#god bless the Japanese trailers

[shining-magically]

I ' m s o l u c k y .

ELEMENTAL (2023) | Dir. Peter Sohn

[genkinahito]

Nipponretto Ikimono Chodensetsu Gekijouban Darwin ga Kita!, Nukero, Mebiusu!!, God Bless You, Tea Friends, Two on the Edge, Minna Ikite Iru: Futatsu me no Tanjoubi Japanese Film Trailers

Happy Weekend This is the second of a two-part trailer post – the first part is here. In big news, the organisers of the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023 have announced the majority of its programme. Check out Variety to read more. I’ve watched a lot of films for the festival and I’m writing about them. Without going into detail, there’s a good selection but what stands out for me are a few of the…

[evelynpr]

Why the fuck are there roller skates, dubstep, stage lighting, an LED screen, and all kinds of modern technology in Xilonen's trailer??? I thought Fontaine had the most advanced technology next to Schneznaya and arguably Sumeru, and every instance of high-end technology we have seen leaned more towards machinations with gears, magic, alchemy, essentially fantasy styled sci-fi???

The disrespect towards Native American and African cultures is enough to piss me off already, but it even goes against Genshin's own consistency with its fantastical world design..and for what? Just so you can have this...pop and gamer aesthetic???

Just look at these two bubbly and optimistic characters for me okay

Yoimiya's design isn't the most respectful and accurate representation of a Japanese firework craftsman, but at least you can damn tell she is Japanese. The large ribbons, hair accessories, tassels, leg covering, tattoo design, shoe style, and fabric patterns all allude to this (I apologize for not knowing the exact terminologies for these, this needs further research).

Then there's Mualani who has...what? Please do correct me if I am wrong here, but her character must be inspired by the real Mualani, a Hawaiian Chiefess. Additionally, her tribe's specialty is in tourism and vacationing, which further leads into the idea that she and her tribe are based off of Hawaii despite the known issues regarding Hawaii and tourism (if there are any good sources that summarize the issue, please do lmk).

I am not too familiar with Hawaiian culture, but there really is nothing about her design that reads as Hawaiian, or even just traditional, to me. What about a 2 piece swimsuit with bows and tails, a bow + braids + ponytail hair style, combat gloves (?), and an entire neon shark, is Hawaiian???

The characters, their designs, and their trailers, are just so culturally disconnected from their real life counterpart that it's even disconnected to Genshin's own world building and design. How the fuck is the fashion trend in Natlan denim pants. I feel like the only parts of Natlan that feel like Genshin Impact and culturally inspired are the in-game music and landscapes (God bless Hoyo-mix and the world designers).

[themanwhomadeamonster]

DD2 crackpot observations: the Rift vs the Dragonsplague, Nihilism, and the Moon/Eclipse/Eyes

Brainstorming a bit about repeating motifs and speculating stuff about the plot. Thanks to loremaster @whitefoxes for providing me some insight on the stuff here and fact-checking hehe

The Rift and Dragonsplague

To start off, this time around DD2 has smoothed out aesthetic associations with the Rift, namely everything to do with the Rift is now cyan. Ferrystones are cyan and cause a blue flash when thrown instead of being black and having a golden flash. Portcrystals are also cyan instead of purple, and the Rift is a cyan-coloured fog now as well instead of the vague blue. What I presume is the foggy path towards Bluemoon Tower (itself obscured by fog) hinted in some shot sequences in the trailers are also a dim cyan. The Lambent Flame itself is the same cyan as the Rift. This makes me think that the Pathfinder is also a Rift entity.

I think the Lambent Flame may be the key to curing Pawns from their Dragonsplague affliction. "Lambent" means a soft and flickering flame, but it also means to be witty without being unkind, the opposite of what the Dragonsplague does to Pawns ("bold in their speech and behaviour"). In Japanese the Lambent Flame is called the "Flame of Blessing/Protection", against the Calamity of what Pawns can bring, so I think the Lambent Flame is what will help us against the Big Bad.

(Side note I think the Moon is associated with the colour blue as well, but rather a dimmer blue like the one shown in Bluemoon Tower and in the trailer behind the Dragonsplague)

Dragonsplague seems to be a symptom of the Calamity (which seems to have happened before, judging by how fearful the Battahl people are of Pawns and their capabilities as well as their folklore), and is affecting Pawns' behaviour to act out aggressively and boldly, unusual when they're supposed to obedient towards the Arisen as their will is an extension of the Arisen's own - they're beginning to act independently. Normally, the appearance of a Dragonsplagued Pawn resembles a possessed Pawn, where their Arisen's will is temporarily replaced by a Dragon's (interestingly here, Possession shows both colour motifs - light blue and red).

So where did their newfound confidence and self-determination come from?

Nihilism

While nihilism in the first game was more of a philosophy well-accepted and relatively stable by the Seneschal that nothing is inherently meaningful except for the Cycle that pushes this system, it's still upheld by a human. Humans no matter how strong their will are imperfect. So what if the collapse of one's will - perhaps a Seneschal's own is what's causing everything to come down? The Dragonsplague and the Calamity are symptoms of a Seneschal breaking down. But how does a lack of will drive a Pawn to act out? It could just be an inversion of what's typical of a Pawn, or it could be a self-destructive drive reflecting the crisis of the Seneschal.

In the action trailer, there is heavy emphasis of tempering your will by several characters. There's a voiceover of someone straining to speak telling you to "Make manifest your will that at last this world might-", Vermund's ex-Oracle Luz telling you to "Hold fast to your will", and the Red Dragon saying, "Thy will, thy soul, these are all the means thou hast to carve thy path anew." These lines are making me think that the world is in fact breaking down due to the will of the world (i.e. the Seneschal) collapsing. Nihilism can't hold for everyone no matter how strong your will is - when the Seneschal was faced with the existential dread that told them that the world was meaningless, that there was only a cold indifferent stare of the universe watching down on them, this is the result.

The Moon/Eclipse/Eye motifs

In the previous game, the Moon seems to be associated with being the domain of the Gods, the Bluemoon Tower was supposed to be a Nexus to the Moon where you'd fight the Seneschal. The game over screen is represented by a void resembling an Eclipse, outlined in red - the inversion of the Rift's light blue. Considering that the Moon is supposed to be home of the Seneschal, the will of the world, an Eclipse could symbolise the last thing a Seneschal wants in themselves: nothing. Or, nihilism. A lack of will for the world. The Eclipse on the death screen was the abyss, the "truth you'll find staring back from this world's utmost depths."

This goes back to the motifs of eyes. The Eclipse in the game over screen not only depicts the inversion of the Rift, but an actual eye. Eye motifs are present throughout the game, including in armour especially the iconic armour of DD2, this sort of thing wasn't present back in DD1. Grigori, the speculated name that is dropped in Wyrmspeak during the beginning cutscene of the Red Dragon from DD1 means "Watchful". Talos also has the same bright red eye as Dragonsplagued Pawns. The Brine is also a similar colour to Talos' plume and the "aura" from Dragonsplagued/Possessed pawns. Makes me wonder about what powers Talos as an automaton and its relation to the Brine, since Talos in the myths circled the shores of Crete (in this case, Talos approaches the Bluemoon Tower). And that makes me wonder if the Brine is related to everything else.

On top of this, there's a particular quote at the end of the trailer: "Yet your wicked schemes will avail you not, Watching One." Who else could be responsible for watching over the world, if not the Seneschal? Outside of the politics between Vermund and Battahl, in DD2, the big bad isn't just another Seneschal, it's a Seneschal who wants to destroy this world.

[chaos0pikachu]

Hiya, finally got around to reading your post on the horror influences of DFF (thank you) and because it added immensely to my to watch list, I was wondering if you had any recommendations / resources for my current side quest.

Last week I watched both 1000 years old and Red Wine in the Dark Night and came across two very different vampires neither of which has fangs. And while that might still be a coincidence (n=2 is not a good basis) it was enough to make me realise that I do close to nothing about Thailand (and related) vampire lore.

While it is a blessing that we are going to have five thai vampire BLs this year, in this case it is actually a curse because any combination of keywords I can think of leads me to 1000 images of Boun staring at me with red eyes. And in this ONE instance, this is actually a complaint.

So, rambles over: Do you have any recommendation for thai horror / supernatural stories that feature vampires / blood sucking ghosts demons or the like?

Hope you are having a good day and happy watching :-)

Tbh I don't know a ton of Thai vampire movies specifically. My knowledge of Thai cinema tends to skew action or horror and even that I'm still a newbie. What's more frustrating is a lot of older Thai films aren't available for streaming and you gotta pirate them - which hey, I'm no stranger to that life either I'm an anime fan lmao - though Netflix has started picking up more Thai imports recently. That's where I watched The Whole Truth, Girl From Nowhere, Trapped 13 (there's a documentary and a drama also fuck Elon Musk), and part of School Tales.

