#genuinely might be one of my new favorite ghibli movies

[waitineedaname]

the boy and the heron is about how birds will kill and eat you if given the chance

[tophthedaydreamer]

Question? If you *had* to change the old Disney Snow White movie, either to adapt it to audiences now, or to make it closer to the original story, or fit your own headcanons? What would you change?

Asking because I genuinely haven’t thought about the movie until I saw you talking about the new live action version. And now I’m thinking about rewatching the movie and trying my hand at rewriting it.

What are the things you’d definitely keep, vs things that you might add if it got more screen time, or even stuff you’d cut or change. (One of mine is actually seeing the Hunter’s family. Which might be my forgetfulness? But I don’t think we do in the movie)

personally, I love 1937 snow white so much that I wouldn't change a thing hehe. I think it's wonderful the way it is.

But if I were to make my own adaptation (which I'm dead set on doing if I ever get the resources and ability to do so)....

I would do my own spin that focuses more on snow white's bond with the dwarves instead of the romance with the prince. As much as I am a sucker for romance, I do adore platonic relationships as well, especially those that are family-oriented. And snow white and the dwarves are my favorite parts of the 1937 film, so why not expand on that? Thus, the prince would probably be cut from the story, and it would be the dwarves who break the spell (they each give her a farewell kiss on the forehead that collectively breaks the curse). another thing I'd change is the dwarves, to an extent. they are still seven little men, but they lean more on the fantasy side. I'm thinking they'd look like a mix of a dwarf, gnome, and gelfling.

elements I'd keep are snow white's traditional attributes (hair black as ebony, skin white as snow, etc.), the evil queen setting multiple traps for snow white (I recall in the original fairytale that the queen tried to kill s.w. with a cursed corset and hairbrush? I'll have to brush up on my snow white lore), and the true love's kiss that breaks the sleeping spell.

I'd also load it with German fairytale aesthetics! I'd want it to be traditionally animated, in a similar style to these other works:

(pls watch a clip of "the girl from the other side" [third picture] bc the animation is crazy good)

The general tone of my version would be a mix of dark fantasy (Don bluth vibes) and peaceful cottagecore (studio Ghibli). Generally a calm, beautiful, but eerie film that isn't afraid to get "Grimm" (eh?! eeeeehhh???!!).

I hope you don't mind my wall of text lol. I just love snow white :P

[jjuzoir]

Homare Arisugawa General HCS

request: “Hi Sora! I never see any art/writing for my boy Homare from A3! (Maybe because his dialogue is so ridiculous.) Would you mind writing something for him?” from tlali

a/n: ahhh i don’t think i’ve ever taken so long in a request jdjdndnd but i just wanted to make it right because i love homare so much❕ he deserves everything and more i just HDHSJJA we need more homare love 🤬 his dialogue is hilarious and i feel like we need to appreciate his style more no more homare slander 🙅

word count: 1667

- He smells like earl gray tea. No one knows why since he uses unscented soaps, he says it’s probably because he spends most of his time drinking or around tea.

- He’s very particular about his hair, he uses very specific shampoos and conditioners that he will absolutely not share or change unless he notices his hair needs it. Talking about his hair, it’s naturally kind of dry so he uses a lot of hydrating products which leaves him with the softest, most fluffy hair ever. It’s like touching a cloud.

- One of his favorite gifts given to him is a tie given to him as a birthday gift by his members. Everyone pitched it, including Izumi, and Azuma picked it out. It’s black, much like his everyday tie, but it’s got a small embroidered snowflake.

- He’s got three main pairs of glasses; his everyday ones he keeps at hand when he goes out, his at home ones which are (according to him) less flattering, and his driving ones. Keep in mind he can’t drive, he doesn’t even own a car.

- He can speak french and latin, and he’s super loud about it too. He’ll sometimes slip in french phrases and no one will understand other than Chikage and it’s just a mess - Muku is always so amazed that he knows two other languages too and probably asks him to teach him sometime.

- Definitely has the prettiest handwriting when it comes to the roman alphabet, he writes in ink and with fancy pens that cost more than Banri’s tuition.

- Absolutely has a bunch of business cards printed out, each with its own quote made by him. Sakyo thought it was such a waste printing them until he realized that no matter how many Homare took when he went to run errands he always gave them all, to whom? No one knows.

- He’s very well respected in the literary community, which still shocks pretty much everyone. He gets stopped often by fans or people who’ve read his work, it happens at least once a day and Izumi really doesn’t… she doesn’t understand, poor girl.

- He’s not that good with phone calls, he’s not bad but he definitely prefers texting or just talking face to face. To him there’s just a certain level of discontent he doesn’t like that doesn’t exist in other mediums.

- His favorite shows are either comedies or heavy hitting detective shows, there is no inbetween. You’ll walk in on him watching a sitcom leave the room and walk in on a serial killer chase down.

- About his love for detective shows, his favorite pastime is trying to solve the mysteries with the main character. He’ll rewatch the episode so many times to try and pick up clues, he’ll take notes and come to a conclusion and he loves the feeling of getting it right.

- In the same spirit as the statement above, absolutely got Tsumugi and Sakyo hooked on some of his favorites and they hang out to talk about the latest episodes and the overarching mystery. The conversations can tend to get kind of heavy very quick, more than once Muku thought they were investigating a real crime and almost fainted.

- He looks like he’s probably allergic to wool sweaters, they make his skin itch and he always needs to use a shirt underneath them - so he tends to buy those expensive anti-allergic ones that need to be washed in a very specific way that could probably pay Tsuzuru’s whole college debt and it takes a lot of restraint from the playwright not to steal one and sell in the black market.

- Talking about Tsuzuru, he often gives him writing advice. Said advice tends to be very useful, like keeping a pen and notebook on him in case anything comes to mind during the day or writing daily to help ease him into a style, etc. Homare genuinely wants him to bloom into a writer and is willing to beta-read anything Minagi needs, be it a script or a sleep deprived rambling about the gay subtext in Nocturnity.

- Arisugawa sets himself reading goals each month, he likes to read at least one book. He prefers poetry books or classic english literature, but he also likes to read romance books or really bizarre dystopian novels.

- Has read more books than most people in the company and can give very detailed recommendations if you give him like a day.

- Sings operas in the shower, unless stopped he will keep going until the second act. Surprisingly good falsetto, but one time Tenma thought it was a Banshee for a second and almost cried into Juza’s chest.

- He’s not only an overly emotional drunk but also a loud drunk, he’s already quite loud but when he’s downed half a bottle of wine and a shot of vodka he’s louder than the Summer Troupe combined. Because of this, Izumi tends to restrict his alcohol intake when they’re at the dorm.

- I can see him being very big into musicals, not all musicals but a very specific niche; classic horror novels turned into musicals. He’s a very big fan of both the German and Korean versions of Dracula, his favorite song is probably “Zu Ende” or the Korean version of “It’s Over”. He also likes the Frankenstein musical too, but overall he finds Junsu’s Dracula more interesting thus his preference.

- He will talk your ear off if you mention any musical though, be it a classic like Phantom or something newer like Heathers.

- A very big fan of Ghibli movies, he told me so himself today. He really likes Spirited Away though, it’s a movie he’s watched so many times but he’s still completely enamoured by it; he probably has made the Winter Troupe watch it at least once and Hisoka definitely knows the beginning of the movie by heart now.

- Homare is also really good at drawing, not like Kazunari but he’s probably the second best. He learned by analyzing and looking at artists he admired and picking up on their techniques. A true Renaissance Man™️.

- I feel like he’d also have a bunch of skills that are kind of, useless? He can probably carve wood and make candles, he also took a course in glass blowing probably. Arisugawa just wants to try everything at least once, his motto is probably to explore and learn as much as possible, not just about art but the world (he can be surprisingly smart if you have a dictionary at hand).

- Very observant, just in general. Which can be both good and bad, it’s good because it helps him understand the situation in ways others might not but it leads to him to sometimes overthinking things and behaving in manners which may annoy or hurt others.

- He also has a hard time trying to react to social cues, as seen in game, with certain people. While he’s worked it out with the Winter troupe and the Mankai company he still struggles when it comes to new people.

- Will make little tunes he sings in the shower that kind of become a little daily song, each day there’s a new one he’ll hum.

- He also canonly makes music and he makes contemporary electro-pop, you cannot change my mind. He probably also mixes opera and classical music into his tunes, which can go from 1 minute to 10, so you end up with a very cool mix of orchestra and techno-pop - it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but he’s probably got his own niche group.

- Now, into more romantic HCs...

- He’s a good flirt, a very good flirt. They may sound weird looking back at it, but his pickup lines work and they work well.

- He knows when to stop pursuing someone too. He senses even a bit of discomfort and he’s backing away, won’t ask anything. Very big on consent and unless stated absolutely explicitly he’ll keep his distance.

- A true gentleman, please - he’ll never let his dates pay, always open the doors for them, will even do the “walk on the inside of the sidewalk” when he’s walking you home.

- His favorite dates tend to be ones where you get to know more about each other, not always necessarily by talking though. Being able to go into a bookstore and look at the books, seeing the ones you pick, what you pick at a cafe or restaurant, it all helps him draw a better picture of who you are and he likes to think it helps you get to know him better too.

- He’s very in tune with his S/O’s feelings but is afraid of overstepping any boundaries which may lead to some miscommunication at the beginning of the relationship. But it’s workable and it wouldn’t be that big an issue in the long run as long as his partner is willing to help him understand them.

- Not big on PDA, thinks certain things should remain inside - not to say he wouldn’t talk for hours about his partner to anyone who listens but things like kissing or hugs tend to be behind closed doors. He’s okay with hand holding and maybe a kiss on the cheek though!

- Likes wearing matching outfits with his S/O, thinks it shows how they’re “one in spirit, heart, and mind” and will not stop pointing it out to the point even married couples feel single as they hear him ramble on about the subtle coordination in your color schemes to create a perfect contrast.

- Notices the smallest things like how much sugar you like in your drinks, the telltale signs of when you’re lying or uncomfortable, how you act when you’re too cold or too hot, and learns it by heart.

- Homare is also the kind of boyfriend who’d confront the waiter if they get your order wrong, he’s not ashamed of it either.

- He kind of just wants to make sure you’re doing well and happy, he’s a gentleman.

