#he was the second lead up until the 2nd to last episode and i bet the writers were like well he has to end up with suzy... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

cobra-diamond · 5 years ago

Text

The Unfinished 2nd Half of Zuko’s Journey

Zuko’s journey consists of two parts. The first part we saw in the show; it was Zuko receiving his Uncle’s forgiveness and becoming Fire Lord. The second part we did not see; it is his struggle to restore the honor of the Fire Nation.

The True Ending of Avatar

The ending for Avatar was not Aang and Katara kissing in Ba Sing Se in front of a beautiful sunset followed by the word “The End”.

No, the true ending of Avatar was Zuko’s coronation. That was the moment when you knew the Gaang had accomplished their goals, that their journey was complete and that the Avatar world had changed for good; the Fire Nation’s war was over and Zuko was the Fire Lord who was going to restore the honor of the Fire Nation...

... Going to. He had not done it yet by the show’s end.

Zuko: “I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will.”

“And I will”... Will. It was a new goal that hadn’t been achieved and you can bet your butt it wasn’t over three months later. Now read the next lines:

Zuko: “The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace.”

The road ahead is “challenging”. “Get it back” on the right path. “Begin” a new era of love and peace.

Restore the honor of the Fire Nation... A Goal.

Begin a new era of love and peace... A Motivation.

The road ahead is challenging... A Conflict.

These are the beginnings of an entirely new story for the franchise; a logical continuation of the original cast that does not erase the significance of what came before. It is the continuation of Zuko’s stated Goals and Motivations at the end of the show where he must change and grow in order to become the Fire Lord that redeems the Fire Nation.

It is the beginning of the second half of Zuko’s journey.

Where Aang’s Journey Ends, Zuko’s Endures

Aang’s journey in the show consists of a single, clear goal with a definite endgame: master all four elements and defeat the Fire Lord. Once Aang masters all four elements, he is ready to face the Fire Lord. Once he defeats the Fire Lord, his journey is over. How he masters all four elements and defeats the Fire Lord, along with the people he meets along the way, is what makes the story deep and compelling. This is where Zuko comes in.

The purpose of Zuko’s journey wasn’t clear for over half of the show. Until Iroh spelled it out for him in Avatar and the Fire Lord, it appeared he was a morally ambiguous wild card who could end up on either side. Why Zuko’s inner turmoil was so important to Aang’s journey was not clear.

Indeed, we did not know the full importance of Zuko’s journey until he stood up to his father in Day of Black Sun. That’s when learned why Zuko was important: he was the crown prince abandoning the evil ways of his country to help the Avatar save the world.

So you’d think that when Zuko helped Aang master firebending, defeated his sister in the Agni Kai and was crowned Fire Lord that his journey was over, right? That being crowned Fire Lord was Zuko’s reward for being a sensitive, gentle soul unlike the ruthless, warmongering norm in his family?

That he’d spend the rest of his days slowly coping with his trauma while enjoying endless, relaxing days of romantic bliss with Mai? That he wouldn’t face internal opposition from the diehards and stalwarts of the old regime? That from the start of his reign he would be leading a Fire Nation that was fully accepting of him and everything he stood for… Right?

Wrong.

The Tragedy of the Fire Nation

In addition to the central conflict of ending the Hundred Year War and Aang’s need to defeat the Fire Lord, there were numerous subtle threads running through the show that gave Avatar its heart and soul: the tragic, lasting effects of war on a people and their culture, the effects of foisting too much responsibility on children, the importance of friendship and having people to lean on, among many others. One of these threads concerned the topic of how decent, normal people can turn bad.

In Season 1, it is revealed that Avatar Roku—a firebender—was a respectable, honorable Avatar despite being a member of the Fire Nation.

In the same season, a Fire Sage helps Aang in his effort to connect with Roku despite being loyal to the Fire Nation and Fire Lord and Avatar.

Aang: “If this is the Avatar's temple, why did the Sages attack me?” Shyu: “Things have changed. In the past, the Sages were loyal only to the Avatar. When Roku died, the Sages eagerly awaited for the next Avatar to return. But he never came.”

In The Blue Spirit, Aang laments to Zuko how one of his best friends was Fire Nation and says to his enemy, “Do you think we could have been friends, too?”

A Fire Nation admiral and firebending master—Jeong Jeong—deserts out of disillusionment with the war.

And Iroh fights Zhao to stop him from destroying the Moon Spirit, to which Zhao does agree, for a moment, until his temper gets the better of him, showing that concern for harmony and balance isn’t a lost concept in the Fire Nation; it’s just buried deep.

In Season 2, Aang rescues the child of Omashu’s occupying governor, ignoring the practical advantages of keeping it as a hostage, and we are explicitly shown how happy this makes the invaders.

In Zuko Alone, Zuko becomes a truly sympathetic character. We are shown how he has always struggled to live up to the expectations of his warmongering family, and leading up to Season 2’s finale, Zuko and Irohs’ disillusionment with their country reaches new heights, showing that the militaristic expectations of the Fire Nation isn’t even embraced by all members of its ruling family.

In Season 3, the Gaang lives in the Fire Nation. We see Fire Nation people, their kids, their towns, their daily lives. Aang is actually excited to be in the Fire Nation because it reminds him how much fun it was before the war.

In Avatar and the Fire Lord, Roku is shown to have been the best friend of the Fire Lord that started the war, but Sozin’s desire and willpower to achieve his goals corrupted him, and in that same episode, Aang comments that friendships can transcend lifetimes, suggesting that the Avatar and the Fire Lord can be friends again. Ultimately, this is proven true when Zuko joins the Gaang, helps them stop the war and becomes friends with Aang.

Toph: “It's like these people are born bad.” Aang: “No, that's wrong. I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all. Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proves anyone's capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance. And I also think it was about friendships.”

Everyone, even the Fire Lord and Fire Nation, have to be treated like they’re worth giving a chance. Even if they don’t ask for it.

But most importantly, at the start of every episode, Katara says the Four Nations used to live together in harmony.

What the show was saying in so many small ways was that the Fire Nation’s war and what its leaders had become were neither normal for the Avatar world nor for the Fire Nation itself. Not even Chin the Conqueror’s conquests of the Earth Kingdom holds a candle to the Fire Nation’s multiple layers of evil, self-interest and disregard for world balance. It was a world first, even for the Fire Nation.

While the existence of the all-powerful Avatar, in theory, helps keep the peace between the four nations, the Fire Nation did not used to be hostile to the other nations. Sozin changed the old Fire Nation, the one that was peaceful and enlightened, that achieved an unprecedented era of prosperity, that convinced Sozin that the Fire Nation was first among equals. The fun, friendly Fire Nation that Aang remembered was lost and it stayed lost for a hundred years…

… And the solution wasn’t to destroy the Fire Nation.

The True Purpose of Zuko’s Journey

Until the series finale, Zuko’s journey appeared to be about him achieving moral redemption for his time spent as a halfhearted, incompetent, semi-accomplice in his nation’s evils. But Zuko did not turn against his father and help the Avatar in order to redeem himself of his sins. No, he turned against his country because he was alienated from it, couldn’t meet its expectations and became disillusioned with its goals. In other words, because it was what Uncle Iroh had taught him.

Zuko’s heart told him that betraying Iroh in Ba Sing Se was wrong and that he needed to right that wrong. To Zuko, doing the right thing meant following Uncle Iroh’s guidance and accepting him as his true father, and to do that required switching sides. Zuko’s redemption was not achieved when he stood up to his father. It was not achieved when he stood victorious over Azula. It wasn’t even achieved when he became Fire Lord at the end of the show. Zuko’s redemption was when Iroh hugged and forgave him. That was the moment of catharsis for Zuko. That was his “redemptive” moment.

Zuko wasn’t redeemed when he showed people he was “good” or “righteous” or “honorable”. Zuko was redeemed when he felt accepted as a son... By his uncle.

Unfortunately, Zuko’s troubles were deeper than his banishment and Agni Kai with his father. In short, he simply didn’t belong in the Fire Nation he was born into.

Zuko was a normal boy born into an abnormal situation that he didn’t have the personality for. He didn’t have the ruthlessness, intelligence, competence, precociousness and raw talent for militarism and totalitarian rule that his sister had, so he failed to live up to his father’s self-serving, power hungry expectations which, in turn, represented the peak of malice, moral corruption and ruling-through-fear that the war had instilled in the country’s leadership.

In fact, Zuko also didn’t live up to the expectations of his country, as revealed by his monologue in Siege of the North Part 2.

Zuko: “She's a firebending prodigy – and everyone adores her.”

Hmm. I wonder who “everybody” is...?

If you think the Fire Nation’s militarism is simply the result of genetic predispositions, I encourage you to read The East Asian Origins of the Fire Nation and Its Villains. It helps shed light on the potential reasons why a “soft” boy like Zuko might struggle in a militaristic culture such as the Fire Nation’s.

So when Zuko finally realized the righteous path and followed it, his story was over, right? He stood up to his father and Iroh forgave him. He showed us that he had a pure heart and was a good person and good, moral people are supposed to be rewarded for their innate qualities, right? What only mattered to Zuko’s journey was that he help the Avatar, vanquish his sister and end the war by royal decree so that a new era of love and peace could begin… Right?

Wrong again. Iroh even says so when he tells Zuko that his journey is not over when they are together in the White Lotus camp in The Phoenix King:

Iroh: “… Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko… And only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation.”

Until that moment, Zuko had no visions of himself as the ruler of his country, never mind changing anything about it.

Let me repeat that.

Until THAT MOMENT Zuko had no visions of himself as the ruler of his country.

Zuko: “And then... then would you come and take your rightful place on the throne?... I'll try, Uncle.”

Very reassuring words from somebody who believes they’re destiny is to rule a country full of walking flamethrowers. Not. Once more, I encourage you to read The East Asian Origins of the Fire Nation and Its Villains for insight as to why this could go wrong.

To Zuko, the Fire Nation he grew up in is the Fire Nation. As he understood it, his father had to be eliminated, the airships destroyed and the rest of the world defended from what remained of the Fire Nation’s power. Him taking the throne was an afterthought at that point, never mind what to do about his sister.

Perhaps he thought that stopping his father and helping Aang become a fully-realized Avatar would be enough to intimidate Azula and the rest of his country into submission since there did not appear to be a plan to militarily dominate the Fire Nation. However, that’s a topic for another day.

Whatever Zuko thought his endgame was, he didn’t know it, but Iroh knew it. Avatar Roku knew it. The White Lotus knew it and Aang came to know it. Zuko’s journey was not to prove that he is a good person on the inside. It was not to turn against the Fire Nation. It was not to teach Aang firebending. It wasn’t even to defeat his sister and assume the crown. Those were all just means to his journey’s end. Zuko’s journey was, and always has been, to be the Fire Lord that redeems the Fire Nation.

