#if it's serious it's even funnier. tho also kinda sad.

[httpiastri]

love the lil nicknames the commentators use in indycar like scotty mac and joe new I think it makes the sport more personable and it makes it easier to connect with certain drivers no hate to the f1 commentators I just think the indycar commentators are funnier/more un serious and I feel like it makes it more fun to watch and easier to get into especially with the digs on the hybrid system and the fact they accept it’s new and that it can cause issues. Indycar just gives more family vibes especially with the david will power situation where they had an argument and then made up next week and took funny pictures together, the bus bros and just arrow mclaren being chaotic and pato and rossi jist accepting each new driver as there honorary son. ( my only dig is the ads)

indycar is definitely winning on the nickname side!! sure, certain commentators like to call certain drivers by nicknames, esp ig like italian commentators for ferrari drivers and so on, but at least my commentators dont rlly go for any nicknames… pretty sad!

but also, i'm only able to watch indy with swedish commentators, and they dont really talk abt the american nicknames… like i still know of them tho even tho my commentators dont use them!! they mainly just talk about marcus ericsson's hometown ?? 🥲 but yeah they definitely seem more free in some way, even the swedish ones. i dont watch f1 with swedish commentary anymore (only f1tv these days 💔) but i feel like they were funnier too. it's kinda like how at least the f1tv commentators act a little funnier during practices at least since they know it's not as serious? idk

[abcdosaka]

media time

im soo excited for the jjk anime. the manga is really good rn too the fight is so interesting. when gojo dies >>

ive also been reading hiroyuki nishimori manga lately. i started w i'm doshiro bc i was high and i read the description and it sounded funny and i read like 25 chapters and it was actually a knee slapper especially high it was really really good. it started getting a little serious after that so reading it sober i was like ._. but it was still fun. i might reread the beginning bc i really forgot

then i read all of cheeky angel and now i'm watching the anime. im kinda obsessed with it like idk its really really good and same thing happened where it was funny but then shit got really serious toward the end but i think it worked better here. its interesting bc its kinda dated (obviously since its 20 years old) but also very progressive in its view of gender roles.

like since the audience thinks that megumi is a boy and has the mind of a boy she is right to think the way she thinks/behaves, i.e. her want to be cool and reliable and strong is taken seriously but even given the spoiler that doesn't change she's still a serious character which i really appreciate. obviously bro did not have trans people in mind when creating this manga but it’s interesting to see the idea of changing genders taken seriously when normally genderbending is like a fetish thing in manga. and literally every character is bisexual as a result thats crazy. even keiko. i love keiko she's so much funnier in the anime idk who they got doing her voice but she's a star. anyway point is its nice that in the end, even though her identity is important to her, equal importance is given to her as a person

oh also abt the manga. the viz translation is really... like idk who was translating it but anime fans in the early 00s were not real bro nobody talked like that not even in american comics or whatever they were trying to emulate to make them appeal to western audiences. they were doing way too much esp in the early chapters. it got better later on but overall the anime delivers the comedy way better

ig the one thing thats like ermm is that the gender roles are sooo enforced in the society depicted in the manga like ik its how it is/was but damn. my parents go easy on me like i haven't done anything feminine (that was forced on me and wasn't out of my own desire to act feminine) basically ever. and i was never really all that feminine anyway. maybe its bc i was pretty passive too so they let it slide

the early art style was so pretty im kinda sad it changed but ig its nice how stylized it became toward the end. also the 2nd ending is SO good

anyway i will be reading kyo kara ore wa after. reading these made me realize i love delinquent manga. oh i might finally continue reading slam dunk too i'm in the mood for some old shit

what else. i watched paul high. that shit was ASS truly terrible idk wtf letterboxd reviewers are on there was maybe 2 funny lines and im surprised bc some really good comic actors are in that like they couldn't have spoke up and been like hey maybe we should stop embarassing ourselves. points for the lesbian tho i forget her name but its sue sylvester. but anyway i was high and that movie had me completely stone faced like WHAT

last thing. im looking forward to hwasa cb. she released some of her greatest hits when she had auburn hair so i am ready for her to serve

[iamnmbr3]

I get not liking the writing for the show, but the acting and directing were fine. You're just sexist. You people are so bitter. Why devote so much time to saying nasty things and making assumptions about people you don't even know? You guys are over-analyzing and reaching so hard you're probably going to throw your back out. It's completely fine to not like the show, but damn, you really take it to an unhealthy extreme.

lmaoooooo. anon I am screaming. this is so funny. is this a troll? this has got to be a troll right? Someone couldn’t write this ask saying nasty things and making assumptions (and wasting their time attacking a blog for the crime of having a different opinion from them instead of just...staying in their own line) and say something as incredibly ironic as “Why devote so much time to saying nasty things and making assumptions about people you don't even know?” by accident right? right??? You know that’s hypocritical right? You gotta. 

Please tell me this is a troll and not a serious ask. please tell me that you didn’t in all seriousness send hate mail full of incorrect assumptions to a stranger online who you know hardly anything about bc you couldn’t cope with the fact that they didn’t like a tv show you watched, and then accuse me of taking things to unhealthy extremes. Please. I am begging you. Tell me you aren’t serious. Bc this is some grade A clowning and I genuinely laughed so hard. 

[overdramaticly-dying]

Many Unhappy Returns

Sorry for being gone from these for so long! I was really upset after Rise ended, and just sorta lost my energy there for a while- but I am feeling pretty confident that we can get it back!! 

In the meantime though, it’ll be fun to talk about some episodes! So per request that is over six months old now (sorry @alwayshere195​) Many Unhappy Returns!

- We all know how much the visuals in this show absolutely slap but this episode really kicks it off right away with beautiful scenery

- “Thanks for doing the dirty work for us! Big up Shreddy!” (the fact that this is their super-great-Grandfather makes this so much funnier for reasons I can’t explain)

-Leo would have been seriously injured in the Shredder hadn’t just disappeared like that

- “You fools! You have doomed humanity!” “Have we? No seriously, tell me, this has all been very confusing.”

- “Wow, one season later and I still got full battery, nice!”

- Leo’s overall support of his brothers and his confidence that they can handle it is actually really sweet

- April’s ‘get to safety song’ 

-”Two data points? You’re hypothesising with two data points? Scoff!” 

*Fifteen minutes later*

- ok but just in general, I just really love that they aren’t afraid to have Mikey have genuinely good ideas

- “No one’s responding, I’m the only one who made it!”

- “really? cause’ I thought my overall ninjocity was totally working” “It wasn’t”  “I’m pretty sure it was about to...”

- “She’ll help me! I’m the face man, people love me!” “Last time you saw her she tried to kill you.”  “Who hasn’t?”

- why are there so many good Leo lines? Also, just in general, despite this being a serious episode, the comedy still slaps while not seeming out of place- this is why I love rise tbhhh

-ngl the entire scene where Splinter tells Leo that Big Mama is his ex is probably one of the funniest things ever

- Splinter apparently met Big Mama in 1984- I kinda wonder if that was a nod to the fact that the og tmnt comic books came out in ‘84

- Splinter’s story is actually really sad tho- he lost so many people in his life, and finally thought he had found happiness with Big Mama, who he assumed was just a driver, not even an actor. Then he was betrayed by her.

-Big Mama’s assistant is there, just standing around and looking cool while the entire fandom begs to know if it’s Venus de Milo

- Leo’s whole plan while Splinter just freaks out in the back

- out of context, this shot is great, but with added context, it’s even better. Like u know that awkward moment when your grandfather walks in on you trying to kill him?

