#i need kamen rider adventures

[ultramantr1gger]

can they make toku games that arent fighting games because im bad at fighting games

[vixensdungeon]

This isn't really about tabletop RPGs as such, but it is about a topic I've seen floating around recently in the RPG space, that of moral purity in what you enjoy.

There seems to be this idea that if the things you enjoy aren't morally pure, that somehow reflects poorly on you. So you need to twist your brain into a pretzel to make the movies you watch or the games you play sufficiently progressive or reflective of your identity or else your enjoyment of them is somehow not valid or makes you a bad person.

So let me say this as an anarchist who believes that ACAB isn't just a means of transportation: I love shows like Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger and Kamen Rider Drive, and my favourite Sierra adventure game series is Police Quest. And those are absolutely all copaganda.

And how does that reflect morally on me? I no way whatsoever.

None of them are queer, either, and that doesn't make me any less so.

I hope I've helped some of you feel less weird about enjoying what you enjoy.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

The thing that gets me about their "upgrade" (besides how they got it, you don't just. decide to "grow up" and even if they did "grow up," they clearly didn't grow enough considering Marinette still keeps secrets/making decisions for Adrien and Adrien still has no self worth besides being Marinette's trophy) is that I can believe the writers would change up the rules for that in later seasons because they do just make shit up as they go along. They might even revoke those upgrades or give random upgrades to people at a whim if they have a cool idea they want to make work without actually putting in the work for story consistency. I mean look at the potions. Never heard about them again.

I'm not saying determination isn't a good lesson to teach kids, but you need to do a better job integrating it into the story.

For comparison, Kamen Rider Wizard did something very similar with its lead character, Haruto. See, Haruto gained his powers thanks to preventing a monster known as a Phantom from taking over his body by resisting despair. However, in one episode, his Inner Phantom was destroyed, meaning he lost his powers. Even when thing seem bleak with Haruto having no powers and not being able to use his magic to prevent the girl he loves from dying (think Eda's elixirs from The Owl House, something she needs to survive), he doesn't give up, reviving Dragon, his Inner Phantom, and getting his powers back with a new form to boot.

Haruto getting his powers back becuse he refused to give up hope works because the show clearly establishes that hope is what allows humans to use magic, so it makes sense that having hope is how Haruto gets his powers back.

Here, even though the "Grown-ups only" rule was established around Season 2/Season 3, there's still very little we know about it. That's a big part of why it's hard to buy Marinette and Adrien supposedly growing up: We don't even know what the hell "Growing up" means!

Even if you want to go along with that, there's no way the show is going to let them keep those upgrades due to how easy it is for them to mow through any Akuma. My best guess is that the show will either take the Ninjago route and just have them stop using those powers while assuming the audience will just forget, or the Digimon Adventure 02 route and say they gave them up for some plot reason.

[freezing-kaiju]

IT'S TIME FOR THE NEW 12 EPISODE POLL!!!!! WE BEGIN, WE ENTER, WE LOOK ALIVE! E LOOK TO THE PAST! You voted for familiar creators and friend recs i the past, and the friend recs tend towards longer shows so those'll be for when Dirty Pair's done, but for now, let's go with Familiar Creators!!!! SO!!!

NINE! CHOICES!

Canaan, a TYPE-MOON and Kinoko Nasu story as well as a returnee to the poll. A yuri story involving a Middle Eastern mercenary’s quest for revenge and simultaneous effort to protect her beloved friend, a photographer investigating various things in Shanghai.

Akudama Drive, by Too Kyo Games and Kazutaka Kodaka, of Danganronpa fame. A fake crime-doer and a bunch of very real crimers do One Last Big Heist in the cyberpunk future while being hunted down by the government. Previous poll near-winner, I’ve heard it’s fun, tragic, and possibly even based. Comes most highly recommended of these shows.

Chaos Dragon: Sekiryuu Seneki, by Urobuchi, Nasu, the Durarara guy, one of Kamen Rider Blade’s two writers Shou Aikawa, and two of their friends. It’s a TTRPG adventure! where they each play only one character! God, I NEED to see a show where Gen Urobuchi writes ONLY ONE character! Ultimately it’s a story about a small kingdom’s king trying to stop two larger countries from destroying his smaller one, which feels interesting bc it’s rare to get any TTRPG campaign where there is A Protagonist...

Girls’ Last Tour, source material by the shimeji simulation author, Tsukumizu. Cozy adventures through an apocalyptic dying world. I don’t do well with apocalyptic settings, but I love Shimeji Simulation a lot and I’ve heard so many good things about this one that I wanna give it a shot.

Mermaid Forest, by Rumiko Takahashi, of Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura. Two immortals who ate mermaids travel to find another mermaid in the hopes they can make them mortal once more. One of those classic kinda tales, and I really wanna see a rumic story that’s.....not 150 eps long...

Magical☆Shopping Arcade Abenobashi BY Hideaki Anno, of Shin Kamen Rider, Shin Godzilla, and Shin Ultraman. What if you were isekaied but it was just into a mall. A wacky hyperdimensional mall. The tone seems extremely lolrandomxd, and it’s one of Anno’s few 12 ep works.

RErideD: Derrida, who leaps through time, character designs by Yoshitoshi ABe of serial experiments lain and Haibane Renmei fame. Guy who made robots gets frozen and wakes up to a robot war, oh fuck. Oh fuck, he’s supposed to protect his best friend’s daughter! AAAAAAAA! Disaster!!! I’m not sure whether he leaps through time any more than once. though.

Katanagatari, by NISIOISIN, creator of Bakemonogatari and Medaka Box. What if a swordless swordsman teamed up with an ambitious shogunate villainess to fulfill her scheme of stealing 12 legendary swords. One of them quality straights kinda shows NisioisiN loves making, seems to have a fun power system that I wanna experience. One of the ones I’ve seen around on tumblr that made me wanna get into liveblogging.

Kino’s Journey, scripted by Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 and Perfect Blue writer Murai Sadayuki, a writer I really think deserves more credit. Does crazy good work in adaptations. Nonbinary adventurer and talking bike go through different parables, functioning as observers of different forms of society and different ways of life.

[tankirb]

Finally finished Kamen Rider Kuuga and I think it's the most consistently good season I've seen so far.

Final villain wasn't very interesting as a stand alone character. But I liked the concept that he was the original warrior which Kuuga was based on. He also perfectly served the purpose of goading Kuuga to get stronger.

It was shown and stated that Kuuga getting stronger is dangerous and risks him losing control and going berserk. So he needed one final big bad to give him the push (especially one so power focused).

The risk of the final fight was never the villain winning. The fight was always about if Kuuga would stay in control afterwards, or lose himself to rage.

The final fight itself was raw, no strategy, no special technique to win, just straight punches. It was not a "wow cool final fight where the hero wins against the odds." halfway through the fight they both detransform into human form. It strips all illusion that this is "cool" it is bloody and painful but it has to be done.

I like how it ties in to the beginning of the story. That punching someone never feels good.

There's a very classic super hero idea here. "A perfect world is one where Superman doesn't need to exist." And Kuuga's is much the same, essentially saying it verbatim.

He fights to protect everyone's smiles, and once the danger passes and everybody can finally smile again, he moves on.

The 3rd to last episode is essentially him saying good bye to everybody as he goes for the final fight and the final episode is us seeing everybody else finally smiling and living a good life. Godai being Kuuga was never a good thing for him. It was just what was necessary. And as we approached the ending we kept seeing characters ask why He's been here for so long. Why isn't he adventuring? And so when we finally do at the end see him adventuring and bringing smiles to people, it's perfect.

If I HAD to complain I'd say that UBL1's end felt a little pointless. She brought up a rather compelling point about how the linto/humanity had changed and how they were no longer the idealistic pacifists they used to be, and how they more like the grongi now. But that doesn't get addressed and she kinda just gets shot to death.

But honestly Kuuga's end felt so strong that it's probably the one I'd say is "the best" of what I've watched so far. 8/10

Okay I'm gonna watch build for real now.

[canonmisogynyvictimstournament]

TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANTS

Greetings, everyone, our contestants have been finalized, and I want to provide a certain opportunity before the preliminaries begin. Namely, to provide additional propaganda for competitors in need of it. So, I have created a form to collect this new propaganda, and a list of both preliminary and non-preliminary participants under the cut. An asterisk next to a name indicates they have fewer than three pieces of propaganda, which is the amount that will be included in each poll. This form will be open for the duration of the tournament. You can make as many submissions you want for any character.

NOTE: The order of participants does not reflect the bracket matchups. Preliminary matchups will be announced next week, and the complete bracket will be announced after the preliminary round is finished.

UPDATE: Additional characters have been added in bold because I failed to fill out the bracket by counting incorrectly. One has been added to the preliminary round, and the others are regular competitors.

PRELIMINARY PARTICIPANTS

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER/ANGEL

Cordelia Chase

Illyria*

Kendra Young*

Winifred "Fred" Burkle

DC COMICS

Alex DeWitt - AUTOMATIC ENTRY

Barbara Gordon

Cassandra Cain

Katma Tui*

Koriand’r aka Starfire*

Pantha*

Stephanie Brown

Talia al Ghul

Tara Markov*

JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE

Dragona Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The JOJOLands)*

Holy Kujo (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders)*

Lisa Lisa (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency )

Lucy Steel (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run)

KAMEN RIDER

Is (Kamen Rider 01)*

Kanon Fukami (Kamen Rider Ghost)*

Poppy Pipopapo (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid)*

Saki Momose (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid)*

MARVEL COMICS

Elektra Natchios (Marvel Comics)*

Elektra Natchios (NMCU)*

MY HERO ACADEMIA

Ochako Uraraka - AUTOMATIC ENTRY

Magne (My Hero Academia)*

Momo Yaoyorozu

Nemuri Kayama*

Toru Hagakure*

STAR TREK

Deanna Troi (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Jadzia Dax (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)*

Kes (Star Trek: Voyager)*

Seven of Nine (Star Trek: Voyager)

Tasha Yar (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

T'Pol (Star Trek: Enterprise)*

SUPERNATURAL

Bela Talbot

Charlie Bradbury

Eileen Leahy*

Mary Winchester*

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

Tetra (The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker)*

Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)*

WARRIOR CATS

Bumble*

Leafpool

Spottedleaf

Squirrelflight

YU-GI-OH!

