#first season of the anime is good and the soundtrack rules so i would recommend it :)

[seldomsee]

If you followed me for hxh i DO highly recommend checking out tower of god. It’s its own story obviously & there’s nothing on the level of the chimera ant arc writing-wise yet but it scratches a lot of the same itches that hxh does (i.e. expansive intricate worldbuilding, good character writing, interesting power system etc). it’s fucking long (although so is hxh ig) but it’s a very fun read :)

[olberic]

anime ive watched in 2022, ranked least to most favourite:

12: overlord (2015-)

(this show doesnt deserve a gif)

listen. its a bad show. anyone who tells you is good is marvelpilled to see action=good. the world setup and characters had a lot of potential in season 1, but with each season it got progressively worse. the show spends a lot of time developing side characters, and then kills them off just to show how strong the protagonist is. said protagonist goes through little to no character development over 4 entire seasons. even the action and fights arent well done theyre just fights. everything’s a curbstomp and it sucks. idk man even fic cant fix this one.

11: tales of phantasia (2004)

pros: seeing the characters animated instead of in little pixeled sprites. cons: everything else. its a bad adaptation.

10: chainsaw man (2022-)

this one’s also not for me! i think its a really good show, between the pacing, interpersonal relationships, and animation (plus a different ending per ep is god tier). but it makes me feel bad to watch and not even in a cathartic way.

9: spy x family (2022-)

its a fun show! the animation’s great and its funny. but it doesnt stand out to me as much as its hyped. definitely recommend, but doesnt compare to my other faves.

8. black butler (2008)

the story? WACK. the characters? WACK. made me laugh though and it was really fun to watch as like, something id only heard about back in middle school. would not recommend but i had fun watching it. plus, its one of the few shows (ok first seasons) that actively keeps its word and doesnt try to pull a deus ex to save the protag at the end. we need more of this.

7. the case study of vanitas (2022-)

the way this show deals with unreliable narrators and complex interpersonal relationships and still manages to have incredible worldbuilding… the characters are all so well done and i NEED to have more of it animated.

6. demon slayer (entertainment district arc) (2022-)

i dont care what anyone says i love this show. best quality animation of the decade. super compelling cast of characters. i watched the rest of the show last year, but this one gets included bc its new and it made me rewatch the entire show twice. that fight at the end had me truly speechless

4. komi cant communicate (2021-)

i laughed until i cried several times while watching this and that alone puts any show near the top for me

3. fabiniku (2022-)

see above. every ep had me in tears. best ending song of the year (hiii most played song). plus its gender.

2. mairimashita! iruma-kun (2019-)

life changing show. to me. like i dont even know what to say about it. character designs rule. op/ed AND musical songs are good. first anime to make me pick up its manga in a literal decade. theres nonbinary characters. its an isekai. every character makes me go :D when they come up on screen. 11/10

1. mob psycho 100 (2016-2022)

show of all time TRULY. nothing i can add that hasnt been lauded on here before. soundtrack, animation, character designs, writing, attention to detail, humour, it has EVERYTHING. has a (new) favourite character of anything ever (ritsu). ive rewatched it three times in 3 months (incredibly high praise from me)

[pippenpaddlopsicopolisthethird]

Top 5 anime you think are criminally underrated!

This is a really good question, and it was VERY difficult to keep myself to only 5. These are all anime that I think deserve a much wider viewership! (Plus five more!)

I ended up spending waaayyyy longer on this than I thought, I can’t imagine how much I would have written if you’d said top 10. I can literally talk about anime forever. Here’s some I wholeheartedly recommend.

1. Shojo Kageki Revue Starlight (Action, drama, romance)

This is my newest love, as of yesterday, when I binged the whole thing. The best way I can describe it is by mashing up other anime. Take Revolutionary Girl Utena, iron out about three layers of metaphor, and trim off all of the dark themes related to the Rose Bride. Then throw it in a blender with Madoka Magica and Love Live!, add half a cup of Gay Concentrate, and serve up the result: A character-driven drama about girls at a performing arts school, who settle their differences in magical-girl-fantasy duels styled as impossibly gorgeous theatrical stage-combat musical numbers. Beyond the flash and high concept, there’s a well-written cast, solid emotional core, and really engaging plot.

2. The Eccentric Family (Drama, comedy)

This show is my favorite genre of fantasy; mythical creatures living in the modern world, right under humans’ noses. In this series, humans only know tanuki as the cute little raccoon-dogs, but tanuki are really sentient shapeshifters whose goals are to outsmart the humans who live in the cities, pester the tengu who rule the heavens, live a life of freedom and trickery, and not end up on the inside of a hunter’s trap. The story follows a family of a mother and four sons whose widely-respected father was killed to end up in a human’s hot pot, as they try to enjoy their lives, live up to his imposing reputation, and unravel the increasingly suspicious circumstances of his death.

I have called this one “deceptively light-hearted” when describing it. My friend got halfway through the first season and came back to me with the verdict, “consider me fucking deceived.” This show has weight and does not pull its emotional punches, but neither does it ever stumble into becoming grimdark. Its worldbuilding is solid and the characters are all fantastically developed. Plus I wrote a whole post about one of the main antagonists(?) who I hadn’t even mentioned here.

3. Dennou Coil (Mystery, sci-fi)

Dennou Coil is a masterclass in worldbuilding, in my opinion. It’s a near-future sci-fi world, basically if Google Glass had taken off and become as common as cell phones are today. Many people don’t see the real world, they see the virtual textures of the world as they’re rendered through the glasses. Kids in one city have learned to mess around with codes, collecting tradeable fragments that break off the edges where the system glitches, chasing viruses that hide in pockets of obselete code in abandoned areas of the city where the software doesn’t get updated often. They spend their time after school saving virtual pets from being accidentally deleted by the city’s antivirus, trading tall tales about kids who get caught by the antivirus and get their glasses bricked, and spinning urban legends about ghosts waiting just behind anything that’s visibly rendered, waiting to steal kids when they least expect it. Every detail they introduce is critical to laying the foundation for the mystery that forms the show’s plot.

Everything about this world feels real in a way I’ve never seen in a sci-fi anime. It’s all grounded in a clear understanding of programming, and lives by show-don’t-tell. The stakes aren’t life-and-death; the kids tagging glitches like graffiti to distract the city’s antivirus software are only at risk of ruining their glasses, at least at first. The plot and escalation is perfectly-paced, and the mystery is so satisfying to piece together as it unfolds.

4. ID:Invaded (Sci-fi, action, thriller, murder mystery)

This show is like Psycho-Pass meets Silence of the Lambs. To catch a serial killer, you need to think like a killer, and nobody does that better than killers. A contraption called an “id well” can manifest an uncaught killer’s unconscious mind as a bizarre, unique, deadly terrain driven by stream-of-consciousness, and convicted murderers turned “detectives” dive into these wells to try to solve the mystery each well presents and discern the identity of other killers before they can strike again.

This show is a tightly-written, perfectly paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller. The two layers of mysteries inside and outside of the wells balance high-octane, big-screen action with tight, tense realism. Plus the soundtrack is an absolute banger.

5. Ping Pong the Animation (drama, sports)

Imagine if I told you that there was a show that, in 11 episodes, unpacked how patterns of relationships are repeated across generations, how the tradeoff between talent, practice, and who you are outside of your achievements can scar the spirits of kids, and what it feels like to wrestle with the tension between your core understanding of yourself and how others expect you to be. Imagine if I told you that every major character goes through massive restructurings of their fundamental sense of self and how they see others, and that every single arc comes to a well-rounded and satisfying end. Imagine if the animation style pushed the limits of both realism and absurdity, landing somewhere between rotoscoping and caricature, pushing the impact of action and stretching the character’s expressiveness without betraying faces that are animated like real human people. Imagine that it had a dub so fantastic that it sits next to Baccano and Cowboy Bebop in my mind, shows where the cast threw themselves into their roles with their whole hearts.

Now imagine that I told you that this story is told in the context of high schoolers playing ping pong, and that it’s arguably the best show I’ve ever seen. Go watch this show.

[0hcicero]

Rules: Tag 9 people you want to know better.

I was tagged by @roamingbadger :D It's been so long since I've been tagged in anything! Thanks babes!

Three ships: I am woefully not in massive shipping mode right now, and it's weird to ship characters from a book you're writing, so here are the ships I love in the shows I've watched recently - Ted/Rebecca (Ted Lasso), Gregory/Janine (Abbott Elementary), Rosaline/Benvolio (Still Star-Crossed) -- also, honourary mention to Perc'ahlia from the Legend of Vox Machina (because I've just finished watching the series) First ever ship: I feel like I'm going to date myself very badly here, but it was two ships, Eowyn/Faramir (obvs), and then uhhh in Smallville, Clark/Chloe. I'm pretty sure the first two fanfics I ever wrote (under a terrible pseudonym bc being 13 yrs old will do that to you) on fanfiction.net were Lord of the Rings. *grizzled Sam Elliot voice* Ahhh, the old days of the fanfiction wild west, when you couldn't tag for shit and 12 year olds were hunting twee little plot bunnies and announcing they didn't own characters, but had definitely taken them hostage to force them to kiss, just like their older sister's barbies.

