#i love the film noir aesthetic so i had to do something about it!!

[grifonecoronato]

Mae-ho Aniseya: Film Noir Protagonist

(Spoilers for The Acolyte)

As I've said in another post, Mae and Osha are binary opposites in their personalities and motivations.

Mae has a kind of "first child syndrome": a desire to exhibit perfection in the eyes of her mothers, so that they can shower her with praise. She loves being in her community of witches, learning and using the Thread, and indulging in the daily activities of life on Brendok.

She thrives when she is surrounded by her people, but Osha doesn't want the same things, which is something that confuses Mae deeply.

In this scene from Episode 3: Destiny, the two sisters as children talk about what they want:

MAE: "It isn't fair. I share everything with you, and you hide things from me or run off alone." OSHA: "I want to have my own things." MAE: "Why?" OSHA: "Because I don't want to do everything together all the time." MAE: "But why?" OSHA: "Because we're not the same." [...] OSHA: "Don't you wonder what else could be out there? Besides Brendok?" MAE: "No. Everything I need is here."

For Osha, her arc in The Acolyte has all the trappings of a dark romance. But from Mae's perspective, she's the heroine of her own Film Noir.

Film Noir Themes in The Acolyte

Beyond its aesthetics, Film Noir has three (3) major thematic characteristics with regard to its protagonists:

Its protagonist has an idyllic past where they were happy and life was good;

Their idyllic past is ripped away from them, often violently, in a single moment that they relive again and again in the present;

The inciting incident is an opportunity to reclaim their idyllic past, or if that's impossible, to get justice for what was lost... because to do nothing is to be haunted by it forever.

For example, we can look at the seasonal arc of Veronica Mars (2004): she's a happy high schooler and best friends with Lily Kane, then Lily is murdered and Veronica is ostracised from her former friends, and now she is seeking opportunities to solve her friend's murder, while being haunted by the memories of her.

Or consider the video game Max Payne (1998): he's a cop with a happy wife and daughter, then his wife and daughter are murdered by drug addicts high on Compound V, now he joins the DEA in an effort to find and destroy the source of Compound V, and finally stop feeling haunted by the memories of his family.

Mae's story is very similar: she was a happy kid living with a family and community that gave her everything she wanted, then the Jedi came and massacred everyone she loved, and now she's joined up with a powerful ally who will teach her to get bloody justice.

Mae's Fatal Flaw

Mae's biggest problem is that she's impulsive and frequently enters situations without a clear plan. However, this bullheadedness shows that she trusts herself to get out of any situation she finds herself in.

(Qimir once said to Osha "you should learn to trust yourself", but I doubt this is a lesson he had to teach Mae.)

Detractors often say that Mae's motivations don't make sense, or that she's "flip flopping" all the time. But this criticism -- like most criticisms from the fandom menace -- is unfair. Mae's motivations are very clear, and her shifting tactics are done as a response to new information that comes her way.

In Episodes 1 and 2, her goal is two-fold:

Hunt down the four guilty Jedi

Keep The Stranger satisfied in her progress as his apprentice

But in Episode 4 and 5, after she learns that her sister lives, her goal changes to "reunite with Osha." But when Osha refuses to listen to her, Mae's slightly modifies her goal, to "find a way to de-program Osha from her Jedi brainwashing, by exposing Sol."

Viewers that understand what drives Mae see that not flaky; she's adaptive.

The Fatal Lesson of Film Noir

The thing about Film Noir protagonists is that most of the time (not always, but most of the time), their quest for reclaiming their idyllic past is a fool's errand: they either sacrifice a big part of themselves in the attempt, or they learn to heal form the past, let go, and move on.

Mae opts for the former. When she finally succeeds in revealing that Sol has been lying for sixteen years, Osha murders him. Afterward, Osha bargains for Mae's life, which the Stranger accepts but only if he be permitted to erase her memories.

So Mae recaptures her idyllic past by being able to reconnect with her sister... only to lose her sense of self in the process. The quest consumed her.

But was it worth it?

[picnokinesis]

My friend is running a text-based rpg campaign, and I'm absolutely in love with it, so I decided to draw a 'cover' for each day in the story. We'll see if I can do one for each day, but I'm SO proud of how these turned out so far - all of them are inked in my notebook first, and then coloured digitally. If anyone's interested in the story, I've explained more about it all under the cut!

OKAY. So the game is called City of Mists, and basically it's...kinda hard to explain, but I'd call it 'cyberpunk noir', but with a 90s technological aesthetic. Kinda like when you read Issac Asimov's books and they're using computers but it's all cassettes and film-based technology. Anyway, it's awesome. Every character has a normal life in the city - their 'logos' - but there are some characters who are called Rifts, who have something mythological manifest within them - their 'mythos'. Now, the mythos can kinda be anything, but the point is that it's a legend or story that manifests within the character, and thus gives them new abilities. And every Rift has to balance their logos and their mythos - because to delve too much into your mythos means you forget your normal life and become entirely consumed by the mythos...but to focus too much on your logos means to lose, and forget, your mythos entirely. The 'mist' of the city obscures mythological and supernatural things from those who haven't 'awakened' yet - but Rifts can see through the mist.

So, my little guy is - sighs. Okay. Y'all are gonna laugh. Please be aware that I know, okay? I know. It's fine. This is a choice I've made. But he's called Nakis Sandhu, and he's an investigative journalist (NOT with amnesia) who, when he was a kid, was involved in a train accident that killed his parents, but him and his twin sister miraculously survived. He's trans, and he has a van - he doesn't live in it, thank goodness, but it is important because his mythos is Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas (this is why he looks like Sacha Dhawan, because like....Sacha Dhawan should play Captain Nemo and I'll die on that hill). And so Nakis, when his mythos awakened, turned his van into the Nautilus - Captain Nemo's submarine - and so it now works underwater too, and can travel undetected. He also becomes like, a technological genius and can invent stuff on the fly, but he never studied engineering or anything - it just comes to him in flashes of inspiration.

Nakis' main thing is that he's trying to figure out what happened in the train crash when he was a kid. He saw something different to everyone else, because he saw through the mist - what everyone else thought was an accident was actually two Rifts duking it out (I think). One of these Rifts was a blue bull that is apparently called 'the Bull of Thunder', and the other was a man with fire based abilities - called 'The Burning Man'. On Day 2, Nakis discovered a metal case that had belonged to the Burning Man, that had been hidden for twenty years - since the day of the accident - and was full of clues, including some photographic film that needed developing. Unfortunately, seems that there's a strange filter on the photos, so it's impossible to tell what's on them...luckily, my guy made friends with a photographer on Day 1 (who I believe is another player character) whilst investigating something else, and as a result he's now passed the film on to him, in the hopes that he'll be able to clear them up.

One funny thing: Day 0 was supposed to be a 'chill' day to figure out how the game mechanics worked, and figure out what your character would do on a normal day. Nakis immediately went to investigate something and then nearly ended up drowning RIP. On Day 1, when continuing to investigate the thing from Day 0, he...got shot in the shoulder HAHAHAH but he's fine, he's doing great, he didn't bleed out in his apartment which is always a win. He also bumped into another player character by doing this - so yay!

[jayesprite]

ok since i'm all done with college. here are "some" alpha kid college hcs

DIRK (Computer Science):

either did everything a month before during an insomnia episode when the syllabus got released or the night before it's due. he had a habit of pre-doing the coding projects and only when he learned the professor wanted them to be done a certain way he'd go back in and edit them (sometimes. sometimes he'd just turn it in stone-faced and still get good grades).

type of student to show up and turn in his work via canvas but then skip class regularly. the main thing that tanked his gpa was a lack of attendance because he'd go through several insomnia episodes and then pass out for three days straight.

has dropped class out of impulse before and because of that took multiple winter and summer classes.

well also his overall gpa was horrible freshman year because he hated gen ed classes. the only class he liked was an ethics class that counted towards a social studies credit. he did not shut up in that class because he'd go on tangents and just keep going.

otherwise he doesn't participate in classes. his classmates know him solely by his projects. when they make a class discord a classmate will post about a coding issue, dirk will ask for the raw code, come back half and hour later with corrections that ALWAYS worked, then never spoke again. repeat cycle. they're too scared to dm him.

sometimes hal would use dirk's nitro that d is paying for to super react to classmates' messages but that's about it

JAKE (Biology major who got on his knees and begged for a Film minor)

he doesn't have aesthetic notes but otherwise he is the picture perfect example of studytok. he spends a lot of his time studying/researching/etc, and almost never pulls an all-nighter because he loves his sleep so much. goes to bed at 11 wakes up at 7 on the dot.

has only had two late homeworks his entire college career and both times he thought he was going to pass out from anxiety emailing his professors explaining he had gotten sick and was unable to finish it on time.

generally very quiet in class but will speak when called on. he typically sends his discussion responses to jaye/jane first to look over to make sure they make sense. he hasn't told his professors this but he gets really good grades because of that and goes "aw shucks" whenever a classmate compliments them.

his participation grade is usually B-range because he won't go out of his way to talk because of anxiety. he tends to get in detailed discussions with classmates via email or discord, especially the film classes that he's taking. his film advisor is still confused why he didn't just pick it as a major because it's something he's incredibly passionate about.

lives at the school library because of his major, uses the school computers most of the time just for convenience sake. when asked he says it's because his laptop offers "too many distractions".

JAYE/JANE (English with a Creative Writing minor):

"Why English. She would be a business majo-" SHUT UP!!! I KNOW MORE THAN YOU. He knows that he has a job at Crocker Corp if he chooses to take it and his freshman year he was undeclared and was looking at the business classes for the major and thought he was going to die and all the other business majors he kept meeting hated him. After his breakdown his dad patted him on the back and told him that he could choose a major that made him happy, that he can always go back and get a business degree later on. So he picked english and accidentally fell down the creative writing pathway.

He writes a lot of detective noir and stories that explore the duality of the gilded age vs great depression and exploring capitalism as a way to cope with growing up as the heiress for this huge company. There are always lgbt+ characters.

Extremely active in discussions and is well-known by both his professors and his classmates for never shutting up but his contributions are interesting. Because of the media he grew up enjoying he pulls a lot of older references that his professors enjoy.

Does not do his homework in a timely manner. It always is done ON TIME, sure, but he pushes things to last minute or spends so much energy making sure everything is worked on properly that it's done early by accident.

forgets to check class discord servers but frequently in dms when he can get over his anxiety. he mostly has all of his friends read his drafts before he turns them in to class, and they all love his little OCs that he is constantly thinking about. he also has written essays for all of them that they've turned in as their own work. they never got caught.

ROXY (Initially also Computer Science, dropped out, took a gap year, now doing Architecture)

Went into Computer Science because she was undecided but went with what Dirk was doing. She joined a sorority her freshman year for the social aspect and it accidentally really fucked up her career pathway. Her teachers knew she was incredibly smart but she could not keep up the lifestyle she was living, and she failed out of her classes even with her friends' help.

Took a gap year and realized that she was not going to be able to do Computer Science based on Dirk's sophomore year work. her mom gave very similar advice to what jaye got, except it was more like "You don't need to take the obvious pathway, think about what you enjoy most and go with that." and she realized she really loves building and construction. That was her favorite part of building her robots. So after a gap year she started an architecture major.