And it wasn’t over when the final credits rolled.

The Two Halves of Zuko’s Journey

Zuko’s journey could be thought of as having two parts. Part one is in the show. It is where Zuko learns why the Fire Nation needs to change and what he needs to do to change it: help Aang, subjugate Azula and become Fire Lord. Part two would be the trials and tribulations that result in the Fire Nation’s redemption, or at least the key events that set it firmly on that path.

Redeeming the Fire Nation, however, is not a process solved by merely wearing the Fire Lord’s crown. It is not enough for him to have a pure heart and have unquestionable honor. He has to make the right choices and answer the hard questions when it comes to weening his country off of war, conquest, colonies and a massive military industry, to say nothing of the culture that supports it.

If “everyone adores” Azula, is everyone going to adore him?

He has to reform the members of the old regime: the generals, admirals, soldiers, nobles and true believers. He has to get the people who are resentful of him on his side. This is not a simple, good versus evil, 3 months later having tea in Ba Sing Se kind of problem. Do you really think Zuko is going to hold mass executions, imprison families and burn books like certain Chinese emperors of old? Or will his “pure heart” and “unquestionable honor” collide with the realities of the post-war Fire Nation?

Will the broken, anemic state of the Royal Family be important? Without old-man Iroh, the ruling family is just him, himself and himself. Will Azula’s ability to create heirs be left to shrivel to dust in the asylum? Ew! Gross!! But that’s a question Zuko has to ask; that’s how power is transferred in his government, and at the end of the show, it’s only him.

Will he even try to get Azula on his side? Does he need Azula on his side? If so, for what purpose? What role will his mother play in the government? Can he simply allow Iroh to be a “multinational agent” via the White Lotus? Will he have to force Iroh to put the Fire Nation first? Will the nobility and military see the state of the Royal Family as a weakness that must be fixed... Or be replaced?

Who will oppose Zuko? Who will follow him? What mistakes will he make? What will he get right?

How will Zuko struggle, how will he change and grow in order to become the Fire Lord that redeems the Fire Nation?

If you thought the reward for finishing hard work is not having more hard work to do, then you’re probably not an adult.

That is the unfinished second half of Zuko’s journey, that we didn’t get to see.

But don’t worry; the hard work ahead for Zuko is the basis for Season 4.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Zuko #zuko meta #fire lord zuko #atla meta

308 notes · View notes

rosesmith18 · 3 years ago

Text

(PnF) Headcanon #5 Main Cast Shipping

This post pertains slightly to the prior post #4 & #3. You don't need to read those to understand this post, but if you want some extra background info, then I suggest you check them out. Anyway, as the title implies, this post is all about ships involving the main cast and side characters in their age group(8-12). I have plans for a similar post involving the older characters; both teenagers(13-18) as well as the adults(19-Onwards), but those will come at a later time. For now, I am going to cover the who, when, and why of the main cast-relationship wise-, please enjoy! Before we get started I just want to make two things clear: First, these are my personal opinions as is true of every post I make. I respect that your opinions may differ, so please respect mine. I would thoroughly appreciate it :>! Second, I find AYA(Act Your Age) to be an atrocious episode canonicity wise, and so I have completely thrown it out of my personal PnF Universe timeline. So, while reading this post, I highly suggest you ignore that episode as well. Starting with the most popular and well-known ship, Phinbella(also known as Phinabella): As most are, I am absolutely in love with the canon ship Phinbella! I feel like Isabella & Phineas balance one another out really well, and you can just tell their feelings run deep! When(Referring to Age/Grade): [12/Seventh grade] In my timeline Phineas & Ferb permanently regain their memories of the events of Across the 2nd Dimension when they are twelve/thirteen(2010). With that of course comes Phineas remembering that Isabella kissed him revealing her feelings for him. So, with that knowledge, Phineas asked Isabella out. Why(Referring to Why I Ship the Characters): Through re-watching Phineas & Ferb several times, I honestly get the vide that Phineas has been just as in love with Isabella since the very beginning. I won't insert my list of reason here or anything, but as a small example; The boy straight up tries to get Monogram to halt the mind wipe after happily exclaiming Isabella's name AFTER being kissed by her. Need I say more? Anyway, my point is that I believe that kiss sparked a revaluation in Phineas that he was in fact in love with Isabella, so when he remembers it he remembers his feelings, and immediately reciprocates her feelings by ask her out. Ferbnessa: It's only appropriate to cover the duo one after the other, so next I'm gonna talk about my ship for Ferb which is also my OTP; Ferb x Vanessa! When: [16-21/High School Sophomore-Fourth Year of College] As the show clearly portrays, Ferb has a severe crush on Vanessa, and that proceeded through his life. As for Vanessa, I very much enjoy the idea of her being a close friend of Ferbs after the events of Vanessary Roughness. As the two get older and hangout more, their feelings obviously grow as well. Eventually, when Ferb is sixteen-*legal age of consent in over 30 states*-he ask Vanessa out. To which she agrees having grown close to him over the last couple of years. Why: For Ferb, I honestly get the feeling that he's never actually fallen for anyone before Vanessa-despite his claims of being a ladies man-, considering the flowers and stuff that are special to HER. So, I picture him at first being scared of them, as he calls himself weak when referring to them. But, eventually being so unable to ignore them that he gives in, to the point he doesn't even try to hide his intentions. Doing whatever he can to gain a positive relationship with Vanessa, and being willing to just enjoy her company. As for Vanessa, I think at first she was just impressed by Ferbs' talents and genuinely thankful when he offered to help or hear her out. But, as they hang out more and more, I picture her getting more used to this special kind of attention that Ferb provides, and deciding that she doesn't want to let it go and regret it later-leading to her accepting his feelings. * Disclaimer: I want to make it VERY clear the age of consent does not legally apply to pedophilic(adults romantically/sexually pursuing minors)relationships! It is merely mentioned as the logic of the characters. Do not, and I mean, do NOT engage in a relationship with a minor if you are an adult and vise versa. That is ILLEGAL. Laws against pedophilic relationships exist to PROTECT minors from dangerous adult predator's. If you(a minor)have romantic feelings for someone eighteen or older WAIT to pursue a relationship, if you or the adult in question can not wait you do NOT/can NOT be in that relationship. These characters are purely FICTIONAL. They do not abided by the rules of reality and only suffer from such relationships if written to. In FICTION, they are as safe as I write them to be. We as people are restricted to reality, and must remember laws exist to PROTECT us from dangerous people, objects, and substances. Thank you.

Buford/Gretchen: This ship just seems like it would be so wholesome in the future after Buford gets over his bully lifestyle, and becomes the soft-hearted, mama's boy we all know he is. When: [16/High School Junior] Basically, Buford makes a bet with Baljeet that he can get a date to the Junior High Dance before Baljeet can muster of the courage to ask Ginger. He then proceeds to turn around and ask the one girl known for going with the flow; Gretchen. Gretchen accepts, because again, she goes with the flow. The two have a great time at the dance, and Buford decides to ask if she wants to try dating. Gretchen accepts and the two date all the way up to high school graduation and into college. Why: Truthfully, this ship started because of that one time Buford gets slapped by Gretchen, and says he's 'so in love with her right now'. But, the more I thought about the two's personalities the more I realized that they were honestly pretty good for each other. Gretchen being a go with the flow kind of girl, while also being collected and down to earth. And, Buford being a dramatic, coward with a hard shell. It just made since to be, and I think as they mature, they make that connection as well. Baljeet/Ginger: I hate how this ship was portrayed as manipulative in AYA. It is neither a healthy relationship or accurate to either of these twos character. I mean they're two misunderstood scholars from demanding family backgrounds! They would sympathizes with each other, not play with each other's feelings! When: [13/Eighth Grade] Ginger ends up asking Baljeet out after the two participate in a spelling bee and tie. It would just be adorable! After Isabella starts dating Phineas, the fireside girls start working on helping Ginger, and make her enter the same spelling be a Baljeet to impress him. Then when he comes up to congratulate her for winning, instead of returning the praise. She sees her friends thumbing her up, and overwhelmed, she just spurts out; "Take me to dinner?!" In nervous confusion Baljeet agrees, the two have a wonderful time, and start going out! Why: I've been in love with this ship since the bee episode where Ginger showed true interest in Baljeet's knowledge of bees. It was like the only time anyone showed genuine appreciation for his intelligence instead of finding him boring. And, the whole thing was only made cuter by how he seemed not only happy to share, but pleasantly surprised by her positive reaction. Django/Adyson: The fandoms versions of these characters would be so fun together! I mean the open-minded hippie artist, and the drama-loving tomboy? It's comedy gold if you ask me. When: [10/Fifth Grade] Django and Adyson started hanging out more back in the summer of 2008 after the carnival incident, and by the end of the summer they were official. Though, no one in their friend group knew until their Freshman year of High School. They weren’t keeping it a secret or anything. Adyson just usually causes so much drama for others they rarely have time to bother with her ‘drama’, and Django is always somewhere doing something that the other boys don’t know about so they don’t question him much. Why: This ship was inspired by some fanart I saw a couple years back of Adyson helping Django out of his human pretzel form after his act in the episode Jerk De Soleil. It was like the first ship I saw for Django, and when I started seeing the headcanons of both of them being pansexual, well the combination made the ship look so fun! Balthazar/Holly: These two are the straight men of the PnF Universe. Things more happen to or around them, then things happening in conjunction to their actions. They bond over asking themselves 'is this real life' on a daily basis. When: [11/Sixth Grade] I imagine Balthazar has a pretty bizarre friend group akin to the fireside girls, and much like Holly, he's the straight man who doesn't want to be involved in their shenanigans. So, one day when both their friend groups are doing something bizarre, they sit out. While watching their friends try their hair brained schemes, they run into each other, and start complaining to one another. One thing leads to another, and they agree to hang out again. By the end of the school year, this hanging out eventually evolves into a relationship. Why: I mainly ship these two, because back when I was looking for popular ships involving Holly, Balthazar was the only one that showed up. He doesn't have much of a characters, so I gave him one I thought would suit Holly. Brigitte/Katie: A Parisian flower with an American flower, sounds utterly adorable, and looks that way too! When: [15/High School Sophomore] Katie and Brigitte started having feelings for each other in Sophomore year of High School when they participated in a collaboration program once more. Brigitte helped Katie accept herself when she admitted that she was afraid of telling her parents that she was homosexual, and returned the blondes feelings when Katie confessed to having a crush since the first time they met back in the summer of 2008. Why: Honestly, I saw this two and immediately thought of that one trope; Where one girl is a closeted lesbian until some super pretty, super hot proudly lesbian, foreign girl shows up and takes the closeted one under her wing then BAM they a couple. Irving/Milly: Milly's such a sweet sugar cookie, I think she's the only person who COULD be in a long-lasting relationship with Irving. When: [21/College Graduates] While the two bonded during their time on the High School newspaper together, Irving was pretty stand offish about dating-He didn't know he was asexual yet. Milly did have a tiny crush on him, but his dismissal of most things outside of the club kept her from attempting anything. It wasn't until the two graduated from their respective college that Milly finally felt comfortable enough to try pursuing a relationship. Irving was aware and comfortable with his sexuality at this point, and when it didn't bother Milly, he agreed to going out. Why: Milly is just such a kind-hearted person who looks like she could love anyone, and Irving deserve love too, even if he is a bit of a stalker-he mellows out! So, I think they would be good for each other whether it be as friends or partners. Milly being accepting of Irving, and Irving learning to tone it down as not to scare Milly. In summery, I could go on forever about most of these ships, but I won't for everyone's sake-at least not right now. As usual, if I write about these characters then I will use these ships. If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them on the post, thank you!

