#i have yet to see if this actually appears in the ova yet

[xbuster]

Minor Honey transformations in the opening for Re: Cutie Honey

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure: Our War Game, epilogue

Well, we finished the movie but I wanted to take a moment to go over these epilogue slides. Especially for those fans who only know the OVA from its appearance in Digimon: The Movie, where the slides are skipped over so it can move on to adapt Hurricane Touchdown.

So, in the wake of near-nuclear annihilation how is everybody doing?

We close out Takeru and Yamato's story at the barbershop. It seems Sho has convinced Yamato to fucking do something about his scraggly-ass hair.

This somewhat bridges the gap between Our War Game and 02, where Yamato's hair is still a bit unkempt but no longer looks like a porcupine died on his head and he kept it as a hat.

Jou finished his entrance exams and looks like he's about to drop dead on the spot. Diablomon really fucked up this kid's day, and he still doesn't even know any of that even happened.

Speaking of people who have no idea what happened, Mimi is home from her Hawaii trip and everybody's got suntans. The Tachikawa family is as close as ever.

Hikari is still at that birthday party despite Taichi screaming at her multiple times to drop everything and come home. She has elected to invoke the rule of Go Fuck Yourself, a popular choice among women who've been treated rudely by domineering men.

She, too, remains blissfully unaware of the horrifying fate that nearly befell Tokyo today.

Yamato's grandma seems to be enjoying the peace and quiet since Yamato and Takeru ran off.

Nobody ate any of Yuuko's destroyed cake. Diablomon truly did get the last laugh in the end.

Koushiro finally gets to go home after what must have felt like ten years in Susumu's office.

The Digimon return to Gennai's secret mansion to continue... Whatever they're doing with their lives.

And this is the big one. Sora types out an email to Taichi that reads: "Dear Taichi. I'm sorry. Thank you for the present. Sora." Then we close on the true final shot of the film: A picture of Sora, smiling and wearing the hairclip that Taichi gave her.

As with Yamato's haircut, this also serves to bridge the gap between series as 02 will see Sora no longer covering her hair with headgear. The emotional landmine Taichi stepped on has finally been cleaned up.

So. How we feeling about this film.

Assessment: My biggest complaint is that not one of the show's three female characters got to actually do anything.

Half of the cast was written out, with only Taichi, Yamato, Koushiro, and Takeru having any significant roles - and Takeru's really stretching the definition of "significant" there. That's fine, but it does bug me that not one of the show's women apparently warranted any serious inclusion.

I think that's why they gave Yuuko so much screentime. To compensate for the fact that all three of the Chosen Children girls were excluded.

Diablomon is... pretty straightforward. It's a buggy Digimon made of bugs who eats data, and its eating of data causes more bugs. There's something simple and childlike about its demeanor right up to the end, but any sympathy I may have had for it vanished instantly with the reveal of the nuke.

That the nuke was not a reaction to Taichi and Koushiro but rather something it did right at the start of the film really gives it a lot of added menace that didn't seem present in its earlier stages. And yet it's not super clear if Diablomon even grasps the severity of what it's doing.

But it's unambiguously both aware of and complicit in the nuclear threat. That didn't just happen by accident as a result of a bug. The whole thing with the clock shows that Diablomon knows it launched a nuke and is making a horrifying game out of it.

Which is... All it really does. It doesn't feel like it's trying to destroy the world on purpose. It would have fired more than one nuke if that was what it wanted. It just feels like it's playing games. With extremely high stakes.

What an odd creature.

The stuff in Shimane with Yamato and Takeru was a lot of fun. XD More than I expected it to be. I kinda love the barbershop randos.

Sora and Taichi's drama seems like it's meant to be the emotional center of the film. This is what we open on, and it's what we close on. It's something we keep coming back to as the OVA progresses.

But it's also kinda flat due to Sora basically being a glorified cameo like Jou and the other girls. Without giving Sora any kind of active presence, there's not really anywhere it can go. All we can do is listen to Taichi wring his hands and complain about the drama they're having until his email arrives and it suddenly stops happening.

It's hard to do interesting interpersonal drama as a solo act.

I think the missile itself is the breakout star of this OVA. If there's one thing Our War Game is remembered for, it's... Well, actually, it's the debut of Omegamon. But if there's two things, then it's being the one where an evil Digimon tried to nuke Japan.

All in all... still a fun OVA. Now, there's nothing left between us and Adventure 02. The old guard are retiring to middle school. It's time for a new generation to take over.

[ell-arts]

hey Ella if Pac man and Cylindria had kids what will their design be and their names?

just curious and I am also a Pac man x cylindria shipper as well and has been my favorite otp since I watched the show

Oooooo I love this question 👀

Dang, if only I had some designs drawn out to show... one day I will!

So, some context first; I've actually already envisioned their kids a long time ago and already had oc's for them. Three, to be exact. They were made several years ago and were only shared in some old friend groups. But since their designs are quite old, I'd like to give them a redesign before I reveal them publically.

So no art to show yet, sadly. But I can share a bit about their names and personalities 👀 They each have nicknames!

Zachary - Named after his grandfather, Zaccy is the firstborn and only son of Pac and Cyli. He is a Yellow One like his dad, but takes after his mom in being smart and witty - definitely to the point of being a smartass, as his sister would tell you. His main hobby is reading books and annoying his sisters, but he also enjoys playing a few rounds of pac-pong with his family. While he does enjoy poking fun at his sisters, he actually sees them as his best friends and would give his life to protect them. He goes by Zac most of the time, but sometimes he is also called Zaccy as a fond nickname - paying homage to when Pac was called Paccy as a child. Appearance: Yellow skin, black hair, pinkish purple eyes. Personality: A goofball and a walking encyclopedia in one package. Witty and sociable, with a bit of a competitive streak.

Ovaline - Pac and Cyli's eldest daughter, who mostly goes by Ova. Unlike her father and brother, and very atypical of Yellow Ones in general, Ova has never really had a big appetite. She loves animals and dreams of becoming a vet one day. She often buds heads with Zac and gets into fights with him, but they always have each other's backs. Ova inherited her grandmother's red hair, and has a tomboyish flare like her mother. Despite this, she is a total daddy's girl. Appearance: Yellow skin, red hair, pink eyes Personality: A bit stubborn and ambitious, but fiercely loyal and valiant. She is a team player through and through.

Sylvaniel - Nicknamed Sylvi, she is the youngest sister and the only one out of her siblings who is pink - in fact, she is the spitting image of her mother. Soft-spoken and introverted, Sylvi is often shy around new people, but turns into a warm and optimistic force once you spend time with her. She often takes the role of peacekeeper between her brother and sister's fighting (but don't be fooled; she's been pulled into their shenanigans on more than one occasion). She was named after a princess from Cyli's favourite book. Appearance: Pink skin, black hair, blue eyes Personality: Though she may be shy and quiet, she is incredibly humble and has an aptitude for cooking. A cinnamon roll with a big heart and a gentle spirit.

[meimi-haneoka]

You know, I really appreciate Syaoran developing independent friendships within the wider friend circle. He was having lunch with Yamazaki, Naoko and Chiharu (forgot the chapter) without Sakura or Tomoyo being present and was clearly in a conversation where he felt comfortable enough to put his point across to Naoko despite his contrary opinion. Plus, I found it so cute that he was worried about 'Yanagizawa' pulling all nighters and asked her to take care of her health (again, forgot the chapter). It really shows how far Syaoran has come as a character. I wish we get a OVA or extra story elaborating how Syaoran changed as a person for the better in Japan. I wonder what the reaction of his former classmates back in Hong Kong was once he moved back to Hong Kong. They would have gone "Li is much calmer now. He even talks to us nicely. I wonder what happened in Japan? Did he go soft out there?" Buhaha. And then Meiling jumps in with "Nah. He just caught feelings out there." Ahahahaha.