[Netflix is so fucking annoying they have some of the best catalog for international media around but they're so god damn greedy]

As far as I know in regards to like, are there even Thai vampires in mythology/folklore the closest thing I could find was the Krasue:

"A Krasue, sometimes called Pii Krasue, is a spirit that haunts most of Southeast Asia. [...] The Krasue is delightfully gory, consisting of a floating head with entrails and internal organs dangling from the neck. They usually manifest themselves as attractive young women with bloody hanging innards and float about accompanied by an eerie glow. Sometimes, they even have fangs like a vampire." (source)

So I think it's pretty safe to say that, uh, the vampires in upcoming Thai shows are not taking from Thai myth lol but probably Japanese and Korean media.

Japanese takes on vampires which were all the rage in the mid-00s: Blood The Last Vampire (2000), Vampire Knight (2008), Blood+ (2005), Hellsing (1997 - 2008), Blood C (2011), Blood Hound (2004), Trinity Blood (2005) I'm noticing a lot of "blood" used in these titles.

Not that vampires aren't still a sub-genre in Japan, like gosh Seraph of the End was huge in 2013 and was a part of the small re-boom of anime/manga during that time period after the bubble popped.

Korea's also done vampires there seems to have been a bit of a boom in the mid-00s (Vampire Idol 2011, Immortal Goddess 2016) and then again recently (Kissable Lips 2022, Bite Sisters 2021, Heartbeat 2023). From what little I've seen in Korean media - I haven't watched either of the mid-00s shows - vampires tend to be more romance fodder, and treated like any other fantasy creature rather than something scary or demonic.

Which falls in line with the trailer for 1000 Days - which I have also not watched so correct me if I'm wrong and it's actually scary as fuck lmao - while Japanese vampire media ranges from romantic but more gothic or outright just for horror and action.

In my experience horror films from Japan, Korea and Thailand don't usually have blood sucking ghosts or demons? Not saying there's none, but most of the films I've watched the ghosts weren't like, of the blood sucking variety. They tend to be connected to curses left behind because of some sort of wrong done to the spirit in their past life.

Take, White Melody of Death, as an example which is a Korean horror film about a Kpop girl group. The curse that murders it's way through the characters is attached to the spirit of a character who died.

I really recommend this video on White if only b/c I adore Yhara's videos:

Even in The Whole Truth the spirit is more of seeking vengeance than like, to eat people. The concept of "demons" is different in various Asian countries than in an American/Anglo-Saxon context because of the differences in religious, and cultural roots.

Again, totally not an expert regarding all this, and I'm putting the rest under a read more for length but gonna talk a bit more about Japanese, and Chinese folklore (with sources!) under the cut. And I DO list some recs for general horror stuff I like.

Take the concept of "demon" for example:

"Yokai is not simply the Japanese word for demon, as is sometimes believed. They are the embodiment of a moment: a feeling of dread and bewilderment, or awe and wonder over an extraordinary event; or a strange sound or peculiar scent that demands an explanation; an ineffable phenomenon explained only by a supernatural entity. Little wonder then that the Japanese characters for Yokai are 妖怪, which taken individually could mean strange or alluring mystery!" (source)

You can see this reflected in Japanese media like the super famous Inu-yasha: A Feudal Fairytale by Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha when directly translated into English means "dog demon"). Where, in the story, there's a mix of demons both human like, creature like, and wide as far as individual morality goes - one of the protagonists, Inuyasha is a half-demon mixed with human it's a whole subplot of his character.

I've found this is more typical in the Japanese media I've engaged with. Like in Japanese horror like Dark Waters (2002) or Ringu (1998) they don't refer to the "monster" as a "demon" it's typically referred to as a ghost or spirit.

You can also see this in Chinese media like Yin Yang Master Dream of Eternity - where the protagonist is also a half demon I'm beginning to see a pattern in the media I like lmao - which makes sense since parts of Japanese folklore/mythology was inspired by Chinese mythology:

"Here, in his third book, Konjaku Hyakki Shui (Supplement to The Hundred Demons from the Present and the Past), Sekien finds inspiration in Chinese mythology." (source)

I feel like this is a long winded way of saying, uh, no I don't know any Thai specific movies about vampires or blood sucking demons. It seems like a fairly new genre exploration from what I've researched so far.

Anyway I can happily share some of my favorite Korean, Japanese and Thai horror things tho, but I really recommend others search themselves and explore the genre. Horror is so vast and flexible as a genre so there's a lot I haven't watched or maybe don't even vibe with that you might!

Perfect Blue, 1997, directed by Satoshi Kon - if you liked Black Swan you'd probably like this film if not more so, it's animated but it's such an amazing psychological horror film there's a reason Satoshi Kon's work has been so influential on media globally.

Girl From Nowhere, 2018 - I talk this one up a lot but I only like season 1 which imo is stronger conceptually, that said, a lot of folks liked season two as well! It has major Twilight Zone vibes, but with a central protagonist who is also a literal force of nature (is Nanno a deity, spirit, demon? No one actually knows and the ambigity is delicious) both seasons are available on Netflix.

Ringu, 1998 - I feel like even if you're a casual horror fan or the like you know of The Ring which is a 2002 remake of this Japanese horror film. I think the 1998 version is better if only because my beloved Hiroyuki Sanada is in it, tho as far as American remakes of Japanese horror films go, The Ring isn't a terrible one (the sequel is tho imo).

Hellsing Ultimate, 2006 - So there's an anime for Hellsing from 2002 that's okay, Hellsing Ultimate is a direct adaption of the manga and it's better. I recommend either reading the manga - the art is FANTASTIC - or watching Ultimate. Out of all three I prefer the manga if only because the art is so good, but if you want Dracula eating and fighting Nazis this is the story for you.

Vampire Princess Miyu, 1997 - this is partly nostalgia but the series is so beautifully animated and it's such a classic. The OVAs will probably be hard to find but if you can and you want some classic Japanese vampire stuff I really liked this back in my youth~~

God Child/Earl of Cain, 2005 - so this is a manga, and it's more Gothic horror than straight horror, but I'm adding it because Kaori Yuki's art is amazing, it's a very subtexually queer series, and it's very Sherlock Holmes meets Shirley Jackson in terms of story.

Train to Busan, 2016 - I am a HUGE zombie film fan love me some zombies and Train to Busan is in my top 3 easy. It's top down one of the best zombie films and the only one that tops it for me is the original Night of the Living Dead. The film has the tag team of Don Lee and Gong Yoo like are you kidding me?

I Saw The Devil, 2010 - This one is A Lot, but it stars Lee Byung-hun in one of his better roles and if you don't trust me watch Kennie JD's video on it.

The Guest, 2018 - This show was such an interesting mix of exorcism and shamanism. The scares were legit SCARY and the entire show was so unnerving, if you can handle slow burns and a good character driven ghost story I really liked this one.

#Alive, 2020 - Okay this feels like cheating cause it's not actually that scary like, at all lol at least not to me, but it's got zombies and the incredible Yoo Ah-In (there's also an American version with Tyler Posey that is unfortunately very bad).

Kingdom, 2018 - I am truly basic but it's SUCH a good zombie show!!! The thrills are amazing, and it had me and my Ma on the edge of our seats. It's not really scary to me, but like its a ymmv (zombies in general don't scare me lol they're just fun).

That's all I can think of right now, I know there's more in my head but I can't remember of them all lol and others that I've watched that I wouldn't really recommend - High School of the Dead, for example, is famous for it's "Matrix boobs" scene which is hilarious but not great cinema lmao - so I left a lot of stuff I know out.

This got long, sorry dude!

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Boonville: The children would often cry hysterically when the mothers would leave after a short visit.

▲ Boonville, also known as the New Ideal City Ranch

I was a member of Unification “Church” for seven months, spending five of those months in the Oakland, California center, including San Francisco and Boonville. While in Boonville, I was aware of several cases of separation of young mothers and their small children, mainly between the ages of two to five years. The children lived in a separate trailer which was about a five-minute walk from the rest of the living quarters and activity area. “Church” members were periodically rotated to take care of these children. For the most part their mothers were not included in the rotation.

At least two of the mothers were sent to live in the Berkeley center for a period of at least several weeks while their children remained on the farm. While the mothers were on the farm, they were too busy to see their children more than once or twice a week, at most. The children would often cry hysterically when the mothers would leave after a short visit. In one case, a young divorced girl with a 2½ year old daughter wanted her child to join her on the farm but was denied the request. She was, therefore, in effect, forced to choose between Unification cult and her child. She chose the cult, leaving her child with her parents. She used to cry about this often, but always decided, with the help of several people, including myself, that the child would understand when she grew up that the mother had given her up to work for the Messiah (Sun Myung Moon) and the building of the Heavenly Kingdom.