Extremely hardworking in her major but struggles with deadlines. Her charisma helps her out a lot (plus accommodations) that lets her explain her way out of missing project check-ins. Her stuff is always done in time for critiques but she frequently misses in-progress ones because of how she works.

She's EXTREMELY popular in her major. She has a ton of friends and they frequently camp out in the architecture building working on projects together. She uses her college dollars to get snacks for everyone and shows up with them. She tends to stay in the building until 4am and Dirk comes to pick her up. He doesn't mind because he's happy she's working so hard.

She's on track to graduate the year after everyone else does!! (She doesn't know that one of her professors is ready to give her an entry-level job at his firm when she does)

[kamenstranger]

Batman: Caped Crusader Review.

Well, I didn't expect to be reviewing another cartoon so soon but I forgot this was still happening and here we are. So much like X-men '97 I will be getting into spoilers, even some finale stuff. But it's nothing you probably wouldn't already know. Like is saying something along the lines of "Harvey becomes Two-Face" or "Selina becomes Catwoman" really a spoiler? Still, if you want to go in completely clean then I'll give short spoiler-free summary: It's fine. It's good, even very good. It has enough going on without being overly reliant on nostalgia, though a lot concepts and ideas that never made it into TAS are used; which is obvious in some episodes like 2 and 8 which honest to god feel like lost episodes (sans the obnoxious references in 8.) But even a number of other episodes feel like they could've fit right in.

Likewise, the animation is simply lovely and feels like an appropriate continuation of the DCAU while also working as a throw back to TAS with its use of shadows and art deco design. They even have a film grain effect that looks shockingly good; uplifting the show's late 30s early 40s aesthetic by adding some literal grit. I've seen numerous productions go overboard with adding grain in post, but Caped Crusader keeps it very subtle and is probably the best you're going to do with a modern production. Frederik Wiedmann's score also complements the atmosphere, adding that quintessential gothic noir vibe. The entire soundtrack is on youtube and is well worth listening in isolation.

If I had one compliant... it's that Batman is the weakest and most underwritten part of the show. Regardless, the show has enough quality elements to make it worth a watch.

However, if you're interested in leaning more about my thoughts, hit the jump.

Let's start with some background information. Contrary to how it seems, this isn't nor was it ever intended to be a prequel to TAS-- at least that's what they say. It was originally a sequel to The New Batman Adventures before transmogrifying into another 30s-ish setting and using abandoned episode concepts from TAS along with completely original works. A number of episodes at the very least feel like they were written with a prequel mindset, and the final shot of the series was absolutely conceptualized as lead-in to TAS and is begging for the Walker Theme to kick in. But despite how much this could work as a prequel with just a few tweaks, I think making it disconnected was the right call. For one thing, with Conroy gone I don't think you could ever make something that leads into that very specific version of Batman, it wouldn't feel right. Secondly, it allows the series to stand on it's own and not rely on TAS as a crutch; even if comparisons are inevitable with the period setting and Bruce Timm's designs. Additionally the tone of the series is right in line with The Animated Series, only slightly darker and never going overboard just to be considered "adult." Characters say damn, people die, sometimes there's blood, the occasional gruesome character design, some stories are super pulpy and even have a slower pace than what they would've done on network TV for Y7+. But otherwise this would've fit fine on Toonami back in the day and the option to go darker is there should the story demand it. I will admit I'm a bit of an easy mark for this, particularly the heavy pulp elements that remind of The Shadow and The Spider.

On that note, Cape Crusader is a bit more basic in terms of setting and scope. I'm using "basic" loosely because there are still some eccentricities like Gentleman Ghost showing up, but outside the one supernatural aspect-- and an umbrella cannon-- there's nothing too crazy. No Freeze guns, mutant plant ladies, robots, Lazarus pits, mind controlling cards, airships etc. Clayface might be the one other outlier, but even that's just a guy who can change his appearance, not a big clay monster who can form a mace hand. I'm perfectly fine with all of this. We've already had a vintage Batman series that did all that anyway, so why not do something a little different and keep it simple? In maintaining that simplicity, most of CC is episodic with a larger narrative sprinkled throughout: Ruport Thorne is slowly taking over Gotham and begins trying to leverage Harvey Dent who is running for Mayor. That's it, that's the main plot. The more nitty-gritty parts largely center on relatively self contained adventures around the trio of Lawyer Barbara Gordon, GCPD detective Renee Montoya, and Therapist Harleen Quinzel.

It's a decent compromise between how involved modern shows have become sprawling season long stories while still maintaining the appeal of a self contained case in any given episode.

Of the three, Barbara (Krystal Joy Brown) has the most active role throughout the entire run and is arguably the main character of the show. She's compassionate about people, her clients, criminals and their circumstances. She has a strong balance between someone who is optimistic yet not naive, although still young enough to not have the harsher experiences as her father. This allows a contrast between her and Gordon's world weary, almost Black and White POV. In fact, her willingness to hear people out and consider alternatives leads to her establishing a form of contact with Batman before her father.

Renee Montoya (Michelle C. Bonilla) is about on par with Barbara in playing an active role in the series, albeit almost always work related for obvious reasons. She's a consummate professional, brilliant detective and the only trustworthy cop outside Gordon. That last part is particularly note worthy since it actually gives Gordon a reliable subordinate and not just Bullock. She has solid chemistry with Barbara and there's a lot of untapped potential with her and Harley. And hey, nice to get little bit of the two dating and smooching. Speaking of, Harley (Jamie Chung) is surprisingly prominent in the first half and I love how they handle her. She's legit intelligent and even knows there's something up with the public perception of Bruce. She's quirky without rehashing the whole bubbly blonde routine, she's delightfully flirty with Renee and she's also fucking demented. Oh yes, Harley is already cracked, but in a curious way where she's not exactly insane but clearly has a dark side she indulges. Honestly? Really neat to see a version of a character not influenced by Joker. She's still a Harlequin, of course, but much more traditional and I love that we don't waste time going through an origin. She just uses her therapist profession as a means to hash out her idea of justice against clients she can't reach, often mind breaking rich jackasses who refuse to better themselves. Harley assigns them personalities and forces repetitive tasks or absurd tortures. In a cute little meta nod she's responsible for creating the persona of King Tut, a character originally created for the '66 show, just as she was a creation for TAS.

I also have to mention Chung's voice acting, which the VA in the show is great all around, of course. But villain roles always get to stick out, and this is a prime example. The shift between that very intelligent caring quirky woman to… what I can only call an analytical seductive manipulator and abuser, well it's just wonderful. We've had so much of bubbly Quinn and silly crass Quinn that this version is so refreshing and one of the most pleasant surprises out of the show.

There are other characters outside the trio, but I simply don't have much to say about Gordan, Flass, or Bullock. The VA is impeccable, as previously mentioned; I love Eric Morgan's Gordon, Gary Anthony Williams' Flass and John DiMaggio's Bullock. Perfect casting. But character wise they simply serve a role and I don't have much to say about them. Gordon is, well, Gordon trying his best among a corrupt department full of people like Flass and Bullock. Flass himself is brilliantly sly and Bullock is a slob who does all the dirty work. I will say that even if I don't have much to go into with them, I do appreciate how much Flass and Bullock are featured and how effectively they're utilized.

The only major reoccurring character left to go in-depth on, outside Batman, is Harvey Dent; ironically voiced by Brave and the Bold Batman, Diedrich Bader. Harvey is… odd in this series. He's a dick headed "tough on crime" sleazy DA who is self interested in becoming Mayor, no matter who he has to steamroll to get there. On one hand it is an interesting angle; a man of once upstanding morals slowing eroding them to gain political favor with the ultimate goal of proper reform-- assuming he even has any left by the end of it. There is an inkling of a great idea in the political process of Gotham grinding you down, bringing out your worst, makes you compromise too much. The system changes you, not the other way around.

The issue is the tragedy of a good if flawed man giving into his worse impulses doesn't entirely work due to the simple fact we hardly see a good side to Harvey. No signs of a different better person underneath or who he used to be before DA. The show only gives Harvey one very minor scene of empathy and moral upstanding before his disfigurement, so he kinda goes from jaded cynical asshat to homicidal asshat. To give the show credit, that is in part the intent. We don't like Harvey all that much but still feel bad when we see how sad and broken he is, all because he finally did something good and he's punished for it. The episode dealing with the aftermath of the acid attack is really solid at showcasing his slip into insanity and drawing forth pathos. In a bubble it works beautifully; A man who was already breaking, even if they didn't know, now thinks everyone is out to get him. Almost every invasive thought is acted upon. They also don't make Two-Face the default or more common of the personas, it's a lot of back and forth. Harvey is relatively calm one moment but suddenly becomes violent the next. Hell, he even has moments of clarity and great remorse not only for his actions as Two-Face but as DA. The episode is handled very well and Bader is selling the hell out of it. I just wish there was more before that change, a little more to like about Harvey Dent. Bruce was friends with this guy and from an audience perspective it's kinda hard to see why, Harvey is a shit head, an absolute knob. I dunno, Batman is kind of dick in this so maybe there's something to be said there? But even so, his dynamic with Barbara is FAR more engaging and nuanced than with Bruce because Barbara has more impactful scenes and is the direct opposite of the same coin. I kinda wonder if the stuff with Bruce was something shoved in at the last minute because they felt they had to. Which I guess that finally bring me to Batman, who you may have noticed I've talked very little about in this Batman show up until now.

Batman is a boring wet white rice motherfucker with barely a character arc and almost no connections to the main cast.

Oh sure, every episode has Batman doing things that move the plot along, provides some very minor characterization or some plain 'ol detective work which is fun to see. But even when he does investigating, finds a clue, confronts a villain etc. it feels lacking because his interactions with the rest of the cast are severely limited and sporadic.

Batman himself is integral to the show, but he's more like an anchor for the rest of the cast who have far more captivating screen time and better defined relationships. Babs is friends with Harley and Renee, Harley and Renee are dating, Renee works for Gordon, Barbara is of course Gordon's daughter, Harley has a brief stint as a consultant for the GCPD, and Harvey works opposite Barbara. These people flow into each others stories, converse, have opposing or similar ideologies to make stories around. Batman lock picks and punches things. I mean, Christ, he doesn't have a friendship with Gordon because this is long before that, he treats Alfred like a valuable tool rather than family and he has more empathy for Nocturna in a one off episode than Harvey over the entire season. I'm serious when I say I think the friendship was tacked on, because there's a line in ep 6 about Dent's biggest donors pulling out of his campaign, implying Bruce never gave any money. Maybe they could've made an entire subplot about the Batman aspect taking so much priority that he ignored Dent's troubles until it was too late. Have Batman learn a lesson about balancing the personas and how Bruce Wayne can be equally useful in aiding Gotham-- and the consequences of forgetting that. Maybe even intersperse flashbacks to a younger Bruce and more optimistic and likeable Dent to show why and how they became friends. This could've been done in a two-parter just like how Robin was handled in TAS.

For the instances the show does put a spotlight on just Batman it's simply going through the motions. The best we get is Bruce Wayne attending therapy sessions with Quinn, which is a great concept ultimately wasted on flashbacks of Bruce's childhood I've seen a dozen times over and maybe should've been used to explore his relationship with Dent.