5 notes · View notes

kodrama · 8 years ago

Photo

ktvmeme: [4/4 second leads]

song sam dong

#i know he ends up with hye mi but the whole show he is suffering cause she likes the other guy #he was the second lead up until the 2nd to last episode and i bet the writers were like well he has to end up with suzy...#song sam dong was the first korean boy i fell in love with #song sam dong #kim soo hyun #bae suzy #ktvmeme #mine #dream high #koreandramaedit #kdramaedit

69 notes · View notes

remotecontrolchuck · 7 years ago

Text

Toonami Night Review: A Night of Fun, Feels, and a Little Bit of Lewdness.

Last week was another enjoyable run on the block. We started off with some on Dragon Ball and Black Clover, followed by our favorite characters in Stardust Crusaders and Gundam IBO kicking ass! Then came of course Hunter x Hunter, providing once again the feels for the night, which has become weekly since we began getting further down the Chimera Ant arc. After the buzzkill that was Hunter x Hunter, Naruto Shippuden brought the fun back to the party with a nice filler episode to cheer us up.

Once that was over, things got really steamy on Outlaw Star, giving us a lewd, but really funny episode for the night. Everyone watching was looking forward to this one, considering the reasons why it never aired on Toonami before, and they weren’t disappointed one bit. If there was ever a reason for Toonami to be on Adult Swim, this was one of those reasons.

Moving on, Space Dandy brought on the feels once again on the block. But unlike the feels we got from Hunter x Hunter, it was the good, heartfelt kind. We continued getting more of that in Cowboy Bebop, before we got the sad kind of feels one last time on Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG. Geez, way to end the run with another buzzkill. Hopefully Ghost in the Shell with end the run tonight on a good note this time around.

Now that the general summary for last week’s run is over, it’s time to get down on the recap of last week’s shows, in twenty words or less!

Dragon Ball Super: While Bulma fixes the time machine, Future Trunks meets with Gohan, and has a wonderful evening meeting the latter’s family.

DBZ Kai: With Gohan losing to a more powerful Evil Buu, Old Kai helps Goku return to the world of the living.

Black Clover: Getting rewarded for a job well done, Asta and the rest of the Black Bulls go on a shopping trip.

Stardust Crusaders: With some reluctant help from the new canine Stand User, Iggy, Jotaro defeats the blind enemy Stand User N’Doul.

Gundam IBO: As Orga and Tekkadan get their revenge on Jasley for killing Lafter, McGillis begins his revolution within Gjallarhorn on Earth.

Hunter x Hunter: Encountering Neferpitou, Kite holds off the deadly Chimera Ant for Gon and Killua to escape. He then dies soon after.

Naruto Shippuden: The Filler Arc continues as Neji tells a story about himself and his team saving Hinata from enemy ninjas.

Outlaw Star: While hunting for more Caster shells, Gene encounters pervy sages, steamy hot springs, beautiful nude women, and a clumsy assassin.

Space Dandy: Dandy helps a young Gentooan girl, Adélie, find her grandpa, showing that he has a heart of gold after all.

Cowboy Bebop: Jet helps Mei-Fa, a feng shui expert, find a sun stone that will lead them to the latter’s missing father.

GitS: SAC 2nd GIG: While the Tachikomas have a philosophical debate about themselves, Section 9 stops the Tachikoma A.I. inventor from leaving the country.

And that’s a wrap for the recap! Before ending this review, there’s some things I would like to talk about, and one of them is about Outlaw Star. After checking how many episodes are left, I’ve just discovered that after tonight’s episode, there will only be two more episodes left. In other words, before the end of March, this show will have finished its run on the block. Can’t believe we’re near the end already, feels like it only a couple of months instead of seven when we started this intergalactic journey.

But of course that’s how it always is with a show on the block, time flies by so fast that you don’t realize how long it’s really been. What’s feels like a couple of weeks is actually a few months, what feels like a few months is actually almost a year, etc. etc. But I digress. Despite nearing the end of its run, I have had a blast watching Outlaw Star on Toonami, especially since this is my first time watching it. And like the recently gone Lupin the Third, I will also miss this show when it’s gone. But until then, I’m looking forward to seeing how this amazing show ends, hopefully on a great note.

Now for the other thing I would like to point out. Naturally with Outlaw Star soon to leave the block, that means there will be a change to the Toonami schedule. I have no idea what will be added to the block to replace it, or if the block will get shorter if there isn’t. But what concerns me more is that shortly after that schedule change, there will be another one soon after in a couple weeks!

Yeah, after Outlaw Star ends its run on the block, Cowboy Bebop will too two weeks after. And even more, three weeks after that, both Gundam IBO and the rerun of the first season of Space Dandy will be ending their run as well! And it doesn’t stop there! 3 weeks after that, Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex will be ending its run as well, followed by DBZ Kai a month later. To sum it all up, we’re talking constant changes to the Toonami schedule soon, and depending how it plays out, it could be good or it could be bad. Good being either more new shows and reruns to come, or bad being that the run might get quite shorter soon. Fortunately, I think it will be the former, and here’s why.

Now most of the shows ending their run on the block are in the later half of the run, and some of them are reruns. So my best bet is that they might get replaced by other old shows Toonami still has the rights too, and those old shows might go on another run on the block. There’s also a good chance some of those shows will just go on another rerun. I also have a feeling that Space Dandy might continue running on the block, since only its first season is ending two months from now, and they just might show the second one anyway to fill in the soon empty slots.

Now the only question that remains is the shows that are in the first half of the run and are not reruns. Those being DBZ Kai and Gundam IBO The first of the two to end their run will be Gundam IBO, and that will be a month or so after Outlaw Star finishes its run two weeks from now. By then there’s good chance Toonami might get a new show to replace Gundam IBO, which is most likely since we know that the second season of FLCL is supposed to come later this year. There’s also that other show that was suppose to come, but was delayed, hence how Space Dandy came back to the block.

Next will be DBZ Kai, but fortunately it will end three months after Outlaw Star’s run is over, so plenty of time to find a new show to replace it, maybe with one of the two I mentioned earlier. That, or maybe air Dragon Ball GT, though I heard that series has mixed reviews. I haven’t seen GT before, so seeing it on Toonami would be nice, but I wouldn’t mind knowing what the other watchers/live bloggers in the Toonami tumblr community would think about it.

And that’s my prediction for what’s going to happen in the coming weeks and months in term of schedule changes to the block. So far this should be accurate based on what’s already known in regards of new shows coming to the block, and how Toonami usually deals with reruns. I don’t exactly know what shows they still have the rights to, but hoping enough to keep things fresh on Toonami, and hopefully they’re old favorites we wouldn’t mind seeing again after a long time.

Well that concludes the Toonami Night Review for last week, hope this was an interesting read for you guys. Tonight’s run of Toonami will be starting soon, so don’t miss out on the fun and awesome moments that are sure to come tonight. Well maybe not when Hunter x Hunter is on, considering how bleak the current arc is at the moment, but everything else should be exciting to watch.

Until tonight’s run of Toonami, Stay Gold and see you guys later!

#toonami #dragon ball super #DBZ Kai #black clover #jojo's bizarre adventure #gundam ibo #hunter x hunter #Naruto Shippuden #outlaw star #space dandy #cowboy bebop #ghost in the shell: stand alone complex

5 notes · View notes

bad-beats · 5 years ago

Text

Bad Beets Ch. 4 (12/2-12/15)

How many bad beets does it take to get to the center of Jonah’s sanity? The world may soon know. Welcome back to another episode of the Bad Beets Blog! For returning readers, you know the drill. If this is your first time stumbling along the Bad Beets Blog: Hello! My name is Jonah and this is a blog about my luck (or lack thereof) when making sports bets. Let’s jump right into it!

12/2/19

League: NCAAB

Bet: Furman vs South Florida 1H Over 61.5 (-110)

Units: 1.25 to win 1.15

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein on Twitter) often uses the word ‘anarchy’ to describe college hoops, especially during this 2019-2020 season. When betting college basketball, you better have a defibrillator near you because it can be one of the most exhilarating, heart-stopping sports to gamble on. College teams can score 15 points in two-minutes by hitting 5 straight threes, or they can go on 8-minute scoring droughts. Furman and South Florida played a clean 18 minutes of basketball, scoring 61 points with 1:41 left in the first half. Needing just a half of a point with two minutes to go, this bet could, and should, have cashed in my sleep. Instead...

You have got to be freakin’ kidding me! Four missed field goals and two missed free throws and the total sat silently at 61 to close the half. As Jon Rothstein says, Bad Beet #1 of the week was ‘the epitome of brutality.’

Bonus: Bad Beets Hall of Fame

I want to quickly bring up one of the worst beets of all time (that I happened to be on the Hero Win side of). Take a look...

I had about 1 unit on the under in this game, but I can’t imagine how many things I would have punched if I was on the over. This might be a nominee for one of the worst over/under beets of all time, not just 2019. Scoring only 3 total points in five minutes of basketball is unfathomable. Oh, and to top things off, there was a missed free throw with one second left that would have sent the game to overtime and basically guaranteed the over. Thoughts and prayers to anyone who was on the wrong side of that bet.

12/7/19

League: NCAAB

Bet: Illinois ML (+433)

Units: 0.75 to win 3.25

For those of you who don’t know, I graduated from the University of Illinois in May 2019. I’ve been a fan of the Illini my entire life and come from a family of Orange and Blue. When I was a student, Illinois went to 0 bowl games and had 0 NCAA tournament appearances (though we did come in 2nd in the country in Women’s Volleyball when I was a senior). Illinois basketball is finally exciting again. With a backcourt of Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier, and freshman phenom Kofi Cockburn in the middle, Illinois is a force to be reckoned with this season. We were 10-point underdogs heading into Maryland on a fine Saturday afternoon. This spread seemed wildly too big (so, of course, I hammered it) but I also had to sprinkle the Illinois ML +433. Illinois dominated the entire game - leading by double digits for most of it. The score was 57-48 in favor of the Illini with 4:33 left in the game.