- Damn… I love him so much

[josiebelladonna]

dear gen z,

seeing as you guys are bringing back the early 2000s, allow me to oblige. it wasn’t all nu metal, chains, saw, and mall rats. there was far more to this decade than you realize.

you had all the manga type hair with the weird, often bright colors, but you also had strange hairlines like the crisscross look that avril and christina had, squiggly lines, whatever the hell that was that evolved out of “the rachel”. real experimental type stuff. you also had lots of flat hair, too. flat hair that often got crimped or “bumped up” in the back. you had this weird, multicolored dread look that shakira had for a little bit: long dreadlocks down to the waist that were black and white with a touch of color.

three words: low rider jeans. don’t whine, these were a rite of passage when you were a teenage girl back then. if you wore these, you were a badass. i often wore a few cool looking tie belts and belts with studs on them—kinda miss my belts, too.

yeah, we were way more shameless with our fashion than you realize, even those of us who were still kids then. we were baggy (billie eilish doesn’t know shit) but we showed our hips and our bellies. we all shopped at hot topic but also claire’s. we all wanted to be fergie, beyonce, or nelly furtado.

things weren’t all dark back then, either: in fact, the way that decade sits in my memory is one of bright colors. bright neons and the advent of the metallic color scheme. i just think of all the hip hop videos from back then. we were all about how many licks and putting a ring on it, too—get your gross w.a.p outta here.

the whole “post grunge” thing when it was still brand new and not over saturated to death like what happened in 2010, like the notorious nickelback, but you also had 3 doors down, collective soul, and godsmack when they were actually cool. emo wasn’t just mcr, either: really, read up on pop punk and the emo subculture, it’s genuinely fascinating.

you also had these weird little outlier acts like queens of the stone age and the strokes—before they became tumblrcore, too! there was a little renaissance happening with amy winehouse and classical music at the helm, but it was in the background here in the states, though: it took place more so in europe and the uk.

you know what else was big back then? songwriters: jewel, sheryl crow, michelle branch, gwen stefani, and a lot of one hit wonders, but i remember them filling my mom’s stereo on rides home from school (really, look up some of the pop music from back then, it brings back memories for me).

snl was at its most hilarious—at least for me. this was when dubya was in office so the whole thing was ripe for parody (don’t believe me? look up some of the skits following 9/11, you will not be disappointed). sorry, the trump era was pathetic and kind of irritating: i could probably count on one hand how many times i laughed over those four seasons. humor was edgy, and sometimes overly so, but we all laughed because it was just funny to us. one of my favorite movies ever is scary movie.

british comedy was excellent this time, too: two of my favorite shows ever, peep show and skins, came out this era.

(full offense, but your meme humor SUCKS. a lot of it has to do with delivery but it also has to do with subversion. it’s why i like to write bait-and-switch in my more comedic writings. memes are so predictable that they’re boring; or they’re just one note and you wind up feeling sad instead).

cartoons were huge back then, especially of the adult caliber: family guy, south park, futurama, aqua teen hunger force, it was all edgy and awesome—as much as i love bojack, i always go back to the griffins. cartoon network and pixar were at their pinnacles back then, too, so was dreamworks: disney, not so much. i didn’t see the appeal of it, but the fact luca did so good tells me that pixar might be coming back—”might be”, anyway. i saw soul last year and wasn’t impressed. studio ghibli were the underdogs of this decade, too, but everyone loved them.

this is the last decade where the internet was still a luxury, social media didn’t exist—and when it did, it was cumbersome—and the iphone hadn’t been invented yet, so we all had gameboys, nintendo ds, xboxes, this was when playstation was at its height. hell, i remember still playing outside in 2002.

no one got their feelings hurt. even those of us who were struggling, we were still friends and stuff to each other. bullies were genuinely reviled because of this: none of this stupid ass “ew, you said something i don’t agree with”/”ew, you have an opinion” *blocked* bullshit.

yeah, fanfiction was a hellscape (oof, talk about drama—from what i’ve seen from people who were in those circles back then, what happened to me last year was child’s play), but people wrote it anyway because it’s fun. we were all genuinely supportive of one another—and none of this sissy “sorry to bother you” nonsense, either.

horror was big—by the way, it wasn’t just slasher movies, either; i remember seeing so many commercials for those supernatural type movies like the ring and remakes of the fog and one of my favorite horror movies, the exorcist—so was fantasy: the harry potter movies come to mind, and you also had narnia, pirates of the caribbean, van helsing, star wars before it turned strictly into a nostalgia fest, one of my favorite keanu reeves movies constantine, and this was when the first twilight book came out, too. romance was everywhere, too, like everyone did romcoms, and even though they were ubiquitous, they came in different flavors. hell, even dramas and crime shows back then were fun as hell: i have so many memories of going to school on tuesday and  friday mornings and talking to my friends about last might’s episode of csi and csi: miami, or house, or burn notice.

that decade was so diverse when i think about it. it was diverse and fun and indulgent and no one gave a shit because we all felt like we were all friends.

so, i don’t know what you guys are thinking that the 2000s were dark and depressing because… they actually weren’t. it was after columbine, y2k, and 9/11, and the overly serious 90s: we looked dark but we were all about having a good time, though. we weren’t at each other’s throats for stupid petty reasons all the time, either. we didn’t act like babies, either: i was 6 years old january 1, 2000, and i was 13 years old january 1, 2007. i was a kid, for sure, but i acted mature because it felt necessary to me. it was such a unique decade that you guys literally have your work cut out for you—i say this to anyone nostalgic for a time bygone, too.

all i can say is: don’t make the same mistake geriatric millennials did over the 2010s (i’m sorry, but they deserve to be called that for dressing like old people) and make it just another lame tiktok trend.

thank you,

someone who lived through that era and enjoyed every minute of it.

[bi-bobbysoxxers]

Heyy y'all! I was tagged by @meiyanaalexia Thanks for the tag, fam!

Rules: List ten of your fave female characters from your ten fave fandoms and then tag 10 other ppl!

This list is by no means comprehensive or a ranked list, as i think all my fave characters are equally bad betches, in their own right xD alright let's get to it!

-Tamari and Lady Tsunade (Naruto/Naruto Shippuden)

Tamari's one of the more cool, levelheaded female side characters in naruto and idk, she's very much Gaara and Kankuro's rock, and idk, i like that. I view her as a very strong female character, and i think she carries a lot of badass masculine energy. Plus she's a badass fighter as well. (((And she's hot but that's beside the point lol))) I like Lady Tsunade a lot, but i admit, i wasnt a fan of her at first. But now that I'm seeing her character unfold in Shippuden, I like her a lot. I like the concept that she's kiind of a grouchy, reluctant leader of the leaf village, cause that makes her seem like a very reliable leader, in a way. I think she's hella underrated as a strong character, tbh. Plus i like that she's a healing ninja, cause it seems so opposite to her outward personality. The more i watch naruto the more i'm really liking more of their female characters, tbh.

Quotes!

Tamari: "Sharpen your karma at sunset."

Tsunade: "People become stronger because they have things they cannot forget. That's what you call growth."

-Lucy and Kiyoko (Bungou Stray Dogs)

oh wow, uh, not gonna lie, i really like this anime more for most of the male characters, but Lucy and Kiyoko have alswas been in my faves list. I didnt really understand Lucy's character in season one but as the plot thickens, so does her issues with wanting to morally become a better person, but still being fairly new to learning to become selfless. I think a lot of people can relate to her because she can be fairly emotionally erratic, and she struggles with the whole "forgiveness thing." But later on you see that all she really wanted was a true family and friends that value her. And i think that's something we all want, deep down. Also, her powers are highly unnderrated and badass and i love how she is slowly becoming a protector for ppl like Atsushi, which really shows her growth as a character.

I also put Kiyoko on this list because i think she is equally as good of a female character as Lucy is, but for dif reasons. I loveeee the whole concept of "initially bad" characters soon wanting to become good. There's a simplicity in her character that i think models Atsushi's in a way, i mean they're both damaged, but both yearn to do good and make a comeback with the chances they've been given in life. If Lucy was a Tarot Card she would be the Fool. I also love how steadfast she is in her newfound family and how much she believes in everyone in the ADA now. It's very wholesome and pure :3 also i love her and Atsushi's relationship, it kinda reminds me of me and my BFF's ride or die relationship, lol.

Lucy: "Make sure you survive...Then come back for me. I'll be waiting."

Kiyoko: "I saw a bright world. I cannot go back to a time when I didn't know such a thing existed."

-Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter)

Ugh, there's so many things about this character that I have always loved and adored. Her character design, her quiet whimsical weirdness. Her determined loyalty to the people that accept her. Her lovely simple wisdom, at times. Like Harry said, Luna is just "...coooll." She kinda reminds me of me when I was a teenager but way cooler lol.

Luna: "My mum always said things we lose have a way of coming back to us, in the end."

-Lara Croft (Tomb Raider movies and videogames)

Laura is....a simple character by design. If anything, the plotlines and video game design of the Tomb Raider franchise are way more intricate. And yeah...there's her misogynistic character design (Note: the impossibly snatched waist and bOoBiEs in earlier games.)

BUT. I still stan her for a multitude of reasons. Growing up, there were may more princess characters than female warrior characters and ya know, I'm really glad I was exposed to Lara Croft movies and the Tomb Raider: Legend video games as a kid. I think Laura taught me that you can definitely embrace your feminine side and still be a badass and follow your dreams. Even now, after me finally figuring out i'm not cis, i know, that she's still an icon for most kids out there. And for me too. She was a symbol of bravery, intelligence, as well as still being a character of emotional depth, grieving the loss of her parents while vowing to continue to do what she loved, which is exploring. Cultural and moral problems with her character aside, i still find both her and her stories very inspirational, both as a bigender queer person, and as a designer.

Laura Quotes: "The line between our myths and truth is fragile and blurry."

"The extraordinary is in what we do, not who we are."

-Scorpia (She-Ra)

Oh wow, i could go on for days about how much i love thus character. If you're queer or fun in any capacity you've probably watched the final season fo She-Ra by now and spoilers aside, i just love the journey this character went on from start to finish. Scorpia is so genuine and nice, and sometimes that puts her in situations where she has to make hard decisions. And idk, those decisions just made that character so much better for me. On a lighter note, Scorpia is great queer rep, especially for butch lesbians, lesbians, trans ppl, androg ppl, and gender nonconforming ppl. She's always said things that have resonated with me as a queer person and aside from that, she's a very excitable and fun character. She just excudes so much curiosity and joy that you really can't help but like her, lol.

Scorpia: "I am brave, strong, loyal, and i give great hugs!"

-Sypha (Castlevania)

Altho I personally don't view Sypha as a cis woman, (I see her as nonbinary or agender), I think the way characters treat her in the show is indicative that in that period, they view her as a woman. So i figured I could put her on this list as well lol. Anyways, uhhh wow, Sypha is great, there's so much I love about her that it's hard to put into words. I love that she regards herself as a "scholar" of magic, but still views herself as a heretic, I just find it pretty funny and very sexy of her lol. Aside from that, I think Sypha is a great character who always seeks out logic where there usually ends up being none. I love her cheeky remarks to both Alucard and Trevor, and I love her can-do attitude. At the end of the day, she's one of those characters you love just for her great energy she carries for herself within the show. There's really no rhyme or reason to her, she just, is. She subverts many female mage character tropes as well, being a natural badass. Also her god jokes are so damn funny.

