#i welcome discussion

[susansontag]

studio ghibli ranking list let’s go

(will include nausicaä and the red turtle)

the these-are-actually-bad section:

24. earwig and the witch

actually the only one I haven’t watched so it’s cheeky to put it here. but I won’t be watching it and no one will blame me.

23. ocean waves

who sincerely cares about these teenagers they’re so annoying. if the boys had been gay it would have honestly been homophobic.

22. pom poko

this film is about shape-shifting raccoon dogs waging a war on humans and there’s copious jokes about their testicles. so on paper a perfect film. execution wise it’s so long and so boring and you care about none of them.

the cure-for-insomnia section:

21. tales from earthsea

hayao miyazaki was right to walk out of this one even though he probably is a terrible father for having done so. some of the animation was really nice but these protagonists made me yearn for the ocean waves cast because at least they have semi-personalities.

20. castle in the sky

proof miyazaki was judging his son too hard for earthsea because this is basically his version of the same thing: a nice idea with good animation and the most boring boy/girl protagonists imaginable. has got that whimsy he does so nicely however.

the passable-films section:

19. the cat returns

but should he have? was that really necessary? has a scene of cats walking in a procession on their hind legs though so that’s a plus.

18. arrietty

visually gorgeous but otherwise a very run-of-the-mill adaptation of the borrowers, which in something that should feel wondrous is less than ideal.

17. my neighbors the yamadas

some harmless and inventive fun that you can put on in the background whilst eating lunch or doing some light yoga stretches.

the don’t-harm-me-I’m-right section:

16. howl’s moving castle

yes I do in fact understand the intricacies of the plot and I still don’t care. this is one of ghibli’s messiest films for sure, it can’t decide what it wants to be or focus on and the plot just seems to happen and then not happen for no good reason. I also think howl’s a whiny bastard and hate that sophie has to mother him and endure his contemptible man tantrums. a shame because she’s actually cool.

15. grave of the fireflies

it was sweet but I’ve watched more moving animated films set in war-time, even. I don’t have much desire to watch it again honestly but maybe I will at some point.

the this-is-getting-there section:

14. the red turtle

I liked it! an acquired taste but I really felt the harshness of the elements and the cruelty and the love. it's also very beautiful to look at, one of the most visually arresting ghibli productions.

13. only yesterday

a tale of two films with this one. the parts where she's a young girl are much more interesting, but if this had stuck the landing and it'd been more even overall, could have potentially been a favourite. alas.

12. the wind rises

a genuinely weird one in ghibli's lineup, in which miyazaki meshes two different stories together (one of inventive 'genius' and a doomed love story, respectively) in a likely attempt to try and grapple with his having chosen his career over all else, including family (noteworthy is that his wife was not able to retain her career as an animator). as a piece of art it's less whimsical and more mature than many of these films, but I struggle to not let my distaste for what it potentially represents get in the way of my appreciation for it as a film, but it's so blatantly personal that it's impossible.

the that-was-just-a-good-fun-time section:

11. nausicaä of the valley of the wind

aesthetically one of the coolest films on this list but I don't remember the story as well. great protagonist too. must have been great to experience when it first came out in the '80s.

10. porco rosso

I love this film about a tomboy mechanic and some pilot guy who went off to war and was so changed he is now a pig. watching it feels like if the mediterranean was so small it fit into your back pocket and was also populated by all your friends all your enemies and your ex-lover also.

9. from up on poppy hill

I found this one boring the first time I watched it but it really grew on me with subsequent rewatches. I really like her predominantly female household and the community they share in the backdrop of the rest of the drama is sweet. the bit of drama midway through is still batshit though but in a loveable, disney-would-never way.

the near-perfect section:

8. the tale of the princess kaguya

probably takahata's magnum opus with the studio, if slightly overlong. folktales are tricky because they tend to feel moralistic and the characters one-note if you're not willing to build on them but kaguya herself feels very spirited and alive. the prettiest on the list too I'd say.

7. my neighbor totoro

cozy late summer comfort film. perhaps even more special now because I was able to see the london production. cute!

