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yurimother · 5 years ago

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Top Yuri Anime Poll Results

Whether it is subtext or explicit, cute or sexy, school love or gay action thrillers I love yuri anime. These series either focus on or contain elements of female same-sex relationships. Pride month is the perfect time to look back and reflect on the best of this genre. I teamed up with OG Man of The Yuri Nation (yurination[dot] wordpress[dot] com/) and together we put out a poll asking what you thought the top yuri anime series were and over 1000 of you responded submitting almost 5000 different entries. We spent hours combing through the data, analyzing and commenting on the results and we would like to share our thoughts with all of you. Enjoy the reflections of me the yuri critic and OG the dedicated yuri fan!

These are the Top 20 Yuri Anime as voted by you

1. Bloom Into You - 692 Votes

OG: Be it East or West the YagaKimi took the world by storm. Citrus and BiY once again taking the top two spots remains unsurprising.There is something undeniably fascinating about our leading ladies consisting of an asexual slowly coming to love her senpai back but restraining herself for various reasons. The biggest one being said senpai having a deep case of self-loathing and a fear of romantic reciprocation, also for various reasons. She is like “I love you but please do not love me back”. Then there is one of the most popular “cursed” lesbians of all time in Sayaka, the fantastic adult side-couple (The world needs an anime starring lesbian adults/mothers) and the various other characters who have their own interesting tales to tell. The series absolutely deserves a spot in the Top 10 though it would not be in my personal Top 3. Oh and as Yurimother said the presentation was fantastic.Visually stunning from start to finish in my opinion. Special mention goes to the criminally underused first-person “camera”. So cool.

YuriMother: I agree with this series deserving a spot in the top ten even if not the number one slot. For me, it was good but not great. Moments such as the aforementioned adult couple as well as stellar art and a phenomenal score made this series enjoyable but they were not enough to overshine the problems of the narrative. For the love of the Yuri Goddess, this series is crying out for asexual representation but insists on carrying on with its confused romance. Enough complaining though, many people love Bloom Into You despite its faults and I agree. The characters are interesting and lovable and it manages to tell a yuri story more real and complex than the typical fluffy girl meets girl narratives.

2. Citrus - 452 Votes

YuriMother: The presence of Citrus and Bloom Into You prove two things to me, the importance of recency, as both anime aired only last year, and the sheer popularity of these series. Both had established and extremely successful manga runs which were adapted into English by the publishing masters of yuri, Seven Seas. Citrus is a contentious series, to say the least, as it includes elements of (non-blood related) incest and non-consensual actions as part of Mei and Yuzu’s “relationship.” However, if you possess the magical power to turn off the part of your brain screaming at you that those aspects are deeply problematic or if you seek a different interpretation then Citrus can be downright WONDERFUL. I actually loved this anime series for its characters, amazing animation, and salaciousness. As OG said, it is an operatic concussion of emotion (seriously everyone in the series needs therapy) but my is it fun to watch. The Citrus anime also holds a special place in my heart, as the first serious piece I ever wrote was a review for it over on Okazu (nice plug)! Citrus is certainly not for everyone but those that stuck with it and overlooked some of the problems ended up loving it.

OG: Here we are again with Citrus at #2. My thoughts on the series remains the same as in the previous two lists I discussed (the Akiba Research and goo Ranking Japan lists), overrated. Good soap opera/telenovela-esque series but my feelings on the cast are mixed (which I imagine was the writer’s intent). My main issue has always been the obstacles repeatedly challenging Yuzu and Mei’s feelings for each other instead of it focusing on “Hey. We like each other but our parents got married. What do we do? Can we keep our desires for each other in check?”. Instead it is one newcomer after another who want to eat either Yuzu or Mei and Yuzu repeatedly asking herself if she really wants robo-stepsister patties? I will give the anime adaptation credit. The story was easier to enjoy animated than drawn. It also helped that I grew up in a telenovela loving family. The characters’ actions, reactions and emotions were depicted better in the anime. I still consider the show’s greatest accomplishment being the humanization of Mei-Tron. In the manga it took a post-epilogue continuation to show readers “Hey everyone. Mei-Tron was human all along.” whereas in the anime I sensed the small bit of humanity quicker than in the manga where I continued seeing her as a block of wood with a brain up to the point where I dropped it. Harumin though is the greatest regardless of anime or manga adaptation. Bless her. Regardless of how I feel about the series I get its massive popularity. After all, were the rest of the story to get an animated continuation I would gladly pick it up...Not the manga though.

3. Sakura Trick - 342 Votes

OG: There are fans who understandably would disagree with Sakura Trick’s praise but I will always defend it and the anime as one of the very best in the genre. First off it aired at a time where animated on-screen close up kisses (specifically consensual ones) between ladies were rare. Haruka X Yuu’s relationship was believable for the most part. Even their season finale resolution, them not getting what being “in love” meant at the time, made sense though I get why it left some scratching their heads. Probably not the best “manga lure/bait” end I suppose. On the bright side Kotone X Shizuku’s story definitely did not have the two doubting their true feelings for each other. I do hope Kaede X Yuzu eventually hooked up in the manga as they too had potential to be a lovely couple.

YuriMother: Sakura Trick has no real narrative, no great insight, and offers little intellectually. As a teacher, it makes me furious, as a fan of yuri, elated. The anime is beloved for its plentiful soft service, presenting a plethora of kisses, cuddles, and awkward thigh shots (ew). However, it was one of the first anime to include this much explicit yuri service without being pornographic. All the characters were cute and fun, even if there was little in the way of development or complexity, it worked for the series. If you want something to make you think or to learn about yuri, pass over this one. But, if you want a cute and meaningless anime definitely watch it.

4. Yuru Yuri - 337 Votes

YuriMother: OG may not be a fan of Yuru Yuri but I certainly am, which is fairly obvious to anyone who observes that a solid 20% of my communications occur in the form of gifs from this series. It is hilarious, cute, and playful. Just like Sakura Trick, this anime is an easy watch with ultimately little substance. However, the part of me that is not rolling of the floor laughing every time I watch Yuru Yuri lives in a state of pained existence with the knowledge that this work of all things ended up being so popular when people are telling interesting stories about queer women and people in actual relationship that manage to still be funny and adorable while having something to say.

OG: The undisputed most mainstream friendly yuri series there is. It is also one of the funniest. My one gripe is that excluding a select few the main draw of the show besides the comedy and yuri is the ship wars, meaning (almost any girl can be shipped with each other). Not a fan of that but hey, it brought Namori the big bucks so who am I to judge? In any case not much else to add. It deserves all the adulation it gets but the free for all shipping irks me. Reminds me of how they botched Chika X Riko in the Love Live! Sunshine!! Anime. If you were going down the Riko X Yohane route from the start then why give us Chika X Riko in the first half? Ship wars yo. Tch. Hopefully I properly explained myself..

5. Kase-san and Morning Glories (Asagao to Kase-san) - 289 Votes

OG: Still wish this got a 12-13 episode anime. The glorious movie showed how much it deserves one. Whether it will happen or not remains to be seen. In any case the beauty of Kase-san X Yamada is how simple their romance is. No strings attached whatsoever. It is as straightforward as a self-proclaimed “ordinary” cutie, Yamada, having a crush on the super cool school beauty Kase-san. Said beauty is revealed to be just as “adorkable” as Yamada. The other highlight is their story not ending once they officially started dating (as is the case with many romance stories) but that being only the beginning, like real life. From then on, side-stories aside, the two biggest challenges for the two is Yamada accepting that it is okay for someone as “ordinary” as her to be the “cool babe”s girlfriend and Kase-san finding different ways to express her love/hunger for the cutie. As for the OVA, cramming the second part of the first series in an hour definitely had the downside of excluding some important moments, yes, but it at least covered some of the best moments in the manga. The first half of the story was summarized in a five-minute music video. One last thing. The animation, though a bit too brought for some, was glorious. It also had some long pauses which were effective (The bus stop scene being the most infamous) but while I did not mind them at all even I will admit some pauses went a bit too long. A small nitpick all things considered. Fingers crossed one day we either get that 12-13 episode anime for the first series, the sequel or both. That is one of my dreams.

YuriMother: At last, an anime that I do not have to react cynically to! Kase-san is one of the single greatest works of yuri animation to ever to be created and its glory is rivaled only by the manga from which it originated. Despite being only a one hour long OVA this adaption told such an engaging and realistic (finally) story of romance and personal growth. We get to skip the meatless girl meets girls arcs and get into the depth and complexity as Yamada and Kase work to further their relationship. They struggle with the fact that they are two different people who want different things out of life and love and have to actually work on their partnership. Kase-san also includes signs of physical affection and love that are never lewd, immature, or gross, I do not even think I could refer to them as “service”. However, for me, Kase-san’s greatest victory (both the anime and manga) is in its escape from school romance, which in this genre is often a shelter from reality, allowing for women to be in relationships without actually being queer. Kase and Yamada instead make an effort to continue their romance and build a life that includes their relationship once they graduate in a triumphant final act. This anime is a slap in the face to the class S stories and sloppily sexualized works which proliferate the yuri genre. Asagao to Kase-san shines as a holy beacon for the greatness that this genre can achieve.

6. Puella Magi Madoka Magica - 286 Votes

YuriMother: Hurray!! For two entries in a row, I get to talk about series that I wholeheartedly adore without having to constantly attach caveats. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is not considered by all to be yuri, and that is certainly not what it is best known for. PMMM is however famous for twisting the tropes of the magical girl genre and creating one of the most cohesive and thoughtful narratives ever put to screen. This series summoned a new era for the magical girl genre (what OG humorously referred to as the “Moepocalypse”) but no other title managed to top Madoka Magica’s runaway success. Every aspect of this work is highly polished including character designs, a phenomenal soundtrack, and superb writing. This is not only the definitive work of its genre but of all postmodern anime. Whether or not one is a fan of yuri every anime fan should give Madoka Magica a watch.

OG: Meduka Meguca. Its impact in the “Moepocalypse” (Shows where cute and sexy girls consistently suffering physically and emotionally. These are usually dark magical girl shows.) genre and legacy are undeniable. It deserves all the praise it gets. It scarred many unfortunate souls, Homura is a legend in yuridom, Kyouko X Sayaka are glorious (Especially in Rebellion), Meduka’s Mom Junko is a Top Tier Sexy Mama, Charlotte the Witch is a very strange girlfriend and of course Hitomi is a walking anti-fun meme. The animation, especially the creepy doodle like monsters known as Witches are memorable. However, it is not my favorite Moepocalypse show. That honor goes to Yuki Yuna is a Hero.

7. Strawberry Panic - 224 Votes

OG: Like it or not Strawberry Panic is a yuri classic. I have a strong feeling that like many readers around my age (31 during this writing) this was their first 100% yuri anime. The cheese is real but it is the yummy kind of cheese and I loved almost every minute of it, except Amane X Hikari. That was the weakest of the love stories going on. Poor Yaya trying too hard (Not saying this in condescending way. She literally tried too hard). It is like a young adult lesbian novel but more fun. I mean Nagisa X Shizuma might as well be “Lesbian Twilight but not crappy”. Let us be honest, Shizuma is a vampire. Chikaru is an undisputed goddess and Kagome is the cutest.

Oh and I will repeat this statement till my last breath…

#TamaoWasRobbed.

YuriMother: I may be almost a decade younger than OG but even for me Strawberry Panic was my first yuri and it more than earns its nickname as the “gateway yuri,” although last year’s Citrus and Bloom Into You may be presenting serious contenders for this title. If for no other reason than nostalgia, Strawberry Panic remains my favorite yuri works but this ridiculous soap-opera of an anime does deserve a fair amount of recognition. I see Strawberry Panic as the culmination of the S subgenre revived by Maria Watches Over Us. However, this work succeeds at both parodying many of the tropes of S and yuri while breaking a few. However, its greatest accomplishment is introducing many of the young western fans of yuri to the genre. Strawberry Panic, you are an overly dramatic mess but thank you for all you have done.

8. Revolutionary Girl Utena - 176 Votes

YuriMother: Another gem of the yuri genre, actually scratch that, if works like Kase-san are gems then Utena is the minerals from which gems form. I think that is how it works, I am not a geologist. My poor analogies and subtle nods to Steven Universe aside, Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of the single most important works of yuri anime, possibly even more so than Sailor Moon. These two works were the dawn of the current age of yuri, an era spurn on by social progress and the internet into a place where more yuri works featuring honest depictions of homosexuality are flourishing. Utena laid the groundwork for queer representation in anime and for that I remain forever grateful to this masterpiece.

OG: I must confess. While I saw the movie long ago and thought it was cool I have yet to sit down and finish watching the main series. I cannot say much about this show other than it is another yuri classic. Possibly one of the biggest. I think I will leave this to Her Holiness because even if I had seen it I do not consider myself someone who possesses the sufficient intellect to properly explain why this is a legendary show.

9. Flip Flappers - 132 Votes

OG: I would need an essay to explain why this show is legendary. Let me see. It is a story of a girl who discovered her gayness thanks to her growing attraction to a lovable idiot/genki. There are references to Western media, dimension hopping (including Class S Hell), self-discovery, a sexual orientation journey, a tree, armored wedding gowns, crazy third wheels, Ku Klux Klan stand-ins…You know what? Just watch Flip Flappers. It is a hot mess of random, crazy, creative and thought provoking awesomeness with a wonderful dose of gayness. Glory be to PapiCoco. However, as Her Holiness mentioned this is essentially Ikuhara-san levels of weirdness (though not as complicated I feel) but as the plot thickens it all (sort of) starts making sense...eventually. That tree yo.

YuriMother: Flip Flappers was almost too strange and abstract even for me, and that is saying something. However, upon further examination, one of the most interesting works of yuri is revealed. This heavily stylized anime delves deep into the sexual maturation of its protagonist while examining the yuri genre and representation in media. Flip Flappers is the perfect marriage of heavy visual style and intellectual substance. Definitely give them one a.. err better make that three watches, as you will want to be sure to get everything out of this beautiful series as possible.

10. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid - 131 Votes

YuriMother: This series is the closest anime fans have to a lesbian couple having a family that we have, and that is a shame. I LOVE family narratives, outside of the yuri genre Usagi Drop is my favorite anime. To me, seeing women balance life, a relationship, and children is some of the best queer representation there is. However, for every point in Kobayashi’s favor, there is also a glaring fault. Kobayashi is a modern woman in the workforce providing for herself and her “family,” but is borderline abusive to Tohru. Kanna is an inquisitive child being raising by two women, but there are weirdly sexual scenes featuring her. As previously mentioned on this list, if one can silence the reasonable part of the brain this work becomes enjoyable, hilarious, and adorable. Unfortunately, its faults prevent it from being more than an amusement and I seriously doubt that they will fade in the second season. But hey, it sells a ton of figures so… YAY!

OG: This series is one of the closest yuri fans have to a series starring a lesbian couple with a daughter and it is wonderful. Is the tale of an eternally grateful dragon who wanted to repay the human who saved her life, albeit drunk, by becoming her live-in maid. Tohru being a dragon girl had incredible power and could easily crush everyone in sight but preferred to try and understand humanity so she could live in peace with the woman she loved. It of course was hard at times but thanks to Miss Kobayashi slowly growing to accept her back (romantically she had a ways to go) and the two raising the adorable bundle of mighty puff known as Kanna they became a happy family. How long this relationship will last and whether Miss Kobayashi would come to fully love Tohru back romantically remains to be seen. I have high hopes it can and will happen. Kanna X Riko is precious (Yes. Even that scene). We even have a potential BL couple, which is nice. Not a fan of Lucoa X Shouta the shota. Not because of the age gap but it not being my kind of romantic comedy. It is the same reason I have a hard time buying Tsubame X Misha from UzaMaid. Mya-Nee X Hana from Wataten...maybe. At least Mya-Nee showed she is patient. Back to Dragon Maid. Great series. Naughty of course but great.

11. Sweet Blue Flowers (Aoi Hana) - 119 Votes

OG: Megane girl falls for a cutie but has a hard time confessing to her to the point she gives a relationship with another girl a try. Said other girl has troubles of her own courtesy of her own views on what love. Do not get me started on the OTHER girl who likes megane’s girlfriend. I did not even mention megane girl’s first love interest who she herself eventually begins questioning her feelings for the glasses wearing maiden. While this is well known throughout the history of yuri anime Aoi Hana made it clearer than ever that Yuri + Classical Music go hand in hand. Plus the show is quite pretty. Ultimately enjoyment of this series depends heavily on viewers’ patience.