I have chosen not to mention the names of the people involved to prevent retribution against them, but will reveal the names if necessary.

Barbara Wexler

___________________________________

One Family meeting with Onni Durst scarred my soul

Life Among the Moonies [in Oakland] by Deanna Durham

Moon instructed: “Whenever the Blessed couples have children, as soon as the child become 100 days old, they will put him in the nursery school.”

Michael Warder’s reasons for leaving. As a top UC leader in the US in the 1970s he reported directly to Moon.

Moonwebs by Josh Freed (the book was made into a movie)

Barbara Underwood and the Oakland Moonies

Ford Greene – the former Moonie became an attorney

Crazy for God: The nightmare of cult life by Christopher Edwards

Papasan Choi and Boonville’s Japanese origins

Mose and Onni Durst – their legacy

Onni Durst’s trips to Las Vegas casinos, New York, and Seoul – and her luxurious lifestyle.

[spearxwind]

Shoutout to my FX teacher asking the class if we watch animation and the weirdo next to me going "well i watch bizarre animation like big mouth" and my teacher was like "wow idk what the fuck that is. Anyway i love kill la kill" king shit

[stormyoceans]

i need to hear your thoughts about all gmmtv 2023 pilot trailers............

HIDING IN SHAME BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS GOT SO LONG BUT HERE WE GO I GUESS

23.5: LET’S GO LESBIANS LET’S GOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! seriously extremely incredibly insanely excited for this one i cannot wait for this show to bless my screen!!!!!!! i may not be the biggest fan of the whole ‘im gonna keep my identity a secret while messagging with my crush’ thing (mostly because i didn’t really like how it was handled in fish upon the sky so i tend to be a bit on edge about it, it happened with kanthua in the eclipse too), but considering that my soul left my body to go commune with god when ongsa decided to call herself ‘earth’ because the earth orbits the sun, i'd say that's not gonna be an issue sfjksgdksg also the trailer is just SO LOVELY AND CHARMING and i already adore ongsa's different colored beanies and sun's different colored headband and IT'S MILKLOVE SO IM READY TO BE SWEPT OFF MY FEET!!!!!!!!!!

a boss and a babe: yeah i know the title is abysmal but let's talk about more important things like FORECEBOOK MY BELOVEDS!!!!!!!!! i think im possibly one of the very few people who actually enjoyed enchanté and i honestly ADORE forcebook. they have a fantastic chemistry that really shines through when they banter but they also can do UST and pining SO WELL, im just incredibly happy they got another series. im pretty much already in love with book's character and i tend to really like office romance in BLs, so im excited to see them in this kind of setting!!!! if i have to be completely honest though, there's something about the mock trailer that didn't fully charm me, but i can't quite put my finger on what exactly. maybe it's the kind of humour they used? but i wasn't too fond of the humour in roommates of poongduck either and yet i LOVED the show, so that’s hardly gonna be a problem. IT'S TIME FOR FORCEBOOK TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD AND IM HERE FOR IT!!!!!!!!

cherry magic thailand: since we didn't get a trailer it's hard for me to form a solid opinion on it, though i do admit that out of all the BLs they announced this is the one im less excited about, mainly for two reasons: 1) dark blue kiss is one of the few popular BLs i still have to watch, so im not emotionally attached to taynew, nor am i familiar with any of their other works, which means that without a trailer i really have no idea what to expect acting or chemistry wise, and 2) i know they're gonna be two very different beasts because the thai version is gonna be an adaptation of the manga and not a remake of the japanese series, so im fully aware it's not fair to draw comparisons between the two, but the jp one has such a huge place in my heart and it also gave us one of the very few aroace representation we have in media, it's just gonna be really tough for me to keep the two things separated in my head and to accept the differences between them ;;;;;;;; on a more positive note i have a crush on both sing and jan so my bisexual ass is already sweating

cooking crush: [insert tiffany pollard's beyonce meme] OFFGUN???????!!!!!!???!?!?? god the amount of clownery we've all partaken in thinking they weren't gonna do BLs anymore meanwhile kings were having the time of their lives planning their FOURTH SERIES together. literally the one time im not gonna mind acting like an absolute buffoon sfjkshfksg i think not me will always remain my favorite offgun project but i have a lot of hopes for this one!!! i absolutely LOVE kitchen settings, however i've found all the food BLs i have watched until now kinda.. lackluster. i did enjoy what zabb man, but it's not one of my favorite shows, so i hope that in my time of need offgun will come to me with the food BL of my hopes and dreams. another positive note is that neo is in this as well, and while im a bit perplexed at the choice of not pairing him with louis, im pretty curious to see him act with someone else!!!

dangerous romance: im surprisingly really excited for this????? which i did NOT expect considering that it has an high school setting, but the trailer got me hooked!!!! i only saw chimon in he's coming to me (yes i know i have to watch the gifted I KNOW), while im more familiar with perth because of love by chance and the stranded, but they seem to have a very nice chemistry and i really like that the show will probably deal with more serious topics. im also a simple woman with very simple needs and if you dangle enemies to friends to lovers in front of my eyes i will follow it blindly like a horse with a carrot. also hiiiii papang hiiiiii just wanted to say im free whenever hiiii <3

hidden agenda: JOONGDUNK AND AOUBOOM IN THE SAME SERIES THAT'S ALL I NEED TO BE ON BOARD WITH THIS. star in my mind wasn't the best show but i think joongdunk have great chemistry and they seem very comfortable with each other, so im excited to see them again and for joong to play a less serious character than kluen was. the premise gives me a lot of 2gether vibes, so not particularly groundbreaking, and im a bit worried that the drama in the story could frustrate me a little, but i see pining and i start BARKING, which means this has the potential to have me committed. also i personally find aouboom characters shady as hell but that actually just makes me even MORE EXCITED GIVE ME MEAN GAYS POWER COUPLE PRETENDING TO BE NICE BUT FUCKING THINGS UP FOR EVERYONE ELSE. last but not least: im starting to believe guy could have chemistry with a rock, that one second of him and pod got me like a dog seeing a squirrel just on high alert with my ear up and my body weight leaning forward ready to bite like HELLOO????????? (what's with the similes today idk anyway)

last twilight: the professional mental health crisis intervention team currently in my room is telling me i cannot afford another meltdown so im just gonna point you to this and this to have a vague idea of how i feel about it but to sum it up IM MAKING THIS MY ENTIRE PERSONALITY TRAIT I WILL EAT DRINK BREATHE SPEAK DREAM OF NOTHING BUT THIS SHOW AND THIS SHOW ONLY THIS IS ALREADY THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME THE MOCK TRAILER ALONE HAS GRABBED ME BY THE THROAT AND SLAMMED ME TO THE FLOOR SO HARD THE TILES CRACKED IT'S GONNA BE SO BEAUTIFUL SO GROUND BREAKING SO LIFE ALTERING THEY ALREADY OUTSOLD OUTDONE OUTSLAYED OUTEVERYTHINGED [GETS SHOT WITH AN ELEPHANT TRANQUILIZER]

only friends: look there's no point in hiding it: i have some mixed feelings about this show. on one hand it has a stellar cast that im in love with and im always STOKED to see a BL dealing with more mature themes, on the other im afraid these are.. not the kind of mature themes i tend to enjoy ;;;;;;;; it's like with love mechanics, where i simply could not get into it because despite yinwar's insane chemistry the cheating and the messiness were just too much for me: i was feeling more bad than good while watching it, and it just ended up turning an enjoyable experience into an upsetting one. of course im not gonna presume and judge things just from a mock trailer, but the fact that this is gonna deal with toxic relationships is giving me pause. it's really just a matter of personal preferences though and im still gonna give it a chance!!! it's also very nice to see everyone on my dash screaming and being beyond excited about it so im gonna support everyone from the sideline!!!!!

our skyy 2: IM SORRY FOR BEING DISGUSTINGLY BIASED BUT THEY'RE GIVING PUENTALAY BACK TO ME AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING I CARE ABOUT LITERALLY SOMEONE IN GMMTV IS GETTING KISSED ON THE MOUTH THIS IS NEITHER A PROMISE NOR A THREAT BUT SIMPLY A FACT IM BOOKING THE PLANE TICKETS AS WE SPEAK. we're also getting phutian!!!!! and pranpat!!!!! and akkayan!!!!! and more forcebook and joongdunk and pondphuwin!!!!! and the kids from my school president that we’re finally gonna meet next week and for which i already have the adoption papers ready to sign!!! i usually have mixed feelings on second seasons because most of the time they just provide unnecessary drama, but i think a special episode could work very well. is this just banking on nostalgia for viewers' pleasure? absolutely. do i care? [IS TOO BUSY MAKING OUT WITH A GMMTV EXEC TO ANSWER]

all in all im incredibly happy with what we got and i think it's a pretty good variety: we have school settings and office settings and kitchen settings, we have younger characters and adult characters, we have some light storylines and some heavy storylines.... and we are still far from being able to actually call this 'diverse', but we finally got a GL and a disabled character and it may not be enough but it's a start!!!