Hellooo, thank you for the nice ask! Yeaaaah, this is something I'm 99% sure I've mentioned in my past chapter analysis too, how wonderful it was to see Syaoran interacting and tightening his bond with the other friends, aside from Sakura and Tomoyo. I really appreciated that, especially the interactions he's got with Naoko (so peculiar to see him getting worried over a friend who's not Tomoyo or his girlfriend, right?) and it really goes to show what a tremendous character development he had from the Clow Card Arc days. A development that didn't stop with the end of Sakura Card Arc but actually continues in Clear Card, with the consolidation of the friendships he made in Japan, which are quite predictive of the bonds he will keep even once he enters his adulthood.

Seeing him in chapter 59 stating, all serious and slightly embarrassed, that he wanted to be of help to everyone in the preparations of the play was really sweet, and I also loved that he was able to discuss with Naoko about his role in a very mature way. I really can feel CLAMP's need for these kids to grow up mentally, emotionally and even socially, therefore the decision to "split" the original Tomoeda elementary group and particularly to "split" Syaoran and Sakura, in order to allow them to experience also other bonds and not end up attached to the hips, so to speak. I also want to mention the absolutely beautiful "boys talk" that Syaoran and Yamazaki have in one of the Clear Card Drama CDs, it's one of the "original contents" and something I felt was missing from Syaoran's friendship with Yamazaki: a boys talk about their relationship with their girlfriends 😁 (and Yamazaki proved to be so mature, despite his foolish appearance). Syaoran couldn't talk to Sakura yet about her problem with her powers, and the guilt was eating his soul away, so he seeked advice and reassurance from his best buddy: another sign of maturity (instead of keeping everything inside like he used to do).

All in all, Syaoran really benefited not only from the interactions with Sakura but all the Tomoeda kids, and I'm sure his classmates in Hong Kong noticed too! 😁

[fluffyotters]

I love Them Both

I love them both but I actually personally like Bucchigiri?! more than Delicious in Dungeon as a show and to watch. I'm going to miss getting new episodes every week. I'm not expecting a season 2 most likely given the mixed reviews but I could hope for one or some ova would be nice. I really do like Delicious in Dungeon and Laios is my other boy and is structurally better written and paced (because it has a source manga) but Bucchigiri is in my wack genre of hard to describe awesomeness like Jojo's Bizarre Adventures (though not as bizarre as that) magic, fighting, friendship, flamboyant gay love except even more, stand users?! (lol Senya and Ichiya are close to stands). And even though Arajin is controversial understandably so (llike I'm not a huge fan of him either and gah I wanted him to be punched too) he actually goes oh I see why he's the main because the other real main Matakara if you focus on him would...well let's just say shock people. But Matakara I love and adore and Marito is wild and Senya I love and even though Arajin does suck he actually does have his moments and the end wow. And I fully applaud the guts of being outside the box of main character and fully going with it being certainly not the best, and cringefail, and not a power fantasy (except in his own mind) and yet well parallels well with the other emotional heart Matakara (which isn't obvious at first but once things start happening then it's going to be...)

And the opening and ending of Bucchigiri are bangers. (I love the new S2 of Delicious in Dungeon too almost as good as those, but meh on S1s) And boy do I love Laios and Matakara and Laios is also a fave and extremely popular with good reason and oh I am ready to see Kabru now too hah. Manga out of context images and fanworks got me primed to see him too that I was honestly shocked he barely made an appearance S1 so I had that weigh on me. And Laios is a fascinating goof odd goodboy and I love him and the food looks so good after (and probably is) but it is ultimately mainly a comedy cooking show outside of the opening of his sister Fallin getting eaten and going after the dragon (I know the other actual serious, ethical, and dark stuff oncoming later) but most of it other than that was a meander 10 episodes of cooking (and horror, I'm more Marceille a picky eater and just utterly horrified at some of Laio's tastes at the thought of eating some though) before finally back to action Buchhigiri just appeals to me more as a fight, bromance, gay, friendship, powerr of love, Jojo bizarre light, magic Genies, comedy and surprise genre swerve oh there's the plot and kick to the face the latter half of screaming awesomeness.

[yunoteru4ever]

Big Order's Frustratingly Random OVA

Until yesterday, I'd never bothered to look into the "Big Order" OVA.

It was originally a giveaway with a volume of the manga and pre-dates the actual anime series — just like Mirai Nikki/Future Diary's OVA. And also just like Mirai Nikki's own OVA/series and the Big Order anime series that arrived later, it's an Asread production. Given all of those similarities, I thought this would be a case much like Mirai Nikki's OVA. Mirai Nikki's OVA is just an abridged take on the series' Episode 2 with slightly different animation/angles in spots. With that in mind and given all of the similar setup, why would Big Order's OVA contain anything interesting for me? Especially since I didn't even like the Big Order's anime series.

So yeah, I pulled said OVA up on the Blu-Ray and was greeted with THIS. I was NOT prepared.

"Random Order" is a trippy watch, though I can't say it's not interesting while it's running. It's full of random scenes from the then-upcoming anime (scenes that appear largely identical to the ones used in the finished episodes... barring a few exceptions) as well as a few alternate-reality scenes that have no parallels in the series proper. And weirdest of all? The eventual anime series seems to specifically call back to this OVA during its final episode. I never would've known that if I hadn't just finished watching the series again, but... yeah, there are references in that finale to scenes that ONLY exist in this OVA. Bizarre.

The framing device is that lead protagonist Eiji Hoshimiya — usually, but it might also be Rin or Iyo or Sena at times, depending on the scenes you get — is sitting in a supernatural café while Daisy (she's the mysterious being who grants the characters their "Order" superpowers in response to their wishes, if you didn't know) is waiting for him/her to make their wish. But Eiji-or-whomever is struggling to make a wish because they're totally tripping out, seeing either (A) alternate realities that already exist due to various wishes they made in different timelines OR (B) dream-like illusions of what they might be able to make happen based on wishes they're considering in their minds OR (C) flashes of memories they've already experienced prior to this moment.

Not that I've seen all the scenes in here, mind you, because of course I fucking haven't. After 12 run-throughs that took me back to the above image's first "C" each time, I haven't managed to land on that magical "11" even ONCE, so I've yet to see ANY of the three random outcomes that lead ot the long credits. But I've sure seen plenty of outcomes that lead to the short credits...

I'm watching this Blu-Ray on a PS4, and I can't find any way to skip around various titles/chapters on the disk via the PS4's interface. I also can't find that anyone has uploaded the entire complicated series of options; this thing is MUCH too complex and niche for people to bother. It seems like the existing uploads only contain the mandated first 23-or-so minutes, completely ignoring all the optional variations thereafter.

As for the unique scenes in this OVA? Out of what I've seen, there don't appear to be many. But if nothing else, any die-hard Eiji/Rin shippers who might be out there will definitely get their juice during those first 23 minutes.

Yup, it turns out these are straight-up having sex in whatever reality/dream/memory we see during the outset of the OVA. So there's plenty of flirting, kissing, seductive talk, etc. And... I guess that flower in her hair never comes off?

