#have such a complex about my cons outweighing my pros I feel like I can't unfairly saddle anyone with getting close to me

[futurewife]

why was *I* actually the one who needed to hear this so badly. because I am a black cat with golden retriever boyfriends ig 😭😭😭

[welshpunches]

how deeply does gwen regret chasing after torchwood that first day? will the pros ever be enough to outweigh the cons, or will her view on the job forever be balanced thanks to her support outside of it?

ty flor for sending this u angel... i've split it into three parts bc i'm odd❤️

how deeply does gwen regret chasing after torchwood that first day?

personally, i don't think she regrets chasing after torchwood that first day. i think when we meet gwen in series one, she's naive, she's got this superiority about her because she's the only one in the hub with a "normal" life and she leans more into her heart and emotional intelligence into the job at torchwood. i think moving into series one, gwen's on a trajectory of accepting that she's messy, she's no better than the rest of them (as much as she thinks she is), she makes mistakes, she has an affair and runs away from her life because of the thrill and the excitement it brings. the affair with owen showcases that, she upheaves her life for the thrill and the chase even if it's only temporary. gwen becomes more complex as the series progresses, she becomes more impulsive, she hardens, becomes colder and thinks she's better than having a normal life. torchwood becomes gwen's personality, she craves the high and she doesn't want to be a housewife or a boring ordinary person walking through the streets. in series one, gwen feels that she's the good egg and she's the one with good intentions, but she's selfish and catty. she's reckless and emotional, she gets too invested because she feels that she has a moral superiority.

in series two, we see a more mature gwen but still messy. we see her taking control and we see the stakes higher than ever before. when jack decides to go after the doctor, gwen takes the lead and i think secretly deep down, she always wanted it. but she becomes more used to the trauma, the blood and the violence. i can't remember which book it's in but there's an extract about gwen finding the death of an alien they encounter funny. i think in series two, gwen is on the cusp of losing her heart and her humanity. it's interesting that jack has to constantly remind her not to let her life go, because he can see it. i would say most of series two, gwen is becoming someone she doesn't recognise. i think meat and adrift are two big pivotal moments for gwen, meat brings her fiance into the mix and her life starts to bleed but adrift shows her how torchwood can really ruin a family and can do everlasting damage. the conversation she has with rhys about kids is really the turning point for her, i think this is when gwen becomes more consistent as a character. i think adrift, we see a shift in her that sets the tone of her next trajectory.

the deaths of owen and tosh definitely have an impact on her, and this is the first personal loss gwen has faced in the series. it's interesting that she tells jack that she can't go on especially after the events of fragments and exit wounds. she took charge when jack was kidnapped and managed to devise a plan to help the city of cardiff. i just know she loved it, she can be quite needy and constantly seeks reassurance until series three. i would say, the deaths of tosh and owen begin to make her question her choices at torchwood and why she's there. the losses of her friends significantly impact her to the point she has to go away and drink heavily. i think it's the first time she seriously considers if this is what she wants to do forever, but there's still a feeling of that she's a survivor.

series three is more of an interesting path for gwen as a character, she's soft yet tough. this is probably my favourite interpretation of the character because she's more consistent with who she is and is able to make quick decisions that don't backfire. she's not as reckless and i think this is the first time gwen starts putting other people first. i quite like the quote in day five in the car when she's with andy and rhys:

It’s Torchwood. That’s what did it. They give you retcon and chemicals and radiation and God knows what. Bloody pill didn’t stand a chance. That’s what Torchwood does, you see. It ruins your life.

but she doesn't mean what she says. she's reactive the situations around her particularly after the loss of ianto. gwen suffers throughout series three because she learns she's pregnant, gets hunted by the government, loses her friend and the other man she loves, leaves her after he killed his grandchild. but she still remains resilient, when ianto dies we see gwen reluctantly give up until jack reminds her of ianto's family, thus doing something for the first time that isn't self serving.

in the audios, she rebuilds torchwood from the ruins again so gwen wouldn't do that if she didn't regret it. i think she seeks the thrill at first and then she develops her motive to actually genuinely wanting to help people.

will the pros ever be enough to outweigh the cons?

the pros will always be enough to outweigh the cons, which i think we see throughout miracle day. even though she's outgrown her dependency on jack, she hasn't outgrown her dependency on torchwood to make her life more exciting:

Because you know what the worst thing is of all? Of all the shit we have seen, all the bloodshed, all the horror—do you know what is worse than all of that? I loved it. I bloody loved it. And I’d keep telling Rhys I was sorry, and I’d say to little Anwen I’m sorry. But I loved it so much. I knew things no one else knew and, oh, I felt so special. And when we lost people, it was so so big. And I could say it was worth it. ‘Cause the bigger it was, the more important I was. And the more people we lost, the more that meant I was a survivor and I was better than them.

it's so interesting that she becomes so hardened in miracle day, but i think she becomes a better person for it. she's consistent again, she's more level headed and thinks about others over herself. the cons of the job are loss, the deaths of owen, tosh and ianto do weigh heavy on her and especially when she brings death back to the world and kills her dad as a result. she knows she must sacrifice her family in order to restore balance back to the planet, she's aware of the risk and acts on her word.

it's interesting that compared to series one, she feels morally superior because she feels she's better than the rest of the team. but in miracle day, she's actually acting out of the best interests of the people and not herself so i would say the biggest pro is gwen becomes more of a rounded and thoughtful person by the end of miracle day. and she actually respects and trusts in rhys, she doesn't allow their relationship to suffer as a result of torchwood.

will her view on the job forever be balanced thanks to her support outside of it?

to some extent, yes. rhys is a huge part of her life and that's why meat is such a pivotal moment for gwen and rhys as a couple because she allows him into her world. she doesn't retcon him. gwen is protective that rhys can be involved in torchwood but only to a certain extent. she doesn't ever want him to kill or injure another person or being, she's the one who tainted the family by becoming torchwood. however, she doesn't regret it. she only regrets it when something backfires or if she's personally targeted.

Have you got what I’m saying to you, Jack? What I’m saying is, No more! Because I know exactly what you’re thinking, Jack. “She won’t do this, not really. Not my Gwen.” “No, Gwen, she can’t hurt me. Gwen loves me. She’d never harm me” and well this is about my daughter. And I swear for her sake I will see you killed like a dog right in front of me if it means her back in my arms. Understood?

miracle day provides a great analysis of gwen's survival mode and how supported she is by her family. particularly rhys and anwen, she values them over torchwood and will do anything to protect them. if you took that away, she'd be more selfish, more impulsive and possibly the most volatile member of torchwood.

[kingmaxstatic]

After seeing your post about the new ugly helluva design I looked it up and felt like I was reenacting "what, it's just its just an ordinary desiOH MY GOODNESS"

There is. So much to talk about when it comes to Beelzebub's design.

(Strap in cause this is a long one)

Let me start off with one thing I actually LIKE about the design. The colors are good. They're appealing and I'll admit that. But generally speaking the cons outweigh the pros. (pun intended considering she's supposed to be the princess of gluttony).

SO LET'S GET TO THOSE CONS SHALL WE?

First off let's get this addressed. Her design is a cluttered NIGHTMARE. It feels like there were a lot of things that people "liked" as little details and instead of picking and choosing they just. MASHED them together to make this character. Like while looking at her face I noticed a few things. A lot of things. From her freckles to her second eyebrows to her- you get it. There is WAY too much going on.

I genuinely cannot tell what's going on with her hair. Why does she have two different types of hair. SPEAKING OF HAIR her jelly hair is so fucking complex. There are ways this can be done WELL but this ain't it. Like for example look at Luna and Celestia from MLP.

The reason why these design work is because both the hair and character are not super complex. The hair is the HIGHLIGHT of both of the designs.

Did Vivzie really just decide "I'm going to make a character that's soooo hard to animate."?

We haven't even touched on the motifs yet good GOD.

So Beelzebub is meant to have bee motifs/be a bee (not sure on which yet). So yeah we have a Vaggie situation all over again where the character is VAUGELY using bug motifs. As in you have to grandma meme squint to see those bits. Like i'll admit the antenna ear is pretty cool. But good god everything else just looks like such a mess.

Also did I mention she's meant to be the ruler of the GLUTTONY ring?

Yeah she's meant to be Gluttony given form. But look at her. What about her design says "Food" or "Gluttony"????

Like food based outfits can be super fun to design. I have no idea what their deal was with this. The ONLY thing they did was give her the lava lamp stomach which only manages to clutter her design even MORE. If they really wanted to give her a lava lamp stomach they could've done it in a way that didn't have like. 3 colors in it, complicating the design even more.

She looks like she'd flit more with lust than she does gluttony not going to lie. Like the heart on her chest is a really DEFINED subject. If they really wanted to make her look "tempting" they could've done it and made it fit with the theming.