Last Song: Round & Round by Common Tiger, Sir Bishop, Nathan -- It's kinda downtempo indie hiphop and it's been in my headphones a lot lately - it's got a great vibe for working and doing stuff and it's just delightful! Fully recommend. Last Film: Scream 5!!! It was SO GOOD GUYS! Total redemption from Scream 4, Solid script, great story, super funny, and amazing acting. It was done by the same guys who did Ready or Not, with Williamson as a producer, so you know the quips were great and also there was clearly big love for the franchise and for horror as a genre. The kills are brutal but not over-the-top gore, the soundtrack works so well, and the storytelling choices were clutch. It was a truly fantastic fucking film and it was everything I hoped it would be!

Currently watching: Ahhh I'm gonna show my whole nerd ass here, but Campaign 3 of Critical Role (Bell's Hells). I'm not currently obsessed with any scripted TV shows at the moment, so livestream dnd shows are really my jam right now - tons of great character development, hilarity, and a weirdly enticing format, which creates this sort of metadialogue between the actors at the table and the characters in the game. Also the use of mechanics and chance as part of the tools of storytelling is such a wild thing, and its crazy to see the Dice decide the nature of the story FOR YOU. I just find it all really fascinating, the stories fresh and interesting, and because they tend to be reaaaaally long and stretch over multiple years, they're incredibly well-developed and full of depth. And because of that, I will also plug Critical Role's animated TV show about their first campaign, The Legend of Vox Machina, which is an adult animated fantasy series, and its hilarious, doesn't take itself too seriously, is full of gags, gore, and is fairly raunchy at parts. It's fun! The music is great!! The animation is incredible, the fight scenes are golden, and the story is *italian chef's kiss* Season 1 is out on Amazon Prime!

Currently consuming: I'm gonna take a note out of @roamingbadger's playbook and go with food/drink here - Coffee with milk and sugar, and a slice of banana coconut coffee cake with espresso coconut glaze. I made it last night, this is the first slice, and dang, it's tasty!

Currently craving: dnd and writing...I'm kinda burnt out at the moment with work being truly crazy right now, so my original fiction fantasy novel that I'm working on is not getting the kind of attention I hoped it would, having taken a week off work for recouperation. I'm also building a dnd game world based on the worldbuilding I'm doing for this novel, which I also love a lot, and mostly I just crave spending time in this world I created and enjoying all the cool things about it, either running a game in it, or writing a story in it. For a writer, I think when I found dnd I stumbled into my personal crack den - story telling? as a game? with friends? and booze? and like fun little miniatures? YES PLEASE. Tagging (Totes ignore if its not your vibe): @mrbadwitch, @criticalrolo, @typicalbrunette, @wildnoutinwildemount, @quietstorm-thundathighs, @randomfandomteacher @nerdlove4thewin, @jessiecrimefighter, @imeeshuu

[polyhexian]

If somebody with a very poor attention span wanted to learn more about transformers, what would you recommend they start with? I tried with an animated series (forgot which one) a few years ago but it just couldn't catch my attention and I eventually forgot about it.

Oh BOY

I think I literally made an entire video about this once LOL it's something I've thought a lot about

My biggest recommendation has historically been to start with Transformers: Prime. It is very different from a lot of other transformers stuff, but it was definitely created with the intent of being the viewer's very first transformers content. And a lot of current stuff works in a lot of the ideas and concepts that prime developed, especially with pre-war stuff. Prime is a fun show to watch with fantastic characters and a beautiful soundtrack, but it gets lost in it's narratives a lot and kind of meanders. I really enjoy prime.

These days however I think I actually suggest watching Cyberverse first. I think it's all still available on YouTube for free and Netflix too. It's MUCH more in line with standard transformers stuff and also, I really really like it more. I think the plot is great once it gets going and the characters rule. It also is very fun and very dark when it wants to be so you get a good mix. The first season is less focused, mostly episodic adventures with just bumblebee and windblade, but once you get to season 2 and especially season 3 the plot RAMPS up. It's really good.

From THERE my recommendation depends. G1 is the original 1984 cartoon and it's wild. It's fun, but messy. If you like classic 80s cartoons it's a balst, especially the 1986 movie. (Definitely make sure you watch the remastered/Blu ray version though, wow). The IDW comics are one of the most universally praised things in the franchise and the thing you will find like. The most fanfiction for. But it's also the most difficult and complicated to get into. I'm a dirty mtmte slut which means I skipped the first ten years of comics and MOST of the main plot and just focused on More Than Meets The Eye and a few other stories. Barbie will yell at me for this. Everyone around me read all of idw but I will not do this. Mtmte is phenomenal but very dark. This is the one that has canonical gay and trans characters. It's also got a lot of death, time travel, war crimes, tragedy, nightmare fuel... Just like. A lot. It's also very British.

Beast wars is amazing but it's... Wow. Wait for that one. The animation in season one is some of the worst ever on television. Huge turnoff. But the writing is incredible, it's one of the best things the franchise has to offer. Once you can get over the visuals it won't disappoint.

The best thing in transformers is rescue bots. I can't explain it. It just is. No one shits on rescue bots. Don't watch it first. You'll get there and it will be worth it.

Don't watch the live action movies. Don't bother with the animes. Don't bother with war for Cybertron, the machinima series, the Unicron trilogy, robots in disguise 2001 or 2015, don't read Exodus.

Oh EXCEPTION. DO watch the live action Bumblebee movie. That shit rules.

[eastofthemoon]

So, this is something that I’ve been thinking of doing for awhile. There have been a few new shows that I have been watching mostly because I enjoy the found family feels to them. Since today is Valentine’s Day, I figured I would post this list for the people who don’t want to see romantic love and rather focus on the platonic kind. 

So, here we go:

 The Owl House

Summary: 

Luz is a self-assured teenage human girl who accidentally stumbles upon a portal to another world instead of going to Reality Check Camp. When on the Boiling Isles, which is made from the remains of a dead Titan, she befriends the rebellious witch Eda the Owl Lady and an adorably tiny warrior named King. Despite not having magical abilities and having to pose as a witch due to the prejudice towards humans, Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by serving as Eda’s apprentice at the Owl House and ultimately finds a new family in an unlikely setting. (copied from wiki)

Why I like it: 

This is a new show and only about 5 episodes of it have aired so far, but I’m really enjoying it. The characters are fun, the world is both creepy and fun and we’re slowly getting into an actual plot but every episode so far has been useful in setting up more of this world. Also Eda is a badass character and is now becoming one of my favorite witch characters.

If you enjoyed Gravity Falls then I would definitely recommend this show since it has a similar humor and style, which isn’t surprising since Dana Terrace (the creator) worked on Gravity Falls and Alex Hirsch even does voices for two of the characters.

With that said, one of the minor things I like about this set up is that Luz the human girl isn’t stuck there. She does have the option of going home whenever she wants and her mother isn’t worried about her since she believes she’s away at summer camp. It’s nice not having that detail weighing over the character.  Anyway, the found family vibes are just jiving in this show, and the characters are just fun.

Highly recommend.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

Summary: 

Kipo Oak, a thirteen-year-old girl, is searching for her father after being forced to flee from her underground city. To do so, she travels through an overgrown post-apocalyptic urban wasteland ruled by sentient mutant animals ("mutes"), together with her new friends Wolf, Mandu, Benson and Dave.(copied from wiki)

Why I like it: 

I’m not usually one to go with post-apocalyptic stories, but this one has a very whimsical vibe which is more my jam. Kipo is a great character, but so is the rest of the cast. I love Kipo’s relationship with the jaded Wolf, but Bensen and Dave also add to the fun. (I will say for Voltron fans that Shiro and Wolf could relate in dealing with traumatic experiences).The world itself is very bright and colourful, but also has a very fun villain in Scarlemagne. He gives me mega Ratigan vibes if that’s any indication.

And one thing I appreciate is that the show does not bait people into thinking a particular ship is going to happen. Nope, this group is all family/friendship and I love it for it.

Add to the fact that this show has a terrific soundtrack and it’s a great watch. 

Infinity Train

Summary: 

Hard to describe the plot for this one without spoilers, but basically a girl named Tulip struggles to deal with her parents divorce and ends up on a mysterious train where each cart is it’s own mini world. Also, she gets accompanied by One-One a both happy and depressing robot, and the King of Corgis.