[ciaossu-imagines]

Okay. Cool. That’s good to know. A part of me figured that was the case but since that everything purely said ‘Ask box closed’ I figured I’d better be safe than sorry and should wait until you opened it up again. And I’m so sorry that someone sent in that spoiler with a request. I really do hate that. And that’s great to hear that you slept so amazingly ☺ Gods, me too. I have this weird thing where I absolutely have no idea how much sleep I actually need beause I’m always tired, even if I sleep more than normal. Sure, I feel slightly more refreshed, but still hella tired. Okay. I’ll try to come up with everything I thought of saying at the time and will send it next time you respond to our DMs. And thank you so much for saying that. It most definitely was a great chapter and I hope I have good enough thoughts to add onto everything you’ve already said about it. Oh I see. That makes sense. I also usually go for those kinds of things and rarely watch purely romantic series, unless they’re recommended to me or they’re said to be really good. It really is. I finished A: TLA a few days ago and cried so much at the end. And I hope that you also get the chance to rewatch it at some point and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it when the time comes. I immensely enjoyed rewatching A: TLA and it’s funny beause even though it’s been a while that I’ve watched it before , I still knew a lot of everything concerning the story but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the moments. Like I still cried at another emotional scene a few episodes before the end beause it really is just so beautiful. I just started the last season of Demon Slayer that’s out today and I’m just in awe of the animation and how it looks and it’s making me emotional. I’m really so grateful that a series as good as that has such a beautifully well done adaptation. Couldn’t ask for anything more and hope that they continue doing it justice until the very end, though I have a feeling they will.

Thank you. I managed to get through everything I didn’t get the chance to read yet today, as you may have noticed 😅 And I enjoyed all of them and have written my thoughts down for them, though I feel like they’ll probably look quite repetitive 😅 Yeah, fandom is amazing like that. I’m really grateful for that and the way that they write all of the wikis. Yeah, one of the filler arcs in Bleach is really weird and I never rewatch that one. Oh that’s nice to know. And it’s also cool to know that they also translated the songs. Were they sung by the English voice actors or something?

It really was and luckily, now that I’ve restarted my computer again since it was being really slow, it’s gone back to how it used to be. And that could be. And thank you for calling the explanation clear. And that sounds good. I hope you get to read it beause one of the matches centres on some of my favourite babies and I really do hate that they messed up the adaptation like that. At least I’ll always have the manga, though it still sucks 😭 Yeah. And the fourth season still has some really well-done scenes, and there’s this scene of another kind of fave that I haven’t mentioned at all, that appears in that season, and they have like this really beautiful shot of his eyes. And that’s nice to know. No problem at all. Even though I probably won’t rewatch the movies, I do really appreciate that they animated those extra scenes beause they’re all important in their own way. Shame can’t be said for some later stuff and I know Covid had something to do with the second half on the fourth season, but the movie of this year and those OVA’s from many years ago have no excuse so yeah, it’s still a shame (I know I’m being really salty here so sorry for that). The chapter limitation really does suck, especially because both were really easy to get through for me, someone who doesn’t read as fast so I hope that you do get to read both on your normal app one day. Yeah, me too. Like even though I do have my faves that I’ve talked to you about, I still love all of the characters and am so proud of the growth that certain ones went through and it’s just all so nice. Like even my non-faves make me emotional. And yeah, especially those. Like the other boy I’m not normal about has such noticeable flaws and is such a silly boy (like I call him silly so often while rewatching some of his scenes) but he’s such a well-made character that you can’t help but love him.

Oh I’m so sorry to hear that and I can’t blame you for being upset by it. I hope at least that that character has good reasons or something. I’m also scared now, but also kind of intrigued to see it all. And true and that’s really nice. And you’re amazing for that. Glad to see that I’m not the only one who likes justified text. And no problem at all 😄 I’m doing pretty alright. Like I said, I watched some Demon Slayer today, which put me in a good mood but my mum was really judgemental about a certain thing concerning my dad which was so horrible to hear sine it was during dinner time so I just had to sit there and listen to everything she had to say, especially since I couldn’t come up with enough stuff to counter her. It really is always so painful to have to hear her comments about all kinds of things but I won’t let it keep me down because I know I have your writing to look forward to and many great anime and all kinds of stuff. Just couldn’t help but mention it. Hope you’re doing amazing and that the writing is going great 😊

C

I know you had figured that and I think it’s really sweet of you to be concerned about bothering me! You’re never a bother though and I enjoy seeing you in the inbox 😊Thanks – that one was rough as I’ve done amazing at avoiding Jujutsu Kaisen spoilers (blacklisted the general tag until I’m completely finished the manga read just to make sure of that). Though, just saying – I called that one way back in our messages but ouch, rough yeah, for both being spoiled and for what it said happened. I need way more sleep than the four to six hours I’m lucky to get a night. I’m horrible in being a super light sleeper where every little sound wakes me up though, even with my pills being in me. Caffeine is my best friend in all forms (coffee, energy drinks, caffeine infused chocolate or my favourite, chocolate covered espresso beans, even caffeine pills if the insomnia is really bad…yeah, I know, I’ll probably die of a heart attack from all the caffeine guys but adult life sucks and requires you to stay awake). Sounds good! I’m hoping to get a reply to our dm’s off maybe this weekend in between writing other things, where I have a weekend off. I can definitely get checking out series that are recommended to you, even if they’re not what you’d normally watch. I recently paused watching my other shows to binge through Mashle because it came highly recommended by two people I trust, even though it seemed like it would be just a blatant rip-off of One Punch Man. Turns out they were right and I loved it. I hope it will be that for you with the romance series when you do watch it through! The ending of A:TLA was definitely worthy of the crying and I remember crying quite a bit throughout that show. I loved Iroh, but I really had a soft spot for Azula and things got real rough for my girl around the end of the show. I felt horrible for her, I really did. I’m so glad that you enjoyed your rewatch of it, that it could still hit you in all the right ways despite knowing what was coming. When you say last season, do you mean this is it? It will wrap everything up completely or is there a plan for more (like a spin-off or anything) after this season or a follow-up like Naruto: Shippuden? I’m so glad the last season is starting out so well though and I’m with you in hoping it will continue to be beautifully done right up until the end, and not just because it’s high on my watch list.

I noticed and appreciated all the likes and am happy you enjoyed them all! And I never find your thoughts repetitive and am always really glad to hear your thoughts on my posts! Comments are always wonderful and motivating! I hate the Bount arc for Bleach and when I do get the urge to watch it, I always skip that arc, since it’s pure filler anyway! I’m pretty sure it’s all the English VA’s singing the songs but I noticed about halfway through season 2 there were some songs they didn’t translate and upon googling it, it looks like sometimes it’s hard to get the permissions needed to translate and revoice those songs. Either way, the music is really solid all through the show!

I’m glad your computer has gone back to how it should be and hopefully isn’t running super slow anymore! It definitely was clear and it helps me know what to expect. I’m someone who likes to get every single moment, so even if the movies are a lot of recycled stuff, I still need to watch them. Oh no! It sucks that your favourite didn’t really get what they should have when it came to the anime adaptation. I know how that feels and it sucks big time! I hadn’t even actually thought about the impact Covid would have had on animators and studios! A lot of what came out during that time would make more sense if they couldn’t really all do their work successfully from home, I guess. And hey, no, please feel free to be salty. Everyone has things they’re salty about, even me, and it’s cool that you feel comfortable enough with me to feel safe getting salty about things. Thank you for that! And so far, all the characters are great. I was pretty sure I’d dislike Hinata going into it, because those kind of characters normally bore me but I ended up just adoring him, which is the one that surprised me the most!

Thank you! I do hope that, when I get to reading and finishing up everything for the manga, I’ll see the reasons the author went that direction and that it ends up making sense in the story. If not, I’m sticking just with writing Nanbaka up to the end of the anime seasons haha! I’m so glad you’re doing okay and that you had some good moments, though I’m really sorry to hear that about your mother. I personally am of the opinion that spouses shouldn’t bicker or pick at each other in front of their children, but I know it happens all too often. It’s awkward for the person sitting there and uncomfortable. I’m sure you did your best to defend your dad and that he appreciated it a lot! I know it’s hard but try to focus on some of the positives of your day or lose yourself in something you enjoy and don’t let her steal your joy, my dear! You deserve more than that! And thank you! I’m doing okay tonight – just got my pills into me, sitting on my couch in boxers and a comfy t-shirt, eating a McCain cake out of the tin and writing (just finished a chapter…it was supposed to be a request for a one shot little drabble about me travelling with comfort characters and now it’s bloated into a whole multi-chaptered fic, haha)!