Another reason why this Batman is so bland is because there are almost no sympathetic villains, which you've probably gathered by now. Harvey in the last episode and Nocturna in ep. 8 are the only two that fit the criteria (And frankly Barbara does more to help Harvey.) But everyone else? No tragic backstory, no victim of circumstance, no injustice, and no chance to showcase Batman's greatest attribute. On paper I understand what they were going for; this is an early Batman attempting (and sometimes failing) to be emotionally walled off. He's in the background, he needs to learn to open up and temper his anger. Midway into the season have something drastic happen to shake his resolve (endangering Alfred, of course)

By the end of the series he begins casually referring to him as Alfred rather than "Pennyworth" and he's established connections with Barbara, Jim and Renee. I don't dislike this slow burn, I enjoy seeing Batman's humanity slowly seep through. The series has a lot of great little moments where we see that happening, like Batman chastising Barbara for being reckless right after she saved his ass and a friend of hers is assumed dead. She's going through a lot and Batman clearly doesn't know how to processes the situation, he doesn't know how to be comforting.

There's also a great scene in the finale that I'm pretty sure was a giant middle finger to a certain director. The problem is the entire season is doing things like that. Sure we get growth for the character, but that's grueling for a 10 episode season. Maybe it's just me, but I'd kinda like to be more invested in the title character before the season finale. But as is so often the case with streaming we're limited to just 10 episodes per season. It's... so tiresome spending an entire run getting Batman to a state where we can actually tie him in with the rest of the ensemble cast and show some goddamn empathy. I realize rushing through this could result in the opposite problem, but this once again leads to me pointing out, as always, the stories writers want to tell are too big for these gimped 6-10 episode season the modern streaming has pushed on all of us. You know the first season of The Animated Series was a whopping 65 episodes? I probably wouldn't be talking about this problem if we even had a quarter of that.

I do want to stress this is no fault of the performance, which I know is going to be on everyone's mind. This is a problem with writing, the limited episode count, and possibly Zaslav not seeing enough blood in his stool before dumping this production onto Amazon. Conroy alone wouldn't have been enough to elevate the more shallow aspects of Batman's character, it just wouldn't. The writing for Batman specifically is very by the numbers at best. If this was material that fell flat because of Conroy's absence that would be one thing, but it's just bland characterization from the get go and no amount of nostalgia, art style, or iconic voice work will cover that up. It's kind of funny because the show is enjoyable by in large, but the title character is the weakest part. I wouldn't be surprised if a great deal of the mixed reception was because of that. "Batman is the worst part of a Batman show" is a perfectly valid and damning criticism.

That said, I do want to praise Hamish Linklater, the poor guy's got his work cut out for him, being in the Shadow of the Bat, as it were, and he does a fine job. I can tell it's not Conroy, obviously, and sometimes it sounds like a mix of Brave and the Bold with New Frontier Batman where I'm not sure if he's trying to do an impression or not. But midway through the series it starts to get really close, there are even moments that remind me of Conroy's performance in TAS' Two-Face two parter, glimpses where Linklater almost has the softer tones down pat. And his Bruce is damn near spot on. I hope he stays on as a voice for Batman and gets more opportunities as the character, he could potentially become to Conroy's Batman what Matthew Lillard is to Casey Kasem's Shaggy; It's not the same, but goddamn do they do a fine job capturing the tone and vibe while being a fine performer in their own right.

But they have GOT to give him better material because this Batman is sorely lacking in the things I love most about the character.

Speaking of, I don't want to spend too long discussing the second season (Which it is getting) but I have concerns there. The big one for me is foreshadowing that Alfred is keeping a secret about the night the Waynes were shot. I HATE when they over complicate the murder and try to make it something more like a targeted hit, or the court of owls or some other stupid shit. That's the one major thing I hate in The Batman movie is them muddying the waters with a perfectly good victim of circumstance story-- although it's kinda worse there because they wouldn't even fully commit. But I digress. I do not want the shit with the Waynes more complicated than it needs to be. If Alfred suggested a shortcut and he feels responsible for their deaths, sure, whatever. That's simple enough to add some character drama without going overboard. But it's probably gonna be the big overarching story next season with secret twists and- blegh. Honestly, I think I'd rather just have stand alone episodes without a running narrative thread; just have the characters and their dynamics developing and that be it. The show is clearly better when it's just that. But alas, modern streaming.

But with all that said, I still liked the season well enough. As I said at the beginning, the series is good to very good. I love the atmosphere, I enjoy most of the character and the cast, the self contained stories are solid and there's plenty of potential. But next season I need Batman and the villains to be more interesting, let Linklater give a sympathetic performance for fucks sake. If Season 2 is just more of the same, I'll clock out.

Still, I guess anything is better than say Harley assaulting Nightwing... Or the Killing Joke. You know what, there's a blurb of recommendation for Caped Crusader: "No weirdo awkwardly shoved their fetishes into the story." So check it out.

[ciaossu-imagines]

For Day 10 of the event, I used the word ‘Halloween’ from prompt 15 for the main four from Black Cat! I don’t know if any other fans of the series still actually exist, but I deeply love this manga and I hope if there are any fans, that they’ll enjoy!

Halloween: if you could dress up as anyone/anything and pull it off absolutely flawlessly, who/what would it be?

Train would definitely go all out for a Halloween costume. I think the holiday is one that he would love and get excited about, though he had little chance to experience it growing up. He makes up for lost time though, always putting together insane costumes. I feel like he’d really dig the pirate aesthetic or a werewolf or something else kind of classic but really theatrical.

Sven, like his daughter, has his own very set sense of style and he’s not someone who compromises it for something like Halloween. On top of that, he definitely has clearly defined tastes that would influence his choices in costumes. I feel like he’s definitely a fan of film noir and old school private detectives, so he’d likely make that his Halloween costume, especially as he’s someone who is also going to take into account how much a costume would cost. With his wardrobe, he won’t need to buy too much more to have a perfect costume that feels like he just stepped out of an film noir detective’s office.

Eve would want to be something scary but also elegant for Halloween. She has a real set sense of style to begin with and she doesn’t want to compromise on that just for Halloween, so sillier or bright costumes just don’t appeal to her. I think she’d like playing into the nickname she has of princess and would do something akin to an Elizabeth Bathory or Queen of Hearts costume, something royalty based but with a slight psychopathic and deadly twist to it, just to get that scare effect that she feels any Halloween costume should have.

Rinslet would absolutely go as Catwoman for Halloween. She feels a real affinity for the character, the Selena Kyle old school version, and the outfit itself is really cool. Besides, she knows she looks good in skintight leather, and she enjoys showing off her body, so the costume works all around.

[thomas-hobbes-hater]

I was rewatching Goncharov last night, and I noticed something really interesting: it has the exact same runtime as Quadrophenia, the 1973 rock opera by The Who about a guy called Jimmy who has a classic case of "DID written by someone who does not have DID and is not qualified to write about DID" (yes it's extremely problematic).

What's important about Jimmy's "DID" is that he has four personalities, and each one has their own separate song. So, being familiar with the way Dark Side of the Moon fits over Paul Blart 2 (and also The Wizard of Oz), I thought, 'hey, I don't have any responsibilities now semester's over' and put it on again, and somehow each instance of the four main character themes ('Bell Boy', 'Is it Me?', 'Helpless Dancer', 'Love, Reign O'er Me') perfectly, and I mean perfectly line up with important moments in each of the four main characters' (Andrey, Sofia, Goncharov, and Katya respectively) arcs from the very beginning of the film, where the first shots of each of them coincide with the themes appearing in the background of the opening calm beach sounds before that first montage kicks in with 'The Real Me', which of course has a deep resonance with Goncharov's whole arc too.

So here's my theory. Quadrophenia the album was released in 1973, but the movie that used it as the soundtrack wasn't released until 1979, plenty of time to film and edit the whole thing after the album had made it to the public. I submit that this is exactly what happened because The Who had originally been hired by Scorsese to do the soundtrack. However, the score they provided was a little too lyric-heavy or a bit too brash and literal in its interpretations of the characters. Regardless, they'd spent so much time on the project and it was so close to release when Matteo JWHJ 0715 decided that the score was unsuitable that no further edits were done on the film. The score was then hurriedly put together from recordings and a single day of recording a chamber orchestra, all deliberately designed to sound slightly grainy from the beginning to add to the 1940s noir-esque aesthetic but also to hide the various different recordings and imperfect takes.

That each of the four characters meld into each other in this way is just fascinating to me. Are they meant to be reflections of each other? Aspects of the same being? Creatures woven together by fate? All of these seem like totally plausible readings, and all of them are strengthened by the thematic linkage of the album. Some of those links can still be heard in the way the themes begin to play off against each other towards the climax of the film. It also adds another layer to Andrey shooting Goncharov as the man that used to know himself is destroyed by both the persona he has cultivated and the accompanying dissolution of his selfhood into these three others' lives he has so deeply changed.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

“The Batman” (2022) movie review:

SHORT REVIEW

It was better the second time around. But even then, I think Telltale did the same story but better. I give it a 7/10. 

LONG REVIEW

Okay, before I get into the main review, let me just say that both times watching this movie have been...interesting. The first time, I watched with my sister, my cousin, and my sister’s best friend. The second time, it was a date (I know I should’ve picked a more fun movie, but whatever). 

My sister was thoroughly unimpressed to the point where she legitimately told me that “Uncharted” was a better movie. My sister’s best friend and my cousin were also not as impressed, but a little more forgiving (my cousin’s main criticism was that Bruce Wayne’s characterization was weak). My date...well, she thought it was a decent movie, but was not a fan of some of Bruce’s characterization (mainly his forcefulness to Selina) and thought the third act was a bit messy. 

The reason I’m bringing all this up is because, in both instances, I was the one who came out liking the movie the most. I was the one who was willing to give the movie the benefit of the doubt, despite its shortcomings. But even then, I’m not as wowed by “The Batman” as a lot of people were. 

Is it a great Batman movie? Sure. Is it the best Batman movie? Honestly, it’s a strong no for me, I still give that title to “The Dark Knight”. Is it deserving of the hype? Uh...sure? I mean, I thought it was fine. Here, let’s get into my thoughts then. Just a disclaimer, this is just my personal opinion, feel free to disagree if you want. 

What I will agree with is that it is a great DETECTIVE Batman movie. I can’t believe it took Warner Bros this long to make a movie where Batman, the World’s Greatest Detective, does some legitimate detective work. Snyder had the chance to do that, but even he blew it when he gave all the detective work to Lois Lane (which is fine since she’s a reporter, but point still stands). We only got snippets of Bruce’s detective skills in previous movies, so it’s great that we now have a full-length movie where that’s the focus. 

The acting was also pretty good. Robert Pattinson absolutely owns the role. He’s what you expect of a young Batman who hasn’t moved on past his parents’ deaths. Basically, he’s emo and moody as hell, which is far removed from the fun, playboy depictions of him in the past, but works for this version. 

Zoe Kravitz is a really good Selina Kyle. Colin Farrell is the best onscreen depiction of The Penguin I’ve ever seen. I love how he’s just a gangster with no other weird add-ons to his character like in other depictions (looking at you, Batman Returns). Paul Dano really excelled in his depiction of this alt-right, QAnon, Reddit/4chan user version of Riddler. There was just something so realistically disturbing about his depiction that really made his character shine.

And, of course, the rest of the cast did great as well. I’d name everyone individually, but this post will end up being too long if I do.