YuriMother: Aoi Hana was ahead of its time in many regards. Most yuri during the early twenty-first century was unrealistic and melodramatic, especially with the revival of S stories. Aoi Hana instead presents a calm and realistic story that we still rarely see in yuri anime today. Instead of relying on tricks like service or comedy Aoi Hana presents a serene and character-driven story which is matched by equally calming scenery. It is certainly not the most thrilling watch, but a slow and beautiful slice of real life that remains one of the all-time strongest yuri works.

12. Yurikuma Arashi - 99 Votes

YuriMother: Yurikuma Arashi is strange, to say the least, but this is not out of the ordinary for legendary director Ikuhara, who also directed Utena. Parallels are easily drawn between this work and Flip Flappers, as they are both complex and encoded with enough symbolism to drown a bear. Yurikuma is one of my favorite works in the yuri genre and I have had more than a few heated discussions about interpretations of the work, including one memorable occasion when I was visiting a college professor and we ended up in a shouting match in the middle of the hall. However, while Flip Flappers holds a high degree of polish the same can, unfortunately, not be said here. Yurikuma Arashi has more than a few scenes of fanservice many of which overly fetishize the characters and relationship and some of the symbols, particularly lily flowers and the word “yuri” are practically beaten to death with an object I refuse to come up with because I am starting to have my fill of symbolism. However, despite some of its sloppiness, Yurikuma is one of the single most interesting and well-formed anime out there and analyzing it is practically a right of passage for seasoned yuri fans.

OG: Yurikuma Arashi is my favorite of Ikuhara-san’s series. To me it was the least complicated of his works but even so I needed help to understand the show. Luckily I had plenty of assistance. The meat of the story is more complicated but put simply it is about a war between a group of bear girls (and some human girls) who want to freely express their love and/or desire/hunger for each other and another group that amounts to Right to Censor from WWF. Like I said it is far more complex than that but that is the gist. The anime is quite ecchi and it has good reason for it. Again the gay bears are the more liberated of the groups and them getting more sexy scenes is meant to showcase that. Our heroine has good reason to be grumpy and a divine entity was introduced alongside a certain someone from a certain dark anime we already discussed.

In the end it is a show starring lesbian bear girls. I love love stories between women and i love bears. It was obvious I would end up enjoying this one. Like other complex stories it is not for everyone. Shows like Flip Flappers, Utena and Yurikuma have something of a learning people will have to get accustomed to in order to enjoy them.

13. Whispered Words (Sasameki Koto) - 88 Votes

OG: To me Aoi Hana and Sasameki Koto were always connected despite the former being a drama and the latter a comedy. Both star a female protagonist struggling with how to best tell the girl she likes her true feelings whereas their love interest for one reason or another makes it all the more challenging to get their feelings across. Both shows aired during a time yuri was not as popular of a genre as it would become over time. Perhaps if they had come out a little later when yuri was becoming more popular in the mainstream they would have fared better…Then again they may have helped set the groundwork for future yuri shows so it’s just as well they came out when they did. In any case both good shows worthy of “best of yuri” lists. SK has the dynamic of the megane in love and her somewhat airheaded love interest who specifically likes “cute girls”. Poor megane has a hard time figuring out what the airhead defines as “cute”. The show also features an amusing side-couple of an ojou-sama and her tsundere girlfriend. Not to mention the somewhat controversial side-girl who plays a more prominent role in the 2nd half of the anime. Heck, even Mr Crossdresser himself is cool. Let us not forget Miss “Ha Ha Ha!” Another really good show that I would love to see the rest of the manga get animated someday but considering most anime are essentially manga commercials and the SK manga ended the odds of a 2nd season are close to 0.

YuriMother: 2009 was a great year for yuri anime, with both Sasameki Koto and Aoi Hana, among other works, airing. But while Aoi Hana sought to resist many of the common tropes of the genre and tell a simple grounded story Sasameki Koto appears to have looked a the list of every convention possible and say “yeah I can do that.” It has melodrama, comedy, one-sided love, friend love stories, I worship this genre but even I think there is a limit. However, Sasameki Koto is one of the most competent yuri anime works of the current era. While all the tropes are present most of the problematic aspects of the genre are not. The story is well written, characters enjoyable, and art that is really well done for the time. I enjoy every watch and if I ever want to quickly download the genre’s tropes into another person's head I need only duct tape them to a chair and throw on Sasameki Koto.

14. Riddle Story of Devil (Akuma no Riddle) - 77 Votes

YuriMother: Akuma no Riddle was highly anticipated back in 2014, sporting a premise of student assassins that, while certainly not unique, was outside the norms for the yuri genre. It promised a dark and thrilling take on the yuri genre that would not become popular until the yuri horror trend a few years later. At first, it looked like this would be successful with an excellent setup and some pretty compelling characters but ultimately Akuma no Riddle fell flat and became more derailed as it continued. The monster of the week style of episodes left little room for complex plots and plans or proper character development, which is a shame because of how engaging so many of the assassins were upon original presentation. However, this show still has some of the best action in the yuri genre, placing it alongside series like Cannan and Utena despite its flawed storytelling. If nothing else, the anime may compel one to read the manga, which expands the story and characters more than the show was given time to.

OG: Professional assassins secretly gathered at an academy in an attempt to take the life of a seemingly innocent cutie to win the ultimate prize, one of whom wishes to protect the adorable redhead. Yes the manga, which is pretty much a Director’s Cut, is better and the anime would have benefited from having 20+ episodes instead of 12 and a delightful beach OVA but the show did a good job of showing viewers what each assassin was like, their motivations (though many of their origin stories were summarized in written biographies during commercial breaks viewers needed to pause to read) were clear enough and the duels, as brief as some of them were, had enough spicy goodness in them to be memorable, especially the ones in the latter half of the show. Oh, and although the manga wrapped up after the anime it had a very similar ending.

15. Revue Starlight - 72 Votes

OG: Gay theater girls who strive to become the top star, meaning the best actress or lead actor of the cast. How do they do it? By working hard and overcoming their personal hardships? Yes. That. What makes this show so wonderful despite being almost a year old as of this writing is not only do the ladies all have interesting stories to tell but so does the stage. Every song, prop, movement, dance, gesture etc. It is like the performers and performances are united. It is like in Spongebob where not only does the person in the boots tell a story but the boots as well.

Oh yes. I almost forgot to mention the mysterious underground theater and talking giraffe. Never forget the talking giraffe from Hell. #Wakarimasu.

Super cool and super gay.

YuriMother: Bushiroad continuously gets better at what they do, creating media franchises of cute girls filled with music and making mountains of cash from smartphone games. Inspired by the likes of Love Live, they created BanG Dream and last year Revue Starlight. However, where these franchises fell short Revue Starlight success. It never twists its characters to tell a story but rather creates compelling arcs around them. I thoroughly enjoyed and agree with its place on this list.

16. Konohana Kitan - 68 Votes

YuriMother: I know of Konohana Kitan for its constant presence at yuri events more so than the anime or even the manga. It is adorable, relaxing, simple, and fun. While it does not add anything super substantial to the genre it does not take anything either or present any objectionable material. The “plot” is nonexistent but that does not matter, as it is not trying to tell a story or make commentary, just be fluffy and simple.

OG: Konohana Kitan to me is a Girls Club (Cute girls doing cute things) and iyashikei hybrid anime. It is visually stunning as it is relaxing with Yuzu pretty much one of the cutest demigoddesses in existence. She of course is a chick magnet but her heart will forever belong to Satsuki.

17. Destiny of the Shrine Maiden (Kannazuki no Miko) - 65 Votes

OG: The other stuff on the show is still not that great but ChiMeko will forever stand the test of time as far as I’m concerned. Top 10 for their love story alone. Yes. I know THAT ONE SCENE continues being controversial and talked about every time curious new yuri fans witness greatness…but I will forever defend Chikane because I get where she was coming from. Would I have done something different? Yes. The thing is you need to put yourself in her shoes and understand what she wanted to accomplish and how far she would go to get it done. Kotoha is best side-character and Souma Ogami is real man’s man who does not deserve the hate. He was an honorable warrior to the end. He fought well and accepted defeat like a man. Plus his yell is inspirational.

YuriMother: My feelings on Kannazuki no Miko are incredibly mixed. It has many of the worst facets of early current era yuri anime, tropes include S, rape and… am I reading this correctly, demon mechs? Worst of all it presents a cycle, a never-ending loop that haunts the characters in the overarching plot and it does not resolve it. If a work ever presents such an element, like Puella Magi did, it must be overcome or confronted at least. Its presence makes the already cringy story feels cheap and lazy. However, I love the two female leads and their difficult relationship. I love the music, especially the hauntingly beautiful ending theme, and the final moments of episode 11 are some of the greatest seconds I have ever seen in an anime. I cannot wrap my mind around my view of this series but at the end of the day, I understand it. I do not believe that work like it would ever be warmly accepted today but for its time it does stand as a breakout piece of yuri anime.

18. Princess Principal - 61 Votes

YuriMother: Princess Principal is one of the best anime of the past few years. It had everything, an interesting premise, great characters, an incredible soundtrack. Alongside all this is the sharp writing and thrilling story. Princess Principal did everything Akuma no Riddle wanted to with an intriguing and action-packed story featuring strong characters. On top of all this, the animation is top notch. A six-part movie sequel is planned which has me somewhat concerned, but I am glad to see that it is being continued as the ending to the series was one of its weakest aspects. Now if you will excuse me, I need to listen to some jazz.

OG: Cute and sexy gay spies in a dramatic British Steampunk setting. What more do readers need? Allow Her Holiness to elaborate a bit further. Currently waiting for the multi-part cinematic continuation.

19. Izetta: The Last Witch - 60 Votes

OG: I am known for loving shows people do not think as highly of. Izetta: The Last Witch is no different. I love this show so much. Besides how certain events transpired some complained about the depiction of WW2. Basically think about people ranting about storylines and content featured in certain Call of Duty and Battlefield games. Here however, it is clearly a fictional great war inspired by WW2. I was invested in the following:

-The cute and sexy ladies.

-Seeing two badass lesbians lead an army against an evil empire.

-FiZetta’s romance. This of course being the major highlight. I love FiZetta so much. My sexy lesbian babies and Anne X Grea’s mentors. They taught them everything they know after all.

It is similar to how I felt watching Kannazuki no Miko where my focus was primarily on the leading ladies’ developing romance. The difference is that unlike Kannazuki I was also somewhat entertained by our heroines’ enemies along with their allies. Basically viewers’ enjoyment of the show depends on how seriously they take their history and are willing to overlook the liberties this story takes with its depictions of the weapons, military and the familiar evil empire. FiZetta are one of my favorite lesbian couples of all time.

By the way, in that famous scene, yes they did. Viewers just have to squint their eyes to see “it”.

YuriMother: Another show that I consider to have squandered its potential. I know that lots of people enjoyed this one, including OG but I could not bring myself to finish this constantly mediocre series. Perhaps I am tired of alternative light-fantasy European-war inspired plots. Trying to stand out in this bloated genre is difficult and Izetta fails. Izetta started strong and hooked many viewers with its amazing visual and auditory polish but this was quickly lost in the plot which, while set up well, struggle to gain any ground of pay off what had been established. On the yuri side, it did not really do anything interesting or satisfying, with plenty of scenes feature the character’s standing next to each other looking cute and one or two moments of actual yuri. I am glad that some of you were able to enjoy this one more than me at least.

20. Maria Watches Over Us (Maria-sama ga Miteru) - 57 Votes

OG: Like Strawberry Panic this is a “Like it or not” classic. Despite being a Class S show it did its own thing and became a pioneer for . It’s also responsible for the many yuri jokes related to all-girl schools in anime.Shimako X Noriko best Grande and Petite Souer! Yumiko X Sachiko were great too as the two grew to better understand each other. Most memorable scene for me was the panda costume. Even Sei is a sleeper icon in all yuridom. Yoshino X Rei had a very interesting dynamic. I actually think they are the real pioneers of relationships between cousins. Thank you YoshiRei. HaruKana, Kaede X Sara and several others owe you two much appreciation.

YuriMother: Another great and significant series, Maria Watches Over Us, took the tropes of early yuri works, Catholic schools, a lack of men, piano scenes, and emotional relationship rather than physical ones and turned the dial up to 11. For better or worse, it single-handedly revived the Class S genre and was copied (and parodied) endlessly for over a decade. However much I complain about S I actually do not think that we would have the current age of yuri without its popularity and proliferation at the beginning of the century so I owe a big thank you to Maria Watches Over Us for that. Ignoring its historical importance and literary significance the anime still presents an engaging plot with wonderful characters and more butchered French than my last trip to Europe. It is certainly worth a watch and worthy of a place on this list.

What do you think should be on this list?:

YuriMother: As I previously said, this is a pretty perfect list. As far as missing titles I can think of the following.

Simoun - not the greatest in terms of plot or animation but it had cute service and a fun action-packed plot.

Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl - This series may be strange and present the dreaded love triangle but it did its best to tell a transgender narrative in 2006, naturally this involved aliens, and I applaud it for its attempts.

Cannan - This series is light on the yuri but heavy on the suspense, action, and amazing character designs. The terrorist plot is exciting and the final train fight featured in the series is one of the greatest action spectacles in anime that somehow manages to remain grounded.

OG:

-Harukana Receive: Best all-female sports anime ever made. Plus the gayness is not subtle at all.

-Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku: Eruna Ichinomiya is an underrated yuri icon. While not the first of her kind (That honor, I think, goes to Galaxy Fraulein Yuna) she set the standard of cool and inspirational badass lesbian protagonists who are proud of who they are and...also happen to be super perverts. Eruna made it cool to be such a protagonist. It is nice seeing a lesbian lead who does not care what anyone else thinks. She is hungry for cute girl booties. While she often loses her control in the presence of pure beauty she, as an inspiration for others like her, has enough self-control to not go overboard (most of the time).

-Symphogear: Symphogear is love, Symphogear is life. Hopefully Season 5 will keep up the good work.

-Rinne no Lagrange: My favorite mecha anime and the reason I embrace OT3s when the signs are there. Not the greatest but man was it fun. Plus Madoka Kyouno is still sexy.

-Yuki Yuna wa Yuusha de Aru: My favorite Moepocalypse anime of all time. Yuna X Togo taught me to love and trust some people outside my closest family again.

-Mouretsu Pirates: If someone were to ask me “Hey OG. What to you is the perfect anime?”. I would tell them Mouretsu/Bodacious Space Pirates.

-Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl. Thanks to the first fan commenting and reminding me of it. Definitely worthy of a spot. #HazumuWasAlwaysFemale

Final Thoughts:

OG: Pretty good list and close to what mine would look like were I to make one. Reason I have yet to do so is because I do not feel confident enough to pick a favorite yuri anime of all time. Favorite yuri manga and couples? That I can do, but anime always seems to give me a hard time choosing my absolute favorites. Like I said though, a potential yuri list of mine would look something like this. I also found it interesting how similar the Top 10 are among both our respective fanbases and visitors to the poll conducted by the Akiba Research Institute.

YuriMother: I may have done most the complaining and left the praise to OG but I actually and really happy with this list. I think that every title presented is a worthy addition and while I would certainly move some higher or lower than their current placing I do not believe that these are too far off from my own opinions, which is surprising for a popularity poll. More than anything I am thrilled to see that works I dislike that I thought to be popular did not make this list. Perhaps I should have more faith in people and their opinions. Everyone did such a wonderful job voting and I am so grateful!

Thank you so much everyone for reading and for voting in the top yuri anime poll. To see the full results of the poll and to support yuri news, reviews, and content, check out the YuriMother Patreon. Happy Pride Month

#yuri #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#pride #pride month #queer #gay #anime #cartoon #tv #lesbian #lesbians #girls love #wlw #gl #poll #manga

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buckybarnesbingo · 5 years ago

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BBB Week 4 Roundup! Some good stuff lies ahead, so go find it!