Simply put: when I see her I don't think "Gluttony" or "Bee" I think "Yellow wolf lady." and that doesn't make for a good design. A design needs to have reason. Like for example if you have a character that fights a lot you'd add things like scars or something. Things that show damage. It shows "Wow! This character has been in a fight or two before!". Another example: if you have a character that lives in a cold area they'll typical wear thicker clothing. You see what I mean? Typically a design is meant to show one of two things.

1. What the character is.

or 2. What they're like.

Let me use foxy as an example. (Jumpscare for people scrolling/j)

Foxy right? He's a pirate. How can you tell that? Through his eyepatch and his hook! Classic pirate stuff! You can ALSO tell he's out of order from the damage on his body. The tears in him and his visible endo legs. He's pretty busted up and you can tell why he's out of order. You can ALSO tell he's a fox! He's got the cheek fluff, he's red, he's got them sharp ears! 10/10 fox. Can comprehend he's a fox.

The problem with Bee's design is that you can't really.. get a grasp on the what she is.

We've basically covered the basics of character design so we've swam in pretty deep so I think I'll cut this post here. AS A TREAT since you've made it thus far, weary traveler, I've made my own design of Beelzebub!

[spiderman616]

OKAY regarding your Archie survey it is EXACTLY what I thought as well. I love surveys. People who started out with Archie either as their first Sonic media OR at a very young age like it. People who read it later in life tend not to. Archie is very different from the games, and focuses mostly on teen relationships (And also saving the world). You probably already know what I'm going to say but I want to say it anyways because I love analyzing and reading into things. Archie can be like a shock of cold water to people who only played the games (Which is most of the fanbase) and even most of the shows too. Along with the fact that it focuses mostly on teenagers and their complex relationships, this means it isn't relatable to adult fans (Who are reading it for the first time). Seeing teen squabbles and drama can even be bothersome! Being a teenager SUCKS and I don't think most people don't want to be reminded how messy and tough it was. The writing also is niche. It gets BAD but it's also super good in places, along with all the Lore can make it a very unique reading experience (If you aren't a comic fan). The bitter parts can be very off-putting (IGNORING like, the bigotry) and when you're an adult, certain plots or character moments can seem more out there. As in, you may notice that Sonic can be an absolute shit, but he also constantly saves everyone from Eggman (Robotnik I SEE YOU MONKEY KHAN). This could bring up a cool plot element of how his behaviour affects his friends, and their complicated feelings on him. Such as that arc where Sonic is a bitch ass motherfucker to Tails. It would've been cool to see a moment where Tails questions why he sticks around Sonic. Yes he apologized but what he did was awful, but also he SAVES THE WORLD he can't be that bad. The way he can be a shit to his close friends but does such great selfless acts... Going back to how teens would relate more to the story, having a character rationalize complex feelings in a friendship could help teens reading it rationalize their own complex friendship. If someone is really nice but does some awful things to you, this is a part of being human, but do you want to stay friends with them? Do the pros outweigh the cons? I don't remember seeing any of this though. Sonic's actions affect the people around him drastically, but I don't think any reflection of Sonic's friends ever happen. That would've been SO cool and a great way to add complexity to both Sonic and his friends while talking about things teens may encounter. (Ignore if this does actually happen.) Anyways I love analyzing Archie Sonic it's a wonderful part of Sonic history. Like yeah I don't particularly like most of the characterizations but that's what makes it so unique and so much fun to read into. Like you can't get this Sonic shit anywhere else. I bet I would've fucking LOVED Archie Sonic if it was my first intro to Sonic and I was a teen again.

No yeah if you're a comic Booker then you WILL like archie. Jts comic bookie. And as for your analysis on teen friendships I agree but you need to understand that the freedom fighters were friends when they were like. 3. And then they formed the team out of necessity because they are the only survivors. They're basically family for most, and they're not going to abandon someone just bc hes a dick or whatever. Like yeah they're all flawed but they're never presented as BAD people, just people who make mistakes sometimes

[nellie-elizabeth]

Roswell, New Mexico: Two Sparrows in a Hurricane (4x12)

The blue filter is defeated! Huzzah! This was a really good episode.

Cons:

I feel like I have a decent list of little nitpicks, things I didn't love, but the overall pacing of the episode worked so much in its favor that I don't weigh these negatives very heavily against the overall successes... but let's go over them really quickly.