Last but not least, I love the overall “feel” of the movie. I liked the aesthetics of Gotham City, the choice of music, and the tone. It really was a film noir, but with Batman as the main protagonist. There were even times where I felt like I was reading Sin City again, or the Batman comics written by Frank Miller before he lost his mind. 

Now, with all the positives out of the way, what did I not like about this movie?

Well...this is sort of a biased point, but, I already seen this Batman story. Does anyone here remember Telltale’s Batman? It’s not even similarities anymore, the movie straight up lifted concepts from the game. We have a terrorist villain trying to “expose” the corrupt elites of Gotham, a young rookie Batman teaming up with a reluctant Catwoman, and Thomas Wayne having a corrupt past. While this isn’t a deal-breaking criticism, it did kind of kill some of the enthusiasm I had going into the movie, especially since I thought the game did the same story but better. 

Bruce’s characterization was a bit dodgy. While I enjoy Pattinson’s emo, moody take on Batman, it feels like you don’t really get to know Bruce until the Thomas Wayne reveal. For most of the movie, Bruce is just this blank slate who you only know about because of other incarnations of the character. Bruce doesn’t get “developed”, he just does his investigations and moves from point A to point B without really dwelling on things. 

My cousin summarizes it like this: “Robert Pattinson is all Batman, no Bruce Wayne.”

Even though the detective aspect was strong in this movie, the actual mystery was...meh? Surprise, surprise, the overarching villain of the movie turns out to be the big bad mob boss. The guy who was obviously evil turns out to be the cause of everything. There was so much time dedicated to the reveal of the Riddler’s rat, but I thought it was plainly obvious with how the movie set him up. The only reveal that actually had any bite was Selina’s dad being Carmine Falcone, other than that, the mystery was a bit lacking.

Even the final plan felt a bit predictable. Speaking of the final plan, that leads me into the main part of the movie that disappointed me...the final act.

First off, I want to make it clear that I’m not one of those guys who NEEDS a big showdown between the hero and villain. I actually like that Riddler got stopped before the big climax, especially since he’s not a physical guy. A fight between him and Bats would end in one punch, that doesn’t make for an interesting showdown. My problem with the climax is that it just feels sloppily written, like they ran out of time in writing the scene. 

First, I didn’t buy the appearance of the Riddler militia. I get that the movie was going for a “social media icon” version of Riddler, but the actual militia didn’t get a proper build-up. At least in “The Dark Knight”, you saw Joker recruiting his troops, and in “Joker”, you saw how Arthur slowly built up his reputation in order to inspire people to join his cause. Riddler makes a few vlogs, you see some people comment on his vlogs, and then bam, he now has a fully-equipped militia ready to do his bidding. It just didn’t feel natural, like we were missing a scene or two. 

The adrenaline shot scene felt a bit random. I guess they were trying to show just how far Bruce was willing to go to protect Selina, but the scene didn’t really go anywhere. You could’ve just cut to the Riddler-henchman saying, “I’m vengeance” and the scene would flow the same. 

Batman cutting the electric wire also didn’t really go anywhere. I felt like the writers were trying to show that Batman was willing to risk his life to save the people, but they undermined that point by just having Batman pop up out of the water right after he got electrocuted. They could’ve just cut to Batman leading the people to safety with his Bat-flare. 

And, overall, as a final act, it just felt weak. Selina didn’t really do much aside from beat up one bad guy. Commissioner Gordon pulled the mayor to safety and...that was about it. Batman beat up a bunch of no-name goons. Compared to the rest of the movie, the final act felt like a letdown since the main payoff was a fight scene that went on just a little too long and could’ve used some edits.

You know what this final act reminded me of? “WandaVision”. Yeah, I know I’m using a Marvel property to make a comparison, shut up and hear me out. The best part of that show was the mystery and figuring out what the hell was going on in Westview. This is why the finale is considered a disappointment since the payoff to that mystery was your standard, MCU fight scene. All the nuance and weirdness that made the series strong was missing from that finale.

Same with “The Batman”. The movie was at its best when it was a mystery, film noir. The movie went downhill after the main threat was caught and the mystery solved, leaving only a fight scene that could only end one way. It felt like a fight scene that needed to be there only because action movies have this unwritten requirement to have an ending showdown. 

Now, with all this being said, I want to reiterate that I thought the movie was good. It was a pretty good movie, especially since it’s the first live-action Batman movie to really get into the nitty gritty of detective work. But it’s a flawed Batman movie...which is fine! Just because I don’t think it’s a masterpiece doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie! I think it’s a fine movie for what it is, but I feel like it could’ve been improved in some parts, that’s all I’m saying. 

[dipperdesperado]

I WROTE a Movie in 33 Days...

Imagine a coming-of-age story set in a world inspired by LA Noire, Metropolis, and Bioshock. I decided to challenge myself, and write a movie in a month, with some decently heavy worldbuilding elements. It’ll be linked at the end if you’re interested in reading it. Just know, a month may sound like a decent amount of time to some, but to the rest of y’all, you know it’s not a ton of time. If you don’t mind rough edges, you might find the script enjoyable. I want to go through my writing process, talk about the triumphs and hurdles, and how, if you’re a complete nutjob, you can try out this challenge for yourself. This is how I wrote a feature film in a month.

Story Planning

So, for the first few days, I focused on creating and figuring out what the story would be. Some people might call this finding the story. I love Notion and used that as my home base for everything except the script.

I knew I wanted to do something set in a time period set in the early 20th century. I remembered that I wrote a story during that era in early 2021 for a fiction writing class. I fished it out and it was…interesting. I did like some of the tonal characteristics, so that informed the current piece.

With my ideas in tow, I decided to do some visual research inspiration. Something that was really appealing to me was the aesthetic of Decopunk, which is described as “Dieselpunk but shiny.” I love the look of things like Metropolis, The Great Gatsby, and of course Bioshock, so I wanted to evoke some of that. I made a Pinterest board with a lot of the different pieces that I gathered for visual inspiration, to inform what I wanted the look and feel to be.

a screenshot from my Pinterest board

At this point, I started to feel really good about what I was working with and was excited with the story’s potential. I knew that within this world, I wanted to have a young adult who would have to deal with being the heir of his family on the cusp of a change, due to some external force, but as a result of an internal force. Essentially an “adapt or die” kind of thing. Here’s the logline I came up with at that point: “Keni Clementine, the heir to his family, has to decide whether or not he will embrace modernity when the new world starts to envelop his livelihood. To protect his family, will he cast aside the things he’s known?”

One thing I wish I would’ve touched on more in the actual script that I had an idea for was this concept of how time and progress moves and the difficulties that it can present to people. That friction of the old age versus the new is there, but I think that it was something that could’ve been more front facing.

Okay. At this point, we’re halfway through the first week, and I’m ready to write my main beats. For this, I used a structure that roughly follows the Save the Cat format.

In the end, there were some changes to the script, but thinking of the main beats helped me have a decent feeling of direction to go in for what I was doing. I’ll give you the original overview.

The film starts with a shot in the car. Keni, the main character, is with his parents and his friend Laila, who is the daughter heir of a rival faction. They are on the way to the theater that Keni’s family owns. Once they get there and settle in, Keni’s mom explains a bit about the world, and most importantly that their influence through controlling the arts district is what gives them power. Then we show all of the different factions and hint at what their production focus is on. As the play goes on, Laila’s parent’s men start a fire under the stage, which obviously ruins everything, and leads Keni’s parents to want to fight Laila’s. Keni and Laila try to make a last-ditch effort to stop the conflict, and when they realize that they’re not going to be able to, they try to go around, stopping the other families from getting them involved. It ends with a giant battle royale between the families, and I imagine the parents dying. I still don’t exactly know what happens in this fight, as you’ll see in the final version.

Writing

At the start of the second week, I wrote a treatment-esque thing, where I took my beats from the last week, and then filled in the gaps, so that there was a scene-by-scene connection between the different parts. This goes more in-depth and has some changes to those initial beats. The treatment will also be at the end.

During the rest of this week (and the beginning of the following week), I wrote the actual script. Rather than tell you story content, since you have a decent idea at this point (hopefully), I’ll talk about my experiences writing it. Writing Act One was pretty easy. I felt like I had a pretty clear indication of the scenes and inciting incident, and the buildup into the moving forward. Act Two was really fun as well, as it was an opportunity to really spend a good chunk of time with the MCs. Act Three basically doesn’t exist, as the whole thing would be a giant fight, and I didn’t really know how I wanted it to look, and I was running out of time to write. I decided that I would fix it during the rewrite. I didn’t fix it during the rewrite.

Editing

There’s not fun stuff to note during this time, except you might notice that I said I wrote this in 33 days, but that doesn’t add up to the three weeks. That’s because before I edited, I took like 9 days off to just not think about the story consciously and look at it with fresh eyes. The most extensive reworking happened in the beginning, trying to make it less contrived. I tried to make sure that it was readable, and also worked towards the ending. There’s slightly more than was before but act three still kinda doesn’t exist. Oops. But hey, we did a lot, so I’ll mostly consider this challenge a success.

Postmortem

I kinda touched on this earlier, but I wanna go in more depth on how I feel about the project. I think that it was an interesting challenge to try and write something within a month, as that’s not a lot of time to write a full-fledged thing. It’s not peak fiction, but I’d say it’s also not the worst thing ever. Which is a win in my eyes. If you’re bonkers enough to subjugate yourself to this, one thing I would recommend is finding someone to do the challenge with, so they can read your work and give you feedback. You should probably do this after editing, since someone might think you’re nuts if they see your first draft.

If you’re interested in reading the full script, along with any of the other developmental materials, I’ll put the link below, and you’ll also find it in the description. if this was at all interesting, or if you have suggestions, let me know. Otherwise, thanks for taking time to read this long post, and get to creating!

Link to all the files

[kukuandkookie]

As someone who’s recently gotten more into Chinese media, all the news surrounding these “gritty live-action” adaptations from the west has me feeling a little more grateful for cdrama adaptations of popular novels/manga.

I suddenly feel lucky that since I’ve gotten into Chinese media, these live-action adaptions by China have generally turned out to be of good quality.

Like The Bad Kids—which is the most recent cdrama I watched in full for a neo-noir presentation assignment for my film noir class—it was so good!!

And I know it’s not the same thing since Netflix adapting something like The Winx Club is more international and the Chinese entertainment industry may run a little differently.

That being said, when a cdrama adaption does go a little more international by adapting something from Japan like Boys Over Flowers, Prince of Tennis, and Hikaru no Go, they generally do a good job and are well-received (mostly in part thanks to them respecting the source material NVKSJFJSHD).

Like I’ve heard so many good things about Prince of Tennis and Hikaru no Go (which I’m currently a little obsessed with) from fans of the originals.

And as someone who was so ready to be disappointed by The Untamed and who worried it would be cheap and unlikeable in comparison to the original novel I loved, I was so pleasantly surprised when I fell in love with the show!

Because even with censorship, even with the rewriting, even with the softening of characters, even with the rearrangement of the timeline, even with the additional stories... It’s still really good?

The crew clearly respected the original novel, and the actors also did a great job.

The same can be said for Guardian and The King’s Avatar—both live-action adaptations of novels that had different vibes from the original source material, but had enough respect and care put into them that even fans of the original who were ready to hate it ended up enjoying it.

Many of them also draw inspiration from the animated (donghua) and comic (manhua) and audio drama versions of the novel they’re adapting, and that once again shows respect to the fans who already like the donghua/manhua/audio drama.