- eventually Donnie just goes on his phone while their tickling Shredder, and Mikey just chills on Shredder’s shoulders. Like sure, why not

- “You have thrown me into the lion’s den!” “I think it’s more of a kraken’s den”

- It’s the first time we hear Splinter say Leonardo’s name fully, and he’s just telling him to shut tf up

- “My other sons would’ve taken this seriously!” *cuts to them tickling Shredder*

- FREAKIN MIKEY LIFTING THAT ENTIRE BOAT????? IT’S AWESOME

-asdfghjjhgfd foreshadowing as to what the drill is for??? yes please not to mention the shot is just simply amazing

- APRIL FREAKING O’NEIL WHO GOT A CRANE LICENSE  BC OF POSSIBLE FIGHTS WHERE IT MIGHT BE USEFUL???? WE STAN but also what was that conversation like with her parents

-Kraken Tom and the Evil Six. Why is that so funny.

- ngl, Leo’s plan reveal actually had me gasping the first time I watched it. Like idk, despite them showing several times in the first season that Leo is incredibly smart and good at planning, it never clicked in until this episode for me, and I think that was a pretty popular experience- the audience realized just how smart Leo actually was at the same time Splinter did, but it was still seriously foreshadowed and didn’t feel random- just A+ writing for ya there folks

- “I have calculated that this is the site of our final resting spot- I mean, go team!”

- Donnie with his own headstone will forever be iconic and relatable af, but also just another way to add in how much I love the team behind Rise, and how much effort they put into this show

- Leo guessing that April finally used her crane license was kinda sweet tho

- “Trust me.”  “I do.” 

- Donnie and Mikey are both so terrified while they fight, but they still do it, and idk, I think it’s really important that they showed main characters who are still strong and fight despite being scared.

- WHOLESOME- also Splinter hugging Leo tightly idk I just think it’s sweet

- Splinter just shoving his sleeping children into the sewers gives off tired dad vibes and we stan

- one last thing: I love how in Rise, you really get the sense that they don’t want to be fighting the Shredder, they don’t ever want to deal with this. You want them to beat the Shredder because you know they have ‘normal’ lives to get back to, that ultimately they’re kids who still want to get back home in the end, and while I doubt any of the other tmnt turtles wanted to fight their Shredder, it hits a little differently in Rise- maybe that’s because we see a lot more of their normal lives- but I thinks it’s really cool that the writers provided a scenario like that.

tl;dr- this is an epic episode, but the more serious nature of the plot doesn’t mean that it lacks the comedy- in fact, the tone matches with the rest of the show perfectly, and it’s seriously awesome that they managed to pull it off. It’s a great episode for the start of a new season, and has a bunch of foreshadowing as well.

[chezforshire]

AU where marceline is the school's local harana for hire she writes quick songs for anyone who wants to have a song sung for anyone for whatever reason they want

It's usually a lot of love songs (she's gotten tired of this really fast) but sometimes she gets requests for songs for friends

Anyway, Lady and Jake help her out with this business by making bouquets and playing along with her respectively. And Bon is usually just someone she bounces ideas with cause Marce may know so many people, but there's still a number of rich prissy losers that Bon knows and that's usually her clients. Also, Bon loves getting to stretch her writing skills.

(Though she's also pretty tired of love songs)

Marce gets a commission one day to make a song for Bon and she just kinda. Stares at it. Her clients aren't anonymous. Well, not usually. A lot of her songs are made from shared memories and the small percent made from flowery words are usually douchelords who are too confident about their place to think they'd need anonymity in case of rejection.

So when she sees that this one didn't have a name she was a little... confused. There was also the fact that Bon is notorious for saying no to everyone who tries to ask her out. And not in a way where friends tell friends this, but more of she said no to a guy who payed the whole school to get in on his grand plan to ask her out

(Even Marce tho it wasn't for a song. It was more of he asked her to drive Bon to school at a specific time. She obviously told Bon this but they didn't have a lot of time to talk about it bc the guy texted everyone their roles literally on midnight and wired the cash after sending the message.

A little worrying how he not only got everyone's number but also everyone's bank account. She and most of her friends changed phones then bc that was creepy as all hell)

She doesn't tell Bon. Not because of some customer confidentiality or whatever but because... Well she doesn't really know. It just made her irrationally irritated and sad. Odd.

She takes far longer than usual to reply to this. She doesn't understand the hesitation. Or maybe she does? Bon has called her a bleeding heart a million times and she guesses thats the reason. She feels bad for them and doesn't want to watch another person who put in effort be rejected. Yeah that's it. She should tell him that. Maybe they were new or something. It'll be fine, plus they didn't want a full song so they werent paying much. Yeah, that sounds like a game plan.

The next day she says yes and wonders all day why she did that

For about a month she keeps this commission to herself. She spaces out more than usual during this time. Not quite disassociating, just staring into space and thinking.

Bon isn't worried bc this is usually how she gets when she's got a song in the works. She needles her about what it is and who it's for, but she generally deflects and at some point just straight up lies and says some random names.

She also learns more about her client. They're not new, they've actually known Bon for about 3 to 5 years. They're pretty close apparently and actually knows Marce personally. Theyve talked several times and have hung out here and there too. (That sure didn't make her anxiety and paranoia skyrocket)

She feels a lot of anxiety and worry and trepidation and god other irrational shit about this commission. She doesn't really tell anyone (something her therapist, or Bon more importanly Bon, would frown at) so she's just left to wallow about it on her own. She tries working on it as much as she can but it just feels... wrong somehow. She doesn't really get it but she feels like she'll lose something because of this. She doesn't get it. She knows they'll be rejected and they'll all laugh at it in the end and just.

What is it. What's wrong.

She feels a tap on her shoulder and she almost falls off her bed. Jake's apparently been trying to talk to her for a solid minute and oh jeez now he's got that Worried Big Brother look.

He peers at her and asks what's wrong and not-so-subtly threatens that he'll stay and use his Big Brother mode on her if she tries to lie to him

She just sighs heavily and curls up

"Someone commissioned a suicide mission"

Jake makes an 'o' with his mouth. Theyve always called anyone who tried to flirt with Bon a suicide mission and laughed pretty hard at it. Even Bon calls the poors souls who try suicide missions.

She uncurls a bit and faces Jake with a small smile, ready to laugh with him about it as she should. But for some reason Jake just... Looks at her with this worried look. Not his patented Im-Worried-For-You-Little-Sibling but more of one would give to a friend when they know something they don't.

Marce laughs, shakey and unsure. "What? S'not like this doesn't happen. It's Bon, ya know? The sweatheart of the school." With a mean streak that rivals the devil, she adds quietly- fondly- in her head.

Jake just nods slowly. He drags his eyes away from her and stares at her wall, eyes unfocused.

Marce starts having a bit of a panic because what is that face, why is Jake acting like this, is there somethin on her wall, wait does he know the client, is he friends with the client, is he the client, w-

Jake flops his short, chunky body on her bed and pulls her to lay down too. Roughly, might she add. And not to mention absolutely unexpected.

He's smiling again, big and all teeth. It twitches for a second when he makes eye contact but bounces back so quick she thinks she might have imagined it.

"Ha! You're gonna write for a suicide mission this is hilarious!" He makes a move to ruffle her hair and she just starts flailing to avoid this. "Man! I haven't seen one in a while so this'll be fun at least. Something else to keep us busy other than those stupid douchefucks who thinks a song is a sure fire way to get laid."

Marce is confused but doesn't question this sudden change. Plus it actually helps? She snickers -because no, she doesnt giggle she is cooler than that- at the thought of watching the client be rejected before Marce can even pull out her guitar.

"Yeah, threw me off like hell cause Bon is practically legendary but hey apparently there are still some brave souls out there."

"Oh dude, I've got a great ass idea," Jake sits up and leans on his elbows, "Let's keep this a secret from princess. Oh and Lady cause you know she cant keep anything from her."