Sypha: "See?? God hates me!?

-Aunt Sarah (Derry Girls)

Okay first of all, if you havent seen Derry girls, pleaseeee watch it, holy shit it's the funniest show i've seen in a longass time. Second of all, my friend and I are still going thru the show, but Ajnt Sarah has started to become one of my favorite characters. She's one of those very aloof characters that you kinda ignore at first but then her character just has these amazing one liners and she really grows on you. Also she is very caring about her family and she's cute as hell???? I'm sorry but like her aesthetic is just on fuckin point, like??? Go off babe?? Anyways yeah she's cute.

No quotes for her since that might ruin some of the better punchlines if you end up watching the show lol.

-Marga (Cable Girls)

Yeah, if you want a really good 1920's drama that focuses on women, go give Cable Girls a try! It is very poetic in its direction lol. Anyways, Marga is one of the "new girls" at the beginning of the show and she is just, so earnest, and genuine, and pure. And I love her. She's very nice to the other girls working and she's got some great one liners. She's that timid, cute character that slowy comes out of her shell throughout the show lol.

-Kiki and Sheeta (Studio Ghibli)

I loveee Studio Ghibli films, and one of my two fave films of Miyazaki are Kiki's Delivery Service and my ultimate fave, Castle in the Sky. I adore Kiki as a character because she is your quintessential cute witch, and her journey with finding and grasping her full powers are very relevant to me, and my journey with upholding my creativity as a designer. As well as being a great movie with a great lessom for all artists, Kiki is a very passionate and genuine character, who's resilency has inspired me in hard times. I love her relationship that she has with other ppl as nd creatures, especially with her cat Gigi. She's cute, i love her lots.

Sheeta, I love for different reasons. Sheeta is one of those rare instances where a quiet protagonist, really works. I love her calm and humble, yet powerful energy surrounding her. I love her background, and how there has always beem magic inside of her, even if she's not a practicing witch. She is so very humble and a very introspective character. There's not a lot of female protagonists quite like her. Plus she's adorable as well, lol.

-Aunt Hilda, Zelda, Prudence, and Lilith (CHAOS)

I'm not gonna get into super specifics since i love all these characters equally, but I will say that all these characters absolutely MADE this series for me. I personally found Sabrina's character very annoying and slightly egotistical (i mean she's allowed to be i suppose,lol) but these characters were just so much fun!

I love Aunt Hilda for her soft personality and great revenge comebacks. I love Prudence for her aesthetic, character design, and amazing characrer development throughout the series. I love Lilith, for being both a BAMF and. MILF, lolz. And finally, i absolutely adore Zelda's character, for being so poised, calculating, blunt, and yet so very badass and loveable xD I love everything about her character, tbh.

There's so many good quotes from each character, so just watch the show, lol.

Andddd i think that's it! Sorry this was super long, I wanted to state my reasoms for why these characters were on the list, lol. Hope you liked some of my character analysis, feel free to screech with me about shows anytime lol. I'd love more good show recs!

You def don't have to go as hard as I did on this but I tag:

@heathen-beast @iquotetheravennevermore @sweet-communist @gardiewithyou @sawayakakuns @shortlady72 @thatonegirluniverse @thatlowkeyhipster @letting-and-living @beauxxxtifullies @catastrafey

Anyone else can participate if they feel like it! Have fun lol. Let's love our great women characters lol.

[a-trainers-tale]

Hello there! I'd like to request a paid pokemon team description if you please! I had previously sent in the ask for the free one but changed my mind and decided to pay for one instead. Hopefully that's alright. Lol. So where to start. I'm a 21 year old female Leo. Personality wise, I would basically boil it down to, I’m an amiable introvert. I’ve always been really shy and quiet around strangers, maybe even a bit cautious of friendships as I’ve had too many experiences in the past of (1/?)

toxic friends. However, once I perceive a person to be real and genuine, I can open up to them easily, becoming who I truly am around them: fun-loving, excitable and talkative. I have MBTI personality type INFP also known as The Mediator, which makes sense as I'm definitely the peacekeeping type. In my small group of friends, I'm basically the one who keeps them from getting into fights with each other or other people. I'm also the one who diffuses situations. I myself dislike conflict and (2/?) will do everything in my power to actively ignore it, which may be one of my downfalls. For more positive traits, I have a high level of patience, meaning that I won’t give up on people easily even if everyone else has. I’m also very nurturing towards the people I love. I love raising people up and giving them all the support and affection I can. I’m definitely a hugger. However, more negative traits include my stubbornness and pride. These two go hand in hand really. I pride myself in my (3/?) ability to lead and keep a cool and level head when stuff hits the fan but sometimes even a situation can be too much for me and I’ll quickly begin to crumble. However, in an effort to still appear as the cool, kind leader everyone looks up to, I’ll straight up lie about how I really feel and oftentimes will refuse help. This isn’t just with feelings either. It’s with anything from homework to projects, etc. It’s probably worth mentioning that I can also be incredibly lazy sometimes. My (4/?) bursts of hardworking spirit can often be met with equally long periods of me just going, “Meh…” My hobbies and interests include my top three: Drawing, writing and playing video games. I draw mostly cartoon looking things with maybe a dash of anime sprinkled in there. There’s definitely a lot of video game fan art in there too. When it comes to my writing, I generally like to write a lot of fanfiction (the non-cringy sort. lol.) about different video games and of course, I write my own (5/?) do, so much so that sometimes the story never even gets written. My favorite kinds of video games range from adorable friendly things to horrifying video games. Things like RPGs, strategy, action, horror, etc. I don’t have any consoles so I mostly play PC and mobile games. My top three favorite franchises are Pokemon, Animal Crossing and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. I also enjoy Minecraft, Destiny 2 and Tomb Raider. I’ve also been playing Pokemon since Generation 2 with my first game (6/?) Pokemon Silver. Other things I love include baking, reading (especially history), movies (love studio ghibli, anime, horror, action, thriller, comedy, etc.), TV shows about true crime, history and the paranormal. Speaking of, I'm a huge fan of the paranormal and come from a family of people spiritually sensitive to those sorts of things. I also love animes like Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Hetalia and My Hero Academia. My favorite music includes hardstyle, edm, pop, 80’s/90’s hits, etc. (7/?) My favorite artists consist of Gorillaz, Melanie Martinez, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, etc. I also love going on hikes, swimming and just getting to experience nature. I will admit, I’m a kid who loves to snooze. Sometimes when there’s nothing else left to do, nothing’s better than curling up in bed with the blinds closed and room freezing cold with a warm blanket. I think the reason why is because I’m a vivid dreamer. Most of my inspiration comes from the things I dream up of and my dreams (8/?) always provide me with what may not be obtainable in real life. I’m currently going to school to become a preschool, elementary school or daycare teacher. I’m glad knowing that someday, I could make a difference in a child’s life with my kindness. I love Pokemon because it's given me a sense of joy all these years later after initially discovering it as a child. It's the one thing that had always stuck. This had been a lot of asks but I hope it's enough. Thank you for your time. (9/9)

Trainer class: Nurse

You have a naturally nurturing and caring heart and mind. You like to be able to help people and take care of people, this comes from both a genuine desire to help and also a likely subconscious desire to hold that kind of power in any relationships you have. You have a lot of patience and are willing to wait for things. Nurses do not initiate battle, they will wait for people to come to them directly, and after the battle will heal their opponent's pokemon. This is similar to how you approach your relationships with people, you wait for them to come to you and then dedicate yourself to listening, helping, and diffusing problems. Some people might not really understand you and think that your way of life seems boring or irritating but the way that you view it, helping others is also helping yourself. By not going out of your way to be a rockstar pokemon trainer, you are able to better focus on what you care about, namely helping those who need help and bonding with your pokemon who are safe in your care. Your determination comes and goes, some days you are content to relax with those closest to your and your pokemon, but other days you are out trying to find new methods of helping trainers and pokemon alike. You are creative in how you help pokemon and you pride yourself on your work when you are feeling passionate

Starter: Chikorita

Your starter pokemon is Chikorita. Like you, Chikorita really loves laid back activities and taking naps. Chikorita is often found sunbathing and relaxing in comfortable spots outdoors. Chikorita spends a lot of time looking for the perfect nap conditions and once it finds them it is hardpressed to leave before having its fill of a wonderful afternoon nap. You and Chikorita spend a lot of time relaxing and napping together, and you bond over enjoying simpler activities. Chikorita's lower energy makes it a good fit for you, and it doesn't often pick fights so it will never be a cause for concern for you. 

Partner: Steelix

Steelix is also a very patient pokemon, living for over 100 years sometimes, these pokemon will slowly become harder than diamonds. Steelix is also a very stubborn and very individualistic pokemon, which makes it somewhat of a challenge for you to get it to work with your other pokemon sometimes. You relate to your Steelix's desire to hole itself up in a cave somewhere and ignore any responsibility it may have, but you also relate to how it very often pulls itself out and helps out the rest of your team with you. Steelix is also fiercely protective, you so never have to worry about your other pokemon getting into trouble with Steelix around.

Team: Meganium (starter), Bastiodon, Darmanitan (zen), Dragonair, Hatterene

Hometown: Icirrus City, Unova

Your hometown is Icirrus City in the Unova region. This town is very humid and covered in wetlands, so most of the buildings are on higher ground and there are a lot of inclines. This town is also nearby Dragonspiral Tower, which is the oldest building in Unova and is said to be the home of legendary pokemon Zekrom and Reshiram. Because of your early life consisting of brave trainers venturing here to seek these legendary pokemon, and people fighting over the right to study and unearth these pokemon, you came to realize that you prefer to stay out of the mess most of the time and sometimes help people stuck within it. Your dedication to yourself and your pokemon is very rooted in your decision when you were younger to live a simpler life than a lot of the people who came through your hometown. You also gained some creativity due to growing up in an area that required creative architecture. Your experiences with rather difficult terrain and an interesting social climate made you the kind of person you are, namely that you keep your head when things get weird and you are willing to wait and be patient when others are more inclined to rush in head first.

Battle style: Slow and steady wins the race

You are a very patient and slow battler. You take your time and are very cautious. You tend to come overprepared, with lots of healing items and stat boosting items. Your pokemon are not necessarily hard hitters, but you prioritize their ability to be reliable and predictable for you to use. You prefer pokemon who will consistently do a set amount of damage, for instance, over a pokemon who might or might not do a ton of damage in one hit. You prefer pokemon that work well in groups, you like a team that can work together and help each other over individualistic and self reliant pokemon. You help your pokemon learn to work together and learn to love being a team instead of competing with one another. You enjoy being able to take your time in battles and observe your own pokemon and your opponents for areas they could be more creative or more consistent. Your pokemon all trust you deeply and know that if they take any damage or have any conflict they can't solve themselves, you will be there to help them out of their bind and comfort them after the fact. 