Title: Just Before Dawn Collaborator: grimeysociety Link: AO3 Square Filled: B3 - Isolated or Trapped Ship: Bucky/Darcy Rating: Teen Major Tags: Brief mentions of animal cruelty, Fluff and Crack, Magical Realism Summary: One day, Darcy rescues a dog and then a gorgeous naked man appears in her living room that night. Word Count: 6148

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Title: The Stark Robo Sucker 5000 Collaborator: crazycatt71 Link: AO3 Square Filled: C1 - Sensation Play Ship: WinterHawk, Bucky/Clint/Steve/Tony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Fucking machines, exhibitionism, Dom/sub undertones, orgasm denial, wrist cuffs Summary: Clint & Bucky put on a show with the Stark Robo Sucker 5000 Word Count: 1174

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Title: Dummy’s faboulous ideas Collaborator: Menatiera Link: AO3 Square Filled: C5 - Sidekick Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Matchmaker bots, fluff Summary: Dummy is determined to help the people he cares for. Jarvis is concerned, Bucky is amused. Word Count: 744

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Title: Nutritional Value Collaborator: Judy_The_Dreamer Link: AO3 Square Filled: B5 - Bucky/Steve Ship: Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: a/b/o dynamics, PWP, power dynamics and kinks, past mpreg Summary: Sometimes the first taste is not enough and you find yourself hungering for more. Tony, Steve and Bucky come to terms with what transpired in Joystick. Word Count: 13,739

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Title: Let Someone See Right Through Collaborator: avintagekiss24 Link: AO3 Square Filled: B1 - Kink: One Night Stand Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Explicit Major Tags: drinking, implied mention of death, past infidelity, smut, sex, a little bit of angst, oral sex (female receiving) Summary: Two strangers meet at a bar on their birthday. Word Count: 4446

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Title: Darcy, Bucky and the Hundred Acre Wood Collaborator: grimeysociety Link: AO3 Square Filled: B5 - Sunshowers Ship: Bucky/Darcy Rating: Gen Major Tags: none Summary: Darcy and Bucky are transported into the world of the Hundred Acre Wood. Word Count: 2163

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Title: Into the unknown - Chapter 1 Collaborator: diner_drama Link: AO3 Square Filled: U3 - little sister Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: Frozen AU Summary: Bucky has everything under control. He's the hereditary leader of a small and prosperous country. He lives with his beloved sister and her fiancé in a beautiful castle, and his people are safe and well. He also happens to be in control of the power of ice, but he's got that working for him now, so that's not an issue. But when he closes his eyes, he can hear a siren's song calling him from the far North. Word Count: 800

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Title: Taps Collaborator: Ribbonsflying Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Vulnerability Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: flashback to deaths of unnamed characters, some blood obviously because vampires, drinking blood Summary: Bucky nosed into Steve’s neck and rested his head on his shoulder. “Now I know why you refilled my juice without being asked.” “No, it’s because I’m a sweetheart," Bucky protested. Steve scoffed playfully. “Sweetheart, my ass. There’s nothing sweet about you.” Word Count: 2357

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Title: Petals - Chapter 1 Collaborator: DocOlive Link: AO3 Square Filled: B3 - hanahaki disease Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: Hanahaki Disease Summary: Steve Rogers knows what it's like to be sick. With actual illnesses that exist, like the asthma that always gets worse in the spring. But when he starts coughing up flower petals, rational explanations fly out the window. But is it really possible that he's contracted a fatal case of lovesickness? Word Count: 681

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Title: What About Us? Collaborator: pherryt Link: AO3 Square Filled: C1 - One Night Stand Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Canon Divergent, Tower Fic, A/B/O dynamics, explicit sexual content Summary: Bucky's come in from the cold, Steve is being Steve, Tony wants to throw a party and Bucky has no idea who the Alpha is who asked him to dance (or why, when Bucky's been hiding in the corner all night to avoid people), but it suddenly looks like more than dancing is on the menu. Word Count: 3091

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Title: The Road To You Has Been Fractured With Torment Collaborator: visionarygalaxy Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y4 - Bondage Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, PTSD, Dom/sub, Kink negotiation. fluff Summary: Bucky and Steve reconnect after everything they've been through, slowly and carefully. Word Count: 1284

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Title: and now, the end is near - Chapter 3: Three: Clint Collaborator: hawksonfire Link: AO3 Square Filled: C2 - Heat Ship: Bucky/Steve/Clint Rating: Explicit Major Tags: explicit sexual content Summary: A three-part tale in which our boys are content. Word Count: 4316

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Title: Petals - Chapter 2: Don't forget to tip your barista Collaborator: DocOlive Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - pining Ship: Stucky Rating: Teen Major Tags: mild blood/gore sickfic ( hanahaki disease) Summary: Bucky wasn’t even supposed to be here this afternoon. He was supposed to be at the library working on his Urban Policy lab project. But that was neither here nor there; it’s not like Darcy had up and come down with the flu on purpose. Besides, he reminded himself, he could use the money. He could always use the money. -- War veteran turned grad student and barista Bucky Barnes has a thing for a certain Brooklyn twink. Word Count: 2791

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Title: And I Will Wend My Way With You Collaborator: mariana_oconnor Link: AO3 Squares Filled: Chapter 1 - B2: Bucky/Clint Chapter 2 - U5: Jealousy Chapter 3 - Y5: Hair Braiding Chapter 4 - K4: Sharing Clothes Chapter 5 - K2: Kink: Wall Pinning Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Fantasy AU, Mild Dub-con, Slavery, Violence, implied/referenced rape/non-con, explicit sexual content Summary: After four long years, Bucky's mission is finally complete. All he needs to do is leave the Hydra Empire and make his way back to the Kingdom of Brooklyn with the information he has obtained. He definitely doesn't need the added complication of a slave, especially not one as angry and handsome as Clint Barton. Word Count: 29,653

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Title: A Bad Day With Coffee Is Better Than A Good Day Without It - Chapter 1 Collaborator: Trashcanakin Link: AO3 Square Filled: B2 - Bucky/Clint Ship: WinterHawk Rating: Not Rated Major Tags: Pre-Slash, Mutual Pining, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Human Disaster Clint Barton, Deaf Clint Barton, Not Canon Compliant, Not Beta Read Summary: Clint has a terrible, no good, day... Bucky tries to make it better. Word Count: 2491

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Title: End Of All Days - Chapter 11: Part X Collaborator: Minka Link: AO3 Square Filled: U5 – AU: Adventurers/Explorers Ship: Stucky Rating: Mature Major Tags: violence Summary: Captain Steve Rogers had thought his military days were behind him, left in the bloody nightmare that was Saigon. Retired and working as a History Professor, the last thing he expected was to get caught up in a cataclysmic Slavic prophesy foreshadowing the end of the known world.With Cold War tensions running high, Steve finds himself in need of a guide and translator to get him behind the Iron Curtain and into the isolated snowdrifts of Siberia. It’s deep in the heart of Bucharest’s resistance fighters that Steve finds the ideal candidate, but swaying the enigmatic ex-operative known as The Winter Soldier proves to be complicated. Trust is hard-won, especially in the world of espionage, and with a KGB death squad nipping at his heels, the Soldier has countless reasons to stay presumably dead. As the lines between right, wrong and the supernatural begin to blur, Steve is forced to reconsider everything he’s ever believed, right from the sanctity of his own country to the very foundations of creation itself .--- Aka the Indiana Jones/Atomic Blonde lovechild of a fic that literally no one ever asked for but you’re bloody well going to get anyway. Word Count: 47,940

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Title: Siren - Chapter 1: Do you think I'm stuck up 'cause I'm always picking fights? Collaborator: Writing_mermaid Link: Tumblr Square Filled: C3 - Free square Ship: Bucky/Reader Rating: Mature Major Tags: siren AU Summary: Y/N is a mutant, a Siren, the last of her kind, with deadly dangerous powers and a hidden past. If most of the Avengers likes and get along with her, Steve doesn’t, and it’s getting worse when Y/N and Bucky become close. After all what can bring two broken souls together if it’s not a dark past. Word Count: 1479

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Title: What, Like It's Hard? Collaborator: DocOlive Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - crack Ship: Stucky Rating: Gen Major Tags: Legally Blonde fusion Summary: “Hey Buck, w-what’re ya doing with that?” Steve’s looking at him like he’s just grown a third head or something. Shit. What the fuck did I do now? “Sorry, pal, I was just trying to help out a little around here.” Bucky lets go of the handle, letting the big, ugly hammer drop to the floor. “Just clearing things off the floor so I could do a little cleaning before we drown in cat fur.”Big old viking shouldn’t leave his shit all over if he don’t want people manhandling it outta their way. -- Or, Bucky moves Mjölnir while he's cleaning, and doesn't understand what the big deal is. Legally Blonde meets the Avengers. Word Count: 559

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Title: Don't Forget To Write Collaborator: The_Alias (Artemis_Day) Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y1 - Secret Admirer Ship: Bucky/Jane Foster Rating: Teen Major Tags: secret admirer Summary: 'The tenth time, there is no note. Just him.' Jane has a secret admirer, but who could it possibly be? Word Count: 6072

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Title: The reason Nick Fury doesn't do vacations. Collaborator: Fighting_for_Creativity Link: AO3 Square Filled: Y5 - Rescue Mission Ship: WinterIronFury Rating: Teen Major Tags: Vacation gone wrong, Happy ending, crack(ish), Hydra, mention of animal experiments, Angst and Hurt/Comfort Summary: Tony and Bucky wanted to go on a trip with their third Nicholas Fury. However Nick refused, Bucky and Tony got abducted and… Tony never thought he would see tigers in that state. Word Count: 5473

#buckybarnesbingo2020 #bbb2020 #bbb weekly roundup #bbb week 4 roundup

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jincherie · 6 years ago

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Hey , I have read many of your stories on aor, I love them. I just wanted to ask if you tell something about your writing method? And also wanted to ask when you'll be updating well oiled machin?

Hello, I’m so sorry it took me so long to answer this babe! I am so, so glad you enjoy my fics though! An update for awom is coming [REDACTED] so !!!!! yeah !!! As for a writing method, I…. am a bit dodgy LMAO. It changes often, like how much time and detail I’ll give each bit, but there’s a usual process I do.

First I usually just have the concept/idea– even a scene or au or something– and then if I like it enough I see if I can expand it a little. Not really to plot just yet, but to add more details and depth. It is usually after the idea has more substance that I have enough to start building a loose plot.The order changes, but after I have the concept I either usually world-build some more or go into a bare-bones plot. And I mean, bare bones. Like a linear thing of all the important plot points.

Once I have those, I expand and start plotting chapters with scenes I want and the important plot points. I usually aim to have them completely plotted out, but so long as the first few are plotted out I sometimes start writing at that point LMAO I am a little impatient sometimes.

So yeah thats a rough explanation for you! I feel like there’s more but I can’t remember rn, I’m sure it’ll hit me later lmaoo !! I hope this is clear enough! then again the process itself isnt even that clear to me so fhdbgjhbf WE DOIN OUR BEST OUT HERE

Anonymous said: everyone’s so enthusiastic for awom dhsjsjsjsn understandable bc definitely same, but no pressure!! take your time and enjoy the holidays!! 💜💜💜 and relish in the peace of post-final feels lol (er, if youre done yet??im not sure im srry)

Gah thank you babe!!! I’m super glad to know so many are keen for it, and I’m very thankful ur thinking of me as a person instead of just an author, the source of the writing, in this instance

Anonymous said: awom peep!!! biNCH WFFWTWFTTFEGHEJEJ that hurted so much our poor jungoo :(((((((

Anonymous said: ohsndndkf i’m so excited for more robokook

Anonymous said: The well oiled machine sneep peep looks very could. Much excited! Oh boy I’m just shaking right now. Fuck me up baby!!!

Anonymous said: OMG omg omg OMG that sneak peek of robot kook, DONT HIRT ME LIKE THAT 😭

KJNFJHBF LMAOOO I asked steph @gimmesumsuga which part i should share as a peep and she said that one SO WE HAVE HER GENIUS EVIL MIND TO THANK FOR UR SUFFERING HAHAHAHAHA ugh fr tho she’s been one of the biggest supporters for robokook (besides our resident and beloved robofucker miss @cinnaminsvga the loml) and its thanks to these two i’m bustin my ass so hard on it!!! I’m putting.,,, such effort in IM RLLY TRYING YALL ughghfbfhbfghbjd I’m going to be so excited when I can finally post and complete it with the second part--- thank u all for looking forward to it with me! I promise this teensy bit of pain is only temporary!

Anonymous said: A well oiled machine was so so good! I love all of your works so much, but i think this and your tae dad!au have to be my favourites. Its really difficult to make a robot au work without being cringe or seem kind of dodgy consent-wise but mc is so authentic in her feelings and robo guk the perfect blend of human/android it all just really works! I cant wait to read more, thank you for your writing💗💞

GAH to be honest, 4 oclock and awom are probably some of my favourite things I’ve written-- I’m still so excited for where I have to go in 4 oclock and the further I get into awom the more I want to weep bc its so fffucking soft u dont even know FFUCK.,,,, but in all honesty thank you so much!!! I really appreciate all u said, I’m so thankful I managed to pull it off!!! Even though I haven’t read it yet bc I apparently enjoy torturing myself, I’m sure Zee managed to execute the au splendidly too!!!! ugh I’m so keen to finally read HER robokook once i’m done ffffUUUCKKKKKK anyways thank u so much for reading and for sending this, my love!!! I hope u have a wonderful afternoon

Anonymous said: Is a well oiled machine based off of Detroit become human perhaps???

Haha surprisingly no!! It’s based off of Zee’s innate love for androids and how far up her ass I am LMAO

(i do love dbh tho HEHE)

Anonymous said: OHhhhhhhHHHhh my goodness A Well-Oiled Machine is SO. GOOD. JK is such a cute android and the tension! Especially the ending. I’ll definitely be reading the next chapter

Anonymous said: Omg, I’m so in love by a well oiled machine 😍…. Girl, you’re amazing! I can’t wait to read the second part.

thank u both so much!!! I’m super glad you like this trashy lil roboporn novella, I really appreciate that u read it and enjoyed it and proceeded to send this!!! thank u !!!! i love u!!! im super excited for the next part and I hope u are too!!!

#anon #ask #queue: the inbox cleanout of 2019!#a well oiled machine #awom

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drv3imagines · 7 years ago

Text

How would the guys react to seeing their S/O with horrible bedhead?

.“How would the guys react to seeing their S/O with horrible bedhead?”

Not surprisingly if you were to look into my hair you see Satan itself, that’s how well I maintain my beauty.

Kaito Momota

He starts to laugh, yes that’s his only reaction

Kaito teases you about how bad your hair looks, the jerk.

Yes it might be playful teasing but you won’t stand for it!

While he’s distracted you bring your hands up to his hair, the astronaut screams at you to stop before it’s too late but you don’t listen to him.

rEVENGE-

oH HOLY LORD ATUA

You scream and Kaito panics, your hands. Oh god your hands their bleeding so much blood and

HOW THE LIVING FUCK

His hair now has your blood on it, you scream

“HOW MUCH HAIRSPRAY DO YOU USE MAN!?”

“HOW ELSE DO YOU THINK I CAN GET MY HAIR LIKE THIS!?”

good point.

oH GOD IT BURNS STILL

After a quick trip from the hospital

Astroboy repays you with cuddles after your hands are bandaged up

You forget all about you hair

Ryoma Hoshi

Your wonder why he’s been covering his mouth all day, maybe he has a cold?

And why is he trying so hard to hide why he’s covering his mouth from you when you asked him what’s wrong he pulled his hat over his face

...

You thought you told him that he should never keep secrets from you

Yeah he never responded to you back then but you thought you’ve grown closer since then.

Is it something important?

Or are you just being paranoid?

No, no! You just need to ask him again! That’s right ask him again!

When you try he just hides his face from you again

You cry

He doesn't hide anymore and goes to your side

“What’s wrong? Who made you cry?”

You explain to him how he was hiding from you all day, and that you were worried that he was hiding something important

For the first time you see him smile

“Are you serious?”

He gives you a mirror and

aRE YOU FU KING SERIOUS

He starts to quietly chuckle beneath his hat

HE WASN’T HIDING FROM YOU, HE JUST DIDN’T WANT TO LAUGH AT YOU

F U C K I N G S E R I O U S

At least he promises you that next time he’ll just laugh at you

Gonta Gokuhara

Is this what Kaede meant by twinsies!?

Are you and Gonta being the twinsies!!!?

His eyes shine with a hope thicker than anything you’ve ever seen.