Marce kinda laughs at this in confusion. "Uh what? Why? If you haven't noticed my services include a bouquet and unless you've learned flower language I dont think we can take Lady outta the equation."

He snorts "I may not know flowers, but I know my girlfriend. I can just be vague and she'll take it as a challenge and try to make the perfect bouquet. S'no problem on that front.

"I figured we could keep it a secret so we can see Bon's pure and raw reaction. Like I said, there hasn't been a suicide mission in a looooong while so she probably doesn't expect this. And it'll be way more funny cause someone commissioned you for it. Where it is no secret that a) you do this and b) you get help from the three of us."

"You got a point there detective. Bur fair warning, Bon will be giving us the stink eye for days if we do this. Especially me because she's my thesaurus and metaphor maker. You know how she loves taking credit for making them sound like a stupid romance novel."

"Psh, she loves you to hell and back. She'll just pout at you for a while and when you buy her her favourite candy it'll be right as rain."

Okay, that sounded valid but at the same time Marceline kind of shut down after Jake said Bon loves her so uh she guesses she'll just trust that it'll be fine?

" 'nother idea," Jake says softly. He's looking at he- actually. No he's not looking at her, hes just looking her way but his eyes are just. Not there.

"Uh, shoot"

"Make this song the best you've ever made."

Marceline laughs for a second before she realizes okay wait Jake is serious about that. What. Why the fuck would she do that.

He shrugs and smiles again. Soft and pitying -what why why is Jake acting like this what the fuck- and he gestures around a bit before speaking.

"Well, first off it'll be good practice for you. You've been workin with Bon for about as log as you've been doing this so think of this as a test to see how you are now on your own.

"Second, well ya gotta admit if you pull out a banger and Bon actually likes it it'll be way funnier cause you can sing it and she'll look all annoyed but you can see that her tapping her foot and bobbing her head. It'll be funny for everyone involved.

"And lastly," Jake takes a deep breath before speaking, as if this is one of the toughest things he's done in a while. "Call it a father's intuition."

She stares at him. She- she doesn't know hwo to react to that.

After a second, Jake cracks a soft smile and "Did you get Lady pregnant, you fucking askal" just slips out of her mouth.

Jake laughs loud and boisterous at this and Marce just follows.

Yeah, she might as well make this the best one she's ever made. The client won't get the girl, but at least she can make her like it

[sixcastappreciation]

sixcago gave me my gay rights

alternative title: review of the evening sixcago show on july third

this is like almost 4k and its mostly just rambling but i need to express how much i love sixcago

like at least half of this is just me being gay so i bolded some of the things that i found really interesting and isnt just me like, freaking out

so to start off: holy shit. the energy of the entire show was amazing, it was really funny and fun and the acting/dancing/singing was on point like i cant think of a single complaint on the part of any of them.

so to get into the actual show

ex wives

when the curtain came up and the smoke started pouring out i actually felt my soul leave my body it was such a good moment

less than thirty seconds in brittney mack made eye contact with me and i swear to god my heart stopped and i honestly had trouble focusing on the rest of the song

i am not exaggerating that is the whole truth and nothing but the truth

shes............. literally so good im still shaking as i write this like three hours later

the third repetition of the rhyme where they all sound kinda pissed off? they nailed that

adrianna was so cute when she said “you wont try that again”

andrea holy shit. thats really a wrap on that

abby got that like, kinda head in the clouds thing that i feel like is janes Brand during this part

when he saw my portrait he was like JaaAAaaa

i love brittney mack

courtney knew what she was doing with that prick line. get it girl

anna has the most angelic voice i swear to god

the six of them work really well together on stage???? like i know its all choreo and stuff but you could Feel the energy that they had together it was good

oh man the choreo for the end. im so gay

intro thingy:

adrianna with that riff!!!!! we stan

annas face after “herstory” was iconic. she knew what she had done wrong

you couldnt hear the intro for maggie bc people were cheering so loud

the way adrianna says maria made me gay

abby also knows what she had to say. she knows how cursed janes sense of humor is and she was really playing it up

protestent............ protestant

“we’ll tell you what you want what you really really want” this made me laugh so hard i dont rly remember the next like thirty seconds because i was dying

“the biggest.... the firmest......... the fullest..............” im. i cant

no way

“maria” AGAIN adrianna please. please i cant handle it

“OH muy bien aHHah” not to be Lesbian On Main but fuck this was so cute

her emotion during the monologue was SO funny

it was peak, it was so good

she really gets it. i dont totally know what it is but this aragon monologue gets it

when she said “really trying” she did like, a motion. i cant go into more detail but Fuck

so after “move me into a convent” everyone like, gathered around aragon and adrianna did a

well idk what youd call it but a like

her entire torso swung around in a huge circle right before “i dont think i’d look that good in a wimple”

and idk what it was but that part just made me Lose It

adrianna had this way of making it all a little funnier?

like catherine is usually pretty Serious, i think but it felt like adrianna knew she was playing a character who was Like That, if you will, and was kinda leaning into breaking the fourth wall a little

i can probably elaborate if that doesnt make sense

you say its a pity cos quoting leviticus ill end up kiddiless all my life

she said that with such conviction goddamn

oh, he doesnt remember

this was so good

the “sh-”s were really funny

the fucking. i dont know what it is but the *ting*

holy shit

i cant put into words

how much i loved that part

the pause after “i’ll go” was............ expansive

i just checked it was 10 whole seconds

that doesnt sound long but it felt like forever

she went high on “end of my life” and thank u for mine adrianna hicks

the amount of no’s was impressive and im heart eyes for it

adrianna just had really good stage presence

like i caught myself looking at her during the dance breaks of all the songs when i wasnt looking at brittney

it was just so fun to watch her go!

dluh

during the intro of like “yeah, you know, the really important one” andrea was doing some Dumb Shit in the background

like i dont know exactly what it was but she was just like

idk like noodling around in the back

and i caught her eye and she like, smiled a little

the gasps the rest of them did were....... cute

then andrea busted out a full on fucking witches cackle

then she stuck her tongue out and looked like she was taking a selfie and it was so cute

like, her tongue was OUT

“not my thing” had the BIGGEST uwu energy of anything ive ever heard

i thought people were kidding when they said andrea boleyn had uwu energy

they were not

pret a manger barely came across as a real line it was more like, an experience

the sorry not sorry choreo. its so funny and cute and simultaneously cursed

the way andrea delivered her lines here was just

it was like, cutesy and fun but also kind of cursed

uwu

when she said “are you blind” andrea like, gestured to herself, in a like “look how hot i am” kinda way

which might be the standard? either way it made me laugh a lot

don’t be bitter/cos im fitter was the only line in the entire production said with a british accent and it fucking slayed me on sight one hit ko

i actually like that they changed “mate, what was i meant to do” to “wait, what was i meant to do” because

it implies that anne had no other train of thought than the one she was on and thats very funny to me

i think it fits w andreas portrayal too

everyone was like, fake crying when anne fake walked down the aisle and it was really funny imo

and as soon as she got to the end anne like, turned, yk?

bro just shut up

the entire audience gasped after that

andrea had actual like, panic on her face

then she led into “i guess he just really liked my head”

and there was a beat after that, where everyone laughed

it was long enough that everyone got the joke

then she mimed the blow job

her riff on “hell”? iconic

“wait, didnt you actually die” no jane she was beheaded but she was fine

abby seymour said dumbass rights she has the Dumbest Bitch energy god

“catherine of aragon had tragically died” catch adrianna looking like, yeah it was so sad for me, how terrible, right?

then boleyn goes off

the. fury, passion, anger, zest, contained in andreas “MASSIVE-”