Maryland closed the game on an 11-1 run to comeback and stun the Illini. As an Illinois fan, this loss hurt a lot. But as a gambler who took Illinois ML, this obliterated me. How the fuck do you only score 1 point over the last five minutes of a conference game? **Keep this Illinois scoring drought at the top of your mind while you continue reading because unfortunately, an incredibly similar situation happened just one week later.

12/8/19

League: Serie A

Bet: Sassuolo PK (-124)

Units: 1.3 to win 1.1

This brutal push had everything. I was already winning this bet after just 420 seconds (nice). Sassuolo jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the 36th minute of the contest. After conceding in the 51st minute, they had an opportunity to redeem themselves with a penalty kick just 15 minutes later. Berardi confidently stepped up to the spot. And confidently missed the penalty.

No worries though, Mr. Berardi; the bet was still winning with a 2-1 Sassuolo lead. It stayed that way until Sassuolo conceded AGAIN in the 90th minute and the game finished in a draw. Fuck me. BRUTAL PUSH!

12/8/19

League: NFL

Bet: Redskins vs Packers 1H over 21 (-120)

Units: 2.5 to win 2.1

Note to self: never bet an over in a game with Dwayne Haskins as one of the quarterbacks. I was kind of banking on the Packers to score all three TDs in the first half to hit the over by themselves, so I was pleasantly surprised when the Skins found the endzone with just over 5 minutes to play in the first half. The score at that time was 14-0 Packers, so all I needed was a Dustin Hopkins extra point to guarantee a push at the very least.

Notice how the Redskins score only increased by 6 on their touchdown drive? Fucking Dustin Hopkins pulled the XP wide left.

There is very little that is more fun than betting an over on a whole number and sitting at that number, hoping for one more point to win the bet but not being upset with a push if there are no more scores. Unfortunately, I was now in boom or bust territory. Aaron Rodgers quickly drove into field goal range and was trying to get Mason Crosby into a better FG position, but he instead got sacked and lost the ball. Fucking fuck. My bet was riding on Dwayne Haskins to drive into field goal range with one minute left. As I said before, your bet is as dead as a turkey on Thanksgiving when it relies on Dwayne Haskins in crunch time. To my surprise, Dwayne actually drove the ball over midfield, and then unsurprisingly threw an interception. Baaaaaaaaad Beat #3.

12/9/19

League: NHL

Bet: Blue Jackets vs Capitals 1P over 1.5 (-150)

Units: 3.75 to win 2.5

May I introduce to you another type of bet in which you can have a bad beet. The first period over/under 1.5 goals in an NHL game is a thrilling thing to bet. If you read this blog regularly, you know I love betting overs, and 1P overs generally have better value than 2P or 3P (the latter periods’ over 1.5 goals are generally around -180). For some reason, Vegas thinks fewer goals are scored in the first period of a hockey game than the other two (and I am sure there are statistics to back that up), but it is always enticing to bet that 2 or more goals will be scored in the first 20 minutes of a game.

The Blue Jackets scored the first goal of the game with 16:33 left in the 1st period. Amazing fucking start. Nothing like getting that first goal out of the way just minutes into the period.

This was a sick fucking joke. The Blue Jackets put up 20 (!!) shots in the first period alone, the Caps tacked on 6, but only one of them found the net. Absolutely abysmal. Bad Beet #4 of the week made me want to slit my femoral artery with a hockey blade.

Life is too short to bet the under! Say it louder for the people in the back!

The curse of the “Under 2.5 stoppage-time third goal of the game to ruin your bet” strikes again, in classic Europa league fashion.

12/14/19

League: NCAAB

Bet: Illinois team total over 71.5 (-115)

Units: 1.75 to win 1.5

Very surprised that I survived Friday the 13th without any bad beets. I guess Friday the 13th was hungover because the bad luck struck the next afternoon. Illinois was coming off a massive, program-defining win for Coach Brad Underwood at home against #5 Michigan just three days prior to hosting Old Dominion. I bet on Illinois in every way and their mother. I had Illinois 1H -8, the 1H over 65, Illinois 1H team total of 34.5, Illinois -13.5, and finally Illinois team total over 71.5. Illinois played a fantastic first half, jumping out to a 40-25 lead at the end of the twenty minutes (hitting all 3 of my first half bets in the process). They were well on pace to hit their team total of 71.5, along with covering the -13.5. Illinois scored 29 points in the first 15+ minutes of the 2nd half, needing only 3 points in the remaining 4:14 to hit their team total over.

What if I told you that Alan Griffin would hit that jumper that made the lead 25 with four minutes left, and Illinois wouldn’t score another point the rest of the game? Remember that scoring drought that the Illini had just one week earlier against Maryland at the end of the game? Well, this one was nearly identical. ODU went on an 11-0 run to end the game and nearly came up with a backdoor cover for the ages.

Illinois ended up holding on to win by 14, but my goodness was this a Bad Beet. #5 of the week to be exact. At least the Illini are 8-3 and look like they could cause a shakeup in the B1G this year.

Bad Beet Count: 5 (with one Brutal Push)

Unit Swing: 9.5 to win 10.5 (20 unit swing)

That is all for this chapter of the Bad Beets Blog! Please feel free to comment, share with your degenerate gambling friends, or like my page on Facebook here: facebook.com/badbeetsblog

Thanks for reading and see you next week. Happy Holidays and good luck with your College Football Bowl Game betting!

#sports #gambling #badbeat #sports gambling #wagering #casino #blog #entertainment

0 notes

survivor-kuwait · 5 years ago

Text

Episode 8 - “These bitches really do be getting on my nerves” - Chloe

rip stevie :( in the aftermath of that tribal that legit just felt like one massive personal attack i decided to go do some homework bc something felt off to me!! madison was out there whining about OMG BEING IN THE WARZONE THE WHOLE TIME BOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO and yet lmao she's either been "excused" or gotten a strike for deadass just not doing the challenges. the jig is uP! i think it's fairly obvious people are just using the warzone as a way to build relationships and i mean who can blame them, but her whole pity party at these tribals needs to stop. my mood towards her has definitely soured in the last hour lol i'm over it fam. also i've been talking to ian since the tribal to get some tea since tommy is legitimately useless. i'll like ask him what happened at tribal and he literally just goes "oh i just heard his name from everyone" shrug emoi LIKE!! WOULD IT KILL YOU TO FIND SOME MORE TEA OUT... anyways i find out from ian that cullan apparently brought up that they should target timmy for challenge prowess, to which ian said he shot down due to that being a slippery slope which soon leads to him. if that's true i'm v glad that that got shot down bc that's, in my mind, a shot fired at me. GIRRRRRL, like just leave me alone i shouldn't be fucking persecuted bc half of you guys are throwing challenges and i've actually been doing them. that doesn't mean shit.

youtube

I was able to get 217 seconds on the slide puzzle. Would I get any better? 🤷‍♂️ I dont think so. I have my graduation today so hopefully this score is enough.

not gonna lie I compleeeeetely COMPLETELY forgot about the chall until this morning when I was walking to class and my dumbass is at class and work and class again until 10 pm today so I don’t rlly have a MOUSE on me..... cut to me desperately and embarrassingly texting my classmates asking them to bring a mouse to class for me nnnn this is not gonna go well. maybe it’ll be good for me to go to war zone anyways I guess

Hi sisters! Last vote was super easy. It was like “Stevie k?” “K.” But also even though I feel like I’m a big part of the decision making process for every vote, I never get less nervous that everyone is lying to me! Strategic playing, or crippling trust issues? You decide.

These bitches really do be getting on my nerves

Its almost graduation time and im sooo nervous and excited. It would be nice to not be in warzone tonight. Please survivor gods help me.

Well this is a crucial immunity. After being out of the war zone for 2 in a row I feel at this point I am a little outside the people who have been there so many times. I think I have some strong bonds with some players but I do not that a couple have it out for me. Namely Madison and Jacob, which at this point I fed they should be over the whole Renee vote but that’s their prerogative.

Sooooo Final 15 baby! Honestly Im so proud of this time around on my TS journey cause Im actually liking the individual competition portion of this game. Its like the merge part of any Survivor game but with a "tribal competition" aspect. Meaning that I only have to worry about me, myself, and I and I love that. I just need to show that Im the bad bitch that is in control and take this game by the fucking reins and show it who's boss. Aint no way Im gonna get 15th, 14th or 12th again madam. No way.

Reinke

---

I survived, yeet. Kait survived, yeet. Ian went in, f*ck. Maynor went in, f*ck. Chloe went in, f*ck. Adrian went in...yeet.

Hello! I am safe again, 2nd time in a row? Idk. I do like Kait but I don't entirely trust her. I think I can use her for a bit as she'll believe she's using me. If I have the chance to get her out before or early merge, I will. Thomas is the most boring person in this game. I have yet to meet Timmy but I doubt anyone can beat Thomas in this feat. Talking to him is like talking to a wall. A white wall too. Also, he has no manners, demands favours and doesn't say please or thank you... The second I have the chance, he's gone. Nehe should've stayed, not him. Otherwise, Ian and I are working on some kind of power together for battleship. I really do like Ian. I hope we can make it far together, he's my number 2 after Owen. Together, we have the Topaz Idol and a potential save vote and a potential new power. Maynor and I have been socializing and friendly, I want him gone sooner than later but he's not a priority. He isn't great in comps generally. Still love Trace and I do trust him to an extent. I dislike Stephen, would like to see him leave relatively soon. I don't trust him at all. On the other side, Matt is going to tribal and him and I have built quite a bit of trust previously, I hope he makes it. I'm happy Cullan and Owen and Adrian are safe as I trust all 3 to certain extents. I would like Timmy to go due to his comp prowess and due to the fact we have yet to interact, but he's immune, again. I hope Chloe makes it out okay. I also hope Devon makes it out alive. I love that guy. I think Devon, Chloe, Trace and Ian can work together though! Matt could join with them as him and Devon were big parts of the Renee vote. Madison and Maynor, who were both left out of that vote, could see their way out which is A-okay by me. Jacob was also left out of this vote but I think Ian won't target him, just my two cents. I see Jacob as a better ally for me down the road compared to Madison or Maynor. That being said, I like many people in this game. I think my social game is strong. I do need to be careful with my words as some may catch on. And I may find myself at tribal with 7 ppl I like. I have my hierarchy of allies in my mind and I know who's at the bottom of my totem poll, I just hope I can get those who aren't even on it out first. I'm also a comp threat. Usually, I can lurk in the shadows more easily but with the dynamic and my low level of comfort with risk, competition prowess combined with my social game, though flashy, is what I'm betting on to keep myself safe. Owen and Kait and Timmy's competition prowess outshines mine and people peg Madison as the socialite who throws/does not complete comps to be in warzone. As long as there are some who play flashier than me, I'll be okay. Until next time!