And I guess that’s the thing? Like you don’t have to adapt something perfectly. Just...respect the original. Respect the fans. Care about the product you’re making. Put some effort into it.

I didn’t even mind Riverdale (1st season), and I say this as someone who liked to read the comics occasionally. It wasn’t perfect, but some of the storytelling surprises and mystery was fun (and Bughead was very cute), but that’s in part thanks to the Archie comics being so damn flexible in the first place (Archie can literally go from goofy fun to fighting zombies if you wanted).

But the more Riverdale pulled away from the comics, the more off it seemed to get, and since fans began critiquing it, I haven’t kept up with any of its news (I also stopped watching back in season 2).

But the Powerpuff Girls live-action and the Winx Club live-action? Idk they lack the flexibility of the Archie comics, and while some elements of their shows could be good for live-action adaptations (PPG could lend itself to a grittier superhero show if you really wanted; Winx could probably make for a cool fantasy show in a school setting), you have to respect the original!!

And I don’t see how what we’ve seen of Fate the Winx Saga is respectful to the original or to the fans (whitewashing, renaming a character you whitewashed because of fan backlash—ignoring the fact you’re still basically replacing a WOC with a white woman, ignoring some of the elements in character/aesthetic of the original, and erasing other characters)??

I was never into Winx Club as a kid, but even I recognize this is quite a...butchering of source material, to say the least. Not everything has to be edgy/gritty to be cool, you guys.

As someone who loves the Powerpuff Girls and was big into the fandom for years, this makes me more concerned for the live-action. 😬

But also while I’m still hesitant and cautious in my excitement for the upcoming Tian Guan Ci Fu live-action adaptation, it’s at least a bit of a relief that they’re in better hands than the western live-action adaptations. At least they’re in hands that will respect the source material more...

Besides having to balance the same struggles as the western entertainment industry (which parts to adapt, which to change, how to draw in new fans but keep old ones, etc), China literally has censors the creators may face in adapting gay/supernatural/violent stories.

But if they can still make something good that both old and new fans enjoy, then what excuse can the west turn to?

[plaidcladjuno]

HAPPY EVERYDAY IS MOD DAY! 🎉

I’m hoping to contribute to the event with some fic and/or meta later on, but I don’t have the time for it right now, so I’m just going to go with a good old reaction post.

I’m putting the rest of the post under the cut because it’s much longer than I anticipated, but the TL;DR version is that I enjoyed that first episode even more knowing everything that happens next. I did remember it very well, but rewatching it now, I was truly impressed by how much they managed to pack into it. It’s a very solid series premiere and I’m so, so excited to rewatch the rest of the show and see it all unfold once again.

Also, I’ve watched a lot of other BL since (can you believe that MoD was my first???) and yeah, MaxTul are still Kings 🙏🏻👑👑

MANNER OF DEATH EP. 01

I haven’t even put the episode on yet and I’m already so fucking excited.

!!!!!

I had forgotten the show opened with the crime scene and not with Bunn arriving in Viangpha Mork. Love how it grips you right away.

Well, that, and Inspector M’s tight uniform. Here’s to the costume department.

JAAANE 😭😭😭

I still really like the opening theme, with its film noir sounds/visuals 👌🏻 (At least that’s what it reminds me of, but I’m not a specialist of the genre at all.)

Those landscapes 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

NATTY 😭😭😭

They really did throw some big ass clues at us right away, uh:

Aww look at Inspector M being all friendly and welcoming with Bunn:

Dare I say he even looks a little... smitten? I mean, I’m sorry, but Bunn wasn’t being that funny. (It’s my personal headcanon that M would totally have gone after Bunn if things had been different.) (But then Bunn wouldn’t get to be so sassy later on and that would be a tremendous loss.)

Also: Gun 🤬🤬🤬

Bunn’s conversation with Jane hits so differently knowing everything that’s happened / is about to happen at this point. “She’s my student... Yet I couldn’t even help her a little bit.” And The Little Mermaid! “She died. She died for love. [...] Can’t there be a better ending?” Jaaane 😭 You fought so hard for that better ending 😭

And then Jane remembering Natty in the classroom 😭

BUNN PARKING IN FRONT OF THE MIST

THIS IS IT GUYS

TAAAN!!!

THE SLOW MO

THE MUSIC

THE LINGERING GLANCES

poetic cinema.jpeg

Personal headcanon: Tan doesn’t recognize Bunn just then, but something about him is familiar. He steals several looks at him from afar at the club, but it’s only later, when he’s got Bunn in his arms, that everything suddenly clicks and he has that “Oh.” moment.

And what kind of fun do you have in mind exactly, Inspector M? Mmmh?

Ugh. That drink looks disgusting.

DRUNK!BUNN IS GIVING ME SO MUCH SECOND-HAND EMBARRASSMENT OMG

Uuugh I love the whole aesthetic of the scene but I especially love that shot. The way they’re framed, Tan’s hand against Bunn’s back... 

This! This is the “Oh.” moment!

THE KISS!

THE KISS!!

THE K I S S ! ! !

Can’t believe the fucking CHEMISTRY between those two. DAMN.

(I may or may not have just rewatched that scene alone more than once. Or twice. Or—)

<333

Also adding this to my “M had a thing for Bunn at the beginning” headcanon:

(AND JUST WHO DO YOU THINK REMOVED BUNN’S SHIRT MMMH?) 

BTW that was a totally gratuitous shot of Tul Pakorn and I, for one, am very grateful to the director of MoD for it.

NOOO NOT THE VIDEO THE SECOND-HAND EMBARRASSMENT IS TOO STRONG

👀👀👀

PUED 🤬🤬🤬

Can’t believe I ever thought he was innocent / that the signs pointing to his guilt were red herrings.

Another one of my favorite shots from MoD: Bunn literally walking into the belly of the beast.

THESE TWO IS2G

AGAIN WITH THE BIG ASS CLUES:

OMG Oat giving it his all in the dance scene with his dress and his flower crown <333

The way Tan teases Bunn about drinking 😂

And then the way he slowly approaches him to remove the petal from his hair... NGL, it still gave me flutters.

TAAAN

THAT EARNEST LOOK ON HIS FACE

KNOWING HE’S NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT THE NIGHT BEFORE

UUGH MY HEART

Can’t help thinking about Jane sitting alone at the table with her abusers at the same moment though 😭😭😭

Damn those punches are even more satisfying to watch now.

STILL WISH HE HAD HIT THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE EVEN HARDER

Uuugh I can feel my heart breaking 😭

“You will know the truth soon.”  😭😭😭

Aww I had forgotten about Bunn thinking about Tan (and the possible relationship between Tan and Jane) just before going to sleep. He’s already got it so baaad~

You know how when you rewatch something you hope against hope that things are going to turn out differently this time around? Yeah...

Let’s just imagine Bunn going to that restaurant with Jane and asking her questions about Tan, and Jane seeing through it right away and reassuring him that there’s nothing between her and Tan, and then the three of them standing together to take down Viangpha Mork’s trafficking ring... Just, Jane remaining alive and getting justice.

Understanding dawning on Bunn as he walks into Jane’s bedroom... And then the discovery of her body... Uugh.

AAAND SCENE! Can’t believe I managed to watch MoD week after week and survive those cliffhangers.

Bonus scene: Aww, poor Oat <3 And still he’s gonna help Bunn in the end!

Can’t wait to rewatch episode 2 tomorrow!!!

[funkymbtifiction]

Why do NFPs (especially INFPs, though) tend to be vintage-obsessed people? I just realized it’s always people with this personality, some of them almost living exclusively with their heads on their fantasies of the past, usually dressing up like they are in 1951, only falling in love with movie stars that have been dead for half a century and so on.  Is it because of high Ne and low Si? Or perhaps high Fi and low Te? If so, why do NTPs and SFPs seem to be exempt from this “frenzy”?

HAH. Yes, INFPs do seem to corner the market on this kind of behavior, but I see this a lot in ISFJs too, to a lesser extent -- not living in a fantasy of the past and dressing that way so much as wishing they could live back then -- it’s a feeler and Si-based romanticizing of the past into an archetype. Si has a hazy interpretation of the past, it’s almost ‘rose colored’ in some ways, especially if it’s in some way tied to something the Si user cares about -- a sense of wishing they had lived back then in a more wholesome time (with better fashion!), perhaps of a strong identification of watching this or that romantic hero or show with their mother / grandmother, or with a sense of ‘connecting to my ancestors’ through a shared aesthetic (INFP). The grandmother they never knew, etc. Being ‘in love’ with dead movie stars seems to happen a LOT with ISFJs.

This is partly, I think, because Ne and Si isn’t as concerned with staying ‘relevant’ as Se is -- SPs in particular are often on the ‘cusp’ of things right before they become popular because they sense where a trend is going, but a Ne and a Si might see the value in the past, in what has LASTED, and is considered ‘of quality.’ IE, classic movies and glamorous dead movie stars. Thus you might find an INFP who loves Marvel movies but also loves Jimmy Stewart. It’s also because Si likes to find one thing it is super interested in and become an expert on that -- so an ISJ might become an ‘expert’ on old movies, and that’s mostly what they think about and watch because it’s to their specific, individualized (subjective) interest. An NFP will probably dabble in lots of things but fall into this ‘specialized personal interest’ (old movies) sometimes too, though it may not last for decades as it will the ISJ. (I’ve also noticed it’s usually ISFJs more than ISTJs, unless the ISTJ is interested in classic film genres.) I’ve also known INTPs to be obsessed with film noir and “old Hollywood,” though ENTPs usually care less because most Ne-doms are seeking NEWness.

[sssssssim]

I really freacking loved The Batman. Lemme overtalk about it.

Spoilers ahead.

The plot is good. The movie is three hours long and I did not feel the passing of time. I was never bored, I was constantly entertained. The plot didn't feel ridiculous, just one or two times. It was well written and it made sense.

The plot was surprising. They changed things, and I am here for it. The story with his parents... After seeing so many Batman origin stories in my lifetime, seeing the murder in the alley over and over again, it was refreshing to see something else. I'm glad they switched it up. They changed quite a few other things, with other characters, gave them surprising stories. Loved to see it, really.

Batman is... a sad little emo boy. Pattinson does it beautifully, but there's not that much to do. He's a little lame, not gonna lie. He only shows real emotion in the scene with Alfred in the hospital, and it felt a little weird. Still, I think he did an amazing job. This Batman is very different from what we're used to, and I like him. I like that he doesn't bother with keeping up the Bruce Wayne persona. This Bruce Wayne is a recluse, not a playboy.

I cannot, for the like of me, picture him having a Robin. Sure, there were a few lost boys in the movie who maybe got setup to become one, but I can't see it. I can't see this Batman having a sidekick, having another person by his side like that. But they did mention Bludhaven, which is where Robin goes to become Nightwing, so who knows?

The other characters were... a little bit pointless.

Alfred did One Thing in this entire movie, told Batman the truth. That's it. And, I guess, helped him realize he still had a heart. But... that's it. Meh.

Catwoman did a little more, to the story and for Batman. But the romance wasn't there, man. They kissed cause they had to, I didn't really feel much of it. Unnecessary kiss, if you ask me.

Gordon did more. Or, at least, he talked to Batman more. I liked him, and I really like the relationship the two of them have. It's not developing, it's already there, and it's based on a lot of trust. Once again, it's a refreshing take to see.

