis itu kalian bikin bangga kita semua lagi, ambassador lagi broo. Dan ini Pramuka Dunia. Ada Jambore tingkat dunia di Virginia. Kalian (anak-anakku) dipilih donk jadi yang nyanyiin The Official Song Of The Worldnya Scout Fondation.

Fireflies, nyanyi di depan anak seusia mereka pakai baju pramukaaa. Walah, ambyar aku dek. "Tell me 'bout your dreaming".

And last, kalian comeback dengan "Boom" mana pakai setelan jas gtu lagi.

Jadi mikir mereka udah besar. 2019 bakal 4 yang graduate nyusul Mark dan ninggalin Jisung sama Chenle.

Udah males mikir sebenernya, males spekulasi tentang mereka yang bakal nambah member atau gimana.

Dan hari ini, mereka udah slesai konser 3 hari. The Dream Show in Seoul. Banyak kakak-kakak mereka yang dateng nonton, nyemangatin mereka.

Rasanya seneng mereka bisa konser sendiri, berenam. Anak usia 16-19 tahun lhoo broo, udah konser gtuu. Siapa yang gak bangga sama mereka.

Jadi aku cuma mau ngetik, entah kebetulan atau memang kesengajaan. Kalian sudah menemani setiap langkah hidup aku. Terdengar berlebihan memang, tapi biarkan aku seperti ini hari ini sajaa.

Dari mulai kalian hadir 2016 sampe 2019.

Dari mulai aku kuliah sampe kerja.

Dari kalian yang sebelum jam 10 harus udah off kamera karena masih dibawah umur, sampe sekarang udah mau bikin kartu identitas.

Selamat untuk diriku sendiri setidaknya kalian sangat membantuku lewat karya kalian yang selalu luar biasa dan berkesan.

Terimakasiih atas kerja keras kalian.

Semoga kita selalu bahagia.

Love you, Mark-Renjun-Jeno-Haechan-Jaemin-Chenle-Jisung. 💚

#nct #nct_dream

[mothermaidenclone-blog]

Ad Astra or This Movie Was the Brad Pitts

Ad Astra was the worst movie I have paid to see since 2015’s Kill Your Friends, which is my least favourite cinema experience of all time. It was a dry and dreary story about emotionally stunted white men in a bleak and boring capitalist version of space, with jarring and superfluous Christian undertones. The plot and everyone’s motives were so non-existent that Brad Pitt had to narrate the whole thing in a monotone so flat and dead I literally screamed all the way from the cinema to the bus stop when it was over, partly out of a frustration so deep it was non-verbal, but also just to finally hear some pitch variation.

*Ad Astra spoilers follow*

There technically were women in this movie. Lots of women, particularly women of colour, occupied high ranking positions and were addressed by their titles, a touch I think is important and that usually tips the scales in favour of a good review for me. We were graced with Adjutant General Vogel (LisaGay Hamilton), Captain Lu (Freda Foh Shen), Sergeant Romano (Kimmy Shields), Tanya Pincus (Natasha Lyonne) and Lorraine Deavers (Kimberly Elise), as well as several unnamed female personnel (Kayla Adams, Elisa Perry, Sasha Compère and Mallory Low). I would like to particularly highlight Natasha Lyonne’s performance as apparently she was the only actor employed to play a human being and not a replicant. She was on screen for maybe twenty seconds, as is sadly the case with most of these women, but was a glorious breath of fresh air as the only character to simultaneously emote expressively and speak with inflection and enthusiasm. The only one! In a two hour movie!

All of these women appear to be respected and capable members of various illustrious teams, but are always outnumbered by men. There are two male generals alongside Vogel and Deavers is initially outnumbered 4:1 on her space craft by men. Tragically, whenever a team is being picked off, it is always the people of colour who die first. Not only is this obviously racist, it is just a disgusting cliché that we just don’t need to see anymore in movies. Deavers dies first when Roy (Brad Pitt) forcibly invades their vehicle, followed by Franklin Yoshida (Bobby Nish), an Asian man, and Donald Stanford (Loren Dean), a white guy, is the last to go. Roy cradles him in his arms and attempts to save his life. I hope it’s not just me that sees something wrong with the order of events there.

A similar scenario takes place in the lunar chase, which absurdly seems to occur in the same crapy looking buggies as the original moon landing, a confusing visual choice considering we’ve just seen a vast and impressive modern concrete moon base. The film takes the time to introduce us to Willie Levant (Sean Blakemore), a black officer who will be escorting Ray across the moon. As soon as we see he has a photo of his wife and child taped to his tablet screen I knew he was going to die - in the year 2019 I should not be able to predict that a black character is going to die because we saw a family photo. Can we just not anymore? Again, aside from the racism, that’s just shitty writing. I like to think that as a species, if we can conceptualise something as vast and seemingly impossible as solar travel, we can also move beyond basic and derogatory cinematic tropes.