6. when marnie was there

surprised this one has ranked so high for me but that's the power of tomboy lesbians heck yeah etc. also the fantastical element of this one is so up my alley and touches upon a particular kind of childhood nostalgia I have of being in old houses and imbuing them with magical qualities. the image of anna facing the house across the marshland is burned into my retina.

the I'd-die-for-her section:

5. princess mononoke

aesthetically too cool for school and has one of the best ghibli villains and female characters (lady eboshi). they really said all the spirits of the forest are going to die in this one but well it was a nice thought.

4. ponyo

my comfort movie of all-time! heartwarming! with another great female ghibli character in lisa, sosuke's mum who is legally allowed to drive like that apparently. also one I actually watched for the first time in my childhood when I was around 7 or so at an after school club. the subtitles taught me the useful and now underused gem of a phrase "bog off".

3. kiki's delivery service

asks the important questions such as: what if you were a young witch from a dying tradition who moves to a gorgeous town in sweden? what if your remarkable gifts were no longer appreciated due to rapid advancements in aviation technology? what if you could live in a bakery?

2. spirited away

when you're just a timid child who is scared of admittedly a lot and your parents manage to mess everything up spectacularly so now you're forced to work at the age of twelve for people who steal your identity. still one of the best honestly they may never top this as the peak of their artistic achievement.

1. whisper of the heart

have you ever been a struggling artist? have you ever been in love? have you ever been obsessed with john denver's take me home, country roads? in all seriousness love a story of two artistically inclined people inspiring each other and this has a unique feel compared to other ghibli films forever favourite probably. it feels like basically no one has watched it and that's a shame. rest in peace yoshifumi kondō.

[anyanary]

I present to you: fem wangxian

[iphigeniacomplex]

it’s very easy to tell the good satires and pastiches from the bad ones because the bad ones are too afraid to live within the form. like if you are doing work with fairy tales and you are refusing to look closer at the underlying logic and unspoken rules of what can seem at first to be a senseless form, you are not going to create meaningful work. to borrow a turn of phrase originally used by maria tatar, if you refuse to enter “the house of fairy tale” as anything more than a gawking tourist, you will miss the particular order to the way the table is set, the rooms that are locked vs the rooms that are simply difficult to enter, the set of the floorboards and the position of the furniture. whatever you build will then be a gilded imitation of how you believe the house of fairy tale ought to look, the table set according to your educated specifications and every door open. there can be no interrogation of themes from a writer who views the form as beneath them!

[teapetal44]

TW: ABUSE, CHILD ABUSE

“He wants to air this dirty laundry to the world does he…? Dabi, you fiend…you’ve been waiting for this moment…when they couldn’t prevent mass destruction…and faith in heroes is wavering.” - chapter 292

I truly, wholeheartedly, believe that MHA as a story upholds the myth of the perfect victim. I do not want to discuss if Horikoshi did that on purpose, or subconsciously because of inner bias – I find no meaning in doing so. For me the execution of an idea, in the grand scheme of the narrative, holds more value than the intention of the author. I’ve also had my fair share of people infantilizing Asian authors in the anime community for their poor writing decisions for one lifetime. It’s patronizing to both the author and the people reading it. Whether or not Horikoshi intended for his themes of abuse to paint the picture they did does not matter, because that’s how it reads as.

MHA puts victims of abuse in narrow boxes and softly dictates what’s an acceptable reaction to said abuse. Victims are continuously walking a tightrope between being deserving of compassion and sympathy and being unredeemable monsters who are too far gone and are only good for martyrdom after being put down.  

Eri fits the clean cut depiction of abuse victims that media usually gears towards. She is untouched by the cruelty around her - she preserves her innocence and kindness. She isn't assertive, but rather meek and passive. She doesn't fight back with force. And when offered help, she is receptive to it. That is not to say that Eri's depiction doesn't have a place in fiction, or that her portrayal can't be representative of the experiences of some - as we all deal with trauma and the inhumanity people throw at us differently. We see the same thing in the portrayal of Fuyumi, who shares many of the qualities discussed above. The same thing applies to her - i personally love the idea of all the siblings having different reaction to their childhood trauma and abuse. It shows that victims are not some type of monolith.

But the narrative treats the "forgiving" or "receptive to help/support" victims of abuse with more grace and with much more kindness. if you are willing to forgive, or the very least be quietly tolerant, the story grants you a happy ending. Forgiveness isn't a bad thing, it is an individual choice - but an abuse victim shouldn't have to do it for them to have a happy ending.