Aki Izayoi/Akiza Izinski (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's)*

Aoi Zaizen/Skye Zaizen (Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS)*

Kotori Mizuki (Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL)*

Mai Valentine (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

NON-PRELIMINARY PARTICIPANTS

Abbie Mills (Sleepy Hollow)*

Ada Vessalius (Pandora Hearts)*

Agent Texas (Red vs Blue)*

Alex DeWitt (DC Comics)

Allura (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Alys Brangwin (Phantasy Star IV)*

Amber Volakis (House MD)*

Amy Amanda Allen (The A-Team (TV))*

Amy Pond (Doctor Who)*

Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Ann Takamaki (Persona 5)

April O'Neil (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012))

Arcee (Transformers)

Asuna (Sword Art Online)*

Athena Cykes (Ace Attorney)

Azula (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Britta Perry (Community)*

Brunhilda aka Mym (Dragalia Lost)*

Carmelita Montoya Fox (Sly Cooper )*

Casca (Berserk)

Celica (Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia)

Chi-Chi (Dragon Ball)*

Chloe Bourgeois (Miraculous Ladybug)

Chloe von Einzbern (Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA)*

Clarke Griffin (The 100)*

Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones)*

Dahlia Hawthorne (Ace Attorney)

Elya Musayeva (Топи/The Swamps (2021))*

Eve (Paradise Lost)*

Flora Reinhold (Professor Layton)

Gamora (Marvel Cinematic Universe)*

Grelle Sutcliff (Black Butler)*

Gwen (BBC Merlin)*

Gwen Stacy (Marvel Comics)*

Hélène Kuragina (War and Peace)

Hinata Hyuuga (Naruto)*

Irene Adler (BBC Sherlock)*

Iris Sagan (AI: the Somnium Files)*

Jade (Dragon Quest 11)*

Jade Harley (Homestuck)

Jane Crocker (Homestuck)

Jennifer Lopez (John Dies At The End)*

Jiang Yanli (Mo Dao Zu Shi)

Julia (Hellraiser)*

Julia Wicker (The Magicians)*

Juvia Lockser (Fairy Tail)*

Kaede Akamatsu (Danganronpa V3)

Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)

Kallen Kouzuki (Code Geass)

Kamala Khan (Marvel Comics)*

Katara (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Katherina Minola (The Taming of the Shrew)*

Katherine Pierce (The Vampire Diaires)*

Konan (Naruto)*

Laurel Lance (Arrow (CW)*

Leia Organa (Star Wars)*

Lisa Cuddy (House MD)

Lucy Heartfilia (Fairy Tail)

Madison Paige (Heavy Rain)*

Malty S Melromarc (Rising of the Shield Hero)*

Margaret Houlihan (MASH (Movie 1970) )*

Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Miraculous Ladybug)

Marwa (What We Do In The Shadows (TV series))*

Megaera (Hades)*

Mikaela Banes (Transformers)*

Mikan Tsumiki (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair)

Mikoko Sakazaki (Kaiji)*

Mikuru Asahina (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)*

Mildred "Millie" Knolastname (Helluva Boss)

Milla Maxwell (Tales of Xillia)*

Misa Amane (Death Note)

Misaki Unasaka (Buddy Daddies)*

Nami (One Piece)*

Naomi Misora (Death Note)

Natasha Romanoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Natasha Rostova (War and Peace)

Nemu Kurotsuchi (Bleach)*

Nezuko Kamado (Demon Slayer)*

Nya Smith (Lego Ninjago)

Ochette (Octopath Traveler 2)*

Ophelia (Hamlet)*

Ophiuchus Shaina (Saint Seiya)*

Orihime Inoue (Bleach)

Padmé Amidala (Star Wars)

Pussy Galore (Goldeneye)*

Pyrrha Nikos (RWBY)

Quiet (Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain)*

Ran Mouri (Detective Conan)*

Rey (Star Wars)

River Tam (Firefly)*

Sakura Haruno (Naruto)

Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)*

Skye (Lost in Blue)*

Sonia Hedgehog (Sonic Underground)*

South Dakota (Red vs Blue)*

Stephanie “Steph” Nocanonlastname (EverymanHYBRID)

Susan Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia)*

Sweet-P (The Caligula Effect)*

Sylvanas Windrunner (Warcraft)*

Sylvia (Two Gentlemen of Verona)*

Teresa (Maze Runner series)*

Throné Anguis (Octopath Traveler 2)*

Yan Hui (Back From the Brink)*

[longwuzhere]

Some cool Easter eggs I caught watching My Adventures with Superman that I want to show to people so they can be in on it with comic book readers

Episode 1 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 2 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 3 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 4 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 5 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 6 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 7 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here and here

Episode 9 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 10 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

My Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman comic issue 1 post is here

My Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman comic issue 2 post is here

My Easter eggs and references for My Adventures with Superman comic issue 3 post is here

Apologies for the late posts, A LOT happened like Arleen Sorkin's passing and Kamen Rider Geats ending. So I needed to take a break, but I am back. SPOILERS if you havent seen episode 8 obviously.

We start things off with the captured villains letting out of their prison. We got Silver Banshee, Roundhouse, Heatwave, Livewire, and then eventually we seen Ivo/Parasite and Mist who luckily escaped and is trying to get his friend and sister back. I talked more about in their respective episodes so if you want to read up more about them click on their names.

Task Force X/Suicide Squad is known for exploding the heads of their prisoners teammates if they fuck up a mission (you might have seen it in the live action movies, animated movies, or even read the comics) and MAwS solution to not have it be so gory is to use shock collars.

Cut to Clark who developed super hearing and has not slept for a few days and is on caffeine so he can help the people of Metropolis. The idea of Superman 24/7 has been thrown around in the comics for a while usually saying no Clark deserves a break. He needs to be Clark and not Superman when he can get the chance. If you want to check out the comics that does it I recommend reading Superman #296 to 299 (1979), Who Took the Super out of Superman by writers,Cary Bates, Elliot S. Maggins, penciler, Curt Swan, inker, Bob Oskner, colorist, Carl Gafford, and letterer Ben Oda.

We see in the hologram projector/data sphere thing that Lois took from the League of Lois Lane's displaying Overman wrecking the city. I talked more about him here

We then see Perry asking Lois to help out with Vicki Vale who is asked to be a guest writer on the Daily Planet, we later see in the ep that she's got ulterior motives for this. I talked a bit about her here. In the comics Vicki is usually a journalist for the Gotham Gazette and is sometimes in a relationship with Bruce Wayne. Her comic counterpart is usually very ethical when it comes to journalism much like Lois Lane, but here in MAwS, she's very conniving. Never meet your heroes sometimes I guess, huh MAwS Lois?

Lois talks about the things Vicki wrote for the Gazette and name drops Queen Industries. If you know your DC universe, that is the last name of Oliver Queen aka Green Arrow.

Oliver Queen and Roy Harper aka Speedy, make their first appearance in More Fun Comics #73 (1941) co-created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp who did the panel here. Robin Hood was an obvious inspiration for Oliver in terms of design but also his ethics in a sense. Despite the wealth, Oliver would be left wing and fight for the people arguably more so than Bruce Wayne. You can see in the panel that Oliver doesn't have his signature goatee you'll see that happen later when Neal Adams pencils Ollie in the Brave and the Bold #85 (1969)

who also redesigned Ollies costume too. Check out Green Lantern/Green Arrow series to see Oliver's liberal stances on what was going on in the world in the early 1980s. Nowadays, Oliver's been redesigned to to wear a hood instead of the Robin Hood cap, but he's still the left wing hero that we adore

Fantastic cover to the 80 years of Green Arrow hardcover book by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair.

The Falcones get a mention as one of the stories Vicki Vale wrote about. The Falcones make their first appearance in Batman #405 (1987) created by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli in the Batman Year One storyline.

The man with the pipe in the second panel, by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli, Richmond Lewis, and Todd Klein, is the head of the head of the Falcones, Gotham's biggest mob family, Carmine "the Roman" Falcone. He and his family gets expanded explored in Batman: The Long Halloween. Both it and Batman Year One are fantastic reads, highly recommended.

The Gotham Gazette, and in a roundabout way, Gotham, gets a name drop from Perry White. The paper make its first appearance in Batman #4 (1940) and Vicki Vale is employed by them as the photojournalist.

Perry asks Lois and Jimmy to help Vicki out with a story about smearing Superman and they decide to interview people. First up is Captain Immonen who Clark saved in episode 3. The captain's last name is a reference to...

comic book artist, Stuart Immonen. He's worked on various Superman-related titles like Action Comics or the Adventures of Superman.

Probably the Superman book I enjoyed his work in, and highly recommend checking out for everyone who reads this is, Superman: Secret Identity (cover art here by Stuart Immonen) with writer Kurt Busiek about a teen who happens to be named Clark Kent in his world where there are no superheroes, only in the comic books, but somehow slowly develops powers on his own. Very cool non-canon story that is a fresh take on the Superman mythology.

The next interviewee I have to assume based on the credits at the end of the episode is, Mrs. Quietly who is a reference to...

comic book artist, Frank Quitely. You may know his name on the New X-Men with Grant Morrison, but in terms of Superman, he was the penciler for All-Star Superman (cover by Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant)...

the comic series that got an animated movie adaptation and will be the inspiration for the upcoming Superman: Legacy live action movie. The book has Superman dying thanks to Luthor and has Clark live out his final days saving the world and the future in a sense one last time. It's a great read! And speaking of Grant Morrison...

Grant Morrison got their reference through the name of a pawn shop in Metropolis.

Grant Morrison, fantastic writer, has worked on a lot of comics. As mentioned before Morrison worked with Frank Quitely on New X-Men but in terms of Superman, is best known for writing All-Star Superman with Quitely. Both have also worked on Batman and Robin together and equally great series if you want to see Dick Grayson as Batman try to wrangle in Damian Wayne as Robin.

We see Lex Luthor Alex here as the final interviewee who says Superman is a menace for ruining his job and destroyed the building he worked in. Will he lose his hair and go into business? I don't know, but when Alex gets a confirmed last name, most likely Luthor, I'll take more about him.

Later in the episode we seen screen names, LoriLemaris59 and Bibbo87 streaming videos of Superman getting his but handed to him by Task Force X. Both names are references to characters in the Superman comics.

Lori Lemaris first appeared in Superman #129 (1959) by Bill Finger, Wayne Boring, and Stan Kaye. She and Clark met in college where she posed as a wheelchair-using student and both took interest in each other, however when they're out on dates, Lori would cut the date short because of her mermaid nature. Clark tried to propose to her, but she turned him down because both are from two different worlds and it wouldn't work out. She also knew Clark was Superman because her people could read minds but she's totally cool with keeping it a secret for him. Jimmy, in MAwS, mentioned mermaids, but I did not want to point it out until we get a Lori Lemaris reference in and lo and behold it came true! The other name is a reference to Bibbo Bibbowski one of the supporting cast for Superman.

Bibbo Bibbowski makes his first appearance in the Adventures of Superman #428 (1987) by Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, Tom Ziuko, and John Costanza. Superman arrives at the Ace O' Club's bar asking for information on Perry White's son, Jerry who was kidnapped. Bibbo, thinking Superman is just some guy in a costume punches Superman, gets his hand busted, and finds a new respect for him.

As mentioned before Task Force X is out to capture Superman as he and Mist try to save his sister and friend, but it turns out they are more than willing get revenge on Superman for their freedom. Even though in this universe they are Task Force X, a majority of the team is made up of Superman villains so in a sense you can make an argument that this is a Superman Revenge Squad. The first use of the team name is from the silver age, in Superman #94 (1961) where the squad was a group of aliens. The Superman villains teaming up together to get revenge on Superman first appeared in the Adventures of Superman #543 (1997). Parasite (Rudy Jones), who was part of that team, shares names with a Superman villain in MAwS here.

I think someone on the MAwS team is a fan of the X-Men arcade game cuz Livewire flies the same way Magneto does in that game.