[nanakibh]

“Re: [riplai]” Final Fantasy Agito XIII translations

Now for something completely different. These are excerpts from a book that was released in 2008 to coincide with the Square-Enix DKΣ3713 TGS event which featured titles of the time such as FFXIII, Versus XIII, Agito XIII, KH Birth By Sleep, among others.

The information here provides an interesting look back at the early stages of Agito XIII between the time when its development was moved to PSP and before its name was changed to Final Fantasy Type-0.

Translation notes: Touhou (東方): Another name for Orience, written with kanji. It means "the Orient.” The main article also uses the name "Orience" in katakana. As far as I'm aware, "Touhou" was never used again anywhere after this point. Suzaku (朱雀): The Japanese name of the Vermilion Bird. Type-0's NA localization uses "Rubrum" and "Vermilion Bird" for this depending on the context. Things are a little different here. "Rubrum" also appears in katakana. Madouin (魔導院): "Magic academy", what Akademeia is called in Japanese. Due to the fact that the early version of Agito XIII was going to feature magic schools in the other countries as well, I'm going to refer to Rubrum's Akademeia as a school here.

If you’re curious, the images on the pages are a combination of concept art we’ve seen and stills from the trailer that was most recent at the time.

p.19

FINAL FANTASY AGITO XIII

When nine hundred ninty-nine has passed and the Crystals have lost their power, the hour of Finis arrives and Touhou meets its destruction.

"Agito XIII" takes its name from the Latin word "agito", meaning "to set actions in motion." This work was announced as a network RPG for mobile phones that would utilize communication functions. However, a PSP version was officially announced at DKΣ3713 which garnered more interest from gamers.

While attending the magic academy peristylium, Suzaku, the players assume the role of young boys who are undergoing strict training to become "Agito." Here, the name Agito seems to refer to someone who is guided by the Crystals to restore law and order to the world, but the full details aren't known. Additionally, the trainees of the magic academy bind "blood pacts" with the Crystal to receive numerous blessings from the Crystal, such as weapons. You can see what this school looks like in the accompanying premium DVD.

At the same time, monsters are prowling outside the academy and an ominous presence is lurking. At the beginning of the story, the neighboring country invades and the magic academy's Crystal is rendered useless. Suzaku has no choice but to surrender...

p.20

This is not one chapter of a story. It is a history written by one’s own hand. It is destiny.

p.21

The story of Agito unfolds on the continent called "Orience." There are four countries, each with a magic academy peristylium possessing the name of one of the four gods, such as "Suzaku" and "Byakko."

The month of water, 842. With the support of the Byakko peristylium, the country of Milites launches an invasion on the Suzaku territory capital, Rubrum. The Milites army led by Marshal Cid achieves victory and gains control of Suzaku. Amidst the fires of war, the trainees of the Suzaku peristylium rise to devise a liberation strategy. Players will choose from one of the twelve trainees with weapons like katanas, spears, and cards to battle the harsh reality of the outside world.

The battle system of "Agito XIII" is an evolution of the "Active Time Battle" (ATB) in which time elapses even while commands are being chosen. A system called the "ultra high-speed ATB" will give battles the feel of an action game. Additionally, players can control the summons, and the summons themselves have their own growth system.

The video on the DVD only contains still images, but there are some selections that convey the nuances of battle. We hope that taking a look will help to expand your imagination.

p. 22

a Piece of Creation

"I made 'Agito' with a hard documentary style in mind, so I think this new trailer gave a completely different impression to the people who thought it was going to be just a school thing. (laughs)" (Director, Hajime Tabata / DKΣ3713)

Displaying changes from the school life shown so far, the video released at DKΣ3713 exudes the essence of a military documentary, as shown on page 20. Gamers couldn't hide their surprise at the change, but it's part of the story's epic presentation, according to Director Tabata.

◆

"This is not a story where there is good or evil in people's values." (Director, Hajime Tabata / DKΣ3713)

The Cid who appears in "FF Agito XIII" serves as the marshal of the Milites Empire. The story begins as he leads their army to conquer Suzaku territory. However, Cid is not someone you can strictly call a villain.

◆

"The l'Cie in 'Agito XIII' are a little different from the ones in 'XIII.' Of course, the underlying mythology is the same, though." (Director, Hajime Tabata / DKΣ3713)

In the trailer released at DKΣ3713, the narration states, "We will invade the border with the l'Cie." The l'Cie of "FF Agito XIII" possess the necessary power to accomplish this. In "XIII", the ones who are chosen and bear the mark are also called l'Cie. What the l'Cie of the two games have in common is that they both possess special powers and are being manipulated by someone... What were l'Cie like in the original mythology?

◆

"Progression is faster and enemies are more difficult, but please consider the battle system an evolution of the ultra-fast ATB system of 'Crisis Core FFVII.'" (Director, Hajime Tabata / DKΣ3713)

The Playstation Portable title "Crisis Core FFVII" utilized the 'ulta high-speed ATB system' which featured brief intervals between selecting commands and the execution of the action. It will be made much faster in this game and will be available for your whole party to use. It's already possible to play co-op mode with up to three people, but that number may increase depending on future adjustments.

p.105

Reply of Creators

Respondent: Director Hajime Tabata

Q. It was really surprising to see how much the game changed from before. Will it be a game like Kunitori Gassen? (A game where you seize other countries.)

A. The conflicts between the countries are what convey the passage of time and change in the game. Players participate in the game and story as a student living in this era.

Q. Are we going to see other schools besides Suzaku? Will we be able to join them?

A. On the continent where "Agito" takes place, each country has their own school of magic. Only Suzaku, a magic academy located in the country of Rubrum, has an organization for training warriors for a certain purpose.

Q. I'm wondering if the school-like part will end soon after the war starts.

A. That isn't the case, but I can't give more details about that yet. Look forward to future information.

Q. Can you choose things like your weapon and gender? (For example, a male student who uses a segmented sword.)

A. Rather than making characters, you increase your number of party members by gathering friends. Stay tuned for more information.

Q. Can I play it alone?

A. Of course. You can play it by yourself like a regular "FF" game. During gameplay, players can choose whether to play alone or to have other players join with multiplayer.

Q. What happens if my character gets knocked out while I'm playing with a friend?

A. Prepare as many characters as possible for your friends to use. We're also considering adding some original elements to your characters, so rest assured.

Q. Will you still wear the same uniform even if you change your equipment?

A. Yes. The main characters are all trainees of Suzaku, so they wear uniforms.

Q. I want to summon as much as possible!

A. As with player characters, we hope to include as many summons as we can.

Q. Does the card-user always use cards? Is it possible to change jobs?

A. There's a weapon system unique to each character. However, depending on your settings, we plan to make it so that you can have fun playing as the card-user with a totally different fighting style.

[kagemajaya]

So much to watch, not enough time in the week - What does Fall 2020 look like?

A list of what looks interesting in the next season and silly reasons as to why

I’m not the sort of person who likes finding out too many (in some cases even a smidgen of) details about anime I’m going to watch, so this will be a spoiler free preview of the season. Here is a list of anime I will try and you can expect to hear about on Kagemajaya.  

Click on the show names to be taken to their MAL pages for more detail.

Hype

Taisou Zamurai

A male cast gymnastics anime from MAPPA (the studio of Yuri!!! on Ice.) Enough said.

Watch the trailer here.

Chuan Shu Zijiu Zhinan

This one’s a bit of a cheat as we’ve already seen 2 episodes of it (3 for those who have VIP accounts on weTV.) However, I was indeed hype for it before it started. Based on a BL novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, the author of Mo Dao Zu Shi, this one promises a lot to people who enjoy transmigration, cultivation and a bit of gay. It is also a quite funny isekai parody. The only downside is that it doesn’t share the same visual quality as MDZS, and is entirely 3D. It’s a good thing I’m not much of a stickler for hot visuals.

Watch it here on its official stream. 

Tian Guan Ci Fu

Another donghua based on a BL novel, well-known among the danmei fans also by its English name of Heaven Official’s Blessing. Also written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (boy, are they busy.) And a big plus: it’s not 3D, so really looking forward to watching handsome men cultivate together in pseudo-historic China. Beautiful setting, beautiful boys. Now one can only hope for an interesting plot too and we are set.

Watch the trailer here.