But your eating your bagel, so he’ll need to wait a second

After eating your hope bagels cuz mmm hope

You ask the bug boi by what he means by that, and he points to your hair

Are you serious?

Ugh now your going to have to fix it, and it’s going to take long anD UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

DAMN HOPE BAGELS MAKING YOU LAZY AF

“So you not being twinsies with Gonta...?”

You drop the comb to the ground and sit by his side

“S/O wouldn’t do that! That isn’t what gentle person do after all!”

Gonta and you show everyone your amazing twinsie hair.

It was awesome. That’s all I have to say.

Kiibo

...

It was very confusing, dating that is.

What exacly were you trying to do with that hair style?

Perhaps you wanted to imitate his...

But it’s only an antenna

“Wait! S/O DOESN’T KNOW THIS!”

So he ran over to you and explained to you, you only nodded at his claims

“S/O that’s why you must use hair spray or gel to get your hair like this! I suppose... I’ll need to ask Saihara-kun later...”

“What chu’ mean Kiibo?”

“Ah. It’s just your hair and I thought...”

You go to the nearest mirror and check yourself in the mirror, you almost scream

“OH THANK GOD I DIDN’T GO OUT YET.”

“Correct. You have an important day with F/N if I’m right. At least that’s what my schedule is saying”

You hug your robo-boyfriend and thank him profusely. And give him a little kiss on the cheek

He’s done something good today...!

His inner voice agrees as well, what a swell day!

Shuichi Saihara

Gives you a mirror right away, quietly shying away

What a good lil’ bean!

Wait a moment though.

You take his hat swiftly using your skillsz

(also this is sushi so he’s weak)

HOLY-

A large strand of hair stands up. and he squeaks before he before he shakily asksto give back his hat

“C’MON DON’T LECTURE ME WITH HAT HAIR LIKE THIS”

“P-PLEASE JUST GIVE ME MY HAT BACK”

“NEVER, THIS IS REVENGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~”

“S-S/O MY HAT!!!”

Sadly he get’s his hat back at the end of theday, and all of his friends saw himself hat-less

How long has it been since he’s looked anyone in the eyes?

“Hey you should be hat-less more, you have very pretty eyes y’know?”

“....”

He tries to cover his embarrassment using his hat only to have it stolen away by you, again.

“A-ALRIGHT JUST PLEASE GIVE IT BACK!!!”

“S-S/O...? wAIT S/O NOT AGAINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!”

Kokichi Oma

Why does your boyfriend suddenly want a date? Sure you love hanging out with him but you STILL NEED TIME TO PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON.

Because of him, you had to go out in your you don’t actually know...?

It better not be a fancy place, he’s wearing formal clothes so it might be a nice place ohgod...

You yell at him but he just drags you by the hand, to... to Shuichi’s house?

Seriously what kind of relationship do those two have??

“S/O-chan don’t worry we’re just going to a party!”

“At....At Shuichi’s house are we talking about the same person right now?”

“Non, non! My beloved S/O-chan see I organized the party~!”

“What? Why-?”

He just drags you inside where all your friends stay, confused in formal attire...?

Really what has your boyfriend done?

He gives you the mirror, a note in crude crayon attached

“This is for not helping me get my panta, my sweet S/O-chan :3″

“Akamatsu-chan! Saihara-chan~! I can’t believe the two are seriously, literally, actually getting married! I decided to hold a party to celebrate it just for you two!”

Shuichi looks like he’s about to lecture your boyfriend, but before her could Kaede thanks him for doing a lot of work to set up this party.

Shuichi blushes as Kaede makes him dance with her

Looking into the mirror you see your hair in horrible condition, and your still wearing your pajamas

...

You almost kill your boyfriend when the party is over

Korekiyo Shinguuji

You just wanted some fucking pancakes

THAT’S ALL YOU WANTED NOW LOOK AT YOU, EATING FUCKING BAGELS AS YOUR BOYFRIEND COMBS YOUR HAIR

“S/O I’ll apologize for setting up a date that I must have cancelled but..”

“You need to pay more attention to matters like this, Nii-san wouldn’t like it if I hadn’t groomed daily”

“You just hadn’t done anything for you hair you just woke up like this? You expect me to believe such a flimsy lie?”

IT’S TRUE THOUG-

“Ufufu~ Honestly lying to me while my sister is around you should be shamed.”

“If it hadn’t been for the laws of this land I would have slayed you Korekiyo Shinguuji”

“I’ve set up reservations for tomorrow, does that help?”

“I LOVE YOU”

In another room Korekiyo’s sister just laughed

“Good for them.”

Rantarou Amami

As the king of chill he just doesn’t really care and just starts brushing your hair

He’s done this with his little sisters a million times before, this isn’t his first rodeo you know!

“Hey Amami? Are you sad that you left your sister?”

He nods “Yeah, of course I do”

Your heart breaks a bit, you bite you lip

“I-Is.. that so? Do you regret coming to live with me then?”

“No, not at all. This is the best choice I’ve ever made actually... Much better than risking your life”

“How did we get from your sisters to your adventures?”

“Who said we ever stopped?”

You laugh, he smiles

You both enjoy the warmth of the other, no words are needed to express the moment the two of you share

It’s nice just enjoying each other

“I love you”

You nod and hug your perfect boyfriend, you stay like this for the rest of the day hand in hand

You want the moment to last forever, but even if it doesn’t you’ll have much more together won’t you?

#Mod Kaede #Kiibo #shuichi saihara #kokichi ouma #kaito momota #ryoma hoshi #gonta gokuhara #rantaro amami #korekiyo shinguuji #I love the fluffy asks you people give us. \#Although the angst is a bit...#*cries in weaboo*

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yuki-d-raizel-blog · 7 years ago

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Hero

Chapter 3/??

Relationship: Todoroki Shouto x Reader (Your/Name), (Full/Name)

Summit: It all begin at the Sports Festival when Shouto’s other half met Endevour by mistake. The student never thought to see his partner fight against his father just to show him that he is wrong. It started from that instant, Shouto’s new path started exactly from that moment thanks to his friends and his beloved one.

---

The most important day for the U.A. is finally here. The first years are so excited to participate at such huge event like that, and their future is on the line. They will be merciless, no matter who's the opponent, they will get the attention of the strongest heroes and start their own career. The Class A get on a bus and everyone is focusing on the future contests, but what they fear the most are their own classmates: Katsuki Bakugou, Todoroki Shouto and (F/N), they're a huge obstacle in their path. The light of victory is opacities by those three prodigy students. Midoriya and Iida are sit next to each other, and the class representative asks something whispering.

<<Midoriya-kun, do you think that (Y/N)-kun and Todoroki-kun will be fine? There's a heavy air around them.>>

<<...>> both are listening to music, Shouto rests the head on your shoulder while you rest yours on his fluffy hair, <<I think we need to worry more about ourselves.>> he avoids the topic with a forced smile, "This morning Todoroki-kun was always behind (Y/N)-chan, but they didn't talk even to say hello to each other. I assume that the pressure on Todoroki-kun's shoulders is heavier. How can I help him? He seems so different, like he's not himself anymore..."

---

When the bus stops, all students get off, ready to start that new challenge. The other classes are there too and they're leaded inside the arena when after a few minutes, they'll introduces themselves to their future sponsors, instructors and the people who they will protect someday.

Once all the Sections are in line, the heroine Midnight calls the representative of the first years, Bakugou Katsuki, to vow. His classmates are worried, make him speak? The others hate them already, if Bakugou speaks now- No, they don't want to think of what's gonna happen, just... make this fast and painless, thank you very much.

The stadium is silent, everyone is waiting the vow of the number one of the Class A. He climbs the stairs and stands in front of the microphone. Another few seconds of silence, everyone's eyes are glued on him.

<<I vow...>> the Class A is thinking the same thing: "there we go, Bakugou don't fuck this up, ple-" <<I'll be the number one.>> "I knew it!"

The others are cursing on each one of you, even Midnight is facepalming herself, how a student can be so... They are dead, why that stupid walking bomb said that? He's gonna take the first place? How about Todoroki, (Y/N) and many other students... He is too reckless, someone helps these poor adolescents!

To settle everyone down, Midnight announces the first competition: an obstacle race. She explains the game very quickly and everyone stands in front the gate and stares at the three green lights on top.

<<START!>> when they starts moving, the heroes Present Mic and Eraser Head take the lead.

The first problem is the gate itself. The students are in trouble, nobody can move an inch...

"So, at the first obstacle already there is a selection." Shouto freezes all the way and escapes from the tunnel, <<Sorry guys.>> he keeps running, leaving behind his back thousands of frozen students, but not all of them are so stupid to fall in that kid trick.

In fact, Bakugou, Aoyama, Momo, Kirishima and (Y/N) are the fastest one who avoided the ice and chase after the half-cold half-hot hero.

"Well, my classmates have dodge it easier than I thought." Todoroki looks over his shoulder to see how many enemies he has, "I was prepared to see (Y/N) to run next to me, why she is holding back? She has a plan? "

An annoying voice reach his ears. Only one person has that voice so annoying. Mineta is about to attack Shouto, but a mechanic arm hits him and throws him away. The group suddenly stops in front the new obstacle.

(All right! Those are quite unexpected obstacles! Let's get started with the first barrier, roboinferno!)

While Mic is entertaining the arena, the students are panicking about those huge robots. Only a few of them are thinking rationally about bring those pile of iron down. The first who doesn't stop, is the son of the number two hero.

<<So those are the virtual villain that they used in the exams, eh?>> a huge ice slab rises under Todoroki's foot.

(Woah, woah what's happening? Someone is running against Todoroki's attack!?)

<<Bring something powerful, my shitty old man is watching.>> he whispered before freezing the robots and in that moment, a shadow jumps on and overcomes them. "So you were waiting for this (Y/N)? You understood that I was about to freeze them in an instable position, and you accelerate their fall, pushing them down... Nice one." the red-white haired boy starts running to catch you up.

When the icy mist is gone, the robots fall like domino pieces and block the way.

(Todoroki and (Y/N) of the Class A had attack and block the other participants with just one hit! What an elegant combo! That was awesome! They're the first to pass the robo-barrier! In some way, they were sly!) Mic's voice is replaced with the colleague's one.

(Both of them act in a logic way and with a strategy behind, especially (Y/N).)

(They are recommended students after all! That was their first time against them but the roboinferno could not do anything against their elite moves!)

"So noisy, I can't concentrate." <<Sorry sweetheart, I'm not inclined to go easy on you.>>

"I need to impress him." <<Don't worry about it.>>

The two students lead the race and even they're talking, they don't stop to stare the path; the new obstacle can appear at any moment. The girl accelerates her pace and the partner thinks that maybe he offended her.

"Basing on what he told me, Endevour will make Shouto marry someone with a powerful quirk. Keep your eyes on me sir, you're gonna see something cool." <<You better hurry up, honey.>>

<<Mh? Why?>>

<<Our classmates are coming. They're gonna catch us up soon.>>

Loud explosions are getting near and the hero Mic are yelling enthusiastic that the Class A of the hero course is surpassing the first barrier. The virtual villains are getting down one after one like skittles.

(Hey, hey, if the first barrier is easy, what about the second one? You fall, you're out! If you don't wanna it, then overcome it with something! This is the second barrier, The Fall!)

Shouto keeps moving forward freezing the rope and skating on it, while you're running and jumping around with balance and a precise scheme in your head. Both of you are focused on your objective: show to a person that he is wrong. There's no space and time to get family friendly, this is a place when the future is on the line, so both of you fully understand when one of you use a little bit of strength just to pass to the next challenge. They reach the end and now are moving to the next obstacle.

(The first place is the same without hitches! The awesome combo is still there, BUT Bakugou of the Class A is catching them up!!)

<<You bastards!>> his yelling is his label, he will get famous has "the yelling angry hero".

<<Told you.>> you remark your prediction to Shouto who did not believe at it, <<You kidding me, right?>> you can see the last obstacle. The students stop for a second to study the field better.

(The first places are distancing themselves from the participants and they are at the minefield barrier! It was prepared like that so you can see where the mines are, obviously if you pay attention! Eyes and legs must be in synchrony with each other! And by the way, these mines are made for demonstration purposes only, so they aren't powerful, but their sound and light are strong enough to scare you to death!)

While Mic is talking, you and Shouto go through the field and you're about to get a little advantage on him. The space between you, Todoroki and the mines are so tiny that almost a foot fits by a miracle. Your eyes and legs are working in synchrony and your body responds perfectly at your orders while the sound of the other students that probably hit a mine is increasing more and more.

<<So this is for slowing down the first places. In this way, the public is amused by it.>> a loud explosion attracts your and Shouto attention. That wasn't from the mine, it was from....

<<This is useless against me!>> with another big explosion, Bakugou reaches Shouto, <<You bastards!>> with a hand, Katsuki grabs you and pulls to break your balance and make you step on a mine, <<You motherfuckers! You declared your war declaration to the wrong person!>> while with other hand he attacks Todoroki to make him step back.

(Ooh the first places changed! Celebrate, mass media! This is the plot twist you love, the top 3 of the Class A are fighting for victory! Who will win?)

The students don't want to slow down their pace and they're fighting with attention, strategy and power. First, Bakugou attacks Shouto who responds freezing his forearm, then both attack you, who dodge it at the last time. Moving around with these mines is hard already, but doing it while fighting against strong adolescents it's on another level!

(Well, well, well! Now even pursuers are regaining too! However, even slowing each other down, the three on top will keep leading the race?)

Meanwhile, your fight with Bakugou and Shouto is getting serious, you are exactly like a machine, if one moves, the other two do the same. Kicks and punches are getting faster second after second.

<<Just fucking die!>> Katsuki shouts trying to hit you with an explosion, <<Stop dodge it!>>

<<I'm not gonna let you win so easy. You wanna be the number one?>> moving backwards with just one leg, you dodge another attack and charge almost immediately with a high kick, it is faster than before so, the speed change caught Bakugou off guard, <<Let's see if that is true or not.>>

[BOOM!]

A very huge explosion stops you, Todoroki and Katsuki first for the sound and then with the strong shock wave, which invests everything on the field.

(An enormous explosion in the back?! What's with that power?!)

<<What?!>> you exclaim sincerely shocked to see who did that, even if you should know it.

(It's done on purpose or not?! It's Midoriya from the Class A who is riding the explosion! AND HE SURPASS THE THREE ON TOP!!!)

Without spending one more second, the students that were fighting, begin to run again.

"He used too much power, I bet that he didn't think about a way to lay down again without wasting time! " you decide just to run for it, even if you hit a mine you are able to dodge the most amount of the blow.

<<Oi Deku! Don't you dare to get ahead of me!!>> Katsuki flies with his explosions and Shouto freezes the field to run and at least catch up with his girlfriend.

(Another plot twist! The three who were get in each other's way, now are chasing Midoriya! Now that they have the same target, they've stop the fight! However, the battle isn't over yet! Who is the first who will reach the end? Come on, guys!)

Like you predicted, Izuku is falling down and you have reached him already, there's no way he can surpass you again. The woman, Todoroki and Bakugou are surpassing All Might's pupil, but a shadow goes down towards them and hits the ground.

"I knew it! Izuku you son of gun!" the blow stops the three students and pushes the greenish boy forwards, "I couldn't even dodge it, I was between Shouto and the walking bomb! "

(Midoriya stops his pursuers without problems, in addition, he successfully leaves the minefield! But the prodigies are chasing him like predators!! They are damn fast too! Eraser Head, your class is amazing! What do you teach to them?)

(I did absolutely nothing. They've found their motivation by themselves.)

No matter how fast you run, Izuku is too far to be reached in time. You see his figure going towards the light at the end of the last tunnel, but moved by pride and Shouto by rage, both of you go faster and faster, leaving Bakugou behind.

(This is the stage of the first years of the Yuuei Sports Festival! Who could have predicted that everything would have developed and ended like this?! The first who arrives at the stadium is him... Midoriya Izuku!!) while people is cheering for the boy, Mic continues, (After him there is... The awesome combo! Todoroki Shouto and (F/N)! Bakugou Katsuki and we keep going!! Let's wait for the classifications, for now, good job everyone!)

<<...Again... Fuck!>> while Katsuki catches his breath, he is so frustrated to lose against Deku and you for the second time.

---Continue....