“over my dead body” andrea gave her this look like, youre damn right it will be

heart of stone

oof

okay so the monologue

oof

“i was lucky. okay, i was really lucky” o o f

“edwina” is still cursed tho

i dont know what it was about this. i dont know if it was abby, or the dialogue, or just it being live but

this made it clear that jane had been Through It

like, this monologue came across (to me at least) as unquestionably a “woman who was abused trying to justify it to herself” kind of situation

“and that’s not because i was scared,” she said, wearing an absolutely terrified expression

this is where she started tearing up i think

okay i gotta take a moment here because

abby was fully crying before the song even started

like somewhere about halfway through her monologue she started tearing up

i was looking for it specifically

i wrote this before the last part so see above

so by the first fucking like of hos you could hear her voice breaking

holy shit ms meuller what the fuck

im not kidding who gave her the right

at the stagedoor she said that after this she was like, “well thats it for my makeup” when someone complimented her song

she is crying. the first chorus and she is actively crying. in the breaks between her lyrics you can hear her crying

abby went high on a couple of notes in here

she riffed on “truthfully” and it was, wow

she didnt go for the whistle tones which was, honestly? the most relatable thing in this entire show

but a couple of the other notes she went high on and they were so killer

there was a second or two of pause after the end where everyone just, absorbed things before the applause

i have some questions for abby about this actually because i dont know if its just because the monologue was different than im used to but

i just want to know if abby meant to have everything come off like That but god

the mental gymnastics jane is doing here are so intense

this performance genuinely changed how i listen to hos forever

i dont think i can ever peacefully listen to this song again

this song gave me so many layered emotions thank u abby mueller

haus of holbein

hans................................. *holbein*

the chaos

i honestly barely remember most of it it was

i had no idea who to be looking at

but i remember it being beautiful

i dont have the words to express how

fucking funny it was

the accents were hilarious

like they werent great german accents, but that made it far better

they were leaning into the ridiculousness of it all

the way abby said “but we cannot guarantee that you’ll still walk at forty” had me on the ground

ive spent the last 24 hrs trying to figure out exactly why it was so funny and i think i got it

she dropped the german accent

and she straight up sounded like she was reading off the side effects of a pharmaceutical ad on tv

the freeze frame? legendary

anna and courtney (im pretty sure?) managed to look so genuinely offended that henry swiped left on them

your highness your highness your highness

god adrianna please

actually every h sound that came out of their mouths

but adrianna Got It

get down

oh god i gotta talk about “didnt live up to his expectations”

brittney like, half took off her jacket and gestured to her body and like, body rolled a bit and honestly? i was fucking dead

the sarcasm really jumped out here. brittney went off in the best way possible

she was fully fake sobbing right before “tragic”

fucking legend

brING me some pheasant!

the woof line is always a good moment but their facial expressions really made it work here

this song has the most outwardly complex choreo (ofc i cant speak to its actual difficulty) and every single one of them crushed it

brittney made eye contact w me again on “looking cute” and im deceased

oh god after “take my fur” she whispered “thank you. honestly” and gestured to herself again and like, i was dying

iirc brittney was like, skipping across the stage or something on “i look more rad” and snapped into position for “lutheranism”

we gotta take a moment to appreciate the operatic talent of that one “get down you dirty rascal” instead of the slo mo

like, ofc the slo mo is a good moment but

brittney went full opera and it was,

wow

shes got a voice on her holy shit

so much talent in such a tiny body

aCHYEAH

she picked the person sitting next to me to dance w her and

they did their cute little dance thing and then brittney gestured like, go sit down, and the person did, then stood back up and started dancing again

not like, in a bad way i dont think

it was super fuckin funny and after the song brittney was like “oh that was cute you think youre funny”

but i heard them talking at the stagedoor and like, brittney was chill it wasnt like a violation of anything

im not explaining it very well but it was really funny in person

everything about her on stage was just, so enrapturing

i dont have too many specific notes about this song because it would probably turn into just, me being gay, which is enough of this already

anyway! get down was good brittney mack is a stellar cleves

her fake crying is next level tho

the confrontation

boleyn, unprompted: i lost my head!

the beheaded cousins high fived after “nice neck” and like, stuck out their necks a bit it was so funny

seymours “i died”

we all know abby is gonna kill her line delivery

but GOD

and then after, she like, realized what she had said and struck a pose like, shit please still think im regal

the line itself was actually pretty, uhhhh, sad

theres something about boleyn roasting khoward in andreas voice

courtney with that “and your songs” had perfect timing

also “when will justice be SERVED” had such good punch to it

after she did that she like

rubbed her hand on janes face

and abby looked SO offended

theres something so, sincere about courtneys delivery of her roasts that i hadnt been getting and its SO much funnier to me

i forget exactly where but at some point boleyn aragon and howard were arguing

and in the background it really looked like seymour and cleves were having a normal conversation and i lost it like. they were just chattin

there were a couple moments of like, cleves and seymour interacting and it was interesting

aywd

courtney! mack! took! no! prisoners!

jesus christ

okay so i dont know if other howards do this or if it was just because i was seeing it live and up close and that made the difference but

for me the most compelling part of this howard was the fear

like yes there was the sadness/anger/etc like there was good emotion but

from the “he says we have a connection” re: henry, and then on, everything about courtneys body language just screamed that she was afraid

idk i might expand on this in a separate post because its a darker topic but yeah. holy shit that was emotional

not a single person clapped after the last line. they all waited until after “yeah, and then i was beheaded” before clapping

like the theater was dead silent. DEAD silent

it was like, so haunting because it was just courtney on stage at that point, with just the white spotlight on her, it was a Moment

im not sure i have the heart right now to get too deep into this

if it would be particularly interesting to anyone feel free to ask, im happy to get more into it but idk its just Emotional

actually this is already so long ima go for it

so on each “we have a connection” it was uhhhh parr and aragon (i think) who each put a hand on like, her clavicle

and for the first two verses she grabbed one of the hands and was like, flirty? ig

but on the one about henry seymour also put a hand around her waist and she like

she freaked out

and listening back to the audio i can

unpopular opinion perhaps but the actual emotion of her on stage didnt come thru in the audio

because it was so physical

like you could see how scared she was

which made it more relateable to me honestly

like she looked so so scared

it was heartbreaking

the confrontation part ii

oh BOOH OO MISTERESSES

“okay catherine, babes” is CUTE fight me

anna looked like, progressively more concerned as that beat went on, and then she just kinda like, deflated? it was really funny tbh

idk her parr feels Different than the parr im used to

during “oh im catherine parr i draw the line in arbitrary places” courtney was playing with her hair it was hashtag cute

BACKING VOCALS RIP CATHY PARR

idnyl

a cute little b flat major 7

yeah anna parr seems

hmm

she seems like she’s just, over henry

like from the start she just has no time for him

idk im Conceptualizing

anna uzele is

her voice is next level

she put survived in the “got married to the king became the one who survived” in air quotes which i think is an interesting note

anna got really physically into the “remember that...” bit of it and everyone in the back was also having a good time with it it was Good

andrea. she stuck her pointer finger between two of her other fingers on her other hand for the “my sixth finger” line and it was SO funny

khoward keeping aragon in line was

not the hot take i was expecting but nevertheless the one we deserved

both for “dissolution of the monasteries” and “well actually”

idk it was a cute character moment

one of *unsure, disgusted, vaguely annoyed* siiiIIIiix

abby was right in front of me and she looked SO uncomf

yeah, i read

iconique

andrea like, threw her head back for this line

the pause after “theres not much we can do about it now” is

painfully long and so so so funny

i was only really looking at brittney but she was like, arms down head up no body language it was SO funny

also her “yeah?” ended my life

she raised the mic up to her mouth while not moving an inch of the rest of her body

the part where they get all meta. has me dead

it was about halfway through this second part that i realized cleves had her coat back. i dont know when that happened. if anyone else knows when exactly anna of cleves gets her coat back after it gets taken off in get down please tell me. i genuinely want to know

this actually distracted me

i got vibes that they genuinely hated henry during this part

first off, mood

secondly, good

annas riffing. god.