Cautiously Expectant

Yuukoku no Moriarty

I saw manga adverts for this one all around Akihabara and Ikebukuro last year when I went on a little trip to Japan. The bishie Professor Moriarty was an immediate pull, and as a Holmes fan, I feel attracted to most of its adaptations, despite almost always being let down. The one thing that makes me cautious about this one is that it is published by a shounen magazine that is not GFantasy, so I’m not sure if the bishie designs and the male cast actually mean what I want it to mean. Fingers crossed.

Watch the trailer here. 

Giving It a Shot

Inu to Neko Docchi mo Katteru to Mainichi Tanoshii

A cute looking comedy short about a dog and a cat.

Jujutsu Kaisen

A mostly male cast Shounen Jump affair. Spring 2020’s Kakushigoto also implied that it has a fujoshi fanbase - let’s see what that’s all about.

Maesetsu!

A female cast gag comedy sol created by Lucky Star’s Yoshimizu Kagami. I watched Lucky Star fairly recently and found it quite entertaining with many sweet/funny characters. I suppose we will see if Yoshimizu still has it. Fingers crossed.

Adachi to Shimamura

I try to watch all queer anime as they come, and this comes in from the shoujo ai quota. Looks like a pretty straightforward romance. Hopefully it will have heart.

Kaeru no Pickles: Kimochi no Iro

All I know about this one is that it has a chill looking poster and has a slice of life tag on MAL. I’m not entirely sure whether we’ll get this subbed, but if we do, I’ll give it a shot. 

Kami-tachi ni Hirowareta Otoko

Fell for the slice of life tag once again. This one is an isekai with a soft looking MC. Not entirely sure it’ll be up my alley, but no harm in trying it, maybe for a pleasant surprise.

Sore dake ga Neck

This one seems to have the cool setting of a convenience store. I did initially think this was going to be a sol as well, but seems like that might not be the case. Either way, cool setting.

Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle - Rhyme Anima

Another anime whose source project I saw plastered all around Tokyo. I’m not a huge fan of idol shows but the rapping bit makes me a bit curious.

Noblesse

A manhwa massively popular among female fans which has also received one off adaptations before, it’s finally getting its turn for a full cour among the hype the industry seems to have for Korean webtoons these days (Kami no Tou, God of High School, etc.) I did watch one of the OVA’s years ago, and wasn’t entirely impressed but then again I can’t judge a whole work based on one arc adapted into a single episode. Male cast action stuff. We shall see and judge.

Magatsu Wahrheit: Zuerst

This was chosen entirely on my shallow criteria as usual: visuals with two dudes on them. Now we’ll see whether the German name is a cringe factor or it’s actually interesting.

Sequels

Osomatsu-san 3rd Season

Osomatsu-san has been a consistently high quality production for me since the beginning. The humor is definitely my cup of tea, though as with any episodic gag comedy, some sketches do miss. It is more often than not a hit. The seiyuu cast is a huge huge pull, as this is not them only acting out an already written character but you can actually hear them having fun as the sextuplets. It is also one of the rarer shows where I, as a person who isn’t great at focusing on visuals, appreciate the impeccable quality of animation. So hype for another season of this majorly fun series and to welcome Matsuno’s back home - coziness, here I come.

Quanzhi Gaoshou 2

I watched the first season of Quanzhi Gaoshou (or King’s Avatar) because it was made by the studio of MDZS, and it was the first time I had seen a good looking Chinese animation production. And it didn’t disappoint. Production quality was similar and more importantly, it had a very engaging plot - pro MMORPG players playing MMORPG,  their personal dramas and the actual (surprisingly fun for me) gameplay and action. Its most important quality is still its charming cast for me, a successful ensemble cast, where with the exception of the antagonists, everyone and their relationships are lovely. Mostly a male cast show, it does also have nice ladies. Looking forward to going back to them. My only personal issue (definitely not a flaw on the show’s part but my attention span) is that it has so many teams and characters that I forgot most of who was who. Fingers crossed it’ll be easy to get back into. 

Haikyuu!!: To the Top 2nd Season

Haikyuu is back again, to finish off the “To the Top” arc. The first cour of this season was probably the season that took me out of the Haikyuu hypnosis state where I assumed everything that came out with the name attached to it was great. It was still enjoyable in its second half but I do feel like the magic has worn off now. I hope I’m wrong and the tournament hype will bring it back again. Haikyuu is at its best when it’s tense in-match and funny with character interactions, so fingers crossed for that.

Ani ni Tsukeru Kusuri wa Nai! 4

The Chinese comedy short is back! As mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago, gag comedies are always hit or miss with their sketches, and this one is also mostly a hit for me, though definitely not at the level of Osomatsu-san. The pull of this show is the cute boys and their dumbassery. Looking forward to its easy fun and more Kai Xin. 

Also continuing...

Mo Dao Zu Shi Q, Great Pretender

Have been enjoying both these shows greatly so far. 2 more cours of MDZS Q to go with their cute chibi fun, and Great Pretender’s last case (9 eps) is already released on Japanese Netflix so now we wait for Laurent and the gang to reach us. Really looking forward to the emotional drama of Laurent and hopefully some proper addressal of his feelings for Edamame. Either way, it’ll look gorgeous and will be heaps of fun if the first three cases are anything to go by.

I might pick up other shows and most likely drop some of these throughout the season but here’s hoping it will be enjoyable overall despite the small number of shows I’ll start with. What are you guys planning to watch?

[hg-world-india]

How did PlayStation become famous in India? History from PS1 to PS5

Remember your cool friend back from school days? Yes, we are talking about that friend who used to invite you to their house every day after school so you play or mostly watch them play on their PlayStation together. Let us know the Playstation India history.

PlayStation is a brand full of history and legacy. An unbeatable legacy that continues to shake the world by bringing forth revolutions and innovation in the gaming world.

PlayStation in the 1990s started launching and introducing gaming wonders to the world and soon the craziness reached India.

PlayStation

Launched in 1994, PlayStation picked Sony up and placed it against the unrivalled gaming champions of that decade- Nintendo and Sega. These two brands had been creating and releasing hit after hit games in the gaming market, thus creating a huge fan base for themselves.

The launch of PlayStation changed the way people saw games. It introduced super-fast processors that were quite new for the generation, 3D graphics that were seen at real-time and so many epic games. Every single game of that generation became legends and continued to have many series. Some of the games that PlayStation introduced with it were- Tomb Raider 2, Gran Turismo, Silent Hill and Final Fantasy 7 among others.                  

The console also popularised the CD formats among the masses. Moreover, it went on to make history as the first console to ship more than 100 million units including by PlayStation India.

PocketStation

Think PlayStation but portable. First introduced in 1988 at a Japanese game show and then launched in 1999. PocketStation had a built-in monochrome LCD screen. The portable micro console also supported multi-gaming. Other notable features were the sound capabilities, five face buttons, infrared data interface among others. It allowed the transfer of little saves in games among different devices.

PlayStation One

PS1 was launched in 2000, just a few months before the launch of PS2. It was a revamped version of PocketStation and also cost less as compared to the former. It includes a 5-inch LCD screen that gave the gamers the freedom they craved to carry the game whenever they were away from home. It sold approximately 28 million units overall.

PlayStation 2

This console has been considered the best console of all time. This successful successor came and conquered the market leaving no space for competitors. Some of the notable features include- 4 MB video RAM, in-built USB ports and DVD player, one core processor, 32 MB RAM for the system and many more. In fact, it was the very first console to have such features.

Another add on benefit that literally blew everyone away was the amazing backward capability of this console. No gaming console could be backward compatible that made history by allowing its gamers to have access and play most PS1 titles.

The most iconic and amazing DualShock 2 controller was also introduced with this console. Later, that is in 2003 the company also announced the arrival of a Network Adapter that would change the way one played games. It introduced the gamers to play online games through the console like the Final Fantasy XI. Overall, it is estimated that around 10000 games were launched during this period making Sony PlayStation an undefeated champion in the gaming world.

Some of the epic games released with this console were Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, God of War among many.

PSP

The PlayStation Portable or most popularly known as the PSP was launched in 2004. This was the time when the handheld consoles like the Nintendo were all in rage. Sony showed its entry and commitment in the portable console space with this masterpiece.

PSP also walked with the ‘Walkman of the 21st-century’ title. The handheld device had a great design, amazing graphics, 4.3 inches wide high-resolution screen and possessed the ability to play music and videos anytime. This made it the perfect partner to have on the go. Be it playing games or watching anything or listening to music, you got it all. Some of the legendary games that were introduced through PSP are Ridge Racer, Monster hunter and so on.