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 21.5, 22, 22.5, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, Last Chapter

#todoroki shouto #shouto todoroki #midoriya izuku #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #scenarios #bnha scenarios #fanfictions #deku midoriya #anime #manga

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agl03 · 8 years ago

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Do you think it is likely that the aos writers will kill May? They have been good with keeping the original cast around(except Ward- but he was the only villain who lasted 3 seasons) and May is a huge inspiration and I think they know that. But this is aos so I'm still weary. Thanks!

Hi Anon,

The writers know how much all the characters mean to us and don’t take killing anyone off lightly. Every single one of our main characters is strong, powerful, means a lot to their fans, and serves as a positive role model. As a mother I love having my daughter able to watch a show with SO MANY strong powerful women, A diverse cast. We lost a lot of people last season, and I’ve discussed how that was just needed form story standpoint, we had too many people and the overall story struggled trying to service them all.

And now as we come to the end of the 4th season with finale time getting everyone on edge. The good news is we made it through the Season 1 and Season 2 finales without losing a main cast member (yes, Harold ate Jemma but that was a cliffy). Plus with the Framework in play we could lose Ward and Trip (I swear writers don’t make me watch that all over again) IE we can have big deaths without losing modified OT6. Once they are unhook from the Framework they could torment us with a fake out death, IE we see someone die but their mind was pulled out of the avatar just in the nick of time and they are waking up back in the real world (watch for this ESPECIALLY if Daisy/Jemma leave after learning where the others are being kept and the hostages have to stay and wait for them to get in position before waking up…because we need at ticking clock to get them out). We should also also lose AIDA, Superior, and possibly Radcliffe again before the season it out too and they have been with us all season, with John listed as a ‘Regular”.

I do personally worry a little about May, her LMD just sacrificed herself for the team…doing what her counterpart would have done. But I worry more for Mace. May hasn’t really had a solid story arc this season as herself, she’s been locked up since 8. She’s been set up for an arc after the Framework, we need a Philinda arc where they aren’t Robo or in the Framework…we need them themselves. Mace on other hand had a good solid arc complete with backstory and development. He also sacrificed himself for the team and could do it one more time.

And honest to goodness I feel a factor in if we lose anyone in the finale will come by way if we get Season 5. If IF this is the end I’m not as worried.

Something I appreciate that the writers do is they usually don’t write off a character just for “Shock Value”.

No, I’m not saying I agree with all of them or how they went down. But for the most part I see why the did it.

We’ve seen a lot of shows doing that this and last season. Offing a fan favorite/beloved/long term character for an OMG moment twitter trending kind of moment. Some shows have really struggled after doing that too, I wholly admit I’ve stopped watching shows recently because they did this.. Yes, we lose beloved characters but it serves the story or drives the story forward (Lincoln for Daisy’s Arc), that actor was booked on another show (Joey), or their arc has run its coarse (Hive…he was too powerful to keep around).

I also hope they learned their lesson with the Fallen Agent Arc. Something that was supposed to get fans excited totally backfired on them. It upset and drove fans away. And there is a marked difference in fandom excitement between going into the C pod and seeing so many elements/people from past seasons returning vs counting down do a death.

In the end right now I can’t say right now. I am not getting a ‘we’re building up to a big death” vibe right now but only time will tell.

#aos spoilers #aos speculation #ask agl03

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scribewizard · 4 years ago

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Top 10 Revenge Films

In Films, there are characters that are wronged. Usually, the pick up the pieces and move on, for other’s it’s Revenge. I wanted to create lists again and revenge films have been one I have been itching to try out. Now, there are some rules to this list.

1. Must be the whole movie for the characters trying to get revenge.

2. The Person with the Revenge can either succeed or fail in their revenge

3. Killing may or may not be involved with the act of Revenge

Here are my honorable mentions. The ones that could have been on the list, but I canceled on at last minute.

Honorable Mentions

Carrie – Even though it’s just one student that pranked Carrie White, it wasn’t enough to put it on the list.

Gangs of New York – As much as I love the revenge in this movie, the ten that are on the list were simply better than this tale.

Robo Cop- While Robo Cop unknowingly gets revenge on the person that puts him into the Robo Cop suit, it wasn’t stronger than the other contenders on this list.

Conan the Barbarian – Same story as Gangs of New York

Grand Torino- It only had one moment of revenge.

Revenge of the Sith – While it has Revenge in its name, I felt this was more of a takeover than an actual revenge story.

Now, let’s get on with our list.

10. Gladiator (2000)

Let’s start our list off with a Roman tale.

Maximus is seeking revenge against Emperor Commundus for killing his family and putting him through slavery. What makes this revenge exception is how he put through the Gladiator colosseum and throws everything at him Yet, Maximus preservatives.

9. V for Vendetta (2005)

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November. The gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.

Now, I know I might be cheating with this one, but bear with me. V for Vendetta, based on a comic book, tells of a vigilante named V that sets out to change the country through his terrorist acts. The first part of the film is V’s revenge for being experimented on, but the film becomes more about V’s actions as he sets to destroy the corrupted government.

8. Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

Clive Shelton is seeking revenge against a flawed Justice system that gave a lighter sentence to a criminal that killed his family. What makes this revenge so fascinating is that Clive is always one step ahead of his opposites. When you think he’s doing one thing, he’s doing another. The film paints Shelton as a criminal, but it almost makes you want him to succeed.

7. Count of Monte Cristo (2002)

Probably the oldest revenge story on this list, the Count of Monte Cristo is about Edmond Dantes, who is falsely imprisoned and betrayed. While imprisoned, Edmond is given to a map to a treasure. Using the treasure, Edmond establishes himself as the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ and sets to get his revenge on those that imprisoned him.

What makes this revenge tale fascinating is that it’s a revenge story about hope. While in jail, Edmond still holds onto hope that he’ll be reunited with his girlfriend. The story has been shared multiple times, but I think the 2002 version is my favorite version of the story to date.

6. Taken (2008)

Bryan Mills is a retired agent; who’s daughter was taken by gangster that try to sell her in a sex slave auction. While the daughter doesn’t die, Mills uses his “particular set of skills” in order to track her down.

While Taken has two sequels, it’s the first film that really got audience’s attention.

5 Punisher (2004)

We’re halfway there now.

Cop Frank Castle and his family is killed by mobsters. However, Frank Castle is the only survivor despite his death. So, he goes through a killing spree taking out all sorts of characters to avenge his dead family.

What I really love about the Punisher is that he doesn’t really have any powers. He has marksmanship, military experience, and a brilliant tactician, but he doesn’t have any superpowers unlike some of the other Marvel Superheroes.

While the Punisher has had many movies, tv shows, my favorite version is the 2004 movie with Thomas Jane.

4 Old Boy (2003)

The only revenge film on this list that’s a foreign movie.

What people don’t know is that it’s a part of a trilogy of films called the Vengeance Trilogy

This South Korean film is about a man being imprisoned for fifteen years. When he gets out, he wants revenge on the man that framed him for killing his wife, took away his daughter. He meets up with a woman named Mi-do and goes to protect her while claiming his revenge.

So, there is a bit of spoilers for this movie that I will not give away. I want people to experience this movie like I did. The best part of this movie is the twist at the end.

There is an American version with Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen, but I consider the 2003 version to be superior version. It might have English Subtitles, but I consider it to be a great movie.

3 Kill Bill Volume 1/Volume 2 (Volume 1: 2003 Volume 2: 2004)

This one is a tie, but it’s an explainable tie. A day or so ago, by the time of writing, my cousin told me that he can’t watch Infinity War without watching Endgame. That really spoke to me because I can’t watch Kill Bill Volume 1 without watching Volume 2. It’s about closure, people.

How could I not make a Revenge Film list without including the Bride (She has a name but I’m calling her the Bride).

The Bride is killed by Bill and the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad via shot in the head. The gunshot only comatose the Bride (???? I don’t know how that works but I’ll try to suspend my disbelief) for four years and after those years, she goes on a quest to kill those involved in two movies.

What really fascinates me about this series that it feels like a foreign movie. Quentin Tarano really outdid himself with these movies. The way the Bride gets her revenge, how each of their deaths is unique.

My hope is that Zendaya does take on the role of Nikki, the child of one of the members of the Deadly Vipers, for a new Kill Bill film.

2 John Wick (2014)

Much like the previous film on this is, I couldn’t make this list without the inclusion of this great movie.

John Wick is a retired hitman who’s settling down after the death of his wife. While out with his lovely pupper, John is attacked by a group of mobsters, his car was stolen and they killed his dog. (WHY DID YOU KILL THE DOG?)

Out for blood, John stops at nothing to avenge the death of his beloved dog, Daisy. This film is action packed and revenge filled to the bloody end. Much like Taken, John Wick has two sequels, but a fourth one is being made.

What I love most about this film is how driven John Wick is. He stops at nothing to get his desired revenge.

Also, I can’t stress this enough: WHY DID YOU KILL THE DOG?

1 The Gift (2015)

“See what happens when you poison someone’s mind with lies.”

You know, I actually thought that John Wick was my favorite revenge film. It wasn’t until I saw this movie that really changed my mind about revenge movies. While John Wick and the other films were great revenge films, this film shattered my expectations.

Unlike the other films on this list, The Gift doesn’t have any human deaths. It doesn’t need to have them in order to pull off the revenge of this movie.

Simon and Robin move into a new home. While shopping, they run into an old class mate of Simon’s named Gordo.

With that premise, one could easily predict that it’s going to be the clichéd new person turns out to be evil. However, part of the film’s wit’s and reason for being number one is that it shatters that illusion.

Throughout the film, most assumed Simon was the good guy and Gordo was bad. As you watch this film, you see that alignment shifting when you learn more about Simon and Gordo’s past. The Gift plays with themes of Lies and what a person can turn out to be.

So, that was my list of Revenge films. Did you like it? Do you think there should have been a movie I missed? Let me know your thoughts on it.

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gokinjeespot · 6 years ago

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off the rack #1241

Monday, December 17, 2018

I got sucked into the vortex that happens this time of year for social events that I couldn't avoid. We went out to dinner on Friday at Grow Your Roots Café in Kanata with our vegetarian friends to celebrate my and Brian's birthdays, which are two weeks apart in December. I actually enjoyed my beyond meat burger platter. Way better than A&W's, although to be fair I haven't had the fast food version yet, but Brian has. And their fries were excellent too. Saturday was date night with dinner at the Yangtze Restaurant on Somerset Street and then crossing Arthur Street to Bar Robo to see the Tony D Trio. I've always wanted to see Tony D play live and this was a great chance to do that. It was intimate and we got a great table. We stayed for both sets and got home just before midnight. Not bad for an old fogey. The rocking music helped me stay awake. Sunday morning found us at the Carleton Tavern having breakfast at 9 AM. We try to see Sam the chef before Christmas and wish him and his family all the best for the holidays. Sam spoils us. You can tell he piles a lot more food on our plates than for other diners. You get that when you've patronized a place for 40 years. And finally, I venture out tonight to go see the Aquaman movie with my Jee-Riz partner Chris. I hear Amber Heard is in it.

X-23 #7 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Diego Olortegui (pencils) Walden Wong (inks) Chris O'Halloran (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). X-Assassin part 1. You can safely jump onto this book right here with this new story. Laura and Gabby help out the NYPD with a serial murder case and the killer is something brand new. I like the connection between the assassin, X-23 and Honey Badger and the new art team did a great job so I'm going to keep reading.

Doctor Strange: The Best Defense #1 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Greg Smallwood (art) VC's Cory Petit (letters). By the Vishanti was this ever good. These Defender one-shots are thoroughly worth reading if you're a big Marvel Fan. Greg did a wonderful tribute to Steve Ditko in a two page spread and I loved his Clea. The stabby guy in the bed sheet is still killing aliens too.

The Silver Surfer: The Best Defense #1 - Jason Latour (writer & art) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). My hopes for all of the Defenders one-shots to be stellar were dashed with this one. Norrin Radd doesn't even appear until way later in the story. It starts off incomprehensibly with a bunch of aliens and ends with a lot of new age gobbledy goop that the Surfer spouts while floating in space. The crazy knife wielding Halloween ghost only shows up in two panels so that was disappointing as well. The only thing I liked was when the Surfer's board takes off eh.

Magic Order #5 - Mark Millar (writer) Olivier Coipel (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Peter Doherty (letters). This is the penultimate issue with many shocking revelations. It sets up next issue's conclusion beautifully. I can hardly wait to find out what happens.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #1/LGY #241 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Yay! This did not suck. I was so afraid that the new Miles book would not stand up to the high standard that I put on it when Brian Michael Bendis was writing his adventures. Saladin Ahmed did an excellent job here and it helped that Javier Garron's art rocked the whole issue. You get all you need to know to enjoy this Spider-Man even if you didn't read the 240 issues leading up to this. I admit I did a little eye roll when the super villain showed up but then there's a twist that made me give a cheer. I can't wait for the next issue, and that's the magic that Brian used to make that kept me reading.

The Batman Who Laughs #1 - Scott Snyder (writer) Jock (art) David Baron (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). I was going to give this 6-issue mini a pass because I didn't like the whole Dark Nights Metal storyline but I thought I'd give Scott Snyder another chance. He presents a very different kind of dark knight that I still do not like so I won't finish reading this story either, but that's just me. If you want to see what happens when Batman gets turned into the Joker (WTF?) then you'll want to read this.

Goddess Mode #1 - Zoe Quinn (writer) Robbi Rodriguez (art) Rico Renzi (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). This new Vertigo book takes place in a very colourful future where folks live in a virtual reality because the real world sucks. Cassandra Price is a coder who works for the corporation that controls the VR. A glitch sends her into another reality and there she meets three other women and I think they go fight evil forces. This book is very bright and very tech and text heavy. I felt like I didn't get to know Cassandra very well before she gets transformed into a goddess and her situation is very confusing. This book is not to my taste unfortunately.

The Unstoppable Wasp #3/LGY #11 - Jeremy Whitley (writer) Gurihiru (art) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). A.I.M. has broken into Pym Labs to steal tech and Nadia must save her friends and keep the bad guys from getting away. These foes are quite formidable and even with the help of the original Wasp and Mockingbird, the bad guys win. I like the new A.I.M. villains and want to learn more about them.

Avengers #11/LGY #701 - Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness & Cory Smith (pencils) Mark Morales, Scott Hanna & Karl Kesel (inks/finishers) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's the calm before the next storm. According to the cover Jason's other story in Thor, "The War of the Realms", will cross over into this book in 4 months. Meanwhile, T'Challa meets with some international super heroes to try and form an alliance to keep the world safe. Thor and She-Hulk go on a date and Phil Coulson explains why there's a Squadron Supreme of America. See, it's not always massive alien invasions and war with Namor.

Fantastic Four Wedding Special #1 - This lead in one-shot to Fantastic Four #650 has 3 stories.

"(Invisible) Girls Gone Wild" by Gail Simone (writer) Laura Braga (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) & VC's Joe Caramagna (letters) is a silly bachelorette party at a strip joint with Alicia's friends and some of Sue's super powered buddies. I expected better from Gail.

"Father Figure" by Dan Slott (writer) Mark Buckingham (pencils) Mark Farmer (inks) Matt Yackey (colours) & VC's Joe Caramagna (letters) reminded me of who Alicia's step-father is. I was touched as I remembered asking Mr. Fowler for Penny's hand in marriage. I loved the job the two Marks did. I would have sworn Jack Kirby drew this.

"The Puppet Master's Lament" by Fred Hembeck (writer & art) & Megan Wilson (colours) was a monologue recap of Ben and Alicia's relationship. It was typical Fred Hembeck humour.

You really don't have to read this since there's nothing here that impacts the wedding much but it's a nice accompaniment to the big day.

Sasquatch Detective #1 - Brandee Stilwell (creator & writer). This $7.99 US 64-page special continues the beloved tradition of silly funny animal comic books that used to rule the racks. Too bad it doesn't cost 25 cents like back in the fifties. You get the origin story by Ron Randall (art) Ross Campbell (colours) & Dave Sharpe (letters). This will tell you how Tonya Mae Lightfoot from the Appalachian Mountains leaves her Sasquatch family to go to Los Angeles and join the LAPD. What follows are five short stories where Tonya solves crimes. I would not have wanted to read this big book normally, but the art throughout is really good. Thanks to Gustavo Vazques (art) & Chris Sotomayor (colours) in "Sasquatch Anniversary"; Gustavo Vazques (art) & Ross Campbell (colours) in "Unsolved Mysteries", "Neighbourhood Watch", "Arrest and Relaxation" & "Smoke and Mirrors". There are even some cameos by some DC heroes as a bonus.