I was most excited by the appearance of Helen Lantos (Ruth Negga), a woman of colour who occupies a position of power on Mars and introduces herself assertively using her full name. Also, her whole look was excellent. However, this brief release of serotonin was very short lived as she literally walks Roy down a corridor then is immediately cut off and superseded by a white guy with a man bun. Lantos does return later, but alas, as an exposition machine to give Roy some plot news about his dad. Even as she explains that her parents were murdered by his, Lantos falls victim to the dire, emotionless monotone that I can only assume was forced on the entire cast of this film. Then, she is an actual chauffeur and drives Ray to a manhole so he can continue his dad quest. A character brimming with original potential is presented as nothing more than a device.

The final woman to mention is the first one we see, Roy’s ex-wife Eve (Liv Tyler). We see the blurry, out of focus back of her head in the background of a shot before we see her face, and this is incredibly telling, because that’s all Eve is, the simulacrum of a woman. She could be anybody - so why she is Liv Tyler defies belief, I can only assume they held her loved ones hostage - her story is untold and entirely irrelevant. Again, she is only a device, although this time not for Roy’s forward momentum, but this time seemingly to emphasise that Roy is a total sociopath with no emotions whatsoever. We don’t learn Eve’s name for another twenty minutes, and it is an hour and twenty minutes before we hear her speak. Even then, it’s not a live conversation, because god forbid this film have too many of those, but a voice recording explaining that their relationship is over. I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty sure that’s what it was, but everything she said was so generic I have no memory of it whatsoever. She is presented as a ghost, a blurry image on a screen, a memory fixed in time, not a real person with agency and personality. At the end of the movie we finally see her in real time, and that is when she has made the unfathomable decision to meet Roy for coffee. Even her face in that moment gives no emotion away, perhaps because Tyler had no idea how to act this entirely nonsensical decision. To our knowledge, she would not have seen any change in Roy, only received news that he survived a dangerous space mission, which is apparently enough of a reason to get back with this emotionless egg of a man?

I almost didn’t want to devote words to them, but I think it’s important to address just how dire Roy and his dad H. Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones) are. This is their film, they are the reason that all of these women’s stories are passed over. It is made clear over and over again that both Roy and Clifford believe they are the only people capable of completing their various missions. Roy hijacks a ship and inadvertently kills everyone on board because he thinks that it’s his destiny or whatever to get his dad back, never mind that they were all highly trained space personnel who were arguably better suited to the mission precisely because it wasn’t their dad. Clifford straight up murders his whole crew because they are too “small minded” to fly off further and further into space forever on a mission that has yet yielded absolutely no evidence of their goals. A variety of talented human beings are destroyed because of the entitlement of white men, their delusional and unshakable conviction that they are at the centre of the universe and that no one else could possibly accomplish the lofty goals that kismet apparently calls them to.

The way they speak about themselves and to each other is absolutely psychotic. Roy’s solo musings include, “The flight recorder will tell the story, but history will have to decide,” and “In the end, the son suffers the sins of the father.” Clifford imparts his son with the delightful greeting of, “There was never anything there for me, I never cared for you or your mother or your small ideas.” In addition, they both physically flinch from human contact at various points in the move. Now, I totally understand that we live in a neurodiverse world and that many people experience emotions and social interactions in any number of ways, and that is a beautiful thing that makes our world so interesting to live in. However, that these men both abjectly state that they have no empathy is presented within the context of their megalomaniacal ideals that they must accomplish their god-given quests irregardless of how many people they have to kill along the way. It is a facet of their strangely two-dimensional, arrogant and narcissistic personalities, not one part of many complex features that make a complete and relatable human being.

Roy has to literally say out loud that he is a human being at the end of the movie; “I will rely on those closest to me…I will live and love,” which makes him sound more like a learning AI trying to pass a Turing test than anything else. The music swells as Clifford throws himself towards the surface of Neptune in an orchestral deluge that is unsubtly significant in this very quiet film, as though I’m supposed to start crying and think anything other than, “well thank fuck, it’s about time this murderer dies in the cold vacuum of space, I hope Roy stays spinning and screaming here forever too.” We are supposed to feel sympathy for them as the heroes of this movie, despite the fact that they show no care for anyone else throughout the whole thing and act entirely in their own self interests.

Overall, the women in this film are given about five seconds of potential as they introduce themselves variously as decorated soldiers and otherwise capable personnel, before being shoved to the side, or murdered, for Roy. This is obviously objectionable, but is made so much worse by the fact that Roy is an emotionless, entitled, empathy-less white man who doesn’t care if other people have to die for him to get what he wants. That is what these women are being passed up in favour of. I felt like I was watching a two hour long Voight-Kampff test. Space movies like this should be about what we can achieve if we work together as a species, not about how white men will still be the kings of dreary capitalism, even on the moon. We can do better than this.

And now for some asides:

What the actual fuck was the font at the beginning? I guess a red serif all caps should have alerted me to the fact that I was about to watch a horror movie.

As a lover of space horror, I was absolutely gutted that it was a bad CG angry baboon and not a cool gross alien. Also, what was that scene? “Hmm, we need to get rid of this loser because Brad Pitt is the best at space ships and he needs to be the captain. Uhh…what about…space monkeys? Yeah! Space monkeys on a deserted Norwegian ship. That makes sense.”

Can I just have a film bout those moon pirates fighting space capitalism please? I was more invested in them that anyone else in this garbage movie.

Credit for the Bradd Pitts joke goes to the talented and lovely Ed Cheverton