I found a Rock Saver with the help of Corey, chill but I'm more than happy to send that over to him the second I'm back from warzone. That is such a situational power and there aren't really alliances yet to risk rocks for, but when there are it will be within Corey and I's power to use. Again, I'll play the idol to survive if I need to, but I'll do everything I can to prevent having to play it at f16, the jury doesn't care about what happens in the premerge portion of the game.

---

It's going to be Jacob or Madison this round. Idol or bust, Cancer will take a hit, because fuck cancer. I'm done with the waiting for someone to take out players who have been just chilling in the Warzone, I'm done with the throwing challenges, I'm done with the deceit. The Warzone is not redemption island, you can't feed me a fish and send me on my way to build your jury presence. Madison is sans her warzone buddies, she's vulnerable besides Jacob. Let's go!

I may be in the war zone rn but Ian is here and I have fuckin missed that boi so yanno pros and cons

I so so so do not want to be here at Warzone again. This vote is probably the most complicated thus far because at this point I need a lot of things to go a very specific way in order for people to not realize I’m in the middle. Devon trusts me and wants to go with Ian’s plan to vote our Madison or Jacob and Madison and Maynor want to vote Ian which I would also like. However at this point I need to make everyone happy and the odds of doing that are so slim. I just have to convince Maynor wnd Madison to vote Jacob or Devon to vote Ian and neither one is the path of least resistance. I’m on the path of MOST resistance and by path I mean 1 inch wide tightrope suspended over hungry sharks.

I was not that surprised when I got voted out. I did not expect it because voting out Stephen did in fact seem like a plausible option and i felt that between him and myself it was kinda similar. It was believable that he would be voted off, but I totally understand why I was voted off. The interesting part about it to me is I think I was the least connected person in the game and I can see how that can get dangerous in merge because those people can flip a lot, but right now I thought it might've been a good opportunity to gain me as a number. I think this tribal was my first interaction with Trace and Ian. I did like them and I liked talking to them and I think I had potential to work with them if the plan of voting me out wasn't already in place. There were a few people I did not talk to that round because i didn't think I should've had to reach out to EVERYONE in order to talk to them. I just think there are alliances that have formed that i am not a part of because the decision-making for these votes is kinda weird and I don't always understand the motives. So to me an alliance i am not a part of makes the most sense. I was very excited about the lagoon though. I am hoping I get a chance to come back because that would be lit. I just need to stick it out through these votes and I am hoping Renee is connected to at least one of the other three so we can stay. Kinda glad Nehe is gone. I think he was bad for my game

Devon has been a godsend so far today, I talked to him last night about wanting Jacob or Madison out and he has up and ran with it. Devon being the face on this vote? Yes please, I don't want to blow back on me if it flips.

I actually have people working with me and talking to me this round? 😮😮😮 crazy that maybe these people have finally stopped trying to get me fucking out

Trying to talk to cullan rn and I can’t decide if it’s more or less difficult than talking to Thomas. He’s sent like three one word answers now.... Me: you doing anything exciting this weekend!? Cullan: Graduating. Ummmm ok hoe sounds real exciting hskshdjd like elaborate? Oh well I’m not answering. I tried to reach out bc my social game is ass rn but I’m not putting myself thru that today!!!! I miss Kait :( and I want to talk to corey :(((( grrrr they the real ones. And matt. Have yet to have a stimulating conversation with literally anyone else in this game. Wait ok actually I do like Timmy and madison SJSU’s je but madison busy too and Timmy sends LONG messages. Why can’t I have an in BETWEEN!!

I'm definitely going to see at least one vote tonight, I'm nervous about it because if people flip on me instead of voting Jacob I'll be dead to rights because I will not play my idol unless another idol is played. My thought process is that if I need my idol to save myself from a majority vote tonight then I wasn't bound to go far in this game anyway. I'll take my ball(advantages) and go home. 5 people told me they are voting Jacob, Matt told me Jacob is voting for me, if I'm being fed bullshit by everyone then that's just how the cookie crumbles.

Today has been quiet but people have brought up that Jacob and Madison are a strong duo. Matt was able to put the target on Jacob. It could be a 4-4 tie but Matt Madison n I might just go with majority and vote Jacob.

As per usual, I have no idea if I made a confessional about this or not. I can’t believe I won immunity, like I didn’t even have computer access. And i got 3rd so i had some margin to be safe (granted Adrian got 4th with one second more than me but still). That was the first time I did the puzzle because my other times were worse. If I was doing it on a computer my time would’ve been so much better so idk what happened with everyone else. And today Owen messaged me saying he feels kind of fucked because he hasn’t been to tribal in ages, which might be true but also he can probably win a lot of immunities come merge and people like him. I’m happy to work with him right now because we both have a lot of challenge wins but honestly I want him to go earlier on in merge because he is good at getting quick social connections.

oof mama, what a round this is panning out to be. First of all, I felt personally victimized by that challenge. The Ard tribe is full of some SERIOUS competitors, and that's the reason that I will most likely continue to show up at these stupid war zones until we merge. Fucking Kait has made it this far without going to the war zone at all, which is putting SUCH A LARGE target on her back. bUt whatever, it's just frustrating being on a tribe of people that probably do online puzzles for fun. So this round is interesting. After last round's unanimous vote, I feel a lot more comfortable working with certain people in the game. Ian has kind of solidified his spot as my number one in this game (more to come about that too). He came to me and was like we NEED to make a move against Madison/Jacob. He said he knows that Madison is a challenge threat, but is purposely trying to lose the challenges so that she can make connections with people in the war zone. Though he had made some points, I really don't think Madison is that smart to figure out how to do that. I really just think she is busy/not prioritizing and keeps showing up here. She seems pretty innocuous. That being said, she has become a bit of a social threat, slipping by all of these rounds without having to really do much. BUT, I do trust her and don't want her to be sent packing quite yet. Jacob, her star sign partner, on the other hand, can go. He doesn't talk at all, and when he doesn't they're boring one word answers. So I had pretty much set my heart on Jacob even though he is on our tribe, making my chances higher of showing up here if we keep doing the war zone format. To make matters more interesting, I talked a bit more to Matt this round and he told me that Madison and Jacob were gunning for Ian this round. Madison claims she is good with voting for Jacob, but everyone else says they seem to be a strong pair. I went straight to Ian with this and then he TOLD ME HE HAD AN IDOL. Honestly I am so happy to know he has it and not someone against me, because that's going to be some great information to have later on down the road. I think he is really paranoid, but at this point I just really cannot tell who is lying and telling the truth. I am hoping that people are being truthful and going to actually vote for Jacob, but I am trying to figure out who exactly has been saying Ian's name. It's ultimately going to be up to him whether he wants to play the idol this round but oof, if I were him, I'd be sweating. SO we shall see, but lord knows I'm shaking in my loafers!

#survivorstarzone #episodes

0 notes

furederiko · 8 years ago

Photo

Garu needs to overcome his bad luck, in the folklore-inspired Kyuranger episode 14... NOTE: This weekly recap-view arrives unfashionably one week a little late than usual. As suspected, my internet ran out of juice earlier this week, so I had no access to the subbed-episode until... yesterday *sigh*.

- Yes, it IS a Garu focus episode! Yaaay. Last we had one was actually in... the FIRST episode!!! Which was also his recruitment, so that's saying much. Can't believe it takes 13 episodes to revisit his story again. But hold that thought! Because this one isn't addressing his grudge towards Jark Matter for annihilating his race, but more about... him being UNLUCKY. Ain't that ironic... - How to measure a member's luck, you ask? Well, through the Kyulette of course. A harmless gimmick that is secretly a double-edged sword that can both lift one's spirit but also has the power to drain it dry in matter of seconds. Just ask Lucky! I'm not a pro when it comes to luck to begin with, so I don't really get why this upsets Garu LOL. But when this episode begins with him being absent on the battlefield, and then followed by at least 5 times (there seems to be more) being Kyulette-d OUT from mission, it is definitely NOT looking good. Especially when we consider that Champ, Stinger, and Koutaro are not even part of the equation. And have I also mentioned that it took 13 episodes for him to get the spotlight? Oucch!!! Naturally, Orion's one and only Wolfman falls into a slump. - Our MotW is Malistrate Ewteljan. He's basically a douchebag who loves to imprison Earthlings who tries to have any kind of 'private' luxuries. His logic is that only he and his assistants have the... luxury to experience one. And to do so, he's having some time off at the Space Ryugu Palace. It's a special amusement facility mostly run by and for Jark Matters, so think of it, as a space casino or some sort. It also clearly serves as an obvious nod to a Japanese folklore by the title "Urashima Tarou". Prior knowledge to its story isn't a requirement, but it does help explain one particular humor that involves Balance. And also... Garu's change of wardrobe later on. You'll see. - Oh and yeah, there's a 12-seconds scene of Hoshi Minato the Space King of Pop (played by Super Sentai veteran Hiroya Matsumoto), as he sings and dances to promote the place. Is that "Lucky Miracle Paradise"? I can't really tell. For some reason, it gets me thinking: Is this hinting towards Minato being the true identity of Don Armage? I mean, what's the point of him being shoehorned into this episode without any particular reason, right? Unless... the writer just needed a last minute cameo. LOL. And yeah, when I saw the preview last week, I actually thought Minato is going to be involved heavily in the story. Alas, that's not the case, so I feel a little cheated somehow. - Thankfully, the parallel-operation to free Ewteljan's luxury prisoners totally make up for it. I'm always fond of the 'doing parallel missions at the same time' approach, so you can bet how pleased I would be that we're getting another one here. Due to that, six members are chosen for this mission, to be divided into two teams. The Rescue-Range... er, Team UN (Lucky and Spada), is tasked to infiltrate the Consumarz and rescue the captives, while Cosplay-Quarte.. I mean, Team DEUX (Hammy, Balance, Naga, and yes... *drumroll* Garu. Good for him!) distracts Ewteljan at the Palace by disguising as staff members. For the record, they aren't officially named as Un and Deux. That's just how I would like to call them, and... you'll understand why after seeing this episode. LOL. - Anyway, Team Deux needs to trigger the remote on Ewteljan's waist, in order to unlock the brig on his Consumarz. That means, the success of Team Un depends on them. Unfortunately, as soon as Hammy is asked to serve elsewhere, Ewteljan (who obviously prefers to be served by female staff) loses interest to the Palace and starts... complaining. So sans Hammy, the rest of Team Deux needs to practically pull off ANY moves to keep the Malistrate at bay. - What comes next is... well, hillarity ensues! One attempt after another, the trio works hard to please Ewteljan and prevent his mood level from plummeting. All the while, Commander Xiao is back to his usual antics, and messes things up by suggesting various Kyu Globes, much to Raptor's dismay (who has already pointed out the solution early on). I won't spoil the FUN details of what follows, or how Team Un would be affected by their tricks. But let's just say that Pisces, #58 Columba, #55 Lyra, and #51 Virgo Kyu Globe contribute in various effects to deliver... comedy golds. Seriously! XD Trivia: By the way, in case you haven't heard about it, Columba is the official name for Dove constellation. It is one of the many bird-inspired constellations, alongside Aquila and the Southern Birds family. - Let's move on to the action part then. I just realize that, it's a no female lineup once again! What happens to Hammy, you ask? For some reason, she's absent during the fight against Ewteljan, and is relegated to evacuating the palace visitors instead. Nitpicking aside, we get a new roll call scene, and it looks shiny amazing. The choreo is neat as well. Ewteljan remotely dispatches his Consumarz, so Xiao heads down to bring Ryutei-Oh to the battle. As suspected, the BN Thieves are taking over Champ and Stinger's positions. On the ground, the Red-Blue-Yellow team seals Ewteljan's fate. Another, and more accurate nod to previous seasons, by the way. Super Sentai flashback FTW! - Before the episode wraps, we're back to that "Urashima Tarou" gag. General audience might not get what is happening with Balance and that "Tamatebako", because it's pretty much a humor that would worked better for those who are familiar with the story. Then again, the scene is pretty self-explanatory (and Naga's reaction is always fun to see), so I'll just leave it at that.