In a vacuum Eri and Fuyumi's character arcs and depictions of abuse are good but it becomes a problem when that's the only experience and type of victim we ever hold in high value or recognize as valid and deserving of compassion. Which the story reinforces.

Touya and Tenko's backstories aren't pretty nor comfortable or easy to sit through. Their responses to abuse aren't either. Reactive abuse is very much real.

[cosmicdreamgrl]

𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘬 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴: (113/?)┃𝘤𝘳: 0613𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢

[azzayofchaos]

@embers--and--ashes

Here's that Convex lore you were curious about...

Thanks to @queseresere again for some bits a pieces!

So.. The Vex Problem?

While rumors of the mysterious Convex are floating around, and Skizz has become quite suspicious of what exactly this mysterious group entails-- he'll soon learn it's not quite as strange or occult as he first thought!

The Convex is essentially one of those super secret Gentlemen's clubs that rich people like... they play golf on the weekends.

Vex are demonic, but they're vermin, easily summonable nuisances and unfortunately their clubhouse has an infestation. Not all that surprising considering how much of a bother Scar tends to be to the PET Demons.

Scar Goodfellow:

The captain of Hermiton's police force, and an all around shady guy.

He tends to come off as a bit incompetent, even a buffoon, but he's much sharper than most people give him credit for. He catches onto the nature of the disappearances and advises Cleo to lend a occult-knowledged hand in the ensuing investigation.

Grian is under a debt to Scar for the duration of Scar's human lifespan since 'the incident' and Scar can pretty much summon him at will --Scar mostly makes him prank people-- though Grian technically works under Cub at the Permit Office as Cub is just about the only person Grian listens to.

"Cub":

Manager of the Permit Office

He probably used shady means to help put Scar in a position of Power

knows a thing or two about the occult but he is genuinely just a guy...

or like, maybe 0.1% primordial, either way he terrorizes Grian a bit.

He and Scar have that weird Bromance...

More Permit Office stuff:

Cub is the only person who doesn’t seem to mind Grian, Grian definitely minds Cub. 

Grian only willingly  listens to, and is mortally terrified of Cub. He swears Cub is not human, but something else. 

The permit office is Grian’s domain, and has thusly become infused with backrooms vibes. It has that uncanny atmosphere.

Cub refuses to acknowledge that anything is wrong with the office or his one(1) employee. “Others have passed through, and I’m happy to hire, but they never end up staying for long. I mean, I get it man. The work is dismally  boring and the pay isn’t great. Might be nice to get a change of pace, though" "It’s alright though, not like there’s much more work than what Grian and I can handle. We make do”. 

(Everyone in town will tell you just to straight email the permit office higher ups rather than bother with the office at all… honestly, just skip the permit, this is a lawless town…)

The permit office is definitely maybe a front for something, Cub knows what though. (It's illegal fireworks 0_0).

[faggotry-enjoyer]

yknow what i think it's pretty fucked up that my instinctual reaction to hearing any mention of the holocaust is to brace myself for antisemitic talking points. in discussion about a jewish genocide.

holocaust inversion, universalization, minimalization, and denial are inexcusable in any context, and the fact that they've become this common is appalling on every level.

[gooch-cancer]

i feel like the infantilization of lisa throughout the movie was very very real. coming from someone who did deal with being outcasted due to their oddness and mental instability i did deal often with my peers treating me like i was younger than them, acting like i wasn't smart and i saw myself in lisa during those moments. for example, michael and doug calling lisa "kid" or "kiddo" when talking to her or her dad not taking her seriously when showing obvious signs that things are getting worse for her. i often see the adults treating her like a misbehaving child who wants attention instead of a person going through a very rough time in life. they only cared when she passed away. something about the only good victim being a dead one etc.

[royalarchivist]

Wilson took over Rubius' setup today and refused to let him move the camera, going so far as to grab his arm with his tiny little paws MULTIPLE times so Rubius would keep petting him 🥹💕

Wilson is my favorite streamer.