Again very sorry for the delay in this, but if you made it this far down, be sure to check out my other posts about the easter eggs in My Adventures with Superman:

Episode 1 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 2 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 3 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 4 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 5 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 6 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 7 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here and here

Episode 9 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

Episode 10 of My Adventures with Superman Easter Eggs and references is here

My Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman comic issue 1 post is here

My Easter eggs and references in My Adventures with Superman comic issue 2 post is here

My Easter eggs and references for My Adventures with Superman comic issue 3 post is here

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@thealmightyemprex @professorlehnsherr-almashy @themetropoliskonboy @shiv-multifandom-mess @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @piterelizabethdevries @knivxsanddespair @strawbebehmod

I think most american comics like the X-Men could benefit from using the storytelling aproach of Scooby Doo, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai/Power Rangers, Gundam, James Bond, Star Trek and Doctor Who.

What is that aproach?

Those franchises are longevous as they are because they make self contained story arcs/seasons/films in the series.

So say, you watch Scooby Doo Mystery Inc, and you follow that show fine, no need to go all back to the 1969 Scooby Doo: Where Are You ? series unless you really want to.

In the case of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai/Power Rangers, they are conected by a specific formula of masked heros (individual or team) fight monster of the week until getting onto the big boss at the finale, and ocasionally have crossover episodes, but overall each season is its own show with different, new characters, gimmicks and villain.

For example, I grew with up the Power Rangers that was animal themed, another younger generation will grow with one that is Mystical Fantasy theme, and so forward.

Gundam is an anime franchise that has a conecting theme: discussing war and the politics behind and consequences of war trough the adventures of giant mecha pilots representing different planetary factions.

Only all the rest, the characters, the robots, the plots, the tone and aesthetics, will be their own distinct self contained story from which you pick a favorite to follow.

James Bond's series if formed by each a different movie with beggining middle and end, ocasionally there can be references to previous movies, and some villains like Blofeld return to the franchise, but overall you can follow one movie fine without needing to see the previous one unless again, you are a really big Bond fan that wants to see everything related to that franchise.

Star Trek has a similar aproach to Kamen/Rider, Super Sentai/Power Rangers an Gundam: a formula (group of heroes travels trough space) and new characters, themes and storylines that can be followed on their own, so you can watch The Next Generation, or Voyager, or just one of the movies, and not be obliged to go all the way back to the Original Series to follow what's happening

One cannot forget the show that endured because it embraced change, Doctor Who, a show about an alien in a blue box, having adventures trough space and time, with their companions, and every three years, there will be a new Doctor and a new group of friends that will be YOUR version of the characters!

So what could be incorporated into the X-Men comics from these examples?

Well, you start with one character and their group of heroes.

Their mentor and its students.

Then you complete their arc, their main story is over.

And next you go trough the next series: put in a new school, a new scenario beyond the United States, a new Headmaster and Teachers, and a new group of students.

Some of the previous characters can make cameos or be incorporated into the main story as mentor figures, but extablish that their main struggle is over, they conquered their problems, and now is time to guide the next generation trough THEIR new sets of conflicts.

And I'm not inventing the wheel here, the X books gave us precendent in this during the Chris Claremont era.

We started with headmaster Professor X training Angel, Cyclops, Jean, Beast and Iceman, then new characters joined in and renovated the team with Kitty Pryde and Jubilee acting as audience POV characters, and then we saw Magneto becoming the new Headmaster and teaching the New Mutants who have been characters embraced by old and new fans.

If the sliding scale timeline didn't started in the 80s, the New Mutants would have aged in real time and become the teachers of characters representing OUR generation!

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

hey mod I'm that asked if you've seen kamen rider. Also hope you have a good day

//Hello again. I’m fine, I was just a bit busy today. No need to worry though.

//I don’t know if I mentioned it, but I’ve started playing Ring Fit Adventure to try and work myself into a healthier body and mindset that doesn’t want to off himself due to the fact that he can’t find work or make his dreams a reality, lmao.

-Mod

[kamenstranger]

Kamen Rider Black Manga Review

The Kamen Rider Black manga stands in an interesting place compared to the television series. Beyond the base concept of Golgom as an underground cult and Kotaro being adopted by the Akizuki family, everything else is vastly different.

The series takes far more from the preliminary concepts for Black, being a globetrotting adventure with the adversaries being the typical cyborg/genetically altered humans, albeit far more horror and mysticism minded than what the average Showa series would've portrayed. I'm going to spoil the hell of this series for this review, so be prepared.

Part 1: New York Sewers. Our story starts in the New York sewers, a naked and confused Kotaro having little memory of what's happened to him, stumbling aimlessly until set upon by a large black figure. At the same time, a three person crew from a TV production "Strange World" which explores the unknown; UFOs, cryptids, urban legends, etc. is filming within the sewers. This crew consists of the host Heather, cameraman Jack, and… Sam. It's not actually clear what his role is. He calls himself a host, but that's clearly Heather's job.

The three soon cross paths with the large black figure carrying an unconscious Kotaro, followed by the large man transforming into a crocodile and attacking the crew, killing Jack. (Yes it's a croc, not an gator) Which by the way, I cannot show the pre-transformed croc man cause, well, he's black and some of the panels share a bit too much with Cyborg 008's OG appearance if you get my meaning.

Kotaro is dragged into the water by a plain ol' croc, but soon emerges in his rider form, attacking the crocodile man and allowing Sam and Heather to escape in the confusion. The fight is short, however, Kotaro escaping in the darkness, only to wind up elsewhere back in his human form. Sam and Heather run across him, confused as to his unharmed nature but offering help (And some extra clothes) And it's here where the narrative starts to take shape, Kotaro begins remembering bits and pieces. His name and nationality, part of the operation done on him, his escape and recapture. It's pretty dialogue heavy, but it doesn't feel over stuffed.

Kotaro is still struggling to remember the wider picture and key details, but he recalls enough to retrace the sewer back to the operating room, hoping to find more answers, much to Sam's annoyance, who only wants to leave. The trio come upon the Giger-esque lair, only to once again be confronted by the crocodile man, this time Kotaro transforming directly in front of Sam and Heather as a self destruct countdown begins. Whatever secrets are held there will remain.

This is a great fight to be so early in the series and a damn good illustration, quite literally, of how well Ishinomori depicts motion and increasing tension. Sam and Heather bolt, barely escaping the blast as they're flung. Meanwhile Kotaro emerges in human form, once again unscathed and also naked. At least he knows where the exit is.

In a slightly morbid gag, Kotaro gets Jack's job as Cameraman since they need a new one. There's clearly a big story with Kotaro, which Sam is invested in uncovering given the nature of their show, so we have a good excuse for the trio to work together in a convenient manner.

This is a pretty damn good first chapter by in large. It is dialog heavy as mentioned earlier, but I never minded that. Even at 84 pages it never felt overwhelming. The chapter is dense yet brisk, but it never felt rushed. It's not perfect, mind you. There is the handling of the croc man which feels unintended but unfortunate, and also two very weird… jokes(?) one being Sam poking fun of Heather only being scared of AIDS, and Heather later asking Kotaro if that croc man was homosexual. Oh boy, does that feel dated at best.

That aside, the foundation is laid out well, our characters are established, there's still plenty of mystery to uncover and we got some solid action.

Part 2: Paris - Phantom of the Opera.

Sorta says it all in the title, doesn't it? This is a fairly straightforward plot, the trio travel to France to investigate a haunting at an Opera House, having an in with a caretaker in need of some cash. He knows the maze like labyrinth of the opera house's lower areas and is able to bypass security.

I'll cut to the chase and say that the atmosphere is very good here. Lots of shadows, the mysterious "Ghost" is unsurprisingly more tangible and looks like Lon Chaney Sr. Said ghost haunting the opera is actually the caretaker's son, Alan, who presumably died 10 years ago and holds a grudge against his father who never wanted him to act.

Alan kidnaps Heather ala Erik and Christine, Kotaro gives chase to the underground lair, gets sidetracked looking for Heather, Alan turns into a bat and dissolves his father, and we get so much exposition from Alan to Sam. Lots and lots of exposition. I would normally dislike this level of diatribe, but given Alan is a failed actor, I can kinda see him being a gloating ham all too eager to go full camp with the villain routine. He even mentions to Sam, who's recording, that he wants to see the footage after he kills him. That's great.

The information is what you'd expect. Name drops Golgom as the organization, their basic goals, the DNA/RNA manipulation. etc. etc. There's mention that one of their big goals in France is using their genetic technology to create near perfect replicas of famous artworks, switching them out, and selling them to fund their operations. Which… okay, sure? But if you have cloning capabilities so good you can fool curators, why even bother having to traverse Paris' underground tunnels to break into the museums and switch the pieces out? Just sell the copies as originals. Or maybe just clone currency?

That nonsense aside, Kotaro emerges from the darkness with Heather, just in time to save Sam. Alan floods the underground tunnels and flees.

Part 3: Paris-London the Devil's Wing.

Following up on the whole DNA manipulation, the trio are on a plane headed to London to meet with Professor Bronn, a leader in genetic engineering, but are soon attacked by Alan in Bat monster form, ripping at the wing. Ever see the Twilight Zone?

Most of this chapter is just a fight sequence, so I won't spend too much time on this, but it's a good one. Kotaro and Alan fight on one of the wings during a storm, Alan gets stabbed with a lightning rod and struck, and finally he's thrown behind the turbine and set ablaze. I don't think it works like that, but it's fun all the same.

Part 4: London - Jack the Ripper.

Shit gets weird in this chapter. Bronn is your typical ass hat scientist more interested in work and results; mistreating his assistant, questionable methods, wants to rule the world etc. In-between all this is a mysterious trench-coat wearing rider who keeps cropping up looking for the professor.

Bronn has discovered Kotaro's cells appear human, but react to cold and heat, changing. However, Kotaro is unable to transform at will and is the main hang-up on the research. Given that all previous instances involved Kotaro in danger, Bronn decides to keep ramping things up with his bodyguard and attack dogs, which have little affect in incurring a transformation. Eventually he leads them to his secret underground lab. Things get very Pretorius as it's discovered the lab is filled with genetic oddities; miniature pigs and horses, massive rabbits and rats, overgrown fruits, vegetables and a large ape man. Bronn shoots both Sam and Heather, unleashing the bigfoot upon Kotaro. However, Kotaro only transforms half way, green rather than his full Black appearance. Tussling with the ape man causes the otherwise mute assistant to run over, begging Kotaro not to attack because the ape is actually still just a child and quite gentle.

Then her stomach bursts open with a monster baby, killing her. Kotaro goes full Black, but by then the professors head has already been removed by the mysterious rider; the mantis man, Golgom's Jack the Ripper. Kotaro tangles with Mantis before… just throwing a bunch of giant fruits crushing the bug and starting an electrical fire. Kotaro escapes with Sam and Heather, who were simply tranquilized.

I know it sounds like I sped through that, but the entire thing really is that breakneck. It does not slow down and frankly it's more to the detriment. There's some fantastic bits in here, but we hardly have time to absorb anything, just bam, bam, bam, onto the next scene. The only major breakthrough is Kotaro recalling enough of his memories to lead back to Japan.

Thankfully the next chapter is better paced with some proper drama.