[zestynoodz]

@anthrouvaille tagged me in this little questionnaire!

1. Do you make your bed?

Usually not in the mornings but after I get home from work.

2. Favorite number.

I guess like 7? Its kinda weird and out there. Yeah lets go with 7

3. Whats your job?

I'm a working actor as well as a shift manager at a coffee shop.

4. If you could, would you go back to school?

I might go back some time and get like a graphic design degree but I'm in a pretty good spot for someone who dropped out of art school.

5. Can you parallel park?

No I dont have a licence lmao

6. A job youve had that would surprise people

I feel like a lot of people dont expect me to have my current jobs. The biggest one is that I used to sell TV's and also probably that I worked at a book store and at a candy shop.

7. Do you think aliens are real?

Probably given how big the universe is.

8. Can you drive a manual?

Nope. 🙃

9. Whats your guilty pleasure?

Dead ass Sims youtube videos and/or vocaloids

10. Tattoos?

Right now I have four and I have plans for at least three more. I have a pin up of a jazzy sailor girl. I have a yellow bird with a silver wreath. A semicolon and a stick and poke witch hat that I honestly hate and am going to get covered up with a never shout never tattoo

11. Favorite Color?

Usually I go to purple but lately Ive been really into mustard yellow

12. Things people do that drive you crazy?

I'll rip you a new asshole if youre rude to a customer service employee. I cant stand indirect or poor communication. (That being said I'm not a big fan of surprise's) and especially people who sugar coat things. Please Id much rather you hurt me for like a second and know what you need/want from me then misunderstand your intentions.

13. Any phobias?

Other then the constant anxiety that everyone in my life secretly hates me and just deals with me out of pity or politeness I cant really think of anything.

14. Favorite childhood sport?

I didnt really do sports as a kid. But I started dancing in high school.

15. Do you talk to yourself?

Yes! Mostly to organize my own thoughts or to talk my self out of some real bad anxiety

16. What movie do you adore?

And Ghibli movie. Or honestly anything thats just cute. Id much rather watch some cute dumb cartoon then some like high action blockbuster

17. Do you like puzzles?

So I get really frustrated when something takes too long for me to figure out. So theyre not for me. But I think it's low key charming if someone is into puzzles.

18. Favorite music?

Usually I listen to musical numbers or some kind of indipop/folk. But lately Ive been super into hip-hop.

19. Coffee or tea?

Coffee if I'm not at home, tea if I am.

20. Whats the first thing you remember wanting to be when you grow up?

Okay the genuine answer is a grandma. But like a job was an actor/musician (guess I made it) or a fireman.

Ima tag @pokemon-doctor-digimon @i-am-moss-the-boss @qualitybirdmemes @generic-waffle @awwdish @catnipciti @fungiblegoods @semiaquaticcat @pleasantkarma

[recentanimenews]

Why "Bad" Dubs Are Good

When it comes to translating and adaptating anime, most people don't even know where the process begins or ends. Enter the world of dubbed anime. From the mid 1980s up to the early 2000s, dubbed anime experienced a transformative boom via the transition from video-only releases to cable syndication. Back in the day, you walked six miles in the snow to a sketchy video store to get your Neon Genesis Evangelion tapes supplied by only a handful of distributors.

  Among these early birds were the dubs produced by licensor Manga Entertainment, which included the original VHS tape release of Oh! Production’s classic Devilman OVA dubs based off the popular horror manga by Go Nagai. Other notable early dub projects included Cyber City Oedo 808 which delivered perhaps the crowning achievement in anime dubbing history (warning: explicit language). All of these dubs have one thing in common: they deviate so much from their original scripts, they may actually be some of the best dubs ever made. They're so "bad" they redefine what we think of as good.

   Devilman OVA (1995)

  Let’s go back to 1995—Manga Entertainment had acquired the first Devilman OVA, The Birth, and had enlisted the voice talents of Alan D. Marriott as Akira Fudo and Adam Matalon as Ryo Asuka, two young men caught in the middle of some very angry and lewd demons. The dub was released on VHS tape and was definitely the sort of thing you wouldn’t see on front shelves at video stores.

This was a time before Pokémon, where anime was still a niche genre with a dedicated, but significantly smaller fanbase. For context, Fox Video had only just released My Neighbor Totoro’s English dub in 1993. Even earlier than that was the notorious 1985 home video release of Warriors of the Wind, a Frankenstein'd “adaptation” of Nausicaaä of the Valley of the Wind that promptly led to Studio Ghibli adopting a “no cuts” policy in future film dubs. Any future competent dubs were going to have to be better than that.

  Artwork for Warriors of the Wind

The 1995 Devilman dub sat in-between this awkward era, a time where a “no cuts” was the established policy for Studio Ghibli movies, but adult-oriented anime was left to fend for itself. A story entirely about evil demons, horrification transformation, nudity, and heavy violence couldn’t be heavily edited or censored without destroying the final product. Hence, the 1995 Devilman dub is but a handful of dubs that take a wildly different approach to “adaptation” while still surprisingly remaining true to the source material’s intent. It remained true to the spirit of Devilman's intense themes and tone, but with its own truly biting twist.

Committing to the Bit

In the 1995 Devilman dub, as Akira and Ryo are being attacked by a demon crashing through a window, Matalon (Ryo) yells “f#%kin’ a run for it” in the less-than-impressed voice of a nineties young adult who just finished watching Clerks. While in the Japanese dub Ryo seems genuinely caught off guard, Matalon’s delivery of Ryo’s adapted lines sounds like something from The Evil Dead. The Devilman OVA dub did well enough to dovetail into a second volume, which continued this trend of believable yet totally different dialogue. Devilman’s awkward mid-nineties dub might be considered an early “gag dub” in the same way many consider the infamous story of Ghost Stories’ 2005 ADV release ten years later. When it comes to “committing to the bit,” this series adapted by Steven Foster truly challenged what it meant to be a “good” dub.

Ghost Stories

Despite being a commercial flop in Japan, the Ghost Stories dub found a much different audience with its definitely-not-for-broadcast adaptation. However, unlike the the Devilman dubs prior to it, cultural changes such as the rise of adult animation like South Park made potty-mouth cartoons slightly more acceptable. For example, Ghost Stories’ purple-haired schoolgirl Momoko is a reserved and quiet character in the original, but is transformed into a bizarre born again Evangelical Christian in the ADV adaptation. While this joke obviously wouldn’t make much sense in the original, the straight performance of the adapted script flies with these changes without pause. A dub that should be “bad” for the sake of technically being incorrect, in fact, excels in strange new ways that the original never could.

Although the Ghost Stories dub took full advantage of its artistic liberties, the spirit of the original characters and plot remain the same, albeit with a snarky bite maybe influenced from an era of MTV and Beavis and Butthead. For what’s now considered a “boom” in anime dubs and license acquisitions during the early 2000s, Ghost Stories took the risk of deviating from the norm and wildly succeeded. Like adapting a book to a movie or album to a musical, anime dubs too were finding their footing into a quickly growing market.

Broadcast Dubs and Donuts

As anime gained more mainstream acceptance (more notably with series like Pokémon and Sailor Moon meant for younger audiences,) this liberal use of colorful language drastically slowed down. However, the question of “how is anime accessible” still remained, resulting in a wide range of localization efforts from different licensors aiming for a demographic sweet spot. While many anime fans remember Brock’s strange description of “donuts” while obviously holding a rice ball, other less blunt localizations prevailed.

Broadcast dubs like Digimon notably changed little content, but made several script changes such as adding jokes and dialogue where there was once silence. While obviously different, these adaptations are still enjoyed as products of their time and lauded for the incredible hard work of the voice actors and script writers involved. These series, syndicated alongside the Americanized version of Super Sentai aka Power Rangers on Fox Kids, exemplify how much localization depends on the audience and the context in which they’re watching it. Digimon: The Movie—a Frankenstein combination of three different Digimon OVAs for theatrical release—even included a meta joke about the Power Rangers for good measure to drive the point home.

"Japanese donuts"

  While not as crude as the pioneering dubs coming from licensors like Manga Entertainment, these 2000s dubbed television anime clearly took a page from their predecessor’s adaptation handbook. This is obviously how we ended up with an extended Big Lebowski reference in the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX English dub. Rather than argue over “subs versus dubs” maybe we should judge our anime dubs by the number of jokes about capitalism.

So Bad It’s Good

Why do dubs like Devilman and Ghost Stories work, versus botched projects like the Warriors of the Wind movie? Anime fandom in the west was far smaller compared to today and it was much more difficult to know if your dub was technically accurate. “Gag dubs” as they’re occasionally called, aren’t so much “bad dubs” as they are a method of adaptation and localization—a challenging task that most translators find difficult on their own without outside help.

  Anime with strong visual cues, like ghosts and demons, can clearly tell a story without much exposition given a surface-level understanding of fiction tropes. This is how we get jokes about politics and Walmart in what was once a kid’s show about solving spooky mysteries. But much more often, the owners of the source material dictate the tone of any adaptations: funny, serious, or in the worst case scenario—losing the original scripts altogether (hello Samurai Pizza Cats).

   “Oh sweet Pipimi, is this really what you wanted?” “OH YAAS QUEEN”

  While most anime might not be fit for a drastically ambitious dub, dubs for recent anime such as Pop Team Epic continue this long tradition of changing the script for better comedic effect. Pop Team Epic throws in a healthy “yaas queen” from Pipimi (Luci Christian) and includes riffs that might’ve not worked in Japanese, but are a perfect fit for its loose and quirky dub. But the English dub stays true to the source material and is also recorded twice with different female and male voice actors.

  A truly purist approach might not always get the best delivery from a voice actor—Japanese grammar structures are almost entirely inverted from English’s and a rough translation can make a smooth dub performance difficult. Simple techniques such as changing the tone of jokes and a line delivery can quickly make a series more approachable. Anime, after all, is for everyone no matter how familiar they are with the genre, Japanese culture, or obscure sentai references only your uncle understands. 

  Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about jelly-filled donuts anymore.

Do you have a favorite anime dub? Let us know in the comments!

  ------

Blake P. is a writer who loves his cat. He likes old mecha anime, computer games, books, and black coffee. His twitter is @_dispossessed. His bylines include Fanbyte, VRV, Unwinnable, and more. His newsletter is Boy Toy Box.