Batman Annual #3 - Tom Taylor (writer) Otto Schmidt (art) A Larger World's Troy Peteri (letters). If Tom King ever leaves Batman I hope that Tom Taylor takes over the writing chores. I love when Alfred is featured but only if it's very well written and this story is very well written indeed. The relationship between Alfred and Batman/Bruce is special and this story proves just how special. If you're a Batman fan but don't normally get the annual, you have to get this one.

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liamperin386-blog · 7 years ago

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Ways to Handle Grief And Loss.

The distressed mama concealing her personal self-doubts as well as fears in the masked form of precision cripples the individual of her very own little one making the little one struggle with deep sense of uncertainty and inability complex for his/her entire life. Certainly not only performed he possess an improved cleverness but he also possessed his very own very electrical powers producing him over a match for our hero. Meanwhile, Lana's mom had actually called her ex-husband, a guy named Lindell, and detailed just what was going on with Lana and Teena. When I was astonished through her aspiration as well as I talked to if agreements were actually lavish, I truly upset my Mommy. Recently she returned from performing Hajj and sent me all the impressive pictures of her journey. Her mom ended up being mentally ill when she was eight-years-old and also was incapable to be there certainly for her. Certainly not all accounts are actually comical therefore this one has to be actually something that only a mommy would enjoy such as the time when you rescued a huge live snail as well as took care of to coat a soul on its back along with amzed--fitdsyear.info her greatest container from crimson nail polish prior to you happily handed her this prize. On getting there, police monitored wounding to Evie's skin and also had the mama and also little girl to healthcare facility. Writing online as well as visuals concept are quick ending up being a beloved method to earn additional money for the more youthful individuals. Petey gets hold of a massive barrel from bathroom tissue, as well as soaks Hole Truck Tinkle up using it. Super Nappy Baby and Nappy Dog come in, simply for Petey to advance the Robo Feline 3000 into the Supa - Mecha Feline 3000. Actually, considered that many obstetricians have only a limited direct exposure to clients who have gone through stomach coronary bypass, an extensive discussion of the danger advantage proportion from a cesarean distribution may pacify the anxieties in the mind of the pregnant mother. This was actually a splendid rhyme, as well as I feel at the mental agility of your 90 years of age mother. James' mom and also the three females sat down as well as had a good enjoyable chat, during the course of which his mom brought in no try to calculate some of the women's emotions for James. I right now have the utmost respect for my mother and all mommies; our experts possess the most underpaid, overworked, as well as under-appreciated project task worldwide; That is actually having said that, the absolute most satisfying, and I recognize the majority of our company mamas definitely would not quit for all the amount of cash that may be used. There is actually even more hazard to the unborn child this month since the ojas is actually unsettled, so this is vital that extra treatment is actually had. This is unlucky but pui-yuets often tormenter the brand-new mother if there are actually any type of arguments on how the infant ought to be actually taken care of. Coming from the time she figures out that an unborn child is actually developing in her womb, she ends up being a Mommy. In New England's 34-28 overtime triumph, Brady established Super Bowl records with 43. elapsed completions, 62 throws and also 466 passing yards as the Patriots rallied off a 28-3 deficit in the third sector.

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gamerspasm · 8 years ago

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My 2016 in Games

It’s that time of year again. Time for me to look back on all the games I’ve played in the last 12 months and review them for no other reason than it’s the end of the year. Honestly, last year took a while to write up, but I’ve been looking forward to this since January. Obviously, like 2015, this is a mishmash of different games, both old and new, and ONLY games I haven’t played before. What’s more, these are games I have at the very least beaten. So let’s get right to it:

Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice (3DS)

I’m a massive fan of the Ace Attorney series, and it feels like it’s been ages since the last one. Realistically it’s only been 3 years. Like most of the games before it, Spirit of Justice does what it can to balance the classic gameplay everyone loves with new elements that help to keep the series fresh. Here, it’s the divination seance, adding literally the last moments of the victim’s life to the testimony. It’s a nice addition, offering a lot to consider, but given how previous additions make a return also, it does feel a little clustered when they try and cram them all in. Still the cases are a lot of fun. Typical Ace Attorney, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. One thing I did find irksome though was I felt some cases could have been expanded upon more in order to make the shocking reveals all the more impressive. There were a few “plot twists” that fell rather flat, basically. Plus, despite the inclusion of colourful characters, most of the time defendants are people we already know, which can lead to the stories feeling stagnant. The music is great as always and the overall look does the job. All in all it’s great, but, personally speaking, not the strongest entry in the franchise. The finales are always big in these games, but this one just doesn’t seem to have the same gravitas. That said, it does have one of the most emotional and heart-wrenching moments in the series’ history, but I dare not spoil it here. You’ll have to play the game yourself. 8/10

Another World 20th anniversary (Wii U - eShop)

This game has been sitting on my Wii U for a while now, but I finally got around to playing it this year. I never played the original, but even so I do have a soft spot for these types of puzzle/action platformers; especially those that came out during the SNES era. Graphically the game isn’t brilliant, even when updated, but it’s kind of cool that you can switch back and forth between the old and new on the fly. Sound-wise there’s absolutely nothing memorable here, which is a shame, but there’s a surprising amount of humour. I don’t know why, but all the death animations and cutscenes just made me laugh. I think it was the abruptness of them. Speaking of, the near instantaneous respawn makes failure less painful to endure, but dying can still be frustrating. For example, the game is programmed to only save progress if the player has accomplished the tasks before it in the right order. However, because the solutions to some of the puzzles aren’t very clear, it can lead to massive set backs, where the player is catapulted seemingly half the game backwards. It can be quite annoying. That, teamed with the terrible controller response time - something that seemingly feels neglected during the update - makes failure almost inevitable in some instances; and with a lot of reaction based combat being sprinkled in, it can drain the fun. Overall, the game is average. Nothing I’d write home about and it is a little short, but it’s fine. 6/10

Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)

I really enjoy Platinum Games’ stuff. No matter what they make their content is almost always unanimously fun. Bayonetta was no exception, and it’s sequel continues the trend. Going in, this game had a lot of praise. There was a lot of love for it, with many holding it up as one of the best on the system. Would I agree? Yes and no. Graphically the game is bright, colourful and lush, and the soundtrack is brilliant once more, but I couldn’t help feeling, especially in the early stages, that Bayo 2 was just a retread of the original. Story structure and level layout is very similar and there was very little new. Not that that’s a bad thing, but I guess I expected more. The plot at first is also a little sporadic and difficult to keep up with, so that didn’t help. By the end though, not only is the story proven to be really well done and thought out, but the game finally has a lot more to offer than what was previously there. Aesthetics are a little disjointed however. Whilst enemy design is magnificent and always interesting to look at, location design is often bland and boring. Even Hell, which is usually a goldmine of imagery, looks standard and uninteresting. Then of course there’s Bayonetta herself, who again seems to be mostly eye-candy for the male gaze. That does die down again, like it did in the first game, but somewhat much further along. It’s a shame really as I do think Bayonetta is actually a good character. She’s a badass who takes charge and doesn’t give a crap about what anyone else thinks. Plus she has a sensitive side beneath the bravado. I’d like to see more of this, not just the sex appeal. Ah well, I still had a blast with it, despite my own personal drawbacks. 8/10

Box Boy (3DS)

To be clear I started playing this last year, when it came out, but I only got around to beating it this year. Box Boy is a delightful and cute puzzle platformer that has all the charm and love you’d expect to find in a Nintendo game. The design is brilliantly simple but its surprising just how complex these puzzles can get from it. Each world has its own theme, with gimmicks and traps getting steadily harder as you progress, and there’s a challenge element there too. You can beat the stage using as many boxes as you want, but if you’re ruthlessly efficient you can earn the crowns. These don’t really do much outside of earn you more cash at the end of a stage, but some are really devilish to get so bragging rights are to be had too. Music, much like its appearance, is rather underplayed and standard, which is a shame, but I guess it’s forgivable. The reason why this game took me until this year to beat however, comes down to the secret stages after you clear the story. These worlds are no joke, compiling everything in the game up to that point into one gauntlet of puzzles; many of which make you feel like you’ve cheated when you beat them. It’s really interesting to see how complicated these simple mechanics can become, but the difficulty serge may put a lot of players off for a time. That includes me. 8/10

Castlevania (Circle of the Moon) (GBA - Wii U Virtual Console)

Fun story. When I was first getting a Game Boy Advance, I couldn’t decide which launch game to get with it. F-Zero Maximum Velocity or this. This was before I had ever played a Castlevania game, and so I ended up going with F-Zero; but looking back, I think this would have been a better fit for me at the time. As Castlevania games go though, and having played plenty now, it’s a little rough. This was very clearly the starting point for some of the later GBA and DS titles. Never the less, it’s a lot of fun. Graphics are gorgeous for its time, gameplay is mostly intuitive, and the soundtrack has its moments. Difficulty’s a bit cruel, mind, and there were some bizarre decisions made regarding design. Why is walking even an option? Why do I have to get a power-up in order to run, and even then, why do I have to double tap a direction to use it? These set backs make the game needlessly finicky at times, and the alternative isn’t so great when the game has an excruciatingly slow walk speed. For what is supposed to be a fast paced action game, you can see why this can be an issue. Then of course there’s the endgame structure. No real spoilers, but having a final boss that can kill you in one hit isn’t hard, it’s cheap; and having to grind for a stupidly long time in order to beat said boss is also poor design. Even so, I had a good time with the rest of it. 7/10

Chibi Robo Zip Lash (3DS)

Being a Nintendo fan is sometimes less fun than expected. With a company that has so many beloved franchises you’d think they’d use them properly. Well turns out, no, actually. Instead Nintendo has been taking some of its IPs and experimenting. Nintendo have been doing this so much recently, I’ve decided to coin a term for it: Genre-flipping. Chibi Robo Zip Lash is one example of this. Chibi Robo is a time management series, with fun visuals and an adorable character. Chibi Robo Zip Lash is not a time management game and nor are the visuals that fun. At least they got the character right. I’m not truly sure where to start. Visually, it’s bland, with environments being seemingly made out of lego bricks, and the soundtrack is absolutely forgettable. From a design standpoint, taking Chibi’s mechanics into consideration, it’s a little fun, but ultimately nothing special. It’s all rather by-the-numbers. There are a few collectables here and there, along with some bonus medals that do absolutely nothing. Of everything though, the most bizarre thing about this game is its wheel-of-fortune way of progressing. At the end of each stage you spin a wheel that tells you how many stages you advance through. Essentially it runs like a board game, with one path doing a circular from numbers 1 through 6 and then again. My question is: why? Beyond being pointless, it’s also annoying. You, the player, don’t get free movement of a world until you beat every level, and because you have to essentially roll a dice to decide which level you go to, you could end up doing laps of the world just to get to the level you need to play. Oh and FYI you need to clear the level again in order to roll again. Fun. Eventually, I learned a trick that guaranteed that I would play each level consecutively after the other, but again, that just hits home how pointless the gimmick is. The only explanation I have is that very early on this game was going to be a free to play game, only they changed their minds at some point and went to retail. The final boss is also dumb, asking the player to essentially buy the final level (if this WAS free to play, you know it would have been locked behind a pay wall). Still, it comes with a Chibi Robo Amiibo. So that’s nice. 5/10

Dante's Inferno (X360)

What’s that? A game that was no where near my back log and practically forgotten? Sure, why not, chuck it on. This year I’ve kinda had a thing for all things Hell related. I just find interpretations of it fascinating. That’s what led to me playing this. Graphically it’s a little dated now, but not hard to look at, and the music is actually quite impressive. Mostly its just choir and eerie instruments, but it’s Hell, what did you expect it to sound like. Mechanically it doesn’t really do anything special though. It’s about as standard a hack-n-slash as you can get - borrowing elements from games like God of War and such. That’s not really a bad thing, as the game plays fine, it just gets a little repetitive as you go. Furthermore, the difference in difficulty is too vast. On easy, enemies die in seconds, but in normal, you’re hacking away for ages. I never even bothered wasting my time on hard. Personally however, the thing I loved the most about this game was the design from an aesthetic standpoint. Each circle of hell is given a different theme that is faithful to its source material, and I often found myself just stopping to take in my environment. I wish the levels were longer to be honest, but at least everything keeps moving, unlike Castlevania: LoS last year with the intrusive results screen at the end of each “stage”. What I also like is how the game ties the levels of hell into the story of our hero. It’s not exactly an original plot, but it was interesting how Dante had committed sins worthy of each circle, and that every descent brought him closer to redemption. It’s certainly a nice adaptation, and the game ends on a never to be realised “to be continued” but it doesn’t need a sequel. it’s fine as it is. 7/10

Destiny (PS4)

There are certain genres I have no interest in getting involved with for whatever reason. MMO is one of them. Multiplayer games just don’t grab me as much as single players do, so generally, I don’t bother with them. So, when Destiny was released, I couldn’t care less. That coupled with the infamous lack of content didn’t really spur me into buying it, but when the taken king DLC pack came out I decided to give it a go. As stated, I’m not really an MMO gamer (shooter or otherwise), so I’m very aware there are probably much better games in this field, but I have to admit I kind of like it. It looks stunning, if a little too spacious, and there’s always something to do, even playing in single player. By far the most fun I had was playing with others though, time that led to some genuinely memorable moments. Enemy design is interesting, albeit unoriginal (the Fallen are essentially the Covenant from halo - like for like). Bizarrely, it’s the small stuff that makes this game good to me. All the big stuff where the budget clearly went (i.e. voice talent) doesn’t add all that much. What did shock me though, was when the Taken King story began. Not only was it a better campaign to play through than what had come before it, but it also highlighted just how bare bones the original title was at launch. This also goes into another matter of constantly re-releasing the game with brand new bells and whistles every 6 months - something I have no time for - but I digress. If you haven’t played it yet and you have a couple of buddies online too, give it a whirl. Nothing ground breaking, but enjoyable enough. 8/10

Doom (XBO)

Last year I wrote about Halo 4, and I talked about how it was the game that pretty much ended my affair with First Person Shooters. Realistically that hasn’t changed; I’m still not a massive fan of FPS games, but Doom got my attention. There was a lot concerning me about this game. No pre-release reviews (which is never really a good sign) and a lot of the gameplay footage resembled every other FPS game out there, so I was a little split on picking it up. Still, I gave it a whirl and I have to say this game is an absolute breath of fresh air. Action is thick and fast; locales are always different; and set pieces are easily distinguishable. Even the story, which you’d expect to be quite weak, is engaging. The ultimate word I would use though is fun. This game is a blast play. The character of the Doom Guy is so enjoyable to play as you can’t help grinning from ear to ear as you mow down the hordes of hell’s army. Which reminds me, enemy design is not only unique but also faithful. I’ve never played a Doom game before this one, but looking at the older games and seeing how the designers remained true to the originals I can see how much this game is a labour of love. The soundtrack is brutal and raw; not exactly something I would stick on my MP3 player, but enough to get the blood pumping, and there is a surprising amount of content. I think what makes Doom so enjoyable though is that it knows what it is. It’s a video game. It’s not focused on keeping things realistic. It’s all about carrying an arsenal on your back, destroying demons in endlessly satisfying ways, and finding little mini figurines, secrets and references. A surprise hit for more than just me, Doom may be one of the best 2016 had to offer. 9/10

FAST Racing Neo (Wii U - eShop)

FAST Racing Neo is a game that got a lot of hype, both before and after launch. It was easy to see why. Not only did the game look truly outstanding, but to many, it was the worthy successor to F-Zero that they were craving. Unfortunately it’s anything but. This is not F-Zero. It may look like F-Zero. It may sound like F-Zero. Hell, it may even want to be F-Zero, but it’s not. So what’s wrong with it? Simple: mechanics and design. There are some good ideas here, but an hour of testing should have told them they were going the wrong way about them. Changing colours to suit the boost pads is nice, but said boost pads are few and far between. Not to mention how truly difficult it can be to drive at such speeds. Turning or adjusting course is just straight up stressful when it’s this unreliable. This leads me on to the next problem, the difficulty itself. It’s way too hard for the earlier difficulties. It just throws you in the deep end. Refreshing as it may be, it’s certainly not welcome. It can lead to genuine frustration, and can make the player feel as though the game is unfair. This tied in with easily the biggest issue of them all: the boost pellets. Scattered about each course are small pellets that fill up your boost meter which can ultimately turn the tide. Again, nice idea, and on paper there’s nothing wrong; but when these pellets are incredibly tiny and laid out in tricky positions you can see where the issues come from. Not to mention the speed your travelling. Yes, I know it’s *FAST* Racing Neo, what did I expect, but the game has to accompany that speed. Fast is great, feeling like everything is based on luck with a near vertical learning curve, isn’t. 5/10