Overall: That was downright FUN. I don't know about you, but it's possibly the most comical episode we got so far. A hillarious carefree comedic episode, but one that succeeded in producing genuine laughters. Yes, you can easily call this as filler, one that utilized the franchise's yearly trope of maid-cosplays and crossdressing. But since it made me cracking wholeheartedly, I totally don't mind at all. Admitedly, to those who are hoping for a continuation to Garu's personal story? This isn't exactly what they would expect. Heck, it might be disappointing for them. Granted, if you look at it as a harmless, gag episode that merely played for laughs? Then holy cow, did it work! Next week: The 2nd Argo components appears! And Hammy is taking the lead. For realsies... PS: Here's hoping I'll be able to watch and post the recap-view for episode 15 this week as well. Can't make any promises though... *sigh*

Episode 14 Score: 7,9 out of 10

Visit THIS LINK to view a continuously updated listing of the Kyutama / Kyu Globes. Last Updated: May 21st, 2017 - Version 2.01. (WARNING: It might contain spoilers for future episodes)

All images are screencaptured from the series, provided by the FanSubber Over-Time. "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is produced by TOEI, and airs every Sunday on TV-Asahi. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

#tokusatsu #SuperSentai #kyuranger #uchu sentai kyuranger #uchuu sentai kyuranger #review #Just for Fun #hillarious

6 notes · View notes

emm-doubleyou · 8 years ago

Text

I honestly have no idea what to say right now. What could I possibly say? “My feelings, they’re a jumble.” And that is the understatement of the century. I return here now, after one of the most excruciatingly difficult nights of my existence. And what I am feeling in this moment is both utterly confusing and quite contradictory. I feel pain, devastation, and hopelessness. I don’t want to do anything. I don’t want to see anyone. And I cannot be more grateful to my past self for having the common sense to take the rest of the week off work. To have to face the world and the people in it this week- people who have no idea that my reason for existing took its final (for now) bow last night- I simply wouldn’t make it. My bed is my current sanctuary. And I never want to leave it.

But there are also feelings of extraordinary fulfillment. I don’t know what others thought about the episode. Truthfully, I don’t care. It took me about 90-120 minutes to get through it. I didn’t watch it live. I watched a recording after the east coast airing. And I watched “with” ms. @elephantsare-not-purple. I just couldn’t watch in the way I normally do. I couldn’t tweet. I couldn’t see others’ reactions. I needed my bubble. Because I was already so close to the ledge. But I also don’t know if I could have watched without her. She calmed me down somehow. I’m not sure I reciprocated very much. The amount of times I screamed or hyperventilated, I seemed to have lost count. I thought at one point I was actually going to cause myself to pass out. And tears were obviously a constant. So many tears. So much sobbing. How could I not? This is Bones. Bones is everything.

The episode was incredible. From start to finish. Everything. I wouldn’t have changed a second. And somehow, they still managed to surprise me at every turn. I didn’t watch a lot of the spoilers or the retrospective, so I’m not sure if some of the things that happened in the episode were given away prior to airing. But my mouth was hanging wide open the entire time. Quite literally, in fact. It was just so stunningly beautiful. So many callbacks, but also, it wasn’t just one long retrospective. The callbacks made sense in the moment. And when I saw Brennan pull Jasper out of the box I screamed his name at the top of my lungs. This show will be the death of me. And I do not care anymore. Every character had such a lovely resolution. The writers didn’t cheat any of them. Aubrey gets to stay with the team and still take a promotion. Cam and Arastoo will be adopting those boys (don’t get me started on that, I LOVE that idea for them). Angela and Hodgins are in a wonderful place with their 2nd child on the way. AND KING OF THE LAB! I was so elated at seeing Hodgins’ pure joy. He’s been through the ringer. They all have. But he has come so far in these past few years. To see that man happy means the world to me. The whole episode felt like Bones. And that’s all I could have ever asked for. Why stray from what works. I wanted to see MY show. Not some heightened illogical version of Bones.

Where is Booth and Brennan in the mix, you ask? I was stalling. What can I even say? There is so much to talk about with regards to this entire episode but I’m not trying to recap it currently. I am not there, quite yet. I screamed and cried when I realized what they were about to reveal about Brennan at the beginning. But the evolution just in this episode alone was astonishing. Emily broke me with her portrayal of Brennan here. The office scene- STUNNING WORK BY THE BEST TWO LEADS IN THE HISTORY OF TELEVISION. Booth loves Brennan. He has always known the truth of her. And whether she was able to get that brain functionality back or not, she is still the woman he fell in love with. The brainy, stubborn, beautiful, bossy, generous, compassionate, loving partner, wife, and mother of his children. He is dazzled by her to this day. And he will be until the end of time. Brennan’s job is a part of her. It always has been. Losing that piece of her would be devastating, to say the least. But she is also so much more than that alone. It seemed quite parallel to Hodgins’ tale, in a way. And when Brennan accompanies Booth to catch Kovac? “Where you go, I go.” She is standing right beside him once more. Like always. When Max died, she closed herself off from Booth. But she did it because she knew he would blame himself. And she was grieving and wanted to heal herself rather than assure her husband he was not to blame. Which she would have done. But didn’t quite have the capacity to do so at that point. She doesn’t blame him for Max. Not one bit. She tells Booth that he did the right thing. He did his duty in shooting that man. And that’s exactly what he needed to hear. Because you could tell throughout this arc that he wanted to take the blame for all of it. Everything that happened. All the deaths. All the destruction. Booth didn’t cause that. And he doesn’t need to carry that weight on his shoulders. It’s almost like Brennan freed him in that moment. He is a hero. He is her hero. And she is his. Their love is just beyond anything I have ever seen.

The action was exciting and nerve-wracking. David always knows just how to capture that in a way that has me on the edge of my seat in tears. And Brennan suddenly realizing what was wrong with Booth’s hand also incited a particularly loud shriek from me. Brennan is still World-Renowned Forensic Anthropologist, Dr. Temperance Brennan. But isn’t it nice to know that she would have been just fine if she wasn’t? It would be an adjustment, sure. But she would have found something else to do. Something worthy. And she would have had the love and support of her family and friends. I want to stop writing about this because I want to recap later when I feel up to it. But even a summary for me is hard. I feel so broken and empty and hopeless, and Bones is the only thing to make it better. Always.

The end. What can I even say. It was the perfect flawless ending. Booth and Brennan walking off together. Just as they began. Bickering as they go. WHAT COULD BE MORE PERFECT?! TELL ME. BECAUSE I BET YOU CANNOT THINK OF ANYTHING MORE PERFECT. I knew I would fall in love with this episode. I also knew it would make me want to die at the same time. And it did. It exceeded even those seemingly unattainable expectations. I love this show. I love this show more than anything. It has always been MORE than just a show. It is my savior. And it is a part of me. My heart is crushed right now. I feel lost. And I feel alone. And I feel like I have absolutely nothing left in my life. This finale was parallel to some rather heavy personal stuff in my life. I won’t say my real life. Because Bones is an integral part of my “real” life. It always will be. But I realized recently that this is NOT goodbye. This was not the end. It was not a period. it was simply an ellipses in the world of Bones. Like some, I’ll hold onto the hope of a revival someday. Maybe that will at least keep me going, even if it never happens. But either way, Bones is still there for me. All 246 episodes. Whenever I need them. Which is always. I will continue to watch. I will continue to learn something new every time I watch. And I will continue to sit here on this site and talk about this show until I’m gone. I need it. I want it. It is my world.

I take comfort in the fact that all of these characters are going to be okay. Not only that, they will be together. Just as they should be. They will live on, and their story will continue. Forever and always.

#bonestv #this is not a recap #i just needed to vent before i could look at anything #this is the longest i've gone without tumblr/twitter in years...#that's scary #it's been like 15 hours

22 notes · View notes

thedramafilesblog-blog · 8 years ago

Text

Appearing before the Dramacourt: Boku Unmei no Hito desu Ep 4

***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

Issues:

Whether this drama defies most of the stereotypical drama principles

Whether the whole arm wrestling saga represents something deeper

The Rule(s):

Yes! (So happy for that.)

I believe so.

Analysis:

Jubiemon J: I think this drama is going to be one of my favourite dramas of 2017! I’m craving for more after every episode and I’m always smiling and laughing out loud when I see what Makoto has to go through to make himself more likeable to Haruko. This drama also seems to defy all of the typical drama principles (ie the second lead that will keep going after the first female lead until the last or second to last episode). I think that’s a huge breath of fresh air and is far more realistic than what we’d see in most dramas.

Plus, I love how this drama always surprises us. We expect one thing to happen, yet another does. I mean we’re starting to get a hang of this pattern as Makoto also begins to try to guess what the Yamapi God is hinting. However, like Makoto, we aren’t 100% sure what we’re up for, which ironically is sort of like life. I personally think that this drama is trying to show that there is fate, meaning that there is a destined path that you’re supposed to take. However, how you take the individual steps to getting that path can be different. Sure, Makoto would experience pulling her close to him and then kissing her as a result, but even what he says to Haruko is not under Yamapi God’s control. Yamapi God even scolds him later that he should act faster. Yamapi God also always puts time pressure on Makoto, so even though Yamapi God knows that if they get married and have a kid, their kid will save the Earth, it isn’t guaranteed that they’d get together in the first place. That’s again a show of how there is choice within fate and perhaps there is more than 1 fate (ie path).

(Side Note: I also TOTALLY change my feelings for Mitsukuni who was the second male lead in this drama. He is only of the most annoying second male leads in episodes two and three.)