Tezca's death was the biggest negative for me in this episode. It was played up in a super dramatic fashion and I feel really bad but it just did absolutely nothing for me. Isobel and Tezca didn't get the time to really develop much of a relationship; her redemption felt half-baked to me. I think part of what made it less impactful was that she didn't really do anything in the pocket dimension, so what was the point of her sacrifice? In the end, it was Michael creating the fuel, Max able to hold off the storm, and Dallas using his water powers, that got the portal back open when Clyde closed it. So Tezca just came along in time to... die? I also wish, considering that's the last of Tezca, that she could have explained why she shoved Alex in the quicksand to begin with. Was it really just to get him out of the way? Or did she know that Michael would end up following him, and that since he has Jones's DNA, he'd thus destroy the pocket world, and that's what she wanted? I don't know, I'm super unclear on this, and I also don't really care, which isn't the best sign.

Eduardo's daughter appearing again felt like a waste of time, I'm sorry to say. A lot of watching this last season has been seeing things I wish they could have trimmed away to tighten the story, and this character is definitely one of those things.

While I'm really happy about the Isobel and Kyle development, I do want to say that their scene highlights once again the bonkers ridiculousness of this season's timeline... when Isobel said "it's been a long time coming" all I could think was... she and Anatsa broke up like five days ago or something. Lol.

I'm totally on board for the Dallas/Maria potential, although I do wish Maria would mention my boy Gregory Manes. And it did kind of annoy me that Maria considers herself closer to Dallas than to anyone else on the other side. Not just Alex, her childhood best friend, or Michael, a man she was in love with just a couple years ago and still considers a close friend, but Isobel too... all three of them are people she has longer and more complex relationships with. I wish the episode had complicated this a bit. Instead of "who are you closest to" make it more ambiguous, like Maria needed to reach out to the person who's been her recent touchstone, the person helping her the most with her powers and her current journey. Then, it would make sense that it would be Dallas! This is probably a nitpick, though. It's fine. Dallas/Maria is fine.

Seeing a banner that said "Malex" on it, and hearing Dallas actually say the word out loud... gave me so much psychic damage. Can we not, y'all? Please spare me. So glad Michael shut that shit down, Malex deserves a better and less fourth-wall-breaking wedding!

Pros:

So as I said, the above section looks long, but the overall pacing and strength of this episode means that my qualms were way, way, outweighed by the positives.

To start with, I was incredibly moved by Liz's arc in this episode! She realizes that her actions might have lasting consequences, and that she might have to reckon with brain damage when her intellect is something she prizes so deeply. I think that works so well as a conflict for Liz to face, something where she can't be at fault for becoming addicted to the alien mist, of course, but she still needs to reckon with the choices she's made that have led her on this path.

And we had so much good theming about individual accomplishment vs. working together. Liz is distraught over her failing memory, but she has Rosa and Kyle by her side. I loved the detail about Rosa locking up the mist. Liz says that this means her sister knew she was weak and would fail, but Rosa says no, it's okay to need help. In the end, Liz gets help from Michael, from Maria, from Kyle, from all sorts, in order to create the fuel that opens the portal. Liz is capable of great things, but she needs the love of those around her!

I could be annoyed at all the flip-flopping and unnecessary drama in Max and Liz's relationship this season, but ultimately I'm just happy to watch them be happy and cute together... I loved Max getting his powers back, and Liz's concern for him as he went into the pocket dimension after his brother and their friends. Echo has such good energy together when they're not failing at basic communication, so it was nice to see a bit of that here in the penultimate episode of the show.

Kyle and Isobel's awkward interrupted conversation, and then their kiss just before Isobel marches into danger, were both really cute. Cuter still were Liz and Max's reactions, where Liz drops her mouth open in astonished delight, and Max cringes away from the sight of his sister making out with Kyle Valenti. I loved it so much, and I'm happy these two get to exit the show with some measure of happiness, hopefully with the finale next week solidifying that they're going to give their relationship a real chance.

Maria played a more utilitarian role in this one, there wasn't a ton of time for her to have character moments, but I did like how this episode was really an all-hands-on-deck situation. She gets the info that Liz needs in order to open the portal from their end, and she also helps with the bait and switch, keeping the real console away from Shivani and thus having it in place and ready when Michael and the others are ready to use it.

So, aside from the accursed blue filter, what did I think of our last episode spent in the pocket dimension? Well... this was some premium Malex content, y'all, what can I say? Alex wants to marry Michael before he dies, and Dallas is there to help make that happen... but Michael backs out, saying that his vow is to make sure Alex doesn't die at all. This is more or less exactly what I was hoping would happen. I like how the bulk of the episode is Alex despairing, because he really does feel that his own life is forfeit, and Michael gently and at times insistently cajoling him to keep going.