Part 5: Kyoto - The Mysterious Ichoji Temple

Piecing together what memories Kotaro has recovered, they track down his former home, that of the medical industrialist Soichiro Akizuki, in the far northern region of Kyoto, Rakuhoku.

Kotaro's appearance at the residence does not go well. The maid, "Aunt" Aki, is scared half to death and the young lady of the house, Koyoko is just as taken aback given that there was supposed to be corpses found in New York. None the less, he is here. Taking a short tour of the house, Kotaro recalls some more memories, such as that of his childhood with Nobuhiko and Kyoko.

Not long after, Soichiro Akizuki arrives in a foul mood, adamant and outraged at the idea Kotaro could be alive, insisting this is an imposter. After all, he identified the bodies himself, saw the death certificate. But it doesn't add up. For one thing, Sam and Heather couldn't find any reports about the bodies and Kotaro was able to get a passport from the Embassy. Akizuki simply doesn't have an explanation for that, something is up. But all the same, Kotaro can't even recall the names of his biological parents, his memory is too fragmented to fully confirm who he is and is kicked out to the snowy fields.

Kotaro does eventually remember his parents names and their tragic fate, for what good it does now. Before they can ruminate anymore, Kyoko comes running, fully confident that Kotaro is who he appears. She promises to meet back up tomorrow to help.

But Kouko wasn't the only one present. After her departure, a Spider monster appears, threatening Kotaro to return to Golgom, saying that Nobuhiko will die if he doesn't. Kotaro maybe be of great importance, but will be killed if he continues his rebellion.

The next day, hoping to jog Kotaro's memory, Kyoko takes the trio to meet with Nobuhiko's girlfriend, Kida Ayumi (if that sounds weird it's because her name was Kasumi is the TV series FYI. The fan translation messes that up in this vol. however) The meeting does the trick, Kotaro recalling Ayumi's presence at the Airport when he and Nobuhiko were traveling to New York. He also remembers staying with an acquaintance of their father, before waking up during the operation, seeing Nobuhiko become the same as him.

These revelations come to a standstill when Kotaro realizes they're not alone, urging Sam to get everyone out as he confronts the Spiderman once more.

This fight features one of my favorite and sorely underused Rider abilities: Crusher Jaws. Kotaro gets webbed and bound by the spider but jumps up and nosedives, taking a big chomp and ripping an arm off, causing the Spider to retreat. Kotaro now has evidence to confront Akizuki. He plays coy at first, at least until the arm is thrown down. He insists he didn't betray Kotaro and Nobuhiko… but that they were chosen by Golgom as tribute, becoming the son of Golgom. Akizuki views it as for the good of humanity and his business, and to protect Kotaro and Nobuhiko from ending up like Kotaro's parents.

Before anymore can be learned, Akizuki is suddenly shot in the head, his coat falling off and revealing his left arm is missing.

Part 6: Hubei - The Legend of the White Serpent.

We find the trio in China, shooting an episode for what is ostensibly a Bigfoot episode or "Wildlings" in the mountains. Kotaro is here after feeling guilt over Akizuki's death and not wanting to burden or endanger Kyoko with his presence.

Additionally, the crew is aided by a local, Ms. Wu Xiao Qin, who hits it off with Kotaro, both having lost their parents at a young age.

But as things being to blossom, Ms. Wu's drunken philosophical grandfather, Hui Xian, attacks Kotaro, knowing something lurks within him. He takes Kotaro down surprisingly easy. Once the situation is explained, Kotaro asks the wise elder for help controlling his transformation. Keep in mind, it is completely involuntary and it's not clear how much control Kotaro asserts. There is some influence, he was able to bite off the Spiderman's arm after all, but he did leave Sam all alone with Bat monster for quite some time simply to look for Heather. So training is probably a good idea. Not to mention that Hui is quite capable. Able to walk on water, launch from tree top to tree top without disturbing the snow.

Creative liberty I'm sure, but this is still cute given this was done by Midnight Crew.

What I find most compelling is the elder's advice to simply embrace the monster. That's a pretty bog standard solution, but one poignant for what Rider is. Knowing that you're human… but different from other humans. Additionally there's this angle of controlling the raw power of the Kaijin form, that the humanity within yourself can overcome the base instinct nature of the transformation. Because at the end of it all, both are still you. It's an interesting outlook that get flipped on it's head because, well, Hui and Ms. Wu turn out to be Golgom members.

To further complicate matters, Wu is developing feelings for Kotaro, and if you know your folktales, you probably guessed where this is headed.

Sure enough things come to a head when Hui Xian captures Sam and Heather, threatening Kotaro to embrace Golgom, or both he and his friends will die. Still, Kotaro chooses to fight, an entire village of monsters descending upon him. Wu transforms into her kaijin form, a white snake, to defend Kotaro. She's set ablaze by her own grandfather for her trouble.

Kotaro's "third eye" glows brighter before he awakens to Sam and Heather, both rescued by Ms. Wu. Around them are the chard bodies of monsters. It's unclear exactly what occurred, but Sam says Wu figures it was the stone inside Kotaro. As for Wu herself, she was severely burned and left, not wanting Kotaro to see her.

Part 7: The Feral streets of Tokyo.

Kotaro returns to Japan, turning to an old friend and mechanic, Daimon. Daimon is a bit of a guiding figure in the area, renting out bikes to delinquents and offering help and a place to stay for the many runaways that come his way. Kotaro might not be one, but his situation isn't too far off and Daimon is more than happy to help.

He also has a gift for Kotaro and… this gets weird because we're getting into the explanation of the manga's version of Battle Hopper and, well…

Yeah, the explanation is that Rider '71 exists as a show in this world and Daimon was such a nerd he built an actual super bike with a grasshopper motif. This is also why Kotaro adopts the Kamen Rider Black name. I'd say that's bordering on distracting, but that's kinda par for the course in Ishinomori's work. So yeah, if you thought Ishinomori popping up in the Zenkaiger movie was weird, just know he was doing weird meta stuff all the time for a quick gag. Ramifications be damned. FYI Battlehopper will not play any importance. Kotaro rides it around a few times but that's it.

We also have two side stories developing in this chapter. One is Ayumi meeting back up with Kotaro and acting strangely while confirming she's learned Nobuhiko is alive. All the while, people keep getting attacked at night. Meanwhile, the other concerns the ruthless endeavors of a real estate development firm harassing tenets that refuse to leave. Compounding things is Momo, the daughter of the head of the firm, who happens to be dating a boy, Kenji, whose family is being targeted. Things begin to boil over when three goons track down Momo and Kenji at Daimon's, recognizing the boy whose nose they punched in the night prior. Thankfully, Kotaro is on hand and easily beats the hell out of all three men, sending them running.

Ayumi sees this incident and follows the men back to their office. Wearing the same Motorcycle outfit as Kotaro, she slaughters the entire office, making sure there are witnesses, framing Kotaro. Ironically, Kotaro has a meeting with Ayumi that night, learning of the incident on the TV. He has to escape.

However, having suspicions about Ayumi, he instead tracks her down after she leaves her hotel, confronting her just as she's about to attack Momo and Kenji, discovering she's a feline monster. Cornered, Ayumi admits she was experimented on by Golgom as a means to get to Kotaro, but it was a botched operation. Ayumi is defective, having an insatiable bloodlust. She begs Kotaro to kill her.

In the end, Kotaro does just that. The police finding Ayumi's body still wearing the motorcycle outfit.

Part 8: Okinawa - Legend of the Great Lion.

I'm going to level with you. This chapter is superfluous. The basic plot is Kotato, for reasons unknown to him, is investigating in Okinawa. Additionally, a Police detective from the previous chapter, Toro, is tailing Kotaro because he still has his suspicions about him. Kotaro's investigation eventually leads him to learn that a high ranking military commander and Golgom member has gone rogue and is going to nuke Tokyo. That's the jist. For what it's worth the art is incredible this chapter and Kotaro getting the deactivation codes by telling the commander that his name will be erased from Golgom's history for his betrayal is somewhat clever. But honestly a lot of it feels disconnected from the rest of the book and a last minute scene explaining that Ayumi was the one that "Made a hypnotic suggestion/warning about the commander" before her death feels forced. I can get down with Ishinomori wanting to shit talk the military industrial complex, but this is jank.

Also I'm going to go head an tell you that Toro as a character goes nowhere. He appears in a couple more chapters before he just stops showing up.

Part 9: Athens- The Maze of the Gods.

Oh boy. So uh… I don't think this chapter has much going on either. It starts off very good. A bus is struck by lightning and it disappears, a child sheep herder is the sole witness and rumors circulate of beasts appearing during storms. This gets the attention of Sam and Heather, who witness the bolts of lightning and are attacked by a Minotaur, which causes them to obviously phone Kotaro and get his ass on the case since it's probably Golgom.

Kotaro arrives, this time a Centaur appears and Kotaro rushes at him, both disappearing in a flash. A second flash covers Sam and Heather, teleporting them to the temple of Partheon with a pristine statue of Athena, which seems to indicate they not only teleported in distance, but time. They're also in lair of the Minotaur. They hide until the Centaur comes along, catching the attention of the Minotaur as the two duke it out, teleporting in an out.

Eventually they meet back up with Kotaro, who has found the missing Bus with the people on board. Kotaro explains that the Centaur and the Minotaur were rival scientists both working on teleportation technology, arguing over what was the best way to go about the tech. There's also a side bit from Sam about the Philadelphia experiment. If you're wondering how Kotaro knows all this, he simply told the Centaur he was sent by Golgom to check on the project. Glad we got 3 pages of exposition for that gag.

Anyway, Minotaur and Centaur teleport back, Centaur is dead, Kotaro and Minotaur fight, Athena statue is ancient technological robot that turns the Minotaur into stone, Kotaro and the bus teleport back, lab explodes, Kotaro remarks it's a good thing Golgom hasn't teleported that ancient tech to the future.

Part 10: Korakuen - Horrors of the Big egg.

Oh boy we're on roll with these, huh? I don't think this is as tedious as the previous one, the exposition of this chapter feel much more warranted and is handled better. But aside from the opening, which establishes Kotaro can now sense the life force of living things and exploit it to either knock out or outright kill certain beings, not a lot happens. Kotaro gets a threatening cassette tape from Golgom warning him that the Korakuen Tokyo Big Egg (AKA Tokyo Dome) will be destroyed.

This is really a "Of the time" kinda deal because the Tokyo Dome was still very new when Black was published, opening March 17 '88. To put that in perspective, episode 24 of the TV series would've aired just a few days after the opening.

Anyway, Kotaro entrusts Detective Toro to investigate the tape while Kotaro scopes out the dome for himself. But ultimately what it comes down to is Pterodactyl monster appears, Kotaro crushes their life force, threat to the dome over. That's it.

Part 11: Hygo - Treasures of the Dead part 1

This is a meatier chapter although the plot is pretty straightforward. Over the course of several days, Kyoko is harassed by an unknown source. She awakens to a human skull perched upon her nightstand, a crate of snakes is delivered to her house, the corpse of a skinned rabbit is found dangling in her home.

A mysterious oldman, Tsukahara Gouzu, arrives with his son, Tsuyoshi, and meets with Kyoko. He claims to be the illegitimate son of Kyoko's grandfather, he even has proof. He intends to handle the family finances while also taking Kyoko way to a remote village. Very strange all around.