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

[lookingforann]

L i f e  U p d a t e ~

Happy 2k19, everybody! I mean it’s already the second page of book 2k19, and I just had typical days. I chose to have a kinda free and relaxing time before I go back to work tomorrow. Yep, and that is the saddest thing at the moment. Paper works and stressful days are waiting for me. Huhuhu. Just thinking about the things I have to do especially for the next days and months to come, I just want to cry. Well, I have to face the consequence since I did not do anything this Christmas break. I love my life. 

Anyway, here are the things I did.

January 1, 2019 (now we have to adjust again in writing the year lol)

After spending the New Year’s Eve, nothing much happened in the morning except eating a lot. A lot. Mostly, sweets like graham, salad, and mango cake. I was really having a hard time what to eat first. I hope I only have that kind of problem in decision making. 

Decided to go out, or probably should I say to buy some necessities. I headed back home immediately.

Watched Infinity War again with my older siblings and ugh, I just got excited and stressed at the same time.

January 2, 2019

I woke up early! Hoooray! I realized that it’s not bad to wake up early and have some tea while listening to some OPM Hits. 

Was actually planning to go somewhere but decided not to because somehow, a realization hit me: “what for?”

Spent my whole day watching movies: Cinderella, Spirited Away, The Tale of Princess Kaguya. I watched the first two already. But I had some new realizations after watching them. I hope you don’t mind if what you will read next are my thoughts about them.

 “Where there is kindness, there is goodness. Where there is goodness,  there is magic.” - Cinderella, 2015

(I can still remember who I was with when I watched this in cinema)

Realizations:

It’s not bad to believe in magic sometimes (but I prefer believing in miracle hihi)

To be seen as we truly are is one of the biggest risks we will ever take, and sometimes, that is everything.

Be kind to people. One day, every kindness you gave will go back to you. And sometimes, it’s more than what you’d expect.

Don't be afraid of a little hard work.

To forgive is the most courageous act you could ever make.

When you choose to love, you always win.

“Nothing that happens is ever forgotten, even if you can’t remember it.” - Spirited Away

I already watched this so many times few years ago, but who cares? It never gets old! Spirited Away is one of my favorite Studio Ghibli movies! My love for the Haku is still the same.

Realizations:

Once you are fed of wrong things like selfishness and greed, you can turn in to this monster that somehow you never thought you could ever be.

Having a pure or genuine heart is what matters the most.

Show your gratitude and say thank you to the people who have helped you in anyway. 

Some people are actually the toxins of this world.

Sometimes when you are blinded of hardships and sufferings, you might lose yourself.

“But when she sang that song, tears would come to her eyes.” - The Tale of Princess Kaguya

This is the first time I’ve watched this, swear, I was mixed up. I got mixed feelings. Studio Ghibli never fails to amuse me.

Realizations:

Living means being with people you love the most.

This world will offer you a lot, but not all of them are true.

Sometimes we misinterpret what the Heaven wants us to do because of our own desires and ambitions -- and sometimes, it’s the reason why others or even ourselves get hurt.

There are things that are not meant to happen no matter how you badly want it.

There is someone who will always occupy a special space in your heart.

You will never understand how happiness looks like when you don’t undergo from sadness and sufferings. The more you feel it, the more you’ll eventually understand.

Until you have time, feel the joy of living.

There, I am so happy about these things and perspectives I’ve learned. I pray that I will always put these on my mind. ‘Til next post! Take a good care of yourself.

[hollyplays]

The Roundup: July 2018

It’s been a shitty, shitty month. I’m getting evicted, we got into a car accident, the new insurance has my girlfriend confused for someone with a horrible speeding ticket record, and my little brother, who is learning to drive, has started hiding the car keys for some reason.

I have a tendency to hoard media. During my first year of college I was extremely depressed and contemplating suicide when I read a piece of advice- find something to look forward to, and you’ll never do it. So I started hoarding comics- I think I have 180 GBs of comics on my computer- and movies.

Well, at some point during July things got so bad I started burning through my movies. I’m not sure exactly how many I watched, but...it’s a lot. This is going to be long. 

(I have since stopped watching multiple movies a day, and gone back to semi normal movie watching habits.)

Tampopo: I think I technically watched this in June and forgot, but I love it. Tampopo is a “food western” about a group of food enthusiasts helping a young woman perfect her ramen restaurant. Tampopo has lots of smaller vignettes about how food affects our lives, and the result is lovely and comforting and meditative. Tampopo is excellent, and manages to have one of the best opening scenes to a movie I’ve ever seen.

The Exterminating Angel: This was my first movie by Luis Bunuel, and I loved it. This kind of supernaturalish, surreal horror really really works for me. Plus, the rich suffer, which is always nice. This movie is really wonderful, plus the behind-the-scenes stuff on the blu-ray was super interesting. Apparently to make the actors more uncomfortable in the scene, Bunuel would rub honey all over their arms. Nasty.

The Fisher King: My second Gilliam movie. Better than Jabberwocky, but I still wouldn’t call it good. Robin Williams was excellent as always, but I felt like Jeff Bridges was playing half a character. It had some touching scenes, but overall kind of forgettable. I don’t think I’ll be seeking out Gilliam anymore.

Badlands: I try not to judge directors on their first movie, but Badlands really comes out in Malick’s favor. This is as wonderful a movie about a serial killer as I’m likely to ever see. It’s like a landscape painting with characters. It manages to never be slow or drag despite long flowing scenes. I’m still thinking about Badlands more than a month later, and that says a lot.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine: This is a really interesting game. WWTLW has one of the most unique mechanics I’ve ever seen in a video game, and the process of watching your stories grow and evolve is so, so cool. I wish the overworld map wasn’t so barren, and that the sprinting mechanic wasn’t such a pain, but beyond that this game is excellent. The writing here is top-notch.

Eraserhead: I’d technically seen this before, but I was half asleep so I’m counting it. Eraserhead is obviously good- it’s film history for a reason- but on a second viewing I’m struck by just how impressive the visual storytelling is. The dialogue in this movie could fit on half a page, but there’s still so so much to it. You need to see this at least once.

Frances Ha: “Frustrating, but enjoyable” seems to be Baumbach’s general ouvre, and Frances Ha is no exception. Still, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Frances is likable, even when she’s fucking up, which is more than I can say for her life partner Sophie. For as much time as Frances spends making mistakes, it’s really lovely and warm to see things come together for her in the end. Worth a watch, especially at an hour and fifteen minutes.

The Thin Red Line: Jesus christ, this movie is so long. It’s two hours and forty minutes long, and nothing of worth happens after the forty minute mark. It’s a war movie that manages to be beautiful and haunting, which would be impressive if it didn’t just fucking drag. I might watch this again and just turn it off at two hours, honestly.

Days of Heaven: I wanted this to be better than Thin Red Line and it was. Days of Heaven brings Malick’s landscape painter sensibility to labor in the 20th century, and the result is genuinely fantastic. The visuals here are stunning, even if the story is a little lacking- my biggest frustration is that most of the story events take place in the third act, like Days of Heaven is the first part in a series of novels that doesn’t exist.

Fat Girl: I get what this movie was trying to do. I understand the metaphor for how dangerous it is to be a woman. I get it, and I can respect it, but fuck do I hate this movie. I just don’t wanna watch 2 hours of a young fat girl getting shit on by her family, interspersed with rape scenes. I’m not interested in that, no matter how pretty it’s shot.

Mary and the Witch’s Flower: I watched this as a palate cleanser after Fat Girl, and it served that purpose just fine. It’s an okay movie on it’s own, but in the shadow of the rest of Ghibli it kind of pales. The animation and visuals are as phenomenal as ever, but the story is a little all over the place. Definitely still enjoyable, but sort of middling.

Sounds of Summer by Ten Toes Spumoni: If we’re Facebook friends, you’ve probably already seen me talk about this album. It’s been on repeat around here pretty much since it came out. Ten Toes Spumoni is a good friend of mine, and I genuinely believed nothing he made would top Journal of Hypnosis, but Sounds of Summer blows it out of the fuckin water. Throw a few bucks his way, because he deserves it.

Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette: This is a standup comedy act that isn’t particularly funny. It’s amazing, and full of toothed commentary on the world and LGBT issues, but it isn’t funny. It’s heavy, and hard to watch, and worth the trouble. I think this is one of the few things I gave 5 stars this month, and it deserves it.

Wizard of Legend: A big part of watching movies for me this month has been finding the perfect roguelike to play while I watch movies. I eventually settled on Gungeon, but Wizard of Legend was a strong contender too. It’s roguelike elements are really enjoyable, and finding the perfect combination of spells is fun, but resources are a little too scarce for my liking.

My Own Private Idaho: I loved this movie more than I expected to, and I knew I’d like it. My Own Private Idaho offers an exceptionally gay take on modern Shakespeare, and River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves are absolutely phenomenal here. The interview segments are a little hard to watch, but the rest of the movie is beautiful and sad and lovely. One of my favorites in a long time.

Coco: Similar to Witch’s Flower, I thought this was fine. The music is wonderful, and the animation is beautiful, but the story is a little lacking, especially towards the third act. I think Pixar forgot how to write villains that aren’t just ‘good guy’s been bad the whole time’. Hell, even Incredibles 2 did it.Those complaints aside, Coco is really enjoyable and well worth your time.

The Spirit of the Beehive: A meditation on childhood, the Spanish civil war, early film, and Frankenstein. I enjoyed thinking about this movie later more than I actually enjoyed watching it, I think. It’s a little slow, but the third act picks up and wraps the story up nicely. Definitely watch Huellas De Un Espiritu if you watch it, it adds a lot of context which helps the movie out.

Simon Of The Desert: Short movies are nice when you’re watching three a day, so I really appreciated Simon Del Desierto’s 45 minute runtime. It’s both less surreal and funnier than I expected- Simon Del Desierto feels more like Monty Python than Jabberwocky did. Highly recommended.

Cronos: A little disappointing, I’m not gonna lie. I’m a huge Del Toro fan, so I was really excited to watch his first movie, but it left me lukewarm. He describes it as a vampire film, but it takes a long time to find it’s legs. Worth the watch just for Ron Perlman and the scene where a little girl breaks his nose.

The Devil’s Backbone: This is what I wanted Cronos to be. A Del Toro twist on gothic romance and ghost story, Devil’s Backbone is as unsettling as it is charming. The kids in this movie are exceptional actors, and the script sells their childhood so, so well.

The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins: I didn’t expect too much from the graphic novel of TAZ’s first arc, but it really surprised me. Carey Pietsch’s art is just cartoony enough to bely the adult humor in the series, and the characters have been deftly adapted. The first arc in the podcast suffers a lot from ‘pregen syndrome’, where Taako and Merle weren’t super fleshed out, but the graphic novel rights the ship really well.