[ofdetonation]

wishlist of things i’d love to do someday:

katsuki and endeavor just. talking. about endeavor’s younger years, about his training during the agency arc, etc. he doesn’t exactly like endeavor but he respects him and any advice he gives as a mentor.

katsuki and ALL MIGHT. they talk about izuku in canon and all might often watches them spar between one another, but i just want more interactions focusing on the two of them specifically. build on that lowkey regret that katsuki never took the chance to ask all might for his signature on his card.

ok honestly any interactions with the teachers / pro heroes.

any of class 1a finding out about katsuki’s recurrent nightmares that only get worse post-war, but they find out indirectly because katsuki refuses to talk about them + show weakness. by extension, i think anyone from 1b learning about this would be plausible too!

to extend on the previous point, katsuki learning how his classmates are dealing with the knowledge he died and came back. hard to forget when he has a scar to show for it + some of them saw it, and it’s likely the business course caught the moment on camera while documenting. i wonder just how many people find out about how he died… and how many more found out how he came back.

actually i have to mention this one too: katsuki and aizawa. my main thought is aizawa helping katsuki through his survivor’s guilt (working on the assumption that aizawa has a similar experience with shirakumo, and katsuki is dealing with all might’s retirement + edgeshot later on)… but anything with aizawa being a decent role model will make me happy.

bakusquad shenanigans. i don’t care what they are because katsuki probably got dragged into them anyway, but i think it’d be fun.

big three interactions inside and outside of ua. i feel like post-war, katsuki has unending respect for the big three considering they were all there at the floating ua and did everything to help. i just wanna see them talk more.

generalisation, could apply to anything: katsuki getting ANGRY. he’s in a perpetual state of annoyance for the most part (when i write him at least), and sometimes it escalates to different degrees of frustration depending on the interaction, but i would like to write when he gets genuinely pissed off more… he tends to dig his heels and bare his teeth, and refuses to budge even when he knows the other person might actually be right.

give him more reasons to smile and laugh. i love his stupid dorky laugh from the mr smiley ova, come on.

i’m usually nervous about tackling anything pre-ua, but i also wanna write more young bkg shenanigans. as in, baby. (not too sure about middle school yet.) i also know he hasn’t met anyone from ua besides izuku when they were super young, but shh. i don’t care. gimme.

ON THAT THOUGHT: any of katsuki’s friends (they’re his friends whether he likes it or not lbr) meeting mitsuki and masaru for the first time. they kind of float around as guest appearances on here sometimes, and i have a very specific dynamic in mind when it comes to the bakugou household, n while i don’t think katsuki often brings people home… when he does, i’m inclined to believe mitsuki and masaru really like his friends. (bring them around more often, katsuki!)

pro hero moments with team-ups. angsty, goofy, i don’t care, gimme. have fun (and good luck) with great explosion murder god dynamight.

i’m also terrible and know very little about a lot of anime (the only ones i could accurately delve into are fairy tail and of course bnha, why tf would i be here otherwise), and i haven’t even seen pretty much any of the big names bc i’m a sham, but !! even if i don’t know the depths of where your muse is from, i’d love to have a chance to have crossover interactions. katsuki is a little bastard. he will likely throw hands though (and for so many cases he will lose so hilariously bad, rip his confidence).

[bixels]

LWA was the first anime I watched and became really attached to back in high school. There's a lot I could say as an intro to it (I highly recommend the OVA film and The Enchanted Parade Film, both are some of the most perfect short anime films [spot the MLP reference in the OVA!]. The main anime series is pretty good but is mostly no-plot shenanigans), but I wanna highlight the designs of background characters as an appeal for you to check it out. Because by god, the crew really cared about developing a fun, diverse cast of students that actually captures teenage girlhood pretty well.

Here's a cool fact: every student in the background of the anime has a name, nationality, and personality (and possibly backstory and relationships). A lot of love went into designing each individual student, and 90% of them have no speaking roles or major screen-time.

This is only half of the student body too. More under the cut.

Some students of note:

Aisha, a Middle Eastern student who wears a hijab (and a niqab in some concept material).

There's actually also a female teacher who wears a niqab, but she's unnamed and only a background character.

(In fact, all the teachers in this line-up only appear in backgrounds, yet look how crazy and inventive their designs are!)

It'd take too long to list/show BIPOC students; there are African students (Wangari, a side character and school reporter, from Kenya), BIPOC students from the UK, Latina students from South America. There are these twins from India (Rajani and Rashmi) who're both very protective of their smaller, shier roommate and will often argue over how to better care for her.

There's a great amount of diversity in facial structures, nose sizes, heights, and body types that you just don't see in anime. Stocky builds, large foreheads, double chins. And traditionally "unattractive" character designs are not designed to reflect bad qualities. Alma (1) from Austria is insecure about her flaws and enjoys talking, sometimes a bit too much. Verochka (2) from Russia is constantly paranoid about everything going wrong, yet manages to be friendly to everyone. None of this is relevant to/used in the actual anime, but it's there and it's fun.

In regards to the main cast, there's a girl from Russia named Jasminka who's unapologetically fat and loves to eat and it's never questioned and everyone is friends with her. There's also Amanda, an American tomboy who's canonically butch and crossdresses as a man to sneak into a boy's school (the LWA game also reveals that one of Akko's bullies, Hannah, has a crush on crossdressing Amanda. The game also reveals Amanda's crossdressed on multiple occasions before). There's Constanze, a nonverbal girl from Germany who loves mechanical engineering and hacking game consoles.

Not to mention our main protagonist, Akko, who's very clearly neurodivergent and commentary on how schools treat ND students. Akko is a non-magical girl who desperately wants to become a witch. She enrolls in the elitist magic academy Luna Nova despite having no magical lineage and is afforded zero accommodations or sympathy. She is constantly belittled and bullied by faculty and peers for being lazy, stupid, incapable, and untalented when in reality, she is working twice as hard as everyone else to get a barely-passing grade. We see her fall into the oh-so-relatable loop of staying up late and sacrificing free time to study, only to fall asleep in class and wind up with even worse grades. Luckily, she finds a teacher who truly advocates for her, and it's so satisfying seeing her earn magical powers on her own terms. Even more satisfying seeing her snooty aristocrat rival, Diana, realize that she was wrong about Akko this whole time and being a bully. (No exaggeration when I say they were the original Lumity.)

Akko is also a Marxist who becomes her school custodial staff's labor union chief secretary in striking and negotiating for fair pay.

At the risk of sounding preachy or assuming too much about the crew, this is what happens when you truly care about a world and its presentation. You make good characters –– even unimportant ones –– who become good reflections of real people and identities. You can tell the designers hoped that each background character would be someone's favorite. And it's genuinely nice to see an anime create a cast of teenage girls who are actual teenage girls, with interests in sports or films or gardening and both positive and negative personality quirks. And again, 90% of them exist as only set dressing. Yet they took the time to make each one a real character.

If you're craving good modern-fantasy magic school media with original concepts, a great art direction, and fun characters, check out LWA.

Reminiscing about Little Witch Academia.

[sylviegunpla]

Gunpla: Completed Collection of Minis: Part 5: The Rest: Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Evangelion, Amaim Warrior at the Borderline, Sakura Wars

The final set of minis! Only a few more to go! I feel like i just did the pokerap after writing up these blog entries. Anyway, the two images above are roughly contiguous in real life, just at slightly different scales (Heero Yuy on the left is right next to the Peach amiibo on the right)

MG Sandrock: Quatre Raberba Winner

Another figurine finished with nuln oil. Also i believe this was one of the last figures i painted before i started using the magnifying goggles. Still turned out pretty decent imo. And of course, we have a pilot figure!