Why I like it: 

Out of my recommendations this one is strangely probably the darkest of the four. It’s not a show I would recommend for little kids to watch. The show so far has two seasons which flow into each other despite having a different main cast for each one. Some could read a ship into the second season, but I think the cast for both seasons leans towards a more family/friendship feeling. 

The characters for each season are enjoyable to watch, especially Atticus the Corgi King, to the point you feel your heart strings tug due to events that happen near the end of each season. Also One-One is just hilarious to watch.

It’s hard to go deeper without spoilers but the best way to sum them up is the first season has a strong Wizard of Oz/Alice in Wonderland tone, while the second season has a more Pinocchio style to it. It’s a kooky little cartoon that I hope gets a book three because it’s such an interesting set up and since each season is only 10 episodes, that are each only ten minutes, it also doesn’t take long to watch it.

Amphibia

Summary:

The series chronicles the adventures of a self-centered 13-year-old Thai-American girl named Anne Boonchuy. After stealing a mysterious music box on her birthday at the advice of Sasha, she is magically transported to Amphibia, a wild marshland-themed lilypad-shaped island full of anthropomorphic frogs and giant versions of smaller animals. She soon meets and befriends an adventurous 10-year-old frog named Sprig Plantar who will guide her to be a true hero while discovering the first true friendship of her life as she lives with the Plantar family. (copied from wiki)

Why I like it:

Another show where, if you enjoyed Gravity Falls, then you would enjoy due to similar tone in the humor and mystery - likely because the creator Matt Braly also worked on Gravity Falls. Gee, it’s like that show started a trend or something?

What I like about this show is that you not only get to see character development for Anne, but you get to see her bond with both the Plantar family, but also with the frog community as a whole. The plot might be a bit slower paced compared to the other shows on this list, but it has cool monsters and Sprig is very enjoyable to watch. Not to mention that there is an intriguing mystery going on that makes you curious to stick around. It also explores what exactly makes a good or bad/toxic friend, especially for a teen like Anne.

I will say there are a couple of characters that get crushes on some side characters, but the show mostly focuses on the family and those crushes are just mostly a background detail. Overall, a cute show that’s nice to put on for background noise if nothing else.

[somegirlsnerdywords2]

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a W!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Watashi ga Motete Dousunda (Kiss Him, Not Me!):

Genres: Reverse Harem, Comedy, Romance, School, Shoujo

Synopsis: Kae Serinuma is a very kind second-year high school student and a devoted otaku. A little known fact about her, though, is that she's obsessed with BL, or Boy's Love. Serinuma can't help but to fantasize about her male classmates falling for each other and enjoys imagining them together. A more known fact about Serinuma, however, is that she’s noticeably overweight. While watching her favorite show one day, Serinuma witnesses the death of her most beloved character. Utterly depressed, she can't muster up the energy to eat her meals, let alone attend school. After an entire week, she finally recovers. But now there's something unusual about her—during the time she refused to leave her room, she ended up losing a large amount of weight and has somehow become strikingly beautiful! Now catching the eye of everyone who sees her, she finds herself at the center of attention of four boys she has always known at her school. Though they all wish to spend time with her, Serinuma would much rather they spend time falling in love with one another. How will Serinuma deal with the four boys pursuing her BL-obsessed self? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9.5 /10

Finished airing in 2016 with a total of 12 episodes. 

My Thoughts: Love it! Love the art, characters, story, comedy, all of it. Also a big fan of the manga (which is finished btw)... now if only they’d release a second season and finish the story off. 

Wolf’s Rain:

Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-fi

Synopsis:  In a dying world, there exists an ancient legend: when the world ends, the gateway to paradise will be opened. This utopia is the sole salvation for the remnants of life in this barren land, but the legend also dictates that only wolves can find their way to this mythical realm. Though long thought to be extinct, wolves still exist and live amongst humans, disguising themselves through elaborate illusions. A lone wolf named Kiba finds himself drawn by an intoxicating scent to Freeze City, an impoverished town under the rule of the callous Lord Orkham. Here, Kiba discovers that wolves Hige, Tsume, and Toboe have been drawn in by the same aroma. By following the fragrance of "Lunar Flowers," said to be the key to opening the door to their ideal world, the wolves set off on a journey across desolate landscapes and crumbling cities to find their legendary promised land. However, they are not the only ones seeking paradise, and those with more sinister intentions will do anything in their power to reach it first. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7.5/10

Finished airing in 2003 with a total of 26 episodes. 

My Thoughts: That animation/ artwork is dated and I have trouble ignoring that fact. The soundtrack is also dated but in a delightful sort of way unlike the artwork. I don’t know... I just wasn’t that into this series but i’ve heard from plenty of folks who were so don’t just take my word for it and give it a try if you’re interested! 

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii:

Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life

Synopsis:  Having slept through all four of her alarms, the energetic Narumi Momose finds herself running late for her first day of work at a new office. As she races to catch her train, she makes a promise to herself that none of her coworkers will find out about her dark secret: that she is an otaku and a fujoshi. Her plan goes instantly awry, though, when she runs into Hirotaka Nifuji, an old friend from middle school. Although she tries to keep her secret by inviting him out for drinks after work, her cover is blown when he casually asks her whether or not she will be attending the upcoming Summer Comiket. Luckily for her, the only witnesses—Hanako Koyanagi and Tarou Kabakura—are otaku as well. Later that night, the pair go out for drinks so that they can catch up after all the years apart. After Narumi complains about her previous boyfriend breaking up with her because he refused to date a fujoshi, Hirotaka suggests that she try dating a fellow otaku, specifically himself. He makes a solemn promise to always be there for her, to support her, and to help her farm for rare drops in Monster Hunter. Blown away by the proposal, Narumi agrees immediately. Thus the two otaku start dating, and their adorably awkward romance begins. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8.5/10

Finished airing in 2018 with a total of 11 episodes. 

My Thoughts: An extremely enjoyable series that I really hope gets a second season! Highly recommend for anyone looking for a romance that isn’t between teenagers... and really anyone who enjoys some good slice of life comedy about nerds. 

[completelycarly]

Actual Play Podcast Recs

Honestly, I’ve listened and/or watched so many hours of them at this point, somebody else should benefit. I love all of these very, very much and don’t really have favorites, so I’m gonna start with the smaller fandoms and work backward.

1. Campaign Podcast (Star Wars/Skyjacks)

System: Star Wars uses Edge of the Empire. Skyjacks uses Genesys.

Medium: Podcast

Status: Campaign: Star Wars (complete); Campaign: Skyjacks (ongoing)

A group of professional Chicago-based improvisers get together to roleplay found families like you’ve never seen. Every character is loveable and clever, even the ones who shouldn’t be (looking at you, Tryst), but the best parts are when they’re all together, bickering. Kat and James do a superb job wrangling groups of players who work hard to make life as difficult for their own PCs as possible. Mostly just shenanigans and heart - so, so much heart. I’ve laughed harder listening to this podcast than almost any other piece of media. Also, nobody in space or on airships is straight. 

***The Star Wars game requires little-to-no preexisting Star Wars knowledge to enjoy, which I know because I enjoyed it so much and have maybe seen two of the original movies all the way through. 

2. Neoscum

System: Shadowrun

Medium: Podcast

Status: Ongoing

Do I understand the rules of Shadowrun? Absolutely not. Do I enjoy the heck out this podcast anyway? Absolutely YES. I’m still working through the backlog of this one, but I’ve heard it just keeps getting better the longer you listen (and I already like what I’m hearing). Another (equally hilarious) group of Chicago-based improvisers roleplaying found families, but this time it’s a group of criminals driving cross-country in an 18-wheeler named Xanadu to complete jobs against shadowy governments and the companies that run it all. Heists and hijinks. Lots of dirty jokes. Hot demon ladies on motorcycles. What else do you need?

3. Dimension 20 (Fantasy High/Escape from the Bloodkeep/The Unsleeping City)

System: DnD

Medium: YouTube videos, College Humor’s DROPOUT site, and upcoming Twitch livestream

Status: Fantasy High S1 (S1 complete, S2 coming Sept. 2019); Escape from the Bloodkeep (complete); The Unsleeping City (ongoing but I haven’t gotten there yet)

I saw this video of one of the characters continually failing insight checks and asking characters if they’re his dad, and I was sold. Brennan is a truly solid DM who firmly believes in the Rule of Cool, creating badass and ridiculous NPCs, and making his friends cry. I highly recommend starting with Fantasy High, but if you watch Critical Role you might want to start with Escape from the Bloodkeep because Matt plays a gay knock-off Nazgul with an inferiority complex and improbably bad luck who’s trying to bring back the Dark Lord(TM) with a bunch of other ridiculous baddies. Fantasy High is about a bunch of teens with high fantasy powers attending a high school that trains would-be adventurers, and their first big boss battle is against a lunch lady and a monster made of animated creamed corn. Yeah, you heard me: creamed corn. 