Black Girl: At 59 minutes, Black Girl is well worth your time mostly for how angry it’ll make you. Black Girl tells the story of a Senegalese woman who is deceived into becoming a house maid for a rich French woman, and the sheer amount of bullshit she puts up with before losing it makes her a saint in my eyes. I enjoyed this movie a lot, and I’m excited to see more African cinema.

A Hat In Time: I’ve played the shit out of this game and it never gets old. A Hat in Time is as charming as charming gets, and it perfectly recreates the feeling of playing Mario Sunshine for the first time. Only, you know, Hat in Time is fun.

Pony Island: Pony Island is one of those games that’s just a little too short- not because it feels rushed, but because I wished there was more when it ended. It’s a little cheesy in places, and the dialogue is a little slow, but the puzzles are perfectly scaled and the sense of humor is really great.

Styx: Shards of Darkness: This game might be good. I don’t know. The main character’s dialogue was so shitty I only played about 40 minutes of it. Imagine the mechanic in Jak & Daxter where Daxter makes fun of you when you die, but they got the writers from Family Guy really drunk and had them write it and never told them no.

[artswaps]

What do you think Keith’s favorite little things in life are?

oooh this was really fun to answer but once again I went off on a super long tangent, OOPS SORRY HAHA. Also not proofread so… be warned lmao. Under the cut:

- Nature!!! Keith is a nature boy and loves quiet, natural places. He probably feels really content in a natural settings, the kinda environments that have a stillness to them. Not silence- he hates silence- but quiet; birdsong and crickets and the wind, the sounds of wildlife etc. etc. 

He likes sunsets and sunrises, likes the sound of rain and storms (even if being stuck indoors when there’s things to be done can be pretty frustrating), likes watching birds and other animals he finds doing their own thing. He can probably identify a lot of different bird species, might even have at least a vague idea about what their different calls sound like.

But there’s also the more adventurous and boyish side to Keith that would really love exploring those kinds of natural places. Hiking for sure, but also maybe stuff that’s a bit more daring, too. He has a healthy respect for nature, and has decent survival skills, so maybe he’d be a bit of a thrill seeker. 

dsfjk sorry for getting a bit sidetracked but here’s a story: I had a couple of friends come down to visit me last week, and at the end of the day while we were heading home, we took a detour to look at Hopkins Falls, a waterfall close to my town.

I looked at a dry part of the cliff face that had a lot of rocky parts jutting out and said as a passing remark to my friend Matt something like, “hey, wouldn’t it be badass if someone could just straight up and climbed that wall?” 

APPARENTLY he took that as a challenge because the next thing I know he was giving me a fuckING heart attack and climbed a cliff face about 5 times his height in like, 20 seconds flat. Then, realised that he couldn’t get back to the lookout path from where he was and had to climb back down, and the whole time I couldn’t help but be horribly aware of the VERY UNSAFE ROCKS AND POTENTIALLY DEEP WATER below him.

Yeah. That’s Keith. He’d scale a cliff with no safety gear just because he KNOWS he can pull it off, and he’s curious about what’s at the top, okay?

So yeah, Keith likes nature and he likes birds and he likes exploring!! 

- He also seems to genuinely like training? There’s been a couple moments in canon where we’ve seen him training by himself in his downtime. Having a task set out in front of him that he can work through to reach a goal is just how Keith likes to operate; I imagine he finds a lot of satisfaction in learning new moves and knife tricks, and at being able to pull off the things he’s been practicing in battle. 

Burning physical energy like that probably helps him think clearly too, so maybe he also uses training as a way to help clear his head. Keith’s very action-driven, doesn’t like staying idle for too long or sitting still when he could be doing something, so training and practicing with his Blade are good outlets for that. 

- Movies!! I imagine that Keith loves goofy action movies, especially the classics. I’ve noticed that it’s a pretty popular headcanon that Keith is a bit oblivious when it comes to pop-culture, and I also personally like the idea that he just… doesn’t really keep up-to-date with more recent stuff if it doesn’t interest him. Lance might make an Avengers reference or something and Keith’s just “??? don’t get it, don’t care”.

But he’s surprisingly knowledgeable about the old classics like….. idfk, Die Hard for example (I myself am very ignorant about action movies and a lot of pop-culture in general LOL)

OH, and old Sci-Fi. He doesn’t like, watch it religiously or w/ever and has only caught a few scattered episodes, but he’s seen some classic Who before and was pretty into it. When he gets back to Earth he wants to hunt the old series down and watch it from the start. He thinks the dated effects are charming and after his time in space, the old Doctors remind him a LITTLE bit of Coran, haha.

I don’t see him being much of a Disney fan at first, because he hears about all these animated films about princesses and true love and just kinda says “pass”. He just wouldn’t be interested? But uuh there was a hc that came up when @ravensimaginaryfriends and I were talking abt Kallurance stuff a while ago where Lance introduces Keith and Allura to Disney and they end up having a whole bunch of Disney marathons and it was a VERY good convo. 

Keith becomes surprisingly fond of Disney movies! Not so much the older Princess-y ones but even those he doesn’t hate. They’re simple and not showboat-y and can be kinda fun to watch with friends. But he loves the friendship/family-oriented ones like Lilo and Stitch and Fox and the Hound (because let’s be real those are the BEST ones anyway).

I also have a hc that Keith is a big fan of Miyazaki. His favourite Ghibli film is Howl’s Moving Castle, because that’s my favourite and I’m always right. (NO lmao he probably likes, uuuh… idk Mononoke, bc it has more badass fighting and cool nature-y vibes. Or Spirited away, because the dragon is cool.)

Other lil things:

- Reading!! He has to be in the right mindset for it, and he doesn’t really have time for it at all up in space, but back on Earth Keith really enjoyed reading. Even if was just perusing through old books on constellations or hoverbike magazines or whatever. He finds it relaxing, when there’s nothing else he’s pressed to be doing.

- Keith is a carnivore and he loves meat lol. He isn’t a picky eater (living in the desert like he was, and up in space with limited resources like he is now, he can’t really afford to be a picky anything.) But uuuh if you gave him the choice he’d choose a steak over a plate of veggies any day. He loves gravy on everything. Also, would probably kill for some greasy take-away food? It’s a very simple pleasure but he loves Maccas. (if he ever went to McDonalds during his time living alone then he’d buy like, 3 Happy Meals for himself, because he can be a big eater and 1 isn’t enough for him but uuh sometimes the toys are cool LOL)

- He likes classic rock music, and classic pop, as well as some occasional bluesy or jazzy stuff. He didn’t really own a phone or Ipod or whatever, and would just listen to the radio back in his shack, but he’d always have it tuned to the same station that played the classics. Eagles, The Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, etc etc. Doesn’t really have a favourite artist, just really likes the energy of music, and enjoys anything with a good beat or solid melody. Has a secret love for the Bee Gees. 

[monkey-network]

Good Stuff: Baman Piderman

WARNING: When making Kool-Aid, buy two packets for better flavor. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy.

Holy Slamacow, this show is the tops and bottoms

Before Tumblr became my glory hole for art and visual entertainment, I had more complex sites like Newgrounds, Stickgames, and Youtube before it became a sellout. And in Youtube, there was a channel called Mondo Media that felt like a reject Adult Swim sub-channel. And in that, Mondo had stuff like Dick Figures, Gundarr, and Larva that would produce new episodes by the week and I’d check in every time. Not Happy Tree Friends though, that scared me. But I saw a particular series that I then I unfortunately sweeped under the rug like a pak of gummi blobs. Let me tell you, I was a FOOOOLISH child for thinking this was nothing but nonsense scribble dribble! This was/is the best thing to enter my life, and it deserves all the praise and love and cake and ice cream that one might be able to get. Why I skipped out on such a delight back all those years ago is a certain mystery. Then again...

Made by Lindsey and Alex Small-Butera, a couple of artists whose fluid yet jittery outlined animation can be recognizable if you’ve seen an Adventure Time or Ed, Edd, n Eddy. Not saying they were involved in the latter, but this show takes the style from the Eds and pictures from the early days of animation reels. And if you haven’t seen Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy as a child, then I feel sorry for you. This was what got me hooked at first, with simple motions the characters look like something from old Fleischer or Disney shorts, but when it needs to pick up the motion can be as smooth and well flowing as a... Ghibli film? No, that’s more grounded. Steven Universe? No, that’s too floaty. I GOT IT! Have you ever heard of The Snowman, a small film about a boy that flies with a snowman he built himself that is just genuine Christmas? Now have you ever heard of this one commercial that parodies that movie where this child and a snowman were flying through the winter air while the child had a Scottish soft drink in hand and the snowman ditched him since he was too spoiled to share? See below, but Baman Piderman is like that with its direction, except it doesn’t have as detailed an art style as the commercial or the film.

it also doesn’t have a punk who REFUSES to spare a sip!

The second, and personal favorite, element of the series are the characters. Admittedly, BP’s first season didn’t do much for me beyond introducing most of the main cast. It’s silly hijinks for a start, but season two certainly picks things up. My favorite character will go to the ghost girl Wanda, not just for her giddy prankster attitude but because her past is very intriguing; originally a haunter in Piderman’s house it changed somehow but more on that LATER! Though, I’ll say the evolving couple of Pumkin and the very big squib are a well featured dynamic, with Pumkin’s laid back charm in contrast with Squib’s enigmatic attitude. Their episode here perfectly captures their gentle and fun togetherness, as well as the central mood for the show, and I hope their kindling relationship blooms like a cloud in the sky.

It’s also the simplicity of it that gets me

This can be a silent film sometimes and there’s a comforting sense of passion that shows how much the creators care about this and you, esp. when some feels step in. So many feels. I highly recommend this to anyone who would just like a nice time passer or a spirit booster when times get tough. As we speak, a new episode of their third season is almost finished (that’s gonna be spoopy), so that can be something out for as well. But that’s all; just wanted to persuade you into checking this. You may continue with your scrolling.

And I’m off to dream...peace

[loonaes]

what are your favorite movies ?

first of all thank you whoever sent this, you’re an angel

i’ll just say my top 10 and talk about them for a bit (this’ll be very boring, be forewarned)

- the nice guys (dir. shane black)

i first watched this film about three times in the space of a week lmao. i love it so much, i just think it’s so entertaining and funny and also i really like the period of the 70s for the setting. also ryan gosling

- far from the madding crowd (dir. thomas vinterberg)

i used to really dislike period dramas to the point where when i went to see this film to keep my mum company i thought i was going to be so bored that i actually brought a book along. however, this film is genuinely so beautiful and charming and emotional, just give it a watch even if you don’t like period dramas because i think it’s suitable for anyone.