The scenes at the Crashdown (or I suppose it was the Atomic Café back then) were particularly moving. One of my favorite line deliveries from Vlamis ever is when he says that being in this world is like being in a microwave for Alex. He says it with such gentle tenderness, his hand cradling the side of Alex's face and neck. Later, we get the moment where Alex encourages Michael to go on without him, and Michael's reaction was another real highlight for me. I feel like usually in similar situations the person who is being asked to leave someone behind will react with emphatic indignance, like "No! Never!" But this was a lot softer. Michael basically just gives him an indulgent head-tilt and is like "don't be ridiculous." Which I loved so, so much. Also, the line "my heart is about to explode"... like, Michael is keeping his cool, seemingly keeping it together for Alex's sake, but everything is on the line for him here. If he loses Alex, it will destroy him, and Michael makes that very clear. Alex seems more or less resigned to the fact that Michael won't abandon him. He wants Michael and the others to escape, he think his life is already lost, and yet he knows there's no arguing with Michael on this one.

One of the through lines in the Michael and Alex scenes is that Alex tells Michael to stop thinking with his heart, and making emotion-based decisions that aren't based in reality. At the wedding, Alex is basically like: "I'm a dead man walking, here, and it's literally my dying wish to marry you, please don't be delusional about our chances." And then later, he tries to get Michael to see that sometimes the best way to cope with reality is to meet it head-on, instead of living in the fantasy of how things might have been different. And what I love so much about this, is that Alex is... wrong. It all comes to a head in the excellent final scene between them in the episode, when Michael, the one who has been carrying the torch for the both of them, finally loses his hope, and Alex tells him he was right to keep fighting, and to not give up now.

I love everything about this, what it says about how the two of them work as partners, the ways in which they hold each other in check and also push each other to be better. The not-so-subtle truth of the matter is that Alex chastising Michael to stop being so emotional is a patently empty and false criticism, since Alex is the one who has given in to his despair. And yet of course you can't blame him, Michael can't blame him, he'll just keep going, holding him, doing everything in his power to bring him back home. Excellent performances from Vlamis and Blackburn as always... I'm going to be thinking about the way Michael's voice breaks when he says he wanted to build a home with Alex for a long, long time..... let them build that home, Roswell! We're so close!

Some cute moments I want to mention before I finish this up: Michael and Alex flirting about Michael's horticultural interests, and taking long showers together... I was giggling so much at the fact that Bonnie and Dallas have just had to put up with all their couple-y energy together. I've had an agenda for a long time that was "let Alex and Michael be a couple around other people", because we don't get to see much of that at all, and finally, this episode hit the spot! In a similar vein, Isobel coming in and holding Alex's hands, saying it's so good to see him... theirs is a friendship that I firmly believe in, even though it's happened entirely offscreen. I just got so many warm and fuzzies to see a little hint of it here. I also loved the sibling feels of Max and Isobel holding hands and going into the quicksand in order to rescue Michael, Dallas, Alex, and Bonnie. We got an Isobel and Michael hug, too!

I can't believe next week is the finale, I am already getting a little emotional about it although it also doesn't feel quite real? Six months ago I was just starting this show for the first time, and since then I've written well over 100,000 words of fanfiction about it, along with tracking my general thoughts per episode on season four... it's been a wild ride, everyone.

8.5/10

[roccinan]

Thoughts on LCDP Korea?

I finished the last episode this evening and I'm kinda confused, there are (few) things I found better than in the original, and several which could've been managed better.

Right now I'll surely need at least one rewatch, but I'd like to know your first impressions about it!

Hi Enry! Thanks for asking! I was going to answer yesterday, then decided to wait until I actually finished the last ep. So here we are! Same here, will definitely be rewatching eventually.

In general, I really liked it. I was looking forward to this one for a while and had some pretty high hopes- it didn't disappoint and actually surpassed some expectations. Like you said, they fixed some problems from the original and made the story tighter (and a lot more logical in some areas), which I appreciated. There are also elements I thought could be better (but the pros outweigh the cons!).

I was happy that it wasn't a 1:1 remake because that'd be boring! The show was strongest when there were changes from the original, which made it more fun to follow the same beats. It's like, they got to the same place but did it slightly differently, so for me, it kind of recreated the magic of the first lcdp ;) I even ended up rewatching the last ep of S2 just because I suddenly really missed la banda XD

Spoiler impressions:

The "inspectora," Denver, Berlin, and Captain Cha were standout performances.