4. Friends at the Table

System: Oh god, so many. Here is a good list. Generally systems based on Powered by the Apocalypse and Blades in the Dark.

Medium: Podcast

Status: Seasons in Hieron (onoing, but ending in the next few weeks); Counter/WEIGHT (complete); Marielda (complete); Twilight Mirage (complete); Bluff City (Patreon exclusive, S1 complete)

I think Austin (the GM) describes it best at the beginning of each session when he says it’s a podcast about “critical worldbuilding, smart characterization, and fun interactions between good friends.” The worldbuilding of FatT is honestly baffling, and they work so hard to make the game inclusive and diverse.  Seasons alternate between fantasy games set in Hieron and sci-fi games. Lots of googling dogs, off-mic laughing, mechs, leaning into the failures, gays, and sometimes crying. If part of the joy for you is how much the players obviously love each other, listen to FatT. 

Also, shout-out to Jack de Quidt for making the best podcast soundtracks I’ve ever heard. They’re a genius. 

Not listed because you probably already know about them but dearly loved: The Adventure Zone and Critical Role 

[ezimin]

I enjoyed it so much, I bought the soundtrack.

The Netflix exclusives, in terms of Anime, are not always phenomenal choices. However, just like every rule, there are a few exceptions. Carole and Tuesday is definitely one of these exceptions. While there were a few decisions that were made in the anime that I am not too sure about, it was still a very good anime and one that I enjoyed fully.

This anime is about (surprise, surprise), two girls named Carole and Tuesday. After running away from home and her slightly overbearing mother. Tuesday meets Carole, who is playing her keyboard on a bridge. The two girls form a strong friendship over their shared love of music and make the decision to work together to try and break into the music industry.

Carole and Tuesday is set on Mars. In case you immediately stop reading because you think this makes it a sci-fi story, let me quickly explain. I really don't think you would be able to say that Carole and Tuesday is much of a sci-fi. Yes, while it is set on Mars, it is pretty easy to forget that this is where it is set when watching the anime, as there doesn't seem to be much ‘Mars specific’ content in the plot. However, in season 2 one of the smaller plot threads is about illegal immigration between Earth and Mars. But if the anime was set on Earth, this could easily be covered just by looking at two countries where one had economic instability. In this way, Carole and Tuesday could be set in the present and does not need to be set in the far future, as it is.

I really like the music used in Carole and Tuesday. It is a musical anime. This is not that unusual as it is a popular genre which most people in the anime community would recognise. All the songs were in English and I’ll admit that this was quite strange for a Japanese anime, I quite liked it, because the songs were all written (as most are) by artists in states of high emotion. Hearing the songs further emphasised and helped me understand the emotions of the girls. My taste in music is not very sophisticated or high-brow. The anime contains mainly sappy pop songs, but they made me smile and so I was happy with my purchases.

Carole and Tuesday was quite similar to other shows like K-ON and Given, which I do like as well and so I was not disappointed with Carole and Tuesday. While I did find the decision on where to set the anime a little odd, as there doesn't honestly seem to be much reason for it and I found the story of the girls breaking into the music industry a little unrealistic. (The first song they write goes viral in a video online and they just happen to meet a world famous manager who works with them in order to create the music they want. All of which is slightly coincidental and only happens to one in a million.) I did really like Carole and Tuesday and if musical/slice of life anime is your thing then I’d recommend it to you too.

[luvdsc]

tag games ;

tagging :: @eggyukhei ; @jaemericano ; @aqiaquas ; @forehead-enthusiast ; @choerrypuffs ; @latetaektalk ; @winetae ; @taeyongtime ; @nochanchu 🌼

—

TAG GAME ONE

tagged by :: @njmin thank you, lovebug! ✨

— tell me the first song that made you stan your current fave group and why did your faves attract you so much?

omg ok it was april 2014, and I was procrastinating on homework and scrolling through youtube. shinee’s lucifer mv was recommended for some reason, and I was intrigued, so I clicked on it. From there, it just spiraled out of control. I was blown away like there’s this one dance move where they all lined up and taemin does this hand motion so fluidly and I was like “this is it.” More shinee mvs were recommended after I clicked that one, so I kept going and watching all the other ones until I watched them all. Their music is just so different and unique, like even after all this time, I can’t find another kpop group who mimics the music style of shinee. and all their solos are absolutely god tier, too!!! they really are gonna be my first and last kpop group. shinee withstood through my stan eras for other groups. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being their fan.

I also found snsd through shinee because their mvs were recommended after I clicked lucifer too. the first one I saw is the iconic gee. taeyeon stood out to me in those mvs. her voice is so distinct, and I’ve been a fan of her ever since. She didn’t have a solo then, but I searched up all her drama osts, song features, everything because I loved her voice so much even back then. so yeah, taeyeon and shinee will forever be my faves, and I love them a lot 💓

TAG GAME TWO

tagged by :: @latetaektalk thank you, linh !! 💖

rule :: answer the ten questions and write your own!

— how are you today?

I’m doing really good! I’m enjoying my summer, and my day is pretty lax. I’ve been facetiming friends, watching chopped, making banh bao with my mom, and doing my daily cardio ✨

— what book has had the biggest impact on your life?

the princess knight by cornelia funke. my elementary school did this thing where your parents can buy a book to donate to the school library under your name for your birthday. this was the book my sister chose for me when I was in kindergarten. I loved that book; I borrowed it so many times and kept rereading it. It’s a children’s picture book about a princess who secretly learns how to joust. the king tries to give her hand in marriage to the knight who wins the competition, but she defeats them all and chooses to marry the gardener’s son who she loves 💕

— what is something you think everybody should have done once in their life?

Travel. There’s just something so wonderful about going to a new place, whether that’s halfway across the world or just the town a few states over. It’s a lovely feeling embarking on an adventure to a place unknown to you where you can meet new people, try new foods even if it’s just a random dish at a restaurant you’ve never been to, and make memories with strangers that no one back home ever has to know about. There’s just something intriguing about being able to go somewhere else and be someone else for an hour or a day or a week before you return back home.

— what story are you the most proud of and why?

on my previous blog, I wrote a fic called the universe of us, and it’s 21k+ wc. I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into that fic, and although I can’t read it now without cringing, I really am super proud of myself for pulling through and writing that. The concept of it was unique, in my opinion, and I would love to rewrite it someday! 💫

on this blog, I am most proud of the dumbing down of love. that fic is personal to me because it is literally comprised of my college experiences in written format and the characters embody my friends. I wrote that over the span of 3-4 nights, and that’s the fastest I’ve ever written a fic of that length. the words just flowed so easily for that fic, and the quesadilla scene was the first thing I wrote, and I’m quite proud of that scene!! 💓

— what has made you really happy recently?

I graduated uni!!!!! 💛💛

— what is the first thing you want to do after this whole pandemic is over and it’s safe to go out again?

I want to eat sushi LOL I haven’t had it in four months, and I’m craving it so badly.... I also want to go out with my friends again! I miss being able to see them everyday and our late night shenanigans ):

— if you had to make a soundtrack/playlist based on your life, how would you call it and which songs would you include?

honestly, these are just a bunch of my favorite songs throughout my entire life. some of them don’t relate to me personally, but I remember listening them on repeat, and I still know all the lyrics to them 💘

title: cue the soundtrack of my life

songs: complicated ⋆ avril lavigne ⋮ check yes, juliet ⋆ we the kings ⋮ the way i loved you ⋆ taylor swift ⋮ a daydream away ⋆ all time low ⋮ that’s what you get ⋆ paramore ⋮ i won’t give up ⋆ jason mraz ⋮ holy ground ⋆ taylor swift ⋮ lucifer ⋆ shinee ⋮ don’t go ⋆ exo m ⋮ 1000 years ⋆ shinee ⋮ breathe ⋆ taeyeon & jonghyun ⋮ coffee ⋆ bts ⋮ you are in love ⋆ taylor swift ⋮ walk you home ⋆ nct dream ⋮ i ⋆ taeyeon ⋮ tell me what to do ⋆ shinee ⋮ mad city ⋆ nct 127 ⋮ gravity ⋆ taeyeon ⋮ blueprint ⋆ stray kids

— what is your favourite breakfast food?

omg it’s this one dish that I order every time I go to the diner near my university, and it’s a smoked salmon eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce and hash browns 🤩🤩

— how did you get into writing and is it something you would like to do as your job?