she is so talented

dsfjksdf they all straight up left

six

the opening moment is really sweet and kinda funny

abby again killing it with janes cursed lines

courtney howard is actually so cute

when shes not being heartbreakingly sad that is

like her “bye!” was so cute

theyre all so supportive of each other its very cute

megasix

adrianna and abby both looked into my camera and like, i died

at the end anna and brittney were doing some dumb shit as they walked off stage and it was SO cute

after the show

i went to the stagedoor and it was a really fun experience! ive never done that before

it seemed like everyone was being pretty respectful and stuff, thank u six fans for being sane

i got four signatures on my program dklfjsldfjds

abby was such a sweetheart, we actually talked a tiny bit

i told her i loved her line delivery (because uhhhhhh i do) and she said that she tries to get in that comedic timing when she has Those Lines and like yeah

she was seriously the nicest

the ladies in waiting came out as well and everyone cheered for them and lets be real they DESERVE it

lemme sidebar here actually and talk about the ladies in waiting because

they killed it

bessie on the bass was living her best life at literally all times

brittney was also super sweet! i told her she had good energy (because uhhhhhh she does) and she was very nice about it!!!

i didnt really talk to anna or andrea but i got their signatures!

also speaking of my program im still losing my mind over “remembered for: headlessness” and “remembered for: staying alive”

thank u sixcago program

in conclusion! this was such a great+special experience!!! all of the actors were incredible, it was so wonderful

im also not claiming any of this stuff was unique to this performance or to sixcago in general this was just the stuff i noticed as i was watching it. if you clown on this post ill end u

[cielospeaks]

v happy to put out this guda5 event review!

Story- 9/10. only putting as 9/10 bc technically i dont like that they use only avenger and not archer nobu (like. she exists. tho tbh its mostly my gripes w avenger nobu as a whole character on a lot of levels) however it doesnt detract that much from the story. the story was really fantastic! it was bizarre, but also knew when to take things seriously, and i think it fleshed everyone out a lot which was nice (i do like katsu in funnier roles as well, but for a story abt familial ties and katsu kinda... growing to stand up for himself without his big sister a more serious tone was much better). the antagonists got nice arcs and are def in the same category as other guda npcs that “gosh i wish you were playable”. the memes abt serizawa’s strategy to attack on a weekday and stuff were funny also. anyways pretty top tier! def my favorite story of gudaguda events so far. i loved the relationship between katsu and himichans brother (and the ending between them made me even more hyped abt katsu servant, tho i wish he and himichan had lines together), and izous role especially in the event! he really shone and he deserved it so much, im so proud of him!

Free servant- n/a (counting katsu as gacha). no free servant, but unlike something like saber wars 2 it wasnt fucking bullshit. see gacha area

Gacha servant- 11/10. it gets this high a rating bc the whole gacha was excellent. the ces were nice, the characters were amazing! and it used the fp gacha awesomely also, by means of katsu! limited 1 star is rough, but w farming friend points in the event and 1 stars being easy enough to summon id say its easier than mori or izou, who are limited 3 stars. and as far as the quartz gacha i was so happy to see himiko added! at first i was scared bc i was watching the announcement w no sound but had a bad feeling the 5 star would be himi (and that id be sad not to roll her) but then she came home like... after 60 quartz! bless her heart. and hajime mightve eaten more but he came home easily enough too! thank you both so much ;w;

Event gameplay- 7/10. like summer the gameplay was fine enough, i like the easier clear events (tho it is satisfying to clear a “tough” boss with a good strategy, like rulerteam, for hard level events). himiko absolutely slays at everything! the bosses weren’t too hard but were satisfying. raids arent my favorite thing but i prefer them to like... the cf event last year. the farming was sweet, i kept thinking of the “its a farm” line and the first summer event, it was a nice nostalgic throwback. also katsu and himichans lines for picking up the farming stuff are nice.

Other- 8/10. ok first thing first, the okita costume was like. A+++++ tier. i know its only a small appearance change but she looks so good! not that her usual outfits arent good, its just like! idk maybe just the novelty but its a good look for her! and the animation up + hiji strengthening was a nice gift too! (i know that was before but still). again, npcs were wonderful and i was happy to see them, and bless them implementing katsu as playable, it gives me hope ;w; kinda sad that besides shibata in flashbacks the other npcs were absent (and heck, mori barely got any screentime either ;n; ) my theory is that odd number gudagudas are focused on okita/bakumatsu/shinsengumi and even numbers are focused on nobu/sengoku. we’ll see next year if thats correct, and if so it could mean our old buddies akechi/shibata/maxwell might get another crack at being servants (maybe even our two new friends from this one as well, but idk). it would be funny if we got a weird jttw crossover w wukong and guest appearance from xuanzang, but that might just be too out there lol.

oh and i forgot to mention abt myroom! it was nice! honestly the event (and maybe partly the sheer novelty that i barely know anything abt yamatai era) revived that feeling i had initially abt “im so excited to set off on a history adventure!” w go and other such games/series. i think this song sums it up. the music was also very nice!

Overall- 9/10.

as far as gudaguda events this one is by far the best imo. katsu becoming playable, and both the story and characters being solid. no free 4 star is a bit sad, but im much more glad katsu is a 1 star (he gets sweet outfits!). sure his np would prolly be different if he was a 4 star but it fits his character as it is (tho im never using it unless i can give him guts ;w; ). himiko, one of my most desired servants, also is added and thats awesome! hajime chan is very cute also and im super happy to see him in the game. ofc being a gudaguda event it introduces new characters and promptly confines them to npc heck, but.... katsu exists so... there’s hope? i esp feel for shibata and serizawa, they deserve to be playable so bad.

for reference, id say the shishou event was a solid 6/10. decent gameplay, not quite as fun to see the lineups as the previous years (i liked how in the loud king events they were introduced like... wrestling teams or something) but the gameplay was largely the same and i loved the misty scotland castle setting (if it wasnt obvious by my happy abundant macbeth references). shishous bunny suit is cute but i dont have her, nor any plans (i like summer shishou just fine), and as a character i like her better than the loud kings, but it just felt... more fitting? i guess? with the event structure. but either way, not a bad event by a long way. the loud king fest events arent my favorite as a whole, so thats mostly why its not higher.

[lethesomething]

The definitely not definitive sports anime guide

So I did a thing a while back (a year ago, in fact) where I tried to make a primer for sports animes. I have since watched Many, Many More so let's do this again (still no Daiya no Ace tho). Based purely on my own meandering experience, here's a hopefully comprehensive guide on picking your next set of adoptive sons.

Note: There’s ten shows so this is going to be long, you guys. Just... so long. And there will be many exclamation points.

All out!!

Sport: Rugby Type: Ensemble cast with quite a heavy focus on drama. By that I mean that this is a 'traditional' sports anime, where several characters get flashbacks and development, usually in the final minutes of some important match. The amount of characters, however, is fairly low, with a heavy focus is on the Jinko team and their struggles to not be the failingest team that ever failed. Lasers vs realism: I know nothing of rugby? They tackle each other a lot and they seem to mostly play in the rain and the mud. So far, things seem plausible. I've spotted a fair amount of 'eye lasers' and 'determination fire' so I'm gonna say Mildly Realistic. Pace: Fairly slow. Fourteen episodes in, they haven't even started the preliminaries to the nationals. The focus is very much on the build-up of the team and the individual characters.