PlayStation 3

This expensive console is considered one of the costliest products from PlayStation. It was the first one to have a Blu Ray drive. It also introduced the Sony PlayStation’s Plus subscription and the PlayStation network. Again, the PlayStation network was quite popular as it let the owners connect to the Internet, watch anything on YouTube or Netflix, play and download games.

The console without a doubt introduced a lot of never seen before features as expected, however, gamers were not that convinced with buying the same at first. The reason being the too high launch price and lack of amazing games. The console’s cell processor created a lot of discontent among the game developers that resulted in the lack of good games in the initial years. However, all of these problems were thrown out of the window by PlayStation 3 slim version easily available through PlayStation India.

PlayStation 4

Launched in 2013, PS4 is still the coolest console to date. It cleaned up very effectively after the high priced PS3 with a reasonable price and amazing features. The console has a total of three variants that were introduced by the company after the launch of the original one. The variants are – original, slim variant and a PS4 Pro variant. As the name suggests the Pro variant was marketed to professional and esport athletes.

Sony’s PS4 conquered Microsoft’s Xbox One by blessing the gaming industry with PS4 exclusives that were too good to be true. Some of the titles included- God of War, Last of Us 2, Bloodborne and many more.

The company is said to have sold over 110 million consoles and over 1 billion games to date. Imported by PlayStation India.

PlayStation 5

This latest addition to the PlayStation family was launched last year, days after its competitor console Microsoft’s Xbox Series X was launched.

The next-gen console had features that once again reminded the gaming world of the grandiose the PlayStation brand holds in the gaming industry. The console is tall and very futuristic in design. It can be placed in both vertical and horizontal ways.

The loading time is less than that of PS4. The console also introduced the otherworldly Dual Sense controllers that we’re one of a kind. Apart from this, the backward compatibility of the console also earned it some brownie points. Also, the exclusives like Spider-Man Miles Morale, Gran Turismo 7, Horizon: Forbidden West and many more made buying the PS5 all the more worthwhile.

We at HG World have a huge collection of PlayStation consoles and games that were launched years back. Not only do we buy wholesale consoles and games from PlayStation India but also import from international importers to ensure a smooth and continuous supply to all the enthusiastic gamers all across the country.

If you wish to know which one is better the Xbox series X or the PS5, click here. For more such content follow us.

Watch the trailer of Playstation5 India here.

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

Tower Of God Anime Episode 1 Breakdown

Spoilers so Anime only’s beware.

-The two hot boys have shown up. Interesting they’re both under honor and pride, since the two hate each other’s guts. Hatz strives to bring honor as swordsman and places a lot of his pride into that. Meanwhile, Khun strives to regain his honor taken away from him after his exile, and his overwhelming pride causes problems for him.

-In this small scene, there’s so much symbolism about Endorsi’s character. First, we focus on her shoes, which links to the idea of how Jahad’s Princesses are called the shoes in the king’s showcase. Right now, she is a shoe, walking towards her destiny of entering the tower. Then we get a shot of her face, a mix of adorable and pretty. These two shots indicate what everyone sees when they first meet Endorsi, a princess and then just a pretty face. Until it finally pulls back and shows the many other shoes in the showcase, to which Endorsi is compared to and what people hope she becomes. However, she stands outside the case because she wants freedom from her duties as a princess.

-Another interesting thing about the showcase shot is that while Endorsi is at first front and center, she’s ultimately dwarfed by the many other shoes that come into frame, showing that even if she’s a princess, she’s just one of many and can easily be made (replaced) again.

-The power and influence line shows Endorsi wants. She wanted power to become stronger than the other girls at her home, and eventually she gained it. Now she wants power to become a popular princess, which will give her influence. With her influence she might be able to change something about the princess system, just like what Yuri wants.

-Shibisu is under the money and wealth, replacing Narae. Now, we don’t actually know Shibisu’s backstory. We’ve gotten hints of it such as someone taking something from him, but we don’t know the full story. Might this give a clue into his past?

-Anaak is probably the most easiest to explain. She wants revenge on the Jahad family for her mother and father’s deaths. However she eventually mellows out with this, preferring to keep her teammates safe then strive for revenge (like in the Name Hunt Station Arc)

-Rak wants to transcend all. Basically become stronger than anyone, and he’ll gain this power by hunting down strong prey and proving he’s stronger.

-I can’t really do an analysis of the op cause most of it is just Bam walking and stuff, so here are my fav shots (Though the yellow one scares me). Interesting that we get a shot of the Jahad symbol in the op, though it makes sense with just how important it is. Though I don’t know what was up with the bird. I guess it’s meant to represent freedom, but ToG is more full of water metaphors than sky. (Also the only time birds are relevant in ToG is when they appear and then die)

-I love Rachel’s little smile after Bam tells her he doesn’t want her to go up the tower. It seems like she’s smiling to calm him down and explain the situation, however you can also see the fakeness in it. She isn’t smiling because she feels bad for Bam, she’s smiling because she feels like she has to.

-This shot still confuses me. It’s like the tower itself is vibe checking Bam.

-Subarashi

-Bam subscribes to the “No Waifu, No Laifu” train of thought. And just as I predicted, people are already calling him a simp. I guess I can let it pass for now, but’s gonna get annoying if people keep calling him that, even after S1.

-Thus, the meeting that forever changed the tower’s fate has occurred. And it all started with a kick to the face.

-Seeing Yuri and Evan together makes me happy. They’re such a great duo that feel better together than split. Also I’m interested in the language they’re using. Is it a real world language, fake, or a mix of a few languages? Either way, it seems that Yuri and Evan might be able to understand each other without a Pocket (maybe because Evan’s guide abilities allow him to know every language in the tower?)

-Gotta say, the CGI looks very crappy, especially in mix with the extremely cartoony style of ToG. Hope we don’t get to much of it.

-Why are they saying Non-Regular. It’s supposed to be Irregular. The trailers got it right, so why is this different?

-Love how Bam’s the only one who reacts to the threat of execution. Evan and Yuri probably hear that on a daily basis so it doesn’t matter as much.

-Yuri went from shitting on him to wanting to fuck him in a second. Normally I’d criticize such a thing but since Yuri has a different agenda, and the circumstances between princesses and men, I can’t blame her for wanting a handsome man to go up. (Seriously all the princesses must be sexually frustrated)

-Anaak’s my favorite girl in S1, but I think Yuri’s gonna convert me if she has more of these great faces.

-Another translation error, but one also translated wrongly in Japanese. It’s supposed to be needle, but they say katana (sword in japanese). If I’m remembering correctly, only one 13 Month Weapon is actually a sword.

-Poor Evan. Then again, even if it seems he has a weak hold on her, he’s probably the best one for the job. Since he’s one of the highest ranking guides, he’s probably stuck taking care of either hard to handle or strong princesses.

-Their relationship is adorable. I have a thing for tall girl x short boy and this fulfills it all the way. Also, Yuri saying she hates being bored is really telling of just how much of an adventurous spirit she has. Even in the tower where things are hectic all the time and she works under Jahad and Wingtree, she still desires a world outside of the norm. I wonder if meeting Phantaminum really broadened her horizons that much?

-Love seeing all the buildup just to get to Bam being eaten. It’s a great way to subvert expectations from him just cutting it normally. Also in the manwha, Yuri says the needle is for stabs and pierces, probably giving Bam the idea of entering the eel.

-Also Yuri for best big sister in anime pls.

-”Welp, let’s go home”

-Yuri was about to try and punt an administrator. How can she walk in such dense shinsu with balls as heavy as hers

-Can we talk about the amount of trust in Yuri and Evan’s relationship. Sure, Yuri protested when grabbed by Evan, but when she heard that Bam had taken the right path she immediately stopped fighting or rushing to break in there. Even if she couldn’t figure out what the path was supposed to be, she believed in Evan’s words that Bam had done it right and stopped fighting.

-Bam’s gonna need a bath

-I love these two shots. Just the raw determination Bam has is inspiring. We should all be like Bam, except maybe focus that determination into a hobby or work instead of stalking a girl.

-Yuri about to punt Headon part 2

-This scene had me tearing up. No matter how horribly the two’s relationship progresses in the future, this scene will always be sweet because it’s the two’s raw, positive emotion. Bam was stuck down there for weeks, months, maybe even years, and finally someone comes along and says they’ll be there with him. Even if he didn’t leave the cave, his world got brighter just by having Rachel there. I’m glad they included this scene because it shows why Bam is so desperate to get Rachel back, to get his light back.

-This is precious

-I can’t believe I’m actually saying this but Rachel looks adorable

-These shots are so simple yet so powerful. If only they could have stayed like this

-Bam is smooth. This dude spent years in a dark hole with no one to talk to and yet he can still pick up girls. Also I think this scene shows that Bam and Rachel have more of a sibling relationship. Ruffling his hair is more of a big sister type of thing.