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)

Fire Emblem is without a doubt one of my top 5 favourite gaming franchises, so you’d think it strange that I’ve not really played it in about three years. Maybe even longer. Thing is, Fire Emblem is a series that deserves respect. No distractions and no commitments. Just you and the game. So, earlier this year, when all my distractions and prior commitments were dealt with, I decided to finally play what many consider to be one of the best. It’s hard to disagree. As a Fire Emblem veteran, Awakening is probably the most refined of the series thus far (I haven’t played Fates yet). It’s simplified for newcomers, whilst maintaining the difficulty, and it introduces a lot of value to the support system, leading to some great battles. It also introduces the quick reset function for the purists. The characters are brilliantly likeable, and with the ability to play previous maps again and again, it allows you to get the most of the team mates you don’t typically use. The inclusion of an Avatar is a welcome change too, as is the chance to get specific special characters as a reward for gaining S rank support. The music is also wonderful. If I had any downsides it would be that it is overall quite easy by comparison to other Fire Emblem games, with only a handful of levels proving any challenge; allied AI is almost intentionally crap, with CPU villagers running headlong into enemy fire; and the story is a little disjointed - it feels more like three different stories, with one thread running weakly through them. These problems don’t really effect the overall experience however, and as always I walked away absolutely satisfied. An absolute gem. 9/10

Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)

There are hack-n-slash games and there are hack-n-slash games. Some play out a narrative or story that requires you to take out a number of enemies to progress, whilst others set an objective and ask you to mow down hundreds of thousands of foes to see it through. Hyrule Warriors falls in the latter category. Coming from the same studio behind the cult-hit Dynasty Warriors series, the game is a collection of levels and maps with a set task and just hordes of enemies between you and it. I’ve never played the Dynasty series, nor have I had any inclination towards this vein of hack-n-slash, but I have to say the experience was extremely enjoyable. In many ways, tackling army after army is cathartic and in the simplest of ways plays into a person’s deep desire for destruction. Want to feel godly? Play one of these games. Surprisingly though, there is a hell of a lot more on offer than you’d think. There are challenges and bonus tasks to each main stage, plus rewards for playing the stages in unorthadox ways, and that’s just the main game quest. There is an absolute boat load of content outside of that, with practically over a hundred levels and challenges, all of which encourage you to play the game to the fullest. Play as various characters, upgrade in various ways, grind, farm, there’s so much to do in fact that any attempt to 100% would be enough to drive you out of your mind. You’re looking at 200 hours, easy. As a result, there’ll come a point when you just stop. Not that the game gets bad, or gets stagnant, but that the way forward just gets too trying. I might jump back into it one day to relive the same joys, especially since they’re releasing DLC, but until then, I think a breather wouldn’t go amiss. Oh and the soundtrack is flawless. 8/10

Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush (Wii U)

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s gimmick games. No, not games with gimmicks in them, but rather games built around gimmicks. The DS suffered from an influx of these at the start of its life, with every title shoehorning needless touch screen elements into their games, but thankfully they started to die out. Nothing stays dead for long, it seems. Enter Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush, a follow up of sorts to the DS’ Kirby’s Canvas Curse. Let’s get the good out of the way first. Straight off the bat, this game looks gorgeous. The clay motif is wonderful to look at, and the lighting really makes the colours pop. Soundtrack-wise it’s nothing exceptional, but there are some good songs in there, along with some classics from the previous Kirby games. And that’s it. There is nothing else this game has to offer. Look at screen shots and listen to the soundtrack online; you do not need to play this game. Why? How about the game being 100% touch screen controlled. Buttons do nothing, and so you the player must scribble the life out of the Gamepad in order to do anything. I’ll try and convey how atrocious the controls are. For a start, once Kirby starts moving, he doesn’t stop. So he will just keep rolling about until you direct him otherwise. This leads the player into a wrestling match to keep the little bugger from wandering off. Then, in order to turn Kirby around, you “simply” draw a wall in his path. Except if your wall is drawn upwards and not perfectly vertical, Kirby will mount it and roll up it instead. Then there’s the limit to the rainbow rope. I get it, I know why there’s a limit, but once you draw a line, there’s no way to make it go away without using MORE rainbow rope! This can lead to the groundless levels being painfully frustrating, and even the standard levels aren’t much better. You can’t truly relax, you’re just always in a constant state of rage. You can forget collecting everything too. Not only is Kirby a pest to control in order to get all collectable items anyway, but many collectables are hidden in mini game rooms. These rooms are not fun. They give you 15 seconds to figure out what you need to do AND get Kirby to play along for a change. The number of times I came so close, only to be thrown out. It’s a joke. So yeah, bad, BAD, game with only a few - and I mean a few - moments of enjoyment. It’s only marginally more playable in multiplayer, but even then its just a game of babysitting that nonce, Kirby. 4/10

Kirby Triple Deluxe (3DS)

I actually don’t hate Kirby games. I mean, they’re not masterpieces, not by a long way, but they seem to get the right things down. Most of the time. By and large Kirby games are fun, if a little easy, but fun all the same. Triple Deluxe is just that, fun. I kinda don’t know what else to say about it really. Graphically it looks good - with some great character animations - and the music is, again, okay but nothing truly spectacular. It was good to play Kirby as he was meant to be played. Even if it wasn’t that hard, there was still a lot of enjoyment to be had. It’s classic Kirby gameplay with a slight 3 dimensional twist. If I had any negatives it’d probably be the ending, which I do feel goes on overly long with boss fight after boss fight after boss fight. Some would say it makes the finale all the more impressive and epic, but, to me, there’s only so epic a Kirby game can get before it outstays its welcome. It’s more of a personal reason, I know. Overall a quaint and charming game, which is certainly more relaxing than a certain other Kirby game I played this year. 7/10

Legend of Zelda: Picross (3DS - eShop)

After my frankly unhealthy addiction to picross at the end of last year, I’ll take any excuse to get back into it. So when Nintendo went ahead and released a Zelda version (essentially for free to My Nintendo users) you better believe I snapped it up. What can I say, it’s picross. It’s the same simple, enjoyable, and addictive puzzling its always been, only now you’re drawing Zelda things. For what is a cheap pick-up-n-play title, there’s actually a fair amount to get through, along with a new mode if you succeed at beating the main challenges. That being said, this “new mode”, otherwise known as Mega Picross, isn’t actually that great. Besides being needlessly complex and confusingly explained, you’re solving the same puzzles as before, only everything is convoluted and frustrating. All in all though, it gave me the perfect picross fix. Just don’t expect it to hold you for longer than a weekend. 7/10

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U)

Nostalgia can be a difficult thing to get past. Case in point, Twilight Princess; a game I felt was truly a flawless game the last time I played it on the Wii. Playing the HD update however, I’m not sure I can say that anymore. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a fantastic game, with great structure, dungeon layout, mechanics, graphics and soundtrack. Furthermore, it isn’t *worse* because it’s a HD remaster, its more or less the same - with slight improvements and detriments. It’s more that, playing over it again and doing everything I could to 100% it, I found a lot of the game more frustrating than the last time I played it. Certain side quests that were ultimately poorly designed. For example - having to manually trek back to the beginning of a quest if you fail it rather than just being transported, is a pain. I even rage quit at one time because it was so infuriating. There were even parts of the main quest that I felt were needlessly elongated. I know they were for story purposes, but when you’re having to travel back and forth to the same points over and over again, it can be a bother. In terms of what’s new in this version, much like the Windwaker HD, it’s mostly small items that don’t shake the foundations, but they certainly can be a big help. I also felt some of the collect quests were made a little easier, but I can’t be too sure about that. Of all my problems with this game though, my biggest comes down to the controller mapping. It’s not unplayable, but, just rather bizarre. The way certain buttons are mapped is a little backwards in my opinion, with some buttons literally not being used at all. It just feels odd that in the process of making the game slick and smooth on all fronts (gameplay included) they would seemingly botch this area up. Ah well, the game is still great, and one of the best in the series; even if my eyes have been opened to its shortcomings somewhat. 8/10

Liberation Maiden (3DS - eShop)

Japan is an odd place. There are some games that struggle to get a western release despite a built in audience abroad, whilst there are others that get released without any real problem. In the latter zone we have liberation maiden, one of a compilation that was released digitally outside of Japan by Level-5. Why do I emphasise Japan so much here? Well, because if I had to describe this game in one word I would say: Japan. It’s everything you would expect from a Japanese title. You are the princess of a space colony that is tasked with stopping the evil metal aliens from polluting the planet by using a giant, meta-morphing battlebot. See what I mean. If you take out the (questionable) english voice acting, this game practically screams “Japan”. But lets move off that shall we. Graphically, this game doesn’t look all that good, and the soundtrack is...well...it’s hard to say. Most of the time the music is really quiet and you can’t hear it over the sounds of explosions. As for the gameplay itself, it’s a little stiff, and it’s all rather confusing. I spent a little too long waiting for the game to grab me, and even then it never did. I found the combat to be rather bland, and the levels to be quite repetitive. That’s not too bad though, considering realistically you can beat the game in a single sitting. Generally, it was a decent way to kill an afternoon, but ultimately, its about as standard as it gets. 6/10

Limbo (PS3)

Limbo has been one of those games that I’ve watched from the sidelines. A lot of people praise it, it’s earned a lot of respect in the indie community, but it’s never really shot to the top of my to-play list. That was until the developer released “Inside” earlier this year to the same critical acclaim. Right off the bat, Limbo makes you feel like it’s a game with more style than substance, but as you play you get given more in-depth challenges with more dangerous obstacles. By and large its a puzzle game, but each brain teaser keeps you on your toes and forces you to think differently using the game’s design and logic to win the day. Visually its impressive. The dark tones create a brilliant atmosphere, as does the eerie soundtrack. It’s also a game with little to no frustration. If you fail a puzzle, you die; but you respawn so quickly, that the whole trial and error prospect doesn’t seem too bad. Honestly I wish more games did this. It’s a little on the short side, pretty much beatable in two sittings, but it’s just about the right amount of enjoyment. Like a French Fancy cake. 9/10

Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam Bros (3DS)

In spite of the fanbase, I actually like the recent run Mario and Luigi games. I mean, of course the original DS trilogy is better, but these are hardily trash. Hell, I actually think Paper Jam Bros gets the series staples bang on. It has refined and purified all prior game problems to create an experience that is efficient in its execution, and one that never asks too much from the player involved. With that said, it is strange then that this game is not the series best. I can’t really describe it, but it just feels as though this game is missing somewhat of a soul. Don’t get me wrong, the music is great again; it’s visually interesting; the battles are really clever and can be quite strategic; the writing and humour is some of the series’ best; and the overall gameplay is fun. But it’s something beneath it all. There’s no grandness to the adventure. No point or reason to having it. It just feels like an idea that, whilst done well, didn’t really have the weight to go anywhere. Structurally it’s not terrific either, with the game bouncing back and forth between the main adventure and mini-games. The mini-games do offer a nice distraction, but they aren’t really paced properly, which can make them feel completely out of place more than once. And if they aren’t thrown in at random occasions, they’re predictable. It all feels by the numbers really. The game is great, and in no way do I regret playing it; but it just doesn’t have the same quality and heart as previous entries. 8/10

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4)

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: Shadow of Mordor doesn’t have an original bone in its body. Realistically, this isn’t a bad thing. It has the free roaming and wall climbing mechanics of Assassin’s creed, whilst also bringing in the combat and stealth segments of the Arkham games. In many ways, it delivers on the best of both worlds - albeit in a little clunky fashion. I did like the “power system” though, a near limitless roster of ranked orcs that you can take out, sometimes more than once, and the overall interface was quite intuitive. Graphically it looked great too, and the background music was atmospheric and cinematic right when it needed to be. The story too is quite interesting, offering not just an adaption of the events preceding the Lord of the Rings, but also an enormous amount of lore to get stuck into. Not to mention the side quests and bonus content available if you’re willing to put in the time. Sadly, in spite of all it’s good qualities, and there are a lot, the fact that there isn’t really anything that makes this game stand out from the crowd can lead people to just shrug it off. The final boss is also incredibly anti-climactic - unless of course you pay for the DLC which gives you a “better” send off. Typical WB; what are games for if you can’t make money off of them, amiright? 8/10

Overwatch (XBO)

I’m repeating myself. Multiplayer focused games just aren’t my thing. I can appreciate the design, and I can love the overall experience, but the games just do not have the power to hold me for longer than a week. With that in mind, Overwatch is incredibly enjoyable, with a few minor drawbacks. The cartoony style looks lush and interesting, and the characters are all beautifully realised and unique. The maps are quick and frantic, leading to some genuine fun and epic moments. It’s not all smiles and celebrations though. Naturally there are some pros out there who can play this game blindfolded, which in turn can make some matches incredibly one sided, and when there’s a heavy emphasis on teamwork, having that one teammate that does nothing, or even having a smaller team than the opposition, can make things un-fun very quickly. Fortunately, there is an option to play against CPUs, but these matches do not give out the same rewards to playing against real people. The rewards themselves are also meagre. They’re random, can be duplicated, and half the time they’re locked behind micro-transactions. You’re essentially gambling to get worthwhile skins and other cosmetics. Beyond all of this, there isn’t much the game offers, but I will say that when you’re playing with friends, it is a lot of fun. Definitely for its competitive audience, but that doesn’t necessarily include me. 8/10

Pokken Tournament (Wii U)

I feel I should point this out now. This game’s score is attributed exclusively to the gameplay. By that I mean the fighting. Whether its between you and a friend or the computer, it’s fun. Combat is surprisingly in depth, offering a lot to fighting fans, and the graphics are spectacular. Plus there are plenty of characters to choose from, so you can tell this had some effort and thought put into it. As for everything else though, it’s a little bare bones, and frankly tedious. For starters, all you can do is fight; and you fight a lot. There is literally nothing else this game has to offer. There is a story that pans out as you play through the game’s “league mode” (essentially a ranked arcade mode) but beyond that all you can do is fight. Over and over again. The way the league matches are organised is incredibly repetitive and asks for a lot of patience out of the player. As a comparison, imagine being asked to play street fighter’s arcade mode upwards of 8 times just to advance to the next bit. Sounds like a slog doesn’t it? Furthermore, the menus are intrusive and, as a result, make the player less inclined to change their fighter during the main modes - given that you have to pick a default fighter from the start that can only be changed by going to the main menu itself. Finally, the voice acting; oh god the voice acting. Not only is it obnoxious coming from your “guide” character - who will not shut up unless you switch her off - but it is also woefully bad. Delivery is a farce with lines and emphasis not matching up, and the general dialogue sounds like it was written by a 5 year old with no idea what pronouns are. Still, the gameplay is good. 7/10

Rhythm Paradise Megamix (3DS)

I’ve never played a Rhythm Paradise game before, and really, I didn’t exactly want to. They looked like fun, but when they were being packaged and retailed at the same price as other, far more in-depth games, I couldn’t bring myself to get into them. When Nintendo announced they were going to be releasing what is essentially a collection of the entire series up to now though, well that was a different story. Honestly, I’m kinda glad I skipped the series before now, as I can experience the greatness of the franchise in all its glory all at once. I’ve got to say, RPM is an absolute blast. Brimming with life, colour, and most importantly, rhythm, the game is almost impossible to put down. It’s highly addictive and more fun than you might think. Plus there’s actually a lot of content to get through, with challenges, highscores, and unlockables. The best thing going though is the soundtrack. Every stage has a completely original song made just for it, and each one is wonderful to listen to. I often found myself playing through the same levels over and over again just for the hell of it. If I had any draw backs, I’d have to say its more what they could have done, or should have done, but didn’t. For example, the perfect campaign, the ability to earn rewards by clearing a level without missing a single note, shouldn’t even exist; Three goes and then it kicks you out? Why? Why not instead just have it always on the level and then if you fail it doesn’t stop the song and boot you? Also sometimes the margin for error varies too much and occasionally button presses aren’t recognised on some of the faster games. Finally, why is there no randomizer option, or playlist function? These seem like no brainers to me, as the game is already the perfect down-time game. Ah well, the game is still a lot of fun, and I think I’ll be humming its beats until the day I die. BA BOM BOM BOM! 8/10