Art style: Bara. So bara. Apart from that, the art is very pronounced, with a rather unique look. The difference in faces reminds me almost of a french bd style. I like it. Best tsun: Ohira is so salty. Someone please put him in a shaker and pour him over fries. Favourite gentle giant: Iwashimizu is that cute, shy, tall boy that would really rather be in the book club, but got dragged into violent mud ball because of his stature and his past. Protect him.

Early scene: All Out!! is pretty heavy on the figure hugging outfits and the random tackling shots in the dirt. This is like 50% of the first few episodes. Just shots of guys running into other guys while looking Serious. The other 50% is school kids talking.

Later scene: Somewhere halfway through the season, All Out suddenly starts adding All the Drama and Background, and really starts to shine. Mostly because characters that seemed flat suddenly get some depth. Have the resident Tough Guy Captain, for instance, getting blushey because he received a love letter.

The good:

In a genre that's rife with thin pretty boys, it's refreshing to see a bunch of bodybuilders and fat blokes trying to waltz over each other. All Out's art style is one of it's major draws.

I really like the contrast between the over the top action of the games and the practice, and then the soft focus and alternate personalities in the flashbacks and establishing scenes. The storytelling is pretty good.

The bad:

I'll be honest, All Out is not the most inspired show out there. It's pretty heavy on the tropes, especially in the establishing episodes, before the whole thing gets rolling. It takes a few episodes before it gets truly interesting.

The show also takes a little too much time to establish how down in the dumps the team is. Jinko isn’t just the underdog, they’re the Underdog. I found it almost depressing to watch at times.

Advice: Watch it for the bara. This is one of the few shows where the characters are not all skinny. It has some nice body diversity. Also: a sport that is pretty unique. This is a good one if you're looking for something a little different.

Cheer Danshi!!

Sport: Cheerleading Type: Ensemble cast. The central cast is made up of five dudes with their own struggles, and halfway through the season it is expanded to double that. Realism: High. The weirdest thing that happens is kids being able to do a handstand by trying hard enough. The show deals with some very basic and very realistic issues, like fear of heights or finding time to practice while also looking for work and studying. Pace: Fast. It's a simple, condensed show that manages to fit both the whole 'let's start a club' thing and practice all the way to tournaments into one season.

Art style: Mildly bishounen. These boys are all extremely cute. They also look fairly young considering they're in university. Favourite cheer boy: Kazu is amazing, ok? He has the sad back story, but he's just incredibly fun and cheerful and his messaging icon is a cheerleading pig for god's sake. Best tsun: Shou is your resident 'highly talented but held back by his past trauma' type kid, with the extra bonus of terrible, terrible fashion taste.

Early scene: So Cheer Danshi!! starts with these four friends getting into the whole cheerleading thing and slowly gaining team members by just going out there and embarrassing themselve.; It works!

Later scene: The valentines episode is one of the funnier ones, and the show does that thing where they stuff so much information into a single frame? Usually something is going on in the back and I approve of that.

The good:

I give Cheer Danshi!! points for having a chubby character that is never made to feel less and who's main 'joke' is that he's the only one with a girlfriend. Ton wins at life, ok.

Also this show is legit? Like I was expecting some parody, but it’s pretty serious about being a real sports anime.

I live for shows that put little easter eggs in the background.

The bad:

A lot of development is missed because of the brutal pace. Like Shou as a character should be right up my alley, but he falls sort of flat.

The actual dance scenes didn’t really do it for me. It sort of lacks tension. It doesn’t have you at the edge of your seat.

The show, to me, lost a lot of its speed and intrigue near the end of the season, like it was running out of gas.

Advice: Watch it for Kazu. This is a pretty chill show about outcasts. It has pretty art and works well as a time filler, even if it isn’t as gripping or life consuming as some of the ones on this list.

Days

Sport: Football (soccer) Type: Ensemble cast. Pretty heavy focus on the main character and possibly Kazama, but the Seiseki football team has its fair share of strong personalities, that each get to shine. Realism vs motivational shouting: Fairly realistic. The football matches feature more goals than I’m used to seeing in regular matches, but otherwise the basic rules and techniques are followed. Tsukushi's main skill is that he runs a lot and can shout loudly. This puts him in first string of one of the top high school football teams in Japan. That's... odd, but the actual matches aren't too weird. Pace: Pretty fast. These guys are not the underdogs, so they get into the Nationals or whatever fairly quickly. Also the third years are already talking about retiring 20 episodes in.

Art style: The art for Days is pretty cool. The linework is fairly thick and the characters are very pronounced. Half of them are pretty hot, while the other half is just downright weird. No idea what the deal is with Tsukushi’s cheeks. Favourite football genius: Have I mentioned how Kazama is a gift? Because Kazama is a gift. He does the genius rebel with ennui thing and combines it with a sad past and the most upbeat personality imaginable. He's a little shit and I adore him. Favourite tsun: Kimishita is aggressively tsun, in the sense that he's almost more aggressive than tsun. This guy has so many issues with repressed feelings turning into anger that I would recommend a therapist, or perhaps like an awful lot of cuddles. Maybe a puppy.

Early scene: Days is a strange combination of over the top melodrama with Tsukushi learning his self worth, and then just... really silly stuff. Like this one, where Tsukushi, despite being just the biggest loser, gets to nap on the pretty girl's shoulder. His classmates are not impressed.

Later scene: Because of the 'top dog' status of Seiseki, a ton of circumstances have to happen where they are challenged and the match is no longer that easy to win. Suddenly everything is mud, or half the team is out so the other half has to pick up the slack. This, btw, is Kimishita's finest moment.

The good:

Days is that show that is all kinds of normal and I still want to watch a ton of it? It has that Oreo quality to it. You know they're not the best cookies out there but damned if you're not going eat the whole pack. It has the right amount of lightness and silliness to sate my sports anime thirst.

It’s kinda cool that this show starts with a team that is not clawing itself up from the ground. They're the champions from the very start and have to defend that position, which changes the tension somewhat.

The bad:

For a sports anime, the title has a startling lack of exclamation marks.

It has the worst first episode. It does get better.

Also it's pretty tropey. Mostly in characters. Kimishita is aggressively tsun, Usui is very much the mom friend, Ooshiba is the self involved ace etc. The ensemble cast feels slightly too much like an ensemble cast, if you know what I mean. The show rather subtly tries to play with these tropes, but they are still feel very present.

The amount of praise lavished upon protagonist Tsukushi for being average but good at running is a little too much. I get that this is a motivational anime, but he’s literally on a team with genius athletes.

Advice: This is good, old fashioned entertainment. Watch it for a sport you actually know something about (if you’re, like, not American), and because it’s well made.

Free!

Sport: Swimming Type: Drama. This is basically a show about growing up and coming to terms with your dreams. It's... very heavy on the story, you guys. The show is based on two light novels that precede the anime time line and the story goes back to friggin kindergarten. Everyone has some kind of trauma. Realism vs dream fish: Ok, yes, they turn into dream fish at several points. But: other than that, it does make sense. Like the up and coming swim team doesn't just beat everyone, and if they break the rules (which, spoiler, they do), they're disqualified. Pace: Really slow. This is a drama, remember. There's not that many competitions.

Art style: Drool worthy. This is a KyoAni show, meaning it is Very Pretty with Very Detailed Sparkly Eyes and Incredibly Animated Water and let's not even get into the work they put in the, uh, musculature of all these half naked young men. Everything is pretty and everyone is hot. Favourite emo shark: Have you taken a good look at the drama queen that is Rin? He's such a theatrical little shit, and god it's so amazing to see his turnaround in season two. He’s a great, if somewhat self-involved character. Best tsun: He doesn't show up until the second season but holy moly Sousuke is everything. He's sensitive, he's hot and he's a classic tortured soul who cares about his friends too much while trying to keep all his feels bottled up.