- the man from uncle (dir. guy ritchie)

i just really like the style of the film, the 60s fashion and architecture is really pretty in it and also henry cavill + alicia vikander + armie hammer = dream team imo

- the lobster (dir. yorgos lanthimos)

i think this might be my favourite film of all time, i just love everything about it - the story, the cinematography, the performances. (also lea seydoux is in this so… instant win)

- what we do in the shadows (dir. jemaine clement, taika wahiti)

idk what else to say about this other than it’s just hilarious, and every time you watch it you find something new that you missed the previous times which make it even more hilarious 

- the grand budapest hotel (dir. wes anderson)

i feel like a noob when i say that this is the only wes anderson film i’ve ever seen lmao. i’ve watched this so many times, it’s so pretty i love the cinematography and the colour palette. also the characters and the stories are so charming how could anyone… not love this film?

- howl’s moving castle (dir. hayao miyazaki)

my favourite ghibli film!! it has so much charm (but i mean… what ghibli film doesn’t tbh) but this one is my favourite because of the characters and the art/animation because i just think it’s so breathtaking

- se7en (dir. david fincher)

this used to be my favourite film of all time but then i found out that david fincher is kinda a dick so that sullied my love it somewhat, however i think this film is a masterpiece and so rewatchable and also i’d die for kevin spacey

- the fifth element (dir. luc besson)

i think a huge part of why i love this film so much is because of milla jovovich, but i think i have a thing for tacky and old school sci-fi 

- pacific rim (dir. guillermo del toro)

i’ve loved this film ever since it came out because i just love how shamelessly fun it is, like it’s not super gritty like every other action film seems to be recently. also… rinko kikuchi and charlie day 

[misqnon]

For the OCs ask meme: Octavia and Char? :0

im tempted not to put this under a readmore so people will be forced to read about my ocs but

Full Name: Octavia Gender and Sexuality: female, panPronouns: she/herEthnicity/Species: white, a ghost!Birthplace and Birthdate: somewhere in northeast part of the U.S., July 21st (she was 22)Guilty Pleasures: swing dancing, really bad cheesy pop musicPhobias: most bugs, breaking bones/injury (especially any that would hinder her ability to dance), the ceiling collapsingWhat They Would Be Famous For: BALLROOM DANCING!!! she’s a dancerWhat They Would Get Arrested For: i would say nothing but…i can see her sneaking into dance studios / dancing halls to practice without permission ,, but she’d cry if she got caught so maybe notOC You Ship Them With: no one really?OC Most Likely To Murder Them: no one would hurt octavia she is too kind plus…she’s already deadFavorite Movie/Book Genre: romance. she’s cheesy. she probably loves animated/”childrens” movies as well; she really likes ghibli (something she shares with bedlam, but i forgot to mention on his) also loves any kind of movie with an underdog that triumphs and gets a happy ending. ohgodsheprobablylikeshorsemoviesLeast Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: she’s not picky but..the “girl takes off glasses and is beautiful” and “im going to change myself to get with my crush” tropes are some of her least favoriteTalents and/or Powers: ive probably said it 5 times now but she loves ballroom dancing and most other formal forms of dance…she probably can’t dance anythung outside of the fancy stuffim imagining her trying to breakdance and im actually cringingand, idk if this counts as a power, but as a ghost she’s usually spotted at night with a wispy blue image of a ballroom floor beneath her and faceless white dancers around her as she twirls, would be a really spooky sight in the middle of the night to see tbhWhy Someone Might Love Them: she’s very quiet and shy, but when approached she tries very hard to be friendly. shes so sweet and genuinely likes almost everyone to a certain extent. will drop everything to help anyone who asks, and puts her friends before herself. she’s optimistic and very emotional as wellWhy Someone Might Hate Them: kinda a crybaby, easily emotional and very sensitive. harcore people-pleaser and apologizes a lot. also might be considered the “”weird kid”” since she typically won’t approach people so she ends up with no friends looking kinda sad and distressed in the corner by herself, gets kind of clingy and dependent if you do befriend her but not in the bad way,, basically you’d have to be an asshole to hate her but maybe i’m just protective of my ghost daughter (dont hurt her she’s been through ENOUGH)How They Change: becomes more assertive and independent. still wants to help people and is still sensitive, but more likely to put her needs first and more likely to stand up for herself as well. and… Will Become Intense For Her Friends (i can easily conjure up a mental image of her stone faced and sharp tongued if you’re a jerk to someone close to her…even with her shyness she disregards it if you really piss her off, which is hard to do. probably one of those scary people who enunciate and speak more clear and formal when pissed)Why You Love Them: JUST LOOK!! AT MY GIRL!! she was kinda an attempt at making a Strong Female Character™  that wasnt just…snarky and can fight. she’s a more feminine character but is still “strong” as hell and definitely a likable girl (at least imo) even if she isnt “badass”…basically, all my female characters are snarky and i wanted a change of pace lmao. aand now i have my kind ghost gf….whom i love and adore…

- - - - -

Full Name: Charlotte

Gender and Sexuality: female, lesbian

Pronouns: she/her

Ethnicity/Species: maori

Birthplace and Birthdate: New Zealand, May 5th (she’s 23)

Guilty Pleasures: winning anything, no matter the means or who against. she’s so competitive. also, eggs.

Phobias: being buried alive. to a lesser extent, small spaces/being confined. bears too. bears are scary.

What They Would Be Famous For: soccer ir basketball. some kind of sport for the athletic gal

What They Would Get Arrested For: punching/fighting someone cause they pissed her off (way too easy to do)

OC You Ship Them With: none, currently!

OC Most Likely To Murder Them: apollo (not REALLY he’s too nice but they don’t like each other at first)

Favorite Movie/Book Genre: adventure, fantasy, sci fi. she loved warrior cats and animorphs as a kid. still loves them both begrudgingly.

Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: most of themvbcdcjdk she hates cliches least favorite are probably damsel in distress situations and the whole “liar revealed” trope

Talents and/or Powers: she’s really good at most sports (not golf) also eerily lucky and good at guessing. the amount of times she’s completely bullshit a test and got a good grade through guessing is. amazing

Why Someone Might Love Them: she’s a Big Sister. really protective of her friends and is really fun to be around if you get close to her, as hard as it is. if she considers you a friend her personality completely flips: she’s jokey, loud (well, she’s always loud), encouraging, and relatively nice(r)Why Someone Might Hate Them: she’s. extremely unfriendly. she doesnt want to try to make friends and if you try to befriend her its an uphill battle. she’s stubborn, rude, and hotheaded. tbh i didnt even like her for the longest time and she’s my ocHow They Change: not MUCH but…with a little persuasion she might be willing to work on her people problem. a little.Why You Love Them: at first i was like man. shes so mean. but then i tried looking at her from a different angle and when she’s around her best friends (octavia and bed) she’s a huge loving supportive goofball and i can appreciate that

[deangotpieblocked-blog1]

Ponyo - Anime Full Movie - Anime of the year?

Hayao Miyazakiis Ponyo is, if nothing otherwise, evidence in my experience the guy is really as much a cinematic artist like a movie director. Below, he generally eschews the ever present conservationist tone and remarkable dream of his additional works, using the traveling sequences of Nausicaa and Laputa: Fortress within the Atmosphere and also the dim secret of Spirited Away providing method to what's, mainly, a calm tone poetry. Certainly, Ponyo is just a sluggish and easy movie that thrives in its winding tone and relaxing storytelling and, actually, just drops monitoring of itself throughout the uncommon sequences that strive for extraordinary pressure. It's a film about youth pleasure and also the beauty of the planet observed through the eyes of curious kids: a sluggish trip that's, for that most element, similar to a ship ride-on a relaxed ocean similar to the one observed below.

Although Ponyo comes with a good tale, its greatest impact comes through its vibrant shows of creativity, which is within the vein of numerous a piece-of-existence anime whose figures, environment, and visible places outweigh the significance of the ongoing plot. The movie, created like a free contemporary meaning of Hans Christian Andersonis The Small Mermaid, is basically a video in regards to a small bass who drops in deep love with a individual kid in the discomfort of her wizard dad, a grouchy and sour being who makes his discomfort for people as well as their decline as obvious as his defensive emotions on her. Although pleasant, it seems a little slim at factors, its comparative unimportance towards the film-making Miyazakiis conservationist concept appear a bit more preachy than typical. Though Ponyois wish to be individual is proven to somehow be associated with the total amount of the planet, a place leading with a remarkable natural phenomena and becomes very important to the movieis orgasm, its power doesn't lie-in its story. Areas of it, specially the ultimate moments, experience a little melodramatic, even though the piece is unquestionably sufficient, it's not why is the movie as unique as it's. No, this film is created as unique because it is from the expansiveness and level of the check out the stunning, inventive world it attracts and right into a couple of days within the live of the totally nice, humorous, and adorable individuals who reside in that globe. The ebullient shows of skating ocean creatures, the roaring dunes that become colleges of barracuda after which back to water because they freeze and heartbeat, slowly swaying bushes and clear heavens, and short oceans full of wonderfully attracted primitive bass (an individual favorite of the paleontology geek like myself) are what create Ponyo as fantastic because it is, and also the creative ability of Miyazaki, his storyboard artists, and his animators provide such interest to these masterpieces this 1 starts to experience nearly as though they've walked right into a actual location, a brand new and veritable world of its. The vibrant but natural scheme of shades fits the movie excessively well, and also the mixture of the magnificent cartoon and Joe Hisaishiis rating of pulsing horns and glistening line orchestras allow it to be a particularly amazing encounter to see in a theatre (though I suppose several a personal display is going to do if designed with great speakers). It's the unusual movie by which I experienced that each minute, whether peaceful or tight, was somehow important, as well as if one operates out-of sea-creatures to place or Devonian era seafood to recognize, the intelligent figure styles, a mixture of the traditional Ghibli for many of the city's occupants, the nearly-punk for that wizard, and also the easy youngsters' guide for Ponyo himself, is likely to be certain to maintain oneis eyes about the display.