And if you can believe it, Kotaro has to be talked into intervening by Aunt Taki. Which, look, I get Kotaro is guilt ridden over leaving Nobuhiko behind and blames himself for his adoptive dad killed directly in front of Kyoko. He wants to distance himself from the family. But Ayumi was kidnapped and turned into a cat monster not too long along by Golgom, for all he know the same fate could await Kyoko. Well Kotaro steps in but arrives just a bit too late, Koyoko's been taken away by force to the village of Donouzan in Hell Valley.

It's a fitting area, as that night, Kyoko awakens to see a platoon of undead Samurai marching across the fields. Gouzu stops her screams and informs her that this is a nightly occurrence. He believes them to be the remains of the Toyotomi house, which 400 years ago lost to Tokugawa Ieyasu. It's believed the Toyotomi clan hid a great deal of gold in the valley, and that is why the corpses rise each night, hoping to uncover the lost treasure meant to rebuild their clan.

This here is the charm of the chapter. It's kind of just a fun ghost story that feels like Ishinomori's period works with some of Tezuka's short horror stories.

But of course, there's more to it than that. When Kotaro arrives he finds most the village abandoned, the sole living being he sees is a mute ninja, who at the very least points him in the direction of Gouzu's house. Curiously, Gouzu is unaware of anyone else in the area. Kotaro's meeting with Gouzu is as trifle as you'd expect, although he is willing to talk and explain the situation to Kotaro, even showing him proof of the undead. Seeing as Kyoko is still in a state of shock she wouldn't be going anywhere for a while anyway, Kotaro humors him. Sure enough, the dead rise from their graves that night, Kotaro sensing no life force. They are dead. All the while, they're watched by the ninja.

Later, Kyoko awakes and is alleviated at the sight of Kotaro, who is still insistent on raking her back. Gouzu, on the other hand, has plans. He is in-fact Akizuki's half brother, that part is true. But he's after Akizuki's money and the only way he could get the inheritance is if Kyoko was mentally unfit or dead. And he needs this to fund getting an even bigger fortune in the hidden gold, which is happens to have a map to… which is promptly stolen by the Ninja. Oops.

Taking the opportunity, Kotaro and Kyoko bolt for it, escaping into the dark forest, only to be set upon by the undead. In the chaos, the two cross paths with Tsuyoshi, who is willing to help given the circumstances (And having a fondness for Kyoko) As the two hold off the undead, the ninja from earlier kills Gouzu, the oldman's head rolling into view of the three. Seeing who the true enemy is, Kotaro entrusts Tsuyoshi with Kyoko's safety as he confronts the silent warrior, who promptly transforms into the Flying squirrel monster. No clue if he destroyed the dreams of children concerning flying squirrels, but he does start talking at this point.

In what it quite possibly one of the most bizarre plots of Golgom, it's revealed during their fight that this entire thing with the zombies is to look for the gold to fund their operations. They're not even ancient, their armor was painstakingly made to look accurate. I don't have time to unpack all that nonsense.

Still, the fight is excellent. The Squirrel fights like a shinobi, moving blazingly fast and whipping up a whirlwind with nasty tricks, like spraying Kotaro with Bug spray. Gotta admit, that's not a terrible idea. Squirrel overplays his hand when he tries to wrap around Kotaro and suffocate him, Kotaro simply rips apart the flying rodent, ending control of the zombies in the process.

Hurrying back, he finds Kyoko safe and sound. Tsuyoshi on the other hand collapses, a katana sticking out his back. After burying the poor man, Kyoko grabs hold of Kotaro, begging that he never leave again.

Part 12: Kyoto - Lonely Home

Part 12 is a short chapter, mostly a brief and much needed respite after that flying squirrel business.

The vast majority is simply domestic character stuff between Kyouko and Kotaro. And uh, it becomes clear Kyouko kinda has a thing for him. Which, look, I kinda get it. Her dad's dead, her brother is missing, Kotaro is the only person she has a close connection to and they're not at all related. I can see how Kyouko, particularly under stress, could look at Kotaro as more of her brother's childhood friend rather than a brother like figure in his own right.

But it is still a little bit weird knowing they grew up together ostensibly as siblings and in the Tokyo chapter she called him "brother Kotaro." Although she starts to drop that and only uses that moniker when talking about Nobuhiko.

Regardless, the chapter is otherwise pleasant while also setting up future events, with Kotaro having nightmares of Nobuhiko.

Part 13 Australia -Land of Tomorrow (Prologue)

For three consecutive nights Kotaro has the same nightmare; a massive black bird attacking in a violent storm. On the fourth night, something different happens. He finds himself teleported in front of an Aboriginal, Goom, and white woman, Fitch. The two are contacting Kotaro across time, 30 years in the future where the world in in turmoil and ruled over by the Demon King, a black metallic mutant grasshopper that looks suspiciously like Kotaro's form.

Legend passed down spoke of another like the Demon King that could rival his power, Goom and Fitch believe Kotaro to be that person. As time goes on, it becomes clear that this is more than a simple dream. Kotaro has been plucked out of time for this meeting, a unique ability that sadly Goom and Fitch are not capable of themselves. They warn Kotaro of a giant black bird which will doom the earth, hoping that Kotaro can change the fate and outcome in the past, his present, an advert this apocalypse brought forth by the demon king.

When Kotaro awakes, he has a necklace of the Southern Cross, confirming it was no mere dream.

Part 14: Kyoto - Nobuhiko Returns.

Well, the title says it all, doesn't it? And yeah, that's what happens almost first thing. Nobuhiko walks right the hell up to the Akizuki household, along with a friend, Cleopatra Jones (Yes, really) Nobuhiko seems fine, it's not even clear if he's been modified. He explains how he escaped during a fire and wandered the streets until being taken in by Jones.

That night, Jones mutants into a Cicada, attacks Kotaro, starts to molt and erm. Uses boob suction cup to drain Kotaro's brain. What the fuck?

Anyway… Kotaro breaks free and kills her, she turns into a white woman. I guess because of the molting which turns Cicadas a much lighter color and… moving on.

No, seriously, that's the end of the chapter.

Part 15: Tokyo - Stag Beetle Summer

Kotaro meets back up with Daimon, the two catch up, Kotaro informing him that Nobuhiko is taking over his father's business and expanding into a Tokyo branch (Which given Golgom has it's hands all over it, that seems like a stupid ass idea) We also get a little bit of Ishinomori's environmental themes with how few Stag Beetles seem to be around nowadays. There's also some of that love for the counter culture and delinquents in here, as it often the case whenever Daimon shows up.

Speaking of, Kotaro returns with Daimon to his shop to gather his things since he'll be moving into the Akizuki household. But they're interrupted when Daimon gets a call from a regular, a kid named Katsuaki. He's been a "problem child" in the past, but this time he's committed murder, and it was his parents. Sure enough, when Kotaro and Daimon arrive, they find the bodies. Kotaro is attacked by a stag beetle monster, although it hardly puts up a fight before having its arm ripped off, keeling over and turning back into Katsuaki.

And, I want to like this so much more, especially as Daimon gets really angry and wants Kotaro to eradicate Golgom for what they've done. But that's all there is to this chapter.

Part 16: Kyoto- Jaws in the Pool.

Kotaro and Nobuhiko talk about the struggles of taking done something as big as Golgom, especially with Kotaro facing them alone. A couple of multi shape-shifting sea based monsters attack Kyoko in the pool, which Kotaro and Nobuhiko save her from. It becomes clear that Nobuhiko is inhumanly strong, indicating he's had something done.

Look there is some good art in this chapter, but guess what? That's basically the end of it. Kotaro decides to leave Kyoko in Nobuhiko's hands while he heads to Australia.

Part 17 Australia - The Land of Tomorrow

I'll be honest, I didn't want to gloss over this cause 17 is a pretty damn chunky chapter compared the last few, but in reality not a whole lot of key moments occur.

Kotaro meets with not Cyborg 007, he travels around Australia, goes to Ayers rock, has a tussle with a Chameleon monster which is Corki, and has a vision. But ultimately Kotaro doesn't find any hint of Golgom's base.

To be fair to this chapter there are a few things I really like. There's a nice character moment early on where when Kotaro is attacked in his hotel by an aboriginal platypus monster but Kotaro can't bring himsef to kill him. He remarks to himself that they're victims too and feels sorry for them. Which there's actually quite a focus on the Aboriginals in this chapter and it's wild seeing this late 80s manga talking about some serious shit regarding native land being stolen. Mind you, it's not too out of Ishinomori's wheel house, Jo in 009 is mixed and was bullied for it, becoming a delinquent, and Robot Detective is pretty heavy on the subtext of racism to the point of just being text with a robot. But this is rather unique.

That aside, the bigger picture is Kotaro's growing fear that he could become the Demon King, which that itself also ties into Kotaro spearing a life.

Part 18: Nara -The Awakening Ritual.

Kotaro returns to Japan, finding that Kyoko has been kidnapped (Good job letting her go shopping alone, Nobuhiko) The two begin a wild goose chase, following letters sent by Golgom, leading to Kofuki-ji temple, somewhat symbolic as the temple houses an Ashura Statue-- a God of peace until unleashing a wrath upon the heavens. Another letter leads to Todai-Jin temple with the Great Buddah, with a time of 12AM.

Kotaro and Nobuhiko arrive, the guards already taken care of. Soon they're confronted by four members of Golgom modeled after the four heavenly kings, followed by two more, Ashura Sky and Ashura Earth, who has Kyoko in tow.

They've lured Kotaro and Nobuhiko here for a ritural, to awaken Nobuhiko and to choose a king. Before the two can even react to this news, Nobuhiko begins to mutate and transform into a black grasshopper form like Kotaro's, going beserk and attacking with a mad bloodlust. Kotaro's pleas fall on deaf ears. He instead turns his attention to getting Kyoko out and disrupting this ritural, which he does so with a simple fire alarm. With emergency services in response, Kotaro is able to escape as Golgom scatter along with their plan.

Nobuhiko soon rejoins Kotaro, transforming back and having no memeory of what transpired. The two reconcile, Nobuhiko swearing to control his powers and help Kotaro, never to turn against eachother. But Kotaro has his doubts, and wonders if perhaps the Demon King could be Nobuhiko.

Part 19: Nepal - An Unusal Path.

We're back to focusing on Sam and Heather again, this time in Nepal with Heather's friend, Olga. Olga's father is a scholar of Asian relegion and discovered an unknown religion in a remote region, focusing heavily on destruction and rebirth. Kotaro is called in, not because it could be Golgom, but because Sam needed a guide. But hey, it works out.

Kotaro enters the village alone, finding it uninhabited. He comes to the great pagoda, entering and finding a Golom monster based upon Shiva, who has been expecting Kotaro. And I wanna take a moment to appreciate that Shiva is really into Kotaro, including his bug form.

You get it, girl.

Shiva clearly has no intention of fighting. She merely wanted to lure Kotaro here in preparation for Nobuhiko's arrival, who Shiva claims knows full well of the ritual. And unfortunately Shiva also has insurance in the form of Sam, Heather and Olga. With such a large army of mutants, Kotaro stands little chance. The four are imprisoned in the meanwhile. However Shiva offers Kotaro a chance to enjoy her quarters rather than the cell, which he takes her up on.