Issue 1: Whether this drama defies most of the stereotypical drama principles

Jubiemon J: Yes, this drama does defy most of the stereotypical drama principles. In fact, I think it does it to give comedic relief and to keep the suspense going. Plus I think this drama also uses satire to defy some of these principles and to teach us some lessons. Often irony is used alongside satire.

(Side note: Satire is a literary device used to expose and make fun of a character’s flaw or some aspect of society. Often that is done by using irony, humour, and exaggeration (See here for more information.) Irony is when there are two contradicting meanings for one situation, event, etc. Usually it’s expectations versus reality. (See here for more examples.))

Here are the ways that this drama has defied stereotypical drama principles:

(i) Makoto and Mitsukuni become friends (likely future bffs);

(ii) Mitsukuni and Mitsue are likely going to date in the future;

(iii) Makoto’s boss, Torita Shokichi, seems to be interested in what he thought as the “ugly woman”, Hatozaki Sumire;

(iv) Ugumori Midori, one of Makoto’s co-workers, believes her fated love is what we consider as the not-so-popular guy, Katsuragi Kazuo, another co-worker of Makoto’s;

(v) Haruko embodies what we generally see as more “masculine” traits than feminine one compared to Makoto; and

(vii) Yamapi God is completely different from what we think a God should act like.

Let’s look at each piece in more detail.

(i) The first male lead and the second male lead become friends.

Okay . . . does that ever happen in the drama universe? Nope! We generally have the first male lead and the second male lead end up hating each other or fighting against one another. Perhaps sometimes both start out as best buddies and then because the female lead shows up, their friendship begins to sour. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a drama where the second male lead not only gives up after a few episodes, but he also becomes friends with the first male lead in a subsequent episode. We’re not talking about the 2nd to last episode or the last. We’re talking about midway through the drama.

Yamapi God telling Makoto to seek Mitsukuni’s help!

In this drama, this stereotypical principle is shattered. Yamapi God suggests to Makoto that he has to seek Mitsukuni for help in order to win the arm-wrestling challenge against this pro Sumo wrestler. Though Makoto rejects this idea at first, he still follows through out of desperation. Guess what? Mitsukuni actually helps him and supports his relationship with Haruko. He wants them together!

Mitsukuni, being a past fitness trainer, ends up training Makoto through a funny regime that includes aerobics, squash, weights, etc. This is all for arm-wrestling. Lol!

Mitsukuni even gives him a charm for good luck in the end and Makoto becomes all grateful to his mentor.

A gift to Makoto from Mitsukuni

A love charm?!?!

Makoto: Thank you so much!

Mitsukuni apologizes to Makoto and says to treat this an apology gift.

Mitsukuni shows that he isn’t a one-dimensional character by admitting to one of his flaws, his narcissism. He actually says something like I’m a narcissist. What second male lead would admit to the first male lead his weakness? And give him a love charm to support him with the female lead? Never in the old drama verse days.

(ii) The second lead male and the lead female’s bff are likely going to date in the future

Does that really happen in the drama world? Very rarely! Even if it does happen, it’s more like the lead female’s bff always had a huge crush on that second lead male and in the end, he decides to give her a shot. That’s not the case here! I think they’re progressing pretty naturally and neither of them had any interest in one another till later. When Mitsue says that Haruko and Makoto were on a date because they were hanging out by themselves, Haruko shoots back by asking her about the bar outing she went on with Mitsukuni. Mitsue keeps stating that she only met him at the bar. Cute!

Moreover, during one of their talks over dinner, Haruko tells us that she isn’t interested in clingy men and doesn’t like it when she gets a lot of text messages. Haruko mentions how Mitsukuni often texts a lot and how that’s like what Mitsue does to her.

I totally see Mitsue and Mitsukuni getting together later. Can’t wait for this couple to happen!

(iii) A “handsome” guy becomes interested in who he thought was an “ugly woman”

Usually in dramas, the “good-looking” guy ends up having to trick the “ugly woman” to fall for him and then later falls for her, but in this case, Makoto’s boss who is regarded as better looking than Haruko’s female boss has opened up his mind to interacting with her by himself. Over the past few episodes, we’ve seen him go from complete avoidance to mere acknowledgement of her existence to a request for a meeting with her. Sure, the meeting was to see how her company could help them with marketing, but before he was completely repulsed by her and would press the close button whenever she headed to the elevators.

At the end of the meeting, he comments that she is very nice after she agrees to help his company out.

(iv) The “pretty” girl falls deeply for the “ugly” guy without much of a reason.

Whenever there’s some cute girl in a drama, she usually ends up falling for the hot guy or this nerd who turns out to be a hot guy. She never really dates a guy that’s what we’d see as below average for looks. (I honestly hate talking about looks being the reason that someone would date another, but it’s a trend we tend to see in dramas.) Here we have Midori totally falling head over heels over Kazuo and thinks that he is her fated one due to absurd reasons like matching socks or what not.

(v) Stereotypical gender traits are broken in the characters’ personalities.

I’ve mentioned before that many times, Makoto acts more like the typical shoujo manga girl character we see. He’s very pure and honest. He is shy around his crush and super awkward. He is quite emotionally driven (ie. he cries when the Sumo wrestler’s MC is talking about how his mother raised him and Haruko is the one that hands him a handkerchief!)

Makoto being way, way more nervous than Haruko

Makoto crying his eyes out because of being so touched by the speech vs Haruko going . . . Huh?

It’s very easy to tease him as you see from Yamapi God’s interactions with him. He is dense and not that book smart. He is super dedicated to getting his love interest to fall for him even though she keeps rejecting him. I’m totally getting reminded of . . . Itazura na Kiss, but in this case, Makoto is Aihara Kotoko and Haruko is more like Irie Naoki. Of course, the Itazura na Kiss scenario is more extreme, but Haruko is cold on the exterior yet soft in the interior like Naoki and Makoto is a loyal, air-head like Kotoko.

I love how this drama points out that women don’t have to be a certain way nor do men. It’s also done in a very tasteful way through everyday occurrences. Look at when Midori wins against Kazuo who is all like . . . no way can a little girl win me! Women can be stronger than men and win an arm-wrestling match. It’s great that all the other male co-workers were cheering her on!

Woman vs Man

You go girl! (All the men were rooting for her too. Hehehe.)

Women can also have colder personalities like Haruko and say no to guys pursuing them. Makoto and Mitsukuni never complain about Haruko’s seemingly nonchalant, cool personality which I bet many would say she’d have a resting bitch face. She’s just not that expressive for everyday situations, but when she’s totally into something like sumo wrestling, she becomes super cheerful and bubbly. It’s a really cute contrast!

Let’s also do something that be on a tangent yet still fun. Let’s examine their names. Makoto’s kanji is 誠. 誠【まこと】 means “truth, reality, sincerity, honesty, integrity, fidelity, that’s right (used when recalling forgotten information, suddenly changing the subject, etc.)” (See here). That sounds a lot like Makoto’s personality right? He always stresses how he takes things too literally or seriously so he doesn’t get jokes and apologizes for that. I believe he has said that similar line at least three times throughout the drama.

Haruko is written like this 晴子, which means bright/clear child. 晴れる【はれる】is “to clear up, to clear away, to be sunny, to stop raining, to refresh (e.g. spirits), to be cleared (e.g. of a suspicion), to be dispelled, to be banished.” (See here.) Wait . . . her personality doesn’t really give off sunny vibes. In fact, when Kazuo asks who Makoto likes and Makoto whispers to him that he likes Haruko, Kazuo goes on to passively complain about Haruko’s personality. Kazuo says something like “she’s cute but just a bit . . .” and “kind of plain but seems a bit like the type that’d be hard to win over.” Makoto confronts him and warns him not to use “a bit” to bash her. Go Makoto!

(vii) God is generally seen as a spiritual figure that is above the human being.

When we often think of God, we think of a figure that is holy, all-mighty, probably serious, kindhearted, worldly etc . . . Then we have Yamapi God who is dressed in very modern, stylish clothing. He also jokes around a lot and teases Makoto to no end. He plays games and pranks. He seems more like the Jester archetype at times. However, what makes him not really fit the mold is that he does care about the outcome which is making sure that Makoto marries Haruko and they both have a kid who will save the world.

YG and M playing this paper sumo game! What kind of God would do that? Hahaha!

Funny Yamapi God moment- YG: Invite her to your place next time! M: No! Where will you go? YG: I’ll just get out of the closet and leave quietly while you two do your thing.

YG: Are you feeling more confident in winning that arm wrestling battle? M: No . . . only 10%. I think I’m gonna fail. LOL!

(Side note: I just love how this drama makes fun of other drama genres. When Yamapi God is explaining his game plan to Makoto, we see this part being filmed as if Yamapi God were announcing to the world how he solved some mystery. This style of filming reminds me of those detective shows, especially the Conan anime, where the part of the detective exposing the truth becomes super dramatic. They even cued in ominous music and filmed this part with shaky hands. Hahaha!)

Issue 2: Whether the whole arm wrestling saga represents something deeper

Jubiemon J: Besides the comedy that we get to enjoy from the situations that Makoto goes through to train under the tutelage of Mitsukuni and the super anti-climatic ending of him losing the match, the arm-wrestling saga means something deeper, in my opinion. Several of the characters reference the movie “Over the Top” which is about a guy who ends up having to arm wrestle against many others who are much stronger than him. The guy ends up winning. The drama shows that it’s important to keep trying despite the adversity. Even if the outcome is not ideal like in the case of Makoto where he loses very quickly against the sumo wrestler, the process and what comes about after going through all that training are what matters.

If Makoto hadn’t practiced in that hilarious manner with Mitsukuni, he wouldn’t have been grab Haruko in time and save her from getting hit by the car. They wouldn’t kiss and then hug closely. Similarly, in the real world, sometimes you do something and it seems like it’s to waste, but later on you realize that what seemed like an initial setback was actually taking you elsewhere. Interestingly, I think this part shows how fate and choice are playing out.

It was Makoto’s choice to actually go through with all the training. Sure, he wasn’t the one who had that idea; that was Yamapi God’s doing (fate). It was his choice to listen. Also, it wasn’t his choice to have Haruko head out to the middle of the street to pick up this can. It was his choice to confess that they should be fated together (Look at the cans’ writing!) It was also his choice to wait for her.

Mitsukuni: Don’t let go of your happiness!!

Mitsukuni: Never let go of your happiness!

Mitsukuni: Go, go! Happy Smile! No pained face!

Makoto smiling despite all the pain. So funny.

Mitsukuni: Yes! Good job!

Just a short recap for those that might be confused by what I mean by the arm-wrestling saga: This whole episode starts with Makoto having chankonabe with Haruko.

Chankonabe!