And of course, we got some shots of him in the cockpit. Realizing you can see some hair and dust in these images, alas. Nothing i can do now to fix them (I mean, i'm not getting into photo editing just for that, i think it kind of tells the human story of the conditions these mechs sit in too: out for months collecting dust. These were even dusted off before i photographed them but i guess i wasn't as thorough as i could have been!) Anyway this kit is pretty neat, and will also someday maybe get its own post. More below the cut

HG WF-02 Shenlong Gundam: Chang Wufei

So this is a kit i do not own, but the figure was given to me by my friend's partner (who i believe i have now hung out with enough to also call a friend). They must have had this kit years ago. Anyway, i made the base stand myself again too! This figure was kinda interesting to paint. The dragon pattern on his tank top was actually part of the sculpt. That being said, it was really hard to match, and i wasn't yet using the magnifying goggles top assist. I did have aqueous gold paint however. And surprisingly, there was an ANCIENT color guide for this kit! I did the best i could to translate it and it seems like it was still using paints that Mr. Hobby still sells today. Or at least, close approximants. Small flub: the eyes are kinda asymmetrical. Also, the way i finished him was i gave him a semi-gloss coat, then masked over (broadly) the gold part of the shirt, and then finished him with a flat coat. That way the flat coat doesn't ruin the sheen of the gold paint. This was definitely a fun one to paint. A much larger scale than i was used to!

HG OVA EW-2 1/100 Wing Gundam 0 Custom: Heero Yuy

I DO own this kit (but pictures will NOT be forthcoming. Maybe one day. it's currently in "storage"). This was one of the first larger figures i painted. There was no color guide, so i had to take my best shot at mixing colors. so I mixed the paints using some of what was leftover from the PGU mini painting and from the Spiricle Striker Mugen figurine painting (i need to write a blog post about that, as it's vaguely relevant to these mini painting posts!) I hit this boy with some super clear gloss, panel lined, then flatcoated. Badda bing bada boom. I do not know what scale this guy is at, i could not find anywhere it's stated. I'd guess maybe 1/24?

HG Spiricle Striker Mugen (Claris Type): Clarissa "Claris" Snowflake

This whole kit deserves its own post, and tbh i didn't think i was gonna include it here, but then i mentioned it above and now here we are. She was painted in Fall 2023 but she turned out better than most of the minis. The eyes are Water Slide Decals though (which means i successfully applied water slides over a painted surface!) I followed the color guide pretty well but i wasn't really sure how to paint some of the details. I struggled with "detail loss" through the paint here, but i think i managed to make it appear as good as i am gonna make it in the end. I also primed her in White, which made the detail loss worse (because it seems the white primer pools as it dries moreso than gray primer). BTW, this is 1/24 scale

Moving on to planned figures for this post:

HGLM 003 Evangelion 00: Rei Ayanami & Gendou Ikari

These have been finalized since the last time i posted them, mostly by applying Flat Coats. Rei has been panel lined though, which her suit kinda needs. Gendou's outfit is already dark and doesn't really warrant panel lining imo. I suspect the scale here is 1/24 but i cannot confirm. Also, there was no color guide so once again i winged it. I think it turned out pretty okay for winging the palette! Also, i like and know things about Evangelion and i know Gendou needs to stay far away from Rei. i'm kind of appalled they put him in the same box as her!

Full Mechanics 1/48 MAILeS KENBU: Amou Shiiba

So i will admit, i know nothing about this series. "AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline" is what it's called apparently? BUt that's a weird localized title and its japanese name is just "Warrior Machines at the Borderline" when translated literally?) But this is the protagonist. This is another kit that i don't own, but my friend asked me to paint the minis for this kit. This particular standee is actually two peices. I painted them separately, then glued them together with tamiya extra thin, and then painted over the seams as best i could. TBF the camera angles hide the seams pretty well here, but i betcha can't tell! Anyway, since i don't actually own the model, i actually got to keep this standee! I think not panel lining this makes it look a lot cleaner. Also, i'm surprised the eyes came out as well as they did. He looks like he's looking off to the side a bit.

I also painted the cockpit pilot figure! So i got some photos when i brought the boy over to my friend's. Honestly this kit has some really cool poses and details and i kinda want one myself. I love that the stock of the gun fits into an open space on the arm, sometimes it's really hard to pose a gundam wielding a gun for this reason. I wound up digging through my friend's box of mixed plamo to find all the missing pieces for it, too, just so i could disassemble it to put Amou in. yes, the disassembly was NECESSARY to put him in. Believe me i tried otherwise lol. I'm glad i put in that work though! Now my friend's model kit has a little some extra special inside it and that makes me happy. This conclude my tour of all the minis i have painted over the 3/4 of a year. Wow! It's been a lot! I'm sure i'll come across more minis in the future (hell, i still need to paint that one Mystery Pilot Figure That I Think Is Kira Yamato!). When i do, i will probably cover them in future mega galleries grouped by "however many i can fit into a post at once". But i don't plan on buying any more plamo anytime soon, so at this point i'm at the mercy of people who want to give me more minis to paint. I'm sure I could scrounge up some from my friend, but finding them and/or extracting them would absolutely be more trouble than my friend is willing to put into displaying her models (currently). if you've taken the time to read through all my posts, thank you so much! This has been one of my biggest hyperfixations recently and i'm really happy to be able to put it all into a gallery and show others. I am here, and human, and shout into the void to prove i am alive.

[ishikawayukis]

Exactlyyy I hardly get any access to watch anime, so movies or ovas aren’t things I watch but since they all seem to be compiled in netflix and got a shared acc I’m like “why not?”

NOW THAT YOU MENTIONED DRESSING UP LIKE ZORO- actually I love jewelry/earrings and when I first wanted to get a 2nd piercing on both my ears I was thinking of getting a third but 1) I’m scared of needles 2) was pretty satisfied after getting just a second one, but after looking at zoro I’m slowly rethinking getting that third piercing😶‍🌫️

Definitely, by how slow the 1st season goes I don’t think I would’ve been super interested if I didn’t watch OPLA first, they did a pretty good summary of the most important parts, messages, and characters yet still retaining the main essence of the story (in my humble opinion as someone who wasn’t a long time fan)

Ngl with OPLA luffy captured my heart for being endearing but then zoro appeared and well, I suddenly like green LMAO while watching the 1st season of the anime I still love luffy as (my) a child that should be protected at all costs, but Sanji’s genuine care for others really made me cry and make a spot for him next to Zoro bc that man’s heart is so pure of love. I have yet to see Chopper being introduced but he’s why I decided I should give the anime a try bc I looked at a ss on insta and went “nope, I need to see this, he looks huggable” (also I’m sorry I talk too much 😭)

DON'T APOLOGIZE ABOUT TALKING TOO MUCH I LOVE IT

no but what if i told you've been thinking the same LMAO i got my last piercings last year and thought i'm done i'm not getting any other, but then i was watching zoro and thinking ok but i have the two there already.... adding another wouldn't be thaaaaat bad (it would fo some reason my piercings heal like shit LMAO)

no no but same, i do love how they've done the pacing in the live action because it captures the essence of it so well, i can't wait to see how they're gonna adap the rest, i'm truly excited to see that because i know it's gonna be a challenge but such a fun one

there's something about iñaki that makes him so goddamn loveable and he's such a good luffy too they made such a great casting choice with him. and honestly can't blame you for looking at zoro and being like oh yeah that's the one LMAO and as a sanji apologist i LOVE this for you because if you haven't been able to tell that's my pathetic man LMFAO dudeeee omg you're gonna love chopper so much once you get to his part he's honestly the best, and he IS huggable, peak design 10/10

[translationandbetrayals]

Tenshi no Tamago: Searching for meaning.

Spoilers ahead.