[carrioncider]

bastard's box more like bastard's Ball

[danishphoner]

personal lyric analysis series (3/?): i ain’t quite where i think i am - arctic monkeys

[hydralune]

always thinking about (alkaid voice) Beep

[trillscienceofficer]

These are highly subjective interpretations but to me Jadzia and Seven are two (opposite?) flavors of gender indifference:

Jadzia: gender depends on what's funnier in the moment/what allows her to commit further to the bit. Always aware on some level that she's putting on a show and she loves it, especially if other people get confused. Not her job to explain! Figure it out yourself!

Seven (Voyager edition): wants OFF this ride, it's already a concession that Seven is using I/my/myself pronouns instead of we/us/ourselves, why is being an individual tied so closely to gender in the first place. She/her is, for the moment, just the least exhausting option when interacting with others among pronouns that all feel alien to her

[athousandbyeol]

tianwang and colours

teaser photos of this week's episodes were released and i couldn't stop staring at jiang tian and sheng wang's clothes.

@respectthepetty shared a brilliant post on the drama's colour theory, especially pertaining to the colours jiang tian and sheng wang are wearing or associated with. [thanks so much op for the insightful and beautifully written post ^^]

so, in this photo, jiang tian and sheng wang (maybe) are having a study date outside of school (and they look so domestic and cute and UGH). however, i do notice that jiang tian wears a darker shade of brown while sheng wang wears something lighter.

directly quoting from op's post, "One is light, and the other is dark. One is the sun, and one is the moon. One is warm, and one is cool."

we're so used to seeing jiang tian in dark-coloured clothes (black, grey, blue) while sheng wang always wears something light/bright (orange, white, red, yellow). i think it's such a nice detail to be added in this drama and also jiang tian and sheng wang's characters, considering the progress of their relationship.

i guess, it's showing us how sheng wang has brought light into jiang tian's life, and now he's no longer drenched in only darkness. he still wears darker colours than sheng wang, but it doesn't have that usual gloominess. i think sheng wang balances jiang tian's darkness, and it's just so beautiful to witness this in the upcoming episodes.

[jiang tian's fit: darker brown t-shirt with light-coloured jeans and black high-cut converse; sheng wang's fit: light brown t-shirt with dark blue jeans and yellow converse and socks. they're balancing each other with colours/shades opposite of them.]

and don't get me started on the matching bracelets.....

if my eyesight isn't deceiving me, jiang tian is blue and sheng wang is yellow/brown? again, op uses the motif 'the sun and the moon' to represent jiang tian and sheng wang and i think it's the most accurate representation of their personality.

even though the sun and the moon don't collide, they still belong to the same sky.

i honestly can't wait to see the shift in their relationship. since the walls between them are no longer high, will they finally be united? will there be more than just this feeling of wanting to be closer? what will happen in episode 7 that leads to them wearing these matching bracelets?

so many questions are left unanswered. we just have to wait and see.

[truthsinwhispers]

You guys know that the news about Neil Gaiman isn't a trans advocacy issue, right? Like... you know this is about sexual assault? Hopping on your high horse to discredit these accusations as "right-wing gotcha"s is a HUGE stretch you shouldn't even be thinking of making. What the fuck is wrong with you?

TERFs eat shit and die challenge. This post is not for you. I love my beautiful trans sisters and hope you are all safe and well 🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵

[kaiju-krew]

I hate to be a massive Debbie downer/party pooper but I really don't like this idea of polyamorous shipping because Mothzilla is just too perfect for that kind of thing. Didn't you say some time ago you didn't like the idea of Mothra cheating on Goji and vice versa? Like when you drew Zeuszilla and said that unlike Zeus Goji is actually loyal to his wife haha.

(You can thank Miss Queen B's Monsterverse AU fanfic series for that. If you've read them you can understand why I don't like cheating/poly shipping)

i understand where you're coming from but i think it's worth saying

alternate polyamorous ship =/= a ship cheating on each other

i've always put down a delineation between these things - in my own main au of the kaijuverse, mothzilla is 'exclusive', or as close as you can get to that when we're talking about giant interspecies monster relationships. but i've also been very open about being a multishipping creature at heart, and don't view mothzilla as any less 'perfect' just because i play with the idea of another version of my personal au where they're open/poly. it doesn't take away from, or denigrate their baseline ship dynamic just because i'm willing to explore different dynamics i find interesting.

they wouldn't ever 'cheat' on each other, because they'd never do something outside the pairing without the other's consent. hope that makes sense