Kotaro asks about the base, which Shiva is all too happy to oblige, which even Kotaro finds odd. However this is only one of Golgom's HQ, and no one know where the main HQ is. By her own admission this entire base could go up and not make a dent within Golgom. Along the way they pass a massive machine meant for causing Earthquakes, which they plan to destroy the Himalayas with.

At the top of the Pagoda is Shiva's quarters, and this has a shockingly violent scene. After getting the last of his questions answered and learning that Olga's father is dead, he attacks Shiva. Now, Shiva has four arms, Kotaro has six. He restrains her with his insect arms while strangling her with his humanoid hands. Good lord.

Unfortunately, Shiva wasn't the only threat, as the Pagoda itself is a creature of chaos and begins attacking Kotaro. He fights his way through the strangely organic structure, past gastric acid, teeth, and eventually finds the brain, killing the building itself. But the danger is far from over, as a legion of monster come after Kotaro as he calls upon a swarm of Locust. Fighting his way underground, he finds the cell and frees Sam, Heather and Olga, just as the locust make their way to the great machine and sabotage it. The four escape as the village goes up in a great cataclysm of flame.

Not long afterwards, Nobuhiko arrives by helicopter, witnessing Kotaro's handy work. Kotaro is apprehensive at his arrival, although Nobuhiko claims he got a message from Kotaro that he was in trouble Once again, there's doubt between the two.

Regardless, Kotaro isn't returning to Japan, he's heading to Romania with Sam to investigate a Castle which could be another of Golgom's lairs.

Part 20: Australia - Back to the Future Chapter two.

Why do I get the feeling that should've been Land of Tomorrow Chapter 2? Whatever, that's what the fan translation calls it. We begin with Kotaro and Nobuhiko both taking out a den of monsters in Dracula's castle, until a massive Bat creature emerges and spews poison gas, the castle beings crumbling and Kotaro is caught right in he blast, but suddenly he's transported once again by Goom and Fitch.

Their situation is dire, they're barely holding on as attacks become more aggressive towards their village. Their only hope is if Kotaro stops the Demon King.

Kotaro is able to sense the Demon King's location and easily bypasses all the guards due to his appearance. The dark one himself was waiting patiently for Kotaro to arrive. What disturbs Kotaro the most is the King sounds like Nobuhiko, however the king claims to have no knowledge of him, going on to say that killing him is pointless, since he and Kotaro are one and the same. Whether this is a lie, the truth, or some in-between in unknown. Kotaro call him out the fact that if the Demon King is his future self, then strictly speaking Kotaro can't die lest this Demon King cease to exist. What is clear above all else is the 30 year difference between the two has lead to a chasm of abilities. The Demon King is simply too strong, and although Kotaro awakens a great power in their battle, his opponent is still too much. As the two clash, Kotaro is once again thrown through time, ending up at the Akizuki Household.

Part 21: Tokyo 1999

Kotaro enters the house, seemingly empty, until being discovered by a weary-eyed wheelchair bound Kyoko. It's been seven years. They thought Kotaro died in Romania and it's been rough ever since. There's a war, a strange disease, Aunt Taki died.

Nobuhiko arrives, Kotaro running to talk to him… only for Nobuhiko to want to settle the score and take Kotaro's power, becoming the ruler of this changing world. Kotaro is flung through time once more, ending up near Odaiba Island, also in 1999. Goom contacts Kotaro saying that this is the earliest appearance of the demon king and the best chance Kotaro has at defeating him.

The Demon King appears and basically confirms it's Nobuhiko when he says Kotaro won't escape this time. The two clash, the immense energy obliterating the Island into nothing, the two surrounded by the sea and lone capsized ship. All the while the Demon King taunts Kotaro, how no matter what he does, the world is already on the verge of ruin, and no matter who dies, there will always be a ruler. The king teleports away. We end with Kotaro alone on the ship, wondering if his actions will truly bring about a change, questioning who he really is.

Yuuuuup. That's it, that's the end of the manga. Oh boy.

Black's narrative is… strange. On one hand I can applaud utilizing the medium for a story/setting that obviously could never be told on a TV budget for Rider. There is a lot to enjoy about this manga. I love the art work, it's cute, it flows gorgeously from panel to panel, and the first half of the series of fairly strong with a few bumps here and there.

On the other hand, a lot of the book is a mixed bag overall. The dialogue is… Well, being a fan translation it's hard to say with complete certainty if it's intended to be so gratuitous, but early parts of the manga read like a diet Manga Entertainment dub script. Even as someone who curses a ton even in their reviews, it can get a tad obnoxious, distracting in how many fucks there are to give. Although it does improve in later volumes. Cursing aside, some of the wording can be stiff or awkward. It's not super common, maybe 5, 6 instances across the entire run, but it does stick out.

But those are nitpicks. A much more prevalent issue I take with the manga is the inconsistency. It is very scatter shot. There are a number of chapters that simply don't add much to the overall story or character development. Stuff like Chapter 4 in the UK or the Okinawa incident have inklings of interesting concepts like a deranged scientist impregnating his assistant with a monster, or a rogue Golgom mutant using their status in the military. But they ultimately don't go anywhere and feel like half baked non sequitur. By Vol 5 it starts to get a bit much with how short and inconsequential some of the parts are. Nobuhiko returning should be this grandiose moment and the fact it's plays so nonchalantly is captivating until you realize there's not much to it. He needs to be in the story now and that's it, and that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the books issues.

That's the most frustrating thing about reading the Black Manga, there's plenty of great ideas and even wonderfully executed ones that I greatly enjoy. But there's tedious moments that rear their head with just enough frequency to bug me. Sure at first you'd get maybe one iffy chapter along with two or more solid ones. But then you start getting plot threads that abruptly end or were not fully developed, like detective Toro, or that necklace Kotaro got with no significance other than "This wasn't a dream." We get awkward exposition dumps in what was otherwise shaping up to be a solid chapter, like in Greece. We have a sequence for the sake of it, like with Cleopatra Jones. I feel like we're running on fumes.

Parts of it read like… Well, it reads like sparks of brilliance that weren't simmered on for very long and handled by someone severely sleep deprived who threw whatever concepts in because this was published weekly. Yeah, this was a weekly Shonen Sunday publication.

It's kinda hard not to consider or think about the fact the author himself was on fumes whenever reading Ishinomori's work, or just about anyone else's from that era. Black wasn't even the only book he was working on at the time. Hotel was arguably the more noteworthy work given the critical lauding it got. The man was not only working insane hours, but on two works. Even those short chapters are about 16 pages on average and I also think that's in part why so many MacGuffins, characters, and plot points don't actually go anywhere. And that's even true for this Golgom, which is rather inconsistent and underdeveloped. They're simultaneously a massive web of an organization, yet don't keep tabs on powerful individuals who can undermine them at a moments notice, unless the plot needs them to, like Akizuki. They prop up powerful businesses likes Akizuki's, yet they're so desperate for funds they're willing to spend time scrounging up Gold in a deserted remote village with the only opposition being one old dude and his dumb son. Forget the Zombies, get an army of mole men with metal detectors you morons. Kotaro is a chosen son of Golgom, yet several within the organization don't seem to have a clue they have a rebellious Black Grasshopper monster. Remember, Kotaro was able to lie to both a scientist and military commander about working for Golgom. Is this an evil organization or like 40 dudes across the world who happened to get on the same BBS? I guess you could say they're a dangerous but wildly incompetent organization, which isn't unrealistic, but I never got the impression that was the intent. To compound matters, Golgom in the Manga is mysterious to a fault. Sometimes a mystery is the appeal, ambiguity the point, and to answer that is a mistake. Like answering who caused the Great War in Fallout-- it doesn't matter and giving a definitive answer takes away from the shared equal blame of nationalistic insanity, which is much more abstract than an individual you can point the finger towards. It's in the past and everyone is dealing with the fallout of national global stupidity. Giving an answer to that would be really fucking stupid, wouldn't it? But I digress.

With Golgom we know so little about the hierarchy or operations that I'm not really sure what the hell their deal is beyond doomsday cult that co-opts religious imagery, or what the demon king even rules over beyond some vagueness of the ruined world and a few Dragon Quest rejects. I'm glad they're not a rehash of a Shocker or Black Ghost type deal, but you might as well say monsters appear out of nowhere with no rhyme or reason for all that we do know. I'm not saying you need a creation king or three priests, I think that would be a mistake. But you need something else, something that doesn't give too much away but justifies the esoteric nature of the organization in a more gratifying manner than some unknown group making monsters and going "oooo no one knows the truth." This, to me, feels like creating intrigue and then not knowing what to do with it.

Which brings me to the ending.

You know, I don't hate the ending. The concept that if Kotaro kills the demon king he becomes the new ruler is an interesting one. Sure you can argue that Kotaro may or may not lose himself to the power and become just as bad, but that's not the point. It's more about the idea that by the very nature of defeating the demon king it would by default make him the most powerful, which is far more captivating than if the demon king is his future self or Nobuhiko, which I don't give a damn about. Although, that does ultimately play a role in questioning his sense of self that the series ends on and why it makes sense that you could never show either being victorious or have a clear cut answer to the who. Unlike how Golgom is handled, I really like this angle…for the most part.

That doesn't mean I like all of that in practice. It's something that I think works fantastic as a theme, but not a narrative. I'm just gonna say it, the time travel is fucking stupid bouncing Kotaro around different points when the demon king already exists and things are already pretty bad… it kinda seems like plucking Kotaro out of time to face the demon king was worse than simply letting him systematically do what he was doing to Golgom in the past. Kinda does seem like him not being there is what allowed the Demon King to exist. I guess that is part of the open ended questions the series leaves. But I dunno, it feels clunky. The '71 manga also had a somewhat bittersweet ending that was still open, but it felt right and was making a point. This feels messy and I don't think the themes alone are a strong enough crutch to support how wonky the story gets. Or the characters for that matter.

Ultimately, I come down on the manga not dissimilar from a lot of OVAs from the 80s. Notable high points, throwing every kinda idea at the wall for both good or ill, and leaving on more questions than answers, but not necessarily in the most satisfactory manner. And I wish I liked it hell of a lot more than I do. In some ways this does make the manga fascinating from a meta perspective in what does and doesn't work. How something imperfect can still have solid yarns, while even the weakest moments can have something worth taking away.

But that makes it difficult to recommend outright. It's not bad but given Ishinomori's body of work I'd be hard pressed to recommend it over anything else… Maybe the Gorenger manga? That's not bad either, but certainly written solely for a check. (then again, considering how this final volume goes, Ishinomori seems to have just wanted to get it over with) For what it's worth, this never feels like a slog, but I also don't think it needed to be 6 volumes. It simply gets lost in its own obtuseness by vol 5 that you probably could've cut this down to 4 volumes worth of material and had a tighter story. But I also don't think that would solve the more fundamental issues I have with it. Plus we'd be missing out on Ishinomori's art, which is always a silver lining if nothing else. The Black Manga is an interesting relic and far be it from me to discourage reading it. But it's not Ishinomori at his best. I can easily recommend the '71 manga, Skullman, Robot Detective and of course 009 ahead of it.