-Based on Yuri’s reaction, this is probably the most determined she’s seen Evan

-Black March is top tier waifu material even though she’s just a needle. I like that the animators made her look more mature. It shows that she’s an old weapon without needing to say it.

-BEGONE THOT

-I love how Black March’s preference in men was a superstition. Also can we talk about Evan’s face in the last panel? It’s beautiful.

-Honestly, it’s hard to tell who’s in charge of who

-That feeling when a sexy, needle lady will never hold you in her arms, why even live?

-I love how Bam’s first reaction to entering a new place was to eat it’s grass. Bless this precious child

-And finally, it ends off with the RaKhunBam trio. I’m so happy to see all three of them together.

This episode had it’s good points and it’s bad points but either way I’m excited for the rest of this journey, especially seeing the anime onlys reactions.

[noythe]

Of Oracles and Kings

After surely enough hours of thinking I finally managed to write down, what I am thinking of the Prologue of Episode Ardyn. Everything I gathered since the release of Final Fantasy XV will be used in this post, probably not pleasing every single individual - but this is my opinion alone.

All the facts I am going to list are part of the Game, may it be from several translation sources - as far as the german was closer to the original japanese, I considered a few things from there, too.

Remember, this is a post made by someone who hated Ardyn on an early stage, but fell in love with the chancellor after enough time, fancfiction - replays and so on. But I will edit this whenever I find something new that is a reliable source.

Now is your last time to turn back, if you are an Ardyn hater or want to spill more fire into it.. Last chance to scroll past this. Thanks.

And by all means. Whatever I have written down there - this does not justify what he had done in the game.

1: Izunia

Ardyn Lucis Caelum. The name we all got to know during the stage of the game, as Noctis goes into the chrystal. The tale of the accursed. I guess I do not have to repeat this. We all know it very well. But the first name we stumble over by this handsome traveller with that voice like silk -> Izunia.

So, in the Dossier by german translation it was stated, that the Name of Ardyn was Izunia.. Before they became Lucis Caelum. Considering the Anime now - I have two theories.

They messed up the translation. Again.

Which is hopefully more like to be happening: Before the Plague went down and everything went to hell, everyone might have been normal. Same for Somnus and Ardyn. Only as the world needed it, they were gifted by the Astrals to stop this. Rising over the human limits with their abilities they were given the Name of Lucis Caelum. For whatever reason. I hope this will get finally solved and covered in the DLC.

2: Fleuret/Oracle

We have Aera. A woman that is betrothed to Ardyn and sneaking out to see him. Called the Oracle .Didyou guys ever reconsider that an Oracle was not always meant to heal the people? If we can take the information of the Prologue for granted, Aera was talking to the Astrals/Godsl and spreading their word and plans among the people. Perhaps because she could understand the godlike gibberish. She was no healer. It was Ardyn on his own. They looked up to her and took her word for granted.

So after he was no longer able to heal, I guess the Astrals or Bahamut decided that they needed a new source of Light in this darkness. Because the Plague was not gone after Ardyn was killed/imprisoned/abandoned. But it couldn’t be her. It couldn’t be Aera. Even if she looks a lot like Lunafreya and shares her last name as far as I know - she died to protect the man she loved. Besides the shared looks are quite intersting.. Remember the time Ardyn was killing Lunafreya and his entire look softened for a mere second? Perhaps he saw her again.  

So, we see another woman next to Aera - perhaps Gentiana as she was a Messenger of the Gods as well and some Artworks show a dark haired woman that wields the Trident.  It is not confirmed yet, but I guess that she might have assisted Somnus indeed. Just not like the very first Oracle did. 

3: Scourge

While both brothers have their way of dealing with it, I have to say I like Somnus even less than before. Not that he just burned the people alive - he made it worse without noticing, calling his brother a traitor for doing his best to stop the plague from spreading. So in fact, Ardyn cleaned the mess up - his younger asshole brother created. Also - people say that the Memory might a fake. I can nearly assure you it is not. During the early scenes you see Somnus gathering the Victims of the plague. It is night. Do you guys remember what happened in the game during night and with Demons around? Right. The Area got misty/foggy and some particles were flying around. So. GUESS WHAT. There are DOZENS of people. It’s just what happens with all the scourge piled up. As Aera dies Ardyn can’t hold back the darkness he had gathered over an undefined amount of time. Maybe it had been years. So what Somnus had faced with Gil in the beginning.. Was probably NOTHING compared to the darkness Ardyn had been holding back, Same for the moment Ardyn gets stabbed by his brother in the tower/Temple/whatever.As the entire Scourge that was gathered in his body is released, it’s all dark. This is one of the effects of the scourge. Don’t play it down. So killing someone with the scourge is not an option, as we saw it only spreads ( Reference: The ‘Death’ of Ardyn during the ending) Unlike the method Ardyn used -> Taking it in and keeping it contained. That gives me to think..Did Lunafreya heal it the same way like Ardyn did? Was she getting that weak because of it and the Covenants? 

There probably was a way to clear it. Perhaps a special rite whatever. But that was never mentioned. Maybe Ardyn was just send to sacrifice himself with all the Scourge, only given this task. One live in exchange of countless. But we know how this played out.

4: Kings

I noticed some people claiming that Ardyn was in the end selfish as he announced himself King. He didn’t. He never really did. First of all he was traveling alone and in secret, admired by the people he helped with a real solution. They despised Somnus for what he did - and I can’t blame them. If someone would burn my entire family just for the sake of ‘preventing’ things, I would be pissed too. 

Ardyn was loved by the people. They asked him to be king. They had chosen him. And he knew what kind of burden that would be, but for the sake of them - he would have been their king.  We see Aera talking to the Chrsystal - performing some kind of ceremony to listen and spread their word. It was Somnus who asked. But the ones seeing the scene don’t know what was told. Only Aera and Somnus know - at least that was what I thought. But recalling Episode Ignis helps here. The Chrystal itself tells us there, that Ardyn was indeed chosen.

They call out Ardyn and he ends up in the same room - Somnus seems to snap, revealing his master plan to get Ardyn to them because they had lost him before and says that he is the chosen one. Somnus lied. Otherwise Aera wouldn’t be so surprised. He didn’t even wait for HER to announce it. Aera the Oracle - the messenger of the god, the voice the people would listen to.

So I assume that Somnus is indeed the jealous King Ardyn told us about.

That he was in the end rejected by Chrystal was not his fault. Ardyn hadn’t done anything wrong in this case. He had tried to fulfill his calling - knowing what would happen. Sadly we have no real information about this but I really guess that Ardyn was talking the truth. He was erased from history. And we know that Somnus felt guilty. 

5: Curse and Blessing

We know that Ardyn is immortal. Unless Noctis shows up and fulfills his calling and cleans up the mess Somnus and Bahamut had created.

We also know that the Oracle promised Ardyn to remember him always - even if no one else would. Foreshadowing? Perhaps. Perhaps she had seen the future like Ignis did during his Episode. Words she used during the gameplay trailer reveal, that she wanted Ardyn to live ( I guess she meant him. And I guess the scene was a dream that haunts him during the 2000 years or after his freedom.)

Maybe she had used these words before, trying to encourage him. Perhaps she had known about the state he was in. Maybe she knew he had a calling to follow. This is just a theory of mine and I can’t say for sure how this will play out. But I hope SE will play it smoothly, otherwise I will be mad af. But he calls it himself Both during the train-scene. My thougts on that. The Blessing part might be indeed from Aera.. While the curse keep him chained to this world and far from the woman he had loved.

6: Lies

There is no good or evil, only thinking makes it so.

If it would be a twisted memory, I assume we would know. Ardyn had suffered a lot. He had seen people die he cared for. He had lived, loved and in the end found peace. People say that this insight into the Episode might be twisted because it is Ardyn’s story we’re talking about. Think about it again. Aera is telling us the story and we have enough proof that he is talking the truth. As it is even said by the developers that the Anime will show the side of Ardyn we didn’t know so far. It is confirmed.

(And if someone screams. BUT THE PLACES ARE DIFFERENT - Watch the prologue again, or at all.... Watch it for real. And notice the details, temple area, open at the sides, different time. It is as confirmed as I can say now. If SE tricked us.. Well. I just can work with what I have. There is no mistake in the Animation or such. Watch it 200 times if you have to. I can point it out by seconds, but I am too lazy for that.)

To erase every single trace of Ardyn in history, Somnus had to work cleanly. I have to say, Somnus did good by that. Either because he burned everyone alive who knew or made sure the day was never mentioned like it happened.

But why isn’t  Aera mentioned? Somnus erased Ardyn from history. Guess you wouldn’t want anyone to know that you actually killed his fiancé, because you’re a mad,stupid idiot she knew the truth that he didn’t. Sad death. I hope they’re happy in the Afterlife. They deserve it.