Woo-jin/"Raquel" was amazing; the actress gave the role the perfect amount of sympathy. She was level-headed, strong, and also weak- like I could go on forever about her. This is 100% on par with Itiziar's inspectora. And I really felt that the script respected her role more this time- she wasn't forced to be inferior to the professor at every turn, and sometimes she even has the upper hand (which I guess, was also that way in the original, but I liked the way they framed it here- it feels less biased towards the robbers)

Denver was perfect, couldn't have asked for a better Denver. He had the same himbo energy, while still being a guy from the streets- which is pretty much the original Denver lol. But as much as we all love Jaime, I personally think this Denver is hotter XD He's gorgeous, and his face not really matching his personality is what makes him so great. I loved his expanded role and the extra breathing space they gave his relationship with "Monica" (while we're at it, her motivation for being with Arturo of all people makes some more sense here)

Cha/"Angel" was a pleasant surprise. They made Angel a cool, competent guy and I actually love it LOL. His character was strong, and I prefer him to the original Angel (who was actually kinda annoying most of the time)

Berlin was everything I wanted and more LOL. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but he was a great surprise too. Like, this feels like who Berlin could have been if Pina and co. wrote everything out in advance and had time to edit. He's somehow both the same and very different from Pedro's Berlin- like, he's still a sadomasochistic lunatic but now there's a bone-deep sadness about him. He's a walking tragedy with an insanely miserable backstory and a martyr complex that's somehow even more explicit than the original Berlin's, and he says stuff like "I'm the shadow so you can shine"- what else could I ask for!? This is the Berlin who came straight out of my fics asdfasdf. That said, I can't believe I actually kind of want him not to die now asdfasdf after everything he's been through, maybe a shred of happiness would be deserved.

Speaking of Berlin, I'm pretty happy with them getting rid of the Ariadna storyline and the misogyny angle, which just proves that all of that was unnecessary to the plot in the first place. We also don't have to suffer through any more of "feminism, but as written by cishet men who are bad it it" themes.

I will say that there's no Andres in this Berlin though. Or if there was, he got beaten out of him early on lol. This guy is just Berlin all the way, and even though I do kind of miss the pretentious art lover, I don't mind this one. Though it's interesting that he's presumably never been married then. (Also too bad this Berlin isn’t as much of a slut as the original lol)

"Arturo" also captured the EXACT same Arturito energy LMAO. My nitpick is that he shouldn't have been so overly annoying when we first met him (like looking at porno on his computer!?)- he should have started as a normal guy and then revealed himself to be THAT annoying.

I liked the bickering Oslo/Helsinki dynamic lol- it gave them a little more to do. And nothing to say about Moscow because he was great too. I felt that Alison Parker was more sympathetic than Annie Kim, but Annie contributed more to the plot and it was interesting to see a different take on her. The whole subplot with "Suarez" infiltrating the hostages and getting fake-killed also made me go !! A pretty cool change, even though it relied on dumb luck lol. Also liked the change to Alberto's role- it pushed him more into the background and foreground at the same time, and connected everyone.

Lastly, loved the change to the serquel dynamic. This version makes a lot more sense in terms of motivation for both of them, but I don't think the professor's actor is really selling the chemistry enough (the inspectora is though!).

Stuff that I was more "meh" and "eh??" about:

Tokyo is a NICE and NORMAL person with MORALS. She is a problem SOLVER not a problem creator asdfasdf and I don't know how to feel omg. I liked her enough, but the original Tokyo was more fun; also, bit of a shame because the actress is amazing at playing insane evil women.

(That said, I was dying when she said "good job" to Berlin asdfasdf Finally, Berlin and Tokyo besties are canonized after all of Alex Pina's efforts to rewrite history asdfasdf)

The car chase into the lake was ?? It somehow made more sense in the original.

Rio has more backstory and layers here, and Tokrio not being together from the start is a bit of a plus- but I don't think the actor is making him as likable as he could.

Anne Kim's makeup was too perfect- she should have looked sweatier and dirtier as time went on

Nairobi didn't feel like she was "part" of the group; aside from her having a personality closer to Palermo than Nairobi lol, it just felt like she was "there" most of the time and not the one member who was uniting everyone

Maybe it depends on how he'll perform in part 2, but I think the professor is the weakest link among the main players. He has the aurora and it's not like his acting's bad, but he's too aloof as the professor, a little too uniformly "cold" with everyone he interacts with. You don't see the layers and emotions the original Sergio had. Sergio was my favorite in lcdp, but here, can't say I care very much about the professor or his relationships with everyone else.