The villains were a lot better, though. Once again, they have different stories than we're used to, and I loved discovering it.

The Gotham feel was very well made. As always, you think you're watching a movie set in the 70s, and then a smartphone comes up. They have very modern tech, but it looks like it's made in the 70s. Super hitech laptop, the interface looks like it's the first MS DOS. Batman has camera contact lenses, super hitech, but the footage looks like it was shot on a potato camera on expired film.

The suit and all the other bat things, the bike, the car, the bat cave, while they are hitech, they look like they were made with spare parts. With Affleck's Batman, everything was very modern and sleep. This Batman looks like it was made in a basement. The suit, especially, while it has all the gadget and things, it's clear that he made it himself. The DIY feel is there, it ads to the sad emo boy aesthetic, and I'm really digging it.

Visually speaking, it is beautiful. I saw it in IMAX 2D, which was very weird, movies don't usually do that. But boy am I glad they did, because it would have been shit in 3D. It's filmed like a film noir, it's filmed to look like it was filmed on film. There's granulation, and very strong depth of field, there's oversaturation and intensely focused closeups, alongside out of focus scenes and it is beautiful. I loved it so much, it's the main reason I loved this movie so much. Really. Aesthetically, it is gorgeous. Well worth the movie to see it in theater, if for nothing else, than for the visuals.

The car chase scene was really unnecessary but jfc it was so cool. So cool. My heart went boomboom when the batcar flew up from the flames.

My relationship with Batman is a weird one. I've never been that into him :)). Like, yeah, The Dark Knight was objectively incredible, but subjectively? I didn't care that much. Same with all the other Batman iterations I've seen in my lifetime. From Gotham to Justice League, from old Bruce in Titans to Michael Keaton, I've never been that involved in this world. Genuinely, my fav movie is Batman & Robin. So I went into this movie wanting to get obsessed with it.

I don't think it achieved that, not quite there, but jfc I LOVED IT. SO MUCH.

One last thing. Barry Keoghan, we gotta talk about him. See, I fell in love with him in Eternals, it couldn't be avoided. Now, I knew he was going to be in the movie. But I managed to avoid all spoilers about who his character is.

Half of the movie, I thought he was Riddler. Honest to god. Riddler, who had blue eyes and was always wearing a mask, who was speaking through a voice modulator, I really thought it was him.

And then the Riddler showed his face, and it wasn't him, and my brain went then where is he??? And then EMOTIONAL DAMAGE. I recognized his voice instantly. You barely see him, you just see some curly red hair and enough of his face to realize it is gruesome. But you hear him.

He is going to be an amazing Joker. The laugh is haunting. I'm going to love him, and hate everything else about it. This is fine.

... I'm also going to gather the courage to watch The killing of a sacred deer. Cause I am, apparently, in the middle of a Barry Keoghan moment. You have been warned.

So uuuuh what did you think of The Batman?

[reanimationstation]

congrats! you designed better miraculous outfits than the actual show! and they look fuckin SICK

HABDKSKD thank you!!! im honestly flattered shdbsjdndnsjf. i had way too much fun designing them. now i'm gonna ramble about my design process below!

to start, i hate bodysuits. boring costume design. chat at least has some detail work/piping, but ladybug is just spots. i had to do something

for enj (ladybug), i thought ! hey, ladybugs have wings- lets make it a cute cape, to make the ladybug motif obvious. and since its enj, i dont think he'd let go of his aesthetic all too much, so he gets the red sash around his waist and poofy shirt. this gives him an almost prince-y look to him, and so i leaned into that- especially with the cape going nicely with it! he looks like a cute lil ladybug prince. and its mostly practical! sleeves are rolled up, cape is questionable but cape logics, ya know? it works. so many superheroes have them. and his mask! which i took away the top spots to them cause i wanted to draw eyebrows lmao. i did introduce a light pink and brown into the color palette, but i deemed in necessary. he wouldve blended into himself otherwise.

R (chat noir) genuinely stumped me for a while. its a black cat. i could go in a LOT of directions, some more practical than others. the show goes for a basic cat, sleek, etc. i didnt feel like that fit R—hes a loud theatre kid, hes not gonna be your sneaky cat. so then i realized that hey.....why dont i go for almost a film noir vibe? especially as he's a cynic. you know, like detective-y? ergo, he gets a cool trench coat (inspired partly by Spiderman Noir). the contrasting lining was a MUST. it lends itself to the more "mysterious" vibe black cats have, which i found fit perfectly. the ears were left as is, i like them enough. the bell was kinda an inside joke between my friend and i because its just so silly. love it. he does still have a bodysuit, (kinda? it could be two piece, but it doesnt really matter tbh) but its got kneepads (this man occasionally runs on all fours, youve seen the show. give his damn knees some protection). instead of the tail being belt-like, its supposed to be more like the belt you usually find on trench coats. you know, fabric, not leather. and ! his shoes very faintly look like cat paws. their sole definitely has the cat paw pattern on it, don't kid yourself. the black lipstick on the top lip is a general vibe and i think he deserves it (also very cat like). and then, last but not least, a simple black mask (and his green eyes)

[scoobydoominuscoobydoo]

Why do you hate Scooby Doo Mystery Inc so much?

Hate is a pretty big word that I really don’t like to throw around that often because to me it implies zero redeeming qualities and that it never should have existed. I don’t think the Scooby world would be better off if MI never existed because despite it’s flaws there was a pretty huge following for it in the beginning. It did something that wasn’t all that common for CN shows at the time and that was trying to take a more serious and heavy-handed approach to the Scooby gang’s lives. It also brought back the concept of an overarching story line that was pretty well done before it go so convoluted (the last Scooby show to do that was 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo and that was back in the 80′s). It showed that the standard Scooby formula actually worked really well with this sort of set up. 

It also is the best looking show and I really do mean that. The art-style is appealing to the eye and the color pallet was shooting for this whole neon noir that worked really well. The directing and camera work is set up like a teen slasher movie and it meshes nicely with the vibe the show is going for. The designs for the monsters are also pretty memorable from the first season and look great. Like I can remember most of the episodes from the first season simply because of the set pieces and monster designs (the episode where they end up in a house underground is one of my favorites aesthetically).

This was also the first series with Matthew Lillard as Shaggy since the 2002 and 2004 live-action films and he does a great job for sure. The performances from the whole cast are good as a whole (not exactly off brand for them).

There’s the episode “Night Terrors” that got like 11 year old me shipping Shaphne in the first place.

So there are definitely some things I respect from MI and I wouldn’t say that I hate the show. I think strongly dislike suits my feelings more.

Despite the fact that it did a lot for Scooby it also messed a lot of it up (this is coming from someone who watched it several times all the way through). The story got too complicated and there were a lot of unresolved plots and character actions that didn’t make sense.

I think the worst crime it commits - and the one that my animosity is directed at - is that it’s characterization was the worst out of all the shows. It tries to sell the gang as the town outcasts who only have each other but most of the time I can’t buy that they’re close friends because of all the times they just stop talking to each other. It really feels like they hang out with each other on accident and would really be with literally anyone else. Most of the first season just feels like Daph is there because Fred is there and she wants Fred to jump her so.

The gang’s relationship is a key element of every Scooby show and if you leave the impression that they aren’t that close than you’ve got five characters acting independently that sometimes solve mysteries together.

Not to mention how badly the gang themselves are written.

I’ll start with Shaggy because he’s my guy and his treatment in MI makes me sad. Overall, I think he’s the most “in character” out of everyone but that still isn’t saying much. A lot of his development is through either Scooby or Velma and the Velma development was handled as poorly as possible. I know this show came out during a period where putting the guy on the receiving end of an abusive relationship was funny but that doesn’t make it okay. It’s played for laughs but even when I was little I didn’t think Shag being in a controlling relationship was amusing. When he breaks up with Velma (for a completely valid reason that doesn’t even mention her abuse of him) he’s painted as the bad guy and it’s brought up for the rest of the show. That effectively ruined his connection with the rest of the gang and now he’s more or less just there. He doesn’t get any emotional heart-to-hearts or scenes showing his relationship with the gang (the most he gets is with Daphne ironically). 

Most of the conflicts he alone faces are connected to Scooby or food and I feel like they could have explored so much more with him. Especially since that was the whole selling point of the show to begin with. The consistent fact that Shag is the glue that holds the gang together isn’t an element in this show either. I figured they might explore his obviously neglectful parents who still don’t seem too attached to the having a kid thing. But that didn’t happen and any outstanding Shaggy moments in the show aren’t as deep as the show promises.

Daphne easily gets it the worst. Her whole character is like completely dependent on Fred’s current attitude of her. Which is a shame because the show has these undertones of implying that Daphne is this eccentric, dorky, rich girl and I have no problem with that but nothing is done with it. Literally all of her characterization comes from Fred and any major development with her also comes from Fred. Season one her is pining for his affections relentlessly to the point that is seems kinda ridiculous. Even when they try and have Daphne “give up” on him she doesn’t even really do that. She’s just more inward about her feelings. I can’t even think of anything else to say about her because everything about her is just “SHE IS INTO FRED” in big red letters all over the story. I will mention that she is kinda sexualized in this show but it isn’t all that extreme. It’s not exactly illegal for a sixteen year old girl to wear bikinis (that she wears to get Fred’s attention of course). She did pull the teenager wearing lingire way before Riverdale did so props I guess (not really I still don’t understand the point).

It’s disappointing because Daphne is such a charming and lovable character in every show she’s in. Yet in MI she’s blown down to Fred’s arm candy and even when they promise to give her a character beyond that they really don’t. She falls back into the same relationship dynamic with him despite the supposed character growth.

MI Velma is given the backwards character arc of being the victim in an emotionally detached relationship. And it always confuses me because it’s obvious she had no interest in who Shaggy is because she wanted nothing to do with his life and kept trying to change him. Ironically she was trying to turn him into her arm candy and somehow convinced herself that he was the bad guy for not wanting to be that. The show wants you to feel bad for her because a boy chose a dog over her - but that isn’t even what happens! He states that he really isn’t ready for the kind of relationship Velma wants with him and that is painted as him choosing his dog. She holds that over him and Scooby’s heads for the rest of the show and I still don’t feel bad for her because she literally tried to force him to get rid of his dialogue quirk through physical harm. And he felt bad about it until the end of the episode????

When she isn’t abusing one of her best friends she’s usually talking down to all three of them because she’s perfectly aware that she’s smarter than them. Yet she’s the one who gets the most interesting story. Working for Mr. E and having an obvious lesbian relationship with Marcie are like actual things that progressed her character. Neither Shag or Daph get this treatment  and they don’t even get any character development to begin with. But every time I finish the show I stay at the same conclusion that I don’t like her all that much. Her redeeming quality could be her brutal sarcasm but that’s a character quirk that doesn’t fix who she is.

Oh Fred, dear little Fred. The one with the actual character arc that remains consistent. His character just got regulated to the dude-bro of your dreams with a trap/ascot obsession??? It’s pretty jarring to watch because Fred from the older shows is like this sweet guy who tries to play the mature one in the group. And then MI took that and threw it away so they could turn him into Captain Oblivious who only notices his feelings for Daphne when she expresses even the smallest bit of disinterest in him (how many relationships have I seen like that irl? Too many). There’s also the unspoken rule that all Fraphne development happens through jealousy (it’s been that way since Zombie Island and is still a regular thing). 