Rise of the Tomb Raider (XBO)

Tomb Raider’s latest reboot was a brilliant surprise last year, so I couldn’t wait to dig into this one. Right away, it certainly ups the ante. The game plays a lot smoother and the newer mechanics give depth and strategy to the overall experience. Lara’s character is irresistibly good, and still retains a lot of her strengths from the last game, but the good news is, they’re actually taken further here. The developers could have easily carted out the same old Lara, but it’s good to see they really care about her as a character. Now, Lara’s much more tenacious without being over-confident. She’s vulnerable, but resourceful; and she’s formidable but not impervious. The way she develops as she goes ties into the game’s title really well; this is Lara truly becoming the Tomb Raider we want her to be. Stealth elements are beyond intuitive. Everything flows without coming to a standstill and it’s all incredibly simple. Crafting items like bombs and Molotov cocktails in the midst of battle can also shake things up, and the layout and design compliment these elements perfectly. Everything is laid out so well that, if you play your cards right, you can take down an entire platoon of enemies without them even seeing you in a matter of seconds. In terms of content, there’s a lot to do and find, and the interface is so useful that the path to 100% is rather straightforward. Negatives? It does feel a little shorter than its predecessor, although I don’t know if that’s because the individual areas are a lot bigger or not. I don’t know. Honestly, I really struggle to find fault with this game. It was a lot of fun to play, and on top of that, it’s incredibly well made. 9/10

Shantae (GBC - 3DS Virtual Console)

After playing and loving Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse last year, I thought I’d go right back to the beginning with the Gameboy Colour original. And how was it? Well...let’s just say it’s certainly come a long way. Oh the game is good. It’s a lot of fun, with a startling amount of content for a Gameboy Colour title, but it is a little rough around the edges. Not only is a lot of the game not really laid out for you (forcing you to question whether or not you’re going the right way) but it’s also unspeakably difficult. Like, immediately this game pulls no punches at all. From the get-go it’s hard, with enemies doing a hell of a lot of damage, and Shantae herself being unable to hit them without getting really close. Not only that but there are insta-death zones everywhere, and also there’s a day and night feature which rotates every 5 minutes. How is that bad? Well enemies take twice as long to kill and do twice as much damage at night. This can make a lot of areas unplayable in the dark in the earlier stages, and as the game is designed in a metroid-type way, there’s a lot of back tracking involved, so you’ll be passing through the same areas a lot. Finding the warp squids makes travel less cumbersome, mind, but even so it doesn’t make exploring the wilderness any easier; a lot of the game’s secrets frankly require a strategy guide. By the end though, despite the unforgiving difficulty, I was somewhat sad to leave it all behind. I did have a lot of fun when all was said and done, and even though I’ll probably never play it again, I would recommend it to those looking for some retro adventure gaming. 8/10

Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

Here we are: arguably the most divisive game of 2016. One half claiming it’s great, with a lot of value and charm; whilst the other half calls it a broken piece of trash that doesn’t work. Frankly, I have no idea what the latter group is on about. Star Fox Zero is a fantastic game that’s a hell of a lot of fun to play. It looks brilliant, with a style that seems to be both realistic and retro at the same time, and the music is really engaging and great to listen to. The opening level has one of the best tracks to get the blood pumping. Honestly, going in I had reservations. I was worried about the controls. I feared they would get in the way of the gameplay, but I was surprised. In fact, I played the entire first level without even using them. Plus, they’re customisable to a degree, so you can mix and match to suit your style. Granted there are some learning curves later on, specifically with the walker, but as far as I’m concerned, if you’re willing to put in the time, you’ll be rewarded in spades. If I did have any problems I would say that the branching paths don’t really feel like proper levels, as they’re more like bonus levels; I wish the game wasn’t just a reboot of the series; and the final boss almost doesn’t feel like the final boss; but realistically that’s it. The controls are fine unless you have literally zero patience or tolerance for trying something new, and half the time you can play without them. And on top of all of this, it has the best tribute to Mr Iwata. I’m just glad to have Star Fox back. I’ve missed you, buddy. 8/10

Steamworld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt (3DS - eShop)

Steamworld Dig is an odd game to talk about. I don’t really know where to begin. On the one hand I could call it a dungeon crawler - although that’s not entirely accurate - and on the other I could say its an exploration adventure game. Tell you what, I’ll go with the title. Dig. Because that’s what you do. You dig. Downwards and sideways and sometimes even upwards. That’s practically 90% of the game. And it’s awesome. Who would have thought a game that asks you to do the same menial task again and again within seconds of each other would not only be fun but also incredibly addictive. Forging your own way through the underworlds below, finding treasure and mining ore as you go, as well as uncovering more of the plot, all come together into a highly enjoyable package. There’s just something incredibly soothing and cathartic about smashing a rock until it breaks. I rarely got tired of it. Even when I did, I was back to playing it after a few hours. It’s just a blast, surprisingly. There are a few downsides of course. It’s a little on the short side, even with the different worlds to uncover and the music is rather standard outside of the main theme, but these are just minor details when all is said and done. Pick it up if you can, it’s certainly good for a weekend. 8/10

Super Luigi U (Wii U)

Can DLC really count as its own standalone game on this list? When it’s released as its own retail copy it does. And what a strange one it is. It’s not Super Luigi U, it’s New Super Mario Bros. U + New Super Luigi U. That’s the name of the game. Meaning when I put it in my Wii U, the console had no idea about my NSMBU save file. But I digress. Super Luigi U is all right. Well it wasn’t really going to be anything special when it’s essentially built on top of a pre-existing game, but I do like what it’s trying to do. All stages are practically speed runs, with only 100 seconds on the clock, and a number of challenges between you and the goal. This is probably the game’s best feature. Honestly, I didn’t feel like I was trudging my way through another Mario title, but rather breezing through it at an alarming pace. It’s also pretty straightforward to 100%, even if Luigi plays like he’s on roller-skates and some of the levels are a little on the difficult side. At the end of the day though there was no shaking that this title didn’t really feel like its own game. I mean, I know it isn’t and that it’s DLC, but still. It’s more of a pleasant distraction than anything else. I would like to see Nintendo do more with Luigi, but until they start giving him his own proper space, instead of having him just run around in Mario’s, he’s always going to be second rate. 7/10

Tengami (Wii U - eShop)

Tengami to me is a classic style over substance game. There is some substance admittedly, but this game is clearly built on its look; which is paper. More specifically, origami. I do have a soft spot for it though. Having everything being treated like a literal story book, turning over pages and such, it did bring a certain charm to the game. Then again, it was developed by ex-rare staff, so we’re clearly dealing with some talent. It’s essentially a point-and-click puzzle game, but when I think about it there actually weren’t that many puzzles. The puzzles it did have were great, with some intriguing and inspired brain teasers, but it would have been good to see some more. Easily the game’s biggest strength though is it’s soundtrack, which honestly floored me with how good it was. This game came out in 2014, along with Shovel Knight, Bravely Default, Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, and Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze. It got me thinking: 2014 was a bloody good year for Video Game music. Speaking of Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, the soundtrack is done by the same guy; the irrefutably gifted David Wise. He captures such mysterious nuances to everything he puts his hand to here, and it’s truly remarkable. Even if you’ve never played the game, I implore you to look up the soundtrack. I’m going a little off topic here, so let’s talk about Tengami’s problems. For starters, it’s short. Alarmingly so in fact. I beat it in a single sitting and with very few moments of pause; which is even more damning when you take into account the other major flaw. The game’s nameless hero moves so - bloody - slow. It’s painful sometimes, and god forbid you forget to do something before you move on because back tracking is an absolute chore. Overall, I don’t regret playing it, and if you’re looking for a decent game to unwind to, look no further; just be prepared to wait a while for your character to get his arse in gear. 7/10

Theatrhythum Final Fantasy Curtain Call (3DS)

Hey, big shock, I like Video Game music. You wouldn’t know it, would you? All joking aside, Video Game music is some of the best music out there in my opinion, and it’s a shame it doesn’t get more attention. So when a title comes along that takes video game music and makes an entire game around it, you know I’m down - especially when the music in question belongs to Final Fantasy. Theatrhythum Final Fantasy Curtain Call is a sequel of sorts. I played and enjoyed the first game, and found myself getting addicted to it, so it was only natural I played the follow up. Funny thing is, it’s not really a follow up, or a sequel, it’s more of an ultimate edition. This game is the first game again, only with a bazillion more things in it. It’s a rhythm game with some of the best songs in the Final Fantasy library; only now there are over 200 songs to play through, on multiple difficulties. Yikes! No joke, the way the game works, I hadn’t even played all the songs once by the time I reached the credits. Plus, you keep unlocking new songs as you go, which just adds to the playtime, and, whilst the first game just featured the main canonical Final Fantasy games with a few bonus extras thrown in, this game features music from any game with Final Fantasy in the title. It’s insane. Plus it doesn’t just stop there. There’s also a cool adventure-type mode, that sees you playing song after song, sometimes on the hardest difficulty to reach the end. You have to play through these if you want to get even close to unlocking everything. Oh did I mention the unlockables. As well as extra songs, the game also has extra characters, collectable cards, and Sound Test items to unlock. AND THEN, even though it has SO MANY SONGS to begin with, there are DLC songs too, just in case you were thinking of giving up on the real world altogether. This game has so much in it, in the end I just had to cut the cord whilst I was still plugged in. For the sake of my health I just had to put it down for good and walk away. Definitely a great time, but be careful you don’t lose yourself to it. 8/10

Thomas Was Alone (PS3)

One of the more random games I decided to pick up this year, Thomas Was Alone is a fun, quirky, and most of all funny puzzle game. I got plenty of Portal vibes off this game while I was playing. The dialogue is so witty and humorous. Add that to Danny Wallace’s excellent comedic delivery and you’ve got a game that has you laughing on every stage. Graphically the game is lacking, although this is intentional, and the same goes for it’s soundtrack. But the design and narration easily make up for the absences. It’s a little short, but it’s charming. No other game has given faceless, coloured shapes personalities before. That’s got to count for something. 8/10

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)

The Uncharted series has been on my back log for a long time, but this year - with the release of Uncharted 4 - I decided to finally get stuck in. And it’s ok. That’s it. Sorry, Sony-boys, the original Uncharted is only just above average in my opinion. Maybe for its time it was a much better example, but right now it’s a little dated. Graphically it’s not too bad, though environments are rather stagnant, and the music is very cinematic, but the gameplay is rather bland. Combat is tiresome, with firefights being overly long and boring. Seriously, you take on something like thirty guys every time; what other word is there but tedious. Then there’s the puzzle segments of which there aren’t that many. Most of the time you’re climbing which is equally as overplayed as the combat, and when that’s your lot it doesn’t take long for the game to get a little exhaustive. The structure here is also questionable. When Nathan Drake steps foot in a secret chamber no one has been in for centuries, why are there suddenly armed guards to take out in there? Basically, it seems combat is used as a device to add variety to the exploration, but there are surely more and better ways to do this. The best qualities this game has however are the plot, which is highly engaging, and the characters who are irresistibly likeable at all times. The overall gameplay is fine - although very clunky and rough around the edges - and for the most part it is enjoyable enough. A decent first effort from Naughty Dog but nothing truly spectacular. 7/10

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

Coming off the back of Uncharted 1, I didn’t really have a lot of enthusiasm for the sequel. But, a lot of people had said that it was ultimately a better game and so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. Thankfully, it paid off. Among Thieves is a much tighter experience than its predecessor. The story is just as good as the first, and of course the characters and writing remain brilliantly entertaining; but on top of this Naughty Dog have worked on the faults of the first game. Combat is much more balanced, with firefights now making a lot more sense, and there are a lot more environments to explore. There are also a lot more puzzles, although 90% of the solutions require climbing. Fortunately, that too has been improved, with Nathan moving a lot quicker and seamlessly from foothold to foothold. General variety is up too, with combat not just being the only thing to do. Generally the whole game is a mark up from the last one, but there are still a few problems. It does still feel clunky moving about - more than once Nathan swan dove off a ledge I didn’t want him to go near - and some of the newer elements, more specifically the stealth aspect, don’t exactly work. All it needs is a button prompt when you’re close enough to do a stealth takedown, but because it’s not there, Nathan just swings his fists like a maniac and draws all the attention to himself instead. Luckily, no parts of the game require stealth, but it’s frustrating none the less when you want to be stealthy but the game messes you up. In the end I gave up on sneaking and just went in guns blazing. All in all Uncharted 2 is a much better game and seems to be going in the right direction. A few weak areas here and there hold it back and I’m still waiting to be absolutely blown away but it’s definitely a great game. 8/10

Undertale (PC)

I am a firm believer that video games are art. Art - to me - is a means of expression that can be interpreted in different ways by different people on top of connecting emotionally with the viewer. So basically, so long as the user is connected and is invested in someone else’s creation, it is art. Now, not all video games should be considered art, but there are nevertheless plenty out there that could. Undertale is one of those games. Quite frankly, this game is a masterpiece. Part RPG, part bullet hell, not only does it do new things and break the mould of its genres but it also exemplifies the video game experience. Now I’m sure I’m not the first person you’ve heard say these things about this game, but I’m in earnest. This game is a triumph. In many ways, Undertale is the true Citizen Kane of gaming. Like Orson Welles, Toby Fox is pretty much a one man army with this project. Designer, Director, Writer, and Musician, among many other things I’m sure. Speaking of musician, can I take a moment to bring up how immaculate the soundtrack is. It’s easily the one of the best video game soundtracks of the decade. Every track is perfection and immediately recognisable, not to mention incredibly well made. Gameplay is excellent and intuitive, and it’s one of the games where the player’s actions directly impact the game as a whole. This is a game that rewards you for not killing, and vice versa. Beating the game on a pacifist run (do not kill a single enemy) will give you arguably the true ending to the game, whilst beating it on a genocide run (kill literally every living thing in the game - yes, that’s a genuine possibility) will result in the game being broken forever. I never had the guts to attempt a genocide run. For starters the characters are too endearing and full of life, but also because, if you constantly kill, the game openly does what it can to make you feel like a horrible person as you play. Music becomes distorted, your inner monologue becomes much more hateful and aggressive, and characters and NPCs regard you with fear. It’s seriously messed up. Honestly, the pacifist run alone is what made this game truly exceptional. I can’t say too much without spoiling it, but I’ll just say during the perfect pacifist run something happens that changes the way you see this game. All previous assumptions get turned on their heads. That sudden change in perception is what cemented this game as a work of art. I thought it was just a brilliant and fun game, but it’s something a lot more special. Undertale is the real deal; the genuine article, and you owe it to yourself to play it if you haven’t already. 10/10

Yoshi's New Island (3DS)

Ah, Yoshi’s New Island; or as I like to call it: Yoshi’s DO IT ALL AGAIN. This game is just disappointing, and I’m saying that after going in with low expectations. It’s hard to believe this game came out in the same year as Yoshi’s Woolly World (i.e. a vastly superior game). Presentation is lazy, soundtrack is obnoxious, and level design is bland and generic. I also find it ironic that the game calls itself Yoshi’s *NEW* island, and yet it seems hellbent on re-enacting the original SNES game. Every world is themed and structured identically to it, but whereas then it made sense given the structure of the island, here it doesn’t work. Why is world 5 a snow world? In the original it was because you were climbing the mountains, but here it’s just snowy. The game as a whole adds a little bit here and there, but nothing ultimately earth-shattering, and it’s not exactly hard. The overall design is just unfair for completionists though. The way collectables are placed can lead to some genuine fury, and if you end up missing that one red coin, that’s right, you have to do the whole level again! Not surprised I gave up on 100%-ing this after a while. Oh, and as if to throw in some form of self awareness, the final boss repeats itself. Nothing changes, it just asks you to, literally, do it - all - again! Fine as a “Babies First Yoshi” game, but for fans, stay away. 5/10

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