*That said, I'm dying to know if he and Berlin are still brothers and what their shared backstory is!

SO that's my long rundown of first impressions LOL. What about you? What did you enjoy and what do you think could have been handled better?

[chaosstar290]

Reasons try out Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore.

Nintendo's been pretty casual with porting Wii U games over to the Switch, and for good reasons. Normally, I'm not all into porting games that I've already played, but my personal favorite games on the system that lack good marketing and advertising are now getting the attention and love they deserve.

Take Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for example, one of my favorite 2D platfomers. The game originally sold 1.72 million copies worldwide on the Wii U. Not very good numbers, huh? However, the Switch port managed to beat those sales numbers with 2.25 million units sold worldwide by the end of March 2019.

So while this could be seen as a way for Big N to earn more $$$, this is also a way for those who never owned a Wii U and missed out on some of the system's best titles to give these games a shot. Now we just need a port of Xenoblade Chronicles X and The Wonderful 101...and Star Fox Zero, I guess.

But that's a topic for another time. This post is specifically for my favorite JRPG on the Wii U only to be tied with Xenoblade Chronicles X....Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.

This'll be a long one, so here's hoping you'll stick with it until the end.

Development

Before I get into the reasons, lemme educate you guys a bit. Back in January 2013, both Atlus and Intelligent Systems made a teaser trailer for a potential Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem crossover for the Wii U.

The trailer was mostly just a slideshow with various character artwork. Despite this, there was a decent amount of hype surrounding it. But development around the game was pretty silent. That is, until we fast forward to the Nintendo Direct in April 1, 2015. We got a trailer of the ambitious SMT x FE crossover that fans were waiting for...but this was the final product.

Needless to say...neither SMT nor FE fans were happy about this. The fandoms were incredibly salty and foaming at the mouths, basically calling it a Person 4 Lite with a hint of FE. Heck, they're probably still posts on this site from 5 years ago that'll show that.

Fast forward to the games initial release, and you'll see quite a few positive reviews and thoughts about TMS. Unfortunately, the sale numbers were not all that great for the game. Obvious reasons being that it was a Wii U game, and many fans of both SMT x FE were not happy with how it turned out.

And to be honest, I wasn't feeling the game myself at first. It seemed too lighthearted and upbeat, and the J-Pop, anime-ish aesthetics were very off-putting. However, the more I saw about the game, the more I was drawn into it. Somehow all that disappointment I had about TMS originally just washed away. And considering it was a new IP, I decided to give it a chance. And hoo boy...I was generally pleased.

With that outta the way, let's get into why I'm excited for the Switch port of game, and hoping people will give it a fairer chance.

The Setting

The plot of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is mostly simple. You start out as high schooler Itsuki Aoi, the main character of the game encountering his childhood friend Tsubasa Oribe at an audition event to become a idol. It isn't until moments later in the game that the area gets overruned by shadowy creatures known as Mirages that suck out the creative energy known as Perso-- ah I mean Performa from the other idols and audience.

Poor girl doesn't know what's gonna happen next.

Despite our main characters seeming unharmed by the effect, the Mirages drag Tsubasa into their world known as the Idolsphere. And of course, courageous Itsuki takes action to follow and rescue her.

After trying to make a daring rescue, Itsuki gets bombarded by a Mirage, but somehow manages to awaken it. Taking the form of Fire Emblem Awakening's protagonist Chrom. Itsuki does the same with the Mirage that captured Tsubasa that takes the form of Cedea from Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon. The two awakaned Mirages, however, suffer from a bit of amnesia and can't quite remember who and what they are.

From there on, Itsuki and Tsubasa form a partnership with Chrom and Cedea, encountering various characters trying to reach their way to stardom while trying to draw back the opposing forces from taking over Tokyo and the world. Typical RPG stuff, am I right?

It's a fairly standard and slightly cliche plot with some common anime tropes, but for this game...it works. It's a plot that's incredibly silly, upbeat, and over-the-top, but again...it works for this game. And I love it. It may not be original, deep, or complex, but the story does its best to not take itself too seriously, and it doesn't fail to keep a smile in my face.

Aside from the vanilla cookie-cutter MC Itsuki, the various casts that you meet are incredibly charming, and go through their own personal growth as celebrities. Though you mileage may vary on this.