The thing is, there’s so much I could say about Fred yet not really all that much. He gets the most story and arguably the most screen-time. He prioritizes so many things over Daphne’s feelings for him and when they’re dating Daph states that she feels like one of his traps because he’s so controlling. He breaks her heart like it’s no big deal but then we’re supposed to believe he still loves Daph enough to actually stalk her?? The more I think about it the more shocked I get.

Actually, the more I talk about this show the more shocked I get. Mystery Incorporated has always been held to a higher regard as the best Scooby show. But that’s coming from the crowd that didn’t watch everything Scooby-Doo had to offer. 

Aside from the great art and animation, the integration of a greater evil happening behind the scenes, and probably the best score as well, MI’s flaws outweigh all of the good things it brings to the table. I try to give it another chance and I am always disappointed because nothing is accomplished or done with the characters and that’s what I was promised. An overarching plot suggests character development and progression but we don’t get that. Instead we get the butchering of a cast of characters we love and a bogus ending that makes zero sense in the context of anything.

TLDR; MI sucks but I would still watch it everyday for the rest of my life if it meant I never had to watch Scoob! again.

[metalandmagi]

Summer 2020 Anime Worth Watching!

Apparently it’s time for the summer anime season, even though it feels like time is meaningless at this point. But somehow, there are still new shows coming out, so if you’re looking for something to watch when you’re stuck at home, here’s a list of the first impressions I got from this season. I don’t really know if it’s going to be worth it, considering how the spring season delayed so much, but here we are. 

As always, not all of these are available on Crunchyroll, but I’ll put a * next to the ones that are.

And if you’re looking for a bit more variety, I have lists for 2019 and the rest of this year’s seasons too...because remember when there was good anime being released instead of just everything being an ecchi or a second season?

2019 master list

My master list for every season of 2020 anime

New Shows!

*The God of High School: An over the top action anime consisting of one big tournament arc! It follows a group of teenagers competing in the epic “god of high school” martial arts tournament to determine the best fighter in the country. Following in the footsteps of Tower of God, this is the newest “crunchyroll original” that is being adapted from a South Korean webcomic. You can tell from the first episode that this will be a spectacle with crazy characters and lots of wild action and humor!

Great Pretender: When a Japanese con man pickpockets the wrong person, he ends up hopping on a plane to Los Angeles and getting wrapped up in a scheme with a sassy Frenchman named Laurent...who basically runs the mafia. There’s humor, there’s plot, there’s great characters, and it’s kinda gay. It’s an exciting original anime from studio Wit, so the animation is bursting with character, and both the music and the general vibe remind me a lot of Baccano or even Lupin III. And since it takes place in America with several foreign characters, there's hilarious English and accent shenanigans abound! The bad news is it’s still in Netflix jail, so if you want to watch it legally you’re kinda stuck for now. 

Japan Sinks 2020: A giant earthquake hits Japan, and a family must cope with the mayhem together. Because what the hell else could possibly go wrong this year? This is a new series (based on a novel) made by Masaaki Yuasa, the guy behind Ride Your Wave and Walk On Girl, if that tells you anything about the style of this anime. I’ve only watched the first two episodes so far, but I heard it goes from being a gripping realistic disaster series to a balls to the wall adventure. To be honest, disaster shows/movies freak me out, and this one is pretty devastating so far, which is a testament to how well it's made. But I appreciate that they include glimmers of hope when they’re needed. The best moments are the quiet ones that focus on the actual people and the narration that juxtaposes the time periods. There’s so much atmosphere, and the music really enhances the experience. And it’s all out on Netflix now, with a dub and a sub!

Deca-Dence: When humanity has been pushed to the edge of extinction by monsters called the Gadoll, the rest of civilization is forced to live in enormous mobile fortresses and send groups out to battle the unknown monsters. So basically like Mortal Engines but the fortresses can turn themselves into giant fists and punch the monsters. We follow a girl named Natsume who wants to be one of the soldiers who fight the Gadoll, but she is constantly rejected because of her prosthetic arm. So she ends up with five years of cleaning duty supervised by a stern but mysterious badass named Kaburagi. I honestly don’t care at all about the plot of the anime, because for me the characters are what drives everything, and these character dynamics are great. I’m not going to say it’s the most original story, but I think it’s fun so far. 

*Rent-a-Girlfriend: A typical harem/romance anime that follows the world’s most annoying protagonist named Kazuya. After Kazuya is dumped by his first girlfriend, he seeks out a rental girlfriend out of self pity….BECAUSE APPARENTLY THAT’S A REAL SERVICE THAT EXISTS IN JAPAN?! Like you can actually rent moms/dads/girlfriends/boyfriends and so on. Anyway, his fake girlfriend is the picture of anime waifu perfection...until Kazuya starts being his typical asshole self and she reveals her true nature of being an absolute sass master who don’t take no shit from no boring ass main character. Shenanigans happen and the two of them end up having to pretend they are in a real relationship. And I’m just calling it now...Kazuya’s grandma is the real best girl of the series. If you want a harem that’s actually funny and doesn’t mind roasting the protagonist, give this one a shot. Although I wish this were just a straight up romance instead of a harem because there is no way in hell that any girl, let alone more than one would want actually to date this guy. 

Next Seasons and Continuations!

*Fruits Basket 2019 (Season 2): Thank goodness Fruits Basket wasn’t delayed or cancelled last season because sometimes I feel like it was the only thing getting me through the spring. I’ve ranted about how good it is enough by now. If it can’t brighten your year, then nothing will. Just watch it if you haven’t already. 

*Re:ZERO-Starting Life in Another World (Season 2): Subaru is still trapped in another world, and he’s still as angsty as ever, but that’s not going to stop him from constantly putting himself through hell when he keeps dying horribly every time he needs to reset the timeline! There are mysterious new villains, nobody knows who Rem is (again) and I think there’s a plot somewhere under all the suffer porn. Seriously though, this show is pretty cool (even if I was two years late to the party). It’s one of the most interesting isekai anime I’ve ever seen, and it feels like it’s acting as a deconstruction of the genre, kinda like how Madoka Magica is for magical girl anime...both shows certainly have enough crying. The story is weird but interesting, the world building is cool, the villains (and sometimes the heroes) are batshit crazy to watch, and I like its moments of humor. 

No Guns Life (season 2): The story of Juzo, the hard boiled detective who plays by his own rules continues in the second season of No Guns Life. In case you missed the first season, this is a mystery/action anime that feels like an old noir film had a cyberpunk baby. There’s underground conspiracies, there’s interesting side characters, and...oh yeah the main character has a gun for a head. That’s right. we came to see a bara detective with a literal gun for a face, but we stayed for the world building and mysterious plots!

*Fire Force (Season 2): I’m going to be honest here, I really didn’t know if I should include this one or not. I have a major love hate relationship with Fire Force, but I figured there may be other people out there who would like it more than I do. So in case you missed the first season, this show follows a group of firefighters who puts out fires caused by spontaneous combustion using a mixture of guns and super powers. It was created by Atsushi Ōkubo, aka the guy who made Soul Eater. So it’s bound to be amazing right?

Not necessarily. Strap in for this one lads. 

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with this show overall. Its main characters just aren’t that interesting most of the time, it can’t decide on what kind of show it wants to be, and so much of it just dragged for a good part of the series. I don’t know if it was a problem of pacing or if the plot was just that uninteresting for a while. The first couple episodes set up a very unique plot, filled with intriguing moral dilemmas. And then it proceeded to abandon everything interesting in favor of badly timed fan-service. It just couldn’t strike the balance that Soul Eater had between its humor and its sincerity. If they wanted to make an ecchi show, they should have just made one instead of inserting the same overplayed scenarios into every episode. I don’t care if a show has fan-service as long as it fits the tone, or if it only has certain episodes dedicated to playing up the humor. But Fire Force has a habit of just inserting it wherever it wants regardless of what’s actually happening in the episode. Also, some of the humor revolves around one of the main female characters who has a really messed up self image because she’s slightly more muscular, and not a tiny delicate flower like some of the other girls. Not going to pretend that doesn’t bug me. 

But that doesn’t mean there is nothing good about it! If there wasn’t, I wouldn’t have finished the first season, and I wouldn’t be including this one. So far, the second season has actually been funny because it made the first episode more like filler, instead of cramming in too much plot all at once. And to the surprise of no one, the animation is absolutely god tier. I wish it was being used for something other than clumsy fan-service, but it’s still really something to see. The world building is super creative and 100% my aesthetic, and there were a couple side characters I really loved later in the series (Benimaru). And I did like the twists and turns the series took later in the season when it actually focused on the conspiracy behind the fire force and the cult. When it follows the mysteries it sets up, it’s more fun to watch. Who would have thought? 

TLDR: There’s good stuff and there’s bad stuff. This show is really something you have to watch for yourself to decide if it’s going to be worth it. I’m going to at least try the second season, because I want to see where this goes, but it’s on thin ice. 

Honorable Mentions

Isekai edition! Both of these came out last season, but I hadn’t mentioned them when I made my spring list. But they’re both getting dubs now so I’m still counting them.

*My Next Life as a Villainess- All Routes Lead to Doom!: A twist on the isekai genre where our main protagonist wakes up as a character in her favorite otome game...only to find that she’s actually the bitchy rival side character who ends up either dead or exiled in every route of the game. So naturally she does everything she can to prevent this by becoming a sweet and caring supporting character...who inadvertently makes every single other character in the game fall in love with her. I ignored this show for the first few episodes because I need another isekai in the world like I need a hole in the head, but after hearing everyone rave about it, I caught up with it in no time. It’s a fun take on the otome game tropes, and it manages to be funny and sweet while not committing to any particular pairing.

*Ascendance of a Bookworm (Season 2): That’s right, it’s another isekai where an adult is reincarnated into the body of a child in a fantasy world. But this time, it’s a nerdy girl whose entire purpose in life revolves around reading books (can relate). However, when our main character Mine is thrust into this fantasy world, she quickly realizes that this particular fantasy setting is a little too...medieval  for her tastes...meaning a family of commoners like hers would have no clue how to read and books are only meant for rich people or the church. So of course Mine has to figure out how to either get her hands on some books or make them herself. This is a super cute show that I waited a long time to finally watch, and since the second season is finally being dubbed I wanted to shout it out. It’s just a wholesome isekai version of Dr. Stone. There’s no real action, but it’s a relaxing watch if nothing else. 

Well, there you have it. Hopefully nothing else gets delayed or cancelled because it’s pretty slim pickings as it is. And before anyone asks, I didn’t include GIBIATE because I thought it was a massive disappointment that somehow made a time travel horror anime plot boring. There’s also My Teen Romantic Comedy Snafu, but it’s been 5 years since I watched the other seasons and don’t remember anything about it. But there’s that too in case anyone is a fan of the series and didn’t know it got another season. 

See you next season…if the world is still here by then?

[hairasuntouchedaspartoftheamazon]

I feel like the SPN fandom as a whole, especially the fantastic people who make vids, songfics and aesthetics, are missing out on the near-perfection that is The Gaslight Anthem. GA is a rock band from New Jersey, and basically all their songs have this vibe of “I’m a little sad, could kill you, miss when we were younger, and I want to be loud”. I’m also of the belief that a decent amount of their songs fit SPN perfectly.