I’ve always enjoyed writing, and my teachers sent me to the young authors’ faire every year from kindergarten to 8th grade. You don’t really get to write creative stories in class when you’re older though, and I stumbled upon fanfiction, and here we are. It’s not something I want to do as my job though. Writing is simply a fun pastime and hobby for me!! If I was forced to write or profit off of it, then that’d take fun out of it ):

— did you remember to drink enough water today?

yes, I did!! I make sure to drink 6-8 large cups of water a day :’) stay hydrated!!! 🤍

my questions for you:

what’s your favorite jelly bean flavor?

if you hated your child, what name would you give them?

do you pour cereal first or milk first?

do you like pineapple on your pizza?

if you could be a celebrity for the day, who would you be and why?

what are three dealbreakers for you in a relationship?

what’s your favorite word and why?

would you rather punch your ult bias in the face full force or lick the porta potty that hasn’t been cleaned after Coachella weekend?

which song(s) would you cut out from nct’s discography?

what’s the most unique/interesting food you’ve ever eaten?

TAG GAME THREE

tagged by :: @pwarkhans ty, sweetpea! 🌸

rule :: bold the statements that apply to you, italicize your aspirations, then tag nine people.

AIR ༉⋆͙̈

i have small hands / i love the night sky / i watch animals and birds when i pass them by / i drink herbal tea / i wake to see the dawn / the smell of dust is comforting / i’m valued for being wise / i prefer books to music / i meditate / i find joy in learning new truths from the world around me

FIRE ༉⋆͙̈

i don’t have straight hair / i like to wear ripped jeans and overalls / i play an organized sport / i love dogs / i am not afraid of adventure / i love to talk to strangers / i always try new foods / i enjoy road trips / summer is my favorite season / my radio is always playing

WATER ༉⋆͙̈

i wear bracelets on my wrists / i love the bustle of the city / i have more than one set of piercings / i read poetry / i love the sound of a thunderstorm / i want to travel the world / i sleep past midday most days / i love simply lit dinners and fluorescent signs / i rewatch kids shows out of nostalgia / i see emotions in colors not words

EARTH ༉⋆͙̈

i wear glasses or contacts / i enjoy doing the laundry / i am a vegetarian or vegan / i have an excellent sense of time / my humor is very cheerful / i am a valued advisor to my friends / i believe in true love / i love this chill of mountain air / i’m always listening to music / i am highly trusted by the people in my life

AETHER ༉⋆͙̈

i go without makeup in my daily life / i make my own artwork / i keep on track of my tasks and time / i always know true north / i see beauty in everything / i can always smell flowers / i smile at everyone i pass by / i always fear history repeating itself / i have recovered from a mental disorder / i can love unconditionally

[tokumusume]

tokumusume’s list of best and worst movies and dramas watched in 2019:

There’s a new category this year. Inspired by kpopalypse, welcome the Honorable Mentions! Movies that weren’t exactly bad but also weren’t good. Movies and dramas are qualified to enter if I watched them for the first time this year, not that they were released this year. Click on ‘keep reading’~~

Best Movies:

1.      Parasite

Another masterpiece from the director of Snowpiercer (let’s pretend Okja never existed). A poor family con their way to a rich household. Choi Woo-Shik from The Witch (see below) is the eldest son and mastermind, fabulous as always. Definitely the best movie of this year. For me, movie of the decade.

2.      The Witch Part 1 The Subversion

This movie is amazing, hard to describe without spoilers. A perfect mix of Stranger Things and Hanna. Choi Woo-Shik can come to my house and kick my ass anytime. I can’t wait for part two.

3.      Death Trance

Visually stunning, kinda like Amemiya Keita’s style in early Garo or Mad Max. I wish the movie was longer and the characters were better fleshed out, Ryuen the monk and the little girl had so much potential... The most interesting thing about this movie is how sexualized the main male character is compared to the female ones, and apparently, the swords were designed to look like veiny penises (can’t find a source for this info), and yes, they do look like veiny penises. The final showdown is heavy with sexual energy. Have I already said that Ryuen deserved better? #RyuenRights

4.      Gintama 2: Rules are made to be broken

The barber shop scene is a fucking cinematic masterpiece. I never laughed so much like I did with this movie. The way it doesn’t take itself seriously, the meta jokes, everything is perfect. Even better than the first one.

5.      Kingdom

While I think that some fight scenes were way too long (like the bamboo forest one), the dynamics between Shin and Hyou/Eisei were highly entertaining, at least in my shipper eyes. I like that (SPOILER) the King of the Mountain People is a woman and not once they try to call her Queen. She is a King. Hashimoto Kanna is adorable as a Ten, Kanata Hongo does a great job as Eisei’s psycho brother, Sakaguchi Tak waves his sword around, the usual stuff but with added layers of dirt and sweat.

6.      Bravestorm

A movie I lovingly call “Japanese Pacific Rim”. Full of Kamen Rider stars (Hino Eiji! Misuzawa Haruka! That girl from Heisei Generations, the one with a sword! She has a sword in this as well!) and giant robots (god, I love giant robots!), I waited so much for this movie and it exceeded my expectations. I just wish I could’ve watched in theaters, it had a limited showing in my country.

7.      Twelve Suicidal Children

What begins as a murder mystery ends with a twist you won’t see coming. All of the actors are amazing, but special mention to Sugisaki Hana and that guy from that one boy group I forgot the name but can’t be bothered to Google.

8.      Gakkou Gurashi

Four girls and their teacher try to survive the zombie apocalypse trapped inside the school. This one destroyed me for days.

9.      Forest of Love

I’ve watched some Sono Sion movies but nothing prepared me for this. Be aware of extremely gory sequences and sensitive topics. Hinami Kyoko is so amazing as blue-haired, punk girl crush Taeko that I totally didn’t notice she was AkibaBlue in Akibaranger.

10.  The Host

After watching Parasite I decided to go on a Bong Joon Ho binge and watched this horror movie. Not as good as Snowpiercer and Parasite in my opinion but heart-wrenching nevertheless. The little girl is the star of the movie.

11.  The Hungry Lion

A story about the dangers of social media and slut-shaming. I want to punch Mizuishi Atom in the face.

12.  Cromartie High

A little absurd comedy about yakuza-style high school boys (played by middle-aged men lol) forming a club to battle aliens summoned by themselves just because. It made me laugh like a child. A hidden gem.

Honorable Mentions:

1.      River’s Edge

Depressing as fuck. Warning: the cats die. It’s not graphic but it’s traumatizing. Yoshizawa Ryo is a gay boy who sleeps with old men for money. There’s a graphic sex scene (not Yoshizawa, sadly) where my only thought was “That thing is gonna get stuck in there! Use a condom!” Can’t remember much from it except for these three scenes.

2.      The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Yamazaki Kento has the acting chops of a dead fish but it comes handy for playing a teen with psychic abilities and zero social skills. Hashimoto Kanna is one of the prettiest girls in Japan. Yoshizawa Ryo with white and blueish hair looks more like Sakata Gintoki than Oguri Shun in the Gintama live action. The end is a huge let down but the fun ride is worth it.

3.      Ano ko no, Toriko

Congratulations to Yoshizawa Ryo, he has FIVE movies in my list of favorite movies this year! This is to make up for crowning GIVER as the biggest waste of time of 2018, this list is totally not biased, lol. “Ano ko” could be just another romance movie but the (very) little insight into how the entertainment industry works and not focusing on school life made me love it. Poor Sugino Yosuke being left behind again, when will this boy get the main girl?

4.      Monstrum

It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it’s pleasant enough to fill a rainy afternoon with a lot of blood and spilled guts. Hyeri of Girl’s Day is the heroine and Choi Woo Shik is the commander she falls in love with.

5.      Weirdo Go

I confess I watched this one just to see Ji Li (aka my snake son Nie Huaisang) dressed as a woman but it was enjoyable and not that problematic.

6.      Real - Kanzen Naru Kubinagaryu no Hi

Directed by the same guy that did “Creepy” and “Before we vanish”, there are lots of twists you won’t see coming. And a dinosaur. A fucking dinosaur.

7.      Tomodachi Game: The Final

The movie loses its focus halfway through then picks up again minutes before ending. Yoshizawa Ryo delivers again as the sadistic Yuuichi, much like his role in Gintama. The plot twists are the star of the movie.

8.     The Living Dead

Sorry Wen Ning. I saw the plot twist coming in the first 30 minutes of the movie, not very smart of the writer. His personality did a 180° turn for worse and I’ll demote the movie to an honorable mention for it. Gao Han is cute though, I would like to see him as a better character.

9.      Backstreet Girls

Some recycled scenes from the drama to situate the viewers, a completely new story for the movie, it is certainly funny and enjoyable, if you can get past the forced gender reassignment surgery background and transphobic jokes (you shouldn’t get past it btw). I like the soundtrack.

Best Dramas:

1.      The Untamed

Do I need to say more?