Because of this dinner, Haruko and Makoto meet Haruko’s favourite sumo wrestler. (Haruko’s fan girling is so so so relatable and adorable!)

Makoto’s friend is the owner of the restaurant and he introduces them to this sumo wrestler who later invites them to his retirement ceremony which is called danpatsushiki (断髪式). What happens is that the sumo wrestler will get his topknot cut inside a sumo ring. It is a very emotional ceremony as friends, family, and whoever that is close to him will take turns snipping a bit of the hair. The last part is done by his master (See here). Therefore, it’s a HUGE deal for a fan girl like Haruko to participate in this ceremony. That’s also why she’s too pre-occupied by the fact that she can attend this to even remember about her date with Makoto. As Yamapi God says, Makoto’s status is the same as a daikon (type of radish). So what does Yamapi God suggest? Challenge the retired sumo wrestler to an arm wrestle and then beat him. Then Makoto will be able to get Haruko to fall for him.

(Side note: Chankonnabe is a type of stew that is eaten by sumo wrestlers to put on weight for the sport. There’s a lot of protein in this stew like chicken, tofu, and fish balls, etc.)

Conclusion: Appeal Allowed.

Rating: 5 = KYAH!!! (So funny, so cute, and so thoughtful at the same time! I can’t wait for more! 😀 )

File No: Boku-Unmei-no-Hito-desu-Ep-5 Appearing before the Dramacourt: Boku Unmei no Hito desu Ep 4 ***If this is your first time browsing The Drama Files, please read The Rules section first for our reviewing and rating system***

0 notes

remotecontrolchuck · 7 years ago

Text

Toonami Night Review: Snowy Night of Fright and Delight.

Well last week was the second run of the new 5 and half hour run of Toonami, a new lineup that some watchers are absolutely loving, or hating because they’ll miss shows due to their conflicting schedules. Fortunately for me, my work schedule doesn’t extend over 9 PM, so I don’t have to worry about being late. However, that sure didn’t stop the snow shower that night from interfering. During the commercial break of Outlaw Star, my cable connection was lost, and wouldn’t back until 10 in the morning.

Fortunately I was prepared and quickly logged into SlingTV, missing only a little bit of the show but got to see the awesome ending. But enough about the snowy weather, let’s talk about last week’s run. As I said before, it was the second run of the new lineup. And like the last one, it was just as great. But unlike the last one, we had a new trippy music video, and boy was it quite the acid trip. Can’t remember if we had any Hot Pocket Dings last week though, But I’m sure we will during tonight’s run. Man, can’t believe it’s Saturday already, man how the weeks go by fast these days.

Anyway, we started last week’s run with delight and fright with the usual hour of Dragon Ball. The delight being Baby Pan being adorable, and the Pilaf Gang being hilarious as usual on Dragon Ball Super. Then came the fright on DBZ Kai, with Evil Buu being terrifying as all hell in his slaughter, bringing the stakes higher for our heroes. After the power hour of Dragon Ball was Black Clover, which was okay, not going to judge it yet. Then after that was Stardust Crusaders, which was pretty much the highlight of the night, with JoJo finally giving the jerk Dan the beat down of the century.

Following that we had some down time on Gundam IBO before going into Hunter x Hunter, starting off its next arc, the Chimera Ant Arc, which looks to be quite ominous of things to come. After that bit of fright came more delight in the form of Lupin the Third, with Lupin getting captured by a Japanese version of Sherlock Holmes, leaving Fujiko to once again shine as she rescues him and humiliates the detective. We then move onto heist out of Die Hard but in space in Outlaw Star, before then moving on to a fitting episode of Cowboy Bebop for the winter season.

We then ended the night with one more bit of fright on Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, in the form of a government conspiracy/cover up being discovered by Togusa. And that about sums up last week’s run. Now to end the end with the usual, more in depth recap of last week’s shows. Well not too in depth, just enough to get the picture across. Plus I need to get better at summarizing things anyway without putting so much detail. But enough babbling, on with the recap!

Dragon Ball Super: Goku begins having trouble with his new level in power and needs to take a break from training, and what better way to do so than to look after your son’s baby daughter while he and Videl are out to a job interview. Meanwhile, the Pilaf Gang tries to seek vengeance on Goku once again, this time with a new mech suit. Unfortunately for them, baby Pan turns out to be more than a handful, having super strength and already the ability to fly! And into space no less! Indeed, this girl has quite the stellar future ahead of her.

DBZ Kai: We’re introduced to Evil Buu, who devours the Good Buu, gruesomely kills a guy, and manages to find the Lookout. Fortunately Piccolo manages to buy some time for Krillin to take Goten and Trunks to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train them faster, but at the cost of the human race. But hey, with the Dragon Balls they can wish mankind back to life, provided that they succeed in defeating Evil Buu.

Black Clover: We’re given a flashback about Asta’s and Yuno’s childhood, and how they came to be they way they are, before returning to the present where Asta kicks the rogue mage knight’s ass with his newfound power. Whether that power is really black magic or something else remains to be seen.

Stardust Crusaders: After trying to figure out which one is the real enemy Stand, Kakyoin manages to locate it and send it packing. With it gone, Old Joestar uses his Stand to eradicate the flesh buds within his head, saving his life just in time. Meanwhile, Dan of Steel realizes he’s in deep shit, and JoJo knows as well. After his Stand prevents Dan’s Stand from getting into his head, JoJo proceeds to crush the man’s leg and arm, causing the latter to beg for mercy.

However, after JoJo decides to spare him, Dan tries to use his Stand on a nearby little girl, intending to hold her hostage against JoJo while he gets up to stab him. Unfortunately for him, Kakyoin’s Stand still managed to hold onto his Stand, keeping both it and him still. Knowing this all along, JoJo never intended to spare Dan’s life, and begins making the bastard pay the debt he had for all the humiliation he had put him through.

And paid Dan of Steel did, not with cash, but with his life as JoJo has his Stand beat the living shit out of him with a barrage of punches that sends him crashing into a nearby building. Again, this was truly the highlight of last week’s run, and me and everyone else can agree how satisfying it was to watch. Truly one of the best scenes of this show.

Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans: As things begin to settle down on Earth, McGillis offers Orga a deal for Tekkadan to become the future rulers of Mars in exchange for aiding him in his power plays with Rustal. As Orga thinks about the offer and shares it with the others, Takaki decides to leave Tekkadan, which Orga accepts and even offers to find someone to hire him so Takaki and can continue living on Earth to support his little sister Fuka.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Makanai asks Kudelia to become his successor, as he wants to pass his political connections and legacy onto someone before he dies. While he may have survived the recent attack on his life, his recovery has given him time to think, and the old man believes his time may soon come to an end in the near future. After taking some time to ponder over his offer, Kudelia decides to turn down his offer, and begins heading off with Tekkadan back to Mars.

Hunter x Hunter: After using Accompany to teleport to the player they thing is Ging, Gon and Killua meet instead Ging’s former student, Kite, who manages to save them in time from a killer bug called a Chimera Ant. After finding a place to sit down and eat, Kite tells Gon how he met his father and more about his old teacher. He even offers the young hunter Ging’s location, but Gon turns him down, wanting to find him on his own. Happy with his response, Kite then goes on to talk more about the old man.

Meanwhile, a pregnant human-sized Chimera Ant Queen is feeding on a lot of fish to regain her strength, as well as prepare herself to give birth to a King. To quote an old saying, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Lupin the Third: Believing Fujiko to be kidnapped and held ransom by a Japanese crime lord, Lupin quickly flies to Japan, and snatches an antique to pay it off. However, after bringing the doll to the hotel, Lupin discovers Fujiko to be just fine, apparently the whole being a bet she had with Goemon to see if the former could pull it off. However, Lupin reveals that Goemon is still in Italy, and then it’s revealed that this Goemon is in fact Akechi Holmes in disguise! Apparently this was all a trap set up by the detective, and both Lupin and Fujiko are arrested by the hotel guests who are actually police officers.

Fujiko manages to escape, but Akechi let’s her go, believing her to be small fry and not that much trouble without Lupin. Unfortunately for the smug detective, he soon learns a harsh lesson about underestimating the woman Lupin loves. And with a disguise, some misdirections, as well as a little help from Jigen, Fujiko manages to rescue Lupin from Inspector Zenigata and Akechi. With the egotistical detective humiliated, Fujiko drives off with Lupin into the sunset, with a romantic view of Mt. Fuji in the distance.

Naruto Shippuden: We continue with another flashback, this time with young Naruto being chased by Tsunade and the other Lead Ninja, who believe he’s a carrier for virus that’s supposedly going around.

Outlaw Star: While performing a transport job, Gene, Jim, and Melfina find themselves held hostage as the advertising ship they were pushing latches onto them, revealing to itself to be carrying a bomb. The one behind this turns out to be a terrorist calling himself Crackerjack, who begins threatening the government to give into their demands for an independent Heifong, or he’ll detonate the bomb killing the hostage.

In the end, Gene manages to defuse the bomb, while Aisha and Suzuka discover that Crackerjack and his men are in fact thieves, having set up the whole thing just to steal a whole lot of jewels. But they’re soon quickly dealt with, as Suzuka and Aisha take out the thieves, and Crackerjack gets punched out by Gene crashing in with the Outlaw Star.

Cowboy Bebop: After cleaning out the crew’s safe, Faye leaves the Bebop and ends up on Callisto, where she encounters Gren at a Jazz club. While Jet goes after her to get the money back, Spike heads off to look into leads regarding his ex-girlfriend, Julia. However, he soon encounters Vicious and gets shot, around the same time Faye discovers a startling secret about Gren.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG: While investigating a homicide a prime suspect involved in trying to blackmail the Ministry of Energy, Togusa and the dead man’s fiancée, Asagi, eventually discover a secret excavation of an old nuclear plant by an unknown party. They’re soon chased by two men in military grade mech suits, but are soon saved by a Tachikoma takes them down.

After managing to get into contact with Section 9, an investigation into the facility is started. However, when Togusa tries to contact Asagi, the woman vanishes, possibly having been abducted by mysterious men in black suits that had been watching them from behind the scenes.

And that’s a wrap for the recap, as well as the end for the review. Tonight will be the last regular run of Toonami of 2017, as the next two weeks will be marathons of Cowboy Bebop and Dragon Ball Super to end the year on. So with that said, I’m looking forward seeing to what’s in store for us on our favorite shows, and what kind of note we’ll be left on each of them until the New Year.

See you guys tonight for Toonami and Stay Gold!

P.S. Still haven’t seen the new Star Wars movie yet, but I’m so looking forward to seeing it next week!

#toonami #dragon ball super #DBZ Kai #black clover #jojo's bizarre adventure #gundam ibo #hunter x hunter #lupin the third #Naruto Shippuden #outlaw star #cowboy bebop #ghost in the shell: stand alone complex

4 notes · View notes