You know what, I can recommend the Black manga over Genma Wars. So there's that.

As always, thanks for reading and you can find my ko-fi page here and my bsky here.

[chacerider-casual]

@kshahrwarmamochi okay so i meant to just send you an ask in response to your questioning tags, but then i realized i needed to submit for your approval some Propaganda, namely:

i love them, your honor

Anyway, the series is Ultraman, and this fine fellow here is Ultraman Zero, son of Ultraseven, joined by his polycule and also the robot boyfriend's little brother who was built evil but is Part Of The Family now very cool intrauniversal crimefighting team, Ultimate Force Zero! Ultraman's normally a series of TV shows (loosely to tightly connected, continuity is wibbly, just have fun), but Zero's adventures are specifically just a series of movies & specials.

tl;dr, Ultraman's core concept/elevator pitch: a Japanese live-action practical effects show, Star Trek meets Twilight Zone meets Godzilla; "What if Aliens and Kaiju existed and sometimes Weird Stuff Happens and humans try very hard to solve mysteries but failing that Our Fifty Meter Tall Space Friends Are Here To Punch The Monsters Away, Because They Think We're Neat."

... And if that rambling somehow hasn't scared you away, the majority of seasons are available officially for free either here on Tubi or on the official US website! You can also find blu-rays and DVDs of, again, majority of seasons! Tsuburaya Productions feeds us well. Please feel free to ask me any further questions, I love this series so so much, an irrational amount, it is my heart.

Alright, there's my propaganda for the day. I retreat back to playing baldur's gate 3, comparing kamen rider gotchard to cardcaptor, sewing ultraman dolls for my friends' twins, my very adult life now~

[magicaldogtoto]

I've mostly avoided any discourse surrounding Wonderful Precure, mainly because 1.) I don't want to get sucked into it (there's only so many hours in a day, and I work full time), and 2.) I for the most part genuinely find the show entertaining (as a dog person and fan of older shows like Scooby-Doo, I find Komugi and Iroha's dynamic a lot of fun).

But I knew when I watched Cure Nyammy's debut last weekend that there was going to be some discussion regarding her use of physical attacks on the Garugaru, and how Cure Wonderful and Cure Friendy's response to it essentially condemns the use of violence (in a Precure show, which is a franchise that in previous installments has relied heavily on action scenes).

Look, I'm not going to lie: I like action scenes in shows I watch, magical girl or otherwise. They can be very cathartic when done right, and shows like Precure, Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman tend to do them very right. Even as Wonderful Precure is airing, I'm also watching the original Futari Wa Precure and getting a kick out of it. (I also like lore and worldbuilding more, but that's for another time.) I found people reacting negatively to this part of WanPre's recent episode interesting, not only in the context of a magical girl show, but in the context of superhero fiction in general (which the warrior type of magical girl is a part of).

Twitter user @/MagicalGirlOTD made a small thread relating to this that got me thinking about the use of fighting as a solution to problems in works of fiction. Particularly, they commented that many magical girl shows that feature fighting run the risk of feeling the same all the time. Adding to this, they commented "This is the end result of the genre heavily favoring 'we can fight but we also need peace!' for the last 30 years."

It made me think of an old blog post by American comics writer J.M. DeMatteis (whose work I have complicated feelings about, though I admire his idealism and enthusiasm for his craft). In his 2018 blog post "Slugging It Out," DeMatteis spoke on the then-recent premiere of the CW's Black Lightning, and how (though he found it to be to a good start and was looking forward to how the plot panned out) it seemed to highlight what he called "the massive crack in the foundation of the entire superhero genre." As DeMatteis goes on to explain: 

"No matter how much these characters talk about high ideals, non-violence or the power of love, in the end it often comes down to two people in costumes dropping buildings on each other’s heads.  (And the more street level, the more realistic, your story is, the more difficult those scenes become:  A space battle against aliens plays out very differently than, say, Batman beating the hell out of a common criminal*.)"

People like to talk about magical girls and how idealistic they are in areas like love and friendship; there's nothing wrong with that. In fact it's one of the things I admire about the genre. But one can just as easily see the same people also talk about how much ass their favorite magical girl can kick. (In fact, there are more than a few characters I'm introduced to through people just saying "So-And-So can kick [Insert other character/magical girl from another show they find overrated]'s ass easily!")

I don't think there's a clean-cut solution to this--it's just human nature, in the end. DeMatteis himself has spoken about how he's often tried to address this problem in superhero stories, only to be rebuffed by editors because doing so would call into question the very nature of superhero fiction. He's still happily writing for Marvel and DC, though, so he doesn't seem too bothered by it (but personally I do like his non-superhero work, since he doesn't have to worry about those limitations).

I'm not a pacifist, by any means. I think there is a time for fighting. And I like reading and watching stories that feature cool battles in addition to cool characters and fun adventures. But there's always a small part of me that does think about these kinds of things. Maybe I'll always be thinking about it, until the end of my life.

There's already a lot of magical girl stories where the girls end up fighting monsters and bad guys. There's also a lot of shows where the magical girl doesn't really fight (I personally like Princess Tutu and the way Tutu goes through her conflicts). Maybe this concept of not wanting to harm the monsters is something one doesn't really expect in Precure. But I don't know, I don't think it's really bad to show children they have a non-violent option now and then. Just my two cents.

(*Yes I'm aware that what Batman does is the subject of its own discourse; I'm just quoting the guy. And he's written for Batman, to boot.)

[grigasmoshi]

AN OFFICIAL INTRO FROM ME :3

╭──╯ .-ˏˋ⋆W E L C O M E⋆ˊˎ-. ╰──╮

Hello there travelers! Hello there travelers! May your journeys be filled with wonder, your paths with purpose, and your hearts with courage. Safe travels and grand adventures await you!

✲꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏✲

Hello hello hello everyone! I go by many names! Maybe too many names- Griga, Smoshi, Moshu, Joe, and Joey are the main ones.

I’m 16 (turning 17 in April). In terms of interests, I’m huge on D&D and fantasy in general. I’m a long time player and a fairly experienced DM. Most of the D&D I do is homebrew or heavily based on something :3

¸.*☆*.¸Some other things to know!¸.*☆*.¸

Other than tumblr, I have Instagram, tiktok, and discord. If you wanna follow/add me on those platforms, my insta is Grigasmoshi. My tiktok is also grigasmoshi. My discord is, you'd never guess it, grigasmoshi.

I love to read and I’m a fairly decent writer. Need a backstory written up? Ask me. I gotchu. Although it might take a decent bit- I've got too many writing projects I need to start and too many I need to finish lmao. That's about it. Ask me any question you want. I'll probably answer it.

I am also a huge tokusatsu fan! My favorite shows are Kamen Rider Build, Ultraman X, Ultraman Geed, and Kamen Rider Amazons. I'm currently watching Amazons S2, Kamen Rider Saber, Gogo Sentai Boukenger, and Kamen Rider Gavv(Which is still actively in production)!

Oh also, I CAST FIREBALL!

✲꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏ ꘏✲

Farewell, travelers! May your paths remain clear, your hearts steadfast, and your adventures unforgettable. Safe journeys, until we meet again!

╰──╮ .-ˏˋ⋆F A R E W E L L⋆ˊˎ-. ╭──╯

[shihalyfie]

Hi. I'm someone who has come back to Digimon after enjoying it from my childhood and now watching through Ghost Game as well as watching episodes of Digimon: App Monsters. Something I'm wondering about is how the experience of binge watching may or may not be compatible with the various Digimon seasons. I realized that I enjoyed binging App Monsters more than I am Ghost Game even though I do enjoy watching Ghost Game more as it fits a lot more of my tastes.

I define the binge format as involving frequent use of cliffhangers, a larger overarching conflict those cliffhangers tie into, and a three act structure that stretches throughout the season instead of just one episode. I do recognize that both Ghost Game and App Monsters share at least some similarities with this structure, but the main difference seems to be that there isn't a bigger overarching conflict in Ghost Game. However, I see myself going back and rewatching episodes of Ghost Game more than I do App Monsters. To what extent were these seasons built with binge watching in mind? I live in the US by the way, so I imagine that cultural lens might be playing into the questions.

Hi! Welcome back, hope you're enjoying your watch! Also, glad you're enjoying Appmon; that's a series that's especially close to my heart.

Well, as you alluded to at the end of the question here, cultural stuff does play a role here, or more specifically, the fact that Digimon TV series generally use a format that Toei has refined and perfected over the years via their long-running shows, especially Super Sentai and Kamen Rider (tokusatsu and not anime, but with a lot of important factors in common). While it is true that the majority of these series are serialized, they are ultimately still made first and foremost to be watched by kids once a week. That's why there's still a loose monster-of-the-week format for even the more serialized Digimon series, because there has to be a certain self-contained nature to it, and that's why you get those recaps at the beginning of each episode (or sometimes even full recap episodes, like Appmon episode 26, which was released after the series went through a timeslot change). It's not that they think the kids have a terrible attention span or anything, but that even an adult would probably need to be reminded of what was going on after having been out for a week or longer.

If a series is hard to follow when watched this way, that's considered a failure of the writing, especially since the series has a goal of selling toys during the duration of its run and would probably not accomplish this if it's hard to follow. The majority of Toei shows using this format run for exactly a year (with Adventure: and Ghost Game being exceptions due to what I suspect are pandemic delay related issues), so that means they basically have a year to sell as many toys during that period as possible before they pass the baton to whatever occupies the timeslot next. But of course, that doesn't mean people in the writer's room don't also care deeply about what they make, so they'll still try to make works that leave a lasting impression for adults who binge watch later. So that means striking a balancing act between making it possible to follow weekly or when binge watches, and how well they accomplish that depends on the series.

For what it's worth, Ghost Game's extreme episodic nature is an outlier not only for Digimon but also for this kind of Toei show in general; while "resolved in one episode" format is used elsewhere, Ghost Game not calling back to a huge overarching plot often is not often seen. (Although it has been quite successful in certain areas; one famous series I can think of off of the top of my head is Kamen Rider W, which recently got an anime adaptation of its manga sequel -- long story -- and is known for being pretty much entirely presented in two-parters.) That said, Ghost Game's lead writer did infamously say at one point that it was as episodic as it was because of the idea that kids are more into shorter content like TikTok and all that, which got ridiculed as hilariously out of touch, especially since the aforementioned Kamen Rider and Super Sentai are still doing fine without that. I'll let the Sentai experts weigh in more, but the one running right now (Kingohger) is so unusually serialized that it even just had a timeskip!

[rabbityshen]

not sure who this post is for.

i think i just needed a way to get out some of my brainworms about genazo and some of the observations i've made about it as a movie and fandom phenomenon that's big in japan but basically not at all here. it was originally gonna be a pitch post on my Main, Professional writing blog but it came out kind of too.....silly for that. which is why the grammar and capitalization are generally proper and the tone is more formal (and has images). i wrote most of it back in august/september but have edited it so it's relatively current to right now.

it's mostly a bunch of rambling and info tidbits about genazo. cant imagine who would be interested in it, except genazo fans, but then it's also written as if to be read by ppl who don't know what genazo is. again, very confusing post. my bad. if u wanna read it go ahead, but lol (lol).

but if ur like "what's genazo?" well then this the post for you. maybe.

edit: added some more fun images for myself 😊 and some (spoilery) CWs for the movie at the very end

They say honesty is a virtue so I might as well start off by saying that my curiosity about this movie was not sparked by the anniversary productions being made for Shigeru Mizuki’s 100th birthday or through keeping tabs on the latest anime films coming out, but because I saw fanart and I thought the main character, Mizuki, looked hot.