Examples(I also highly recommend listening to all of these, they’re great):

American Slang(Highly appropriate in my opinion):

“And they cut me to ribbons and taught me to drive, I got my name tattooed inside of my arm. And I called for my father but my father had died! While you told us fortunes, in American Slang”

“And here’s where we died that time last year, and where the angels and devils meet, and you can dance with the Queen if you need, and she will always keep her cards, close to her heart.”

“....and I called for my father but my father had died! And we called for our mothers but our mothers had died, and you told us fortunes in American Slang”  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAqbnTKQBIY&list=OLAK5uy_np5CJdYInsAeogm56OsGNqLq0j1eBBzaI

Boxer:

“You got your pride and your prose, tucked just like a tommy gun somewhere in the smoke just in case you need it son, I heard it’s been a ride rougher than the last one, what’d you use to say, oh the harder they come”

“You took it all gracefully on the chin, knowing that the beatings had to someday end, we found the bandages inside the band, and the stitches on the radio, and there was something that was holding you down, and there were whispers that were driving you crazy and now you hunt the heart of this town, remember when I knew a boxer baby”

“And your tattooed knuckles oh how they grind down, try to be a man tough just like your father, try to settle down, more like a calm down remember them songs and the reasons we were singing for”

“And he, he says he just doesn’t miss her and he, hey says it’s somewhere in his framework, but I have heard you never really lose it do ya, do ya?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYMeWEGTOxA&list=OLAK5uy_np5CJdYInsAeogm56OsGNqLq0j1eBBzaI&index=7

Bring It On:

“...Blue eyes and spitfire, I saw you walking back and forth, about another boy, thinking that you may wanna leave, so give me the fevers that just won’t break, and give me the children you don’t wanna raise, and tell me about the Cool, he sings to you those songs, if it’s better than my love, bring it on”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ZN7NyPfb4&list=OLAK5uy_np5CJdYInsAeogm56OsGNqLq0j1eBBzaI&index=3

We Did It When We Were Young:

“There are no reasons to believe, I buried my faith in another plot,Where your heart and your claws will not find, And I don't feel you or recall, I put your bones out in the yard, For someone else to be called and caught by” “And I cannot hold a candle for every pretty gun,We were strangers many hours and I missed you for so long, When we were liars, lovers in combat, Faded like your name on those jeans that I burned” “But I am older now, And we did it when we were young, I am older now, And we did it when we were young”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw8WPJHajEY&list=OLAK5uy_np5CJdYInsAeogm56OsGNqLq0j1eBBzaI&index=10

Old Haunts:

“And all along you knew my story, didn't you? And all night long I carried yours, Your blood was mixed with wine and robbery, baby, And left us always wanting more” “So don't sing me your songs about the good times, Those days are gone and you should just let them go, And god help the man who says "If you'd have known me when..." Old haunts are for forgotten ghosts” “Cherry Bomb, your love is surgery, Removing what you don't regard, And every breath felt like a funeral, baby, While you were packing up your car” “And with the window down, I hear you're tired now, You borrowed everything and wore all your old welcomes out, Well, shame on you, my love, you sold your youth away, Memories for sinking ships that never would be saved”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoDKQT7vXNA&list=OLAK5uy_np5CJdYInsAeogm56OsGNqLq0j1eBBzaI&index=8

The Spirit of Jazz:

“The Cool is dead, baby, go on to sleep, Rest your weary head and love a better me, And in the morning we'll start over again,That's how they do it up on the screen” “Was I good to you, the wife of my youth? Not another soul could love you like my rotten bones do, So I will wait on the edges in between, These New York streets where you and I would meet” “For twenty-nine years we loved that line, And I would take it easy if I had your mind, But I'm a cannonball to a house on fire, And you're slow like Motown soul” “So what now, lover with your long black hair?, If I cut you open, baby, I can repair, Bandage your wounds with the salt on my tongue, And I'm the only one around here”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9KOUAmZ12w&list=OLAK5uy_np5CJdYInsAeogm56OsGNqLq0j1eBBzaI&index=9

Wherefore Art Thou Elvis?(Tell me that this isn’t the Sam Winchester song, I dare you):

“I cut my teeth on the stone of a teenage romance, I was the salt of the earth, I was hard, The last of the independents” “And in the breath from my chest I was blowing kerosene, My lips and fingertips were stone, I wore my heart on my jeans, I sang the blues like the dogs left too long in the street, I still sing the blues with the dogs” “And I got half a mind to let it all burn up in this fire, I've had burning through my veins since I first learned to cry, I'd watch this whole night come down and never miss her again,I never felt right and never fit in walkin' in my own skin” “Now I got scars like the number of stars, My mind's full of vipers, I got the dust of the desert in my bones, Comin' through the amplifiers, And in the minor chord fall and the fourth and the fifth, It's a broken Hallelujah and a pain in my fist, I wash my hands like the man with the blood on his teeth, Over and over without relief” “Walkin' in my old man shoes, with my scientist heart, I got a fever and a beaker and a shot in the dark, I need a Cadillac ride, I need a soft summer night, Say a prayer for my soul, Señorita”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPdCP5f_gmk

High Lonesome:

“And Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand, I always kinda sorta wished I looked like Elvis, And in my head there's all these classic cars and outlaw cowboy bands, I always kinda sorta wished I was someone else” “There was "Southern Accents" on the radio as I drove home, And at night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet, It's a pretty good song, baby you know the rest Baby, you know the rest”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UErXgvNV3lw

’59 Sound:

“Well I wonder which song they're gonna play when we go, I hope it's something quiet and minor and peaceful and slow, When we float out into the ether into the everlasting arms, I hope we don't hear Marley's chains we forged in life, 'Cause the chains I've been hearin' now for most of my life” “Did you hear the '59 sound, Coming through on Grandmama's radio? Did you hear the rattlin' chains, In the hospital walls? Did you hear the old gospel choir When they came to carry you over?Did you hear your favorite song, One last time?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw3w1iKiq8M

Mulholland Drive:

“Did you sleep last night and do you remember dreams? Do I ever cross your mind and do you ever think of me? When you think about your life are there things you would reverse? I still remember holding you, just out of sight of her, In the deep, dark parking lot pressed up against my car, With your hands around my neck I felt the pounding of your heart, And the summer night was giving in to the lure of Autumn’s sway, I can’t seem to forget that night or how I heard you say, ohh and I’d just die if you ever took your love away”

“And I can still recall the hour when you first let down your walls, I thought I might've died right there floating up above it all, But it scared you love, to need someone, so you killed it all instead”

“And did you miss me when I'm gone? And the simple things we used to rely on? Who came to wipe your tears away? Who came to bring back your dignity baby? And who came to drive you around this town, Like I used to drive you all around with the radio on”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR4-F-P-Y6Q

Film Noir:

“I'm all washed out by the side of the road, Broken bones Matilda left a note and a rose, Sayin', "Baby honey child, I've loved you so long, But you deserve much better than me."” “So I'm just burnin' all around all the miles in the road, And I'm never goin' back and I'm never goin' home, I've been gone too long, I've been less right than wrong, I lost so much blood in the fallin' out” “And I lit a fire that wouldn't go out, Until it consumed the walls and roof of this house, Until all I remember was burnin' away, And all I remember, you burned it away” “See, for ten long years I've been hustlin' around, Tryin' to wash the sins and the sweat from my brow, Just tryin' to find a better life for me and my own, Just some rest for these tired workin' fingers” “But nobody never gonna tell you the way, You gotta figure it out boys and suffer the rain, And the fools in the night and the heat of the day, When all you ever really wanted was for someone to understand”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KS9Cz1HgVs

She Loves You(this just gives me lowkey Destiel vibes):

“And if all was well, And your heart could find the words, Would we be for better baby, Would we be for worse, And if there was a way, To navigate your seas, If tonight my true love (Dared belong to me)”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHYY-_3Ft84

Boomboxes and Dictionaries:

“I took a drive today, I thought about you, I thought about a friend who passed And how much we just went through” “I saw the sun shine off the hood of a Cadillac, I thought about some things I said, And some I would take back, I thought about how fortunate I feel to be alive” “And if you're scared of the future tonight, We'll just take it each hour one at a time, It's a pretty good night for a drive, So dry up those eyes, dry up those eyes” “Because the radio will still play loud, Songs that we heard as our guards came down, Like in the summertime when we first met, I'll never forget, and don't you forget, These nights are still ours” “We should remember to slow down more often, And maybe we will, Now here's a lot of good things coming our way right now, A lot of bad has passed, But we survived the breakdowns, All is forgiven, water under bridges now”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9zYLE6Em7U

Drive:

“In my head I am already gone, Side roads boarded up, decisions decided on, But in my nights there are restless hours, When 3 AM comes down and nothing else comes up “And the only thing we know, Is it's getting dark and we'd better go, And the only thing we see, Are the despairs of the day, And if you're too tired, Go to sleep my brothers, I, And if you're too tired, Go to sleep my brothers, I'm all right to drive” “And in my heart I'm the weary kind, I'm much tired to cry, Though it's sad enough for tears, It's been try, fail, try for years, And when the next year comes along, I don't know if I'll be home, I don't know if we'll survive”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClWHlXWSG9M

Biloxi Parrish(This is totally a Cas song):

“I've been fumbling with your heart strings, And that's good enough for me, And if I've rained on one of your hours, Then I know I must been working,Try it on for size my darling, See what a man you can make of me, I will eventually haunt you, And you'll eventually be my queen” “And I'll be with you through,The dark so that you do not, Go through the dark alone, Or on your own” “I've been down Biloxi Parish, And that's all the same for me, I found that nothing truly matters That you cannot find for free, I love you more than can I tell you, When you pass through from this world, I hope you ask to take me with you, Or that I won't have to wait too long, But until then I'll be with you through the dark, Yes, until then I'll be with you through the dark” “And who else can say that about you, baby, Who else can say that about you, now, And who else can take all your blood and your curses, Nobody I seen you hanging around" “And all of our heroes were failures or ghosts, Burned out in brilliant explosions alone, And all of the blood and the sweat that they gave, Well, we took it all and we threw it away”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2RSKSYIXKY

Here Comes My Man:

“And how much time do you think that we have? If I wanted to, I could start over again, Let the good night decide who she wants me to find, And I'll never let you drop another tear in my eye, Singing oh sha-la-la, oh sha-la-la, Listen honey here comes my man”

“So I packed up my things and I faced up my doubts, You know I think I will grow my hair back out, Nevermind what you think, Nevermind what you like, I'll take it out to the streets for somebody else to admire”

“Maybe time will tell you, Why I got so much hell to sell you, Please, please understand me, Oh you can't just dance around me, Maybe your work will love you, When I'm just not there to hold you, Maybe your pride can be your companion, Oh but I just won't be there to stand for it, Not one more minute will I stand for it”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBkfHv6kc5o

Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts:

“We are the boys from Little Eden, We are the heart of Saturday night, We drink from the fountains off the fireworks, Sweat and bone for a better life”

“Still we sing with our heroes, 33 rounds per minute, We're never going home until the sun says we're finished, I'll love you forever if I ever love at all, Wild hearts, blue jeans, & white t-shirts” “Some things baby never told you, Some things papa done ain't right, Spent a lifetime just to get over, You always said my mama tried”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3sQsWuDHrw