The Gameplay

The combat is the real star of Tokyo Mirage Sessions. Basically, it's your standard turn-based combat system...but with a few twists. If you've ever played a SMT or Persona game, then don't be surprised that elemental weaknesses make an appearance here. Along with that, the Triangle Weapon system from Fire Emblem also makes an appearance in the game.

But if you're not familiar with either franchise then give you a basic example how this works. Say that you've encountered an armored Mirage wielding an axe. The weaknesses on that enemy are both lightning and swords, and Itsuki just so happens to have both the necessary element and weapon equipped.

In case you're wondering...how the Triangle Weapon mechanic works in FE is that Swords beat Axes, Axes beat Lances, and Lances beat Swords.

The interesting thing about this is that once you exploit an enemy's weakness, other characters will jump in and combo extra attacks. These are called Sessions, and their not only powerful...but also flashy as all hell and it's glorious. Not only that, but there's also Duo Arts where two certain characters will sometimes perform a song that unleashes a powerful attack...which also strings up more Sessions. As broken as this sounds, it actually is pretty strategic for taking down harder enemies, and they can also form Sessions...so be careful.

There's more to the gameplay like roaming Tokyo, exploring dungeons, and upgrading your characters and Mirages by Tiki from Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon as well.

There's mixed opinions on the dungeon aspects of Tokyo Mirage Sessions, but...I personally enjoyed them. Aside from the first one. Once you get past the first dungeon, they get better as the game progresses. From exploring a darker version of Shibuya where you have to avoid giant cameras from sending you back to the entrance of the of the room you currently entered, to venturing through a maze-like TV studio.

There's also side-missions that you can do with your main cast that'll help them grow and develop even further. You'll be rewarded with either a special cutscene or a special attack. Or maybe both.

The Visuals

Go go...Persona Rangers?

If it wasn't obvious from the amount of images I'm posting, Tokyo Mirage Sessions is a very colorful game. Fitting with it's lighthearted theme, the amount of colors the game throws at you makes visuals aesthetically pleasing. Heck, you could make these your personal wallpaper on your phone or something.

Sure, Tokyo Mirage Sessions isn't nearly as strong as Persona 5 graphically or even artistically, but like most Nintendo games...what their games lack in terms of detailed ultra-hyper graphics, they make up for it with giving their games gorgeous artstyles.

Also, this game has some reeeeeally good artwork.

The Music

J-Pop plays a pretty big role in Tokyo Mirage Sessions, so expect a lot of vocal tracks. If you're not into this kind of genre of music, then you might wanna stray away from this game. If you are (or if it doesn't bother you), then you're in for a treat. As someone who really isn't into J-Pop myself, the songs in this game are incredible and catchy followed by some beautiful cutscenes. Reincarnation from Kiria Kurono and Feel from Tsubasa Oribe are some of my personal favorites.

The music from outside the vocal tracks are pretty good too. The normal battle theme and the Illusion Shibuya dungeon theme are just to name a couple.

What's New?

Like I said before, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is a port of the Wii U version, but with added content. Any DLC that was added in the original game will part of the base game in the Switch version. But let's talk about the new stuff.

EX Story and Songs

The EX Story is basically a dungeon that you explore in short bursts. Here you'll find new costumes such as a Joker outfit from Persona 5 for Itsuki, or an Annette outfit from Fire Emblem Three Houses for Mamori Minamoto. Or you can have a much easier time grinding for EXP. Also, much like the side-stories, this dungeon will also explore the main casts' issues and help them grow.

New songs will also be added in this port. A duo song called "She is..." sung by Tsubasa and Kiria is one of them.

Sessions

By making Sessions even more powerful and ridiculous, unplayable characters like Tiki, Maiko Shimazaki, and Barry Goodman will also join in Sessions.

In addition, a Quick Session option will be added. Which is a major upgrade in my book. One of the big issues the Wii U version had was while the Sessions were fun to watch, they took forever to get through with the more characters that joined your party. There are also smaller improvements like the Switch version having faster loading times.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this long as hell post will spark some interest into those who'll give the game a shot. I know there's small nitpicks like the lack of English voice acting and censorship, but the latter is a topic I'd rather not delve deep into.

Regardless, these small cons are greatly outweighed by the large pros this charming game has. If you're an Atlus fan, a lover of JRPGs, or wanting to play something that'll ease the wait for Persona 5 Royal, I highly recommend you give Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE encore a shot.

If you're also waiting for Persona 5 to actually come to the Switch like me, this game is next best thing we've got for the time being.

This is one of the most stylish menu screens ever.