2.      The Tale of Nokdu

This Korean romance had everything to be a mess but it wasn’t!!! *claps* I don’t hate the main female character and the whole palace politics actually kept me interested until the end. The complete shift of atmosphere mid-season was strange at first but ultimately very welcomed.

3.      The Naked Director

Netflix original Japanese content is amazing. This one is a look at the life of a legendary porn director in the late 80s, I learned a lot about the history of Japanese porn and censorship (yay pixels!) and went looking for his, erm, works. Very graphic, 69/10 don’t recommend watching with people in the house.

4.      Channel wa Sonomama!

I don’t remember it well but it’s about a news station and what is like to be a journalist and it was very interesting and funny.

5.      SCAMS

Forgettable. Sugino Yosuke with black hair cons old people via phone calls.

Worst Movies and Dramas:

1.      The cat in their arms

The cats spend 90% of the movie in human forms, and halfway through it they simply abandon the cats’ plot to show a fucking long montage of a weird guy painting a picture of a nude girl. It’s also super creepy to see a grown-up man acting like a cat, getting belly rubs and eating cat food from a bowl. Yoshizawa needs to choose his roles more wisely.

2.      Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

A waste of Suda Masaki’s talent. Can Japan stop casting Tsuchiya Tao already?

3.      Samurai Marathon

Almost two hours of dirty men running through a forest. Maybe Japanese History experts will enjoy it, because I certainly didn’t.

4.      Lady Vengeance

While there are legit great moments, I didn’t find this “classic” to be anything special. The animal cruelty was too much for me.

5.      Hot Gimmick

This movie makes Bohemian Rhapsody’s editing look like a work of art. There are more flashing cuts than a T-ARA music video. I have no idea who likes who, who’s banging who, what even are they saying. Too much poetic shit for my like. I wanted to see Shimizu Hiroya naked. I was bamboozled.

6.      The Divine Fury

While some parts were interesting, at the end I still don’t know if the protagonist is possessed by a demon (if yes, then why would he help a priest destroy his friends?) or if he was blessed by God when his father died and talked to him (the glowing hand thing, why and how??). The exorcism parts are really, really scary, or maybe I’m just a chicken, but I had to avert my eyes. The best (only) part is that the protagonists are hot. Hello Woo Do-Hwan, you can sacrifice me to Satan any time…

[ducktracy]

13. lady, play your mandolin! (1931)

release date: august 1931

series: merrie melodies

director: rudolf ising

starring: n/a

well, here we are! our first ever merrie melody! this is the first cartoon to be directed by only one director (rudolf ising). characters such as porky, bugs, and elmer (as well as lesser known characters such as sniffles and egghead—the debate between whether he’s actually a prototype elmer fudd or a totally separate character wages on, similar to happy rabbit and bugs) would all make their debuts in merrie melodies cartoons.

a little bit of history here. during the 1930-1931 season, leon schlesinger produced a series of live action musical shorts called “spooney melodies”, though only the first out of 5 actually was called spooney melodies—the remaining 4 shorts were titled “song’nata”. after production ceased, it was replaced by merrie melodies, which would focus on animated musical shorts. to sum it up, all the previous anthropomorphized animals and objects coming to life shorts singing and dancing would now be under merrie melodies, whereas more plotbased cartoons would be under the looney tunes names.

the merrie melodies cartoons were, as explained above, musical cartoons. the cartoons served as a way to plug soundtracks from movies made at warner bros, advertising sheet music and recordings.

beginning in 1934, all of the merrie melodies cartoons would be made in color (using the cheaper two-strip cinecolor process as opposed to disney’s richer three-strip technicolor process, which they had the rights to), whereas the looney tunes cartoons would be in black and white. merrie melodies soon began to phase out their emphasis on musical advertising, and the only distinguisher between MM and LT was the color difference. starting in 1942, looney tunes would eventually go into color, and by 1943-1944 there was practically no distinguishable difference between the two except for the opening title songs (looney tunes would use “the merry go round broke down”, whereas merrie melodies would use “merrily we roll along”).

interesting, isn’t it? anyway, here we have lady, play your mandolin! by rudolf ising. funnily (or frustratingly) enough, voice credits have yet to be identified. foxy is either voiced by carman maxwell or johnny murray—his voice is deeper than johnny murray’s bosko, sounding on par with carman maxwell’s bosko from bosko, the talk-ink kid and sinkin’ in the bathtub (albeit without a stereotypical accent), but it could just as likely be johnny murray talking in a regular voice that isn’t a falsetto. some notable firsts: first merrie melodies cartoon, first appearance of foxy (and thusly the first appearance of a new character made specifically for looney tunes—bosko was brought into looney tunes from the outside), and first cartoon to have bob clampett on the team as an assistant animator. he, friz freleng, and bob mckimson (who was an in betweener) would all be animating at the time and all grow to be notable directors.

the short opens in a mexican café with a bunch of drunks singing a rousing chorus of “lady, play your mandolin”. what a way to abide by the rules of prohibition! this scene is very peppy and immediately puts you in a good mood. it almost feels more uplifting than the same premise/scenes with bosko, but that’s probably because those scenes are overshadowed (for me, anyway) with the uncomfortableness of bosko’s existence as a black caricature. nevertheless, highlights including a gorilla stuffing a duck’s gullet with beer, a bird playing a horn and dancing along the keys of a piano, and an enormous hippo bellowing an ear-splitting scream in celebration.

pan to our hero, foxy. foxy would have a pretty limited career, only starring in 3 shorts (and getting KILLED OFF in one more time after walt disney expressed concern to ising about the resemblance to everyone’s favorite mouse). this entire cartoon is quite similar to disney’s the gallopin’ gaucho from 1928. enough history, though. here foxy is happily galloping along with his horse when he approaches the café.

equally as thrilled as foxy, the horse makes a run towards the café. foxy grabs him by the tail, and cruelly (albeit funnily and cleverly) ties his neck around a cactus to keep him tied up while foxy heads in to liquor himself up.

foxy bursts into the saloon and is greeted by thunderous applause and cheers. seems he’s a regular. he launches into “a gay caballero” as he swaggers away in this great walk cycle above. the animation is so smooth! this is the most personality we’ve seen in a cartoon yet!

an anthropomorphic coat rack comes up and physically takes foxy’s cape and hat while he orders himself a beer. foxy flips the coin before giving it to the gorilla we saw at the beginning. the gorilla pushes his nose down and out come his teeth like a cash register as he stashed away his shiny new coin—a very fun and imaginative little gag!

a duck saunters to the front of the stage in the saloon, and, taking off its sombrero, uses it as a horn to signal the start of the show—the same gag reused from ups ‘n downs where his body inflated as he takes a deep breath and gets paper thin as he blows.

we’re greeted with an unnamed female counterpart to foxy. she appears in an animaniacs episode under the name roxy, so to make things easier i’ll just call her that. this post is already a mile long! foxy says “oh, baby! play your mandolin!” in a voice similar to carman maxwell’s bosko voice, complete with the stereotypical accent...? no wonder there’s no identifiable voices for this cartoon. it seems he’s been switching from carman maxwell’s bosko voice to johnny murray’s bosko, but without an accent. ANYWAY, roxy and foxy sing “lady, play your mandolin” together in a duet. the melody itself is really catchy and upbeat! foxy’s singing isn’t too bad, but roxy is a bit obnoxious, but leaning on the endearingly obnoxious side.

we’re reminded of the horse, who frees himself from his restraint with a pull of the tail accompanied by some beautifully smooth animation. the horse chimes in with the festivities (mimicking the sound of a muted trumpet? trombone? some sort of horn). foxy, clearly agitated, smashes a beer bottle against the horse’s head, who gets snookered by the impact alone.

a lot happens next that you sorta need to see yourself to really comprehend. the horse saunters into the bar chugging more liquor as the scene ravages on. foxy and roxy are still singing (foxy a clear imitation of al jolson), a dog’s beard takes a life of its own and starts dancing while his teeth pop out of his mouth and chatter to the rhythm while a mouse pops out of his sombrero, various shots of foxy and roxy... the pacing is very frenetic and fast. GOOD! it’s a nice change. this cartoon itself is paced relatively quickly—not many of the previous cartoons can boast the same.

the horse stumbles up to a counter and sees itself in the mirror, when all of the sudden it starts having these wonderfully terrifying hallucinations. the horse lets out a scream and runs down the aisle through the bar, drunkenly dancing and giving a delightfully freakish grin towards the audience.

the cartoon ends with the horse spontaneously combusting and a final verse of “lady, play your mandolin!”. foxy closes the cartoon with a “so long, folks”, the tagline that would be used for merrie melodies (whereas looney tunes would utilize “that’s all, folks!”). the merrie melodies sing-offs would change depending on who starred in the cartoon. it wasn’t until 1936 that both series would adopt “that’s all, folks!” written out in script. porky would use the drum ending from 1938-1946, where the script ending was revitalized against the colored rings instead of a plain black background.

what a cartoon! this is certainly one of my favorites. the cartoon is still relatively plotless, but foxy seems to have some more personality than bosko (like that great gif of him swaggering down the aisle). the voice acting is still pretty painful, but the background score is catchy and makes it a bit more bearable. this is a very high energy cartoon with a lot of absurd visuals, it’s hard to pin them down! the horse spontaneously combusting is great. i could definitely see how this cartoon would be scary, but i find it more fascinating than frightening. overall, it pales in comparison to the shorts that’d be churned out by the end of the decade and onwards through the 40s and 50s, but it’s a nice, cheery change of pace from the bosko cartoons that tend to drag on and on. i’d recommend a watch!