As most teenagers do, when I was around 13 years old I was hyperfixated on searching for a sense of deeper meaning in every piece of media I consumed. Being a fan of anime and manga, I went down the "pretentious obscure anime" route: I read whole books of the Bible to wrap my head around the ending of Evangelion, watched anything with the Studio 4°C on it, got into old Japanese painting techniques just to say I appreciated Shōjo Tsubaki on a deeper level, and totally desensitized myself to gore via reading everything Junji Ito and Shintaro Kago had released. I filled notebooks with theories and observations, and started to surround myself only with media that I thought was profound and complex. This is the context in which I found Tenshi no Tamago (天使のたまご ), an 1985 OVA written and directed by Mamoru Oshii. At this point I was already familiar with Oshii's work, and I was an avid Ghost in the Shell fan. However, any expectations I had for this film were shattered, again and again, as I watched it.

I don't want to be misunderstood here, Tenshi no Tamago still is one of my favorite films ever made. But it did shift my perspective on the way I was consuming art and how, in my opinion, I was getting it wrong.

When the ending credits appeared on my computer screen, I found this weird feeling numbing my senses and blocking my thoughts. The only way I can describe it is as an uneasiness of sorts, a void in my stomach I had only gotten close to feeling when I finished watching Serial Experiments Lain, although it wasn't quite the same. The main difference was that I didn't want to go and read about it, I didn't want to organize my thoughts into carefully curated essays to post on the internet. I just wanted to sit with this discomfort, listening to the soundtrack of the film, but not really analyzing it.

Then, of course, my obsession with the film began. I wrote it's japanese title on my wall, I started filling my tumblr blog with gifs from my favorite scenes, I memorized its brief dialogues by heart. At the time I didn't have many friends, and I didn't know anyone who had seen the film, so everything remained inside my head like a buzzing that wouldn't stop. Of course at some point I tried getting into the lore of the film, reading what other people made of it, but they didn't really resonate with me. I got the Noah's Ark references as anyone would, and I could easily make connections between this post apocalyptic world and the others that Oshii had created, and yet it didn't sit right with me. At some point I thought "okay, maybe I'm just dumb and I didn't understand the plot at all".

But later in my life I would realize that over-intellectualizing everything was keeping me from actually enjoying art. You see, I was so caught by this search of deeper meaning, that I wasn't really paying attention to what these pieces of media made me feel. So, whenever I re watch Tenshi no Tamago, I don't try to link every stone fisherman's move to the human condition, neither do I try to break down every word spoken by the two main characters as an allegory to the end of the world. Instead, I watch the shadow fish and the water bottles and I allow myself to feel the emptiness of this abandoned Earth, the eerie sounds of the wind and every thread of the girl's hair moving with it. When I see those last ten minutes after the egg cracks, I focus on the movement of the feathers and the empty beach, and simply enjoy the beautiful pacing of the scene and the harmony it creates alongside the soundtrack.

So, in conclusion, I don't like explaining this film to other people, neither do I care for people explaining it to me. And maybe I truly didn't understand it, maybe I never will. But I'm okay with it, as long as I'm still allowed to watch it over and over again, searching for the unique feeling it can leave me with.

- Melián Trujillo.

[nadekofannumber1]

Also

These old ass charts I made b4 I had all the translated novels and could thus finish still actually work pretty well

They aren’t perfect but are a good line to consider what I speak on. (obviously I’d move some of these things around even for things I had read at the time)

Musubi simultaneously sets plot points but can’t be adapted before specific plots unless the adapting parties wish to push specific advertising or bottle concepts (which first season of oms is trying to do with it being a yuri centric season)

Zenka mermaid shouldn’t be adapted before Karen ogre, and if one wanted to use it as an ending stake of a point it shouldn’t go before bonehead either. But if they wanted to split musubi across the second season for no reason I could see it ending up being adapted before at least one of those arcs solely because of the fact it would likely get adapted early for the sake of making it so they could adapt the other successive arcs (also for the whiplash of araragi thinking he’s free from Gaen and very soon in the successive season he laments that he couldn’t actually escape her and just feels like bc of who he is he was bound to crawl back to her and become a fed)

Nozomi golem is an interesting one as it’s set fate for Ougi Disappointed many but also the other major allusion they use is “how is Nadeko doing in the future?”. But because it doesn’t set the Nadeko plots and doesn’t make conclusion it doesn’t have any hard restrictions I’d put on its adaptation. It just can’t be first and can’t be last, and since it works better before mitome wolf bc that has hard conclusions and has more required arcs I’d put on it. I wouldn’t even say suruga bonehead leads to it yet because that is going towards a plot that can as of writing be currently comprehended. I guess it makes sense before ougimono but like, not bc their individual stories intersect but because of the nature of both arcs simply existing and alluding to others.

Mitome wolf likely shouldn’t be adapted before tsubasa sleeping. Tsubasa sleeping sets itself as a path towards the state of tsubasa in Mitome wolf

Tsuzura human shouldn’t be adapted before sodachi fiasco because it’s unfathomably cruel to do so. To reap the rewards of sodachi’s development without seeing her shine in her arc (which is one of the best) is wrong in a way that hurts me. Otherwise if I’m to state the obvious it should not be adapted before the rest of musubi.

Musubi is an end point but is written before monster season so it fundamentally can weave between it however it wishes. But if they wanted to shorten it at all for the sake of compartmentalization I think that it would work fine next to the shinomonos if they wanted to keep it all in order or if they wanted to pull an ova on the side. Its pretty much fine however you dice it

My greatest fear is if for the second half of oms they shorten it just to put the shinomonos in there and carry over the successive marketing. Cutting arcs in ways that make everyone mad just because they made a promise to adapt it all and said they’re doing 2 seasons.

Karen ogre works better before amari and Zenka mermaid. This is because Karen ogre is an arc that builds on Karen’s character development and showing the reward before the arc is gonna throw off the enjoyment of said reward (like how sodachi fiasco rewards the sodachi in Nademonogatari and her later appearances)

Tsubasa sleeping works better before shinomono 1 and Mitome wolf, despite its vampire focus I think that it’s something that is fine to adapt after shinobumonogatari solely if you are operating on a belief they should try and subtly build to shinomono 1 by progressively mentioning more and more things about vampires.

Sodachi fiasco worked better before Nademonogatari but that bride is crossed so before ougimonogatari and tsuzura human.

Suruga bonehead is in a weird position but I’d say it works best before ougimonogatari and before Zenka mermaid.

Im simply listing the arcs left because while I did have theories for if they did simultaneous adaptation (some of which are partially right in the sense that Nadeko draw and Shinobu mastered pull towards shinomo and are similar rungs that benefit from an off season novel’s contents that draw too it.) they don’t matter speculation wise currently.

I don’t see them changing the order of the rest of the monster season arcs though, because of how they’re written it doesn’t make sense to do so, they even hold and binding glue called the Nadeko parts. If you take the Nadeko parts off it will make other side allusions made in the main story make less sense, this also happens if you change their order. Moving Amari before yoi doesn’t work bc of the nadehomelessness incident being mentioned and in ougimonogatari they mention that Nadeko has left the house already. There’s more to go on about but to keep it brief these are stories that don’t benefit from changing around the order on first view. (like watching kizu and tsubasa family next to each other before tsubasa tiger)

Pretty much if you consider all this info and the work load required to make it, you just assume they’ll adapt the arcs before shinomono with the extra arcs left sprinkled around to hype towards it, with musubi considered more optionally if they want to increase workload that bad (shaft moment). Either their promise of two seasons is true (and some arcs are cut out for finality, or they delay a lot) or their promise of 2 seasons collapses and it becomes more than that (depends on the delays they may experience and if they pull a magireco).