A movie with beautiful artwork and fantastic personality styles wont provide if its environment fails and figures neglect to interact the audience, but Ponyo excels because respect: it lives and breathes via the life span in its environment and its own beautiful throw, the knowledge just starting to experience nearly just like a bodily walk-through a and stunning globe in the place of simply viewing a display. Certainly, the folks within this movie, from its spunky aged girls (another wonderful Miyazaki brand), to the curious and fun youthful character Sosuke, to his snarky and firm but kind-hearted mom, and also to the over-lively and actually-grinning Ponyo himself, are of the type who create oneis existence even more enjoyable and useful, the type whom one discovers within the many improbable locations and whose fresh associate bands of "you realize, I believe I might you need to be in great organization". It's in Lisais half-kidding, half-real approval of Sosukeis crazy tales, the wandering activities of the kids, the occasions where the aged girls end up overtaken by childish joy in the website of the marine animals, and, overall, the feeling of love between almost everyone the movie becomes genuinely stunning, and while I can't very state whether there is any particular concept that especially afflicted me, I got away experience a reasonable bit calmer and a good deal happier than after I joined. It isn't a film that aims for philosophical or rational level, even though it's disappointed several of those used-to the large tone of Miyazaki's previous couple of movies, I actually donot believe that it affects the movie whatsoever. If this have been launched after I was a young child as Our Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Supply Support were, it'd have grown to be just as much of the timeless childhood favorite as these two have since, also it drops easily alongside these plotless favorites as Yokohama Shopping Journey. Certainly, this is not a really video designed for these in desperate need of the great tale, and these anticipating one will likely be disappointed, for Ponyo is definitely an experiential movie, one made to be as responsive like a film may possibly get and, for that most element, to circulation in the speed of actual life. Although Ponyo might not possess the style of a number of Miyazakiis different works, it's a unique pleasure to its that's better experienced than place easily written down. I acknowledge the environment might not attract everyone, and since it is really necessary to the videois achievement, whether you discover it to become for your flavor or not will most likely decide your supreme viewpoint of the video. It is very informing the movie is, truly, best-in the occasions wherever it discusses nothing & most tenuous within the uncommon series where it tries to truly have a stage, even though Miyazaki might be too much established to entirely have a split in the conservationist and developing-up styles of his last chain of films, he may have created a somewhat more natural movie had he accepted his fresh strategy completely. Nevertheless, Ponyo is just a pleasure to look at: an amazing, heating, and lively jewel of the film that certainly does create one desire they might jump in to the display and swimming with Placoderms in a short ocean.

I really love it! Love these perfect drawn animes, you can see it on : http://fullofanime.com/

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: Aniwords – Why I Want to Show "your name." to Everyone I Know

  This article will contain minor spoilers for the film your name (or, if you prefer, Kimi no Na wa).

It's difficult to say exactly what makes your name. is such an enchanting film. I have some ideas, though. First off, there’s Makoto Shinkai's really excellent editing, RADWIMPS' memorable soundtrack, Masashi Ando and Tanaka Masayoshi's soft character designs, and the easy charm the script imbues into the movie's lead and supporting characters. And then, there’s how, out of the potent blend of the film’s sekai-kei-type story and its many contemporary concerns, a remarkably single-minded movie arises. Metaphorically, it's much like the braided cord that ties lead characters Mitsuha and Taki together across the distance between them; in film criticism terms, your name. simply knows what it is and what it is trying to do—and, most importantly, how to do it.

As you may have guessed, I like your name. quite a lot. I was lucky enough to see it twice in theaters (subbed both times, for those curious), and if it's still showing the next time I have a free weeknight or weekend evening, I'd happily go see it again. I've bought the OST (a physical version because I'm old-fashioned like that), and I'm really eagerly awaiting the chance to watch it on BD at home.

And yet, I don't think I'll ever consider your name. a favorite of mine. I was moved by the film both times I saw it, and I think it's gorgeous to look at, and easily rewatchable, but it just didn't hit those buttons for me that my favorites do. I'm not even sure it's my favorite Shinkai work, let alone my favorite thing in its genre. But when I think about this movie, those sorts of personal preferences somehow don't dominate the way I think about the film like I'd expect. Instead, your name. has transcended my preferences and become something more to me. Something bigger than just my individual experience with the film. Something I can't tie down by only thinking about it through my personal lens. Something I feel is important. 

In short, your name. is a film I want to show to everyone I know.

  Making Anime Accessible

Basically, there are two reasons (although each of them has their fair share of sub-points) why I think your name. makes me feel this way, and both of them involve the aspects of the context of the film. But before we get there, I think it’s essential to mention the all-important characteristic that makes both of those ways of thinking possible: The simple fact that your name. is delightfully accessible.

  If you think about it, "I want to show this movie to everyone I can," is not really a typical emotion to feel about something. Even just considering my favorite anime, there are plenty of shows that, although I love them, I don't want to show to most people for various reasons—whether it be the inclusion of overt fanservice or just plain weirdness. But aside from the thrice-repeated moment of Taki clutching at him-as-Mitsuha's chest, your name. is almost completely free of anime’s most off-putting quirks. 

The results of this accessibility are readily apparent for anyone whose been following the news about the series. Its record-breaking run in Japan, its success in overseas markets like China, and even its penetration into mainstream news outlets despite its limited theater release in the States. Heck, my mom sent me a text about your name. because she'd heard a review of it on NPR before I'd even had a chance to see it! It's an easy film to watch and like, even—and perhaps especially for—people who don’t typically watch anime.

  Going Outside the Anime Fandom Bubble

So, on to the first reason I want to show your name. to people. Or, if you will the first context: your name. as an anime outside of the anime fandom.

  The accessibility of your name. is a good explanation for the "how" part of explaining your name.’s arrival in this context, but it doesn't show why this film, specifically, is one that I feel is important for anime that’s acquired cultural existence outside of the anime fandom. Of course, it's nice that your name. proves anime can be accessible to people who don't always watch it—that it can exist as an animated film rather than just an anime. But it's also a film I feel has the potential to restructure how people outside of our little fandom bubble think about anime.

With the accessibility point addressing some of the more lowbrow assumptions about anime (tentacles, you know), the other side of the issue of mainstream anime perception is the frustratingly common equation of Hayao Miyazaki with anime of artistic merit. Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's films are really the only product of Japanese animation that have any sort of mainstream cachet in the West, which means that for people who don’t know anime, Miyazaki = good anime (i.e. not sex and violence). And that's why it's grating to hear talk of Shinkai as "the New Miyazaki," when the success of your name. seems like a prime opportunity for anime to break out of the two stereotypical boxes it’s been forced in to. Because if you actually watch your name., it's obvious that—commercial success aside—Shinkai and Miyazaki couldn't be less alike.

    This isn't really the place to go into an in-depth analysis of the cinematographic differences between Shinkai and Miyazaki, but that's okay because I think the more salient point is that their fundamental priorities, the themes they tackles, and the stories they want to tell are very different. I don't want to overstate the contrasts between them, but your name., I think, is a classic in an entirely different way that Miyazaki's films are. Whereas Miyazaki's films seem more inspired by the past (I'm thinking references to Japanese mythology and his fondness for stories that feel like fairy tales), Shinkai’s work feels much more rooted in the present day. Even just taking your name. as an example, it’s a modern urban fantasy with a much more localized conception such tradition ("katewaredoki" comes from a dialect, after all).

That's just a single aspect of how your name. steps out from underneath the shadow of Miyazaki's iron grip on the mainstream conception of anime films, but the larger point is that your name. threads the needle between the established high-brow and low-brow stereotypes of anime. Of course, it's not that your name. is the first anime, let alone the first anime film to do this, but it is the first one to do so that's really hit it big enough to make me feel like there's actually a chance for it change something. Because despite defying the stereotypes, your name. also finds a way to embody them—think, for example, of the way it employs the classic anime tripping trope as Mitsuha runs to confront her father near the end of the film. “Classic anime,” a simulcast watcher might say. But for the uninitiated audience, the trope perhaps manages to embody the spirit the trope has lost for hardcore anime fans.

  An Open Heart in an Emotionless Theater 

The second context for your name. is the wider landscape of pop media in the West. I don't think it's overstating it to say that your name. is one of the most emotionally transparent films that has made it to widespread distribution in the States in the last few years, and it comes at a time when the country is divided and exhausted and cynical, and the mass media either reflective of those cultural blemishes or of the corporations' desire to cash in their multi-billion dollar franchises with another Marvel movie.

Into that gritty, despairing morass steps your name., a film flush with hope in the midst of tragedy and love that blooms out of isolation. Polygon's Julia Alexander tackles one aspect of the film's emotional clarity in her lovely piece on the theme of longing in your name., but the film's honesty is multifaceted. There's the way Shinkai tackles the catastrophe of feelings brought on by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, the way Taki and Mitsuha's cross-body communication mimics the arc of a digitial friendship, and the profound way the film seems to understand and empathize with the millennial experience ("I'm always looking for something... someone... or just a job," Taki says near the end of the film). 

  I mentioned before that your name. feels like a distinctly modern film to me, but I'd like to clarify that when I say this I mean that it is extremely particular in its modernity. As I discussed in a post on Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju last year, one of the most powerful ways to construct a story that feels universal is to anchor it in the particular and the specific. Between references to real world events like the aforementioned earthquake, incorporation of defining features of the contemporary Japanese cultural landscape like LINE, gestures towards the decline of rural towns and their traditions in the midst of urbanization, and even the recognizably current motion of Taki having completely forgotten the Itomori disaster a mere three years later, your name. constructs a beautifully rendered pastiche of a particular version of our present moment—one that is both deeply Japanese and simultaneously deeply universal.

It is because your name. is so painstakingly specific in its depiction of Taki and Mitsuha's worlds—even if it is often subtly so—that its emotional core is so easy to grasp. The particularity of the setting and its accessible touchpoints draw us into the universal elements of the emotion. And even for someone like me who already treasures emotional transparency and clarity in art, the strength of your name.'s ability to call people into its heart-on-sleeve, unabashedly music video-like nature inspires me. I want other people to see the film because it is so touchingly honest. I want them to see it because it embodies a character of emotional vulnerability and genuineness that almost entirely absent in today's media.

  A Reason to Watch, and to Share 

i don't think your name. is an especially deep film, but its sound is a clear as a bell. it's beautiful.

— Bless! Thunder Glow (@iblessall) April 8, 2017

   I wrote that tweet after I saw your name. for the first time, and although I've come to view the film as having more depth to it than I initially gave it credit for, I think this is still an impression I hold. Because it's not as if your name. works emotionally because it plumbs the depths and complexity of the human condition. There are films out there that address far more "important" issues. But few are as purely distilled as your name. Few speak as directly and simply to our desire for connection, our longing for love and purpose, our fear of the world vanishing around us in an instant as this film does.

  And I am convinced that, even more than the hope that your name. might expand the public’s perception of anime beyond boob grabs and Miyazaki, is a hugely valuable—and important—quality. It is that gorgeously clear sound that rings in your ears for days and weeks after you leave the theater  that makes me want to show this film to people. I want people to watch this film and experience that kind of emotional honesty. I want people to know that those hopes, fears, and human needs are okay. That we're not alone in them. I think your name. is a film that can do that. And that's why I want to show your name. to everyone I know. 

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Isaac eases his compulsive need to write about anime on his blog, Mage in a Barrel. He also sometimes hangs out on Tumblr, where he mainly posts his drawing practice as he seeks to become a renowned idol and robot fanartist. You can follow him on Twitter at @iblessall or on Facebook.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com