 A lot has been lost. No one had known. No one. And to be fair, a common  quote I stumbled across lately a lot: History is written by winners.

He calls himself noble, thinking that his actions are the right ones. Maybe that’s why he burned the people alive. But burning innocent people is not noble. There is nothing noble about killing the fiancé of your brother and calling her a foolish woman. There is nothing noble of tricking your brother and cursing him, giving him no choice but to mourn for the love he had. Good job Somnus. It took your nearly 2000 years to realize and ask your friendly younger version to give Ardyn peace, huh. A little bit late, asshole. No, I don’t forgive you.!

To finish this for now, I have to say: Ardyn deserved better. Same for Aera. It is a tragedy. 

Not you, Somnus, I hope I can smash you in an epic-long-ass-bossfight during the DLC: Otherwise my comrades-Character will wipe the Lucian floor with your remaining body parts. I hope we get more answers during the DLC and can’t wait to finally play it.

[satoshi-mochida]

Publishers Vaka and Playism, and Shin Megami Tensei: Syncrhonicity Prologue developer Team Ladybug have announced Touhou Luna Nights, a 2D action exploration game based on the Touhou Project property. It will launch for PC via Steam Early Access on August 20 for $11.99 with support for English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean languages.

Here is an overview of the game, via Playism:

About

Touhou Luna Nights is a 2D metroidvania style game, developed by Team Ladybug, known for their titles KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Revival of Beldia (YouTube) and Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue (YouTube). Absolutely enchanted by the free-flowing, beautiful 2D worlds of the Touhou Project series, Team Ladybug took on the task of developing this title.

Story

“Now… my world will begin…”

The vampire from the Scarlet Devil Mansion ,”Remilia Scarlet,” suddenly sends her maid, “Sakuya Izayoi” to a parallel universe similar to Gensokyo.

A strange world, with strange youkai. What is Remilia up to……?

Using her power to control time, Sakuya races through this parallel universe to find the truth behind this elaborate “game”, and to “perfectly” play along with Lady Remilia’s time-killing hobby…

Characters

Sakuya Izayoi – Head maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, with the power to control time. She is sent off to a mysterious “space”, which resembles Gensokyo but is somehow slightly off, by her mistress, Remilia Scarlet.

Remilia Scarlet – Vampire mistress of both Scarlet Devil Mansion and Sakuya. Having sent Sakuya to a “magic space” of her own creation, she seems to be plotting something…

Nitori Kawashiro – An artisan Kappa with a deep love of machines. She helps Sakuya in various ways after being sent to the parallel universe. (But not for free.)

Hieda no Akyuu – Hieda no Akyuu is pretty much synonymous with “records” in Gensokyo. She advises Sakuya to keep records even within the magic space – but the recording “method” is like nothing she’s ever seen before.

Key Features

Brilliant pixel graphics fleshing out the beautiful world of the Touhou series.

Metroidvania-style map gimmicks taking advantage of the character’s game-systemized ability to stop time and other powers.

The 2D game adaptation of the Touhou Project’s “grazing” feature adds a thrill to closing in on enemies

A word from the Publisher

Team Ladybug began with Pharaoh Rebirth, continuing with other enjoyable games including KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! Revival of Beldia and Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue. Since then, we have been waiting in anticipation for their next project.

This time, they have created a fan fiction game based off the world-renowned Touhou series. From the background to the character’s movements and various skills, one can feel the creator’s passion for games and love of the Touhou series.

While it is a 2D exlporaiton game similar to Castlevania, the game can easily progress without the insistence of repeat elements or collecting items. This has resulted in a spectacular game born from the game production skills cultivated by Team Ladybug.

And we personally want to highlight the beauty of the game’s anime sprites. You can see the attention to detail the creator put into not only the leading character’s movements, but the effects and enemy characters.

Touhou Luna Nights is not only for Touhou fans. It is a game that can be enjoyed by anyone who loves 2D action games.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

[itsthebatboys]

Batman Ninja

Just finished watching movie, and BOY do I have a lot to say. 

You can watch the dub movie here! 

https://www3.animotime.tv/movie/batman-ninja-movie-dub/#linkstab

SPOILERS UNDER CUT

It is the most anime thing I have ever watched.

Like seriously! One of the scenes were like power rangers. Where all the members combine their robots together to become one big robot, well the same thing happens here but for the villains and their castle. They even have their battle cries while their castle changes!

And I got to say, for some reason it gave me the old 1900′s anime for some reason. God bless my heart. As cringe-y as it sounds, it was actually a good dose of laugh/comedy. Tim’s comment about it was seriously the best and it made me stop the movie to stop laughing for 5 minutes.

And it’s not even robot castle combining together, but we also witness monkeys and bats forming together into a gigantic BATMAN! Oh my lord! But I honestly don’t care how different it is from most batman movies with all the serious atmosphere. 

This movie had some of it’s comedic moments, but also serious moments. Around the beginning and most of fights. Only sad thing for me was that we barely see much of the all the robin’s fight. It was the same exact seconds you see in the trailer, with only about 5 seconds at most extended with the voices. But hey! At least we get to see Catwoman’s (and Damian’s) fight finish! 

The art in the movie is also beautiful in my opinion. At first I thought it was the 3D model through out, but BOY was I wrong. This movie threw in some classic Japanese art styles like you’ll see in games like Touken Ranbu, though only for a couple of seconds.

But also JASON’S CUT SCENE! Right after the artwork above, the movie once again SWITCHES art styles into an even more ‘older, messy’ style and good lord it gave me a lot of feels with Jason and the Joker during that short exchange between the two. 

(I love how they even put in the little detail of Jason’s helmet lines on the scarf around his face!) But less to say, the only face reveals we get to see in the movie are just Batman’s and Catwoman’s (and a little bit of Jason. Picture above). 

However, it is all made up with funny cute moments we get to see with Damian! God bless this Damian to be honest! At first, I was a bit iffy with a rather happy go lucky Damian, since I’m always so use to seeing him as a grumpy little midget, but I quickly got attached to this Damian far quickly than I thought! Seriously guy, he is like a precious cinnamon roll. Having made friends with a monkey, running up to Batman all happy and smiley, playing the damn flute with two monkeys, smiling once again when Batman accepts Gorilla Gordd, I can go rambling on and on about this Damian. So here, I leave this video of one of the CUTE MOMENTS OF DAMIAN!

God bless this movie. Ya’ll should watch this.

[recentanimenews]

Crunchyroll to Premiere the 1st Two Episodes of Estab Life: Great Escape Ahead of Japan

  Alongside the release of a brand new trailer for the upcoming Estab Life: Great Escape TV anime, Crunchyroll is announcing that the streaming platform will be premiering the first two episodes of the original anime series ahead of the Japanese broadcast date. 

  The first two subtitled episodes will be available on Crunchyroll two weeks ahead of broadcast on March 23, with new episodes launching every week. Episode 3 is scheduled to launch on Crunchyroll on March 30. 

    ????‍♀️新PV解禁???? 楽曲は #めいちゃん が歌うOPテーマ‼️ さ��に【橋本監督+キャスト5名の寄せ書きサイン入りポスター】or【旅行券】を抽選で???? ????応募方法 ①@establifeをフォロー ②@unitymemoriesPRをフォロー ③この投稿をRT 〆3/31 アニメ『#エスタブライフ』 4/6よりフジテレビ「+Ultra」にて放送! pic.twitter.com/itBwEzncuo

— アニメ「エスタブライフ」公式 4月放送開始！ (@establife) March 18, 2022

    Estab Life: Great Escape is the first series of the Crunchyroll and Fuji TV programming partnership for anime shown in the +Ultra programming block which was announced back in September 2021.

  Estab Life: Great Escape is an original anime by producer and chief director Goro Taniguchi (Code Geass). Hiroyuki Hashimoto (Is the Order a Rabbit?) is set to join him as series director, with Shoji Gato (Full Metal Panic!) as series composition and screenplay, Yusuke Kozaki (Pokémon GO) for character design concept, with animation production at Polygon Pictures. The series takes place in the experimental city "Tokyo," which is managed by artificial intelligence and home to a mix of various human races.

  The main cast includes:

  Tomomi Mineuchi (Koi Yoshinaga in Slow Loop) as Ekua

Rie Takahashi (Megumin in KONOSUBA -God's blessing on this wonderful world!) as Feresu

Maria Naganawa (Platelet in Cells at Work!) as Maruteese

Show Hayami (Ferdinand in Ascendance of a Bookworm) as Aruga

Shinichiro Miki (Lockon Stratos in MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM 00) as Urula

  Estab Life: Great Escape premieres on Crunchyroll on March 23.

  ----

Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram. 

By: Daryl Harding