After some sleuthing, I tracked down the source material and was surprised that it was from a movie, Kitaro Tanjo: GeGeGe no Nazo (which I'll shorten to GeNazo), part of the GeGeGe no Kitaro franchise.

If you don’t know of GeGeGe no Kitaro or Shigeru Mizuki, I’ll pause here to give a little bit of background info. Shigeru Mizuki was a mangaka born in 1922, who made manga at the same time alongside other influential artists like Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy) and Shotaro Ishinomori (Kamen Rider). Mizuki would ultimately become famous for GeGeGe no Kitaro (which I'll shorten to Kitaro from here on out), a manga series following a yokai boy named Kitaro and his adventures. Kitaro is on par with Asto Boy in terms of being a national icon. He’s credited with popularizing yokai stories for the modern masses, his imagery becoming what people would most associate with the classic folklore. Besides the 2023 movie, there was an anime adaptation that aired 2018 - 2020, which was also a 50th anniversary production based off of the first anime adaptation that first aired in 1968.

I had some passing, bare minimum familiarity with Kitaro, as much as anyone who’s liked anime and manga for decades would have, and I had never seen a character from it who looked like Mizuki. Clearly, the movie wasn't a straightforward adaptation, even if it was taking one of the manga chapter titles as its own (“The Birth of Kitaro,” which shows the origins of the eponymous character). Not only that, but the promotional material was fairly bloody and dour, obviously aimed at a more mature audience than the usual child demographic the franchise was geared towards, as with the 2018 Kitaro anime. The character design for Kitaro on the movie poster was very similar though, so I figured they likely shared the same continuity.

(i don't have enough relevant images to adequately disperse throughout this post so im just adding random screenshots of mizuki for enrichment and personal indulgence 🙂)

Since the anime series had been officially licensed and subtitled by Crunchyroll, I assumed the same had been done for the movie but that was not the case. It had been released in Japanese theaters back in November 2023 but as of April 2024 at the time, there was (and still is) nowhere official and legal to watch it with localized English subtitles. I had little interest in Kitaro otherwise so I shrugged and decided I would let my shallow interest taper off. It did not.

Instead it plagued me for months (my friends can testify to this). I can't exactly articulate why; The heart wants what the heart wants I suppose. So I finally caved in and found…other means of watching it. I'm not sure if I expected that to sate the brainworms already festering in my head, but basically the opposite of that happened. Now having context for what I was already seeking out on Twitter, new depths of investment were opened up. And that's when I discovered this movie was quite popular.

Now granted, this is still in relative terms. This was the year that other animated hit films such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie and The Boy and the Heron came out. Even other anime franchise films such as Case Closed: Black Iron Submarine and Spy x Family Code: White were much bigger domestic and international hits from around the same time. However, while GeNazo never reached the status of being the #1 movie in Japan for the week, it was one of the top five grossing movies for four consecutive weeks (and in the top ten for a consecutive 11 weeks), making over two billion yen (~$17 million). It was also selected to be shown at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the Countrechamp category. A new version of the film called the “True Version” (真生版), which contains redone cuts and rerecorded dialogue (but no changes to the narrative), as well as bumps up the rating from PG-12 to R15, was released a few weeks ago.

And when you zoom in closer from a fandom subculture perspective, its popularity is undeniable. The doujinshi made for the GeNazo fandom and sold through the retailer Comic Toranoana is not only numerous, but has dominated the female-targeted section rankings for months (both “All Ages” and “Adults Only”), alongside doujinshi for much more internationally popular series like Jujutsu Kaisen and Slam Dunk. (Another way to compare this, Kitaro has a total of 2500+ listed and Delicious in Dungeon has a little over 40 items listed.) In the 2023 poll for yumejoshi (similar to the concept of “self-shipping” fandom) to pick their favorite characters for the year, the two main characters made it to the top twenty (Gegero at #15 and Mizuki at #9), even though the movie was released quite late into the year. Then in Animage’s annual Anime Grand Prix, GeNazo was voted as the top favorite anime for 2023, with Mizuki and Gegero also voted as the top favorite characters. At COMIC CITY SPARK 19, a popular Tokyo doujinshi event held last week, GeNazo is the third most popular fandom represented (above other fandoms including Haikyu!! and Honkai: Star Rail). Several months ago, a film concert event was held and it must've done more than well enough if they're holding the event again for two days in November.

So obviously, I was very much not the only one infested with brainworms! But in comparison, no one over in English-speaking anime fandom circles knows anything. On Archive of Our Own, there’s a tag for “GeGeGe no Kitaro (Anime)”* that only has under 50 works in English when accounted for the movie’s release. (In comparison, there are over 2,500 works in the tag for “ダンジョン飯 | Dungeon Meshi | Delicious in Dungeon” in English when accounted for the anime’s release. For possibly a more equivalent comparison, there are a little under 200 works in the tag for “Bang Brave Bang Braven (Anime)” a show that did receive an official English translation and was ranked second in the Anime Grand Prix.) Every time I peek into Japanese fandom, I feel like I’m stepping into a parallel universe. The gap is striking.

Anime has never been more accessible to foreigners, specifically Americans. Piracy still reigns supreme in terms of frugal personal finances, but it's less convenient and full of pitfalls, requiring some sophistication in navigating platforms and torrents. As a thirty year old with a full-time job, the low-risk convenience on its own is worth the money of subscription. It’s also easy to think in the age of streaming and simulcast—with plenty of titles getting licensed but then instantly buried under the oversaturation of Content and lackluster efforts at marketing—that we have legal access to everything, or at least everything notable. But similar to this year's cult hit Girls Band Cry (until the official English language translation available through Hoopla and, soon on November 6th, Crunchyroll as well), GeNazo fell through the license cracks. 

I shouldn't be too surprised though. While Kitaro is an iconic series with a deep cultural legacy in Japan, its popularity in the USA is much milder. In my experience, people who do know about Kitaro tend to regard it as a piece of classic manga history rather than engaging art or storytelling in its own right. As an older, episodic children’s series fundamentally focused on traditional Japanese folklore, its potential appeal to international audiences is less universal and it's less likely to be taken seriously by manga fans invested in more serialized storytelling. So it is a shame that this movie isn't licensed and officially localized. Tomohiro Harafuchi, the director of Mizuki Productions, said in an interview at the Annecy Festival that he hoped that screening GeNazo there would “inspire the international audience to discover these universes” since Kitaro is less well known outside of Japan. Especially since it stands out as fairly unique work among the other Kitaro movies, series, and other related media.

At this point, you might be wondering what GeNazo is actually about and what my pitch is for watching it besides Hot Anime Guy.

The version that's short and to the point: A nice horror mystery with some decent fujobait and anti-nationalist themes.

The version with a premise like you're reading the back of a DVD case: Mizuki, a salaryman working for a blood bank during Japan’s postwar era, is tasked with visiting a remote village. He hopes to curry favor with a powerful family whose patriarch has just died, causing a power struggle, as well as find out the secret of the miracle drug that they manufacture. Along the way, he meets a mysterious man searching for his missing wife. Violent, strange deaths begin occurring however, and Mizuki soon finds himself wrapped up in a disturbing conspiracy he never anticipated. Find out the twisted origins of one of Japan’s most beloved characters…

My actual, extremely condensed opinion: A fun 3/5 stars movie that I'm kind of ambivalent about.

“Whoa whoa whoa,” you may be wondering, “You wrote all of this about a movie you rated 3/5 on Letterboxd?” The answer is “yes” and I wish I had a better one.

That'll be for another post though, since I can't discuss it without really getting into spoilers.

Note [possible spoilers]: Content warnings for GeNazo include gore, war trauma flashbacks, non-graphic and referenced incestuous CSA, alcoholism, child death.

[canonmisogynyvictimstournament]

We're less than a week out from the official tournament start (hopefully, but don't quote me on that just yet), so now is the time to remind everyone that you can still submit additional propaganda for characters in the tournament here:

A list of characters who still have fewer than three pieces of propaganda, including characters still in the preliminaries (although I have to add that just because a character isn't on this list doesn't mean they aren't in need of more thorough propaganda!):

Ada Vessalius (Pandora Hearts) Alys Brangwin (Phantasy Star IV) Amy Amanda Allen (The A-Team (TV)) Asuna (Sword Art Online) Britta Perry (Community) Brunhilda aka Mym (Dragalia Lost) Carmelita Montoya Fox (Sly Cooper) Celica (Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia) Chloe von Einzbern (Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA ILLYA) Clarke Griffin (The 100) Daenerys Targaryen (Game of Thrones) Dragona Joestar (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) Eileen Leahy (Supernatural) Elektra Natchios (Marvel Comics) Elektra Natchios (NMCU) Elya Musayeva (Топи/The Swamps (2021)) Eve (Paradise Lost) Grelle Sutcliff (Black Butler) Hinata Hyuuga (Naruto) Holy Kujo (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) Illyria (Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel) Iris Sagan (AI: the Somnium Files) Is (Kamen Rider 01) Jade (Dragon Quest 11) Jennifer Lopez (John Dies At The End) Julia (Hellraiser) Julia Wicker (The Magicians) Juvia Lockser (Fairy Tail) Kamala Khan (Marvel Comics) Kanon Fukami (Kamen Rider Ghost) Katherine Pierce (The Vampire Diaries) Konan (Naruto) Kotori Mizuki (Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL) Laurel Lance (Arrow (CW)) Madison Paige (Heavy Rain) Malty S Melromarc (Rising of the Shield Hero) Margaret Houlihan (MASH (Movie 1970)) Megaera (Hades) Mikaela Banes (Transformers) Mikoko Sakazaki (Kaiji) Mikuru Asahina (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) Milla Maxwell (Tales of Xillia) Misaki Unasaka (Buddy Daddies) Nami (One Piece) Nemu Kurotsuchi (Bleach) Nemuri Kayama / Midnight (My Hero Academia) Niki Nihachu (Dream SMP) Nya Smith (Ninjago) Ochette (Octopath Traveler 2) Ophelia (Hamlet) Ophiuchus Shaina (Saint Seiya) Pantha (DC Comics) Poppy Pipopapo (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid) Pussy Galore (Goldeneye) Quiet (Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain) Ran Mouri (Detective Conan) River Tam (Firefly) Saki Momose (Kamen Rider Ex-Aid) Skye (Lost in Blue) Sonia Hedgehog (Sonic Underground) South Dakota (Red vs Blue) Susan Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia) Sweet-P (The Caligula Effect) Sylvanas Windrunner (Warcraft) Sylvia (Two Gentlemen of Verona) Teresa (Maze Runner) Tetra (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker) Throné Anguis (Octopath Traveler 2) Toru Hagakure (My Hero Academia) Yan Hui (Back From the Brink) Zelda (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)