The two seasons thing could also be a false memory, but the rest still stands

I’m pretty convinced the way they’re gonna break up the episodes for next season is that they’re gonna sprinkle the rest of the waza episodes around for the sake of keeping up the feeling of an ongoing narrative abt Shinobu and deathtopia via consistant character appearance to have the feeling of buildup maintained. In the sense that yoimono has decent amount of Shinobu appearance but Amari and ougimono have less and if they wanted to engage in the flow of Shinobu posting to be constant for the build to shinomono in the way Nadeko’s appearances would be, they’d probably put them around there for the sake of hype.

However that is subject to change depending on how they do musubi which I can see them do a direct run through, sprinkling it next shinomono, putting individual episodes next to the 3 arcs b4 shinomono specifically to max them out for the vibe (most evil option) or doing an ova.

I think that for the rest of oraka putting sodachi fiasco as an opener to the next season and putting suruga bonehead some point after but before ougimono (I’d say that between yoi and Amari is likely bc of digestion time but also the fact we don’t have that second resolution and if you put it directly next to ougimono its gonna feel like they’re hyping towards a plot that isn’t actually gonna be resolved soon but doing that is nisio core so I’d accept it. But realistically because of the overarching Gaen izuko subplot that comes to a head by shinomono it makes sense to perform that same build up as a parallel. Really I think the best time to look at those arcs is in novel order but we can’t do that now, big signs that say look at Gaen plot will probably be successionally happening bc of this. So I think getting it in early has its merits esp if they’re going with buildup)

[capobegone]

Why Ufotable Should Animate the Rengoku Gaiden in S3

Okay, man, okay. Hear me out. 

I know what you’re thinking: “But Capo, you’re only saying that because Kyojuro is your favorite and you’re desperate for more content!” Which, fair enough. But you know who else I love? Mitsuri. And I wholeheartedly believe that the Rengoku Gaiden sets up for her bubbly character by displaying her struggle to develop her own breathing form and accept her own strength and appearance.

Here’s why: The very first panel we see of Mitsuri in the swordsmith village, her own arc, is of her naked in the hot tub. (Which, as a massive lesbian, is a win.) However, all of the other leading pillars (Kyojuro, Tengen, and Muichiro) had introductions in their main arcs that immediately showcased their respective personalities, whereas Mitsuri’s focuses solely on her body.

I do believe that Mitsuri’s pride in her femininity and sexuality is refreshing and empowering to see! However, it’s important to show that this is in fact something that she worked hard to achieve and not just a fanservice tactic. And that is where the Rengoku Gaiden comes in.

In the manga itself, it’s pretty much unmentioned that Mitsuri trained under Kyojuro. She refers to him as a cool big brother (so cute!!), but that’s the end of that. However, the Gaiden digs into their relationship and the influence that he truly had on her. There is a scene where Mitsuri is ridiculed for her strange hair, and becomes very self conscious about her looks. In swoops Kyojuro, who assures her that her hair is nothing to be worried about, while throwing in a joke about his own unusual appearance. And then, he tells her this:

BRO. THEY ARE BESTIES. I’M DYING.

Anyway, it’s pretty clear that the Gaiden gave us a much-appreciated look into her hard work on her journey to self love (which is very relatable for many of us!). However, it also gave us an essential demonstration of Mitsuri Lore: Love Breathing!

In the Gaiden, Mitsuri has not yet developed her own breathing style, and struggles to adapt to the heavy style of Flame Breathing. Therefore, as the battle goes on, she develops her own style IN REAL TIME. What an absolute badass. This shows that she is actually quite clever, and very much worthy of her status as a Demon Slayer. Even though she is only a Mizunoto at the time, she is already displaying what will eventually become Pillar-level thinking and response to situations. Holy shit, I want to see this animated so badly. It perfectly portrays her struggle and shows that she can use her loving heart and gentleness as a strength in its own right! Amazing scene, beautiful character development, we love to see it.

And, of course, she and Kyojuro have a omg-we-did-it embrace at the end while the Kakushi freak out about his injuries. Cutest shit I’ve ever seen. If this scene was animated, I would cry forever.

Anyway. Is it at all likely that it will get animated? Probably not. But I swear, the mix of Mitsuri’s individual strength and her sisterly relationship with Kyojuro is just so good, and I think it would be a huge service to her character if we got to see at least a few scenes from it!!

(If not, I’m still holding out hope that they’ll do the Rengoku Gaiden, Giyuu Gaiden, and maybe more Kimetsu Academy as OVAs! Please Ufotable, feed us more crumbs of our scrunklies!!)

[abysscronica]

What do you think of the one piece movies?

Oh boi, that's a loaded question. 😭 I will reply honestly but please remember this is my personal opinion, whatever you like it's all legit!

In general, I don't particularly care for the OP movies too much. I did see them, almost all, even enjoy some or part of them, but I'm grateful that they're non-canon. I don't hate them and I'm always happy when a new one is announced (more OP content!), but that's about it. Same goes for the special/OVAs, although they kinda stopped with those. I will only go through the movies in this post.

Movie 1 (One Piece: the Movie) and 2 (Clockwork Island Adventure) are basically like filler arcs in the early days of the anime. They are not bad, nor good. I haven't seen them in a long while but I remember being pretty neutral towards them.

Movie 3 (Chopper's Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals) and 5 (The Cursed Holy Sword) actually SUCK. They suck so much I could hardly get to the end. The Chopper one is just a total bore with a super predictable plot, while the Zoro one is actually painful. Zoro and the crew are totally OOC, and the poorly-thought magic lore introduced in the movie just doesn't fit with the OP universe.

You'll noticed I skipped movie 4 (Dead End Adventure). And that's because this one I like. It's also like a filler arc, but it fits perfectly in the plot (love the quick reference to Navarone), it flows well, it's dynamic and engaging, and the original characters are actually good. Shout out to Shuraiya Bascùd, whose design is basically Ace in a different color palette, but has a complex personality.

Movie 6 (Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island) is a unique One Piece product, quite distant from what we're used to, and therefore I consider it a must-see. Not really for the plot, which doesn't make much sense, but for the art and the direction. In fact, it was directed by Hosoda, a very notable anime movie director (Wolf Children, The Girl who Leapt through Time, Summer Wars, Digimon...).

Movie 7 (The Giant Mechanical Soldier of Karakuri Castle)... I remember absolutely nothing of this movie except Nami's bouncing boobs.

Movie 8 (Episode of Alabasta) and 9 (Episode of Chopper plus) are revised re-tellings of the Alabasta and Drum saga. They aren't bad, especially Chopper's, some dramatic sequences are very touching. They made a great use of the soundtrack, or lacking thereof.

I will place Movie 11 (One Piece 3D: Straw Hat Chase) here because it doesn't fit with the remaining ones. This may as well be a special: it's only 30 minutes long, most of the Strawhats barely appear, it doesn't feature a villain-based adventure, and it's in a graphic format never used again. Take it as a slice-of-life episode, and it's enjoyable.

Movie 10 (Strong World) is a turning point, because this is when OP movies became "films", Oda started to get involved, some original canon elements were dropped in, and there were theatrical releases. The difference in quality (at least plot-wise) is immediately clear. Strong World is the last movie set before the timeskip (excluding movie 11), and it may well be my favorite.

Movie 12 (Z) is probably close second. The villain is a great character, and I LOVED the inclusion of Aokiji and Kizaru, how different they were, the implications they brought to the plot.

Movie 13 (Gold) is okay. Enjoyable. Once again, good villain, nice setting, good animation.

Movie 14 (Stampede) has a special place in my heart because it included the Kid Pirates, and Kid & Killer have a few scenes. Buuuut if I have to be honest, the plot is quite weak and, if you take off the (scarce) screen time of my beloved, it's a little boring.