Early scene: When I say Free is about growing up, this is what I mean. At the beginning of each season, the characters tend to be struggling with something, which is resolved through, uh, the power of friendship. And dream fish. In this case, Haru is just so done with life. He has the ennui of a 70 year old veteran.

Later scene: This is still my favourite line in that whole first season, because it both shows some of the deeper underlying story, with Rei being personally affected and probably a little miffed by the constant talk about Rin, while also hammering home his innate politeness. The whole thing culminates in what should be a showdown but ends up being very silly. (protect Rei! He deserves all the love).

The good:

This show is pretty damn deep. It really digs into the feels, man.

So, so pretty.

So much drama. It has a very good pull. It’s one of those shows I need to stop myself from watching on the train, because I squeal and flail.

The bad:

It’s pretty campy. There’s a few scenes, certainly in the early episodes of each season, that are just too much, like the … penguin bathing suit on Rei, and that whole ‘join our swim club’ thing in S2.

Advice: This was one of my first sports animes and it will always be one of my favourites. The show has a very deep storyline and well developed characters. It's gotten a bad rap as queer- and fujoshi bait as of late, but that's honestly only there if you're looking for it. (I legit didn't see gay subtext the first time I watched this show). So just clear your mind and enjoy the plot and the pretty.

Haikyuu!!

Sport: Volleyball Type: Ensemble cast. There are so many characters and they're all super nice and have pretty well developed backgrounds. Some of the most interesting ones tend to be side characters, even, because there's such a wealth of personalities. Realism vs freak duo: Pretty realistic. From what people tell me, it's a pretty good representation of specifically Asian style of volleyball. The freak duo are awfully fast tho. Pace: Medium. A season usually consists of a training arc and some kind of tournament. The important matches take like ten episodes. However: many things happen in said match and you know the life story of every single participant, including coaches and maybe like a referee afterwards.

Art style: Pretty cool. Everyone is cute and 'feels' like they're the right age. It does this thing occasionally where it draws on the horror past of the mangaka, and turns a character into a scary badass, which is just Really Cool, you guys. Best tsun: Where to even start? As mentioned, this show has what is probably the biggest cast of lovable characters in sports anime. So what the hell, I'll go for the second protagonist: Kageyama. This kid is the sports prodigy with the terrible social skills and past trauma that has a really cute amount of character development. Favourite owl: Bokuto. For a show that has so many random animal themes, Bokuto both embodies the traditional wisdom associated with owls, but also that thing where they crane their head ninety degrees?

Early scene: Early Haikyuu is oddly dramatic. It's the part where the Karasuno boys still need to work on their confidence and regain their trust in each other. I am utterly in love with this particular scene because it's a really nice example of early character development in Kageyama. He's just... squaring off against an old ally, while his new buddy is listening. At the same time it’s also a light scene, because of Hinata’s typical reaction to “tall people in bathrooms”.

Later scene: Haikyuu has some really nice action sequences. The single screenshot doesn't really do it justice, but this is one of my faves because it falls into the theme of ‘getting better through failing a million times’. The reason Hinata there can do flying falls so well, is because his team is just kinda bad at first.

The good:

Really well written characters, and a ton of them. I cannot stress this enough. This is so good for character development addicts.

This show also stays away from many tropes and exaggerated themes that some sports anime fall into.

The bad:

Haikyuu syndrome: you don't know who to cheer for.

Popularity issues: S3 has ten episodes and still drags a little, because it’s being made too fast to follow the manga.

Advice: There's a reason everyone is obsessed with Haikyuu. This is the standard and honestly the best traditional sports anime made in the past few years. It's weirdly mundane but it does everything so well, with spot-on characterisation and pace and storytelling and visual setting.

Kuroko no Basket

Sport: Basketball Type: Half and half. The main plot is pretty clear and feels almost like an rpg style quest where Kuroko needs to beat all his former team mates and collect all the stars in order to unlock the Winter Cup Final and Fix All the Things. What makes the show good, however, is the cast and the variety in opponents.  Realism vs lasers: All the lasers. This show is the reason I even added a ‘realism’ category. Everyone has special abilities, ridiculous amounts of things happen in a split second... this is not how you basketball. It’s nice to look at tho. Pace: Medium to slow. 75 episodes cover about two tournaments (admittedly they're long tournaments). An ova is coming out this year that covers one reunion match. There's a lot of flashbacks to break up the monotony, including a very long one about middle school.

Art style: Over the top bishi. These dudes are supposed to be 16 and they all look like twenty something models. Also, just so many lasers and special effects. Not that I'm complaining. Favourite flamboyant boy model: Kise did nothing wrong, he just wants to play basketball with his friends and I will defend him with my life (Kise Defence Squad 2k17). Best tsun: Aomine is bae. While his character is a walking trope, he just does it so well, ok. He's one of the first 'villains' and his redemption arc is just extremely satisfying.

Early scene: Also known as 'the one where I started screaming'. Since one of the main themes in KnB is the power of friendship, and how each of the overpowered Miracles needs to learn to work together with their new team, this one hits right in the feels. Kise just completely overworked himself and his super grumpy senpai comes to the rescue.

Later scene: Did I mention the lasers? This is actually a rather powerful scene, since it's the main characters super attack, and the reason antagonist Aomine there can stop it, is because they used to be best friends before he went over to the dark side (this really sounds like a fantasy epos doesn't it).

The good:

It's so over the top I can't even.

Memorable characters. And I don't just mean the main team and the Miracles. I'm talking asshole antagonists that still deserve their own fan club. 

The bad:

Towards the later seasons, it starts to feel a bit stretched. Like a match takes a Really Long Time and everyone needs to use their ability at least once. It does drag on a bit.

Advice: This is a super popular sports anime and I can understand why. It's a high drama, super over the top laser spectacle. The characters have an odd pull to them, in that I only watched the show once, a year ago, but I'm still writing fanfic for them. They get in your head and sort of don't leave. It's a good show and it's well written. Go watch it if you like your sports anime with an extra dose of steroids.

Ookiku Furikabutte (Big Windup!)

Sport: Baseball Type: Drama. It has a good ensemble cast, but the focus is squarely on the two main characters. This is basically a show about overcoming your past self. Realism vs pitching technique: Pretty high on the realism scale? The main idea behind Ookiku Furikabutte is that the main character has a weird pitching technique which beats everyone if paired up with the right strategy. So there’s that. It also does that thing where a lot of stuff happens in the last few minutes of a match. Pace: Medium. A match takes like two to three episodes on average and there’s some training camps in between.

Art style: Adorable. The art is very simple and stylized, making everyone look really young. At times you also get the chibi thing, where mostly Mihashi resembles some kind of small chicken (which is apt, let's be fair). Favourite fairy godmother: Coach Momoe is both a complete badass, and one of those teacher figures that speaks in riddles half the time and then tries to make the kids come up with the answer themselves. It's nice to see that style of character in the shape of a twenty something girl with pigtails. Favourite tsun: Abe is such a good character because while he does the 'tortured soul' bit rather well, he's also a complete dickhead. Seeing him become less of an ass is nice.

Early scene: This scene, while, just, so gay, is also the part where Abe figures out what Mihashi has been going through and what he, as his catcher, should maybe do about that. There's an awful lot going on for a scene this understated.

Later scene: The big dramatic climax of season one has Mihashi finally realizing a number of things, in the last inning of a match, in the pouring rain, because of course.

The good:

 I like the childlike quality of the characters. People like Tajima feel and act very young, which is pretty damn realistic. It has a sort of carefree feel to it, despite the rather heavy load of teenage angst going on underneath.