[pennyful-dream]

11 Questions

the game: Answer the 11 questions, then come up with 11 of your own and tag some friends to answer them

I was tagged by @starwars-riley​. Thx!!

1. Are you artistic? If so, in what form of art do you express yourself?

Yes! I like to paint and draw and I feel like I could definitely practice more. I like watercolor and gouache.  2. Favorite song to sing in the shower?

Probs, Africa by Toto or a Panic! at the Disco song. 3. Would you say you’re an air-bender, earth-bender, fire-bender, water-bender, or non-bender?

I have never seen ATLA, I’m gonna get around to it eventually, so I can’t really tell for sure, but people tell me air-bender and I agree. 4. What musical artist do you listen to alone but not with others?

I have to say that the few k-pop songs I like i tend to not listen to out loud. Also, any anime songs or movie soundtracks. I tend to listen to calming movie soundtracks when i’m doing yoga. Recommendations: listen to Max Richter’s “On the Nature of Daylight”. That shit is my jam on repeat while I’m warming up and cooling down. 5. Is it okay to mix clothes from different seasons? (ex: wearing shorts and a knit sweater together) Are there certain combos that are okay at certain times of year but not others?

I wouldn’t be opposed but I also would be confused. Like, what are you dressing for. Like if it’s summer pls don’t bring out the knits. IT’S too hot. I can see mixing shorts and a knit sweater at the beach when it’s beginning to cool. I mean if it’s for aesthetic purposes do it, don;t let rules stop you, but also it’s good to dress functionally. 6.Would you ever wear acrylic nails?

I wore them for prom but i don’t think i would wear them now because i like to keep my nails short. I do like the look tho. And I LOVE the clicking thing of tapping them against a table and pretending you’re a beautiful villain. 7. What vine can you quote perfectly? Lay it out for me.

Scene 1 

Interior: inside a bedroom

character 1: My name is Michael with a B and i’ve been afraid of insects my whole life.

Character 2: Stop.stop.stop..Where? Where’s the B?

character 1: there’s a Bee?!?!!?!?!

8. Do you like bubble baths?

freaking love em. I love bath bombs and bath gel and bubble bath. I set up a whole thing. I have either my laptop set up to watch a show with some wine or I have music going and the latest book i’m working on.  9. What group/ clique were you apart of in high school?

I really only hung out with one other person all of high school but if people wanted to point me out they would say I was in the AP classes or the AP kids would point me out by saying I was on the cross country team. So jock/AP kid/random inbetweener 10. If you could dye your hair whatever you wanted what color(s) would you choose?

blonde looks fun and i’m talking lady gaga blonde. but realistically i would probs try a fun color like pink or purple (pale pink and lavender)  11. What was your first anime?

As a lil kid i watched dragon ball z and sailor moon but the first one to really make me wanna watch anime was FMA:B. Still the best anime in existence in my opinion.

[tysonjost]

i was tagged by @landeskcg​ and @bnebishop​ - thanks so much guys ily

rules: answer the questions, then add one of your own! tag 5 people to do it too!

1. who is your idol(s)?

- i don’t really have an idol but i really love and admire jon foreman. everything he has to say about the world and life is so beautiful and eloquent.

2. if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

- okay lately i’ve been really wanting to go to greece or egypt and see a bunch of historical sites (cuz i’m a nerd dkgjsag)

3. what decorates the walls of your room?

- OH! i haven’t put them up yet but i have a few old decorative records with song lyrics on them and this black and white photo of this really pretty bridge.

4. favorite color combination?

- lavender and gray. i’m OBSESSED

5. what’s on top of your bucket list?

- i want to go to the great pyramids in egypt. it’s my number one thing!!

6. height?

- 4′11″ (lmaooo)

7. favorite animal?

- elephants or dogs, i love both

8. what’s the last song you listened to?

- no air by jordan sparks

9. how many/what kind of pets do you have?

- i have two dogs and one cat!! they my babies

10. last movie you saw in theatres?

- i think avengers:endgame?? like 5 months ago lmaoo

11. comfort food or favorite food?

- FRENCH! FRIES!

12. why did the chicken cross the road?

- he just wanted to be left alone and people kept making dumb jokes about him.

13. book you’re currently reading?

- i’ve been rereading the throne of glass series which is SOO! good! highly recommend.

14. your favorite season and three things you like about it?

- FALL!!! i love the sound of crunchy leaves, the color changes of the leaves and being able to wear beanies, sweaters and boots!!

15. you are about to get into a fight, what song comes on as your soundtrack?

- literally, the only thing going through my head is mmm whatcha say sadkghasjg

16. (+1) if you won the lottery tomorrow, what’s the first thing you would buy yourself?

- idk like...buy a decent car and computer, and then travel a lot!!

17. (+1) what fictional world would you want to live in?

- i wanna live in the world of new girl! somebody play true american with me

18. (+1) if you had to learn a completely new language, what would it be?

- i really wish i spoke spanish or german or something. honestly just...i should try harder to be bilingual.

19. (+1) do you wear socks in bed?

- if you do then unfollow me <<<< OKAY JESSE LIKE SAME! wtf @ people who wear socks to bed??

20. (+1) if you could only choose one celebrity or athlete to make out with who would it be?

- do i EVEN need to put it down....y’all already know

(mikko rantanen)

21. (+1) if you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life what would it be?

- it’s a tie between pride & prejudice and miracle

22. (+1) who’s your favorite player/celebrity and whats your favorite thing ab them?

ok ok ok....adding some variety to this, trevor van riemsdyk because he’s cute, he’s tall, he’s a goofball and he’s a really great defenseman.

I cut this off accidentally before sorry lmaoo

23. (+1) what’s your go-to drink/coffee order?

I will tag: @speedyvrana​ @jakelamb @babevillier @niederrider @hertl @poppuck

[recentanimenews]

Studio Bones Celebrates 21 Years of Excellence!

I watched plenty of anime as a child—Pokémon, Digimon Tamers, Crush Gear Turbo. But much of it I absorbed passively, because my friends were watching it or it was airing on Toonami or because it was based on a video game I loved. I happily consumed all cartoons equally regardless of quality, chronology or origin. Then one day I discovered the manga series Fullmetal Alchemist, which was just then being published in English. After blazing through volumes of the comic, I discovered the Fullmetal Alchemist anime which aired in 2003.

  Just like that, I was hooked. Something in the anime adaptation spoke to me as a teenager: the plaintive choirs of the song “Brothers,” the sadness infecting Ed and Al's rollicking adventures. In the Philippines I sought the series out on Animax and implored by friends (confused by anime) to do the same. Later, in the United States, I would record overnight episodes on my parents's TiVo and watch them on Saturday afternoons with microwaved pizza in hand. To this day I have never seen the whole thing, and there are many other anime series I would rank above it. But in retrospect, the first Fullmetal Alchemist series is the first I understood and loved as an anime, rather than as a cartoon. It was my gateway.

  Then in college, I made a friend who had a similar experience with anime—but not with Fullmetal Alchemist. No, her turning point was Scrapped Princess, another animated fantasy series from 2003. Like Fullmetal Alchemist, Scrapped Princess combined an elaborate fantasy world packed with nested secrets, a constant sense of high adventure, and surprising darkness. Scrapped Princess's heroine, the bratty but well-meaning princess Pacifica, was hunted by her world as an instrument of its destruction; the medieval world she traversed with her friends was a cover-up for its true science-fictional origins. Just like I cried when Colonel Hughes met his end in Fullmetal Alchemist, my friend cried when Pacifica's love interest Fulle sacrifices his life to ensure her safety. And as Fullmetal Alchemist ends with a shocking twist that punches through the rules of its setting, Scrapped Princess wraps its fantasy narrative with robot dragons dueling in space.

  You probably know someone just like me, or just like her. Perhaps the series that turned them into anime fans was the recent Shounen Jump megahit My Hero Academia. Perhaps it was the spooky creatures and slick animation of Soul Eater. Or maybe it was Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which in 2009 tackled the full story of the original manga to excellent results. If you're an anime fan like me and you've been following along, you can probably guess the twist here. All of the shows mentioned so far were produced by Bones!