And finally! The most recent, movie 15, Red. I haven't had the chance to watch it yet because it didn't get a theatrical release where I live, so I'm waiting for the DVD to be out. What I can say is that I've watched reviews from my two favorite OP youtubers (Tekking101 and Sawyer7mage), and they were not particularly impressed with it. My best friend also watched it and found it incredibly boring, so my hopes aren't really too high. I think they went waaaay too hard on the marketing for this one, they pushed Shanks and Uta SO MUCH. (Also it doesn't help that I'm one of the very few people that don't really care about Shanks, huh). I heard the songs and they were amazing, Ado is a masterclass singer. I read about the plot and I do think some details are quite interesting, like Uta's whole psychology and possibly the ending (?). I guess I'll have to update my opinion when I actually watch the movie.

That's all for now. Feel free to ask for more details if you want.

[metalandmagi]

Winter 2021 Anime Worth Watching!

Since 2020 basically sacrificed itself to give us the most stacked anime season of all time, I’m currently buried under the weight of almost 20 shows airing per week. So for anyone who’s looking for some anime to watch this winter, here’s some first impressions! I’m speed running my list this time by only talking about the new shows...because otherwise this would be my great American novel. 

If anyone’s interested, I have master lists for both 2020 anime and 2019 anime, because there’s no shortage of fun things to find. 

New Shows!

And before anyone asks, So I’m A Spider, So What? isn’t on here, because CG spiders freak me out.

Cells At Work Code Black: This...less comedic spin off of Cells At Work (made by a different studio) takes the wholesome concept of Osmosis Jones meets cute anime girls and turns it on its head. In this much more depressing version, we follow a rookie red blood cell who works in the body of an overly stressed, alcoholic smoker who puts every strain on the body imaginable. I love Red Blood Cell AA2153 and his co-workers, but man am I glad we get the regular Cells At Work airing this season too, because I need something fun and uplifting after seeing my sweet son go through hell every episode. 

*Heaven’s Design Team: Have you ever wondered how God came up with some of the weird ass animals that live on this planet? Like, what’s the deal with giraffes? And why can’t we have dragons and flying horses? Well this is a comedy about the engineers and designers in heaven creating the new animals that are going to inhabit the Earth. That’s it, that’s the show. It’s kind of in the same vein as Cells At Work, having comedy blend with a surprising amount of educational information. If you want something light and funny, this is the show for you (though I don’t think it needs to have full length episodes). I’m just hoping there’s an episode about how the hell the platypus was created. Also it’s the only new one available on Crunchyroll.

Horimiya: A romantic comedy about a girl named Hori who fits the image of a perfect queen bee and a quiet bespectacled boy named Miyamura who never makes an impression at school. When the two meet by chance outside of the classroom, we see that Hori is practically raising a younger brother by herself, and Miyamura is actually a sweet guy who happens to be covered in tattoos and piercings. This show is an exercise in breaking down the images people have of others in their minds, and it’s a concept that really hits home in a fun and meaningful way. Honestly, this has become one of my immediate favorites. The characters have great chemistry, and I can’t wait to see more of them!

Monster Incidents (Kemono Jihen): When big shot Tokyo detective Inugami is called to a rural town to investigate a series of strange animal deaths, he finds a mysterious boy with the nickname Dorotabo who has been shunned by the other children in town. As the detective gets closer to Dorotabo, he discovers that there may be more...inhuman secrets to the boy than he realizes...and Dorotabo discovers that Inugami has some secrets of his own. This is a hard show to sell without spoiling the first episode, but it had twists and turns that kept me engaged from start to finish. I’m really interested to see where the plot goes, because I thought this was going to be something totally different just from the PV and series summary. If it plays its cards right, this could be a great paranormal detective show!

Wonder Egg Priority: A psychological drama about a girl named Ai who starts having dreams about a mysterious egg that promises to give her what she wants most in the world...a true friend. Before long, she begins to see how the dream world and reality are tied together, and trippy antics ensue. It’s hard to say more without spoiling anything, but I had to go back and add this one in because I made the mistake of thinking it was an OVA when it’s actually a full series. And what a series it’s starting out to be. This anime has all the psychological discomfort of a Satoshi Kon product with the beauty and style of something from Kyoani (even though it’s made by Clover Works). It’s really one of those anime you just have to see to understand.

Sk8-∞ (Skate the infinity): An original skateboarding anime from Bones, featuring a typical sports anime protagonist who takes a new transfer student who has never skateboarded in his life under his wing. Together they compete in dangerous races and take the skating community by storm. The character designs rival Appare Ranman’s in outlandish creativity, and I can smell the main characters’ ship dynamic a mile away (considering they’re exactly the same as the protagonists from Robihachi). If you’re looking for some wild and crazy fun with top notch skateboarding animation, don’t skip this!

2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu (Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Club): Yes, it’s another volleyball anime. And no, it’s not just a clone of Haikyu. This story follows Yuni Kuroba, a physically built but emotionally weak teenager who finds out his childhood friend Hajime is moving back to their hometown for high school. Yuni discovers Hajime has become an exceptional volleyball player and they join their school’s volleyball club hoping to turn the unknown team into a rising star. If anything, this anime is much more like Stars Align or Free, where the sport is a backdrop for letting the characters explore their personal problems. Or at least it seems that way after the first episode. I went into this show ready to throw it in the trash because how could anything compete against my beloved Haikyu, but I found myself really enjoying the dynamics of the main duo and I’m curious to see what the rest of the team is like.

And speaking of sports anime rip-offs…..I can’t believe I’m including this but…

Skate Leading Stars: The show where the animators clearly wanted to design another throw away idol anime but saw how popular Yuri On Ice was so they decided to make whatever the hell this show is instead. It revolves around a fictional team sport called skate leading, and we follow the world’s most insufferable main character, a former figure skater named Kensei who wants to return to the ice and join his school’s skate leading team after he finds out his childhood rival is going to compete in the sport. Look, this show is just trashy enough to get a certain type of audience hooked, and it mainly has to do with the best boy of the winter season, Hayato Sasugai, the aspiring team “coach” who pulled most of us into watching this show with his punk appearance, snide comments and smug personality. He’s basically the lovechild of Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima in a high school sports anime setting. The show treats itself with the perfect amount of sincerity to get away with being absolutely ridiculous most of the time without making you feel like you’re watching it from a dumpster...like Try Knights. You will know after one episode whether this show is for you. All I can say is, Hayato is worth the watch, and I haven’t seen any 3D animation used for the skating scenes (yet) so that’s a win for me. 

Honorable mention:

Jobless Reincarnation ( Mushoku Tensei): Yet another isekai where the main character is hit by a car (big surprise) and gets reincarnated into a fantasy world...but he happens to remember his previous life and narrates himself growing up as a jaded adult. I’m only including this because it looked amazing animation wise, and I love the opening where getting hit by a car and dying is actually traumatic. And I love the protagonist’s parents (who are retired adventurers who just want to bang all the time). But honestly...the main character is the fucking worst, and I don’t know if I want to keep watching it because of how creepy and weird he is. Like...he’s the hit on your fantasy mom as a baby kind of creepy and weird. But for anyone who wants a cool looking isekai that had an amazing PV, it’s worth checking out. 

Continuing Series!

Because the real gold of the season is in all the established anime getting their next seasons, I’m just going to list some of the things that are also amazing and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already (because I’ve already talked about most of them at some point and don’t know what else to say).

Attack On Titan season 4

The Promised Neverland season 2

Beastars season 2

Log Horizon season 3

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime season 2

Re: Zero season 2 (second cour)

Dr. Stone season 2

Cells at Work season 2

Osomatsu-san season 3 (second cour)

Higurashi New (second cour)

Jujutsu Kaisen (second cour) 

Not to mention all the shows I don’t watch that everyone else loves...like World Trigger (which I have seen quite a bit of, but long shounen shows are too much for me now) Quintessential Quintuplets, and Non Non Biyori. 

So there’s just some of all the anime airing this season. Hopefully, someone can find something they like. Here’s to a great year...well, of anime at least...