Supportive parents. Like for real, this is one of the very, very few series that actively shows moms going to watch their sons games and supporting the team. Parents exists in this world and that is neat.

The bad:

The main character is a mess, which gets annoying. And then I feel bad about finding him annoying.

The bullying and random bouts of sexism are kinda hard to watch at times.

Advice: This is one of the lesser known sports animes but it’s really worth a shot. Watch if you’re into some deep-digging, realistic teenage angst. It has some very complex relationships, characters with a believable mixture of maturity and a classic underdog sports team plot.

Prince of Stride

Sport: Parcour Type: Ensemble cast. It's based on an otome game. There is cute innocent boy, serious glasses boy, hot older boy, etc. You can almost tick them off. Somehow they're all models and idols also. Realism vs organized parcour: So parcour, I'm fairly certain, is not a sport that has school tournaments. Having said that, I like how they put it into animation, with stuff like wind mattering and just having what is basically an obstacle course for these kids to run. Soo... medium realism. Pace: Pretty high. They crammed a fair amount of stuff into 12 episodes.

Art style: Flashy. I really like the use of really sharp, almost garish colours. It gives the show quite a pop. The art is well done and, since it's based on an otome game, everything is pretty and everyone is tall, thin and extremely bishounen. Favourite wind machine using biker: It's like every scene involving Kuga has to have him somehow showing off his bod and long flowing hair in just the right amount of wind. I approve of this amount of camp. Favourite tsun: Heath is a hot half-American model that is voiced by Ono D. Case closed.

Early scene: Fujiwara is mildly insane and will do anything to make sure the running team has enough members. Including kidnapping based on calf strength.

Later scene : They're high-fiving.... like bros....

The good:

One of the best bits about Stride is that it's obviously a high budget anime. The cast reads like a 'who's who' of your favourite voice actors so you end up doing that thing where every time a new character is talking you pause to go back to the cast list and go 'ohhh, it's that guy, I knew it!' (surely I am not the only one who does this).

The bad:

The amount of trope that the characters embody made them fall a bit flat for me. It just felt slightly more shallow than some of the others on this list. Like, it tried real hard, but it never really pulled me in.

Advice: Ehhh. Good visuals, but not much else. This is honestly such a missed chance. When it came out, the premise was so promising and I really wanted to love it. It looks sleek and stylish but for me it lacks bite. It tries, it really does, but it misses that depth of character and storyline that makes a truly good series.

Yowamushi Pedal

Sport: Road cycling Type: Ensemble cast, mostly of the main team Sohoku and the rival champion team Hakone. The interaction between these guys is a lot of fun. Realism vs time travel: Uhhhhhhhh. Ok, so that's not how cycling works and anyone who's ever been on a bike knows this. The 'pack' doesn't get infinitely stronger and faster as more people join, the power of friendship and grit alone will not make you come back from the last spot in a massive race etc. That's not even talking about the weird stunts Midousuji pulls and the special pokemon abilities of some of these guys. It's pretty out there. Pace: Weird. Let me explain. This show sprints through the year, enough that three seasons in, the third years have actually retired from the team (gasp!). But at the same time it’s just... so slow. This is one of those shows that takes an entire episode to cover what is essentially less than a minute of real life time, because it keeps cutting to flashbacks and takes the time to do motivational speeches and tearful send-offs while the characters race along at sixty miles per hour. It's amazing.

Art style: Cartoony and exaggerated. Like, very few people are 'drawn hot'. At times the art style feels like mid nineties anime, but it is very effective, especially with the over the top Dramatic Scenes™. Best tsun: I am mildly in love with Makishima ok? With his stupid ridiculously coloured hair and his horrific clothes. He can best be described as a sensitive weirdo and he's amazing. Favourite angel boy: Manami is a great character because of his hidden depths. He seems on the surface to be your typical fun, pure, bike loving doof. He has glass wings as his special ability. But then you figure out that he's also low key psychotic and obsessed with mortality and that is cool AF.

Early scene: I like that thing they do where they ‘send off’ a guy. And they do it a lot. Not sure if that’s how physics works, but somehow pushing a colleague on the back makes him shoot off, with all the spirit and hopes and dreams of the pusher as the wing beneath their wings (or something).

Later scene: Onoda uses the cadence of an anime song to help his buddy get in rhythm. I have many questions about this scene. How does Tadoroko know the lyrics to the hime hime song? Shouldn’t they be saving their breath if they’re that tired? Many questions.  

The good:

This show is the most dramatic thing ever? I think it's partly the art style, but every episode it feels like half the main cast has somehow died, judging by the angry close ups and random eulogies. It's so over the top.

My second favourite thing is the little slice of life sketch you get after the credits each time. They are usually very silly little clips that give some background to the characters and their interactions. It's fandom gold.

The bad:

While I love the over-the-top-ness, they sometimes go too far. Like they have so many motivational speeches, and some of the races are so dragged out that you get frustrated. In some of the later episodes it feels like very little actually happens in the twenty minutes of screen time.

Advice: Watch it but take heed. There is a lot of YowaPeda and it's very moreish. I binged 63 episodes and a god damned movie in what amounts to less than two weeks. That is not healthy. It gets under your skin.

Yuri!!! on Ice

Sport: Figure skating Type: Drama. Unless you’ve avoided tumblr for the last half of 2016, you know that this is mostly a love story set to the background of an international ice skating competition. That being said, the cast is A+ and all of them are intensely lovable. Realism vs quads: I have doubts about the points some of the skaters receive (Otabek should get bronze!) and apparently quads are really not as common as the show makes them out to be. Having said that, the amount of detail and beauty that is put into each of the choreographies is worth all the realism points.So high realism. Pace: Ridiculously fast. The amount of tournaments and background and, just, character development these people manage to cram into 12 episodes makes my head reel. This is why you should watch every episodes at least two times.

Art style: Gorgeous. The animation is really really good. It does the thing where some frames are super detailed (the lips! the eyelashes!), while others are more stylized or downright cartooney. It mixes styles a lot to best get a point across. Best tsun: Yuri Plisetsky is such a joy of an angry teenager. He is so very grumpy and so very sensitive at the same time? Also: cats. Love him. Favourite Russian legend: It’s hard to pick a fave character but Victor is just so serious and disciplined, but then also utterly flamboyant and an idiot in love. I want my very own victor. Someone commercialize him.

Early scene: Let's not spoil the whole plot with the most famous scenes, shall we? Let’s go with Yuuri performing “Stand close to me”. It’s a routine he saw performed by his idol. It’s so heartfelt? Also the jump start to the series.

Later scene: Yuuri being a bro.Yuuri, a classic tsun, is hard to befriend, but he really is such a good kid, and he cares so much that he goes out of his way to cheer up friends and I just want to hug him.

The good:

YoI is extremely meta. There's a reason you could compile a library of analyses just from tumblr. It knows all the tropes and plays with them like a cat plays with one of those jingley balls. You think the girl will be a love interest? Bam: triplets and a husband. You think Victor is a playboy? Bam: episode ten will make your head reel. You think Yurio is just your basic shounen jump antagonist? Bam: episode twelve will kill you dead with your assumptions. It's anti trope.

Representation of an actual healthy romantic relationship between two male characters is still pretty rare, so I’ll commend it for that.

High pull factor, in the sense that it’s very easy to get invested.

The bad: 

Haikyuu syndrome (I really felt bad for Christophe, and Seung Gil, and JJ and...).

At times it goes slightly overboard on the camp. Christophe coming on the ice is just... no.

Advice: FFS yes. Just watch it. It's so well done that it manages to hook people who don't even like anime. I'm not even gonna tell you to stay away if you are improbably scared of gay things. Watch it and better your life. Love wins.