    Today, the famous studio Bones turns 21 years old! Founded in 1998 by Masahiko Minami, Hiroshi Osaka and Toshihiro Kawamoto—all veterans of the legendary mecha animation studio Sunrise—the studio has been releasing both adaptations of popular material and original series all this time. Much has changed in these 21 years: Gainax has fragmented into fiefdoms, Madhouse lost its famous producer, Masao Maruyama, and more anime is being produced than ever before, at a rate that threatens the health and sanity of those creating it. As chaos ravages the industry, Bones has been a rock. It's continued to produce series with ambitious worlds and settings, whether that be the skewed New York fantasia of Blood Blockade Battlefront or the political commentary of Un-Go. It has done so with consistently solid animation quality; famously, Bones chose to split My Hero Academia up into multiple seasons of material separated by breaks, rather than risk a production collapse in the strain of continuous release. If some have blasted Bones for often prioritizing that consistency over more flexible, visually experimental art... well, Bones also produced Space Dandy, which features some of the weirdest individual episodes of the past decade.

Bones has also consistently provided a venue for talented animators and directors to flex their muscles over these twenty-one years. Masahiro Ando directed one of the best action films in the history of the medium with Sword of the Stranger, but was also invited back to direct the eccentric Shakespearean action series Blast of Tempest and the endearing romance Snow White with the Red Hair. Takuya Igarashi set the stage for soon-to-be-legendary action sequences in Soul Eater and Star Driver, and even now is working with his favorite collaborators on pumping out seasons of fan-favorite series Bungo Stray Dogs. Star animator Yoshimichi Kameda rose to fame knocking scenes out of the park in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, most famously where Roy Mustang roasts Lust to a crisp. And of course you have Yutaka Nakamura, who some have claimed to be the most popular and influential action animator currently working today. Nakamura's work reaches across the studio's entire filmography, from the well-choreographed fisticuffs in Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door to multi-level sword on sword combat in Sword of the Stranger, to his current outrageous fights in Concrete Revolutio and My Hero Academia.

  And this only sums up a small portion of their total output! There's also RahXephon, an ambitious reversioning of Neon Genesis Evangelion that classmates of mine in college would insist was superior to its inspiration. You have the two seasons of Show by Rock!!, one of the most bizarre idol shows of all time that happens to feature some very good CG. Then there's Darker Than Black's cryptic worldbuilding and fantastic soundtrack by Yoko Kanno. Also, there's the spiritual sequel to Scrapped Princess, cult favorite Chaika -The Coffin Princess-. And of course, there's the skewed workplace drama of Hisone and Masotan. Even Bones's deep cuts rival the highlights of other studios.

To me there are two shows that most of all define Bones's past and future. The first is Eureka Seven, a big sloppy love letter to mecha series that pulls in elements from Gundam, Macross and Evangelion into a vast and emotional saga. Its complex and fascinating world, fantastic action, grounded character work and blockbuster sensibilities mark it out as what I would say is the studio's defining work, despite the flaws in its construction. The second is Mob Psycho 100, which stands alone as one of the wildest and most cutting-edge action series of the past several years. Yutaka Nakamura contributed some excellent scenes to the first season, but even he was outdone by the work of countless young and talented animators in season 2! Watching the Mogami arc, you can see the next generation of fantastic artists spreading their wings. The exciting future of a medium being stretched to its breaking point by the forces of commerce. May Bones give them the support they need to survive and thrive in the next twenty-one years.

If you would like to learn more about Bones, I highly recommend following @liborek3 on Twitter, and checking out his articles on Sakugablog (starting with this one!) I would also recommend seeking out Kim Morrissy's article on the studio's history, which heavily cites multiple interviews Bones released on their twentieth anniversary. Happy twenty-first birthday to Bones's many employees and graduates! I'll be waiting patiently in the corner for the third season of Mob Psycho 100.

Are you a fan of Studio Bones? Did they help introduce you to the medium? Do you have a favorite production by them? Let us know in the comments!

---

Adam W is a features writer at Crunchyroll. When he isn't repeatedly listening to the soundtrack for Eureka Seven Ao, he sporadically contributes with a loose coalition of friends to a blog called Isn't it Electrifying? Follow him on Twitter at: @wendeego

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[drink-n-watch]

  Genre : Comedy, political intrigue, slice of life, bishonen banquet

Episodes: 1 movie

Studio:

  What’s better than a bevy of blonde bishies? It’s a trick question. Nothing is better. The human brain isn’t equipped to handle more joy than what implied by that first sentence. But you know what’s not worse than that? Those same adorable blondes accompanied by equally attractive white-haired twins causing all sorts of trouble! This is the least and yet most descriptive summary I’ve ever written. And if we’re to be honest, all you really need to know about this movie but fine. For all you people who care about little details like “plot” or “story”, here’s a second try at a summary.

The kingdom of Glanzreich has prospered under king Viktor von Glanzreich and the decades of peace he’s managed to sustain for the good people of Glanzreich . In a bid to strengthen diplomatic relations with the neighboring region of Romano, King Viktor has invited the Royal Princes Ivan and Eugene to study alongside his on sons Leon, Licht, Bruno and Kai under the watchful eye of The Royal Tutor. Will his plan to form bonds of friendship between the ruling families of both kingdoms bear fruit or will the differences of these two families prove too great to overcome. With peace hanging in the balance, everything is riding on these delicate life lessons.

You know a movie is great when you need to write double summaries!

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I don’t know if you guys saw the first season of The Royal Tutor. By far, the series’ strength lies in its character designs and beautiful art. An obviously limited budget was smartly invested by emphasizing on designers and illustrators and using visible but effective shortcuts for the animation. This remains true of the movie that maintains those gorgeous designs, although a bit more effort was put into the illusion of movement.

For instance, The Royal Tutor movie seriously cuts back on chibis with flat colour background and uses “moving stills” to simulate action instead of having the more animated scenes happen off camera. The illusion isn’t perfect, and I can’t say which I prefer myself, but I appreciate the effort. The only drawback for me was that the princes occasionally looked rather odd at certain angles, especially beautiful Licht.

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Similarly voice acting is unpolished but endearing. What I mean is that it sounds like the actors are having fun. I noticed this too in Touken Ranbu. There’s something relaxed and happy go lucky in the delivery which may not make for Oscar worthy performances but does add to the fun silly atmosphere of the series. I did quite enjoy the soundtrack, even though it was occasionally comically grand. The storyline uses music as an actual narrative element, and they made sure it sounded good.

For once I agreed with the characters onscreen and really did find Eugene’s singing voice quite beautiful.

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I keep joking around about The Royal Tutor being all flash and no substance. This isn’t exactly fair. Much like the series, The Royal Tutor movie more or less amounts to a light, pleasant enough slice of life adventure that can best be defined as cute boys doing cute things. Yes, the story is shallow, and the characters ill defined like you see in a lot of moe series.

And the staples of the genre are all there too. Finding common ground to form friendships. Overcoming minor obstacles through common activities like learning music or practicing fencing together. There’s a more serious politically charged story happening in the background but we at most get tiny clues of its existence.

You won’t get sucked into a fascinating tale that will make you think and feel. The opposite in fact, you will get gently lulled by pretty images and an easily digestible extremely light “plot” that will make you forget all your worries and enjoy the moment. But that’s an art all of its own. And one not to be dismissed. The story is well paced and executed. I was never bored at all and the entire movie felt like a single Royal Tutor episode.

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All and all, I would compare it to my experience with Bungou Stray Dogs: Dead Apples. The Royal Tutor movie wasn’t as charming as the series. There was no time dedicated to introducing the world or the characters as it was clearly meant for already established fans and the new characters felt like add-ons. It never captured the charm that made me enjoy the show so much.

What it did do is remind me of the strengths of the series and create a story that was just familiar enough to get me really excited about season 2. And that’s really the only way I can recommend this movie. If you liked the Royal Tutor, then this short movie is a great little distraction. Otherwise, just watch season 1.

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Favorite character: Viktor

What this anime taught me: always watch the credits to the very end

You made it out of bed! Let’s celebrate!

Suggested drink: Song of Songs

Every time we see a chibi – take a sip

Every time anyone sys “royal tutor” – take a sip

Every time there are still shots – take a sip

Every time you notice CG – cringe a bit

Every time there’s a new lesson – get an apple

Every time we see Ivan’s buster sword – take a sip

Every time anyone blushes – squee

Every time anyone sings – stretch

So a picture is worth a million words right? Get ready for the longest review ever!

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      The Royal Tutor Movie – Attack of the Whites Haired Bishies Genre : Comedy, political intrigue, slice of life, bishonen banquet Episodes: 1 movie Studio:   What’s better than a bevy of blonde bishies?